It was the first day of university. That night, there would be a class meeting for all the new students to get to know each other and elect the first class committee.
Zhen Bao sat with her three roommates, Fan Xuan and Qian Lele on the left in the front row, and she and Jia Xiao Yu behind them. The class advisor suggested they introduce themselves in seating order.
About five minutes later, it was Zhen Bao's turn. She hadn't been in front of so many classmates in a long time. As soon as she stood up, her face turned red. When she got to the front, she looked so innocent and shy that half the boys in the class listened to her introduction very attentively, some even sneakily taking pictures with their phones.
After she finished, Zhen Bao hurried back to her seat to listen attentively to the other new students' introductions. Some of the boys would occasionally glance at her before quickly looking away. Zhen Bao didn't notice until a girl who had just gone up kept looking at her several times. Zhen Bao became curious.
She heard the girl, Feng Yue, say she was from City C.
There was someone from the same province in their class!
Zhen Bao's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but smile. Feng Yue on stage also smiled back at her, looking excited.
During the class committee election, encouraged by her three roommates, Zhen Bao signed up to be the academic affairs chairperson. She had heard it could give her extra points when being considered for scholarships. Her competitor was a boy with several pimples on his face. After one round of voting, Zhen Bao won by a huge margin.
After the meeting ended, Zhen Bao had just stepped out of the classroom when Feng Yue came looking for her.
"Ah, we went to the same high school. How come I never saw you before?" Feng Yue asked in surprise.
Remembering Fu Ming Shi's instructions, Zhen Bao said softly, "I took a year off after 10th grade, then transferred schools and lived with my aunt here."
Feng Yue was even more surprised. Looking at Zhen Bao, she explained, "Then we were in the same grade. I didn't test well enough for college last year so I had to repeat senior year. Which class were you in 10th grade?"
Zhen Bao told her the class, trying hard to remember her 10th grade life, but she couldn't recall anyone named Feng Yue at all. Feng Yue was from the city while Zhen Bao was rural. One commuted while the other boarded at school, and they were in separate classes upstairs and downstairs, so it was normal that Zhen Bao didn't remember her.
In any case, meeting a high school classmate in the capital made both Zhen Bao and Feng Yue very happy. They exchanged phone numbers, and Feng Yue happened to live in the dorm next to Zhen Bao's, so they agreed to hang out together often in the future.
After the enrollment ceremony was two weeks of military training!
Fu Ming Shi had prepared a set of fairly high-end skincare products for Zhen Bao. She didn't want to use them at first, but early in the morning, when Jia Xiao Yu and the other two came out of the bathroom busy putting on sunscreen and kindly reminded her to put some on too, Zhen Bao decided to "do as the Romans do" and took out all the skincare products from her closet.
The set Fan Xuan used was the most expensive. Zhen Bao's set didn't stand out much in comparison.
"Is Zhen Bao here?" Feng Yue suddenly knocked on the door.
Zhen Bao went to open the door while still applying sunscreen to her neck. Feng Yue smiled and greeted Fan Xuan's trio, then asked Zhen Bao, "Shall we go together later?"
"Sure!" Zhen Bao started applying sunscreen to her hands.
Feng Yue stared at the bottles and jars on her desk, recognizing it was a rather pricey brand she didn't dare buy yet. She looked again at Zhen Bao's phone, also the latest model from a luxury brand.
Feng Yue felt a little envious. Her parents were just ordinary office workers. Among her high school classmates, her family was considered well-off, but compared to these local students in the capital, she was at the bottom all of a sudden. She had thought Zhen Bao dressed quite ordinarily last night and didn't expect her family was so wealthy too.
When Zhen Bao paid with her card at breakfast, those in the lines on either side who could see her card balance were shocked speechless.
"How did you put so much in there?" Feng Yue moved next to Zhen Bao's ear and asked softly.
Remembering Fu Ming Shi's conversation with the card-charging auntie yesterday, Zhen Bao brazenly lied, "My aunt let me charge it all at once so it'd be less hassle later."
"Your aunt sure is rich," Feng Yue said enviously.
Zhen Bao took her breakfast outside the line first.
"Over here!" Jia Xiao Yu, who had grabbed them seats earlier, stood waving at her.
Zhen Bao walked that way with Feng Yue. Only when they got closer did she see the dining hall had all four-person tables. She and Feng Yue sat at the table next to Jia Xiao Yu and the others. She couldn't make Feng Yue sit alone after all. Jia Xiao Yu glared at them and muttered something quietly. Qian Lele giggled softly, "Jealous?"
Jia Xiao Yu pouted. She just found Feng Yue annoying, sticking to them when she wasn't even roommates with them.
During the military training lineup, Jia Xiao Yu pulled Zhen Bao early to stand in the same row.
Only then did Feng Yue go find her own roommates.
~
After the first day of training ended, Fan Xuan and the others were too tired to move, but for Zhen Bao, who had farmed for two years back home, this level of activity was nothing. After dinner and a shower, it was only a bit past 8. Zhen Bao tidied up her desk, slowly brushing her hair while reading an original English novel she had brought from the villa.
"As expected of our academic chairperson. You're actually reading something fully in English!" Jia Xiao Yu suddenly moved closer. "I'll have to rely on you in the future for the CET 4 and 6 tests."
Zhen Bao smiled.
Her phone on the desk suddenly rang, and Fu Ming Shi's profile photo popped up on the screen. Even now, Zhen Bao didn't fully understand all the functions on her phone. Her contacts and profile photos had been set up by Grandpa Fu.
Although Zhen Bao grabbed her phone swiftly, Jia Xiao Yu still caught a glimpse and tutted, "Your boyfriend's checking up on you already. How thoughtful."
Zhen Bao's face turned red as she went out to the balcony to answer the call, pulling the soundproof sliding door closed.
"Did you have military training today?" There were faint, uneven sounds of chatter coming from below and further away, but Fu Ming Shi's voice was clear, as if transmitted through a channel designated just for him, low and pleasant in her ear.
Zhen Bao murmured yes.
"Are you tired?" Fu Ming Shi leaned back on the living room sofa, absentmindedly looking at Hei Dan squatting in front of him. With her gone, the villa suddenly felt empty. When he had returned after dinner, if not for the dog that belonged to her still being there, Fu Ming Shi had for a moment doubted whether he had dreamt everything - maybe Zhen Bao was only a person from his dreams.
But the call connected and he heard her nervous voice, settling his heart.
"It was okay. The others all said it was hot, but it's much cooler here than in City C," Zhen Bao chatted happily about her school life. "Oh right, there's a high school classmate of mine in my class here."
Fu Ming Shi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Boy or girl?"
"Girl. She lives in the dorm next to ours."
Fu Ming Shi leaned back into the sofa and patted Hei Dan's head. "If you want to keep it secret, even that classmate can't know about us." He was worried Zhen Bao might accidentally let slip their secret to someone familiar, causing trouble for herself. Sometimes, the closer someone was, the more unable they were to accept your meteoric rise, leading to jealousy.
Of course Zhen Bao wouldn't tell Feng Yue. She wouldn't tell anyone unless absolutely necessary.
"You've had a tiring day. Sleep early." Fu Ming Shi wasn't busy tonight but didn't want to deprive Zhen Bao of rest just because he missed her.
"Okay, you sleep early too." Zhen Bao was the one to end the call first, waiting a few seconds before hanging up.
When she returned inside, Qian Lele rushed over first, wanting to see the photos of Zhen Bao's supposedly tall, handsome and virtuous boyfriend. Since Zhen Bao had no pictures of Fu Ming Shi on her phone, she could only open her contacts and show them his profile photo. In the picture, Fu Ming Shi was playing tennis, bending over to receive the ball, his deep dark eyes gazing straight ahead brimming with restrained ferocity ready to strike at any time.
"He's so handsome!" Qian Lele was drooling with infatuation. Even the most serious Fan Xuan had shining eyes.
"Ding!" Zhen Bao received a new WeChat message.
The screen showed it was a photo. Qian Lele suppressed her curiosity and politely returned the phone to Zhen Bao, but she and the other two still crowded around to see the photo possibly sent by Zhen Bao's handsome boyfriend. Worried that it might reveal something of Fu Ming Shi's villa, Zhen Bao looked carefully before daring to show them.
The photo was of a silly, cute black dog.
"That's...a mutt, right?" Qian Lele said, surprised.
"Your boyfriend sure has unique taste in pets," Jia Xiao Yu quickly added.
Zhen Bao couldn't help but explain, "That's my dog."
In unison, the three girls turned to her. "Why is your dog with him then?" They looked as if they had discovered some big secret.
Zhen Bao didn't understand their meaning, but improvised an excuse seriously, "My aunt is away on a business trip so he's helping to take care of it for a few days."
Jia Xiao Yu and the other two humphed, certain there was something more going on.
Zhen Bao hopped into bed and continued reading her book. As she read, she took out her phone to flip through the photos.
She missed Hei Dan after not seeing him for a few days.
~
On the fifth day of training, even Zhen Bao was starting to find it tiring. They barely made it through the morning session. Everyone lined up to march from the training site back to the dorm building where they had gathered that morning before dispersing.
On the way there, Jia Xiao Yu's phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, she lifted it to her ear in confusion. "You are...?"
"Zhen Bao's phone can't get through." Fu Ming Shi stood at the side of the main road leading to Zhen Bao's dorm building, his dark eyes sweeping over the passing groups of military training freshmen.
Just as Jia Xiao Yu was about to hand the phone to Zhen Bao, she suddenly noticed the tall, upright figure not far away and recognized him as Zhen Bao's boyfriend. Jia Xiao Yu smiled and said softly, "I see you. Zhen Bao's right in front of me. Let's see if you can find her."
After hanging up, she glanced back at Zhen Bao.
Jia Xiao Yu smiled mysteriously and gripped Zhen Bao's shoulders to make her face forward again. With all the girls wearing camo uniforms and caps covering their foreheads, leaving only a bit of their faces visible, it would be a real test of love if Zhen Bao's boyfriend could pick her out from the crowds.
Fu Ming Shi put down his phone and looked up at the freshmen marchers coming down the road, females in front and males behind. He moved to the stone steps at the side of the greenbelt to take advantage of his height and observe the girls on both sides one by one.
At 165cm, Zhen Bao wasn't very noticeable.
But two minutes later, Fu Ming Shi still recognized his fiancée.
The corners of his lips quirked up as he stepped down from the stone stairs and slowly walked toward her.
Zhen Bao, however, was looking in the direction of the cafeteria. She was hungry, but had to go back to the dorm first to get her meal card. She had left both her card, with its ample balance, and her expensive phone in the dorm, afraid of losing them or cracking the screen during training.
Lost in thought, she was suddenly poked from behind by Jia Xiao Yu.
Zhen Bao looked back halfway before her gaze landed on the figure ahead and froze.
Fu Ming Shi wore a tennis cap. The bright noon sun cast a halo of soft light around him. In the glow, the man's dark eyes looked straight at her. When she finally reached his side, Fu Ming Shi lifted his hand. In it was a thermal flask. "Salted water. Drink some first."
Zhen Bao instinctively moved to take it, but Jia Xiao Yu pushed her right out of the marching line.
Take what? If it were her, with such a handsome, romantic boyfriend, she would have already thrown herself into his arms!
