Su Huai had a very pleasant lunch and parted with a brilliant smile and a wave.
Chen Nuanhan and Wu Tianyou were skedaddling towards the main campus, with Wu Tianyou fluttering around her like a puppy, occasionally getting scolded.
This scene brought a surge of comfort to Su Huai, who had just been reborn and had yet to calm his emotions.
I really am a damn dog...
But you two really play along well... Haha!
Su Huai, feeling smug, cheerfully returned to his dorm to tidy up a bit before going to the student affairs office to check in.
Upon opening the door, the dorm was already full of people, with three guys chatting away.
Seeing Su Huai enter the room, the one with the mushroom haircut greeted him warmly, "Bro, are you the last one to join our dorm?"
Su Huai replied with a chuckle, "Hey there, guys. I'm a new student in big data management this year, the name's Su Huai."
The mushroom-headed guy was the first to approach, winking and introducing himself, "My name's Xi Ziliu, from the Chinese language class 2... It's not the river's stream but indeed the flowing on its own kind of Ziliu..."
Pfft!
What the hell?
Su Huai almost choked on his own saliva and stared wide-eyed at this bizarre individual.
About 175cm tall, skinny, with big black-rimmed glasses, his face sparsely adorned with acne and thin stubble, a faint philtrum and pronounced corners of the mouth when he smiled, making him look particularly sleazy.
What a melancholic goatee-wearing rascal!
Xi Ziliu wasn't misspeaking; he arched his eyebrows proudly, as if quite pleased with his wit.
Another guy quickly continued, "Su Huai, just call him Sao Ji, the dude's full of dirty tricks, spouting nonstop..."
He leaned over, extending his right fist towards Su Huai, presumably for a fist bump.
"My last name is Chu, Chu Changkuo, local guy from the School of Management, majoring in public administration. If you ever want to go out for food and fun, just ask me!"
The moment he got a clear look at Chu Changkuo, Su Huai's pupils shrank dramatically, and he found himself involuntarily stunned.
Fuck!
How could it be him?!
Chu Changkuo was about 180cm tall, wearing a Burberry signature checkered short-sleeve button-up, tucked into casual pants, with a blue checkered LV belt at the waist.
His hair was cut in medium-short with a 70/30 side-part, sporting a platinum earring in his left ear, a jade Guanyin pendant around his neck, and he was fiddling with a string of beads in his hand.
Square-faced, fair-skinned, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, he had a bit of Leslie Cheung's flair.
In a nutshell, he could be described with three words—handsome, contradictory, strong presence.
Handsome is easy to understand, solid 80 for the face alone.
Contradictory is more about the feeling—he exuded the conservatism, arrogance, and insouciance typical of someone from Imperial Capital, mixed with the young generation Z's pursuit of fashion trends, creating an oddly disjointed appearance.
A local young man raised in the alleys had to play with walnuts, bead strings, and fan faces to show off his style.
But he couldn't leave his pride behind to wear long gowns and cloth shoes, which resulted in a fashionable ensemble coupled with traditional beads and amulets. While it seemed to blend well on the surface, it actually came off as strangely hollow—a peculiar, airy feel.
His strong presence was due in part to his local heritage and a considerable family wealth.
So overall, the most fitting description for this guy would be—a young local awkwardly trying to learn the old Imperial Capital's high society ways.
Su Huai touched fists with him lightly and flashed a broad, naive smile.
No one was familiar with the now Su Huai, so everyone had a good impression of him, but only Su Huai knew that someone was in for trouble.
There couldn't be a more serendipitous occurrence—Chu Changkuo was the rich second-generation who had entangled with Chen Nuanhan for over two years.
Looks like you and I ended up in the same dorm... How nice!
In the latter two years of Su Huai's previous college life, Chu Changkuo was his greatest enemy.
Su Huai dutifully played the role of Chen Nuanhan's backup option, and even though he disliked some of Chu Changkuo's behaviors, he never played dirty behind his back.
But Chu Changkuo was different. He would confront you head-on, mock behind your back, and, during arguments, use Su Huai as evidence of Chen Nuanhan's poor taste in men...
In short, he made sure to belittle Su Huai to nothing.
Yes, Su Huai deserved it, but while his parents could scold him, you, Chu Changkuo, had no right.
If it wasn't for Su Huai always holding on to his moral principles, given Chen Nuanhan's style of calling him after getting drunk, Chu Changkuo might not know how many green hats he would have worn by now.
To speak frankly, judging by the "old-fashioned flashlight" size of our dear Huai, after one time, it'd really be hard to say whom Chen Nuanhan would end up with.
Su Huai, naive and straightforward, was naturally beaten down by society, but the sense of superiority that oozed from Chu Changkuo everywhere was even more nauseating than society's blows.
Su Huai thought he'd never get a chance for revenge, but look at us now, big daddy up there has locked us in the same octagonal cage!
Hey, my college life is getting more and more exciting, happy!
Excitement filled Su Huai's eyes, he saw this encounter as a surprise rather than torture.
That look gave Chu Changkuo an odd feeling, causing his butthole to unconsciously tighten.
Fortunately, the last bro stepped forward, handed Su Huai a cigarette, and dispelled that awkward sensation.
"My name is Xia Yu, originally from Shanxi, major in music performance. Huai, have a smoke to honor the fate that brought us all together."
Xia Yu looked ordinary, had a gentle temperament, and spoke calmly, giving off a very agreeable vibe.
Su Huai knew of this brother in his previous life but never interacted with him, and his first impression was of someone worth befriending.
"Does everyone smoke?"
"Yeah, except Sao Ji is the good kid..."
"Good my ass!"
Xi Ziliu actively asked for a cigarette, grumbling with resentment, "Purely because I'm controlled too strictly, alright?"
Su Huai, with a cigarette between his lips, used Xi Ziliu's lighter to ignite it, and took a deep inhale.
In the future, he had a substantial addiction to smoking, unable to endure late-night overtime without cigarettes and coffee, but it truly damaged his throat and respiratory tract.
Having been reborn, he should have been strengthening his exercise regimen and quitting smoking and drinking. Su Huai didn't lack the willpower, but now he had the opportunity to improve his health and other aspects, so there was no need to restrict himself too severely.
If everyone smoked, then he would go along with the crowd.
If no one smoked, then he would mind his manners, refraining from selfish and annoying behaviors.
Collective living tests your emotional intelligence; you either accommodate each other or have the ability to mold everyone into your own shape—in any case, consensus determines comfort.
Su Huai, with the cigarette still in his mouth, opened his storage locker and took out a carton of Soft Zhonghua from his backpack, which he had unwrapped and tossed two packs to each person.
"Take these and smoke up, I'm not going to offer them to everyone one by one."
"Wow!" exclaimed Xi Ziliu, feigning astonishment, "Huai's cigarettes are truly top-notch! Are you from a wealthy family like Changkuo?"
Chu Changkuo's expression was slightly awkward; he only carried the brand he usually smoked, not because he was short on money, but because he hadn't thought to bring cigarettes for his roommates.
If everyone did the same, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But Su Huai's gesture made Chu Changkuo seem quite clueless in comparison.
Xia Yu, who was bunking across from Su Huai, was shocked when he saw him pull out six whole cartons of cigarettes to place in the middle of the locker.
"What the heck! Huai, are you a chimney? Bringing six cartons is a bit scary..."
Su Huai chuckled and replied casually, "Two are for the counselor, another two for the military training instructors, and the rest are for everyone to share. If you run out, just dig through my locker, I don't lock it."
There was no need to lock the personal storage lockers, and truly valuable items could be kept in the wardrobe.
If some tobacco and snacks could gain the goodwill of Xia Yu and Xi Ziliu, then Su Huai would be more than happy to let Chu Changkuo be put in an awkward spot all the time.
As for him now, he might not have much, but he certainly wouldn't run short on small change.