After everyone had finished introducing themselves, Zhou Yiyi extended her hand in a friendly gesture.
"Hi, my na is Zhou Yiyi. Yiyi as in ’with all one’s heart.’ I’m from Henan and I’m 16 years old this year. I hope we can help each other and make progress together."
Hearing that Zhou Yiyi was only sixteen, the girls who were about to turn nineteen were unsettled. "How co you’re so young?"
"I started school early, hehe, yeah, just started early."
In front of high-achievers, she had no room to brag. So while at Tsinghua, she wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. After all, who knew who you might be up against?
That seed to satisfy them as they didn’t press further, but Qiao Shan smirked and teased them.
"Look at you guys, from Shandong, Henan, and Hebei. Brothers in hardship, everyone’s journey here wasn’t easy. Co on, how much did you all score on the college entrance exam? Ti to crush !"
Qiao Shan got 696 points, Zou Wenqing 699 points, Yu Wenya 704 points, and Zhou Yiyi’s 706 points actually put her in the first place???
No way?
"Wow, look at you. You’re young but your academic ability is exceptional. Impressive. We four should stick together and love each other dearly, since in this group of 27 people, it’s just us four girls, right?"
Qiao Shan joked, eliciting an eye roll from Zou Wenqing.
"Can’t you speak properly? ’Girls’ not ’females.’ Psh, who says that girls are inferior to boys? Just by saying ’Computer Departnt of Tsinghua,’ we’re already amazing, okay?"
That was indeed true, since Tsinghua’s Computer Departnt was really incredible!
"Did you get your bicycle? We’ve already picked ours up."
"Oh, my brother bought one. One bike for the two of us is enough."
Zhou Yiyi and Zhou Mo, they’re almost like siblings, right? Haha, it should be fine to borrow it for a while, right?
It’s not like I can say we’re old classmates. Sharing a bike with an old classmate, wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?
"Your brother? The handso guy who brought you today? Is he also from our school?"
Zhou Yiyi nodded, "Yeah, in the sa departnt as , which ans, in the sa class as you guys."
"Wow, your brother is really, really handso. And he’s in our class? We’re in for a treat, hahaha!"
Seeing how happy Qiao Shan was, Zou Wenqing shook her head, "Look at you, so shaless. Tsinghua lacks handso guys? Being one of the few girls at Tsinghua, we’ll have plenty of chances to admire good-looking guys. The girls from the neighboring schools will be green with envy!"
That was undeniably true, as Tsinghua did have an extraordinary number of handso guys.
It’s often said that talented individuals co from humble beginnings, but those from modest backgrounds make up less than ten percent of each cohort at college. That ans that among three thousand students, only about one hundred co from impoverished areas, and these individuals are not just talented, they’re practically legendary.
It’s not that I look down on rural people, but it’s obvious that the educational resources in major cities are much more abundant than those in poor areas. Yet even under those circumstances, they were able to get into Tsinghua, which speaks volus about their excellence. The more tropolitan the children’s backgrounds, the richer the resources at their disposal. Their excellence is not limited to academic performance but extends to various hobbies as well as cultural and social awareness, all of which Zhou Yiyi may not have personally experienced but could well imagine.
The girls in her dorm, for example, ca from average cities, except for Qiao Shan, but even those cities were still far better off than rural areas.
"Let’s go, let’s all go eat together. Tsinghua has sixteen canteens, I don’t even know where to go."
"Right, I’ve heard they have a Western restaurant, coffee shop, northern and southern snacks, buffet, and fast food. It’s super comprehensive, we’re going to be so spoiled!"
"The yogurt and sour plum soup at Tsinghua are homade. Just being able to be here is incredibly fortunate. I’m so grateful."
Since today was the first day of registration, not all the campus restaurants were open yet, but Qingfen Garden already offered enough variety for them to eat for a month without repeating a dish.
They hadn’t completed the registration process by lunchti, so they either ate what they brought or went out. So this dinner was indeed their first al since arriving at Tsinghua.
But—
"My brother is waiting for downstairs. How about we go together next ti?"
Since everyone was still not familiar with each other, and the roommates were too shy to join in, Zhou Yiyi finished arranging her things and left the dormitory at 7 pm.
When she arrived, Zhou Mo was sprawled over his bike talking on the phone, and from his tone, it was undoubtedly Lin Mu he was speaking with.
Lin Mu would report over a week later than them, so at the mont, he was still lounging at ho. He had planned to co along with Zhou Mo, but Aunt Mu insisted that coming early would an wasting money on a hotel stay. She insisted he stay at ho until the last possible mont before heading out.
So, this guy kept calling them to check in, envying then like crazy.
Thinking about it, who wouldn’t be envious?
For these only children, going to college was the only way to leave their parents legitimately, which ant freedom. After leaving, apart from asking for money and living expenses, they probably wouldn’t have to listen to their parents’ nagging. More than just happiness, it was like ecstatic bliss.
But for the original host, her premature independence must have made her feel both poignant and envious.
Today, Zhou Yiyi wore a long dress with a backpack—a pure and lovely look—while Zhou Mo was in a simple white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. It seed like all guys loved sneakers. To Zhou Yiyi, his pair could buy her ten, or even twenty pairs of shoes; they were freaking expensive.
And Zhou Mo’s family could afford to let him wear such expensive shoes, which was probably akin to girls loving pricey makeup products.
Zhou Yiyi wasn’t short on money now, having entered university, so she also started buying so skincare products and pretty clothes to wear. She was capable of earning money, so naturally, she could spend it. She wouldn’t let herself feel inferior for being an orphan and wear clothes that only fit her economic status. That would be too self-deprecating, and she would never allow herself such a disservice.
Usually, when going out with Zhou Mo, it was typically them who paid. Sotis, when Yiyi wanted to contribute, they wouldn’t let her, which made her feel helpless. She had to tell them—
"I have money, it’s not that I’m broke. My parents left money, and my family rents out our house and land every year. I also get prize money, and, I invest in stocks. So really, it’s okay for to spend. Seriously, I’m not poor."
This was also why she didn’t accept the offers from the Zhou and Lin Families to cover her tuition and living expenses. They didn’t believe she traded stocks at first, not until she showed them her trading account at an internet cafe one day. Only after they saw her stock market graph did they truly believe that she traded stocks, and they were utterly shocked at that mont.
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