章節 48: EX-1
September brought with it warm sunshine that was no longer scorching hot but still glaring enough to make people squint. As the top university in Country C, the students and parents arriving at A University wore expressions of excitement and joy.
Except for one person.
A tall, slender girl hid her fair face beneath a black baseball cap and a large mask. As she looked at the bustling crowd, her face showed a hint of bewilderment.
Given her usual grades, getting into this university seemed like a stretch. But perhaps driven by the indignation of being tricked, she surprisingly achieved an exceptionally high score in the college entrance exam and managed to get into a decent program here.
Well, since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. Luo Li had declined her family's overly enthusiastic offer to come in full force, choosing instead to enter the campus with her luggage alone.
However, this place was huge…
Several volunteers stood under the shade of the trees ahead. Luo Li adjusted her backpack and luggage, preparing to register. Before she could look up, someone in a hurry brushed past her, bumping into her. The person only muttered an apology without turning around and dashed off.
They seemed to be in quite a rush. Luo Li's barely-touched milk tea flew out of her hand. Fortunately, it was in a bag, so it didn't spill all over the ground, but it was no longer drinkable.
Though her milk tea was gone, she was lucky not to have been knocked over. A pair of hands steadied her from the side.
The two were standing very close. Luo Li could catch the faint, sweet scent from the person, the warmth from their palms seeping through the thin fabric, almost touching her skin.
"Are you alright?" A gentle voice sounded next to her ear.
It was likely a fellow student, but the girl's cold and elegant beauty and refined demeanor made it impossible to ignore her. She exuded a maturity beyond her youthful appearance, making it hard to look away.
But this person held a cup of milk tea from the same shop as hers, looking like an otherworldly being gracing the mundane world.
"No, I'm fine. Thank you, senior." Noticing the student ID in her hand, Luo Li guessed she must be an upperclassman.
"You're welcome." The person called "senior" bent down to pick up the milk tea on the ground and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
Luo Li watched in a daze as the person came back toward her.
She felt like they had met somewhere before, but saying that would sound like a cliché pickup line.
"Here, have this. You shouldn't frown on your first day. Drinking something sweet will make you happier." Lu Cixue handed the milk tea in her hand to Luo Li, her eyes curving into a slight smile.
"Drinking something sweet will make you happier." Those words were once told to her by someone else.
"Hey, Senior Lu, wasn't that for me?" A girl in a red hat quickly ran over, looking at Lu Cixue with a meaningful gaze. "Fine, fine, I thought you bought it to reward me for my hard work. Now I see you're flirting with a junior?"
Lu Cixue ignored her. She continued to hold the milk tea out to Luo Li, her eyes filled with a smile. Those dreamy, glassy eyes were alluring enough to draw anyone in.
"Thank you, senior, but there's no need." Although Luo Li had a good impression of this senior, she couldn't just casually accept milk tea from a stranger.
"See, I told you that you need to learn how to make girls happy. Giving milk tea is such a clichéd move," the girl next to them mocked with a gleeful smile.
"Full sugar, no pearls, with taro balls," Lu Cixue said as she placed the cup in Luo Li's hands, remembering the clumsy classmate who had just rushed past. She chuckled softly, "Let's just say I'm apologizing on her behalf. She really didn't mean it."
If she were any later, the professor would have chewed her out.
—Do they know each other? They seem to have a good relationship.
Luo Li felt a strange pang of discomfort in her heart.
But looking at the milk tea in her hands, she was surprised to find that this senior's taste matched hers exactly.
"I have to go now."
"Thank you, senior. Can I treat you next time and get your contact information?" Meeting someone like this on the first day made her gloominess seem to slowly dissipate.
The back of the person paused for a moment but didn't turn around. "Next time. We have plenty of time… to get to know each other."
"Let's go, let's go. I'll take you to find your dorm. Stop staring. She's the type to flirt but not take responsibility," said the girl in the volunteer hat, taking Luo Li's suitcase to help her register.
"Wow, you're in the same department as Senior Lu."
"That senior from earlier?" Luo Li recalled how the girl had called her Senior Lu.
The girl led her towards the dormitory, explaining a bit about this famous person at A University.
"Senior Lu was already excellent and motivated. She had a good personality. Though her parents passed away early, Aunt Su and her family took her in and treated her very well. She's already secured a spot in Q University and is currently interning at Fengyu. You could say someone like her has almost no flaws, so a lot of people openly and secretly confess to her."
Indeed, she exuded confidence and freedom. Luo Li was a little impressed.
—Hmm? Wait, is she interning at Fengyu?
"But Senior Lu hasn't accepted anyone. She lives like a fairy."
The girl led Luo Li to the dormitory building, suddenly laughing. "You're the first one she's given milk tea to."
Luo Li looked at the still-warm milk tea in her hand, feeling an even stronger curiosity.
Why? She wanted to know.
——
Military training is the bane of university students.
Standing still under the blazing sun, sweat trickling down the side of her face, a few students had already fainted.
Though whether it was real or an act was uncertain.
Luo Li didn't mind it much, but she hadn't seen that senior since their first meeting. Occasionally, she was still haunted by the unresolved feelings of her youthful crush. Everything tangled together, making her restless. Standing at attention was perfect for zoning out.
But time truly is the best healer. Now, thinking back, she only felt sadness without the initial pang.
"Whoa, whoa, look over there!"
The instructors were gathered for a meeting. The students relaxed, and someone called out excitedly.
Luo Li looked over, dazed.
A group of students, carrying cameras, seemed to be documenting the training for promotional purposes.
It wasn't surprising; these were just standard procedures.
But among them was a very familiar face.
Unlike the first time they met, today she wore no makeup and dressed casually in a white baseball cap and silver-framed glasses. She noticed Luo Li's gaze and smiled.
In her hand was an unopened bottle of orange juice.
"I thought Senior Lu wasn't part of the student department?"
"That doesn't matter. She's so beautiful. My eyes are purified, people."
"I could stand here all afternoon if I looked like that."
"She's coming over!"
Leading the group was the senior who had taken Luo Li to the dorm, Tang Jia. She quickly spotted the dazed junior in the group.
"Let's shoot her class first. They seem full of energy. You guys take a break while we set up. If you're selected, it might give your class bonus points during the final evaluation."
Everyone instantly tensed up for the camera.
Tang Jia covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Freshmen were so easy to trick.
She turned to share the moment with Lu Cixue, only to find that she was already gone.
Great, hiding in the back of the line like she wouldn't notice.
"Tired?"
Luo Li, standing in the last row because of her height, heard this question, thinking it was just a senior caring for the juniors. Several others behind her excitedly answered.
"Not tired!"
"Tired, I'm exhausted, but seeing you makes me feel better."
"You're so cheesy."
"Hey, I'm just being honest."
A commotion of chatter broke out among them.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lu Cixue moved next to Luo Li, carefully wiping the sweat off her forehead while no one was watching.
"I took this job."
Luo Li shivered at the warm breath in her ear. She didn't dare turn around, her face turning red.
Not knowing how to respond, she asked, "Why did you take it?"
She heard a soft laugh in her ear.
"To contribute to the school's promotional work during my free time. Also, I wanted to see you," she said softly, her voice tender.
Lu Cixue noticed her earlobe turning bright red under her gaze.
"Only three days apart, and it seems Luo has become even shyer."
"I… I'm just a bit hot." She knew she must be blushing like crazy.
She had never encountered anyone who could say such things so naturally.
But then, realizing that Lu Cixue had called her "Luo," Luo Li asked in confusion, "Do you know me? Have we met before?"
Both the milk tea and the orange juice were too surprising.
Lu Cixue handed her the drink, smirking, "Who knows? You can guess."
It sounded like a fantastical story, making it hard to believe.
—How was she supposed to guess?
Luo Li frowned, feeling a bit lost. This senior didn't seem like a stalker or a creep, but she truly didn't remember where they had met, even though the person beside her felt oddly familiar.
"Or perhaps one day in the future, I'll tell you myself."
"Of course, if something unexpected happens in the meantime, just pretend I never said anything."
The person who had been gentle suddenly cooled her tone. Standing up, she tidied Luo Li's hair.
Who knew why she had changed her mind about her major? She wasn't there on registration day, yet she was back now.
Then there was Luo Li's mood, down since the start of the term. First love at a young age really leaves a mark.
Luo Li shivered, sensing that she had somehow upset this senior she had only met twice.
"How do you know Senior Lu? Spill it!" The person next to Luo Li was her roommate. Seeing the drink in Luo Li's hand, she quickly came over to gossip.
"Seems like we knew each other before…" Luo Li said, eyeing the figure not far away, her brows furrowing.
"What do you mean, 'seems like'?" Her roommate's expression screamed, "Do you hear how crazy you sound?"
"I mean, maybe… Oh, don't ask me. I don't know how I know her."
The person next to her gave her a look like she was an idiot.
The military training was grueling but passed relatively quickly. On the last day, when Luo Li came out of the shower, the previously vacant bed next to hers was occupied by several suitcases.
—Wasn't this spot unoccupied?
The dormitory door was pushed open from the outside. Luo Li looked up, stunned, unsure how to react.
Tao Jinxi gave her a faint smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"Fate has a way of guiding us to better choices and important people, so I came back. I was sick a few days ago, so I missed registration," Tao Jinxi answered.
Luo Li thought that her past self would have been thrilled, but at that moment, she found it amusing.
What choice? Was she the backup option? Had they broken up, giving her a chance to step in?
"Wow, Luo Luo, I knew Senior Lu thought you were special. This is for you— Hey, did you go to the wrong dormitory?" Her roommate peeked at the two of them, feeling the strange atmosphere.
"What?" Luo Li's eyes fell on the package in her roommate's hands. In this situation, she was more curious about that.
"Chocolate, handmade. The senior gave me two small ones. I knew she was trying to bribe me. As your ally, of course, I refused."
Luo Li took the box of chocolates, "You've got crumbs on your mouth."
"Huh? Ahem, I only took one. I'm not a traitor, right?"
"It's the first time I've seen you accept such a gift." Tao Jinxi asked naturally, "Do you have someone you like?"
"Whether I do or not is none of your business. I don't need to report everything to you." Luo Li shot back, unaware that her two roommates were exchanging glances and typing quickly on their phones.
She stared at the box of chocolates, unsure whether to keep it or return it. After a glance, she noticed a note stuck at the bottom.
Elegant handwriting made it pleasing to the eye.
"No one except your roommates knows this is from me, so don't feel troubled. You can refuse if you don't like it."
Luo Li felt warmth in her heart. This senior really knew how to respect boundaries.
"But if you do remember, you're dead meat." ???
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