The time before sleep was ultimately all devoted to Chen Yanfei.
The guardian beast is so interesting, adorable, and sincere—so sincere it's endearing.
If not for the fact that he couldn't explain his current height and appearance, Han Lie wished he could go and hang out with her right away.
Ah!
Not being able to meet for over half a semester, and still having to find a reasonable excuse to keep her waiting, was a real pain!
The next morning, when Han Lie got out of bed, the dormitory was still empty except for himself.
Lonesomely washing his face and brushing his teeth...
No, leisurely washing his face and brushing his teeth, then heading out to exercise.
The humanities campus was very small, but Shanghai International Studies University's main campus had a professional sports ground.
At a little past six in the morning, many people were already exercising.
Han Lie jogged for 5 kilometers and then worked out on the horizontal and parallel bars for a while, thoroughly warming up his body.
His Constitution of 69 had just reached the threshold of the 'excellent' level. But when combined with his Strength and Agility, his overall physical quality was far greater than ever before.
In two lifetimes, Han Lie had never felt so good.
Being healthy and strong truly boosts a man's self-confidence significantly.
It's an instinct engraved in the male psyche.
Han Lie planned to make exercise a long-term endeavor and stick with it.
Directly adding attribute points was enticing, of course, but experience points were too precious in the early stages to allow for comprehensive development.
Besides, why not just exercise more? It was comfortable, saved money, and improved his mental state. What was there not to like?
He exercised until 7:30, returned to the dorm for a shower, and then headed out to eat, running into many familiar faces along the way.
That feeling was very peculiar.
Clearly, the other person didn't know him and acted like a stranger. Yet, he knew with such clarity their personality, their future, and their potential for kindness or betrayal towards him...
It was as if everything was in his grasp.
It felt insanely good.
Han Lie enjoyed it but didn't let himself become lost in it.
After all, the future had to be created by oneself. Being able to see it didn't necessarily mean one could achieve it.
The canteen at Shanghai International Studies University was high-quality, but the prices were a tad steep.
A glass of milk for 4 yuan, two vegetable buns for 6 yuan, a small bowl of beef noodles for 15 yuan, and a small plate of cold mixed vegetables for 5 yuan.
In total, it cost 30 yuan.
In 2013, such spending was a bit extravagant.
Boys with bigger appetites simply couldn't afford the canteen.
Han Lie's family gave him a living allowance of 4,000 yuan per semester, averaging about 900 a month, so his daily budget was 30 yuan.
It was hardly enough for food.
Normally, he'd have to eat at the cheap cafeterias outside that catered to migrant workers. For 12 yuan, he could get two vegetable dishes, half a meat dish, a bowl of soup, and unlimited rice.
Taste-wise, it was nothing to write home about.
Two proper meals cost 24 yuan. Breakfast was two steamed buns with a packet of pickled mustard greens for 3.5 yuan.
He could save 18 yuan a week for other pursuits.
Like staying overnight at an internet cafe for 10 yuan, buying water for 3 yuan, and indulging in a 5-yuan bowl of instant noodles with an added egg.
Such happiness was so cheap, yet so luxurious.
If he went online frequently or overspent on daily necessities, he'd have to cut back on regular meals, eating instant noodles more often.
What about smoking?
Good schools offered various scholarships, and there were tutoring jobs, but Han Lie could only resort to handing out flyers.
Standing all day on weekends earned him 80 yuan.
That covered the week's cigarette money.
But then how did he manage to date girls?
Han Lie forgot.
He started pursuing Yu Yun in his sophomore year, but the memories of those three years faded completely in just half a year.
Han Lie only remembered that he once gave her a necklace that cost 498 yuan, which he never saw her wear.
It would have been better to spend 50 yuan on a collar; perhaps she might have worn that occasionally.
Of course, who knew what sort of games she was playing, or with whom...
Thinking back, it was quite amusing.
Unfortunately, only those who had made it safely ashore were qualified to feel nostalgic.
When you were still floundering in the sea, all you felt was grievance and resentment. How could there be any sense of relief?
So-called advice to be magnanimous was just people on the shore pointing fingers at a dog struggling in the sea—talking a big game without feeling the pain themselves.
Having personally experienced both states, Han Lie decided he wouldn't try to persuade anyone to be magnanimous, nor would he force anyone to be forgiving.
It was enough for him to be broad-minded himself~~~
Han Lie leisurely finished his breakfast and walked alone towards the classroom.
He encountered many classmates on the way—Xi Luting, Yu Yun, and the Five Tiger Generals were among them.
He nodded and smiled but didn't initiate conversation, keeping his distance.
Still, that didn't stop some overly familiar people from latching onto him.
"Hey, bro! You're so awesome! Living on the lower floor, isn't it comfy? Damn, we're so jealous!" Zhang Tieshu darted to Han Lie's side, brimming with enthusiasm as he tried to cozy up to him.
This guy was nicknamed 'Bark.'
He stuck to whoever was doing well.
Once he latched on, he'd be all over the place, loudly proclaiming himself their 'good brother.'
If he couldn't ingratiate himself, he'd smile to your face but secretly stir up trouble behind your back, hating you to the core and not resting until you were ruined.
Jin Xin was the second to sidle up, his eyes squinting into a slit with his smile.
"Young Master Han, when are you going to invite us brothers to your dorm to hang out? I've never seen what an international dorm looks like!"
Han Lie thought, I wouldn't dare invite *you* of all people!
If you came even once, who knows how many things would go missing...
Jin Xin, also known as 'Stingy' and 'Slick,' was so tightfisted that not even Xi Luting could pry a single yuan out of him.
During his four years at university, he only spent money on Fang Feifei.
Reportedly, it was for room money, condom money, and Malatang.
He was too stingy to treat her to better restaurants.
He'd mooch daily necessities from others in the dorm, while his own toilet paper was forever locked in his cabinet; one roll could last an academic year.
Once, he got into a fight with Chen Ping over stealing. When everyone forcefully pried open his cabinet door, they were collectively dumbfounded.
Good heavens! His cabinet was full of things he'd pinched from others: toilet paper, face wash, condoms, cigarettes, and snacks.
The craziest part was, the guy didn't even smoke and actually hated the smell of cigarette smoke...
But he still swiped them; after all, he couldn't return from visiting someone empty-handed.
And clearly, when he and Fang Feifei went to a hotel, he hadn't spent any money on condoms. Some poor sap must have 'sponsored' them.
Outrageous, wasn't it?
The 1918 Five Tiger Generals were famously notorious.
The other three 'great talents' were equally formidable characters:
Duan Xiaoyi—nicknamed 'Shorty Yi'—all show and no substance, a master of passive-aggression.
Chen Ping, the Berserker, couldn't open his mouth without swearing, as if to prove his 'big shot' status from his hometown's underworld.
Lou Zhi, nicknamed 'Low Zhi,' always engaged in all sorts of despicable acts, a true reincarnation of a green-eyed monster.
In his previous life, this gang of demons and fiends had made Han Lie utterly miserable.
Thank goodness, none of the three paid any attention to Han Lie at the moment, instead clustering around Xi Luting and Yu Yun, trying to flaunt their charm.
Han Lie inwardly heaved a huge sigh of relief.
If all five of them had swarmed over, I'd really be hard-pressed to hold my temper...
Flashing a smile at 'Stingy' and 'Bark,' Han Lie nonchalantly brushed them off, "Sure, when there's a chance. I'm not too familiar with my roommates yet."
Indeed, he wasn't familiar with them at all.
They hadn't even exchanged names; they were complete strangers!
However, no sooner had Han Lie finished speaking than a group of people suddenly rounded the corner by the building entrance.
Each one looked sleepy, staggering as they walked, but cursing non-stop.
"Is the Business Law teacher insane?"
"Damn it, other teachers don't take attendance, but she just has to make things difficult!"
"What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?"
The group barreled towards the elevator bank.
The people in front glanced back and instinctively made way to the sides.
Jin Xin gently tugged Han Lie's sleeve and whispered a word of caution, "Young Master Han, don't block their way.
They're the most arrogant crew among this year's freshmen of the International Exchange College. That Huang Wei didn't even get penalized for fighting during military training! We can't afford to mess with them..."
'Bark' maintained his smile, almost bowing and scraping, clearly intending to get familiar with them and find an opportunity to suck up later.
This fellow never missed an opportunity.
No opportunity? He'd create one.
Xi Luting pulled Yu Yun back a bit.
They had originally been at the front, about to be the first to board the elevator.
But seeing Xi Luting's actions, it was clear she had no intention of squeezing into the same elevator with Huang Wei and his cronies.
The group of six from the International Exchange College barged forward, cursing, clearly accustomed to their privileged status within the college.
Halfway there, LV looked up and suddenly saw a memorable profile, causing him to jolt.
Huang Wei and the short guy from Northeast China were pulled to a halt by LV, who had suddenly stopped. They looked up impatiently... Holy shit!
They had almost run straight into him!
Han Lie, with his head cocked, gave a fleeting glance.
Ostensibly, he was looking at Huang Wei, but he had actually opened his status panel and was amusing himself by counting something.
Huang Wei finally understood what his buddies meant by that terrifying gaze: "blank, cold, emotionless, unfocused, like looking at chickens or ducks."
He had been half-skeptical before.
How could a normal person look like that?
Were you guys just too cowardly and scaring yourselves?!
Now, he believed it.
Not only did he believe it, but he also seriously suspected Han Lie had some major underlying illness.
If he didn't have some kind of mental problem, there was no way he could look at people like that!
Huang Wei hurriedly averted his gaze, his heart pounding with panic.
LV and the short guy from Northeast China were stunned for only a moment before instinctively bowing and scraping—
"Big brother!"
"Good morning, big bro!"
The Five Tiger Generals—Stingy, Bark, Shorty Yi, Low Zhi, and the Berserker—were all utterly dumbfounded.
Xi Luting and Yu Yun widened their eyes and quietly covered their mouths.