Chapter 125: First Update

Chapter 125: First Update

Dai Mingxuan ran over joyfully: "Hey, sis-in-law, last time we met, we didn't have time to chat. I told Fu Mingze to invite you out to eat, but he didn't say a word. Luckily, we met today!"

He glanced at the little girl bundled up tightly with only a small face showing, curiously looking at him: "This must be my niece, right? Niece, I’m your uncle Dai Mingxuan—not by blood. Here, take this red envelope, kiddo!"

This guy was clearly here to register, carrying luggage, but amazingly, he actually pulled out a red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into the little one's cotton-padded jacket.

The little girl blinked, curiously looking at the red envelope, then curiously at him.

After introducing himself, Dai Mingxuan quickly became familiar and started calling Shen Shaoyuan "uncle." Hearing that Liu Yingshuang was also from the Foreign Languages College, he patted his chest: "Sis, from now on, I’ve got your back."

Liu Yingshuang was not impressed, looking him up and down, and snorted: "Who’s looking after who isn’t so clear."

Dai Mingxuan was taken aback and took a closer look at Liu Yingshuang: "Sis, you’ve got spunk. I’ll remember you."

As a local, he claimed to have a relative working at the Foreign Languages College, and he’d already scoped out the college before coming to register.

Sure enough, under his guidance, they breezed through the paperwork. After helping Liu Yingshuang carry her luggage into the dormitory, Shen Moer and the others moved on to the next stop.

At the entrance of Capital University, a banner welcoming new students hung. Just inside, a red banner read "Welcome Station," with several tables underneath where a group of young people were helping new students with questions and procedures.

Shen Moer and Fu Mingze walked over to queue, and nearby students sneaked glances at them, someone whispering: "They’re so good-looking, and they look like they’re together. Which department are they from?"

Soon it was Shen Moer's turn. The boy sitting at the registration desk looked up, slightly stunned at the sight of Shen Moer, then smiled and asked: "What’s your major?"

Shen Moer smiled back: "Economics."

A girl with braids immediately popped up: "She’s one of ours!"

Her tone was like spotting a rare treasure, full of surprise and excitement, mixed with a sense of inevitable possession.

Shen Moer was quickly pulled away by the braided girl, and the boy at the registration desk looked up again, well, another stunning face.

"Physics major."

Fu Mingze was concise.

On the other side, a short-haired girl quickly popped up: "Yes! She’s one of ours! Over here, come on!"

Thus, Fu Mingze was also led aside.

Shen Moer and Fu Mingze were arranged to fill out forms at a table, with the two girls watching them with eager eyes.

The braided girl asked Shen Moer: "Classmate, how old are you? Are you twenty? You’re from the south, huh? No wonder you’re so pretty."

Shen Moer: "...I’m twenty-five, thank you."

The braided girl was shocked: "You’re twenty-five? No way!"

Then she continued: "...Alright, just when the econ department gets some sunshine, here come the clouds."

Shen Moer glanced at her, thinking this senior was quite interesting.

On the other side, the short-haired girl looked at the cool-faced Fu Mingze, swallowing her words carefully.

Unexpectedly, Fu Mingze glanced at Shen Moer across the small aisle while filling out the form and said: "I’m taken."

The girl with short hair: "..."

I did want to ask, but I haven't actually asked yet, have I?

Before she could figure out how to respond, Fu Mingze added, "She's my wife. We've been married for six or seven years and have a very beautiful and lovely daughter."

He nodded towards Shen Moer.

The girl with short hair: "..."

I haven't even asked anything yet, you know.

Besides, you didn't need to explain it to me in such detail!

As they were talking, Shen Moer and the others could hear them too. Shen Moer gave Fu Mingze a helpless glance but didn't say anything, though she sped up filling out the form, her handwriting becoming more hurried and flamboyant.

No big deal, just a bit embarrassing.

The girl with braids twitched her lips and stole a glance at Fu Mingze.

He seemed like such a cold and aloof male comrade, but who would have thought he'd be so protective of his family.

After filling out the forms, the girl with braids led Shen Moer and Fu Mingze to complete the paperwork.

"School rules say freshmen have to live on campus. However, if your child is still young and there are elders at home who need care, you can explain this to the department. The teachers will likely take it into consideration."

The girl with braids, named He Xiaomei, was a student from the previous year's Worker-Peasant-Soldier University program in the economics department. After hearing Shen Moer's situation—her daughter was only seven months old, and her father had quit his job to come to the capital with her—she thought Shen Moer, juggling both elders and a child, was in a tough spot and actively tried to help her.

"I'd suggest keeping the dorm room. It's good to have a place to rest on campus occasionally, especially during finals when you might need to stay overnight if time is tight."

Since the central government's meeting last year to prepare for the return of the college entrance exams, the overall atmosphere at the school had completely changed. The current students were the first to feel the impact, with the difficulty of their studies increasing exponentially. Last semester's finals had left many students struggling.

So He Xiaomei's advice was entirely based on experience and heartfelt.

Shen Moer thanked this quite interesting senior, took the keys she received, and went with Fu Mingze to the small garden near the school gate to find Shen Shaoyuan and the others. Then, they all went to the dorm together.

Shen Moer was assigned to Dorm Room 201. When they got there, two people were already inside.

One was up on the top bunk, making the bed. Shen Moer first noticed the brand-new checkered cotton quilt and bedsheet, and then saw a slender figure diligently smoothing out the barely noticeable wrinkles on the bed.

The wall next to the bed was neatly covered with smooth, white paper, clearly newly pasted.

On the lower bunk diagonally across, a thin, dark-skinned girl sat awkwardly on the bed, occasionally sneaking glances at the girl on the upper bunk. The sheet under her had two big, obvious patches.

When the girl on the bottom bunk saw someone come in, she stood right up, a shy smile on her face. "H-hello."

The dorm room had eight beds in total, with two bunk beds placed against the wall. Besides the two beds that were taken, the top bunk above the thin girl also had some stuff.

Shen Moer asked Fu Mingze to place their things on the upper bunk next to them and smiled, saying, "Hello."

She introduced herself, "I'm Shen Moer, from the southern province. This is my father, my husband, my brother, and my daughter."

The thin girl replied, "Hello, I'm Wu Yanan."

She said enviously, "So many people came to see you off to school?"

Shen Moer smiled, "The child is still young and can't be left alone."

The girl on the upper bunk also turned to look at them. She was quite pretty, with an oval face, fair skin, and refined features.

What stood out most was her subtly permed hair.

Even though policies had loosened up over the past two years, people's attitudes didn't change overnight. The mainstream mindset remained relatively conservative and cautious. While clothing and fashion had become slightly more open, no longer strictly limited to plain colors like black, gray, and blue, overall, people still didn't go too far.

Permed hair, in particular, was still uncommon.

Shen Moer had only seen foreigners with permed hair at the Canton Fair, a major trade event, and she wasn't even sure if their curls were natural. It was her first time seeing someone with permed hair in mainland China.

The girl with permed hair said coolly, "Hello, my name is Feng Manni."

After that, she turned back to fuss over her already spotless bed.

Shen Moer didn't mind, but Wu Yanan looked a little awkward, standing there fidgeting nervously. Shen Moer smiled at her, and sensing Shen Moer's kindness, Wu Yanan seemed to relax a little and sat back down on her bed.

Before Shen Moer could lift a finger, Fu Mingze had already made the bed. He stashed the rest in the wall cabinet, and the room was tidy in no time.

Shen Moer said they wouldn't be staying in the dorm that night, and the family left the room, heading to the male dormitory.

The male dormitory was packed, with men crammed into the small room, busy making beds and unpacking. To her surprise, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

Xu Chengyi squeezed his way to the door from inside the dormitory: "Comrade Shen, I didn't expect to bump into you here! What are the odds!"

He looked at Fu Mingze: "And this is?"

Shen Moer was also surprised to see Xu Chengyi. Coincidentally, he and Fu Mingze were roommates in the same dormitory. It really was a small world.

She smiled and made the introductions: "This is Liang Liang's father, Fu Mingze. This is Xu Chengyi, a fellow student. We shared a sleeper car—a train compartment with beds—on the way to the capital."

Fu Mingze had heard all about the train incident from Shen Moer. There were only two people in their sleeper car: a naive female comrade who had been tricked by human traffickers and a young man who knew her.

The young man before them was clearly that guy.

Fu Mingze nodded and greeted him: "Hello, I'm Fu Mingze."

Xu Chengyi chuckled: "Hello, hello! We really are fated to meet, brother! On the train, I kept wondering who the lucky guy was with such a beautiful wife and adorable daughter. Turns out it's you!"

Xu Chengyi gave a quick nod to Shen Shaoyuan and Zhou Ping'an, then suddenly leaned in close to little Liang Liang: "Hey, little Liang Liang, didn't expect to see me again, did you?"

Liang Liang's eyes widened in surprise. Whether she remembered him or not, she quickly burst into laughter, revealing two faintly visible little baby teeth on her lower jaw.

"That's right, uncle was just teasing you. You're so brave," Xu Chengyi said cheerfully. "But I think your dad is about to glare me to death, so I'd better take it easy. Hahaha."

Fu Mingze was shooting daggers at Xu Chengyi. This guy was too careless—what if he scared the child?

Fu Mingze had arrived last, so he didn't have a choice in beds. The only one left was the lower bunk by the door.

He threw down a mat, skipped the sheets, and piled his stuff on top.

After quick introductions with his roommates, Fu Mingze exchanged a few words and left with his family.

Shen Moer asked curiously, "Did you remember their names?"

Fu Mingze replied, "I did. Besides, it's not that important. There'll be plenty of time to remember them later."

True, his memory was excellent. During the college entrance exams, he had been so relaxed that Shen Moer couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

After leaving the dormitory, the family headed straight to the cafeteria for dinner. After trying the food at Capital University, they took a stroll around the campus.

The campus of Capital University is indeed beautiful, with its sparkling lake and lush greenery. Studying in such an environment must be quite pleasant.

After touring the campus, Shen Moer felt even more excited about her future campus life.

By the time they headed home, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Liang Liang was really excited during the campus tour, but she fell asleep almost immediately on the bus.

Carrying the sleeping child, they got off the bus and walked to their doorstep, only to find a man standing at the entrance of their courtyard. The man was pacing around, looking anxiously in all directions, occasionally knocking on the door and then tiptoeing by the wall, trying in vain to peek inside.

The problem was, they didn't recognize this middle-aged man of average height with thinning hair.

Shen Moer looked at Fu Mingze, who was equally puzzled: "He's not here for me, and I don't know him either."

Zhou Pingan volunteered, "I don't know him either."

Shen Shaoyuan hesitated and said, "Of course, I don't know him either. Besides Lao Wang, I don't have any other acquaintances in the capital, but..."

As they spoke, the man noticed them and quickly approached, his anxious expression turning to relief: "Oh, Teacher Shen, you're finally back! I was starting to think I had the wrong place!"

Everyone's first reaction was to look at Shen Moer, as she was the only one among them who had been a teacher.

However, the middle-aged man quickly stepped forward and shook Shen Shaoyuan's hand: "Hello, Teacher Shen, I'm Li Qingguo, the one who contacted you earlier. I apologize for dropping by unannounced; I hope I'm not disturbing you!"

Shen Shaoyuan suddenly realized: "Oh, it's you, Editor Li."