Chapter 2
On September 30, 2026, at 3 PM, go to the alley between Qinghe Bar and Super Delicious Milk Tea near the school and stay for half an hour.
Su Louzhi read the task interface three times, making sure she hadn't missed any fine print.
That's it?
She couldn't help but silently think: no wonder the System had taken her voice as payment. The task was so simple she almost felt embarrassed.
Stand there for half an hour. No talking, no performing, not even interacting with anyone.
In broad daylight. A legal way to slack off.
Su Louzhi minimized the task interface, satisfied, and flopped back onto her bed, burrowing into the soft quilt.
It was early August now—twenty days before school started, and a full two months before the task.
No rush.
She slowly got used to this quiet new life: cooking for herself, taking walks, experiencing this new world on her own terms.
Twenty days flew by. On August 12th, Capital University began military training. In early September, training ended and the semester officially began.
Su Louzhi dragged her suitcase and stepped through the gates of Capital University.
The sunlight was just right, with dappled shadows under the trees. A row of welcome tents lined the entrance, and volunteers in vests bustled through the crowd, hauling bags and shouting things like "Freshmen this way!" and "Let me see your ID card, miss!"
As soon as Su Louzhi approached the new-student welcome point, an enthusiastic hand grabbed her.
"Hey, junior! You must be a freshman!"
A senior student with a high ponytail came over, her eyes sparkling as she looked Su Louzhi up and down. "You're so cute—if you'd been on campus before, I definitely would've remembered you!"
Su Louzhi froze, her ears warming slightly. She pulled out her phone, typed quickly, and showed the screen: [Yes, senior. I'm a freshman, majoring in finance.]
When the other woman read the message, her gaze flickered only for a brief moment before her smile widened, as if she hadn't noticed anything unusual. "Come on, I'll help you out! I know this welcome process like the back of my hand—I could do it with my eyes closed!"
Su Louzhi was about to type "No need to trouble you" when the senior had already deftly taken her admission notice, checked it, scanned the code, issued her campus card, and given her the key—a smooth series of actions that took less than three minutes.
"Done!" The senior gently placed the campus card and dormitory key back in Su Louzhi's palm, her eyes curving into a smile. "I saw your name—Su Louzhi, right? Can I call you Zhizhi?"
Su Louzhi nodded.
"I'm Chen Ying, junior in the History Department." She pointed at her volunteer vest, then glanced at the key tag. "Oh, you're in Building 1? I know where that is. Come on, I'll walk you there!"
Before she even finished speaking, she had already picked up the suitcase next to Su Louzhi. Su Louzhi opened her mouth, realizing she couldn't keep up with that pace, and could only silently tap out the word "Thank you" on her phone before jogging a couple steps to catch up.
Chen Ying led the way with the suitcase, her steps light and her ponytail swinging. "Zhizhi, look over there—that gray building is the library. It's the best study spot in Capital."
"And this is the second cafeteria. The sweet-and-sour spareribs are amazing, but the auntie who serves has a shaky hand, so you gotta say 'Big sister, give me a bit more.'"
"See that little grove of trees over there? Pretty, but the mosquitoes are deadly. Last year I walked past in shorts and got seventeen bites on my legs. I counted."
Su Louzhi walked alongside, phone held up in her hand, but she couldn't manage to type a single word.
One talked, the other listened, and they kept moving without missing a beat, soon arriving at the entrance of Building 1.
Chen Ying swiped her card with practiced ease, led Su Louzhi up to the third floor, and stopped in front of a door marked "302."
Su Louzhi quietly took a breath. She clutched her phone, running her thumb along the edge, then raised her hand and knocked three times.
"Come in—" A girl's clear voice came from inside.
Su Louzhi turned the doorknob, and as the door swung open, she instinctively tensed her back. But Chen Ying, as if anticipating that reaction, stepped in before she could respond, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Hi there, junior!" She waved at the room. "I'm the welcome volunteer, Chen Ying from third-year History. This is the newbie I just picked up, Su Louzhi—she's the newest member of 302 from today!"
Su Louzhi quickly followed, standing beside Chen Ying, and gave a proper, earnest bow to the room.
"Pfft!" A light laugh landed in her ears.
Su Louzhi looked up, a bit nervous.
By the window stood a girl with a delicate face and an air of quiet nobility, like she'd stepped out of a Republic-era magazine illustration. She was smiling warmly at them, eyes curved.
"Hi there." Her voice was soft and gentle. "I'm Qin Qingyan, the first one to arrive in 302. It's a pleasure to meet you all for the next four years."
Su Louzhi hastily lowered her head to type, fingers flying as she tapped out a message and raised her phone: [Hi Qingyan, it's nice to meet you too!]
Qin Qingyan looked at it, her smile unchanged, and replied naturally, as if she'd noticed nothing unusual: "Of course, of course."
Chen Ying watched the two of them, quietly relieved. She glanced at her phone, then said, "Alright, you two get to know each other. I've still got freshmen to go round up back at the welcome point."
Su Louzhi and Qin Qingyan both nodded and waved politely. Chen Ying closed the door behind her, her footsteps fading. The room fell into a brief silence.
Su Louzhi lowered her eyes nervously and started typing again: [Qingyan, I can't speak, so I'll be a bit of a burden for the next four years. If you ever think I'm doing something wrong, just tell me anytime. It's okay.]
Qin Qingyan read it over, and when she looked up, her gaze softened even more. "You already call me Qingyan," she said with a gentle smile. "Then I'll call you Zhizhi, alright?"
Su Louzhi nodded vigorously.
"Zhizhi, don't be nervous." Qin Qingyan reached out and gently took her wrist, her tone warm. "We've got four years ahead of us, so we should get along well. If I do something wrong, you just tell me too. No need to be polite."
With that, she didn't wait for Su Louzhi to react. She naturally pulled her toward the empty bunk beds. "I got here first, so I already picked mine—that one by the window is mine." She tilted her chin to indicate. "The rest are all yours to choose, Zhizhi. First come, first served around here."
Su Louzhi looked around where she'd pointed. She didn't have strong feelings about which bed, so after thinking it over, she picked the one right next to Qin Qingyan's.
Qin Qingyan smiled. "Good choice. That spot's great—we can even chat across the curtains at night."
Su Louzhi's eyes curved in a smile, and she opened her suitcase to start making her bed. Just as she pulled out her mattress, a pair of hands appeared beside her.
Qin Qingyan had already deftly torn open the pillowcase packaging and tilted her head at her. "I'm free anyway—let me help you out, Zhizhi?"
Su Louzhi paused and lowered her head to type.
Qin Qingyan gently pressed her hand. "No need to thank me." She winked. "We're roommates."