Fang Bai had been in his fifties in his previous life. After spending so many years in sales, he had seen every kind of person imaginable. He had handled big occasions with a steady heart, so introducing himself was quite easy for him.
It was just that he had worked himself up like some battle-hardened warrior pumped full of adrenaline. Seeing everyone so stirred up, he felt he might have said a little too much. That was a salesman's bad habit—getting carried away when introducing something.
But he was confident, and he had to be confident.
If he lacked confidence and felt awkward himself, everyone else would feel awkward too.
With a smile, Fang Bai strolled down the aisle. The students gave him a few extra looks, though most of their attention fell on the middle three fingers of his right hand, checking whether they really were as badly injured as he claimed.
Once they secretly saw the scars on his fingers, they were somewhat shaken. It really was just as he had said. If it had been them, they probably would not have known what to do. The more they thought about it, the more they admired Fang Bai.
Still, there was some pity in their eyes.
There were also a few students in the class who had been Fang Bai's old classmates. All of a sudden, they felt as though they no longer recognized him. How had this guy changed so much? Could a person's mindset really change so drastically after experiencing a tragedy?
Most of these students were socially anxious. They did not even dare bargain when buying groceries for their parents. Whatever price the vendor named was the price they paid, and they felt terribly embarrassed about haggling, as if they owed the vendor money.
If you asked them to stand at the podium and introduce themselves, it was already impressive if they could say more than ten words without stumbling. Usually, it was just, "Hello, everyone. My name is XXX."
Fang Bai took an empty seat in the back corner and smiled at his deskmate. The other student smiled back warmly and even held out his hand. "Hello, Fang Bai. My name is Wang Dakai."
"Hello. Please look after me from now on." Fang Bai shook his hand and sat down.
Teacher Li returned to the podium and switched back into lecture mode. "Next, we'll continue discussing the periodicity of functions..."
Fang Bai took a pen from his backpack. At that moment, he no longer had much interest in the outside world and quickly settled down to listen to the lesson.
He had not brought his textbook yet. Seeing this, Wang Dakai moved his own book to the middle of the desk so they could share it. Fang Bai smiled and quietly said, "Thank you."
This short-haired boy had rugged features and a face full of acne, but unexpectedly, he was thoughtful and considerate. Someone like him would do well in society even without going to college.
After the third class ended, Wang Dakai turned around and asked Fang Bai:
"Fang Bai, it feels like you know a lot about college. What do you think college life is like?"
"College life is pretty good. Everyone longs for it, of course, but it's also a road people fight tooth and nail to get onto.
"Of course, I've never been there either. I long for it too." Fang Bai smiled meaningfully.
This guy was deliberately making conversation, trying to get closer to him. Naturally, Fang Bai went along with it and chatted casually with him. The students nearby also gathered around Fang Bai to join the conversation.
"Fang Bai, how exactly were your fingers cut off?"
Suddenly, a skinny-faced boy asked.
Wang Dakai slapped the desk, stood up, and got right in his face, cursing him directly. "Li Hui, get lost! Why are you bringing up something painful? You just love tearing open people's scars."
"I was just showing concern for a classmate." Li Hui was genuinely a little frightened after being shouted at by the tall Wang Dakai.
"It's been so long already. Does Fang Bai need your concern? How about you show some sincerity and give Fang Bai half your living expenses?" Wang Dakai said disdainfully, leaving Li Hui too embarrassed to say anything else.
If he really had to donate money, Li Hui definitely would not be willing. They were only ordinary classmates, after all.
Fang Bai smiled and could not be bothered to argue with Li Hui. "Everyone, go back to your seats. Class is about to start. We have plenty of time to get to know each other later."
After the students dispersed, Fang Bai thanked Wang Dakai.
Wang Dakai lowered his voice. "You're too polite. When you spoke on the podium last class, you did really well. I especially admire people like you, people who aren't afraid to reveal that they come from the countryside and who can endure hardship. Unlike some students, who are terrified that others will find out they were raised in the countryside, as though it's something shameful. What a bunch of damn nonsense."
"There's no real difference between people from the countryside and people from the city. No one is inherently nobler than anyone else."
Fang Bai said this because, in this era, many city dwellers really did look down on country people, as though they were somehow superior.
"Exactly. Do city people get extra points on the college entrance exam or something? Dream on."
They had only exchanged a few words when the bell rang again.
Fang Bai calmed down and continued listening. He had to admit that with his Golden Finger, his learning efficiency was incredibly high. After the teacher explained something only once, he could remember quite a lot and even apply it flexibly.
The teacher knew he had only just arrived and did not make things difficult for him by calling on him. Instead, whenever she covered a difficult problem, she asked whether he could understand it.
Shencheng University of Finance and Economics, Dormitory 303, Building 3, Female Dormitory Area.
Gentle sunlight spilled across the campus. It streamed through the glass window and shone upon a large swing skirt. A breeze drifted into the room, lifting the hem and revealing smooth little heels.
The young girl tugged at her long, jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders. A trace of conflict showed in her eyes, as though she were pondering some troubling matter.
More than ten pages of letter paper lay on the desk, densely covered in writing. Yet the handwriting was neat, its strokes smooth and full, its spacing just right. It carried a delicate elegance, creating an overall sense of harmonious beauty.
"He has to review his lessons, so he definitely won't have time to read such a long letter. I have to keep it within three pages, which means I need to cut more."
Qin Shuyu looked at the dozen or so pages, all filled with things she wanted to tell Fang Bai.
She usually did not talk much with her roommates, and even when she did, she was usually passive. Now that she was in college, she had one less person constantly chatting with her, and it felt as though something were missing. So she wrote it all down on paper. She added a little every day, and soon it had become more than ten pages. If she cut it down, she truly did not know what to remove.
However, considering that Fang Bai was still repeating his final year of high school, she could not affect his studies too much. She could only steel herself and lower her head to continue revising.
She lived in a six-person dormitory, and two other girls were currently in the room.
The lock clicked, and with a creak, the door opened. A short-haired girl entered, walked over to Qin Shuyu by the window, and placed an envelope on her desk.
"Qin Shuyu, a second-year student asked me to give you this love letter."
Qin Shuyu gave a bitter smile, accepted the envelope, and without even looking at it, tossed it straight into the trash can beside her.
Since the semester began, she had received several letters like this, and she had not opened a single one. Fortunately, her university had more girls than boys. Otherwise, she would have received even more love letters.
She already had experience dealing with such letters. She followed what Fang Bai had taught her in high school: "Don't open them, and don't reply. The more polite you are, the more they'll think they have a chance, and they'll keep sending love letters. The best thing is to throw them directly into the trash can and let them see how determined you are."
"Qin Shuyu, this senior, Chen Jian, is no ordinary guy. He's handsome. I asked around for you—he's the president of the student union in our department, and his family is doing quite well. Plenty of girls are pursuing him."
Her roommate Zhang Li could not understand why Qin Shuyu had thrown the letter into the trash without even glancing at it. The earlier pursuers had been easier to explain away.
Zhang Li herself could not quite understand what was so special about Qin Shuyu either. Was it not just that she was prettier? Yet she hardly ever spoke.
At first, Zhang Li thought she was aloof. After spending more time with her, she discovered Qin Shuyu was quite kind-hearted. Only then did she realize that Qin Shuyu was not aloof—she was simply somewhat afraid of social interaction.
Qin Shuyu smiled and shook her head directly.
"Since you won't read it, I'll open it and take a look."
"Mm."
Zhang Li picked up the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out an exquisite sheet of paper. There were only three lines on it, written in rather elegant handwriting. She could not help reading them aloud:
"Your name,
is the most beautiful
love poem I have ever seen!"
"Just three short lines, but it's quite interesting. Unlike some boys who write thousands of words that mean absolutely nothing," Zhang Li commented.
When Qin Shuyu heard it, she remembered receiving quite a few poems like this in high school. Fang Bai had opened some of them for her. Then she suddenly recalled what he had said: "Guys who write poems like this are usually old hands at romance. Since the two people don't know each other, they know the girl probably won't read a long letter and may even find it annoying. So they might as well offer a simple compliment. It makes them seem generous and lets them earn the girl's goodwill first."
Seeing Qin Shuyu fall silent, Zhang Li took on the role of a relationship expert and tried to talk some sense into her.
But Qin Shuyu simply would not budge, so Zhang Li had no choice but to give up.
After Zhang Li left, another roommate, Liao Xiaoyan, said to Qin Shuyu, "Shu Yu, don't listen to Zhang Li. She hasn't even been in a relationship herself. What does she know about love?
"I think we first-years should focus on studying. We'll definitely meet someone better in the future. Besides, you're so pretty—you won't lack boys chasing after you."
"Mm, thank you."
Qin Shuyu smiled and nodded, then continued writing her letter, hoping to mail it within the next couple of days.
Fang Bai had given her an address, so for the time being, she would send it to his home.
Meanwhile, Zhang Li had left the dormitory. Standing at the entrance, she looked around and spotted Chen Jian, who was about 175 centimeters tall, standing quietly with his hands behind his back in front of the girls' bulletin board, seemingly reading the posters.
But when he saw Zhang Li approaching, he quickly walked over. "How did it go?"
"President Chen, Qin Shuyu didn't accept your envelope." Zhang Li faced him, frowning with a bitter smile. "I tried my best to persuade her and even read her the contents of your letter."
"Mm, it's normal that she didn't accept it. After all, we don't know each other. Student Zhang, you did well." Chen Jian stroked his chin, concealing his disappointment as he maintained a gentlemanly smile. "Does Qin Shuyu have a boyfriend?"
"I haven't seen one, so probably not. I feel like Qin Shuyu is a complete novice when it comes to relationships. She should be easy to pursue."
"Student Zhang Li, I hope you'll seriously help me find out.
"Whether this works out or not, getting you into the department student union definitely won't be a problem. We'll leave the student union in the second semester of our third year. When that time comes, I'll recommend you to the teacher as the head of a department. My recommendation carries a lot of weight. Teachers generally don't interfere with student union matters. If you do well, becoming president won't be out of the question either."
"Thank you, President Chen. I'll work hard." Zhang Li looked delighted upon hearing his promise.
After seeing Chen Jian leave, she hurried back to the dormitory. Qin Shuyu was still reading, and Zhang Li asked seriously, "Shu Yu, do you have a boyfriend?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, but I already have someone I like." Qin Shuyu looked up and answered without hesitation.
"So you have an unrequited crush? Does he like you?"
"He does. We've already pledged ourselves to each other."
"Then why did you say you don't have a boyfriend?"
Zhang Li felt that Qin Shuyu had set her up. She had told Chen Jian there was no boyfriend.
"But that seems different, doesn't it? A boyfriend might not necessarily become a husband, but we're different."
Qin Shuyu answered solemnly. Fang Bai had said something like that to her before, and she thought it made sense too.
Qin Shuyu's answer surprised the other roommates in the dormitory.
But after thinking carefully about her words, they felt she was not wrong.
Still, Zhang Li felt as though she might choke to death from anger. After taking a calming breath, she said, "Fine, let's not dwell on that. But when I gave you the letter, you didn't say you had a boyfriend."
"Didn't you not ask?"
Qin Shuyu puffed out her cheeks, looking like an innocent little chubby-cheeked hamster.
"..."
Zhang Li felt there was nothing wrong with that logic, yet she still felt Qin Shuyu was incredibly difficult to communicate with. Were all quiet people like this?
"Zhang Li, Shu Yu isn't wrong either. Besides, she already has someone she likes, so stop worrying about it," Liao Xiaoyan said, unable to stop herself from laughing at Zhang Li's frustration.
"I'm just concerned about my roommate. I'm doing it for her own good.
"But I am curious which talented guy at our university captured Qin Shuyu's heart," Zhang Li retorted.
"Shu Yu, I'm curious too. Who is the person you like?"
"He's not from our university. He's still repeating his final year of high school."
"Ah, repeating a year? Then his grades definitely aren't very good. Even if he gets into an undergraduate university, it'll be far worse than ours." Zhang Li's sense of superiority immediately surfaced. She felt there was still a chance to bring Chen Jian and Qin Shuyu together.
"It doesn't matter whether he gets in or not." Qin Shuyu brushed the hair beside her ear, completely unconcerned.
Zhang Li was utterly speechless. "How can that not matter? It's extremely important! If he doesn't get into college, he won't find a good job. How can he marry you?"
Qin Shuyu's eyes widened. In her mind, marriage had nothing to do with education or work. Her conviction was unwavering. "Why can't he? Even if he can't find a job, I can work and earn money to support the family.
"Why does it have to be him earning money?"
"..."
Zhang Li had been defeated by anger and no longer wanted to persuade her. She felt as though she and Qin Shuyu were not even speaking on the same wavelength.
And Qin Shuyu was dangerous!
If Zhang Li was not careful, Qin Shuyu might end up brainwashing her instead.
At the same time, the roommates became extremely curious about what kind of man had cast such a love spell over Qin Shuyu.
What they did not know was that Fang Bai had not attended college in his previous life either, yet Qin Shuyu had still married him.
Once a woman had set her heart on a man, what did education and work matter?
Before you continue