Qiao Ying stayed at a hotel overnight and went to register at the school the next day.
Dragging her suitcase, Qiao Ying stood at the magnificent Peking University gate and looked up for a while.
She could foresee the future of the original owner Qiao Ying - her grades, personality and circumstances.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would end up working in a factory after graduating high school, continuing to be bullied while working herself to death, only to have all her pitiful savings extorted by Li Lilian in the end.
When she reached marriageable age, unable to resist Li Lilian, she would finally be married off by Li Lilian for tens of thousands of yuan.
Naturally, her married life would not be expected to improve.
Now that she had taken the college entrance exam on behalf of the original owner and made it into Peking University, she had a whole new life ahead.
The original owner Qiao Ying could now rest in peace underground.
Qiao Ying had one hand in her pocket as she dragged her suitcase through the university gate. In the shade of the trees, senior students held parasols and enthusiastically welcomed newcomers, busy handing out water and helping with luggage.
The seniors from other departments were full of passion.
In contrast, the few from the Computer Science department lay listlessly over the tables looking completely deflated like wilted eggplants. When new students approached, they lazily got up, "Go straight down this path 300 meters, turn right after 200 meters, then left turn... Register yourself, then find a map and locate your dorm yourself after registration."
"Senior, seniors from other departments have girls taking new students around. Why doesn't the Computer Science department have any? It'd be fine to have a senior guy show us around instead!"
The senior was about to swear but held it in thinking this was a new junior after all. He forced a smile and said, "Little buddy, what are you thinking? Altogether our department has less than 200 girls. It'd be a blessing from our ancestors if a class gets 10. They're as precious as treasures - how could we have them standing under the hot sun carrying luggage and doing hard labor? Hurry and go in, don't think random useless thoughts in broad daylight."
The impatient senior chased away the junior.
The junior grumbled away, "Should've known better than to choose Computer Science."
The senior yelled, "You can still switch departments! We have limited resources here, I'd happily be the only one left!"
As the student council president, Xu Zhilǐ felt a little speechless, "Guan Wenyuan, stop messing around and be serious."
Guan Wenyuan quickly nodded, "Yes, yes."
However, there were still more banners hung here compared to other departments.
Qiao Ying glanced over them.
【Xin Nong welcomes you, into the big IT family】
【You're 0, I'm 1, let's join hands and assemble the world】
【Newbie's sky, Shrimp's Computer Science】
【We cannot liberate all humanity, but we can let you surf the net without troubles】
Guan Wenyuan slumped back onto the table, "Good heavens, send a girl over please!"
Qiao Ying walked over, "I'm a new student. What's the registration procedure?" A killer really wasn't familiar with these things.
"Hmm? A girl?" Guan Wenyuan instantly lifted his head. What entered his eyes was an immaculately fair and beautiful face that was flawless beyond reproach.
Guan Wenyuan's breath hitched, "F*ck me!"
He jumped up in excitement, knocking over the table with his knees in the process. Xu Zhilǐ who was lying on the table was caught off guard and thrown forward.
Xu Zhilǐ was about to curse when he realized his face was about to become intimately acquainted with the floor. A hand firmly caught his shoulder just in time.
Looking up along the fair and delicate arm, he saw the girl's face was still indifferent as she bent down slightly, steadying him with one hand while her other hand held onto the suitcase handle.
Xu Zhilǐ momentarily forgot to get up, heart racing uncontrolledly.
He hadn't expected a girl to be that strong.
The commotion attracted the attention of others who were napping. At the sight of Qiao Ying, they reacted as if they'd just spotted a meat bun - swiftly crowding over without sparing a glance at their student council president.
Guan Wenyuan's breathing grew heavy, extremely excited, "Junior sister! A new student right? From our Computer Science department?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes."
All because of this major. Zhang Chengyong had made countless calls persuading her to switch.
Hearing the affirmation, their eyes lit up like light bulbs.
Qiao Ying: "Where do I go to register?"
Guan Wenyuan: "What's your name, junior sister? Let me record it down first."
"Qiao Ying"
"Qiao Ying, Qiao...sounds familiar." Guan Wenyuan quickly flipped through and exclaimed in recognition, "From Yuncheng right!?" Even more familiar now.
"F*ck, you're that Qiao Ying? The one who wrote a perfect 690 in Chinese without the ending paragraph, and our dean went all the way to your home himself right!?"
"Not only beautiful but also a genius!" The seniors marveled, cheers arose, "Our department will rise this year!"
"Come come, junior sister here's some water for you!" Guan Wenyuan grabbed a bottle of mineral water, opened it and jogged out from behind the table, "Senior will take you to register..."
"Let me take you, I'll carry your luggage for you."
"Let me, my strength is better. Give the luggage to me!"
They argued amongst themselves vying to help.
Qiao Ying pushed her luggage away, evading the outstretched hands, "It's fine thanks. Just tell me the procedure, I'll go myself."
"Still, let me take you to register. The campus is huge, you may not be able to find it." Xu Zhilǐ returned to his senses and stood up in earnest.
Qiao Ying glanced at him. He looked truly sincere.
"Thanks." Qiao Ying pushed her luggage and walked ahead.
Xu Zhilǐ hurried to catch up, "Let me get your luggage for you."
Guan Wenyuan and the others howled helplessly, "F*ck, when will this world stop judging by looks!?"
"Dammit, this face, this temperament, this skin - isn't she prettier than that so-called campus belle from Suzhou University?"
"Let's see who still dares say our department is a den of single dogs. Just this one girl alone can top an entire department of theirs!"
"This gorgeous, surely she's already taken right?"
"Shut your trap if you've got nothing proper to say!"
Qin Corporation,
Qin Yuchen sent documents to Qin Hanyue.
Qin Hanyue signed them and suddenly asked, "Isn't there any young relative registering at Peking University today?"
"Huh?" Qin Yuchen was utterly confused by the question.
Qin Hanyue: "No one from the extended family either?"
Qin Yuchen was even more lost, "No...none."
His third uncle then stopped speaking. He passed the signed documents back to Qin Yuchen.
Still holding the documents, Qin Yuchen walked out of third uncle's office in a daze.
"Third uncle's paternal love is in excess since he's older now, so he wants to have a child to personally send to university too?" Qin Yuchen mumbled to himself.
Third uncle wants to send a child to university,
Or does third uncle want to go to Peking University himself?
Somehow he feels like third uncle's been a little strange ever since returning from M State.
In the end, Xu Zhilǐ didn't get to carry Qiao Ying's luggage for her.
"Thanks again for just now." Xu Zhilǐ tried to make small talk.
"It was nothing." Qiao Ying didn't think much of it.
"I'm Xu Zhilǐ, part of the student council in my third year. Feel free to come find me if you need anything."
Just then, a male voice called out, "Zhilǐ."
Xu Zhilǐ turned to look. It was his elder brother Xu Zhiyi, with that new "female math genius" Qiao Lingling by his side.
"Brother." Xu Zhilǐ addressed him.
Xu Zhiyi walked over, "Grandfather wants us over for dinner tonight."
Xu Zhilǐ: "Sure."
Out of courtesy, Xu Zhilǐ introduced Qiao Ying, "This is my elder brother Xu Zhiyi."
The name sounded somewhat familiar. Qiao Ying remembered he was that math genius Qiao Yixi had a crush on.
Xu Zhiyi glanced at Qiao Ying and gave a slight nod as bland acknowledgment.
"Don't mind my brother, he's always been like this." Xu Zhilǐ said to Qiao Ying.
Xu Zhiyi was famously aloof and eccentric, math being the only thing in his eyes. Over so many years, the only girl who could stand by his side was Qiao Lingling.
Afraid that Qiao Ying would take offense, she instead responded even colder than his brother - no acknowledgment whatsoever to his brother's cursory nod.
Instead, her gaze flitted over to the approaching Qiao Lingling.
"Zhilǐ." Qiao Lingling walked over to stand by Xu Zhiyi's side, waving at Xu Zhilǐ.
"Mm." Xu Zhilǐ responded indifferently. He didn't know why but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to like Qiao Lingling. From the beginning he had felt something off about her.
The other day on campus a cat accidentally brushed her shoe and she'd viciously kicked it away.
Xu Zhilǐ happened to be upstairs and witnessed it clearly. Her malicious expression had truly frightened him. So drastically different from how he normally saw her as gentle, amiable and virtuous.
Seeing his elder brother growing closer to Qiao Lingling while her intentions were so obvious, Xu Zhilǐ felt anxious and worried his brother would come to like this two-faced girl.
"This is...?" Qiao Lingling's gaze moved on to Qiao Ying next. The moment she saw Qiao Ying's face clearly, Qiao Lingling froze.
Yesterday, her mother Li Lilian had sent her a secretly taken photo of this girl with their home as the background. When she asked her mother who this beautiful girl was, she hadn't believed it when her mother revealed it to be a thinned down Qiao Ying!
Mother secretly took Qiao Ying's photo and gave it to her, so that she would be careful and not cause any trouble by failing to recognize her later, revealing the math test incident.
From yesterday until now, Qiao Lingling hadn't calmed down.
Staring at Qiao Ying's photo on her phone, she was so jealous that her eyes turned blood red.
She didn't expect to run into her on the first day of school.
What's more, Qiao Ying herself was even prettier than in the photos.
Qiao Lingling's heart churned with immense waves, her face twisted in an attempt to contain her emotions as she glared at Qiao Ying, gritting her teeth.
"This new student here is called Qiao Ying. Like you she's also from Yuncheng," Xu Zhilǐ paused before adding, "You even share the same surname."
Someone from Yuncheng named Qiao Ying?
Could it be that student who got a perfect score of 690 on the language section without even writing the essay, prompting the principal to personally travel to Yuncheng to snatch her from other schools? Xu Zhiyi suddenly recalled this person and couldn’t help but look at Qiao Ying again.
After being reminded by his brother, Xu Zhiyi noticed Qiao Lingling's poor complexion and asked, "You don't look well - are you feeling sick?"
