“Hurry up, guys. This is the first time the whole class is gathering. It’ll be awkward if everyone else is there and we’re the ones holding things up,” Qin Yongfeng urged.
“Then you tell them. I’ve already come out,” Mo Xiangwen sighed. “Besides, we’ve still got half an hour. No need to rush.”
“It’ll take a while to walk over there, and everyone might show up early for the first meeting,” Qin Yongfeng said, shaking his head.
Fine, Qin Yongfeng had a point.
Mo Xiangwen had gotten used to slacking off as an office drone. He wouldn’t budge until the absolute deadline.
After all, everyone knew that doing your work fast and well didn’t make it pile up any less.
Quite the opposite—work only ever increased.
It sounded counterintuitive, but it fit human nature perfectly.
By the time you realized something was wrong, all the tasks had already buried you.
And raises? Those were just lies from the boss.
Over time, that had cultivated his procrastination and love for goofing off.
“Coming, coming.” A voice echoed from the bathroom.
Zhong Taihong and Xi Shaojie emerged one after the other.
Zhong Taihong had clearly taken a shower—his hair was still damp. Whether it was hair gel or cologne, he looked slick and polished.
Xi Shaojie trailed behind, bleary-eyed, squinting and yawning.
“What the hell, Lao Zhong? Heading to a mixer?” Qin Yongfeng ribbed him. “Why get so flashy just for a meeting? I thought you’d fallen in the toilet after dawdling so long.”
“You’re coming in hot today, Lao Qin,” Zhong Taihong said, staring at him in disbelief. “What, did you have gunpowder for breakfast?”
“It’s because Lao Qin had to nag you guys forever to come out,” Mo Xiangwen sighed. “He and I waited out here for twenty minutes.”
“Come on, it’s our first time meeting the classmates and the TA senior sister. Gotta prepare properly,” Zhong Taihong said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Especially since I heard there’s a really pretty girl in our class. Gotta make a good impression.”
“Where’d you hear that? Computer science doesn’t have pretty girls,” Xi Shaojie said, shoving Zhong Taihong’s back. “And the TA senior sister? Sounds like you’re just pent up with no outlet. Move it, don’t block the way.”
“You guys are clearly sexually frustrated. Can’t go three sentences without bringing up girls,” Mo Xiangwen urged. “Let’s go, or we’ll really be late.”
“Lao Zhong’s lost it,” Qin Yongfeng said, shaking his head. “Spilling about the pretty classmate and the TA already.”
“Damn it, the TA was just me talking off the cuff, but there really is a pretty classmate,” Zhong Taihong said with a laugh and a curse. “Too bad she’s got a boyfriend already. She showed up on orientation day with him.”
“They’re a perfect match—word’s spread through the whole major.”
Mo Xiangwen blinked. Something about what Zhong Taihong said felt oddly familiar.
Was he talking about Yan Nuoya?
No surprise if he was.
Otherwise, it was hard to imagine any girl in computer science—who already had a brutal gender imbalance—measuring up to Yan Nuoya in looks.
At her level, the only ones Mo Xiangwen had seen who could compare were the Su Mengli sisters.
The three of them chatted as they walked. They had just stepped out of the dorm when August’s sun hit them like a blast furnace.
“Once orientation’s over, it’ll be military training, right?” Mo Xiangwen said.
He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light, squinting slightly.
“Military training in this hellish weather will be brutal.”
Zhong Taihong paused. “Shit, I totally forgot college freshmen have to do military training.”
“You’re like a monkey in heat right now, brain full of girls,” Xi Shaojie mocked. “No wonder you’re trash at games.”
“You don’t get it. If you don’t date in college, it’s even harder once you’re out in the real world,” Zhong Taihong sneered. “At least in college, there are a few naive girls who’ll actually date you for real. After that, it’s all about interests and exchanges.”
Mo Xiangwen shot him a shocked look. He hadn’t expected the guy to grasp that truth so young.
“Who told you that, Lao Zhong? Doesn’t sound like you,” Mo Xiangwen asked curiously.
It was normal for college kids to obsess over dating—youthful hormones and all.
But using that logic to justify jumping into romance showed real foresight… even if it came with the narrow mindset of “gotta get a girlfriend and marry.” Better than nothing.
“Damn, Lao Mo, why are you as aggressive as them today?”
“Am I? Must be your imagination. Or if you’re dead set on it, maybe reflect on yourself?”
“So now it’s my fault?” Zhong Taihong sighed in exasperation. “Nah, it wasn’t me. My cousin told me.”
“Your cousin’s been through it, huh,” Mo Xiangwen said with a sigh, patting his shoulder. “What’s his deal now?”
“Getting hounded by all the aunts and uncles to get married,” Zhong Taihong said, shaking his head. “He’s decent-looking, family’s got money—shouldn’t be pushing thirty still single. He’s the last one in his generation; everyone’s anxious.”
“But he says some things aren’t about money. Because it’s so important, he won’t settle for less.”
“Damn, why make it sound so cool? Bet he just couldn’t find anyone in college and stayed single,” Xi Shaojie snarked.
“You’re killing the vibe. It’s true, but doesn’t my cousin have a point?” Zhong Taihong didn’t hold back on his own relative.
“Yeah, he does,” Xi Shaojie nodded.
“Exactly, so I’m hustling to find a girlfriend in college,” Zhong Taihong said, glancing at the other two who hadn’t spoken. “What about you, Lao Mo, Lao Qin?”
Mo Xiangwen shrugged. “Not thinking about it right now. No rush.”
If you couldn’t find someone good, why force it?
Don’t get tunnel-visioned.
Gaming with online buddies was entertainment too—no girlfriend required.
Qin Yongfeng shook his head too. “Not interested for now. Better to focus on studying and making money.”
“Just saying it now, so don’t call me a traitor later,” Zhong Taihong sighed. “That stuff about the no-romance league at dinner the other night? Blame it on me being drunk.”
“I thought the Coke and juice had no alcohol. How’d you get drunk?” Mo Xiangwen said with a smirk.
Xi Shaojie nodded thoughtfully. “In that case, I should start looking too.”
“So the founder and biggest backer of this crap no-romance league are both traitors, huh,” Qin Yongfeng said, glancing at them with some exasperation.
“You haven’t dated, so you don’t know how great it is. I don’t blame you,” Zhong Taihong said, clapping Xi Shaojie on the shoulder. “Go for it, Lao Xi. Let these two seethe in jealousy.”
Xi Shaojie clapped him back, touched. The two looked thick as thieves.
The pair bantered nonstop the whole way, oblivious to everyone else, until they finally reached the classroom.
About half the seats were taken, scattered around. Since no one knew each other well, people sat in dorm clusters—three or five to a group.
Dorms kept a few chairs’ buffer between them.
Guys got familiar fast, but until then, strangers stayed distant.
Except for the extreme introverts, anyway. Those were a special case.
The girls were doing better, honestly.
There were only five in the class total, so naturally they all sat together…
Wait, why was one by herself in the front row, left side by the window?
“See, that’s her—the one with silver-white hair,” Zhong Taihong said, pointing to Yan Nuoya, who was reading in the front-row window seat. “Rare sight, right? Can’t see her face from here, but they say she’s gorgeous.”
“But she’s got a boyfriend. Sitting alone instead of with the other girls? Not waiting for him, what else?”
“Yeah? Whoever landed a girl like that is one lucky bastard. Makes me sick,” Xi Shaojie grumbled.
“No, hear me out—what if she’s just waiting for a friend?” Mo Xiangwen cleared his throat. “We can’t assume she has a boyfriend right off the bat, right?”
Zhong Taihong sighed and patted his shoulder. “Lao Mo, I get it—she’s stunning. The other girls in class can’t compare.”
“But she came to orientation with her boyfriend. Don’t even think about it. Stealing her would be straight-up scummy.”
“There’s plenty of fish in the sea. No need to hang yourself on one tree.”
Mo Xiangwen’s mouth twitched. He decided to fight for his own life a bit harder.
“What I mean is—what I’m saying is just hypothetically—the guy who came with her to register wasn’t her boyfriend.” Mo Xiangwen struggled to explain. “Maybe they’re just good friends with a perfectly pure relationship?”
“I heard those two were acting pretty intimate that day.”
“Maybe someone just saw it wrong.”
“Lao Mo, you really can’t let it go, can you? I’m telling you straight up: I heard her boyfriend’s in the same class. If he beats you to death, don’t blame us bros for not warning you.” Zhong Taihong shook his head, eyeing him like a dead man walking. “When it goes down, stay far away from me. Don’t get any blood on me.”
“…I kinda get where Lao Mo’s coming from.” Xi Shaojie murmured.
Zhong Taihong frowned. “Lao Xi, what’s your deal? You wanna play homewrecker too?”
Xi Shaojie let out a long sigh. “What I mean is, she really is gorgeous. No wonder Lao Mo can’t get her out of his head.”
“What do you mean ‘can’t get her out’? I was just reasonably pointing out a possibility, okay?” Mo Xiangwen argued back.
“How would you even know? You’ve seen her up close?” Zhong Taihong asked, puzzled.
“She’s looking right over at us now.”
Before Xi Shaojie could finish, they all turned to look. The silver-haired girl gave them a captivating smile and waved.
“…She is pretty gorgeous. No wonder Lao Mo’s so obsessed he wants to be a homewrecker.” Zhong Taihong fell silent for a long moment, then sighed and clapped him on the shoulder. “But poaching someone’s girl is straight-up unethical. You can’t do it, Lao Mo.”
“Totally unethical. Don’t do it, Lao Mo.” Xi Shaojie nodded in agreement.
“Uh… Lao Mo, maybe just drop it.”
Unexpectedly, even Qin Yongfeng chimed in on their side.
Mo Xiangwen fell silent at once. He truly had nothing to say.
But in his roommates’ eyes, that silence only confirmed their suspicions.
“Wonder why she waved at us. Does that mean…” Zhong Taihong furrowed his brow. “Her boyfriend just walked past behind us?”
“Nah, I didn’t see anyone.” Qin Yongfeng shook his head.
“Come on, let’s go grab a corner to sit.” Xi Shaojie urged.
Maybe she’d been waiting too long for a reaction, but Yan Nuoya gave up waving and lowered her head, fiddling with something.
Then Mo Xiangwen felt his phone buzz lightly in his pocket.
He pulled it out. Whose message could it be but Yan Nuoya’s?
【Hurry over. Do I have to come invite you myself?】
【I gotta sit with my roommates.】
Mo Xiangwen typed out the words in silence, but staring at Yan Nuoya’s two messages inviting him to join her for the meal, he couldn’t bring himself to hit send for the longest time.
Something about it just pricked at his conscience.
“Come on, Lao Mo. Still scheming bad stuff?” Zhong Taihong and the others had apparently found seats and nudged his shoulder.
…Screw it. Lao Zhong and the guys were three strong, at least. Yan Nuoya looked like she was by herself.
“What I mean is, you three sit together. I’ll take the front.” Mo Xiangwen shook his head helplessly, sighed to himself, and steeled his resolve.
“…You really won’t quit, will you? I never pegged you for that kind of guy, Lao Mo.”
Zhong Taihong’s expression cooled. “Don’t you know those sisters? They’re cute too. Hitting them up would be fine. No need to stoop to this.”
Xi Shaojie shook his head in silence.
Qin Yongfeng tugged at his arm, his eyes pleading wildly for him to back off.
“Though… there’s a pretty big misunderstanding here.” Mo Xiangwen gave them a wry smile. “Just don’t beat me to death over it later.”
“Beat you to death? More like we’d be fishing your corpse out of the river.” Zhong Taihong snorted twice and clammed up.
Mo Xiangwen didn’t press further. He just clapped Zhong Taihong on the shoulder in return before heading up the stairs under their stares.
The girl lit up with a faint smile the moment she saw him approach.
When he sat down beside her, she showed no sign of annoyance or trying to shoo him away. Instead, she chatted animatedly with him, looking perfectly happy.
The three of them gawked as Mo Xiangwen sat there laughing and talking with her, showing zero signs of leaving. It took them ages to snap their jaws shut.
They exchanged stunned glances, each seeing utter disbelief mirrored in the others’ eyes.
“Holy shit, what a dog.”
