Chapter 11: The formidable upperclassmen
The welcome party ended just like that. By the time it was over, the rain outside was heavy, and Tang Wu shared an umbrella with an older girl from the Student Union on the way back to her dorm.
That night, Su Can walked in the rain, not because he wanted to act brooding and different, but because most of the students were advancing toward their dorms like SWAT teams beneath the tall buildings and low eaves. Most had not brought umbrellas. Who could have known this damned weather would suddenly turn rainy?
But as Su Can sheltered beneath leaves that blocked some of the downpour, feeling the cold raindrops splash against his face, all he felt was exhilaration.
Tang Wu's performance had certainly not been the climax of the evening, but Su Can's shameless, reckless demand for a hug had left a deep impression, piercing the hearts of countless excited university "monks" who had no share of the spoils.
The reason everyone was so indignant was that, while the girl performed onstage, each of them had imagined going up under the pretext of presenting flowers and finding some way to get close to her. Some of the most secretly lustful had even thought of slipping a note asking her out into the bouquet. Perhaps, after all the twists and turns, an unexpected opening might unlock the girl's heart.
Then, in the dead of night, a call from some girls' dorm would come through to the number on the note, and they would pour out their feelings to each other.
But all those imaginings, all those fantasies, existed only within their burning, unruly hearts. On the outside, they all wore perfectly respectable expressions.
Nobody dared put any of it into practice. They knew all too