Although a thousand people see a thousand different Hamlets, there was always someone who thought his own judgment was the most accurate.
Was Song Qingqing better-looking than Jiang Tian?
Bah! Cao Guangyu's mouth stretched into a grin like the waistband of padded trousers. The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became, so he turned to ask Jiang Qin's opinion. To him, getting Jiang Qin's approval was the real deal.
But Jiang Qin had not even looked over, so naturally he had no say in the matter. He simply agreed with Cao Guangyu in the most perfunctory way possible.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. You're right."
Cao Guangyu instantly grew smug. "See? Even Lao Jiang says Jiang Tian is number one. What do you use your eyes for, breathing?"
"Lao Jiang, what's wrong with your eyes? Song Qingqing is obviously the prettiest." Ren Ziqiang looked disgusted.
Zhou Chao could not help muttering, "Lao Jiang, do you not like women? Why do I feel like you have no interest at all?"
Jiang Qin stretched and slowly leaned back in his chair. "Women will only affect the speed at which I make money."
"Make money? Don't tell me you're going to waste your wonderful youth working part-time?"
"Part-time my ass. You sparrows, how could you understand the ambitions of a swan?"
Ren Ziqiang thought for a while, then suddenly curled up the corner of his mouth. "I get it, Lao Jiang. Do you lack confidence?"
Zhou Chao understood too. "No wonder you never dated in high school. Were you afraid of rejection? Actually, you don't have to pursue someone at Song Qingqing's level. That level is too high, but with your looks, you'd definitely have a chance with someone more ordinary."
"????"
This was like answering a reading-comprehension question without even looking at the prompt, just wildly guessing whatever came to mind. Was that what I meant?
Still, since they had taken the conversation this far, Jiang Qin became a little curious about Song Qingqing, so he turned his head and took a look.
Song Qingqing's makeup really was quite good. It was clearly done with considerable skill. At least she was nothing like those girls who had only just learned how to apply makeup, unable to cover their blemishes and ending up with cakey foundation. But even with makeup, her looks were only around a six out of ten, roughly on par with Wang Huiru.
There was no need to mention Feng Nanshu's face. She was simply a perfect ten, an absolute beauty.
But Chu Siqi definitely crushed Song Qingqing in looks, and even Hong Yan, whom he had only met yesterday, was far prettier than her.
"Lao Jiang, Lao Jiang?"
"Huh?"
Ren Ziqiang pursed his lips. "And you said you weren't interested? You were completely absorbed. Can't you be honest for once?"
Jiang Qin chuckled. "Yes, I was fucking absorbed."
"Forget it. A girl like that will never lack a boyfriend. How could she possibly be interested in us? Be more realistic. Find someone gentle and quiet."
Jiang Qin looked at Ren Ziqiang with newfound respect. "Lao Ren, that's an excellent idea. I completely agree with you."
After a while, the freshman welcome meeting was declared over.
The students of Financial Class 3 noisily filed out of the classroom and followed their counselor to the Academic Affairs Office to collect their military-training uniforms.
Cao Guangyu was at most 172 centimeters tall, so a size 175 military-training uniform was just right for him. That was what Teacher Lü had originally arranged.
But with so many girls watching nearby, he felt he would lose face. Ignoring the counselor's protests, he insisted on getting a size 180 uniform. Nothing anyone said could sway him.
"Lao Cao, can't you be honest for once?"
"How am I being dishonest? Size 180 fits me perfectly!"
Cao Guangyu glared furiously at Ren Ziqiang, resenting him for exposing his little scheme at a time like this.
Seeing this, the girls nearby laughed so hard they could barely breathe, repeatedly sizing Cao Guangyu up with their eyes. Even worse, Lao Cao, who claimed to be 180 centimeters tall, was actually the same height as Liu Xiaojuan. He shamelessly added, "You're 180 too?" leaving Liu Xiaojuan mortified.
After collecting their military-training uniforms, the four returned to the dormitory and discussed things. They decided to go out for a meal.
Jiang Qin had taken Feng Nanshu out for a walk last night, leaving the dormitory short of one person. Now that everyone was finally together, they naturally wanted to go outside and have a good meal.
"Lao Cao, you're a rich second-generation heir. You should pay for our first meal, right?" Ren Ziqiang asked, patting him on the shoulder.
"Get lost. Why should I pay?"
"You're always saying your family runs a company with a million in daily cash flow. You have to show off your wealth a little!"
Cao Guangyu could afford to treat them to a meal, but Ren Ziqiang had just mocked his height. The thought of paying for everyone made him a hundred million times unwilling.
Seeing this, Jiang Qin calmly waved them over and secretly called Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao aside.
"Do you want Lao Cao to treat us?"
"Of course! I'd be happy for an entire day after eating one meal on his tab!"
Jiang Qin crooked a finger. "Give me ten yuan each, and I'll make Lao Cao pay."
Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao exchanged a glance, then quickly took ten yuan from their pockets and handed it to Jiang Qin.
"Just follow my lead later."
After taking the money, Jiang Qin stuffed it into his wallet. He then pulled out a twenty-yuan bill, held it between his fingers, and swaggered forward as if nothing had happened.
Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao had no idea what he was planning. They could only follow curiously as the group continued onward.
Just after the four of them left the school gate, Cao Guangyu suddenly stopped. His eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted, "Fuck, I found twenty yuan! Brothers, I found twenty yuan!"
"Holy shit, Lao Cao, you're lucky! You found money right after starting college. Your four years at university are definitely going to go smoothly!" Jiang Qin reacted with lightning speed, acting out envy and amazement to perfection.
"Really? It's only twenty yuan. Isn't that a bit much?"
Zhou Chao caught on too. "Damn, why don't I ever have luck like that? Is this the halo of a tall, rich, handsome guy?"
Those words struck Cao Guangyu right in the heart. "Looks like I really am a dragon among men!"
"Of course you are. Forget your studies—I bet your romantic luck will arrive in the next couple of days too."
Ren Ziqiang understood what was happening as well and quickly added an assist. "Lao Cao, the four of us came out together, but you're the only one with such good luck. You have to treat us!"
Jiang Qin slapped Cao Guangyu hard on the shoulder. "Lao Ren's right. If you don't treat us, you won't be able to justify yourself."
"No problem. I'll treat you, then!"
"Brother Cao is so generous!"
"Brother Cao really lives up to his reputation as a tall, rich, handsome guy!"
The three of them then arrived at Nanshan Restaurant, where they ordered dishes totaling 120 yuan. Cao Guangyu kept feeling that something was wrong, but he could not put his finger on what it was.
I found twenty yuan, then spent 120 treating them. Doesn't that mean I lost a hundred yuan overall? Cao Guangyu shook his head. Money could not be calculated that way. The twenty yuan he had found had come with an aura of good luck.
Just then, Jiang Qin's phone suddenly rang. When he opened it, he found a QQ message from Hong Yan.
"We've finished registering. Where should we go eat?"
Jiang Qin froze when he saw the message and realized he might have gotten something wrong. It was a side effect left over from working for too long: whenever someone mentioned eating, he instinctively assumed they meant after nine at night. But after scrolling through the chat history, he saw that Hong Yan had said yesterday that they would eat after registering.
But he was with his roommates now. What should he do?
It was their first meal after entering freshman year. If he abandoned them to eat with someone else, they would definitely hold it against him for all four years.
"How about Nanshan Restaurant on Pedestrian Street? I heard the food there is pretty good."
"Sure. I'm heading out now. Wait for me."
"Hold on, there's one more thing!"
"What is it?"
"My roommates are here too. Do you mind?"
"Then... can I bring a few of my roommates too?"
"Of course."
Before you continue