Chapter 4

In August, Gu Xiaoqing received the admission notice from F University in this city, which made her father, Gu, be in high spirits for several days. He spoke to others with an upright posture, proudly proclaiming how wonderful his daughter is.

She stared at the photo for half an hour, finally turned off the computer, stood up, and went home

In July of that year, Gu Xiaoqing registered to take the driving license exam. In her mind, after entering university, she would definitely need to work part-time, whether at McDonald's, KFC, as a promotional staff in a mall, or as a tutor. These jobs are not only laborious but also poorly paid. She thought that rather than working for others, it would be better to work for her own family. Her family owned two taxis, and every year during the winter and summer vacations, she would drive for her father for three months, which would at least allow her to earn her living expenses. After she shared her thoughts with her father, Gu's father hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. Her family owned two taxis, and every year during the winter and summer vacations, she would drive for her father for three months, which would at least allow her to earn her living expenses. After she shared her thoughts with her father, Gu's father hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.

After casually having some fried rice at a small restaurant near the school gate, Gu Xiaoqing returned to the school and took a stroll along the small paths within the campus, making a round around the school

Gu Xiaoqing smiled at her and said: "My name is Gu Xiaoqing, I live in this city, I repeated a year, I am 19 years old, I should be older than you, right?"

After tidying up her bed, Gu Xiaoqing took a turn around the dormitory. The dormitory they lived in was a four-person room, equipped with air conditioning and a water dispenser, and it even had a bathroom. The environment was quite decent

Gu Xiaoqing looked up carefully at the girl and found her attire to be quite outdated. What era is it that she is still wearing a polyester floral shirt and a pair of dull gray pants of an indeterminate style? Upon closer inspection of her face, Gu Xiaoqing realized that what she had seen when the girl entered was not a blush, but rather the distinctive mark of the people living on the plateau—"plateau red." The cup from which she drank water was a enamel tea mug that had long disappeared from the cities, still bearing the inscription of the Daba Commune.

Gu Xiaoqing took a big gulp and finally felt comfortable. After her breathing became more even, she returned the cup to the girl and said, "Thank you"

Gu Xiaoqing ultimately filled out her application form with two first-tier undergraduate programs and one second-tier undergraduate program in her city, all majoring in architectural design

Chen Chunhui seemed to relax all of a sudden, and she said, "Alright, just wait a moment." After saying this, she got off the bed, bent down to take out a cloth bag from under the bed, untied the string on top, and handed her a cake from inside: "This is what my mother made for me when I came here. The dough is very well-kneaded, and it smells wonderful. Would you like to try some?"

She had just stepped out of the house and let out a sigh at the door. To her surprise, she heard a similar sigh coming from behind her. Gu Xiaoqing turned around to see a petite girl with a boyish haircut standing behind her. The girl grinned and waved her small hand, saying, "Hi! My name is Li Zhe, your roommate"

Gu Xiaoqing's dormitory is on the third floor. She carried her bedding up the stairs and, upon entering the dormitory, found that someone was already inside. Sitting on a neatly arranged bed was a girl with a flushed face. Gu Xiaoqing walked in, found her bed, tossed her belongings onto it, and then plopped down on the bed, panting heavily. She placed her hands on her knees, looked up, and while catching her breath, greeted the girl: "Hi! Hello." Gu Xiaoqing walked in, found her bed, tossed her belongings onto it, and then plopped down on the bed, panting heavily. She placed her hands on her knees, looked up, and while catching her breath, greeted the girl: "Hi! Hello."

Gu Xiaoqing sat beside her, also biting on a popsicle as she replied: "Gu Xiaoqing"

After Gu Xiaoqing came out of the dormitory, she went to a shop at the school gate to buy a bottle of water. She tilted her head back and took a big gulp of water, finally managing to swallow the piece of pancake. After swallowing, she looked down at the large pancake in her hand, but still lifted it up and stuffed it into her mouth. Although it was difficult, she still finished it bite by bite.

Li Zhe immediately smiled brightly and said, "Go, hurry up."

The girl shyly smiled back at her and said, "My name is Chen Chunhui, my family is from Qinghai, we start school late, I am 20 years old this year"

Gu Xiaoqing looked at the chaotic state of the room and hurried to the bathroom to wash her face casually. She jumped over the cardboard boxes on the floor and slipped outside.

Li Zhe pouted in frustration and said softly: "Behind the door"

On the bleachers next to the school playground, Li Zhe squatted on the steps, slurping on an ice pop while asking Gu Xiaoqing: "Hey! What is your name?"

However, you certainly can sleep; I arrived in the morning and have been packing my luggage, yet such a commotion did not wake you up

Gu Xiaoqing glanced at her and smiled without saying a word

Well, Gu Xiaoqing, you are a good person

Regardless of the chaos, Gu Xiaoqing's university life began in this manner. A few days later, they finally learned that the new roommate, who had never appeared in the dormitory, was named Zou Jing and was from Shenzhen

Chen Chunhui seemed to be startled by her, awkwardly holding the cake and looking at her. Gu Xiaoqing smiled at her and said: "Hey! That cake of yours looks quite delicious, could you give me a piece to try?"

Hello. The girl handed her a glass of water

After Gu Xiaoqing left her home, she went directly to an internet café on the street near her house. She paid 5 yuan and sat down at a computer, opened Baidu, and directly entered "Yulong Group".

F is very large, and Gu Xiaoqing merely took a quick stroll inside, which took her over an hour. By the time she reached the playground, she was quite tired, so she sat down for a while under the basketball hoop. After sitting down, she propped her hands behind her and looked up at the night sky. The weather today is pleasant, and a few stars can still be faintly seen.

Gu Xiaoqing looked at her as if she were a punching bag, and she smiled and said: "Would you like to have an ice pop? Shall we go?"

Gu Xiaoqing felt a bit embarrassed, thinking to herself: "Fortunately, I wore pajamas to bed last night"

Gu Xiaoqing looked at her in surprise: "Where were you just now?"

Gu Xiaoqing suddenly woke up, quickly dressed, and jumped down from the bed. She stood there in a daze for a moment before realizing that a new person had arrived in the dormitory. It seemed that this newcomer had quite an impressive presence, even bringing an aunt along to help organize her belongings. In just a short while, the cardboard boxes on the floor of the room were almost piled up to her feet.

The girl took it and said, "You're welcome." Her voice carried a strong regional accent

Gu Xiaoqing took a big bite, chewing vigorously, and glanced at her cloth bag, which contained a large stack of pancakes. She stood up and mumbled, "Hmm, it's quite delicious, sweet, I'm hungry, I'm going to the cafeteria to eat!" After saying that, she walked towards the door. Chen Chunhui responded from behind, "Okay"

In the evening, the two went to the cafeteria to experience the renowned atmosphere of the university's dining hall. After casually having a boxed meal, they returned to their dormitory. Upon arriving at the dormitory, they discovered that the girl who had distributed pastries in the morning was no longer there, and the items on her bed were clearly of a different caliber than theirs.

Gu Xiaoqing recalled the photo of Ou Linyu she had seen online, feeling that the person in her heart was as distant as the stars in the sky. In fact, the young her could not distinguish what kind of feeling it was, merely holding onto it with pure persistence

Gu Xiaoqing has been very independent since childhood. From registering and paying fees to receiving new bedding and collecting the dormitory key, she did everything by herself. Compared to the children who were escorted by groups of parents in front of the school gate, she appeared somewhat solitary. However, she did not pay much attention to this; by the time she completed the registration procedures, she was already sweating profusely.

Gu Xiaoqing slowly sat up from the bed and said to her: "Are we having a meal?"

Gu Xiaoqing returned to the dormitory late at night, and Chen Chunhui was already asleep. She quietly went to the bathroom to take a shower and then lay down quietly on her bed. That night, she gazed at a corner of the starry sky outside the window, tossing and turning, finding it difficult to fall asleep

When Gu Xiaoqing was tidying up the bed, Chen Chunhui came up to lend her a hand. With a natural demeanor, Gu Xiaoqing smiled at her and did not refuse.

On that day, the two of them were constantly together. Gu Xiaoqing learned that Li Zhe was from Hainan and had also come to the school for registration. Gu Xiaoqing felt that Li Zhe's temperament was very childlike. He tended to rely on whoever treated him well, and this dependence was somewhat similar to Tang Guo, but his personality was quite different. If Tang Guo were a soft sorghum candy, then Li Zhe would be a crunchy fruit candy.

In July, during the hottest season, Gu Xiaoqing went to learn driving, and the final result was that when she reported to the university, she had a face that resembled that of Bao Gong. The senior students, full of youthful hormones, did not linger their gazes on her for more than two seconds. In fact, Gu Xiaoqing's skin is quite fair, but she is prone to tanning; once she is exposed to the sun, she becomes dark, and no amount of sunscreen seems to help.

After submitting her application form, Gu Xiaoqing undertook a profoundly significant endeavor during the last summer before entering university, one that would have far-reaching implications for her future life

Gu Xiaoqing went to school to report on her own, carrying only a small suitcase with some seasonal clothes, along with the tuition and living expenses her mother had given her. Although her family lived in the same city, she did not plan to stay at home. One reason was that the university town she was attending was too far from home, and another reason was that she vaguely sensed her mother also hoped she would live on campus.

Gu Xiaoqing stood up and smiled, saying, "Is that so? I thought I was older than you."

The next day, Gu Xiaoqing was awakened by a loud noise. Groggily, she sat up in bed and saw two middle-aged women bursting into the room, carrying a pile of items. A tall, thin girl stood at the door directing them to arrange the things properly

Chen Chunhui was sitting on the bed reading a book. Upon seeing the two of them enter, she smiled at them. They were surprised to find that there was actually an additional washing machine in the bathroom, and the sink was filled with Lancôme cosmetics. The two exchanged glances and saw the same thought reflected in each other's eyes: "With such a person in the dormitory, life is going to be tough!"

Gu Xiaoqing glanced over the comment hastily, then pulled the mouse back to focus on the photo. The photo was likely the cover of a magazine. The person in the photo had drooping eyelids, concealing the sharpness in their gaze, yet it was still evident that they exuded an air of indifference, with the lowered eyelids imparting a sense of melancholy. Gu Xiaoqing somehow discerned a flavor of loneliness from within it

Zou Jing is quite arrogant; in the days leading up to the start of the semester, she has hardly been seen in the dormitory. Aside from a casual introduction of herself when Chen Chunhui asked her, she generally ignores the few of them.

Gu Xiaoqing opened the news article and began to read it carefully. The gist of the news is: "The former chairman of Yulong Group has been hospitalized due to severe heart disease, and his nephew Ou Linyu has taken over the position of chairman. Following this is a half-length photo of Ou Linyu along with a brief biography. The biography states: Ou Linyu, male, 23 years old, graduated with a master's degree in architectural design from the University of California, has been with Yulong Group for 2 years, and has served as the assistant to the chairman. Below this is a lengthy commentary on the future development and survival space of Chinese family businesses."

After tidying up the bed, Gu Xiaoqing was too exhausted to have an appetite for food. She went into the bathroom to wash her face, and after coming out, she collapsed onto the bed and took a nap. When she woke up again, the sun was already setting. She opened her eyes and took a while to realize that she was not in her own bed at home. Turning her head, she saw Chen Chunhui sitting on the bed opposite her, with a jar of pickles in front of him and holding a thick and hard-looking flatbread in his hand, seemingly having dinner.

She found more than 4,000 results. Recently, there have been significant personnel changes among the senior management of Yulong Group, and there is a lot of news about them online. Gu Xiaoqing clicked on the news reported by Sina about Yulong Group, and the homepage featured a photo of the former chairman of Yulong Group.

Night has fallen, and the streetlights in the campus have lit up one by one. As she walked, she occasionally saw couples and some people jogging. She thought, "Indeed, a university is a place filled with youthful vitality."