Since there was no tuition fee, registration was a very simple matter. Zhao Mingyue accompanied Yu Youqing to register and then escorted him to his dormitory. The senior student who brought Yu Youqing over kept asking about Zhao Mingyue, but she just smiled and remained silent. She already had a boyfriend and didn't want to attract unwanted attention. The senior student assumed that Zhao Mingyue was Yu Youqing's boyfriend, glanced at Yu Youqing, and left with a sense of regret, like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.

Yu Youqing was the last to arrive at the dormitory. All his classmates had arrived, and seeing that the last one to arrive was accompanied by a beautiful woman, they couldn't help but feel envious and jealous. Yu Youqing made his bed and took out some dried fruit and two packets of tea that Zhao Mingyue's parents had sent her from his luggage. It was too hot to bring many things, so he could only bring some dried goods, which was also a token of his parents' love.

Zhao Mingyue really liked the two packets of tea. She could give them to Shen's father and Commander Song. Commander Song's family had helped them a lot, and Zhao Mingyue had never known how to thank them. Although the tea wasn't worth much, it was still a specialty of her hometown.

After Zhao Mingyue finished making his bed, she said to him, "Youqing, let me show you around the school. If there's anything you need to buy, you can buy it too."

Yu Youqing quickly followed Zhao Mingyue out. He was overjoyed; he was finally a university student, something he had never dared to dream of for years. He never imagined this long-cherished wish would actually come true. The university was so prestigious, located in Beijing, with such a beautiful campus, and he had no worries about his future—it was truly a brand new life.

Zhao Mingyue pointed out the teaching building, library, canteen, playground, shops, etc. to Yu Youqing one by one, and told him about various precautions. Yu Youqing wrote them all down with great interest.

Zhao Mingyue, like an older sister, advised him: "Youqing, you need to be bolder and more confident. You have to remember that you got in here based on your own abilities. No one here cares about your background. Many people's families are even worse off than yours. So be more open and confident when you interact with people. Everyone is equal."

Yu Youqing stammered, "My Mandarin isn't standard, and I'm afraid people will laugh at me if I say it."

Zhao Mingyue said, "It's okay. No one is born speaking Mandarin. I just heard one of your roommates from Guangdong speak Mandarin, and his accent is even stronger than ours. So we can't stop speaking just because we can't speak it well. Mandarin gets better and better the more you speak it. Besides, no one is asking us to become broadcasters. As long as we can communicate, that's enough."

Yu Youqing nodded: "Okay."

Zhao Mingyue pointed to the cafeteria and said, "The second cafeteria is over here. The food is similar to what we eat back home. You have to buy a ticket before you can get food. We teachers' college students get a sixteen-yuan living allowance a month, which is enough for us to eat. So you don't need to save money. Eat more; you're so thin, you look like a bean sprout. But it might not be given out so quickly at first. Do you have some money on you? If not, I can lend you some."

“I have some; my family gave me some money,” Yu Youqing quickly replied.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Shen Xuyue will be coming over tonight. Let's have dinner together then. After you've finished shopping, go back and rest for a bit, and get to know your classmates. We'll come to your dorm later. Okay?"

When Yu Youqing heard her mention Shen Xuyue, her high spirits finally subsided a bit: "Okay. Um, how are you doing in Beijing?" As soon as Yu Youqing asked this question, she felt that she was too clumsy with words. Wasn't this just making conversation for the sake of it? How could Zhao Mingyue not be doing well? It was obvious to everyone.

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yeah, it's pretty good. My roommates are all very easy to get along with. By the way, there might be a gathering for people from our province in the future. Let's go together and get to know some fellow townsfolk."

"Okay." Yu Youqing nodded. He originally wanted to ask about Shen Xuyue's situation, but he felt that he had no right to ask. Oh well, he could see him anyway, so he would observe him himself.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Then I'll take you shopping. If you have any daily necessities that you didn't bring, we'll buy them at the store."

Yu Youqing said, "Actually, I have most of them. I brought them from home."

Zhao Mingyue looked at him in surprise: "Don't you find it troublesome? Isn't your luggage heavy?"

Yu Youqing's ears turned red: "My mom said that things at home might be cheaper."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and shook her head: "How much cheaper? Just a penny or two. Don't you want to buy anything else?"

"Yes, and I also need to buy a bottle of ink."

"Then let's go."

Zhao Mingyue helped him buy things, and then said, "Youqing, you can go back by yourself. I still have to pick up the new students. I'll come find you again tonight and we can have dinner together."

"Okay. You go ahead and get busy." Yu Youqing nodded quickly.

Zhao Mingyue turned and left. Yu Youqing watched her slender figure and sighed slightly. Although he tried his best to get closer to her and stand beside her, she definitely couldn't see him. He could only be friends with her.

When Shen Xuyue came over that evening, Zhao Mingyue and Mao Jianlan were clearing away the tables; the freshmen's orientation was over. Shen Xuyue helped them move the tables to the back of his bicycle, letting the two girls hold them while he pushed the bike from the front: "Has Yu Youqing arrived?"

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "He's here. Let's go find him for dinner later, I've already told him everything."

“Okay. Why is he so late?” Shen Xuyue asked.

"They said they missed the train in the provincial capital and were delayed for a day," Zhao Mingyue said. "Jianlan, let's go eat together."

Mao Jianlan smiled and said, "Never mind, you guys go."

Zhao Mingyue said, "It's okay, let's go together."

Mao Jianlan said, "You go ahead, but I still need to go to the department to hand over these materials to the teacher."

After returning the items to the department, Shen Xuyue rode his bike with Zhao Mingyue on the back to find Yu Youqing. Too lazy to go upstairs, Shen Xuyue yelled from downstairs, "Yu Youqing!"

Yu Youqing poked his head out of the window: "Hey, you're here."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Oh no, I didn't tell him not to bring his lunchbox. He'll definitely come down with it in a bit."

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Youqing appeared with a lunchbox.

Shen Xuyue couldn't help but laugh: "Youqing."

"Secretary Shen." Yu Youqing smiled shyly at Shen Xuyue.

"I'm not the secretary anymore, so just call me by my name from now on," Shen Xuyue said with a smile. "Put your lunchbox back first, let's eat outside. I forgot to tell you earlier."

Yu Youqing looked at them: "Aren't you going to the cafeteria?"

Shen Xuyue said, "Since this is your first time in Beijing, I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant to welcome you back."

Yu Youqing looked at Zhao Mingyue, who was standing next to Shen Xuyue and smiled, "Go quickly."

He had no choice but to turn back and deliver the lunchbox.

The three of them pushed the cart outside the school. This was Yu Youqing's first time eating out in his life, and he seemed a little lost, unsure of what to do with himself. He envied Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue's confidence and composure, and he wondered if he could ever be as confident as them in the future.

Shen Xuyue asked many questions about their hometown and information about people they both knew. Yu Youqing told him everything he knew.

"Zhao Jinyun got into a fight and broke his leg?" Zhao Mingyue asked in surprise. "When did this happen? I've never heard my father mention it."

Yu Youqing said, "It happened in the summer. He got into a fight with Zhao Laoliu's family next door and his leg was broken."

Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment, then said in disbelief, "No way, Zhao Laoliu is such an honest man, how could he dare to hit Zhao Jinyun?"

Yu Youqing hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Zhao Laoliu's eldest daughter brought her child back to play. Zhao Jinyun got drunk and said that Zhao Laoliu's grandson looked like him. Zhao Laoliu's son-in-law heard this and then got into a fight with Zhao Jinyun, breaking Zhao Jinyun's leg."

Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue exchanged a glance. Zhao Jinyun, that beast, had ruined so many girls, and he was so smug about it afterward. He was practically courting death. Zhao Mingyue snorted coldly, "Serves him right. He deserved to be beaten to death."

Yu Youqing said, "I think so too."

Shen Xuyue asked, "And then what happened to Zhao Laoliu's son-in-law?"

Yu Youqing said, "We only lost some money. Zhao Jinyun's leg is lame, and he walks with crutches."

Shen Xuyue frowned and said, "People like Zhao Jinyun should be arrested and imprisoned."

Zhao Mingyue said bitterly, "I think going to jail is too lenient, but in this kind of case, almost no victims report it, so this beast has been allowed to get away with it. It's just too hateful. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, it makes me angry. Youqing, now that you're in Beijing, there are many places worth visiting. Your class will definitely organize a group trip, so we won't go with you alone."

Yu Youqing nodded: "Okay."

Shen Xuyue said, "There are some places we might not organize for everyone to go, but when we go, we'll invite you to come along. We're going to climb Fragrant Hills soon, you should come too."

"OK."

Zhao Mingyue said, "If you need any help in the future, just tell us. You can ask Xuyue or me. I'm in room 305 of the girls' dormitory. If you need anything, you can come to the dormitory to find me and tell the dormitory supervisor. She will pass it on."

"Yes, if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me directly. I will definitely do my best to help you. Don't be too reserved," Shen Xuyue said with a smile. Mingyue takes care of Yu Youqing like a younger brother, so as his brother-in-law, he certainly can't be too stingy. If he treats him well, he probably won't be embarrassed to try to steal him away. Of course, it would be best to find him a partner, so that he won't keep thinking about Mingyue.

After finishing their meal, the three returned to school. As they walked to the school gate, Shen Xuyue said to Yu Youqing, "Youqing, Mingyue and I are going to the library to study. Are you going back for a class meeting?"

Yu Youqing remembered this: "Ah, right, I need to go to the classroom for a class meeting."

Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "Then Mingyue and I will be leaving now. Can you find your way around?"

Yu Youqing said, "I should be able to find it. I'll go and take a look."

“Okay, if you can’t find it, just ask around and get familiar with the school gradually. Your school isn’t too big, so it’s easy to find,” Shen Xuyue said.

Zhao Mingyue smiled at Yu Youqing: "This guy is bragging to us about how big his school is. If you have the chance, go visit Tsinghua University. It is indeed several times bigger than ours, and the scenery is better than our school."

"Ah, okay." Yu Youqing opened his mouth wide in surprise. He felt that his school was big enough. Was Tsinghua really that big? When he applied, he had considered Tsinghua, but to be on the safe side, he applied to Beijing Normal University instead. That way, he could be in the same school as Zhao Mingyue. Even if he couldn't be with her, it would be good to be close to her.

Shen Xuyue hopped on his bicycle and rang the bell: "Get on, let's go." He slowly pedaled away.

Zhao Mingyue lightly jumped into the back seat of the car and waved goodbye to Yu Youqing: "Goodbye."

Looking at them, Yu Youqing could only secretly envy the handsome man and beautiful woman who were a perfect match.

Yu Youqing thought he could find a classroom, but he overestimated himself and underestimated the size of Beijing Normal University's campus. A school of more than a thousand acres is quite large for a freshman, especially for a country bumpkin who has never seen much of the world.

He was particularly embarrassed to ask for directions, and after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find the physics department's teaching building. Finally, he couldn't help but ask someone, speaking haltingly. The person gave him directions, but not very clearly, because he was a bit far from the physics department at that moment. Yu Youqing was too embarrassed to ask more questions, so he just listened vaguely and headed in that direction.

He ended up wandering into a small grove of trees. Most people know the typical purpose of a school grove: it's a wooded area during the day, but at night it becomes a romantic date spot for couples. Yu Youqing, a clueless newbie, stumbled in, startling countless couples. The other couples weren't particularly frightened, but he was drenched in sweat. Yu Youqing hurried on, head down, until he finally reached a less crowded area. There seemed to be a house there, so he decided to go check it out.

To his embarrassment, he encountered another couple. Just as he was about to turn away, he heard a clear "slap," like the sound of a hand hitting flesh. Then came two more "slaps," followed by a woman screaming hysterically, "XX, you liar, you bastard! You seduced me and then abandoned me! You dare slander me? I'll fight you to the death!"

A man cursed, "You damned woman, you dare to scratch my face! I'll beat you to death! You're nothing but a used woman, don't pretend to be some virtuous and chaste woman here, that child can't be mine."

Yu Youqing knew it was best to leave quickly; what was he doing meddling in a couple's argument? After walking a few steps, he heard the woman's continuous screams of pain, as if she had been badly beaten. Yu Youqing felt a pang of sympathy and mustered his courage to call out, "Who's there?"

A moment later, a man hurriedly slipped away with his head down, while the woman sobbed uncontrollably behind the bushes, heartbroken. Yu Youqing thought for a moment, figuring everything was alright, and decided to leave. After a few steps, the woman called out, "Is anyone there?"

Yu Youqing had no choice but to stop: "What is it?"

The woman sobbed, "Could you help me up?"

Yu Youqing had no choice but to go over and saw a woman sitting on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Yu Youqing said, "Are you...are you alright?"

"Help me up."

Yu Youqing had no choice but to help the other person up.

The other person then asked, "Could you take me to the hospital?"

Yu Youqing stammered awkwardly, "But I don't know where the hospital is. I have to go to a class meeting. Can you find someone you know to go with you?"

The other person sniffed: "Please help me, okay? I don't want anyone to know I'm going to the hospital. The hospital isn't far, I know where it is, you can just take me to the entrance. If you don't help me, I might die."

Yu Youqing thought to herself, "Is it really that exaggerated?" The other person replied, "I'm really not lying to you, that person just kicked my stomach, and my stomach hurts so much, boohoo..."

Yu Youqing was immediately overwhelmed. How could this happen? He had just gotten lost, and this was what he had to do. "What should I do? I'll go get someone."

The other person grabbed Yu Youqing's arm: "No, I beg you, this matter cannot be known to anyone else."

Seeing her like this, Yu Youqing guessed what had happened. Helpless, he finally took her to the small hospital she specified, which wasn't actually close. When they arrived at the hospital entrance, she said, "Okay, I'll go in myself. You can go now. What's your name?"

Yu Youqing shook his head: "Forget it, I have to go to the class meeting, otherwise I'll be too late." The woman's face was always covered by her loose hair, and Yu Youqing hadn't seen her clearly at all, nor did he want to. The woman had already suffered enough in this situation, and probably didn't want others to know who she was.

The woman turned around, glanced at Yu Youqing, and said, "Thank you, goodbye!"

When Yu Youqing found his class, the class meeting was almost over. He was sweating profusely from running, and being late made him very nervous. The homeroom teacher said, "Why are you so late?"

Yu Youqing stammered, but still told the truth: "I encountered someone who was sick, so I took her to the hospital."

When the homeroom teacher heard that it was a good deed, she said, "Oh, I see. Hurry up and introduce yourself. You're the only one left in the class."

Zhao Mingyue had no idea that Yu Youqing had encountered such a bizarre situation while searching for his classroom, and she would definitely have offered to escort him there. Yu Youqing didn't take the matter to heart and never mentioned it to anyone. Occasionally, when he thought about it, he found it quite strange; all sorts of things could happen in Beijing, and the women were really open-minded, engaging in such behavior before marriage.

Zhao Mingyue often eats at the No. 2 canteen, where the food suits her taste. She often runs into Yu Youqing there, and the two often eat together and chat.

Zhao Mingyue asked him, "Youqing, have you ever joined any clubs or organizations?"

Yu Youqing shook his head: "No, do you want to join?"

"Not necessarily, join if you like it."

"Oh, have you ever joined any clubs?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, I joined the drama club. The drama club didn't put on any performances last semester, but now we've already started preparing for rehearsals. This year, in order to enrich campus life, all the clubs will hold a cultural performance together. It should be very lively then."

"Are you going to perform too? What kind of play did you put on?" Yu Youqing found it very interesting; university life was truly rich and colorful.

Zhao Mingyue said, "It's Cao Yu's 'Thunderstorm'." Thunderstorm is a classic play, and its conflicts are particularly prominent, so it has become a must-perform play in drama.

"Then who will you play?"

Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "It's not decided yet, it depends on the production team's arrangements."

"Can I watch your rehearsal?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Sure. By the way, there's a hometown association gathering this Saturday night, are you going?"

Yu Youqing nodded: "Go ahead. You'll go too, right?"

"Um."

The new school year saw a significant increase in the number of people from X Province who were from the same hometown. Last semester, the group had gathered twice, and when they went back to their hometown, some people invited Zhao Mingyue to go home with them, but she declined. This time, the head of the hometown association notified Zhao Mingyue in advance, insisting that she attend, so Zhao Mingyue went with Yu Youqing.

This year's enrollment is larger than last year's, and there are more students from the same hometown. The number of new students and returning students is about twenty.

Zhao Mingyue spotted Bian Hongyu and Hu Yu in the crowd. The two were chatting warmly together. When Hu Yu saw Zhao Mingyue, she pulled Bian Hongyu over to greet her. As soon as Bian Hongyu saw Yu Youqing beside Zhao Mingyue, she quickly turned away and made an excuse to leave. Yu Youqing didn't notice anything unusual. Besides Zhao Mingyue, he didn't recognize anyone. Hearing a group of people speaking in their local dialect felt quite heartwarming; he realized they had so many fellow villagers.

The drama club's play and cast were finalized, and Zhao Mingyue was assigned the role of Fanyi. Just as Qian Sisheng had said, Zhao Mingyue would indeed play the female lead. It was Zhao Mingyue's first time acting, and in a lead role at that, so she felt incredibly honored and put her heart into rehearsals. Every Saturday afternoon, during the last two periods, she would go to the union's auditorium to rehearse. The auditorium was very large, and besides their drama club, other performance groups also rehearsed there. For example, the dance troupe that Bian Hongyu was in had been rehearsing a large-scale dance recently.

Yu Youqing was very interested in Zhao Mingyue's acting and had always wanted to find time to watch their rehearsals. He came over this Saturday. The auditorium door was ajar, and Yu Youqing heard music coming from inside. He was a little unsure, but just then someone came out of the door, and he quickly stopped the person and asked, "Hello, classmate, is the drama club rehearsing in there?"

Bian Hongyu's face turned deathly pale for a moment, then she realized that Yu Youqing didn't seem to recognize her, so she nodded: "Yes, he's inside."

Yu Youqing smiled and nodded, "Thank you." Then she started to walk inside.

Bian Hongyu called out to him, "Wait a minute, don't you recognize me?"

Yu Youqing turned around and glanced at Bian Hongyu: "Have we met somewhere before?"

Bian Hongyu paused for a moment, then laughed: "I'm from X province. I've seen you at the hometown association gathering."

"Oh, so you're from the same hometown! Hello, hello. I'm not very good at remembering people. There were too many people last time, so I didn't notice. I'm sorry." Yu Youqing scratched the back of his head and smiled shyly.

Bian Hongyu smiled happily: "It's alright. My name is Bian Hongyu, what's yours again?"

"Oh, my name is Yu Youqing."

"You're a freshman this year, right?"

"Yes, I'm a physics major, a freshman."

Bian Hongyu smiled and said, "Actually, we are also freshmen, but we arrived half a year earlier than you. I am from the Department of Political Science and Law."

Yu Youqing wasn't good at dealing with people, especially women, so he nodded and said, "Then I'll go find my classmate first."

Bian Hongyu said, "Then go ahead. Goodbye!" She looked at Yu Youqing's retreating figure and curled the corners of her lips. What a silly boy.

Zhao Mingyue was rehearsing her lines on stage. Fan Yi had so many lines, and the emotions were incredibly intense, making it very difficult to handle. Fortunately, Zhao Mingyue was worldly-wise and experienced, and also intelligent, so she managed to deliver a fairly good performance. After rehearsing for a while on stage, they stopped to rest. Zhao Mingyue had already spotted Yu Youqing and came down to talk to him: "How was it?"

Yu Youqing said, "It's quite interesting. You have to memorize so many lines?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, you can't act without writing it down. Being an actor is quite hard, especially for actors performing on stage."

The dance rehearsal had already begun again. Bian Hongyu slowly entered from outside the door, joined the group, and stood in the middle. The music started, and the dance rehearsal began.

Yu Youqing said, "That girl is also from our hometown."

"Who? You mean Bian Hongyu?" Zhao Mingyue asked.

Yu Youqing nodded: "I ran into her outside the door just now. She greeted me. I didn't know she was from our hometown."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, she is also from our hometown. I happened to sit with her when I came to Beijing last year. She is from the provincial capital, very arrogant, and doesn't like to interact with people."

Yu Youqing recalled what Bian Hongyu had said to him earlier, and he hadn't found her to be particularly arrogant.

The dance teacher suddenly said, "You, Bian Hongyu, this movement is not right again. You need to jump higher."

Bian Hongyu's face was a little pale, and she gave a bitter smile: "I'm sorry, teacher, my stomach hurts, I can't jump."

The dance teacher said, "You've been sick since the very beginning of dance practice. It's been so long, and your stomachache still hasn't gotten better. Have you seen a doctor yet?"

Bian Hongyu gave a wry smile: "I went to see a doctor and I'm taking my medicine."

Looking at Bian Hongyu's face, Zhao Mingyue sensed something was wrong; she looked like someone recovering from a serious illness.