Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Following Qin Ran downstairs, Nan Huiyao slowed down when she heard she was going to see her friends.

Although she was close to Qin Ran, she still felt embarrassed since she didn’t know them.

“Or I could eat myself…” She started.

Qin Ran raised an eyebrow. “They’re schoolmates. Let’s go, they’re in the cafeteria.”

“How many?” Nan Huiyao followed her.

“Three.” Stopping at the vending machine on the first floor of Canteen 8, Qin Ran threw a few coins in, and then took out two cans of Coke.

All three of them had passed the Beijing University examination?

Nan Huiyao didn’t know what expression to look at Qin Ran with. Could this be the legendary gathering of birds of the same feather?

Qin Ran threw a can of Coke to her, holding her phone in one hand. Without putting her phone back into her pocket, she opened the tab with one hand and took a sip.

Holding the can of Coke, Nan Huiyao followed her to the third floor.

Canteen 8’s first and second floors were to collect their meals, while the third floor was for ordering a la carte, which was much more expensive per person.

At five o’clock, before the normal afternoon peak hours, not many people were on the third floor. Looking around, there were only a few people at the tables.

Nan Huiyao looked around. “Where are your friends?”

Casually shaking the empty can, Qin Ran lifted her chin toward the table next to the innermost window. “There.”

Although short-sighted, Nan Huiyao’s degree wasn’t high, so she could see the two figures sitting there clearly.

They arrived at the table within two minutes.

“Sister Ran, you came on the dot again.” Holding a cigarette, Wei Zihang didn’t dare to light it. He wrapped his hands around his chest and leaned on the chair.

He didn’t carry the air of stability that Master Wei exuded, and unruly wantonness could be seen in his handsome face.

Sitting across from him, Pan Mingyue was the complete opposite.

“Hello.” He pressed his hand on the table when he saw Nan Huiyao behind Qin Ran. “I’m Wei Zihang, from the school opposite.”

Qin Ran sat down on the iron chair. “My roommate, Nan Huiyao.”

The three introduced themselves one after the other.

Returning to her senses, Nan Huiyao sat down beside Qin Ran and let out a sigh of relief. They were indeed Qin Ran’s friends, all of them were very good-looking.

Anyone who could talk to Qin Ran, who had such a bad temper, could certainly get along with Wei Zihang and the others. Pan Mingyue was rather quiet, so it was mostly Wei Zihang talking to Nan Huiyao.

Qin Ran leaned back and drank the Coke.

“Ran Ran said that there’s three of you…” Nan Huiyao scanned them, remembering what Qin Ran said just now.

“Big Brother Song went to order dishes. He’s more familiar with Beijing University than us.” Wei Zihang put down his chopsticks and beckoned to Nan Huiyao. “He’s coming.”

Nan Huiyao turned back subconsciously.

Wei Zihang was very popular at University A, but he wasn’t from their school, after all. Nan Huiyao was also a freshman and didn’t know much.

Pan Mingyue was always alternating among the library, dormitory, or classroom. In Beijing University’s vast world, she wasn’t as nature-defying as she had been in Heng Chuan First Middle School and was only slightly famous in her department.

But Song Luting was different. His popularity could be seen from the snatching of tickets today.

As the first person in Beijing University able to enter the laboratory at the beginning of the freshman semester, the school forum was boasting of his glorious events now.

After so many days in university, Nan Huiyao finally knew what the laboratory was equivalent to—

If a student from Beijing University wanted to enter the laboratory, it was about the same difficulty as a student from an ordinary high school wanting to enter Beijing University.

Other than the midterm and final exams, standards had to be met for other assessments as well.

Nan Huiyao had been amazed by the leaked assessment questions in the school forum. As expected, the laboratory wasn’t a place that ordinary people could enter.

And Song Luting…

He was a God-like existence not just to Nan Huiyao, but to the entire Beijing University’s students. His indisputable figure was more popular than the top 100 Campus Belles list.

News of Song Luting entering the laboratory had blown up among the seniors this year, and he became famous in one fell swoop. In the first semester of his freshman year, he had lived in seclusion, so not many people knew him.

Therefore, when Nan Huiyao saw Song Luting coming over with a tray, she sat on the stool and thought she was daydreaming.

“I’m Song Luting, a sophomore in the Physics Department,” said Song Luting calmly, sitting down next to Wei Zihang and taking out the chopsticks from inside the bowl.

He handed the tray to him and asked him to pick up the remaining dishes.

Nan Huiyao responded stiffly, then held the chopsticks stiffly, and just as stiffly pulled the ring pull of the Coke bottle.

Qin Ran replied in Nan Huiyao’s place on the side, “She might be your fan. She just got two tickets and is over the moon.”

Song Luting chuckled. “The tickets outside are basically backstage tickets.”

Wei Zihang served the dishes one by one.

“I came to talk to you about the midterm exam.” Song Luting looked up at Qin Ran soberly.

Qin Ran wasn’t very bothered. “Why?”

“Don’t do it.” Song Luting calmly picked up his chopsticks while glancing at her. “I mean the Morse code.”

“The same goes for the final exam.”

After a pause, he said again, “Maybe we can’t wait until the final exam.”

“I wouldn’t do it even without your reminder. I promised Dean Jiang to take the exam properly.” Reaching out to flick the strand of hair that had slid over her eyes, Qin Ran calmly replied, “But is the midterm exam… that important?”

Qin Ran still didn’t understand the laboratory’s rules. She had focused on nuclear engineering textbooks.

“Yes. The selection of candidates for the Physics Department’s participation in the laboratory is based on professional performance. The laboratory has serious divisions now. Before the next resource allocation, Principal Zhou will probably put you there in advance. He probably signed up for you already for this year’s assessment.” Song Luting solemnly glanced at the vivid sunlight outside the window.

He could guess Principal Zhou’s intention without thinking.

Qin Ran put her chin in her hand. “How so?”

“There are three major laboratories; the medical laboratory is at Beijing University, the Physics laboratory is at the junction between Beijing University and University A, and the IT laboratory is at University A.” He looked at her again. “The laboratory consists of not just students from Beijing University, but also from University A. Of course, the powers of Shanghai have basically been assimilated by Beijing University and University A, both of which are competing for the number of placements in the research institutes. If he signed up for you, the first round of screening will be your midterm exam.”

Nodding, Qin Ran turned the chopsticks in her hand. “I see.”

Song Luting just casually mentioned this, unaware that Qin Ran valued what he termed as “important,” so much so that she paid more attention to the midterm exam than to the college entrance examination previously.

Having not seen each other for a long time, they continued chatting for a long time after finishing their meals. It wasn’t until 5:30 pm when students got off class that the crowd gradually increased.

On the way back to the bedroom, Nan Huiyao was silent.

She seemed deep in thought.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yang Yi asked when they entered.

Staring at the two tickets for Song Luting’s speech on the table, Nan Huiyao looked up. “Oh, I’m okay. Let me think about it.”

**

Song Luting also returned to the laboratory.

A middle-aged man in a lab coat came in hurriedly. “How is it? Has she agreed to be my apprentice?”

Slowly putting on the coat, Song Luting buttoned it up and answered expressionlessly, “I asked. She’s not willing.”

The middle-aged man wiped his bald head with an incomprehensible expression. “That can’t be? How could she not agree to be my apprentice? Impossible…”

Walking past with experimental equipment silently with dark eye circles, Hong Tao glanced at the professor sleepily and sympathetically…

Didn’t he know that Song Luting’s sister couldn’t be mentioned? He had just called them “Sister,” and he hadn’t closed his eyes for three days.

Song Luting wore his coat and suddenly remembered something. “Senior, do you still have tickets?”

Hong Tao was jolted awake. “Of course, I have the VIP Supreme tickets. Junior, what are your instructions?”

“Get some tickets for my sister, Qin Ran.”

Hong Tao’s eyes lit up. “I’ll send it over to Junior Qin!”

**

The second basement of the laboratory.

The person-in-charge was checking the list of applicants for this year.

Two examinations were held in the Physics laboratory every year, at the end of March and early December, respectively.

Each exam must be registered in advance. The registration for the early December exam ended today, and the person-in-charge had just received the list submitted by Beijing University’s Principal Zhou.

“A freshman?” He felt stunned at the sight of Qin Ran’s name.

Hearing this, the assistant beside him turned and leaned over. “Could they have made a mistake? I’ll ask the professor at Beijing University.”

Three minutes later, she returned with the phone.

The person-in-charge pushed his glasses and asked, “So?”

“Principal Zhou personally confirmed that the list is correct,” responding, the assistant put the phone back in his pocket.

Instead of worrying further about this, the person-in-charge just typed out Qin Ran’s name into the list and pondered out loud. “Zhou Shan is very confident this year. It’ll probably be another good show.”

Beijing University had done a similar thing before and reported a freshman name, Song Luting, who had shown off his brilliance in the laboratory. At that time, the laboratory had made several calls before confirming that Beijing University’s Principal hadn’t given the wrong name. But Song Luting’s name had at least been reported at the end of March the following year…

This year in December, the overall class time for the freshmen was less than half of Song Luting’s. What was Beijing University doing?