The number seemed to be telling her, “I won’t give you a single cent more than what’s necessary.”
Looks like she didn’t butter up to him enough?
He’s even counting a single cent.
Lin Xichi felt extremely speechless as she typed in the reply box: [Do you really need to be so meticulous? It’s a bit embarrassing for a grown man to be so detailed.]
In the next moment, she took a deep breath, dispelling the frustration in her chest, and deleted that sentence, replying instead: [Thank you, senior! I’ve never seen anyone so generous with money like you!]
Lin Xichi gave a soft snort, placed an order with the money, and then put her phone back in her pocket.
Before long, a senior student walked out of the classroom.
Because several departments of the Student Union were conducting interviews in this large classroom, the order of interviews was not only based on the queue but also divided by department.
Seeing this long queue, the senior was momentarily stunned and shouted to them, “Line up by department. External Relations here, Publicity there, Sports… you guys wait a moment; the interviews are about to begin.”
In a brief ten seconds, dozens of people were divided into four lines following the senior’s instructions.
Following the senior, Lin Xichi found the area for the Sports Department. She immediately noticed that there were only three people interviewing for the Sports Department, including herself.
Apart from her, there was the guy with golden-rimmed glasses and another male student.
The three of them lined up from front to back, forming a “V” shape with their heights. It was very fitting for this sweltering weather, and a chilly breeze seemed to sweep through the desolate surroundings.
“… Is it really this unpopular?”
Lin Xichi scanned the surroundings and found the stark contrast indeed somewhat strange, but she didn’t pay too much attention to it.
The guy behind her, however, was curious. With a somewhat bewildered expression, he asked her, “Hey, classmate, why are there so few people applying for this department?”
Lin Xichi hadn’t had a chance to respond when the guy with golden-rimmed glasses spoke up.
“We have interviews in the morning as well.”
His voice was gentle and clear, slow and relaxed, with a touch of nonchalance.
The male student suddenly realized and, being quite familiar, asked them, “By the way, what departments are you guys from? It seems like all three of us can get in, so let’s get to know each other. I’m majoring in Physics, and my name is Ye Shaowen.”
“Veterinary Medicine, and I’m Lin Xichi,” Lin Xichi replied after a few seconds of hesitation, then asked him, “Why do you have that feeling?”
Ye Shaowen replied confidently, “Because you guys look good.”
Lin Xichi gave him a look.
Ye Shaowen was tall, with somewhat delicate features, and his dark complexion added a touch of charisma. His eyes were particularly large, with deep double eyelids, and he wore a pure black baseball cap backward, exuding a sunny disposition.
Indeed, he looked quite good.
But even if he didn’t, she couldn’t say anything about it.
Lin Xichi didn’t know how to respond, so she just pursed her lips and smiled.
Perhaps feeling that Lin Xichi was too distant, Ye Shaowen shifted his attention to the guy with golden-rimmed glasses. It’s often easier to get along with someone of the same gender, so he walked over and placed his hand on the guy’s shoulder.
“Brother, what’s your major?”
The guy with golden-rimmed glasses replied calmly, “Finance, He Ruliang.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Shaowen suddenly paused, then chuckled and said, “Your name sounds familiar. I think he was also from the Finance Department, right? Haha, if you didn’t tell me you were in the same grade as me, I would have thought you were him.”
Ye Shaowen hadn’t seen his registration form, but Lin Xichi had.
He was from the Class of 2010, not the same year as them.
Lin Xichi opened her mouth, wanting to remind him, but she didn’t want to admit that she had peeked at He Ruliang’s registration form.
Seeing that He Ruliang didn’t react, Ye Shaowen didn’t pay much attention to it and continued to be his friendly self.
“Do you guys think it’s possible that this senior has already had his legs broken by his parents? Although I think it’s cool the way he is, if I did something like that, I’d definitely be dead when I got home.”
He laughed with a hint of mischief in his eyes, as if seeking approval from them.
He Ruliang didn’t look at him and calmly spoke, “My name is He Ruliang, Finance Department, skipped the college entrance examination.”
“…”
“…”
Lin Xichi glanced at him.
He Ruliang was tall, with a somewhat refined appearance. He had a dark complexion and deep double eyelids. He wore a pure black baseball cap backward, giving off a sunny vibe.
Indeed, he looked quite good.
But even if he didn’t, she couldn’t say anything about it.
Lin Xichi remained silent for a few seconds and then weakly retorted, “He probably just wanted to prove that his limbs are intact and haven’t been broken by his parents…”
Upon hearing this, Ye Shaowen also fell silent, and after a while, he said, “Why are you helping him?”
Lin Xichi felt a bit overwhelmed by his persistence.
Still thinking about how to deal with him…
He Ruliang came out.
“The Sports Department can send in one candidate.”
Lin Xichi happened to be the first in line and raised her hand in response to his words, confirming that she was ready.
This sentence seemed like a timely rain, rescuing Ye Shaowen from the awkward situation. He muttered to himself, “Why did he emphasize having all four limbs intact? Don’t you find it creepy?”
Lin Xichi glanced at him.
Then, He Ruliang turned his head, looked at him, and smiled.
“Did you see that? I have all four limbs intact.”
“I think he was trying to intimidate us! Intimidate me!” After He Ruliang went in, Ye Shaowen turned to Lin Xichi as if she were a confidante, “Why would he emphasize the word ‘intact’? Don’t you find it scary?”
Lin Xichi hesitated for a few seconds and then replied, “He probably just wanted to prove that his parents didn’t break his legs…”
Upon hearing this, Ye Shaowen fell silent for a moment, then said, “You’re helping him, aren’t you?”
Lin Xichi was left speechless.
As she was still figuring out how to deal with him, He Ruliang came out.
“One candidate for the Sports Department can go in.”
Lin Xichi was surprised that He Ruliang had been inside for less than a minute. She quickly acknowledged and gave Ye Shaowen a sympathetic look before entering the classroom.
The classroom wasn’t very large, divided into two rows of desks and chairs. Lin Xichi saw a sign that read “Sports Department” on the left side and walked over.
There were two interviewers, one male and one female. The male student looked chubby and seemed good-natured, while the female student was the same senior who had come out earlier, with a baby face.
Lin Xichi handed in her registration form.
The chubby senior gave it a quick glance and then said, “Please introduce yourself.”
Nervous under their scrutiny, Lin Xichi said, “I’m Lin Xichi, from the Veterinary Medicine Department, Class One. I have an open and friendly personality, and I have many hobbies… I have a strong passion for sports and really hope to join this team.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The girl senior clapped her hands and said, “Alright, you’ve passed.”
Lin Xichi was taken aback. “Huh?”
“You’re too casual!” The chubby senior scolded the girl senior, turning to Lin Xichi, and cleared his throat, asking, “Okay, now I’ll ask you a few questions. What’s your zodiac sign?”
“Libra.”
“And your blood type?”
“Type O.”
“Did you apply for other departments besides ours?”
“No.”
After asking these three questions, the chubby senior glanced at Lin Xichi’s registration form again and nodded.
“Alright, the interview ends here. You can go back and wait for the notification. By the way, please help me call in the next candidate. Thank you.”
“… That’s it?”
Lin Xichi hesitated, feeling that the Sports Department’s interview was too brief. She had prepared questions about the department, but none of them had been asked. Her only thought was that this department might be too easy to get into…
Lin Xichi left the building and took out her phone to contact Nie Yue. She learned that Nie Yue might need some more time, so she told her she’d head back to the dormitory first.
As she walked back to the dormitory, Lin Xichi still felt puzzled and decided to confide in her trusted online friend, sharing her thoughts with a pseudonymous account.
In the meantime, Lin Xichi dialed Xu Fang’s number.
However, she wasn’t sure what Xu Fang was doing, as he took a while to answer and sounded quite annoyed.
“Damn, who’s this?”
Lin Xichi paused for a few seconds and said affectionately, “It’s Dad.”
There was silence on the other end, and after a few seconds, she heard the hang-up tone.
Xu Fang hung up the phone.
Without hesitation, Lin Xichi called again.
This time, Xu Fang picked up quickly. Compared to before, his voice was much more alert, his tone hoarse and low, and Lin Xichi could feel his irritation, saying, “Can’t you tell I was asleep?”
Lin Xichi honestly replied, “I could tell.”
“Then why did you call?”
“Well,” Lin Xichi said with deep emotion, “I wanted to call even more.”
“…”
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