At 5:30 in the morning the next day, Qiao Ze opened his eyes promptly.
Just as he was about to get up as usual, he suddenly realized he wasn't at home but in a dorm room with four people.
So, he subconsciously lightened his movements.
After all, at home, Lu Xiuxiu wouldn't get up until six to start preparing breakfast for him.
But even though he was extra careful, as soon as he got out of bed, a head peeked out from the mosquito net on the opposite bunk. It was starting to get light outside, making the refined features and the somewhat heavy dark circles under those unfamiliar eyes visible.
"You're up already?"
Qiao Ze nodded his head.
"I'm Chen Yiwen, Zhang Zhou and Gu have already introduced me to you, haven't they?" the head sticking out continued.
Qiao Ze nodded again, but this time he responded with a "Mhm."
Then it was as if neither of them knew what else to say.
Qiao Ze didn't mind and, seeing that his new roommate, whom he had just met today, had nothing more to say, he went to the balcony to brush his teeth and wash up on his own.
Behind him came a faint apology, "Um, sorry, Professor Zhao replied to your email last night, and I couldn't help but glance at it."
Qiao Ze turned his head and looked at Chen Yiwen on the bed, thought for a moment, and replied, "It's okay, it was just to prove a point anyway."
Then he went to the balcony to start washing up, considerately closing the glass door behind him.
This action left Chen Yiwen speechless.
He had thought that upon hearing his words, Qiao Ze's first reaction would be to open his laptop to read the professor's reply, so he could casually say, "Professor Zhao says you were right."
Then they could use that to start a conversation, and he could directly ask Qiao Ze the question he couldn't figure out, even after a whole night without sleep, "Buddy, what on earth were you thinking? Why did you choose Xilin University of Technology? Just to crush the confidence of us ordinary people?"
But the guy didn't even glance at the professor's email and went straight to brushing his teeth.
He really didn't care at all.
The next moment, two more heads popped up from the other two beds almost simultaneously.
All present.
However, it was clear that, except for Qiao Ze, the other three hadn't slept well.
After all, the dark circles around their eyes could not lie.
"Whew... Old Chen, Qiao didn't seem angry just now, did he?"
Chen Yiwen, hearing Zhang Zhou's spiritless words, felt more irritated than before.
"I need to keep it a secret for now. Once I've solved it, you'll know," he said.
"Enough talk, get up, get up, if we rise early we can solve a couple more problems."
...
The girls' dorm.
Six in the morning.
The vibrating alarm clock awakened Su Mucheng.
She quietly climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the diagonally opposite bed, stretching her hand into the mosquito net to shake her sleeping roommate awake.
"Hmm... Chengzi, what are you doing?"
"You forgot, Dandan, you promised last night that you'd get up early today to teach me how to do makeup."
"Ah? You were serious?"
"Of course, I am! Who's joking with you? Hurry up and get up."
"Alright, alright, stop pulling on me..."
...
Luckily, the other two girls in the dormitory were deep sleepers, and the slight noises did not disturb them.
After spending a few minutes washing up, Su Mucheng sat in front of a folding mirror propped on the balcony, while Lu Dandan laid out an array of makeup products on the table and began a detailed tutorial.
"Remember, no matter what kind of makeup you're applying, the first step is always to clean your face carefully, especially in summer, it's best to apply a layer of sunscreen first."
"Oh! Got it, what's next?"
"Then comes the primer. It's crucial for protecting your skin from the makeup, so make sure you apply it evenly."
"Okay, okay, can I start applying makeup now?"
"Don't rush, we've still got foundation... By the way, are you going for a light makeup look, or a more colorful one? For different styles, it's best to use different foundations."
"Ah? Is it that complicated?"
"What's so complicated about it?! You can do complex math problems, can't you? I learned all these makeup techniques from online videos; it took me just a week to get it down."
"Then what kind of makeup do you think I should apply?"
"I think with your skin being so good, a simple light makeup would look very nice. By the way, Chengzi, are you going on a date today? Speaking of which, who's the lucky guy? Is he from our class? When did he win you over? You've done a pretty good job keeping it a secret."
"Won me over? No, I'm the one who wants to pursue him!"
"Ah?!"