The advantage of getting in first

"Please don't tease me like that. I'm not that kind of guy."

At Chen Fan's earnest expression, the two older students burst into laughter, their bodies shaking.

Their loose nightdresses did little to conceal the bouncing beneath them.

Chen Fan was a hundred percent certain.

They weren't wearing bras.

Guo Shuai had been right.

Girls from big cities really were more uninhibited.

"Hehe, you're so much fun."

"Our little freshman's getting embarrassed."

Chen Fan scratched his head with an "honest, innocent" look.

"Actually, my standards for a girlfriend aren't that high. Someone about as pretty as you two would do."

The two girls froze for a moment, then both burst out laughing.

"You've got quite a sweet tongue."

Chen Fan smiled. "You flatter me. I'm only telling the truth."

"Hmph. At least you know what to say."

"What's your name?"

"Chen Fan."

"All right, Chen Fan. I'll remember you."

The girl nodded and prepared to head upstairs with her friend.

At the turn in the stairs, she suddenly turned back and called out.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Mo Siyu."

"If you ever need help on campus, come find me."

Watching the two beauties head upstairs, chatting and laughing, Chen Fan couldn't help sighing.

That wasn't very sincere.

You could at least leave me your number.

How else am I supposed to find you?

He shook his head, put it out of his mind, and dragged his suitcase to Dormitory 318.

The room was empty. Of the six beds, only the one by the door had a suitcase on it, but its owner wasn't there.

He must have gone out.

The other roommates hadn't arrived yet.

A name was posted at the upper right corner of each bed.

Chen Fan found his bed, the upper bunk on the right near the balcony.

No one occupied the space below, since it held a bookshelf and a study desk.

It was a pretty good spot.

Chen Fan tossed his backpack onto the bed and set his suitcase to one side.

Then he took his money and the freshman registration instructions and went out.

With a clear plan in mind, Chen Fan worked through the registration instructions one step at a time.

Finally, he went to get a mattress, sheets, bedding, a pillow, a thermos, and a washbasin.

When he returned with his arms full, the room was already packed.

Before Chen Fan could say anything from the doorway, a boy near the entrance came forward to greet him.

"You must be Chen Fan. Your photo's on the cabinet. I just saw it."

The boy took the thermos and washbasin from Chen Fan's hands.

"I'm Wu Di, from Dongshan Province. We'll be roommates from now on."

"Thanks."

Chen Fan thanked him and put away everything he had brought back.

A parent making up a bed for their son nearby turned to Chen Fan.

"Did you buy all those things from the university?"

Chen Fan nodded.

"You have to collect the sheets, bedding, and pillow from the logistics department. The university issues those."

"Where's the logistics department? Is it far?"

"Not far. It's just east of the dormitory building."

Chen Fan offered, "I'm free in a little while. I can take them over."

"What a good kid."

The parent praised him, smiling at him warmly.

"You're not from Yunhai Province, are you?"

Chen Fan shook his head.

"I'm from neighboring Luo City."

"I thought your accent sounded like you were from around Luo City."

"By the way, what was your Gaokao score?"

"603."

The moment Chen Fan said it, the chatter in the room briefly stopped.

Everyone looked over in surprise.

"Shit!"

The boy wiping down his study desk couldn't help swearing.

"You're a beast."

Wu Di, who had just introduced himself, gave a wry smile.

"I scored 586 and thought I was pretty impressive. Turns out you're even better."

The son of the parent who had struck up the conversation grumbled.

"I barely scraped past Cloudsea University's cutoff. I almost didn't get in."

After a round of introductions, Chen Fan finally knew his other roommates.

Wu Di occupied the lower bunk by the door. He came from Dongshan Province, a province with a huge number of Gaokao candidates.

The lower bunk opposite Wu Di belonged to Ma Xiaoshuai, a handsome boy with a cool sense of style.

The parents who had chatted with Chen Fan were Ma Xiaoshuai's.

Above Ma Xiaoshuai was Han Xu from Northern Shaanxi. In the upper bunk beside Han Xu was Sun Hao, a Sichuan boy through and through.

Of the six people in the room, only Ma Xiaoshuai was from Yunhai. The other five came from outside the province.

Ma Xiaoshuai's parents were socially adept and offered to treat all the students and parents to a meal.

They explained that, as locals, they naturally ought to welcome friends who had come from so far away.

The other parents couldn't resist their insistence and agreed.

They chose a fairly upscale restaurant outside campus.

It was clear that Ma Xiaoshuai's father knew how to handle people.

He drove a Mercedes and wore a designer watch worth fifty or sixty thousand yuan.

He was obviously wealthy, but he didn't put on any airs during the meal.

He kept the conversation lively and made sure everyone felt included.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and Chen Fan quickly grew closer to his roommates.

In the end, Ma Xiaoshuai's father paid the bill.

After the meal, the parents went their separate ways.

Chen Fan and his roommates strolled back together.

With their parents gone, his roommates finally showed their true colors.

Ma Xiaoshuai pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for himself, and took a blissful drag, as though he had been holding back for ages.

"Who else smokes?"

"Give me one."

Han Xu and Sun Hao each took a cigarette.

Wu Di and Chen Fan shook their heads.

Chen Fan had smoked in his previous life.

But since his rebirth, he hadn't touched a cigarette.

Once the three lit up, they visibly grew closer.

"Aren't we still missing someone?" Wu Di asked.

Sun Hao answered, "I know. I think his name's Luo Wenjie."

"Hey, it's not every day people from all over the country end up together. Should we rank ourselves by age when we get back?"

"Sure."

As they entered campus, Ma Xiaoshuai glanced curiously around, then gave the others a conspiratorial look.

"Have you heard? The building we're staying in is actually a women's dorm."

"Only the guys majoring in Marketing in our School of Economics and Management get this perk."

"Guys, did we luck out or what?"

At that, the others visibly perked up.

Wu Di chuckled. "I actually asked around about that."

"Apparently, the building meant for us freshmen is already finished, but they haven't cleaned it yet, so the university temporarily put us in Dormitory Building No. 8."

Han Xu, who still had a high schooler's innocence, cut in.

"How is that a perk? Won't it be inconvenient having guys and girls in the same building?"

After saying that, Han Xu noticed his roommates looking at him as though he were an idiot.

"Are you pretending, or are you really that innocent?" Sun Hao slung an arm around Han Xu and asked with a grin.

"Huh?"

"Did... did I say something wrong?"

"Hahaha..."

They all burst out laughing.

In the tone of a seasoned veteran, Wu Di explained, "Think about it. Living in the same building as the older girls gives you an advantage over the other guys, doesn't it?"

"The closer you are, the better your chances. You'll run into them every day. Isn't that an advantage?"

"What advantage?" the innocent Han Xu couldn't help asking.

"Idiot! The advantage of getting in first, of course!"

Han Xu and Sun Hao were still bewildered.

Ma Xiaoshuai, however, laughed and cursed.

"Damn! Why does that sound so dirty coming out of your mouth?"

Getting in first, huh?

Chen Fan glanced at Wu Di, the tall, handsome guy from Dongshan Province.

This guy's quite a character too.