Chapter Thirty-Five: Entering School Early and Planning to Rent a Place

The bespectacled boy was seated right between Zhao Rui and the young woman. No sooner had he sat down than he began to strike up a conversation with her, flashing a smile.

"Hi there, are you also headed to Jinzhou for school?"

The girl tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled faintly. "Yes, I am!"

"What a coincidence, me too! Let’s get acquainted—I’m Cui Yuan, from Jinzhou University!"

"Hello, classmate Cui Yuan. Could you do me a favor?" The girl’s beautiful eyes flickered, her long lashes brushing like a gentle spring breeze, full of vibrant life.

"No problem at all, just say the word!" Upon hearing that a beauty needed help, Cui felt as though he were being treated as a confidant. He beamed, agreeing without a moment’s hesitation.

"Could I switch seats with you?" the girl asked softly.

Cui was taken aback for a moment before replying with a smile, "Oh, you don't like sitting by the aisle? That’s fine, I’ll take the side."

With a grand gesture, he stood up and swapped seats with her. As their bodies brushed past one another, the girl’s delicate, lingering fragrance wafted into his nostrils, setting his heart racing. His mind was already conjuring up a beautiful vision: the two of them chatting happily all the way, exchanging contact information upon arrival, and eventually becoming a couple.

Once they had finished switching, the girl lowered her eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it! Not at all!" Cui, hearing her soft, melodious voice, couldn't help but rub the back of his head, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

The girl blossomed into a smile, as radiant as a plum blossom blooming against the frost in early spring.

Cui, feeling ecstatic, was just about to pick a topic to keep the conversation going when he noticed the girl lean slightly toward the boy by the window, her beautiful eyes filled with affection.

"..."

Cui felt as though he had been struck by a sudden gust of wind, leaving him completely disheveled.

"Tell me, don't you think it's fate that we ran into each other?" the girl said to Zhao Rui, a playful, cryptic smile on her lips.

"Do I know you? I've been too busy with exams lately, I must have forgotten. Who are you?" Zhao Rui replied, playing the fool.

"Typical man, acting like a jerk! You forgot about me already!" The girl's willow-leaf brows arched in sadness, and her watery, autumn-clear eyes seemed ready to well up with tears, stirring an instinctive sense of pity.

Cui, hearing this, felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his face filled with disappointment.

"Oh, now that you’re pouting like that, I remember—you’re my girlfriend! My apologies!" Zhao Rui raised a brow, a smirk playing on his lips, as his right hand reached out toward her delicate hand resting by her side.

The girl rolled her eyes at him. This guy was as shameless as ever.

"Didn't we break up? Look at you, you've forgotten again!" Before the words were even out, her left hand formed a seal, and with lightning speed, she chopped toward his wrist.

Zhao Rui bent his elbow to dodge, intending to counter-attack, but she was faster. Her five fingers transformed into claws, swiping toward his thigh. Zhao Rui quickly pressed his fingers together like a sword, aiming for a vital point on her wrist to force her to retreat.

The girl twisted her wrist to evade the blow. After the first exchange, she stopped attacking, and her lethal, ferocious claw technique instantly turned back into a delicate, feminine hand.

"Right, we broke up." Zhao Rui hadn't expected that in just three months, this woman’s martial arts would have progressed so rapidly, losing nothing to his own.

The girl seemed equally surprised, a flash of astonishment crossing her eyes as she looked at Zhao Rui.

Their brief exchange had occurred in the blink of an eye, but Cui, sitting in the aisle, had been eavesdropping with lingering hope. When he heard Zhao Rui so casually claim to have forgotten his "girlfriend," he looked over, stunned. He caught sight of the girl’s fair, jade-like hand reaching toward Zhao Rui’s thigh and felt all hope shatter. He cursed under his breath, "Bitch!" and turned away, completely losing the desire to watch his seatmates "flaunt their affection."

"What are you doing in Jinzhou? Going to school? Freshman?" Since they couldn't decide a winner in one or two moves, the girl naturally wouldn't truly "spar" with Zhao Rui in public. Instead, she leaned in like an old friend, chatting about domestic trifles with a gentle, breezy tone.

"Yeah, freshman. What about you? What are you here for?"

"If I told you, would you want to hear it?"

"Never mind, I don't want to hear it." Zhao Rui shook his head.

The girl’s peach-blossom eyes lifted slightly, and she said with a playful glint, "Smart choice."

Zhao Rui smiled slightly and said no more. This girl was none other than the "Andrology Hardening Engineer" he had met in the alley, the beautiful woman who wielded the Nether Ghost Claws.

***

Months had flown by; he hadn't expected to run into her here.

"Give me your WeChat." Although Zhao Rui was ignoring her, she seemed to still want to talk. She pulled her phone from her crossbody bag and opened WeChat.

"Sister, we’re just two ships passing in the night. There’s no need. Once we get off the train, we go our separate ways..."

"You’re overthinking it. I just think you’re a jerk, and I want to beat you up!"

"..."

Zhao Rui’s face twitched, but he opened his WeChat and added her as a friend. Never mind the beating—her Nether Ghost Claws were quite tempting. This was a legitimate dark-faction martial art, a high-level technique with a real lineage.

"Good, you’re a man. Once you’re settled, I’ll come find you! Prepare to get beaten up!" On WeChat, a user named "Youyou" sent a message, accompanied by a GIF captioned "I respect that you’re a man."

"Heh!" Zhao Rui was speechless. He sent a perfunctory "Heh" and turned his head to look out the window.

Seeing this, the girl didn't bother with further small talk. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and began to rest.

The journey from Lincheng to Jinzhou was short, taking only two hours by high-speed rail. After watching the scenery flash by for a while, Zhao Rui followed her lead and closed his eyes to meditate. For those who practice martial arts, one can cultivate while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down; only through constant practice can one build up strength. Since he wasn't close to this girl, there was no need for unnecessary chatter. Everyone could just mind their own business.

Cui, however, went through an emotional roller coaster. He had assumed they were a couple, only to find them ignoring each other as if they were strangers. His mind began to race again. He wanted to say a few words to the girl to show off his charm, but after she closed her eyes, she didn't open them again. It made him itch with impatience.

It wasn't until the announcer declared their arrival at Jinzhou High-Speed Railway Station that the girl finally opened her eyes. At that one glance, Cui felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. Her eyes were filled with an icy, soul-piercing brilliance, like a celestial fairy descending to earth, or a ghostly enchantress appearing in the mortal realm. There was not a shred of emotion in them.

He shuddered. When he looked again, her gaze had softened, becoming as gentle as mist over autumn waters, charming and tender. *An illusion,* he thought, *it must have been an illusion.*

"We've arrived. Meeting is fate—can I add you on WeChat?" Cui asked, his heart thumping, stealing glances at Zhao Rui, who was still resting.

"Of course you can!" The girl beamed, agreeing readily.

"Ah? Oh!" Cui was so excited he scrambled to open his phone and quickly added her.

Soon, the train slowed to a stop. Passengers stood up one by one, gathering their luggage to disembark. Cui eagerly helped the girl take her suitcase down from the rack, feeling relieved when he saw Zhao Rui paying no attention. Looking at her graceful figure and pretty face, his heart grew even more heated.

As the passengers began to file out, the girl followed Cui off the train, walking one after the other down the aisle. Zhao Rui, however, waited until the very end, leaving the carriage at a leisurely pace. This woman was no good news; he didn't want to get too involved with her.

Dragging his suitcase out of the exit, he immediately spotted several reception booths set up by various schools. As one of the top schools in the provincial capital, the Dongqi University booth was particularly eye-catching. Zhao Rui walked over, and soon a senior student greeted him, leading him to a shuttle bus to wait for more arrivals. It was no different from his experience in his past life.

By 11:30 AM, Zhao Rui had arrived at the Dongqi University campus. After stepping off the bus, he followed the crowd toward the freshman reception area. Dongqi University was vast, with great distances between the different colleges. Following the maps and signs, it took him quite a while to reach the Accounting College office building.

The registration desk was set up in the plaza in front of the building. A dozen seniors stood under a canopy, enthusiastically greeting the incoming freshmen. Many students had come alone, while others were accompanied by parents; there were about forty or fifty people gathered around the area.

***

Zhao Rui wasn't in a hurry. He waited patiently until after noon to finish his registration, then, led by an upperclassman and an upperclasswoman, he and seven others headed to the dormitories.

The Accounting College had four majors: Accounting, International Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Management. Among the seven people, only one was an Accounting major, and she was a girl. As for her looks, the best thing you could say was that her greatest asset was her youth. If nothing went wrong, she would be one of his classmates. However, she seemed rather dull and timid, acting quite shy.

After walking along the campus path for about seven or eight minutes, the boys were led into the dormitory building.

"Room 126, at the end of the first floor on the west side." Zhao Rui checked his information, grabbed his suitcase, and walked over. The door was ajar, and there were clearly people inside. Zhao Rui knocked and stepped in.

Two roommates were already tidying up their beds, one of whom was accompanied by a parent.

"You must be the new roommate? We just got here too!" the boy, who was tidying his bed alone, greeted him with a smile. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with thick brows and large eyes.

"Good, I'm not the last one here," Zhao Rui laughed and tucked his suitcase into the wardrobe. He hadn't bought bedding yet, planning to do so once he was settled.

"Another new roommate!" Just as Zhao Rui spoke, a parent who was helping a roommate make his bed greeted him warmly. Not only that, but he also reached out to offer a cigarette. Zhao Rui hadn't smoked in his past life, and even less so in this one, so he politely declined.

"You’re all roommates from now on; you’ll be living together for four years, just like brothers. Our Leilei is a bit introverted, so please look after him. Let’s all have lunch together, my treat!"

"Thank you, sir, but no need. We just arrived and need to get settled in, so we won't trouble you," the tall, sturdy boy declined before Zhao Rui could even speak.

The parent was about to insist when the door opened again, and the final roommate walked in, silhouetted by the brilliant sunlight shining in from the window.

"Perfect, everyone's here. Let's all go eat together, my treat."

"I'll pass, I have things to do this afternoon! Thanks, sir!" The last roommate refused without hesitation.

Zhao Rui looked at his two roommates. Since they weren't going, he wouldn't go either. "Sir, no need to be so polite. We’re all roommates; there will be plenty of chances to eat together later. You go ahead and get busy."

Zhao Rui said with a smile, the implication clear: since they were living together, they would naturally support each other, so there was no need for the parent to be so formal.

The middle-aged man was surprised that the kids were so indifferent to a free meal, but he had to sigh and say, "Alright then. If you ever have the chance, come visit Yecheng, and I'll treat you then!"

"Thank you, sir!" The three of them thanked him.

The family stayed for a while longer, nagging and chatting for ages, before finally leaving the dormitory. During that time, Zhao Rui called home to let his parents know he had arrived safely and even sent a short video of the dorm room.

Once the parents left, the tall boy asked for everyone’s names and ages. After they reported their ages, Zhao Rui found he was the same age as the boy’s father, ranking second. The title of "Second Brother" was firmly his!

The "Eldest" was the tall youth, who looked more mature and was the oldest at nineteen. As for the others, one was named Le Bin, the last to arrive; he had delicate features, as if he were a beauty in the ancient Tai Dynasty. The other was Chu Yunlei, the youngest, the only one who had brought a parent. Chu Yunlei was thin and looked a bit frail; he didn't like to talk much, only speaking when asked.

After establishing the hierarchy, the four chatted about their grades and their journey. Zhao Rui and Le Bin, having not bought bedding, left the room together to pick up supplies. Their dorm was the most complete; most people had arrived a day early. Tomorrow was the first day of school, but today didn't count.

Returning to the room to make his bed and finish settling into his new nest, Zhao Rui headed out alone. He was a martial arts student; he couldn't stay in the communal dorm forever. He would have to rent a place sooner or later! Zhao Rui planned to check out the nearby neighborhoods and see if there were any martial arts schools nearby where he could work a part-time job.