In the late morning of August, Jiang Qin arrived at the train station with his luggage.
Under the scorching sun, the train station was bustling, with crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder, to the point where you could easily lose a shoe if you ventured in.
Actually, such a phenomenon was quite normal since it was the back-to-school season.
Jiang Qin stood in front of the entrance to the station, twisted open a bottle of mineral water in his hand and took a sip. He thought to himself that it was fortunate that Ms. Yuan Youqin and Mr. Jiang Zhenghong didn't come to see him off. Otherwise, he would have definitely gotten squeezed in the crowd, and he would have to waste time finding the elderly couple.
Ten minutes later, a chubby guy named Guo Zihang also arrived.
He had applied to Linchuan University of Science and Technology, which was considered an average second-tier institution. It wasn't too far from Linchuan, but it wasn't exactly close either, so the two of them decided to travel together.
After passing security checks and ticket inspections, they boarded the train and found their seats.
This was Guo Zihang's first time traveling far from home, and he had never even had the chance to ride a train before, so he was immediately excited, looking around in all directions and unable to sit still.
Fortunately, the train started moving soon, and as the scenery outside the window kept changing, Guo Zihang became much calmer.
"Jiang Ge, what do you think college life will be like?"
"College life? It's pretty good."
"?????"
Jiang Qin took off his jacket and used it as a cushion behind him, leaning back against the seat and looking out the window.
The economic strength of Jizhou was still decent, but the city's construction investment was too low, resulting in every neighborhood looking run-down, not even as good as the county-level cities under his jurisdiction.
So, when the train left the station, the first thing that caught his eye was a large rural town, followed by vast golden wheat fields and the Ji River that encircled the entire Jizhou.
It was just strange that Jiang Qin found these outside views particularly unfamiliar.
Could it be that I didn't take a train in my previous life? That's impossible, right? Could I have walked here on foot? But soon he remembered. Back then, he had been too busy checking his phone and waiting for messages from Chu Siqi, so he hadn't had time to look out the window.
So, love, it's a thing that's not even worth discussing because you never know how many beautiful sights you missed for the sake of one person.
Jiang Qin lifted his clothes to block the sunlight outside the window and planned to sleep all the way.
done.me
At noon, at 11 o'clock, the train arrived, and a large number of travelers poured out onto the platform, then rushed toward the exit.
Jiang Qin and Guo Zihang walked side by side, dragging their suitcases to the exit hall. From this location, they could see the New Mao Building across the street, with a huge sign at the top that read "Money Vault Business KTV."
"Jiang Ge, where should we go now?"
Jiang Qin rested his hand on the handle of his suitcase, "Of course, we'll go our separate ways, back to our respective campuses."
After hesitating for a while, Guo Zihang spoke up, "How about you join me for a mixer?"
"A mixer? What's going on?"
"I joined a freshmen group chat at our school, and they mentioned organizing a mixer to get to know each other in advance. I signed up, but I'm a bit hesitant to go."
A wry smile tugged at the corner of Jiang Qin's mouth, "You're all talk online but timid in real life. You're exactly that type."
Guo Zihang coughed to conceal his embarrassment, "Well, since you have nothing else to do when you get back, give me some moral support!"
"Well, that's true. If I'm just sitting around, why not? Let's go, but you're paying for the taxi."
"I'll cover it!"
So, the two of them hailed a taxi at the train station and headed towards Linchuan University of Science and Technology.
During the journey, Guo Zihang was extremely nervous, taking deep breaths and fidgeting to the point that he thought he might rip his jeans apart.
Jiang Qin found it amusing and thought, "This isn't an online romance meetup, and it's just a mixer. Why are you so anxious?"
But Guo Zihang was different. He had the kind of personality that wouldn't speak up even if someone stepped on his foot. Back in school, he needed to prepare for several rounds just to talk to the cafeteria lady.
Soon, the taxi arrived at the entrance of Linchuan University of Science and Technology. Guo Zihang brought Jiang Qin to a bubble tea shop diagonally across the street.
The event they referred to as a "mixer" was essentially a small group meetup. There were four girls and two guys in total, all of whom seemed like the socially anxious types you'd find in an online chat group.
The students from the class of 2008 didn't pay much attention to fashion, and they couldn't compare to university students from over a decade later. So, they appeared quite plain.
Most of the girls were wearing pink or yellow T-shirts with intricate patterns, and many of them had small hairpins in their hair.
As for the two guys sitting nearby, to be honest, Guo Zihang didn't find them particularly appealing.
"I'm Liang Xiao."
"I'm Xu Qingqing."
"..."
"I'm Guo Zihang."
"Jiang Qin."
After the introductions, Jiang Qin suddenly noticed a girl sitting on the outermost seat who piqued his interest.
The girl introduced herself as Hong Yan, hailing from Hang City. She was best friends with Xu Qingqing, but she didn't mention her own department or major.
She had a tall and slender figure, fair skin, and was dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt and black denim shorts. Perhaps her nutrition intake was rich, as her gray short-sleeved shirt seemed quite snug, emphasizing her full curves.
Her appearance was clearly on a different level compared to the other three and exuded a natural beauty, even without makeup.
Jiang Qin was aware that grading a girl with your eyes was rather superficial, but first impressions were often like this; you'd naturally make some judgments, especially when the differences were so pronounced.
Of course, on the guys' side, they were admiring Hong Yan, while on the girls' side, they had their eyes on Jiang Qin.
"Jiang Qin, which department are you in?"
"I'm in the Computer Science department, majoring in Software Engineering, and my brother is in the same department."
Jiang Qin slapped Guo Zihang on the shoulder, signaling him to speak. "This is the mixer you signed up for, and you're making me do all the talking?"
Guo Zihang seemed like he had just regained his soul, opening his mouth and saying, "Yes, yes, yes."
Xu Qingqing's eyes instantly lit up, "I'm also majoring in Software Engineering. Which class were you assigned to?"
"Class 2."
"Class 2, just Class 2. How come you're so vague? Do you have a girlfriend?"
Jiang Qin grabbed Guo Zihang's arm, saying, "The young lady is asking you, do you have a girlfriend?"
Guo Zihang's face turned red instantly, "Not... not at the moment."
"Jiang Qin, what about you?"
"Me? I have a passion for studying. I can't stand a day without studying, so I don't plan on dating in college."
Xu Qingqing furrowed her brow, clearly dissatisfied. "You love studying so much, yet you managed to get into Linchuan University of Science and Technology. Shouldn't you be at Linchuan University?"
Hong Yan, who was sitting beside her, nudged her gently. "Qingqing, don't be sarcastic. Maybe he just didn't perform well."
"It's okay, everyone is saying this. I'm the type who studies really hard."
"See, I was right," Xu Qingqing said smugly, tilting her head.
Hong Yan furrowed her brow slightly. "That also means he's putting in effort, at least he won't have regrets."
Hearing this, Jiang Qin felt somewhat surprised. It was rare to encounter a girl who cared about others' feelings these days.