The train started moving, and the little silly girl sitting by the window tightly clutched Su Ze's hand.
A few minutes later, Su Ze looked at Uesugi Akizuki, who was pressing her forehead against the window, feeling utterly speechless. As the train vibrated slightly and frequently, her head kept bouncing off the window, her forehead repeatedly colliding with the glass. Yet, she seemed to be enjoying herself, her laughter bright and carefree.
Su Ze couldn't help but worry that she might lose whatever little intelligence she had left from this playful behavior.
Meng Xingyao suddenly directed her curious gaze toward Uesugi Akizuki. Earlier, she had been preoccupied with a stomachache and a foul mood, so she hadn't noticed Uesugi Akizuki was with Su Ze. Just moments ago, Su Ze had chatted briefly with Shen Qingsheng before taking Uesugi Akizuki to prepare some brown sugar water. It wasn't until they boarded the train that Meng Xingyao realized Uesugi Akizuki was there.
Why was Uesugi Akizuki here? She was puzzled but didn't feel the need to ask.
Whenever Su Ze wasn't driving, he always felt a bit drowsy and would often drift off to sleep. This time was no exception. The journey was about ten hours long, and he had a dream—a gentle one.
When he woke up, the content of the dream had already slipped away.
Outside the window, the flowing night scenery was a dazzling display of city lights, but it was unclear which materialistic city it had arrived at.
The bright cabin lights made the window reflect the interior like a mirror.
Perhaps because he had slept for too long, Su Ze felt a slight soreness in his neck. As he lifted his head, he heard a faint 'click' sound!
He had bumped into something, and a pair of hands quickly brushed past his head. Through the mirrored window, he saw the little silly girl covering her chin and mouth, tears dripping down her cheeks.
In fact, during these ten-plus hours of travel, Uesugi Akizuki had also been sleeping. When she saw Su Ze fall asleep, she quietly and gently placed his head on her shoulder.
Before she knew it, she too had drifted off, her head lightly resting against Su Ze's.
It was such a tender scene, but an accident occurred during those ten-plus hours.
Su Ze's sleeping position wasn't very comfortable, and his head gradually lowered, resting on her chest. Midway through her sleep, the little silly girl woke up, held his hand, and then fell back asleep.
After some unknown time, Su Ze suddenly woke up, bumping into her chin and even biting his tongue!
The little witch woke up startled, and soon, tears streamed down her face.
"Sorry," Su Ze gently massaged her chin.
After a while, Uesugi Akizuki wiped away her tears, grabbed Su Ze's hand that was massaging her chin, and pressed it against her chin like a bandage. She held onto his hand, refusing to let go, pouting in frustration and looking out the window at the flowing night scenery.
Su Ze held the little silly girl's soft and delicate chin, feeling quite apologetic. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the little witch stick out her pink tongue toward the window. After checking that nothing was wrong, she retracted her tongue and continued to look out the window, still feeling a bit sulky.
Su Ze couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable behavior.
After a long while, the train arrived at its destination, and the four of them followed the crowd out of the high-speed rail station.
"Thanks for the brown sugar water," Meng Xingyao said with a smile, lightly punching Su Ze's shoulder.
"No need to thank me between buddies," Su Ze replied with a light laugh, glancing at the empty thermos in her hand. "Finished it all?"
Meng Xingyao nodded. Su Ze took the empty thermos and casually stuffed it into Shen Qingsheng's bag.
Beijing.
This was a bustling first-tier city, with dazzling neon lights and towering skyscrapers that seemed to pierce the clouds.
The streets were bustling with traffic, and even at night, the flow of people never seemed to stop.
The little silly girl was amazed, her eyes darting from one sight to another, overwhelmed by the dazzling array of urban lights.
"We'll take you out to play tomorrow. For now, we need to go report," Su Ze said.
Uesugi Akizuki nodded, allowing Su Ze to lead her as she continued to look around.
"Why is she here? Didn't she go back to Russia with Uesugi Chiyoharu?" Meng Xingyao asked casually.
Upon hearing this, Su Ze felt a bit troubled. It wasn't some state secret that couldn't be discussed, but Shen Qingsheng had chosen not to ask earlier, probably overthinking and assuming it would lead to some complicated issues.
Su Ze briefly explained the situation.
"She's coming to Huaxia University to study?" Meng Xingyao was surprised. "How did she get in?"
"Secret," Su Ze made a shushing gesture.
"But she's only fifteen or sixteen, right? She must be the youngest junior at Huaxia University. You better protect me," Su Ze joked.
Meng Xingyao gave an OK gesture, then suddenly realized, "Why should I protect you?"
"Because if you protect me, you're also protecting the little silly girl," Su Ze said, his words a bit nonsensical.
Under Meng Xingyao's guidance, they soon arrived at a grand and imposing stone archway standing in a wide open space.
Under the bright moonlight, the plaque above the archway read "Huaxia University" in bold, fierce characters, glowing faintly with a cold light.
The archway was flanked by high walls adorned with dragon and phoenix carvings.
Apart from Meng Xingyao, the other three were slightly awestruck. They had only seen pictures of Huaxia University online, and only now, standing in front of it, did they truly appreciate its grandeur.
Three senior students responsible for welcoming new arrivals were leaning against the archway, bored out of their minds. But when they saw Su Ze and the others, especially noticing the two beautiful girls, they perked up immediately. Straightening their collars, they strode over confidently.
"You guys are new students at Huaxia University, right?" the short-haired youth at the front asked.
"Yes," Su Ze nodded.
"I'm your senior, Zhuang Yang. Feel free to ask us any questions," Zhuang Yang said. "Follow us, and we'll take you to register. After that, we'll assign you dorms. The registration period lasts for three days, and there are no classes tomorrow or the day after, so you can use that time to get familiar with the university environment..."
Zhuang Yang paused, blinking and glancing at Meng Xingyao, who was looking down at her phone. The other two also noticed her, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.
"Why are you looking at me?" Meng Xingyao raised her head, frowning.
"No! Nothing!" the three of them replied in unison, quickly giving up any thoughts of flirting and leading Su Ze and the others to complete the registration process with utmost seriousness.
Su Ze and Uesugi Akizuki were naturally assigned to Room 311, Building 9—a double room designated for couples.
This "dorm" was more like an apartment. In fact, everyone at Huaxia University referred to the dorms as apartments.
The apartment was about 200 square meters, fully furnished with luxurious decor that rivaled Su Ze's own villa.
From the high-rise building, they could see the countless lights of the city, with streets bustling with traffic.
The little silly girl suddenly let out a cute "Ah~" sound and threw herself onto the soft bed.
Su Ze, with an unlit cigarette between his lips, walked over to the bed and sat down, lifting Uesugi Akizuki's long, fair legs onto his lap.
After removing her shoes, the little silly girl immediately climbed onto the bed and started rolling around on the soft bedding.
Su Ze took out a lighter, spinning the wheel, sparks flying, as he walked toward the balcony.
Shen Qingsheng, meanwhile, was surveying his own single-person apartment, feeling quite proud:
"Hmph! Living alone is the true romance of a man! Dating? Sharing a couple's apartment? Hmph! Who needs that? Only fools fall in love; the wise stand strong alone, without any baggage!"
"Damn! Why is this apple so sour!" He threw the apple he had just taken a bite of onto the ground.
Meng Xingyao took the elevator back to her own apartment.
As she stepped out of the elevator and walked along the corridor lit by warm orange lights, her steps suddenly halted.
Frowning, she looked at the white-haired girl squatting at her apartment door.
"Yao Yao! Long time no see!"
The girl was exquisitely beautiful, her smile sweet and surprised. Dressed in a lovely long dress, she stood up and opened her arms, rushing toward Meng Xingyao for a hug.
Meng Xingyao, however, remained with her arms crossed, deftly sidestepping the girl's embrace, her voice cold: "Don't come near me."