On Registration Day, the campus bustled with excitement as newcomers dragged their luggage, either alone or accompanied by their parents, to their respective department's registration points.
Luo Ziling, who had never set foot on the campus before, found everything unfamiliar. Surrounded by the lively scene and the youthful faces of the bustling students, he stared for a long time, unsure of what to do.
"Hey, are you here to register as well?" a rough voice called out from behind Luo Ziling.
Turning around, Luo Ziling saw a tall figure riddled with acne.
Based on the luggage in the stranger's hand, Luo Ziling came to the realisation that he must be a new student who had just arrived for registration.
"Yes, are you a new student just starting out too?" Luo Ziling replied with a hint of excitement, as if finding a kindred spirit.
"I'm a freshman in clinical medicine. My name is Cao Jianhui," said the youth, putting down his luggage and extending his hand to Luo Ziling, "Seeing you standing there so handsomely and elegantly, I couldn't help but want to make your acquaintance. Would you be willing to be friends with me?"
This made Luo Ziling want to both laugh and cry, but after shaking hands with the acne-ridden young man who introduced himself as Cao Jianhui, he also introduced himself.
"So, you're also a freshman in clinical medicine. We might actually be classmates, wow ka-ka," Cao Jianhui beamed with surprise and burst into laughter before gesturing grandly, "Come on, let's go register together."
Luo Ziling, who had no idea how to proceed with the registration, happily followed Cao Jianhui towards the newcomers' registration area.
Cao Jianhui was a lively person, and to Luo Ziling, who was generally reserved, Cao Jianhui seemed like someone who could talk his way out of anything.
Fortunately, with Cao Jianhui there, Luo Ziling managed to complete the registration process quickly and got the keys to the dormitory.
As luck would have it, they were not only in the same class but also assigned to the same dorm room.
"Haha, we must be destined! No wonder we hit it off right when we entered the school," Cao Jianhui said, enthusiastically slapping Luo Ziling's shoulder and laughing in a way that was both exuberant and a bit sleazy, "From now on, I've got your back. Just consider me your boss, and no one will dare to mess with you."
Luo Ziling immediately felt goosebumps and pondered if this guy had any peculiar habits.
If that were the case, he resolved to keep his distance in the future.
Carrying their luggage to the dorm, they discovered the well-cleaned room was still vacant; they were the first to arrive.
It was a four-person room with quite good amenities, including a private bathroom, a water heater, and air conditioning.
"Looks like the facilities at prestigious universities really are better than those at average ones, wahahaha," Cao Jianhui couldn't help but laugh loudly again.
His face full of acne trembled with his laughter, causing Luo Ziling to feel goosebumps once more.
After Cao Jianhui threw his luggage onto a lower bunk bed with a thud and released a torrent in the bathroom, he came out and asked Luo Ziling, who was still taking in the room, "I've picked a lower bunk. Which bed do you want?"
"I don't like sleeping on the top," said Luo Ziling, also choosing a lower bunk.
As they were busy making their beds, Luo Ziling asked Cao Jianhui, "Why do you have so many pimples? Is it a hormonal imbalance?"
"Adolescence is defined by acne—it's the mark of youth," Cao Jianhui said with smug satisfaction before gazing at Luo Ziling's smooth, blemish-free and particularly handsome face. He couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Classmate Luo, how come you don't get acne?"
"I can prescribe you a couple of remedies that will guarantee you acne-free results," Luo Ziling actually had a pretty good impression of Cao Jianhui. Although he hadn't experienced much in his past twenty years, he could sense the guy's straightforwardness from his hearty smile and generous demeanor. Consequently, he took the initiative to offer kindness and was willing to help Cao Jianhui treat his acne.
"Ah? Really?" Cao Jianhui immediately became excited, but as he lifted his head in excitement, he banged it hard against the upper bunk's bedboard, wailing in pain. Yet, he still bore the pain, rubbed the sore spot, and ran over to Luo Ziling, his face full of surprise as he said, "Do you really have a secret recipe for getting rid of acne?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, you'd be a little dog!"
"That's great, give me the prescription quick," Cao Jianhui was so excited that he lost his composure a bit, rubbing his hands together and saying with a flushed face, "If you can cure the acne on my face, I will cover your living expenses for the semester!"
"Really?" Luo Ziling also got excited. It seemed that Classmate Cao Jianhui was a rich guy—the kind with more money than sense.
"Of course it's true," Cao Jianhui banged on his chest making a loud thump, "When Cao Jianhui gives his word, it's as good as gold. I never go back on my word."
Luo Ziling didn't say anything else, took out paper and pen, quickly wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Cao Jianhui, "Follow this prescription for two weeks, and the acne will clear up quickly. At most, in half a year, all the scars on your face will disappear."
Cao Jianhui snatched the prescription and looked it over carefully twice. Treating it like a treasure, he solemnly placed it into his inner jacket pocket. Then he asked in puzzlement, "Classmate Luo, did you study medicine?"
"My grandfather is a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and I studied medicine with him since I was young," Luo Ziling didn't hide it and told the truth.
"Then why did you come to study Western medicine?" Cao Jianhui was utterly baffled, "If you've studied Chinese medicine for many years and you're good at it, you could make a living off it for life. It couldn't be that you don't like studying Chinese medicine, so you decided to come to Medical University, could it?"
"Combining Chinese and Western medicine will further improve medical skills," Luo Ziling said with a smile, "If I master Chinese medicine and also do really well in Western medicine, wouldn't I become a legendary doctor?"
"That makes some sense," although Cao Jianhui still felt like there was something off about Luo Ziling's words, he couldn't figure out what it was and could only nod in agreement, "Since you already understand medicine, it looks like you'll be able to show off in front of your classmates quite often."
"I'm not one to show off!"
"You're already doing it," Cao Jianhui shot Luo Ziling an annoyed glance and started to arrange his bed.
By the time they finished arranging their beds, two other new students in the same dormitory also entered with their luggage.
Since the two bottom beds had been taken by Luo Ziling and Cao Jianhui, both had to occupy the top bunks.
All four dormitory members were present, and everyone introduced themselves to one another.
The two newcomers were named Li Fuming and Wu Longjiang. Li Fuming, thin and somewhat monkey-like from Min Province in the south, and the rather handsome Wu Longjiang from the watery region of Jiangzhe Province in the South.
Cao Jianhui hailed from near Yanjing in Ji Province, while Luo Ziling came from the Northwest. The four hailed from homes that could be described as the four corners of the country.
There wasn't much barrier between these young people, and Cao Jianhui was very outgoing. After introducing themselves and with Cao Jianhui's constant loud chatter and laughter, they all got to know each other. They also shared their ages, and it turned out that Luo Ziling was the eldest, earning him the title of Boss among the four. Cao Jianhui was second in line, Wu Longjiang was third, and Li Fuming was the youngest.
As their beds and desks needed tidying, after putting down their luggage, all four of them got busy.