The name seemed familiar, but that one second of hesitation led the other person to take a step forward towards her.
Meng Wan frowned and distanced herself from him.
"mind!"
She spoke with certainty and conviction.
"We're all freshmen, it's no big deal to get to know each other, right?" Hu Lou tried to grab her hand, but Meng Wan dodged it and was pulled into someone's arms.
The familiar scent, even without seeing her face, instantly put her at ease.
“Classmate, you’ve already said you mind, so you should know your limits, right?” Yan Nian glanced at Hu Lou’s hand, which was hanging in mid-air, and said meaningfully.
Hu Lou showed no embarrassment whatsoever; he simply smiled and withdrew his hand.
"I know you, Yan Nian! The president of Yan's Group. Hello, my name is Hu Lou."
Yan Nian didn't have a good expression, and just gave a curt reply.
"Why did you come here? Weren't we supposed to meet at the door?"
"There wasn't much people around, so I came in to find you after waiting for a while and seeing that you hadn't come over yet."
The two engaged in a question-and-answer session, oblivious to everyone else around them.
"Let's go eat."
Meng Wan nodded, and the two walked hand in hand towards the school gate, ignoring Hu Lou in front of them.
Hu Lou watched the two figures as they walked away, and a slight smile played on his lips.
"It's great that you've gotten this position at such a young age. Some people would fight tooth and nail for it." He muttered to himself, his eyes darkening, his expression somber, a far cry from his earlier sunny and cheerful demeanor.
Inside the restaurant, Yan Nian was rinsing Meng Wan's cutlery.
"Hu Lou, is that the one from the Hu family who rose to power?"
"Yes, I heard that he won over Old Master Hu as soon as he came back, and all sorts of resources were poured into him. I had heard that he had just returned to China, and I thought that he was going to start taking over the Hu family business. I didn't expect him to come to China to study at university."
Meng Wan nodded, recalling Tang Qi's words.
"I heard he dated Tang Zhiyi. Is he planning a marriage alliance?"
Yan Nian shook his head and put the peeled shrimp into her bowl, which had already piled up into a small mountain.
"The Tang family is currently in dire straits, and the Hu family will not allow their sole heir to marry someone who is of no help to the Hu family."
Meng Wan nodded, and indeed, she had not heard any news of Tang Zhiyi returning to China.
Since they were all outsiders, the two stopped discussing their affairs. After finishing their meal, Yao Qinglin was already waiting for Yan Nian at the door.
The two kissed before reluctantly parting ways.
After parting ways with Yan Nian, Meng Wan leisurely returned to her dormitory. The door was ajar, and sounds could be heard coming from inside.
"Who was the first person to arrive? I saw the skincare brands on her table, all of them were high-end brands costing thousands of yuan, and some I'd never even seen before!"
The person's voice was rather loud, but it was clear that there was no malice in it; it was just a simple exclamation.
"She seems like a rich young lady. Look at her things, they're all designer brands or things I've never seen before. They don't look like cheap knock-offs; the quality looks good. Could it be one of those so-called custom-made items?"
"It's hard to say. What if he turns out to be a fraud?" The man spoke sharply, his tone pessimistic.
"She doesn't have much stuff, is she a local?"
"Are the locals here so early?"
"Will you be difficult to get along with?" The owner of the voice asked with a hint of timidity.
"I don't know, I haven't seen anyone come back all morning, probably went to eat." As he spoke, the man slurped.
Meng Wan raised an eyebrow and calmly pushed open the door. Inside, three girls were eating their takeout, facing each other.
Three pairs of eyes stared intently at Meng Wan, but she didn't react much, only nodding slightly to them.
"You're our last roommate in room 206, right?" The girl, who had been very lively from the start, put down her takeout and wiped her mouth with a tissue.
"My name is Guo Qingqing, you can call me Qingqing." The other person had clear eyes and seemed generous and confident, the kind of person who had been well protected by her family.
"Hello, Meng Wan." After saying that, she looked at the other two people.
"You... hello, my name is Xu Jiaojiao." Meng Wan knew at a glance that she was the roommate who was worried that she wouldn't be easy to get along with. She had her hair tied in a ponytail, wore black-rimmed glasses, and hunched her shoulders, looking timid and hesitant. Although her clothes were a bit old, they were very clean.
"Lin Mi." The girl had long, wavy hair and wore a red dress that perfectly complemented her气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament).
"Have you eaten?" Guo Qingqing asked.
"I've eaten." Meng Wan sat down in her seat and rearranged some of the bottles and jars that she hadn't put away properly.
Are you from out of town?
"Local."
"Local? Then why are you here so early?"
"There aren't many people if you go early."
Guo Qingqing nodded. When they arrived around 10 or 11 a.m., they went to register without even putting down their luggage. There was a long queue of people. According to her senior, there were even more people in the afternoon.
"A few of us are thinking of getting together for dinner tonight, since we'll be roommates for the next four years. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan looked at the group. Xu Jiaojiao looked at her nervously, while Lin Mi continued eating her meal as if the topic had nothing to do with her.
"Sure, have you booked a place yet?"
"Not yet, we're still undecided, deciding whether to eat at the hot pot restaurant across the street or something else. Are you a local? Do you have any recommendations?"
"I haven't eaten at those two restaurants you mentioned. There are some decent restaurants nearby... Xuan Yuan Restaurant is pretty good."
"Xuanyuan Restaurant?" Guo Qingqing looked incredulous.
Lin Mi chuckled to herself, thinking to herself that the other party was indeed a show-off young lady.
"What?" Meng Wan looked at Lin Mi, and just as the two were about to have a big fight, Xu Jiaojiao quickly tried to smooth things over.
"I might not... have that much money..."
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