The Department of Computer Science at Wutong University was not far from Yan University, so they headed there first. In the admissions office, Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang touched the fabled “computer” for the first time in their lives (or, in Gao Sheng’s case, for the second).

The two played King’s Quest for a while, only letting go of the mouse after being urged to do so several times.

The simple and unsophisticated computer game was incredibly attractive to those who hadn’t been exposed to this type of entertainment before, making a deep impression on the two youths’ minds. His previous apprehension completely wiped out, Gao Sheng said happily, “So this is what we’re going to learn? Computer science is so fun!”

“Yeah!” Zhou Haitang looked equally excited. “I like this major very much!”

The expression in Lin Jingzhe’s eyes turned complicated, but upon noticing the sly smile on Fang Wenhao’s face, he decided not to say anything.

Zhou Haitang and Gao Sheng were sharing the same dorm room, but since it was still a few days before the beginning of the school year, their other roommates hadn’t arrived yet. Looking forward to a pleasant life of playing games, they quickly put away their luggage to accompany Lin Jingzhe to Yan University.

When the car passed through the eye-catching main gate, Gao Sheng and the others’ faces were filled with longing. Lin Jingzhe had already gotten used to the fact that he’d be attending this school, so his attitude was quite calm. The only surprising thing was that the female student in charge of welcoming freshmen recognized Fang Wenhao and called him “Senior Fang.”

In front of the others, Fang Wenhao acted like a serious and respectable young man. After Lin Jingzhe’s enrollment, he said, “I’m two grades above you. If you encounter any trouble in school, you can go to the Student Union’s Publicity Department to find me.”

Lin Jingzhe realized that some things were indeed more beautiful from a distance. Today, the halo of the glorious Yan University, which he hadn’t dared to long for in his previous life, lost quite a bit of its lustre due to this lackadaisical “senior.”

Yan University’s dorm was much older, and as such, much shabbier than Wutong University’s. At this moment, Lin Jingzhe truly felt that his life was entering an entirely new course, completely different from his past one.

His accommodation was a four-person room, and two out of his three roommates were already here. The pale-skinned, chubby, and friendly-looking one came from Shen City and his name was Lu Xiaojiang. The other one, called Wang Jun, was a Yan City native. He wore black, thick-framed glasses, had some acne on his face, and was so tall that Lin Jingzhe had to look up at him.

In the college entrance exam, Lu Xiaojiang had ranked fifth in Shen City, and Wang Jun’s scores were also among the highest in Yan City. However, it was Chen Jiankang, who had yet to arrive, that was the most impressive—he was the provincial champion! Lin Jingzhe’s roommates turned out to be top students, and unlike him, they were all the real thing.

Due to his lack of education, Lin Jingzhe had experienced a lot of hardship in his last life, so he learned to respect knowledge and educated individuals. As such, his attitude towards Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun was quite gentle.

He was good-looking, had an elegant temperament and good social skills—if he put his mind to it, he could make friends with anyone. Initially, Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun were a bit shy, but after speaking with him for a bit, they relaxed and felt much closer with him. Since Deng Mai, who was blessed with the gift of gab, joined in as well, by the time the last roommate arrived, everyone had already become quite chummy.

Chen Jiankang was skinny and even shorter than Lin Jingzhe. His complexion was dark but sallow, very different from Deng Mai’s healthy bronze skin. He resembled Yu Zhiliang’s father.

And he was just as reticent as the man; when he entered the room and faced everyone’s gazes, he stopped, awkward and at a loss. It was only after a middle-aged woman, probably his mother, pushed his back and he stumbled, that he came back to himself.

The woman gave an embarrassed smile and asked, speaking with a rural accent, “Schoolmates, is this room 305?”

Deng Mai rushed to take the large roll of bedding she was carrying on her thin shoulders. “Yes, it’s here.”

“Oh, thank you.” After the heavy burden was removed, the middle-aged woman let out a sigh of relief, then squatted down and anxiously rummaged through the bags. After a moment, she pulled out a large glass jar, opened it eagerly and set it on the table, then added some cloth bags filled with peanuts and sunflower seeds. “Have a taste, have a taste, I specially brought this from our hometown. This is the first time Chen Jiankang has traveled away from home, and he knows nothing but studying. I hope you can help me look after him from now on…”

As soon as she opened the lid of the jar, the crisp scent of chopped peppers wafted throughout the room. Lu Xiaojiang and Wang Jun looked at the jar filled with large chunks of smoked fish, unsure of how to react. Chen Jiankang stood in place, his head hanging low as his ears turned red because of his mother’s ill-timed actions. However, since young people usually cover up their embarrassment with anger, his brows were furrowed and the expression on his face didn’t look good.

Seeing no one respond to her greeting, Mother Chen also froze. She hunched and looked around at the young people in the room, her hands nervously tightening on the sides of her cloth pants.

The scene was about to plunge into complete embarrassment when Lin Jingzhe suddenly reached out, grabbed a piece of smoked fish from the jar, and took a bite.

All eyes turned to him.

“It’s delicious.” Lin Jingzhe unhurriedly finished eating and said calmly, “You guys try it too, it’s delicious.”

He leaned over and took out a pickle jar, half-emptied by Elder Fang, and opened it, placing it on the table next to the jar of smoked fish.

The uncomfortable silence was dispelled by his actions. His three friends instantly rushed to eat, and Lu Xiaojun and Wang Jun subconsciously followed them, conforming to the general trend. Mother Chen smiled widely and pulled her son to the corridor to reluctantly bid him farewell.

Guiltily arranging his too-big shirt, she said, “The boys in your room are all good kids. You don’t have to be afraid that they will bully you like your high school classmates.”

Chen Jiankang had also thought that his roommates would scorn and ridicule him for his humble origins, but his vigilance dissipated the moment Lin Jingzhe ate the smoked fish. He saw his mother off, returned to the room, and stood in the door watching everyone devote their full attention to the jar of pickles.

When one of his roommates saw him, he raised his hand and called him over in a natural manner, “Why are you just standing there? Come here and try the pickles Lin Jingzhe brought, they’re too damn good!”

Chen Jiankang hesitated for a moment, swallowed his saliva, and walked into the room with slightly stiff steps.