Chapter 8: Registration
A subtle atmosphere filled the interior of the Mercedes.
Only after Qi Dong and Qi Xia got in did they notice the driver was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Her looks, her aura, even the way her chest strained against her shirt, all made the two of them seem insignificant by comparison.
This sparked their curiosity about the relationship between Wang Can and Xia Kewei.
As for Qiao Huayang, he was even more puzzled than Qi Dong and Qi Xia.
From what he remembered, Wang Can’s family was clearly poor, even in debt. How could it be that now, in Shenhai, someone was picking him up in a Mercedes?
And the driver was such a stunning woman.
Is working part-time really this miraculous?
He opened his mouth a few times to ask, but ultimately didn’t have the courage.
Yet Wang Can was just as bewildered.
He keenly noticed that since meeting the Qi sisters, Xia Kewei had been unusually quiet.
Thus, the luxurious Mercedes S-Class quietly drove on amid an atmosphere thick with unspoken tension.
Qiao Huayang got off at a subway station halfway through; he had been accepted to Shenhai University of Finance and Economics, a different school from Wang Can’s.
It was strange—his parents had always wanted him to study medicine, but he insisted on majoring in finance. No amount of persuasion could change his mind.
After another half hour, Wang Can and the others finally arrived at Shenhai University.
Since the Arts Department and the Economics Department were in different directions, Qi Dong and Qi Xia got out at the campus gate.
Qi Xia intended to add Wang Can on WeChat but froze when she saw his Motorola V3, ultimately settling for just his phone number.
The car fell silent again, leaving only Wang Can and Xia Kewei inside.
The cold air from the AC brushed gently over them but could not dissipate the subtle tension lingering in the air.
“Why the sudden pick-up? Couldn’t you have told me ahead of time?”
Wang Can was the first to break the silence.
Xia Kewei gave her signature fake smile: “Are you blaming me for interrupting you and the senior’s flirting?”
“Oh? Are you jealous?” Wang Can turned sideways, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“We’ve arrived.”
Xia Kewei slammed on the brakes and the car came to a sudden stop beside the freshman registration plaza; the door lock clicked open.
Wang Can got out, watching the tail lights fade into the distance, shaking his head helplessly: “Even after rebirth, I still can’t fully understand women.”
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Dragging his luggage, Wang Can followed the signs to the registration spot for Economics and Management Class Two.
Three people sat at the registration desk: two males and one female.
One man, wearing black-rimmed glasses, looked older and was likely the class advisor for Class Two.
The other two younger students appeared to have just registered themselves; the boy was organizing forms, while the girl was focused on filling something out.
“Hello, are you from Economics and Management Class Two?”
The boy looked up and immediately gave a warm smile.
The girl glanced at Wang Can briefly but kept her head down, continuing to fill out her forms.
“Yes, my name is Wang Can.” Wang Can nodded in reply.
The boy handed him a form: “Please fill out your personal information.”
Filling out his enrollment form for the second time in life, Wang Can noticed details he hadn’t before.
The emergency contact section even included an item for “Occupation.”
So from the moment of admission, the school already wanted to know about one’s family background.
Wang Can thought for a moment and casually wrote down “Freelancer.”
“Welcome to Economics and Management Class Two!”
The boy took the completed form with a sense of ownership and introduced himself: “I’m Shen Hongge, and this is Guo Wanwan.”
He nodded towards the girl beside him, who was beautiful but wore a detached expression.
Guo Wanwan only gave a polite nod and quickly returned her gaze to the form, clearly uninterested in further conversation.
Wang Can turned to the bespectacled teacher and asked proactively, “Are you our counselor?”
“Yes, yes,” Shen Hongge quickly replied, “This is our Class Two counselor, Teacher Zheng Jun.”
“Hello, Brother Jun. Please take good care of us. I’ll try to keep my roommate from causing you too much trouble.”
Wang Can leaned in to size up the young counselor, finding him much younger than expected, and greeted him casually.
Zheng Jun, called “Brother Jun,” was clearly taken aback.
He had never before heard a freshman address their counselor so familiarly on the first day of registration.
Shen Hongge and Guo Wanwan exchanged surprised looks.
“Just have them take fewer sick leaves,” Zheng Jun joked, scanning the form, “Wang Can, right? Male dorm, South District, Building 2, Room 404.”
“Got it,” Wang Can replied cheerfully.
“Remember not to stay up too late tonight,” Zheng Jun added, pushing up his glasses, “Tomorrow at nine sharp, come to the class to pick up your military training uniform.”
Wang Can gave a mock salute: “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll be back in my dorm by ten, reporting in obediently!”
Zheng Jun smiled knowingly and waved him off.
After Wang Can left, Shen Hongge couldn’t help but whisper to Guo Wanwan, “Do you think this guy might run for class president too?”
Guo Wanwan remained as cold and indifferent as ever, “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter either way.”
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The avenue leading to the dormitories was crowded, filled not only with parents seeing their children off but also sophomores and juniors who had returned early.
Most notably, Shenhai University offered programs in film and music, which meant the quality of female students was exceptionally high.
Wang Can’s eyes were constantly dazzled along the way, frequently marveling at how university students carried such a vibrant youthfulness.
This was something that no matter how much internet celebrities or commercial models dressed up, they could never reclaim.
Yet people were strange—when young, they liked maturity; when older, they preferred youth.
Between the two, Wang Can simply liked beauty.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, he found one person already there, cleaning.
Wang Can sized him up—a height of about 1.77 meters, average looks, but clean and neat; not handsome, but certainly not unpleasant to look at.
His bed and desk were spotless and meticulously arranged.
Wang Can guessed this guy might have a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
Looks like he wouldn’t have to worry too much about the dorm’s hygiene from now on.
The guy greeted him warmly: “Yang Shuang, local to Shenhai. We’ll be living together for the next four years.”
“I’m Wang Can, from Bincheng.”
“I’ve been to your hometown. The fried fenzi there is amazing.”
“Next time you visit, I’ll take you to try even more special local dishes—seaweed buns and sea urchin dumplings.”
“Haha, that’s way too rich. I’m afraid I’d nosebleed after eating that.”
Wang Can felt his new roommate was pretty decent—no sign of the typical local Shenhai superiority complex.
The dorm was a standard four-person room with bunk beds—bed above, desk below.
Dragging his suitcase around for a look, Wang Can chose the bed by the balcony.
“Didn’t you bring your own bedding?”
Yang Shuang had just finished mopping the floor and wiped sweat from his forehead as he stood up. “The bedding the school provides is really poor quality—hard and not breathable. Plus, the store sells them for over four hundred yuan, just ripping off freshmen.”
“How about I take you to an off-campus mall to buy some? I know the area well. I can save you at least half the price, and the quality will definitely be better.”
Wang Can was about to protest that poverty didn’t allow for such generosity when his phone vibrated suddenly in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw “Xia Kewei” flashing on the screen.
“Come pick me up.”
“What’s wrong? The dorm auntie won’t let you in? It’s registration time—no one should be stopping you.”
“I’m the secretary, not Nezha. I don’t have three heads and six arms to carry all these things.”
“So you have two arms?”
After a moment of silence, Wang Can could clearly hear Xia Kewei suppressing her anger on the phone:
“Are you coming or not?”
“I’m coming! Right away.”