Beihai University was not far from Gaoda University—barely a ten-minute taxi ride. With the allure of a generous tip, the driver managed to cover the distance in less than that, leaving Xiang Ri marveling at the power of money.
Unlike Gaoda and Caida, Beihai University was fully funded by the state. Naturally, it lacked the substantial annual budgets of the other two institutions, yet it remained the top choice for countless students. The reasons were simple: low tuition fees and… an abundance of beautiful women.
In Beihai, everyone knew the saying: "Hai University breeds beauties, Gaoda produces lechers, and Caida churns out rogues."
As Xiang Ri walked through the campus, this sentiment struck a chord. The university truly lived up to its reputation. Perhaps because classes had yet to start, groups of female students strolled along the pathways, chatting and laughing. Though not every girl was a stunning beauty, the vibrant youthfulness they exuded was undeniably delightful. Their bold, eye-catching outfits only added to the scene.
He couldn't help but wonder why a woman with a penchant for dressing like a man would choose to enroll here. Judging by her ability to afford the exorbitant fees for bodyguards under the employ of that money-grubbing character, she certainly hailed from a family of substantial wealth. Saving on tuition fees, which to her might amount to no more than a drop in the ocean, hardly seemed like a plausible motive.
Now he understood—the woman had likely been drawn here by the sheer number of attractive female students. The thought was so bizarre it made him shake his head in disbelief, casting the odd notion aside.
As he wandered further, Xiang Ri noticed a peculiar gender imbalance. Though the university's advertised male-to-female ratio was 4:6, to his eyes, it appeared closer to 1:9. After much searching, he finally spotted a lone male student and immediately approached him, tapping the boy on the shoulder. The student turned around with a confused expression.
Before Xiang Ri could say a word, he realized he'd forgotten to ask An Xiaoniu for her class. Left with no choice but to gamble, he asked, "Excuse me, do you know An Xin?"
At the mention of that name, the student's face turned ashen, as if he'd encountered something terrifying. He stammered, "I don't know," before bolting away faster than a frightened rabbit.
From the boy's vivid expression, Xiang Ri was certain he recognized the cross-dressing An Xin but was too fearful to say more. What could he possibly be so afraid of? Xiang Ri couldn't fathom it.
His second attempt fared no better. Another solitary male fled without uttering a word, trembling all the way.
"What the hell is going on?" Xiang Ri muttered, realizing that force might be his only option if he hoped to make progress. Spotting a baseball-capped figure nearby, he seized the person by the arm and tightened his grip. "Do you know An Xin? Take me to her immediately," he demanded, his tone heavy with authority.
"Ouch! You're hurting me!" The figure's voice, unexpectedly crisp and melodious, was unmistakably female. "Let go of me!" she cried.
"You're a woman?" Xiang Ri's eyes widened as he took in her delicate, boyish face. When he saw her fully, he realized she was yet another cross-dressing student. Chuckling wryly, he thought to himself, *Has she been taking lessons from An Xiaoniu herself?*
Dressed in a casual male outfit, complete with a baseball cap that concealed her long hair, she could easily have been mistaken for a young man at a glance.
The girl rubbed her sore wrist and seemed to ignore Xiang Ri's question. After a moment, she lifted her head and studied him from head to toe. Her gaze lingered on his heavily bandaged right hand, and a hint of surprise flickered across her face. Finally, with some hesitation, she asked, "You're not a student here, are you?"
"No," Xiang Ri replied with a friendly smile.
Her expression shifted to something indecipherable—a blend of pity and schadenfreude. "What business do you have with An Laoda?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"An Laoda?" Xiang Ri didn't miss a beat, quickly deducing that this must be An Xiaoniu's nickname. *So pompous,* he thought, though he wisely kept his opinion to himself. To retrieve his belongings, he decided to play along. "I'm her brother," he said. "There's an urgent family matter, so—"
He hadn't finished before the girl's eyes widened in shock. "What? Did you just say you're An Laoda's brother?" she exclaimed. Her gaze swept over him again, lingering on his injured hand with growing suspicion.
"Yes," Xiang Ri nodded in affirmation.
"I see." The girl in the baseball cap appeared thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Follow me. I'll take you to see An Laoda."
"Thank you, thank you!" Xiang Ri expressed his gratitude hurriedly, entirely unaware of the fleetingly peculiar look on the girl's face as she turned away.
He followed her to a room resembling a common activity space. It was completely empty, devoid of even a single person. Puzzled, Xiang Ri asked, "Where is everyone? Why is no one here?"
"Wait here for a moment; I'll go call An Laoda now." With that, the girl in the baseball cap left the room. Xiang Ri didn't suspect a thing, though he couldn't help but feel that An Xiaoniu was being overly dramatic. Meeting her felt as arduous as a minister seeking an audience with an emperor—utterly exasperating!
Fortunately, it wasn't long before he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. From the noise, it seemed like more than a few people were coming. He marveled at An Xiaoniu's popularity; wherever she went, she seemed to be flanked by a group of followers.
"So, you're the one looking for An Laoda?" A group of a dozen female students entered, but An Xin was nowhere to be seen. Leading the pack was a tall girl, about 1.7 meters, sporting short cropped hair that gave her a sharp and capable appearance. The girl in the baseball cap stood at her side.
"Yes." By now, Xiang Ri sensed that something was amiss. However, he remained composed and replied nonchalantly, "Is there a problem?"
"Of course, there is!" The short-haired girl waved her hand dismissively. "An Laoda has instructed that any man looking for her is to be beaten up immediately."
"What?" Xiang Ri froze for a moment before instinctively rubbing his nose. The peculiar rule did indeed sound like something that self-important An Xiaoniu might declare.
The short-haired girl continued, "Considering that you're injured and probably can't take a beating, we'll spare you today. But impersonating An Laoda's brother is still an offense, so you'll have to be punished. Clean this room, and then you can leave."
"How do you know I was pretending?" Xiang Ri asked, his gaze shifting to the baseball-capped girl. It was clear now that she had no intention of leading him to An Xin. She had simply been looking for free labor.
The girl flushed slightly under his scrutiny but, recalling the pain from when he nearly crushed her wrist earlier, she huffed indignantly, "Of course, we know! An Laoda told us long ago that she has no siblings—she's an only child. If someone suddenly claims to be her brother, it's obviously a lie!"
"Did it not occur to you that it might be true?" Xiang Ri teased. "What if she's been keeping it from you all this time?"
"Impossible!" the girls shouted in unison. The short-haired girl glared at Xiang Ri and warned, "Say one more word, and we'll beat you up!" Then she turned to her companions and said, "Let's go, sisters. Leave him here to clean up…"
"Wait!" Two voices rang out simultaneously—one male, one female.
The male voice was Xiang Ri's, for he had no intention of being reduced to a janitor. The female voice, however, belonged to none other than An Xin, who had just arrived. Initially furious at hearing someone had impersonated her brother, she had planned to teach the audacious man a lesson. But as she reached the door and saw her friends leaving, she quickly stopped them.
"I'd like to see who dares impersonate my brother. Has he grown tired of living?" An Xin pushed her way through the crowd.
Her companions glanced sympathetically at Xiang Ri. Once An Laoda made such a statement, there was a 99% chance of a beating and a 98% likelihood it would be severe.
For someone already nursing injuries, another beating would surely worsen his condition. But what happened next astonished them. To their disbelief, An Laoda, known for her merciless treatment of men, didn't give her usual order to "beat him up" upon seeing the slender young man. Instead, she spoke, visibly flustered, "You… why are you here?"
What shocked them even more was that the man suddenly grabbed An Laoda's hand and sprinted away, knocking over one of the girls at the door as they fled.
"Was that really An Laoda?"
"That's impossible!"
"Did she just hold hands with a guy?"
"It must be an illusion. Definitely an illusion!"
"What are you doing, dragging me here?" In a secluded spot, An Xin angrily shook off Xiang Ri's hand.
"Hand it over!" Xiang Ri demanded coldly. The small notebook was far too important. Considering its weight, it was unlikely she hadn't noticed it while carrying it. He went straight to the point.
"What notebook?" An Xin's eyes flickered with unease.
"The blue-covered notebook!" Xiang Ri's expression darkened. Her reaction hadn't escaped his notice. "Don't force me to take it from you myself!"
"I…" An Xin stammered, clearly unsettled by Xiang Ri's anger, something she had never encountered from a man before. "It's full of technical terms I didn't understand, so I gave it to a professor in the foreign languages department to translate."
"What?" Xiang Ri grabbed her hand urgently. "Take me to him right now!"