Su Qingqing had already downed several cups of hot water at her desk, punctuated by a few rare losses, but her ears were filled almost entirely with one “Victory” after another. She reached out and picked up her phone—6:45 p.m. flashed across the lock screen.
Leaning back in her chair, she glanced out the glass door. Even in summer, 6:45 was still quite bright outside, though the golden glow of afternoon had faded into the pale dullness of evening.
At some point, Yu Zhongmeng had left the dorm without her noticing.
One annoying thing about being at school was not being able to cook. Su Qingqing always felt that cafeteria food wasn’t as clean or satisfying as her own cooking, but this was the best she could get under the circumstances.
She stepped into the washroom, splashed some cold water on her face, tidied up, and then stepped out.
It was the second day of registration. While fewer parents were around compared to the first day, the crowd on the path downstairs still made Su Qingqing frown.
“Too many people.”
For a moment, she was tempted to turn back and play a few more games, but who knew when Ming Xue would find her again? After some thought, she decided to head to the cafeteria.
“Su Qingqing?!”
A distant call rang out. Su Qingqing turned toward the voice, scanning across the narrow path. They stood on opposite sides, shadows flickering in the middle, and finally, they caught sight of each other.
Yu Zhongmeng, dressed in an ivory-white long dress, stood on the other side, dragging an enormous delivery box. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion—it was obvious the load had taken a toll.
Su Qingqing walked over. “What did you buy that’s so big?”
“A computer.” Yu Zhongmeng pulled a dainty handkerchief from her bag and carefully wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Help me carry it to…”
She started speaking in her usual commanding tone, but caught herself mid-sentence. After a pause, she lowered her voice, cautiously saying, “Can I ask you to help me carry it?”
It shocked Su Qingqing a little. In Yu Zhongmeng’s world, asking rarely existed—she mostly just ordered. Hearing the word “please” from her mouth felt surreal.
But Su Qingqing wasn’t exactly built for hauling things, especially after a shower. She wasn’t about to get all sweaty again just to attend some random lawn concert.
Shaking her head, she said, “No need for a girl to carry that. Just find a random guy.”
“That doesn’t seem right…”
Su Qingqing blinked. “Wait—you think that’s inappropriate?”
Yu Zhongmeng didn’t catch her tone but honestly couldn’t carry the box anymore. She sat down on the steps behind her, too tired to care about cleanliness anymore. All that mattered was resting.
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Qingqing sat down next to her on the left. She took out her right earbud and handed it over.
“Want to listen to some music?”
It was phrased like a question but sounded more like a statement.
Yu Zhongmeng blinked and took it. “What are you listening to?”
“‘Wednesday’—by a Japanese band called Analogfish. It’s pretty good.”
Yu Zhongmeng chuckled. “But today’s Saturday.”
Without missing a beat, Su Qingqing replied, “Well, your Wednesday plus my Wednesday makes a Saturday.”
A lame little joke.
But Yu Zhongmeng burst out laughing, head tilted, hair cascading over her shoulder. She looked at Su Qingqing with bright, playful eyes. “Why do you only take game jobs? I feel like you’d do great with voice companionship.”
Because I pissed you off, Su Qingqing grumbled inwardly. But of course she didn’t say that aloud.
Instead, she stood and flagged down a boy passing nearby. With an anxious expression and a few pointed gestures toward Yu Zhongmeng, she explained something.
Under Yu Zhongmeng’s confused gaze, the boy walked over shyly and gripped the box with confident strength. “No worries, I got it.”
By then, Su Qingqing had already slipped into the crowd. She gave Yu Zhongmeng a quick wave and turned to leave.
“Hey! Hey, how could you?”
Su Qingqing answered Pan’s call. “That guy won’t get into the dorm anyway. The dorm auntie might not know much, but she’s got a sixth sense for spotting upperclassmen.”
“Who cares about tool guys? I meant how could you just leave Yu Zhongmeng to carry something that heavy up five flights of stairs?”
“Well… yeah, I guess that’s a bit worrying.” Su Qingqing had walked into the cafeteria by now and was heading toward the cheapest food section. “She probably bought something super expensive. If it gets dinged or dropped, it’s done for.”
“It is done for!”
Halfway through her meal, Su Qingqing suddenly sat up in distress. “Oh no! My other earbud’s still in her ear!”
“Please, that junk headset couldn’t hold a candle to even one of Yu Zhongmeng’s electric fans,” Pan said mercilessly.
Su Qingqing only smiled faintly and focused on finishing her meal.
As evening fell, she wandered through campus in the warm summer breeze. The whole place buzzed with youthful energy—something Su Qingqing, in her quiet solitude, didn’t quite fit into.
At 9 p.m., a WeChat message finally came through. It was from Ming Xue:
“Susu! Come to the field!”
“On my way.”
A few giant floodlights shone bright over the field, casting clear light over the grass.
In the center stood three large speakers and a microphone in the middle. A girl was singing Jay Chou’s “Common Jasmine Orange.”
Su Qingqing looked closer—yep, one of the girls they’d met earlier today.
Surrounding the sound system were dozens of people, swaying their phones—flashlights on—along with the rhythm.
“Are you here yet?”
“Yeah, but I can’t find you.”
A tall girl stood up from the crowd, scanning the field. Su Qingqing spotted Ming Xue and waved.
“So, is this how you imagined college life? Pretty chill, huh!” Ming Xue beamed, singing softly along with the girl.
“You like Jay Chou?” Su Qingqing asked.
But the song reached its climax, and Ming Xue leaned in close to Su Qingqing’s mouth, shouting, “What? I can’t hear you!”
Su Qingqing leaned in, smiling, and whispered softly, “Will you ever sit?”
Ming Xue frowned, not hearing her again. She shook her head and pointed toward the speakers—wait till the song ends.
After the performance ended, Ming Xue looked visibly excited. Her eyes sparkled—clearly itching to perform too. “Susu, what did you say earlier?”
“I asked if you like Jay Chou.”
“I grew up listening to him. I don’t know if I’d say I like him, but I know so many of his songs—I can at least hum them all.” She nodded as if confirming it to herself.
“Wanna go sing one?” Ming Xue’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Su Qingqing. “Tonight’s for freshmen only! I haven't even gotten a turn yet.”
“I don’t know how to sing.”
Ming Xue rolled her eyes dramatically. “You don’t know how to sing, and you still got into our major?”
Su Qingqing shook her head slightly, about to refuse, but then—under the field’s bright lights—she spotted a vaguely familiar figure.
(End of Chapter)