September 7th, Bin City.
Although it was already September, the sunlight was still scorching, but Yan didn’t seem to mind.
At that moment, she was standing in the line of female students waiting to check in, glancing around as if observing the university environment outside the registration tent, not drawing any attention to herself.
After looking around twice, Yan confirmed that no one had strange golden halos above their heads and breathed a sigh of relief.
Great, coming to Bin City for university was definitely the right choice! Finally, finally, she was away from the "halo" people! The thought made her heart swell with excitement.
Could it be that the Jade Emperor, Buddha, the Three Pure Ones, and Confucius she had prayed to before the college entrance exam had all worked their magic? Whoever it was, thank you so much!
Since elementary school, Yan had been able to see strange things.
When Aunt Tan, their new neighbor, moved in, the words "Runaway with a Baby" appeared above her head, while her twin children had "Ultimate Genius Babies" above theirs. The golden halos above the trio left young Yan utterly shocked.
And indeed, the twins lived up to their halos—ultimate geniuses, terrifyingly so.
By three, they could recite the English-Chinese dictionary backward; by five, they mastered both Eastern and Western musical instruments; by seven, they hacked into a certain country’s database... and the list went on.
If Yan had been much older than these two prodigies, it might not have been so bad, but they were only three years younger than her.
When the seven-year-olds successfully hacked into a national database and were recruited by national security, ten-year-old Yan, living upstairs, had only managed to win an excellence award in a primary school math competition and a second prize in a New Concept English contest—utterly mediocre in comparison.
Because Aunt Tan didn’t want the two geniuses to be pushed too hard, and they themselves wanted to experience a normal childhood, they skipped three grades and ended up in the same class as Yan. From elementary to middle school, for nine long years, Yan grew up under the shadow of these two prodigious neighbors.
To escape the constant comparisons in high school, Yan made the bold decision to leave her local school and attend a private high school instead.
At first, high school life was normal. Her deskmate was a quiet girl with bangs, wearing an old uniform, soft-spoken and unassuming. They attended classes and ate meals together, getting along well.
But who could have guessed that three months later, her deskmate woke up from a nap with a "Rebirth in a Crematorium" halo above her head, blinding Yan with its brilliance.
The once shy and introverted girl seemed to transform overnight. The 16-year-old blossomed like a white lotus, navigating between a cold academic genius, a fierce school bully, a ruthless tycoon, and a gentle childhood friend, leaving Yan utterly dumbfounded.
Throughout high school, Yan was forced to witness the reborn girl’s dramatic love life, like the time she accidentally saw her deskmate cornered by the school bully in a stairwell, tears in her eyes as he declared, "Xu Jiaojiao, I’d give my life for you."
...
Her high school life was nothing short of extraordinary drama.
Thinking back on her past surrounded by such people, and now looking forward to a bright and ordinary university life in Bin City, Yan was almost moved to tears.
After submitting her admission notice, college entrance exam results, and other documents, Yan finished her registration and texted her childhood friend Zhu Jue that she was heading to the dorm.
As one of the top universities in Bin City, and indeed all of Xia Country, Bin City University had a long history. Its campus was located in the heart of Bin City, covering a vast area second only to the Agricultural University. It was divided into four main districts: East, South, West, and North, with dormitories named after the four seasons and the 24 solar terms.
Yan was enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts, and her assigned dormitory was in the South District’s Summer Garden. Bin City University allowed freshmen to send their luggage in advance, so her bedding and belongings had already been delivered to her dorm.
After picking up her key at the dormitory building, Yan, filled with indescribable joy, climbed the stairs to the third floor with her suitcase in tow.
Before the semester started, Yan and her childhood friend Zhu Jue had already researched everything about the dorms: six-person rooms with private bathrooms and air conditioning.
Looking at the dormitory slip with her roommates’ names—Gu Jiasui, Yi Zhi, Chu Bingbing, and Ding Ling—Yan thought, "I hope they’re easy to get along with."
As she walked down the hallway, the tiles beneath her feet were old and dull but clean, the walls freshly painted. Many dorm rooms were open, the sound of suitcase wheels rolling on the tiles filling the air as parents chatted and freshmen evaluated their new living spaces.
"Room 320, here we are."
After confirming the room number on the doorframe, Yan stepped into what would be her home for the next four years.
The sound of suitcase wheels rolling into the room announced her arrival. As she pushed her luggage inside, she locked eyes with a girl arranging items at her desk.
The girl had a striking appearance, with a strong, androgynous vibe. She sported a wolf-cut hairstyle, with two streaks of dark green dyed hair framing her forehead. Even sitting down, her broad shoulders and long legs were noticeable. She didn’t say a word, simply nodding at Yan.
Yan nodded back stiffly, not because her roommate seemed unfriendly, but because she saw a faint halo shimmering above the girl’s head.
The words "Post-Apocalyptic Superhuman" appeared clearly above her. Yan forced herself to look away and quickly found her own name on the bed opposite her superhuman roommate.
The dorm room had three bunk beds on each side, with desks below. Yan and her superhuman roommate were in the middle beds, not next to the door or the bathroom and small balcony.
As she placed her backpack on the desk, Yan felt a wave of despair.
Was this some inescapable fate?
She had traveled all the way to Bin City, only to find herself surrounded by haloed people again!?
When she was in line for registration, everyone seemed normal. But now, as soon as she entered her dorm, there was a special individual right in front of her.
Silently, Yan pulled out disinfectant wipes from her backpack and began cleaning her area. She matched the bed number on the slip to her roommate’s name.
Post-Apocalyptic Superhuman: Yi Zhi.
After making her bed, Yan sat down and reached up, her hand easily touching the ceiling. Above her, a loop of wire circled the bed, likely left by a previous student for hanging curtains.
With limited luggage space, she had planned to buy small items like curtains after arriving. They wouldn’t be too expensive anyway.
By the time she finished making her bed, Yan had calmed down. She climbed down and greeted Yi Zhi.
"I’m going to buy a curtain. Do you need me to get anything for you?"
Yi Zhi, who was arranging a potted plant on her desk, politely shook her head. "No, thank you."
She glanced at the items on Yan’s desk and added, "I’m not going out for now. I can keep an eye on your things."
Hearing her superhuman roommate speak in such a human manner, Yan felt a wave of relief and thanked her politely.
"Okay, thanks a lot."
Yan left the dorm and headed to the commercial area in the living district. She needed to buy essentials like a basin, cup, and curtains. The first day of registration was packed with students and parents, and by the time she returned to the dorm, half an hour had passed.
As she carried her basin back to the room, she heard voices inside.
"We’re actually in the same dorm! That’s great."
"What’s your name?"
It sounded like the other roommates had arrived. The voices didn’t seem to belong to her superhuman roommate.
The moment Yan stepped inside, her footsteps froze.
Four massive golden halos appeared in her vision, delivering yet another blow to her worldview.
"Ancient to Modern," "Post-Apocalyptic Superhuman," "Ghost King Reborn," and "Spend Money or Die" floated above her four roommates’ heads.
Yan slowly formed a "?" in her mind.
Seriously, is this really a world for normal people?
