The walk from the Financial College Activity Center to the boys' dormitory took about 15 minutes. Throughout the entire journey, Chen Hansheng kept looking around, his eyes never stopping. There were just so many beautiful female university students.
In high school, the girls were simple and busy with their studies, and with their bulky school uniforms, it was hard to have any standout beauty unless they were as striking as Xiao Rongyu. In the workplace, women may have learned how to dress up, but their demeanor carried a sense of practicality, shaped by their circumstances. This "smoke-and-fire vibe," as it's called, is when someone adjusts their way of interacting based on the other's background, looks, and future potential, which is a realistic "order based on what's available" approach.
But university girls, on the other hand, were a lively and fashionable bunch. The worst part was that they still believed in love.
"Although the teaching standards at the Financial College are far below that of Donghai University, the girls here are much more attractive, so no wonder the boys from Donghai come here to hunt for dates," Chen Hansheng thought, feeling a bit annoyed. At Donghai University, the cute little tiger-toothed Xu Zhixi could almost be considered the campus goddess, but at Financial College, she would only be the class beauty.
Of course, if it were Xiao Rongyu, it would be a different story. Even at Financial College, she could still hold the "one flower standing out among many" position.
Chen Hansheng smiled slyly and threw flirtatious glances at several senior girls, but unfortunately, they didn't take notice. With his current attire, these beautiful seniors would never be interested.
Even though ignored, Chen Hansheng still enjoyed the view, especially when he passed by the university's gymnastics team. It was a beautiful campus scene.
Halfway through the walk, Chen Hansheng felt hungry and decided to take a detour to the second canteen for dinner. He swiped his card, got his food, and found a seat—all in one go.
Once seated, Chen Hansheng realized that all university cafeterias seemed to be the same. There were always familiar scenes within them. In one corner, there were couples snuggled up, feeding each other in a loving manner. Nearby, a group of single guys ate while watching TV. Whenever the top five NBA highlights came on, someone would inevitably shout, "Amazing!"
Mixed in were a few students reading books in the cafeteria—probably because there were no seats left in the library. Reading in the cafeteria was indeed an act of perseverance.
Chen Hansheng casually picked a seat and tasted his rice. It was a little undercooked. He drank the free soup, which was a bit salty. The chicken leg meat was soft and mushy.
"Hmm, still as bad as always," Chen Hansheng commented, then poured the soup over his rice and ate it all in a hurry. He wasn't one to be picky about food.
After finishing his meal, it was almost 6 PM. The sky was getting darker, and the campus lights had turned on. The voice of the broadcasting station's senior sister was as charming as ever.
Chen Hansheng still didn't go back to the dorm. He turned toward the water station, but he wasn't there for water. There was a large bulletin board there.
University students are often forgetful, so whenever they lose something, a notice will appear on the board saying things like, "XX day, found a meal card from XX department, XX student." Over time, various types of information began to fill up the board.
"Law department's Jiang Peipei, you stole my boyfriend, shameless!"
"Guaranteed passing in the English CET-4 and CET-6 exams, trustworthy professional agencies."
"Accounting department's Luo Qing, secretly wearing my clothes, don't think I didn't notice."
"A one-stop internet cafe, 100Mbps fiber-optic, fast experience."
These kinds of gossip appeared almost daily, and everyone understood that the notices only lasted for one day. It was a sign of how bored university students could be.
Chen Hansheng wasn't interested in the gossip though. What caught his attention was the recruitment for part-time jobs posted on the board. That was the real reason he was paying attention.
"Mobile phone card campus agents wanted." Chen Hansheng shook his head and passed it by.
"University student tutoring, requires an English level of TEM-8 or above." Another pass.
"Yiwu Small Commodity City, handing out flyers, 30 yuan a day with meals." Still a no.
After rejecting several notices, he finally found a thin flyer on the edge of the board.
"Shentong Express recruiting campus agents, please call 159XXXXXXX if interested."
Chen Hansheng stared at the flyer for a while, then finally tore it off, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
---
After receiving his blankets and bedding from the dorm manager, Chen Hansheng walked alone to Room 602. The boys' dormitory at Financial College was made up of six-person rooms. When he opened the door, the other five roommates were already there. They had all been busy with their own activities, but they looked at him as he entered.
"Heh, I'm the last one to arrive," Chen Hansheng chuckled as he walked in.
The reactions from his roommates were all different. Some stood up to help him with his luggage, some shyly greeted him, while others just gave him a glance without much reaction.
University dorms were very different from high school ones. High school roommates came from the same region, spoke the same dialect, ate similar foods, and their parents might even know each other. Even if there were conflicts, they were usually easy to resolve.
In university, however, roommates came from all over the country. Their customs and habits were different, and their upbringing was unfamiliar. More importantly, they represented independent individuals with their own thoughts and actions.
Simply put, university is the start of taking full responsibility for one's words and actions. Parents could no longer be a safety net.
Chen Hansheng put down his luggage, and one of his roommates curiously asked, "Why didn't your parents come with you?"
"I didn't let them. I can handle it on my own," Chen Hansheng replied with a smile.
At that moment, his answer seemed to differ from what he had said earlier during registration.
As expected, after Chen Hansheng finished speaking, his roommates started looking at him differently. A high school graduate had the guts to come with just a few thousand yuan to sign up—this was impressive. They looked at him more carefully. He was tall, strong, and although he spoke politely, there was a wild and rebellious aura when he smiled. This kind of attitude was often seen in students who ranked low academically. It was hard to understand how someone like Chen Hansheng had managed to get into the Financial College.
While his roommates observed him, Chen Hansheng was also sizing up the people he would be living with. In fact, he already knew their personalities and could even predict their futures. But Chen Hansheng didn't want to judge them based on past impressions.
"Let the past remain in the past. There's no point in dwelling on it," Chen Hansheng thought to himself.
If they had conflicts before, he would try not to hold grudges now. If they were once friends, they might have a better relationship now. This was the correct way to approach rebirth. After all, if you've been reborn, you shouldn't hold onto old grudges and disappointments. It would be a waste of such a precious opportunity.