Chapter One: New Student Registration

Zhao Zejun and Yu Zhe both gained admission to the University of Science and Technology, with Zhao Zejun entering the regular undergraduate program and Yu Zhe enrolled in the adult education college. Today, Yu Jin personally drove them both to the provincial capital to complete their registration.

The adult education college and the main campus of the university are several kilometers apart. After dropping Yu Zhe off, Yu Jin drove Zhao Zejun to the main campus.

At parting, Yu Jin specially asked Zhao Zejun to look after Yu Zhe. Financially, he wasn’t worried, but he feared his son might suffer mistreatment out there.

Settling in the provincial capital was no small feat. Yu Jin held some influence in Yijiang City, but in the provincial capital, he was just an ordinary local cadre.

This was also why Zhao Zejun was reluctant to develop his career in the capital city. While large cities offered many opportunities, the hierarchy of all sorts of shady characters was too entrenched.

After bidding farewell to Yu Jin, Zhao Zejun didn’t immediately go to register. Instead, he headed to a nearby residential community by the school.

Before coming, he had rented a room there to serve as a temporary office for Zejian Company. Junzi was staying there for the time being.

Junzi had already arrived and was tidying up. Zhao Zejun recognized the place and then went to the university’s on-campus family housing area.

He had also rented an apartment there, a little nest to make things more convenient.

Alone, he climbed to the second floor and knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a woman in her thirties, with short hair, dressed in a loose-fitting women’s suit and wearing black-framed glasses. She wasn’t particularly striking, but carried the aura of an intellectual woman.

If one were to be mischievous, she might be cast as a sophisticated young female teacher type.

“You must be Teacher Su. Hello, I’m Zhao Zejun.”

The landlord, Su Yun, was a lecturer at the university’s business school. After divorcing, she lived with her child at her parents’ home, leaving this apartment vacant.

This unit was located inside the school, very convenient. Teacher Su wasn’t short of money and hadn’t planned to rent out the place, but Zhao Zejun managed to rent it with a little help from Daxiang.

In May, a sudden fire at the Blue Speed Internet Café in the capital killed over a dozen students, causing nationwide uproar. Not only Yijiang City, but the entire country launched a crackdown on internet cafés, with illegal and non-compliant venues being shut down on the spot. Daxiang, shaken to the core, was deeply grateful to Zhao Zejun. Upon hearing he wanted to rent a place, Daxiang reached out to a distant cousin of his—this very Teacher Su.

Su Yun sized up Zhao Zejun with mild surprise. Though he appeared to be a university student, he carried a calmness beyond his years.

“Hello, please come in,” Su Yun stepped aside to let Zhao Zejun enter.

The apartment was modestly furnished, neat and tidy, with a faint, pleasant fragrance lingering in the air—whether from an air freshener or her perfume, it was hard to tell.

Holding a broom in her hand, Su Yun noticed Zhao Zejun glance at it, then quickly set it down and smiled. “I was waiting for you and tidied up a bit since there wasn’t much else to do. Have a seat, I’ll get you some water.”

They exchanged identification cards, and Su Yun pulled out the lease agreement. “Zhao, the contract is standard, nothing unusual. But I have two personal requests: first, since the building houses mostly faculty, please keep noise to a minimum so as not to disturb others. Second, no pets, if possible.”

The first was a given—Zhao Zejun preferred quiet anyway. The pet clause took him by surprise, but he didn’t ask further; he had no plans to keep any animals.

The contract was signed smoothly. He paid three months’ rent plus a deposit. Su Yun left her number for any housing-related matters, and Zhao Zejun gave her his mobile as well.

After Su Yun left and the door closed, the faint fragrance quickly dissipated—it must have been her perfume, likely a plant-based scent, which explained why it was hard to identify.

Zhao Zejun toured the three-room apartment. Though the building’s exterior appeared old, with ivy climbing the walls, the interior layout was excellent: two bedrooms—a master and a secondary—both facing the sun, with the living room in the middle. The apartment was well-ventilated from north to south, bright, and efficiently arranged. The square, regular design made it very comfortable.

The living room featured a large genuine leather sofa, simple curtains on the windows, and a vase on the dining table, though it held no flowers.

To his surprise, the bathroom even had a bathtub—a bit of a luxury nowadays, since baths waste water and time, and most people don’t use them.

Perfect—he could soak in the tub when he had free time.

Above the headboard of the master bedroom’s double bed, a faint rectangular mark remained on the wall—probably where a wedding photo had once hung.

After tidying up a bit, Zhao Zejun slung on his backpack and formally went to register at the university.

The registration office was right at the main entrance, so Zhao Zejun effectively entered and exited the campus, making a full circle.

The registration area buzzed with activity—new students and parents carried bags of all sizes, and many senior students came to welcome them. Noticing Zhao Zejun looking around with his backpack, a girl with a ponytail approached confidently, accompanied by two boys.

“Hello, are you a new student? I’m with the Student Union. Which department are you in? I can show you around.”

Not far off, Song Yun was already running toward them, waving from a distance. “Boss Zhao... Boss Zhao... over here!”

“Coming!” Zhao Zejun waved at Song Yun and smiled at the girl. “Thanks, but I’ve got someone to meet.” With that, he joined Song Yun’s side.

One of the boys following the girl saw Song Yun and asked curiously, “Isn’t that our classmate Song Yun? Who’s this junior that Song Yun’s calling ‘boss’?”

The other boy shrugged. “Maybe his actual name is ‘Boss.’ I heard Song Yun recently had a falling out with the Student Union. Do you know what happened?”

“Something about software development, I think? It’s their higher-ups’ business; how would I know? Let’s go, let’s go, more people to meet,” the girl said, pouting slightly.

Having been at the university for over a year, Song Yun was familiar with the ropes and quickly helped Zhao Zejun complete the enrollment process.

Just like in his past life, Zhao Zejun had enrolled in Computer Science and Technology again.

Nowadays, it seemed that every science-oriented male student chose computer science, producing a large batch of so-called “professionals” who knew a bit about computers but couldn’t really do much.

In this life, Zhao Zejun felt no need to delve deeply into programming or algorithms. Instead, he intended to leverage the university’s global science and engineering platform to broaden his horizons.

As for passing exams and earning credits, he planned to take them lightly and, if necessary, buy his way through the difficult ones.

“Thanks, you go ahead,” Zhao Zejun said at the dormitory entrance as he took his luggage from Song Yun. “Once I’m settled, I’ll come find you.”

During the last few days of summer vacation, Song Yun had gathered a group to form a project team. The website project was already underway, and now that Zhao Zejun was at the university, he naturally needed to keep an eye on its progress.

After saying goodbye to Song Yun, Zhao Zejun pushed open the dormitory door and stepped inside.