Chapter 110: The Women's Dormitory at Yanda University

Xue Jianfeng also arrived for registration alone. Once the six of them gathered and compared ages, he pulled a pack of General-brand cigarettes from his pocket and passed them around. However, being at Renmin University, among the six in the room, only Sun Jian and Li Mu besides Xue Jianfeng were smokers.

Xue Jianfeng explained that since he was a child, whenever he had the time, the adults in his family would take him along on long-haul trucking trips. He spent his days in the cabin inhaling secondhand smoke, and he had started smoking himself before he even entered high school. As for Sun Jian, it was said that he picked up smoking out of frustration after failing to achieve his desired results in the college entrance exam last year. Li Mu smoked because, in his previous life, he had tried to play rock and roll to look sophisticated, failed to become a true intellectual, and ended up as a code monkey, which made him even more inseparable from cigarettes. In this life, Li Mu rarely smoked, but sometimes, when he was in an exceptionally good or bad mood, he felt like having one or two. Today, since Xue Jianfeng happened to offer one, he lit up.

During the idle chatter, Li Mu learned that Sun Jian, the eldest, was from Southern Jiangsu Province like him, though Sun was from Yangzhou, which was a bit further away. Xue Jianfeng, the second eldest, was from Qilu. Li Mu was third, and the fourth, Hu Zhengdao, was from Northern Shaanxi. The fifth was Li Yawei, who slept in the bunk above him and was a native of Yanjing, while the youngest, Liu Nian, was from Guangxi.

After introductions, they began inquiring about each other’s relationship status. It turned out that five out of the six were single; only Li Yawei had a girlfriend from high school. According to him, she was also a Yanjing native and had been admitted to the Department of Chinese Literature at Peking University this year.

Upon learning he was the only one with a girlfriend, Li Yawei wore a lecherous grin and asked, "Brothers, who among you is still a virgin?"

The five looked at each other. Liu Nian, the youngest, took off his glasses, his dark face flushing red: "I am..."

Li Yawei laughed: "Liu Nian is the most honest. What about you four? Sun Jian, you're the oldest, why don't you set an example?"

Sun Jian hurriedly changed the subject: "Well... it's getting late. How about this? Let's have a get-together for lunch and drink a few beers; we have nothing to do this afternoon anyway!"

Li Yawei suggested, "Why don't we skip the lunch drinks? My girlfriend's school finished registration yesterday. I heard their dorm also has six girls, and there's a real beauty among them. How about we head to Peking University for a mixer?"

"A dorm mixer?" Apart from Li Mu, the other four had glowing eyes.

They had long heard that mixers were common in universities—essentially, a socially acceptable way to cross-date. Usually, a guy from one dorm would start dating a girl from another, then they would bring their respective roommates together to eat, drink, and have fun. How many couples would form from this was up to chance. This phenomenon was ubiquitous on university campuses. Beyond that, there were regional mixers and club activities, which were almost all disguised forms of matchmaking.

Hu Zhengdao slapped his thigh: "Great, Yawei! I've always envied this kind of indulgent—oh wait, I mean healthy and uplifting—extracurricular activity!"

Sun Jian raised his brows and asked with a lewd expression: "Are the girls in the Peking University Chinese department pretty?"

Li Yawei laughed: "Whether they're pretty or not, you'll have to see for yourself!"

He continued: "But I have to state this clearly: there are six of us guys meeting six of them. For the first meal, we can't make the girls split the bill, so we six will go Dutch. What do you think?"

"Agreed!"

Attracted by the prospect of meeting girls from Peking University, the others nodded immediately. Seeing that only the sixth-youngest, Liu Nian, and the third, Li Mu, hadn't spoken, Li Yawei asked curiously: "What's wrong, Li Mu, Liu Nian? Are you two not interested?"

Li Mu shrugged and smiled: "If you guys are interested, I can't be the one to hold you back. I'll join you."

Li Yawei nodded: "That's settled then. What about you, number six?"

Liu Nian said hesitantly: "I'd better not go. It's really not convenient..."

Li Yawei said with dissatisfaction: "What's inconvenient about it? A mixer is just for everyone to eat, chat, and get to know each other."

Liu Nian’s eyes darted around, and he stammered, not knowing what to say. Seeing Liu Nian’s simple attire and his look of having unspeakable troubles, Li Mu guessed he might be financially strapped. He stepped forward, patted Liu Nian on the shoulder, and said: "Since it's a group activity, try not to drop out if you have nothing urgent."

As he spoke, Li Mu whispered in Liu Nian's ear: "If it's about money, don't worry. I'll cover your share."

Liu Nian hurriedly said: "Third Brother, it's not that... I just..."

He couldn't explain what it was. Li Mu patted him again: "Alright, it's settled."

...

Because of the mixer with the Peking University girls that evening, Dorm 606, which had originally planned a lunch feast, kept a low profile. The six of them went to the West Canteen, ordered simple meals, and sat at a table, completing their first gathering.

Sun Jian, the big brother of the dorm, paid out of his own pocket to buy six cans of beer, insisting that they couldn't have a first meeting without alcohol. The six cans clinked together, officially marking the start of their university life.

After eating, Li Mu and the four other roommates from out of town went to get their new SIM cards. Li Mu picked a random number at the mobile service center, topped it up with five hundred yuan, inserted it into his phone, and sent a mass message to his contacts: "This is Li Mu. This is my new Yanjing number."

Following that, Li Mu spent over half an hour answering back-to-back calls.

His parents called to ask how he felt about the school, and Li Mu told them it was excellent—the campus was huge and grand, the dorm was fully equipped, and his roommates were all friendly. Everything was just great. Chen Wan asked if there were many beauties and if he missed her; Li Mu replied that he missed her so much he almost regretted not staying behind to retake his exams for a university in Shanghai, only to be accused by Chen Wan of being a smooth talker. Su Yingxue asked where he was, saying she was at Building 1, Courtyard 4, and invited him to dinner; Li Mu said his roommates had already made plans, so he couldn't go, and they agreed to meet tomorrow. Zhao Kang remarked that he was quick, saying his own school was a dump, but Li Mu told him it didn't matter as long as he was there to make money. The four members of "Simple Plan" also called to check in; their four songs were currently climbing the national charts, and several TV stations had invited them for shows. Li Mu instructed them to accept invites from a few top-tier stations.

Besides them, Song Liang also called. He didn't ask how he was doing, but brought news: Guo Lin's wife, Xue Guilan, had been arrested and was now being tried along with Guo Lin's case. The key evidence had been consolidated, and neither of them would escape prison time.

Li Mu was very satisfied with this outcome, but he wondered why Song Liang had specifically called to mention it. Was it because he knew about the conflict between Li Mu and the Guo family, or because he knew Li Mu had been working against them in the shadows? Li Mu felt that with Song Liang’s insight, combined with Li Mu's previous role as the mastermind behind "Simple Plan," Song Liang must have guessed that Li Mu was the one pulling the strings.

Li Mu didn't dwell on it. Song Liang was a friend, not an enemy, and this friend was more cautious and thoughtful than he was. Even if Song Liang had guessed, it wouldn't be a problem.

In high spirits, Li Mu spent the afternoon shopping for daily necessities at campus stores and supermarkets, and then went out to buy a few outfits.

By evening, led by Li Yawei, the 606 dorm walked from Renmin University to the South Gate of Peking University. In a private room at a restaurant by the gate, the six guys from Renmin University met the six girls from Peking University.

Li Yawei had kept saying there was a great beauty in the other dorm. Upon meeting, Li Mu found that among the six, two could truly be called great beauties: one was Li Yawei's girlfriend, and the other was a girl with long legs who stood at least 1.72 meters tall.

"Brothers, this is my girlfriend, Han Xiaoxiao." Li Yawei embraced the tall, striking Han Xiaoxiao with a smug look.

To Li Mu, although Han Xiaoxiao didn't quite measure up to Chen Wan or Su Yingxue, she was still goddess-tier. Li Yawei looked decent, but standing next to Han Xiaoxiao, he seemed a bit lacking. His roommates joked that Han Xiaoxiao was a flower blooming on a pile of cow dung. Li Yawei dismissed them: "My girl isn't as shallow as you guys. She likes me for who I am, not my looks."

Hu Zhengdao curled his lip: "It sounds like your face has nothing to do with you..."

Han Xiaoxiao had a cheerful personality. Seeing her boyfriend being teased by his new roommates, she didn't mind at all and even helped land a blow: "Li Yawei's looks really aren't that outstanding, but he has a sweet tongue. He spent three years in high school learning how to coax girls. You brothers better keep a close eye on him so he doesn't go flirting around campus."

Sun Jian patted his chest: "Don't you worry, sister-in-law. If he dares to pull anything under our watch, we'll handle him for you!"

Han Xiaoxiao thanked Sun Jian and began introducing the five other girls in her dorm.

The rest of the 606 dorm had their eyes glued to the long-legged beauty. She had delicate features, an elegant aura, and a slim figure with an impressive bust—in every aspect, she was even superior to Han Xiaoxiao. Even an old soul like Li Mu couldn't help but be surprised by her beauty, aura, and figure; she was truly a top-tier stunner.

Han Xiaoxiao introduced the long-legged, busty beauty as Zhao Ziqiu, from Zhejiang Province.

Like the other brothers, once Li Mu remembered Zhao Ziqiu's name, he didn't really commit the names of the other four girls to memory.

Han Xiaoxiao, a true Y