Tang Wulin swept his gaze over the crowd. Seeing that almost all the new students beside him were holding their parents' hands, chatting and laughing, a little envy unconsciously seeped into his eyes.
But when he turned to look at Lu Chen beside him, that trace of bitterness in his heart immediately dispersed.
He was much luckier than Lu Chen. At least he still had a home to miss.
Lu Chen took the two iron tags Liu Yuxin handed him, casually stuffed them into his pocket, grabbed Tang Wulin, who had just finished gathering his things, and charged into the school.
By then, the older students at the school gates were noisily making their way toward the soul train station.
The two had barely taken a few steps onto campus when sharp-eyed Lu Chen spotted an older female student in a blue-and-white uniform leaning beneath a tree, reading the noticeboard.
He immediately let go of Tang Wulin's hand and ran over. "Senior, senior, sorry to bother you! We just got these tags. Where do we go to register next?"
The senior looked up. Seeing how anxious the two little fellows looked, she couldn't help smiling and pointed into the distance. "There, see it? That building is the academic affairs office. Go there first to complete your enrollment paperwork. The middle school dormitory is behind the classroom buildings."
"Thanks, senior!" Lu Chen grinned, then dashed back in a whirlwind, grabbed Tang Wulin, and charged toward the academic affairs office.
"B-Brother Lu, how... how could you just run over and ask her like that?" Tang Wulin stumbled along as Lu Chen dragged him, scratching the back of his head as he asked in bewilderment.
"Hey, what's the big deal?" Lu Chen was panting from running, but a smile still hung on his face. "Instead of the two of us buzzing around here like headless flies, why not just ask? Saves us so much trouble!"
Following the directions the senior had given them, the two soon reached the academic affairs office.
They handed over their iron tags and recommendation letters. The teacher checked their information, and their enrollment paperwork went through without a hitch.
Before they left, the teacher also gave them each two sets of blue-and-white uniforms, along with two gleaming dormitory keys.
Luckiest of all, the two had actually been assigned to the same room!
According to the school's assignment rules, they were originally supposed to stay in different rooms.
But the teacher assigning dormitories glanced at their information, noticed they came from the same place, and simply waved a hand and put them in the same room.
The teacher was probably being kind, worried that they might struggle to adjust to a new environment. Having someone from their hometown around would at least give them someone to look out for each other and help them settle in faster.
Clutching their dormitory keys, Tang Wulin and Lu Chen walked with lighter steps. Following the directions from the academic affairs teacher, they wound their way past two classroom buildings and finally spotted the red-brick building bearing a sign that read "Middle School Dormitory."
A faint smell of fresh paint still lingered in the corridor. Counting door numbers as they went, the two finally found Room 206 on the second floor.
Lu Chen was the first to turn his key and push the door open with a click. Before he could step inside, a clattering sound came from the room.
Looking closer, he saw a sturdy, round-headed boy standing on tiptoe, spreading bedding over an upper bunk. Apparently startled by the door opening, he lost his grip on his pillow, which dropped with a plop and landed squarely on his own foot.
"Ow!" the boy cried, grimacing. He bent his head to rub the top of his foot, then looked up and saw the two at the doorway.
His eyes lit up, and he immediately broke into a broad grin. "Hey! You're in 206 too? I'm Wang Hu! My Martial Soul is the Vigorous Vajra Bear!"
As he spoke, he proudly waved his arms, showing off his solid muscles. At a glance, he was clearly an easygoing fellow.
Tang Wulin smiled at his enthusiasm and was just about to introduce himself when Lu Chen answered with casual gusto. "That's right! The three of us are roommates from now on! I'm Lu Chen, and he's Tang Wulin. We both just registered today."
Wang Hu looked even happier at that. He bent down to pick up the pillow from the floor, then simply jumped down from the upper bunk. There was a slight tremor beneath his feet as he landed, and even the floor shook:
"What a coincidence! I only just got here myself. I was wondering whether I'd have this room all to myself! Oh, right, what are your Martial Souls?"
Tang Wulin scratched his head and was about to speak when Lu Chen nudged him with an elbow. Looking up, he saw Lu Chen shoot him a look, signaling him to keep quiet for now.
Tang Wulin immediately caught on. They had only just arrived; it was better not to casually tell people about things like their Martial Souls.
Lu Chen, meanwhile, laughed it off with a grin. "Oh, just some little Martial Souls not worth mentioning. They can't compare to your Vigorous Vajra Bear. Impressive, brother!"
The praise left Wang Hu beaming, and he didn't ask any more questions. He reached for the luggage in Tang Wulin's hands. "Here, let me help you carry that! This is a four-person room. There's still one empty bed, so I guess someone hasn't arrived yet."
As they spoke, Lu Chen and Tang Wulin entered the room and looked around.
Four iron-framed beds stood against the walls, each with a desk and wardrobe beside it. There was even a pot of pothos by the window, making the room look clean and bright.
Lu Chen immediately took a liking to the lower bunk beside the window. He tossed his luggage onto it and started unpacking. "Wulin, why don't you take the bunk above mine? We'll be right next to each other. Convenient!"
Tang Wulin nodded and said, "Okay," just as he was about to start making his bed.
Then the sounds of a fight came from the corridor, along with what sounded like someone speaking angrily.
Lu Chen was a born rubbernecker, with sharp ears to match. Once he heard the uproar in the corridor, how could he possibly sit still?
He immediately tossed aside the sheet in his hands, scampered over, and leaned against the doorframe to watch the fun.
Well, well-wasn't that Zhou Changxi from the original story, the fellow who thought his Martial Soul was so impressive and loved bullying people all day?
He had probably wanted to throw his weight around right at the start of school and angered his new roommate. The two were going at it full tilt.
They were making quite a racket. The crashing of tables and chairs mixed with their curses, loud enough to be heard throughout the dormitory building. Before long, it drew the dean over.
Lu Chen had only been there to eat melons and had no intention of getting involved. Who knew that the new student fighting was such a fierce one? He grabbed Zhou Changxi by the back of his collar and swung him straight over.
Of all places, he crashed squarely into Lu Chen!
The impact sent Lu Chen staggering back two steps, nearly landing on his backside. He felt utterly wronged. Who did I offend to deserve this?
Even watching the fun could bring disaster down on his head!
His temper flared. Without thinking, he raised his foot and kicked Zhou Changxi, who was draped over him, right back.
But the moment his kick flew out, an angry shout came from behind him. "All of you, stop!"
Lu Chen turned around. Well, there stood Dean Long Hengxu, his face dark.
"Very good! School hasn't even officially started, and you already dare to fight in the dormitory!" Long Hengxu was so angry his mustache nearly bristled. He pointed at the two fighters, then shot Lu Chen a fierce glare. "And you! What do you think you're doing, kicking a fellow student? Watching the fun wasn't enough trouble for you, was it? All of you, come with me!"
The commotion had long since alerted Tang Wulin inside the room. He hurriedly poked his head out and called anxiously to Lu Chen, "Brother Lu! What happened? Are you all right?"