Lin Xi Chi waited for a while.
Not hearing any further outbursts from him, she began to talk, “I just had an interview for the Student Union’s Sports Department, and they only asked me three questions: my zodiac sign, blood type, and whether I applied to other departments. Why do you think they asked only these three questions?”
Xu Fang’s tone was still not very pleasant, “Am I your interviewer?”
Implying: Why are you asking me?
Lin Xi Chi ignored his words and continued, “But they only asked these three questions. Don’t you find it strange? Don’t you think this department is unprofessional?”
There was a pause on the other end.
After several seconds, Xu Fang said, “They only asked these three questions?”
His anger seemed to have dissipated with the passage of time, and his voice returned to its usual nonchalant tone, with a hint of seriousness, giving a sense of stability.
Lin Xi Chi nodded eagerly, like a curious student eager to learn. “Yes.”
“It’s not hard to guess.”
Lin Xi Chi humbly asked, lowering her head and adopting an attentive posture.
“Our thoughts align,” Xu Fang chuckled coldly, his laughter clear and lingering, causing a tickling sensation in her ears. His voice carried a strong Beijing accent, and he enunciated each word clearly, “You don’t need to say much to idiots.”
An awkward silence followed.
Lin Xi Chi said, “I understand.”
Then she hung up the phone.
Xu Fang was still waiting for her to retaliate and found it quite anticlimactic when he heard the call end. After a few seconds, he furrowed his brow, suddenly realizing something.
Is he angry?
He regretfully sat up, scratched his head, and stared at his phone, unsure of what to say.
Wasn’t it this guy who woke him up in the first place? And now he’s the one getting angry?
Damn it, all the money is in his hands, and he still dares to get angry.
After a few seconds, he couldn’t contain his frustration anymore. He thought harder and became more agitated, but he felt completely helpless. Just as he was about to transfer all of his living expenses to Lin Xi Chi, he realized that he had overestimated this guy completely.
She actually thought she had the mindset to get angry.
Lin Xi Chi sent two WeChat messages to him.
Lin Xi Chi: “Am I very obedient?”
Lin Xi Chi: “I stopped talking to idiots immediately!”
“…”
Xu Fang tossed his phone aside, pulled the blanket over his head, and covered his face.
The next night, Lin Xi Chi received a text message informing her that she had passed the first round of interviews. She was instructed to go to Room 409 in Building 1 of the West Campus at 8:30 PM on Monday for the second round of interviews.
She replied with a simple “got it” and then got ready, leaving with her roommates.
The course selection deadline was the night before, so everyone’s schedules were already set. The class monitor had informed the class group that the textbooks would be distributed today, and he asked the male students in the class to help move the books to Room 103 in Building 2 of the East Campus. All students were required to come tonight to collect their textbooks.
When they arrived at the classroom, Lin Xi Chi and her roommates noticed that most people had brought suitcases.
There was a pile of books in front of the podium, each stack thicker than the last.
Lin Xi Chi had quite a few major courses in her first semester, including Animal Anatomy, General Zoology, and various required courses. In addition to the thick medical textbooks, she had to collect many books, so bringing a suitcase was indeed a wise choice.
However, even without a suitcase, she could manage to carry them, but it would be more challenging.
After confirming that everyone was present, several class committee members distributed the textbooks. It took only a few minutes to complete the distribution.
Lin Xi Chi put several books in her backpack and looked at the remaining pile. She hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and picked up a stack of books. She clenched her teeth and said, “Let’s go.”
The other three also picked up books.
Lin Xi Chi led the way.
The books were heavy, and the few girls had no energy left for chatting. From the classroom to the dormitory, almost no one spoke. Occasionally, they could hear Nie Yue murmuring, “I’m so tired.”
When they passed by the basketball court, Lin Xi Chi couldn’t carry the books any longer and placed them, along with her backpack, on a stone bench by the side of the path.
“Let’s take a break.”
Nie Yue also placed her books on the bench and leaned back as if she were paralyzed.
Lin Xi Chi turned around and gasped for breath as she asked, “What about Xiaohan and the others?”
Upon hearing this, Nie Yue also turned her head and guessed, “Maybe they didn’t keep up.”
The two of them didn’t have the energy to care about it right now, feeling too tired to speak.
The lighting here wasn’t great, with only a dim streetlight nearby, creating a sharp contrast with the brightly lit basketball court. In the basketball court, more than a dozen boys were full of energy, running around, and sweating profusely.
Lin Xi Chi’s gaze couldn’t help but drift in that direction.
Outside the basketball court, there were also many girls watching, their cheeks flushed, and their heads lowered as they whispered to each other.
She noticed the lead boy who charged to the front, bypassing the others blocking him, and he easily and skillfully controlled the basketball, making himself stand out on the court. At the same time, Lin Xi Chi stood up and walked closer.
Xu Fang leaped up, grabbed the rim with one hand, and made a loud noise as he dunked the basketball with force.
The ball went into the hoop.
Seeing him score, Lin Xi Chi leaned on the net of the basketball court, held her breath, and shouted with all her might.
“Xu Fang!!!”
“…”
Xu Fang almost fell from the rim.
He let go of the rim, jumped back to the ground, and looked in the direction of the voice. When he saw it was her, Xu Fang scratched his head, and his cheeks, still flushed from the exercise, had sweat trickling down, dampening half of his shirt.
Lin Xi Chi waved excitedly at him.
Xu Fang’s brow twitched, and he turned to exchange high-fives with a few teammates, whispering a few words to them. Then, he exited the basketball court from the entrance and walked toward her.
As soon as he reached her, Lin Xi Chi grabbed and dragged him to the stone bench. His tone was impatient, and he followed her reluctantly.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Xi Chi said confidently, “Help us carry the books to the dormitory. We can’t carry them anymore.”
Xu Fang glanced at the two piles of books on the bench but didn’t say anything else. He had originally intended to stack them all together and carry them in one go but suddenly noticed two fully packed backpacks. “Can your backpacks handle it?”
Lin Xi Chi immediately nodded.
Nie Yue sat in her place, watching them both without a word.
Xu Fang walked over and picked up Lin Xi Chi’s backpack, then glanced at her before saying in a casual tone, “I’ll call one more person over.” He then called out, and soon another male student came running.
Xu Fang spoke a few words to him, and the student picked up one stack of books. He started chatting cheerfully with Nie Yue.
The two of them carried the books and walked ahead.
Lin Xi Chi was about to pick up her backpack when Xu Fang hoisted it onto her back. She frowned and protested softly, “You’re all sweaty.”
Xu Fang’s expression didn’t look too pleasant, and he didn’t respond to her. He picked up the books and started walking in the direction of the dormitory.
Lin Xi Chi suddenly remembered that she had irritated him earlier in the afternoon. She followed him obediently, trying to please him, and said, “I’ll treat you to some sweet soup later.”
Xu Fang scoffed, paying no attention to her.
“You don’t have money.”
“…”
The two walked side by side.
Lin Xi Chi touched her pocket and wanted to mention that his meal card was still with her, but she was afraid he would take it back if she said so. So, she wisely changed the subject, “By the way, did you join any clubs?”
His tone remained indifferent, “The school’s basketball team.”
“But didn’t you say you found these things boring and didn’t want to participate?”
He didn’t reply.
Lin Xi Chi blinked, curious, and said, “By the way, doesn’t the Sports Department organize various competitions for the school’s teams? We might meet each other when the time comes.”
This time, Xu Fang paused for a few seconds before replying, “I don’t know.”
Xu Fang helped Lin Xi Chi carry the books to the dormitory and didn’t stay long. They didn’t exchange many words either. Afterward, Chen Han and Xin Zidan also returned, accompanied by two unfamiliar male students who helped them carry the books.
Lin Xi Chi sat on a chair, opened WeChat, and saw a new message.
It was from her younger sister, Lin Xigeng.
Lin Xigeng: “Hey, are you coming home for the National Day?”
Lin Xi Chi typed “not coming” in the reply box but hesitated. She deleted the message and typed a vague reply instead: “We’ll see.”
On Monday night, Lin Xi Chi went to her English class with Xin Zidan.
University English was taught in Room 307 of Building 1, starting at 7:00 PM and lasting until 8:30 PM. After class, she could go directly to the fourth floor for the second round of interviews with the Sports Department.
Knowing that this particular teacher was terrifying, Lin Xi Chi and Xin Zidan left half an hour early.
However, when they arrived in the classroom, Lin Xi Chi realized that she was still late.
The small classroom could accommodate about fifty people, and except for the first two rows, every seat was already occupied. The classroom setup was similar to that of high school, with wooden desks and chairs, a large blackboard at the front, and a podium.
Lin Xi Chi and Xin Zidan chose seats in the second row, in the middle.
Not seeing Xu Fang yet, Lin Xi Chi saved him a seat.
At this moment, Mr. Yan Zhibin was standing at the podium, with dark skin, a square face, very short hair, and appearing to be around fifty years old. He had a stern expression and exuded an air of authority.
Despite it not being class time yet, the classroom was quiet.
Lin Xi Chi had a strange feeling of being back in her senior year of high school. Her palms were sweaty with nervousness. She lowered her head and sent a WeChat message to Xu Fang, urging him, “You’d better hurry up.”
Just then, the class bell rang.
Xu Fang also appeared at the door, entering the classroom as the bell chimed. He casually scanned the room and then walked toward the seat beside Lin Xi Chi.
Mr. Yan Zhibin glanced around the classroom but didn’t call out any names.
The classroom had six rows of seats, accommodating a total of forty-eight students. There were forty students in this class, so apart from the eight seats in the first row, all the other seats were occupied.
Soon, Mr. Yan Zhibin placed a sheet of paper on one of the desks in the first row and said in his not-so-standard Mandarin, “The eight students in the back row, please come to the first row and sit down. Then, write your names according to your assigned seats. From now on, you will sit in the same seats.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xi Chi heard movements behind her as several male and female students started to get up and move to the first row.
A few seconds later, a male student sat down directly in front of Lin Xi Chi. He seemed to have noticed her and smiled back at her after taking his seat.
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