As soon as Tang Guo and Lin Bao'er got out of the car, they immediately caught everyone's attention. Tang Guo, tall and fashionable, and Lin Bao'er, delicate and cute, stood out despite their simple outfits, contrasting sharply with the students who had just graduated from high school and knew little about fashion.
"Tang Tang Jie, why did you make Ye Qiu get off the car early?" Lin Bao'er asked, holding Tang Guo's hand.
"Silly Bao'er, how are we supposed to flirt with handsome guys if he's following us?" Tang Guo pinched Bao'er's cheek with a smile.
"Right. Otherwise, people might think he's our boyfriend. Tang Tang Jie, let's see who can flirt with more handsome guys," Lin Bao'er giggled.
"Hmph, let's see who wins. Don't think you'll win just because you have a bigger chest."
---
While the two girls discussed how to attract handsome guys, countless guys were already eyeing them.
"Excuse me, are you new students? Which department are you in?" A senior approached them with a smile.
Tang Guo ignored him and dragged Lin Bao'er away.
"Tang Tang Jie, why didn't you answer him? He was asking us a question," Lin Bao'er asked.
"Because he looked so sleazy, and his smile was ugly," Tang Guo replied.
"Oh. So, are we going to register by ourselves?"
"Don't worry. I saw the registration area for your Computer Science Department. Let's get you registered first, and then we'll go to mine together."
---
If it weren't for the red banner hanging between two trees, Ye Qiu wouldn't have believed that the Archaeology Department's registration point was in such a secluded corner. Earlier, he had seen other departments bustling with activity, with dozens of tables lined up and numerous student council members and teachers welcoming new students.
In contrast, the Archaeology Department had only three tables and a few chairs, with two men lazily dozing off. Han Shuang ran over and slapped the table, waking up a bespectacled man who groggily lifted his head and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Ye Qiu nearly fainted at the question. Wasn't this supposed to be a welcoming area for new students?
"My brother is here to register," Han Shuang said angrily.
The bespectacled man looked around in confusion before mumbling, "Oh, I thought I was in the dormitory."
Apparently, he had mistaken Ye Qiu and Han Shuang for intruders in his dream.
The bespectacled man threw a pen at the head of the guy still snoring next to him, shouting, "Fatty, we have a customer."
Ye Qiu was genuinely impressed by this guy's casual humor, spoken so naturally he probably didn't realize how funny he was.
Fatty, waking up with a face marked by the table and drool on his mouth, asked, "How many?"
"Two," the bespectacled man replied. "You two here to study archaeology?"
"I'm not. My brother is," Han Shuang answered for Ye Qiu. Ye Qiu smiled, feeling he didn't even need to speak with this little brother around.
"Did you bring your acceptance letter? Fill out this registration form at that table over there. Fatty will take you to pay the fees later. No luggage? Local, huh? Do you need to stay in the dorm?" the bespectacled man asked while registering Ye Qiu's name.
Although Ye Qiu wasn't from Yanjing, he was currently staying at the Blue Apartments and wasn't worried about accommodation. However, he was curious about university life and decided to take a dorm spot, just in case.
"I'll stay in the dorm," Ye Qiu replied.
"Alright. Follow Fatty to pay the fees and then get your dormitory card from the dorm supervisor."
Despite his size, Fatty was enthusiastic. On the way to handle the paperwork, he introduced Ye Qiu to the Archaeology Department.
The Archaeology Department, known as Shuimu's smallest department, had only one class per year with twenty students each. This meant the department had only eighty students across all four years. These twenty students were spread across five dorm rooms, all within the same building.
After getting his dormitory card, Fatty led Ye Qiu to the Archaeology dormitory. Room 307 in Building 6 was already occupied by three others when Ye Qiu arrived.
Fatty introduced Ye Qiu as the new student. One of the roommates, a handsome guy, pointed at Ye Qiu with a smile and asked, "Have you read 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'?"
Ye Qiu had heard of the famous 2008 online novel but hadn't read it. He found it odd that this guy's first question was about a novel.
"Why do you ask?" Ye Qiu inquired, sizing up the roommate.
The handsome guy, looking pained, replied, "I got obsessed with 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' and decided to apply to Shuimu's Archaeology Department, even falling out with my family over it. But now that I'm here, I regret it. The Art Department has beautiful girls, the Chinese Department has handsome guys, and the Engineering Department has monks running around. Our Archaeology Department has neither flowers nor grass, not even a monk. It's barren."
Ye Qiu found his complaints amusing and laughed with the others, easing the initial awkwardness.
The guy obsessed with 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' was named Yang Le. The bespectacled, skeletal roommate was Li Dazhuang. When he introduced himself, everyone burst into laughter, and he explained with a wry smile that he was only three pounds at birth and his family, hoping he'd grow strong, named him Dazhuang (meaning 'strong'). The pale, distant-looking roommate was Wu Zhengjing. His feminine name matched his cold demeanor, and he only revealed it when Yang Le asked, without any further introduction.
Ye Qiu and Han Shuang introduced themselves briefly. Without mentioning their ages, they couldn't follow the usual hierarchy seen in novels.
Yang Le, a lively person, clapped his hands and announced, "Gentlemen, today marks the gathering of the four great tomb raiders. Such a memorable day calls for celebration. Let's go, my treat."
"This is archaeology, not tomb raiding. Don't think everyone is as vulgar as you," Wu Zhengjing replied coldly.