Chapter 20: New Students Arrive

At that moment, a swirl of white suddenly darted out from behind, flashing past in a blur.

“Little Flash!”

A call rang out, and a youth dressed in white chased after the white blur, running ahead.

As he passed by Xianyu Zhen, a book fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Xianyu Zhen watched the receding figure and bent down to pick up the book. It was nearly new, titled “What Time Has Given Us.”

She opened the first page and found a line of words, along with a signature: “In the vast boundless universe, every encounter is like the arrival of a comet. — Bai Liyao.”

There was no class information. Xianyu Zhen decided to take it with her for now, planning to deliver it to the lost and found after registration.

She boarded the campus shuttle. There were only a handful of people on it, all indifferent, heads bowed as they scrolled through their phones. When she neared the Faculty of History, only Xianyu Zhen was left.

At Liyang College, the popular majors tended to be related to business management, or sometimes the arts; history was one of the less favored choices.

Why did she choose history? Because Liyang College didn’t offer the animal medicine program she wanted.

What scion of a distinguished family would choose animal medicine!

Xianyu Zhen had always spent most of her childhood with animals and wished to work with them. But now, as a descendant of a wealthy family, Lady Nangong would never allow her to pursue such a “lowly” profession.

In the world of the elite, any job that serves others is considered low, except being a doctor or a lawyer.

If she couldn’t become a business management elite, she could opt for a “leisure” major. Music, dance, art — all acceptable; computer science, astronomy, perhaps; at worst, history or philosophy.

Lady Nangong didn’t mind what she chose because, upon graduation, a position would be ready for her regardless.

Xianyu Zhen had no artistic talent, nor interest in other fields, so she settled on history. She’d heard that Liyang College housed an underground history museum, said to rival those of world-class stature.

She had no grand ambitions, simply wished to learn more about the world and its history. If possible, someday in the future, she hoped still to work with animals, even if it meant her major was worlds apart.

The Faculty of History, compared to others, was modest in size, with only three lecture halls, all amphitheater-style, centered around a three-dimensional projection space.

Today, only one was open. Yet, even with all the history students gathered, there were fewer than twenty.

Oh, with Xianyu Zhen entering, the number was exactly twenty!

Among these twenty, perhaps only a couple genuinely loved history. Most were simply gilding their credentials or hoping to enjoy a few more years of campus life.

Xianyu Zhen didn’t care about others; she only wanted to spend these four years quietly, with as few people around her as possible.

Once all the students had arrived, the student council officer responsible for the history department, a fourth-year named Gao Wenyu, held a brief meeting.

Gao Wenyu was refined in both appearance and demeanor, his words neither fiery nor cliché, simply summarizing the state of the history department and inviting each student to introduce themselves.

Most history students were quiet; their introductions were brief.

When it was Xianyu Zhen’s turn, after her introduction, Gao Wenyu spoke: “Xianyu, given your outstanding academic record at your previous school, the student council has specially invited you to join us as an officer.”

“The application form has been sent to your email. Please fill it out and submit it to the council president tomorrow, Monday.”

Typically, student council members were carefully selected, but Xianyu Zhen was chosen as soon as school began — clearly, her family background was solid enough to require no further explanation.

But among the powerful families in Imperial City, no one had heard of the surname “Xianyu.”

Amid the crowd’s puzzlement, the history department’s meeting ended.

Afterward, all students were to gather in the college auditorium for the opening ceremony of the new academic year.

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Liyang College’s opening ceremony was quite grand.

First, several key college leaders took turns giving speeches. Then, the student council president and outstanding student representatives from several departments spoke.

Finally, the college invited a popular band to perform on stage. The ceremony lasted until just before noon, concluding at twelve.

Xianyu Zhen didn’t leave immediately; she still needed to hand over the book.

But today, the lost and found was closed. Helpless, she took the book home.

When she left the college, most students had already dispersed.

“Beep beep beep…”

A series of sharp horn blasts drew the remaining students’ attention.

It was the flashiest Ferrari on the market, and its owner, even more dazzling, possessed an appearance of unmatched allure.

“Zhen Zhen, little sister!”

Upon hearing that sweet, teasing call, Xianyu Zhen felt a wave of awkwardness.

She looked ahead, and the charming, flamboyant young man waving and smiling at her was none other than Nangong Lü, the peacock himself!

She could have pretended not to see or hear him, waiting quietly for Su Cha to drive up.

But the curious and envious gazes of the surrounding students all fell upon her, and Su Cha’s car inexplicably failed to appear.

Xianyu Zhen had no choice but to climb quickly into Nangong Lü’s car, urging, “Let’s go!”

She didn’t want to be the center of attention on her first day.

Yet, from the moment Nangong Lü appeared, she was already the headline of Liyang College’s campus gossip forum!

It would be days before she realized this.

As Nangong Lü’s car left the college, Su Cha called, explaining that Nangong Lü insisted on picking her up personally. Su Cha had parked nearby and was following behind, so she needn’t worry.

Xianyu Zhen simply disliked Nangong Lü’s flashy style, not fearing he might do anything to her. After all, he was the second young master of the Nangong family; he wouldn’t truly harm her.

His intent was likely just to test her.

Because she was the only normal person in the Nangong family — something only Lady Nangong and the eldest master knew. Lady Nangong’s care for this distant relative surely aroused suspicion among the others.

“Zhen Zhen, little sister, how was your first day as a new student? Did you find the college fun?” Nangong Lü spoke in his usual, unserious manner.

“It was fine,” Xianyu Zhen replied casually.

Nangong Lü continued, “What do you think of your student council president? He’s my junior from the same department. If you need anything, just reach out to him.”

Xianyu Zhen’s history department had been seated in a distant corner; her “vision” was poor, and she disliked prying into others, so she hadn’t paid much attention to what the president looked like. From his voice, he seemed gentle.

“Alright,” she answered briefly.

Nangong Lü felt this laid-back little sister was truly hard to “get along” with. In the words of their usual crowd, she was not easy to conquer!

The car soon arrived at the Nangong residence. Nangong Lü drove in, avoiding the main villa.

It was Sunday, and who knew if his elder brother was home? He certainly didn’t want to be caught!