"How may I address you?" the middle-aged man asked.
"Xiao's my surname." Xiao Lin did not immediately reveal his name, since the man was still a stranger.
The man did not seem to mind and smiled kindly, "My surname is Lin, and I left Dawn Academy a couple of decades ago. What grade are you in?"
Xiao Lin noticed that the man used 'left' instead of 'graduate', and that he had left for a couple of decades already. That would mean he was a very old senior, which confused and surprised Xiao Lin somewhat. In any case, he did not ask too much, and replied, "Freshman."
The man was a little surprised. "Just enrolled? A freshman?"
"Yes."
"I'm surprised that a Dawn's freshman is here in New Washington."
The two chatted briefly, but the man did not continue to ask Xiao Lin what he was doing there or how he arrived. It was quite clear that the man was a very educated person, and their topic soon shifted back to the bookshelves there.
