Xiang Yu, Lu Heng, and Xiao Zhanyuan all got into their desired universities. Xiang Yu went to the best university in the city, Dong University, to study computer science.
Lu Heng was the first to report to his school. After settling in, he came to help Xiang Yu with her registration. The two of them interacted as usual, but their relationship had evolved from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend.
On registration day, there were many people. Xiang Yu wore a light beige vest and trousers set, with her hair down and a wide headband, giving off a TVB Hong Kong drama vibe. Lu Heng asked her to wait in the shade while he went to ask for specific details. She stood there quietly. Xue Min spotted her almost immediately. She stood out just by being there. In the short time he watched her, a boy had already approached and spoken to her, to which she politely smiled and shook her head. Xue Min didn't need to come today, but he did, because he was becoming more aware of his feelings for her over the years. He started walking towards her through the crowd but stopped after a few steps when he saw a tall, slightly tanned boy approach her and speak to her. Xiang Yu took a tissue from her small bag and handed it to him to wipe his sweat. Xue Min recognized the boy as Xiang Yu's deskmate, Lu Heng. Of course, it was him.
Xue Min paused, watching from a distance. They actually looked very well-matched, but he was reluctant to admit it. He always felt that he was the one who was most suitable for Xiang Yu. Love isn't about placing two people on opposite sides of a scale, listing out each person's qualities, and then choosing the most compatible one. Sometimes, there's no reason. Xue Min thought he was much better than this sports student in many ways, yet Xiang Yu didn't choose him. But Xue Min wasn't discouraged. Maybe Xiang Yu just hadn't seen how good he was yet. Now that they were in the same university, they would have many more opportunities to see each other. "There will be many chances," Xue Min thought to himself.
Xiang Yu and Lu Heng completed the registration process together. Lu Heng escorted her to her dorm room, where several people had already arrived. They exchanged greetings and then busied themselves. Since they had to go to the auditorium for the freshman orientation after registration, there wasn't much time to settle in. The roommates headed to the auditorium together. Xiang Yu asked Lu Heng to wait for her in the dorm so they could have dinner together afterward. Lu Heng, feeling a bit bored, picked up a book that Xiang Yu had left on the table. Underneath it, he found a photo frame placed face down. He picked it up and saw it was a family photo of Xiang Yu. In the picture, she looked very young, maybe eight or nine years old, with a big, toothless grin. She was holding her grandmother's arm, with her parents standing behind her, looking like any other happy family.
Lu Heng knew about Xiang Yu's situation. Since he met her, he knew she lived with her grandmother, and she had never mentioned her parents. She never talked about them, but deep down, she must still care. Lu Heng felt a wave of tenderness and pity for her. He gently ran his fingers over the photo of the young girl. She had once been a bright, carefree child.