It was time for orientation again.
Unconsciously, Chen Pingjiang sighed, realizing he had been in college for a year, but he couldn't really say what he had learned this past year.
Colorful flags fluttered on both sides of the road, and dense crowds surged towards the registration points and dormitories, clearly divided.
Various blue, yellow, and green sun shelters were re-erected, and the streets were filled with popular songs and hawkers' cries.
"Hello, student, I'm a promotion specialist from Renren.com. Would you like to learn more?"
"..."
Even the lowest-level part-time student distributing flyers for Renren.com stood tall among their "peers," appearing incredibly impressive.
No choice, it's a big company!
Schools recruiting volunteers to help freshmen move luggage usually offer extra credits.
As everyone knows, a single credit can even drive a college student to pilot a spaceship.
To help freshmen move their luggage, the older students could be said to have used all their skills and displayed their unique abilities.
However, the items brought by the younger students made people exclaim,
"What an imposition!"
It made people exclaim,
"Dear younger students, older students are volunteers, not a volunteer army."
Some freshmen openly accepted the "kindness" of the older students, even feeling it was their due.
The "big suckers" carried things by hand and on their shoulders, panting with exhaustion, while the freshmen walked casually behind them with empty hands in their pockets, and even some parents felt this was appropriate.
Students who merely waited for others to help them move were simply spoiled.
Of course, more freshmen were sensible, packed light, and handled their own affairs.
Renren.com, which had long been deeply rooted in the Dongjiang market, collaborated with various universities across Dongjiang to prepare for this orientation.
Hand-drawn maps of each school, specially customized canvas bags with college logos and Renren.com logos, exclusive Coca-Cola bottles engraved with freshmen's names, freshman blind boxes, and other gifts made the "newbies" exclaim that the opening ceremony was full of grandeur.
"Younger female student, you're really impressive. There are very few freshmen who register alone, especially a girl like you."
Zhao Shaoyang had specially dressed up today; the strong scent of hair gel could be smelled from three meters away, and he was now chatting with a freshman, a smile playing on his lips.
The younger female student smiled, her lips pressed together, constantly looking around.
Everything about university felt new to her:
"Student, do you know Chen Pingjiang? I applied to the University of Finance and Economics because of him."
Zhao Shaoyang brightened up immediately when this was mentioned.
"Of course I know him, and we're particularly close."
"Ah! Really? I've seen older student Chen Pingjiang and think he's super handsome. What's he like in person?"
The eccentric Zhao Shaoyang didn't feel anything wrong with discussing his boss with the pretty younger female student.
Instead, he was excited about being able to use Chen Pingjiang as a topic to bridge the distance between them.
"He's alright in person, just a little less impressive than me."
"Why would I lie to you? Brother Chen and I are like brothers, same class, same dorm, so close we even share clothes sometimes."
"When he first started his business, he even borrowed money from me."
"..."
Similar scenes were playing out all over campus.
As a leading figure under the age of twenty in China, Chen Pingjiang's influence among young people was even greater than he himself realized.
Renren.com's Series A financing, extensive media coverage, and later the "accusation" of Xiaonei.com and Tencent's "misdeeds" were further hyped, greatly increasing his popularity.
"Wow, someone at our University of Finance and Economics actually keeps cats and dogs? Is no one managing this?"
Near the Entrepreneurship Park, a cute short-legged Corgi with its mouth agape and tongue out was playing with another plump, round orange cat that looked like a ball.
The Corgi was extremely active, constantly licking, scratching, or biting to bother the chubby orange cat, but the chubby orange cat ignored it completely, lazily staring at the crowds passing by with half-closed eyes.
"So cute, it's adorable! My maiden heart has melted."
"Go pet them quickly."
"..."
This dog and cat particularly attracted attention on the roadside, with freshmen constantly flocking to touch or photograph them.
The reactions of the dog and cat were also vastly different.
The Corgi was a little afraid of so many people watching, instinctively retreating a few steps, its face showing vigilance.
The chubby orange cat remained lazy and still, letting anyone touch or photograph it, only lazily yawning.
An older student proudly introduced them:
"These are our school's two divine beasts. The short-legged Corgi is called 'Xuezhang,' and the orange cat is called 'Xuejie.' No one dares to mess with them on campus. It's said that if you encounter them before an exam and pay your respects, they can bless you to pass without failing."
Everyone was amused by these funny names.
A girl asked,
"Xuezhang, aren't pets not allowed in university? Are these kept by the school?"
The Xuezhang smiled and shook his head, explaining,
"Of course not. If you keep pets, they'd be confiscated within days. But the owner of this Corgi and orange cat is no ordinary person."
"Who owns them then? That's so awesome."
"Mr. Chen Pingjiang."
Just then, two girls came jogging from the direction of the Entrepreneurship Park, sweating profusely in a hurry.
"Oh, my two little rascals, we finally found you. If we lost you, Xuejie Wan would kill us!"
"Phew, that scared us to death."
The cat and dog were "taken away" amidst the reluctant gazes of the crowd.
"Look, those two are employees of Renren.com. Last year, it was still easy to get into Renren.com, but unfortunately, it's said that Renren.com no longer recruits current university students, at most hiring part-timers for flyer distribution and promotion."
"I really envy these people. Others face unemployment right after graduation, while they'll be earning several thousand a month when they graduate."
............
Cong Nini, wearing her "battle uniform" JK uniform, held a small leather bag in front of her with both hands, constantly looking towards the end of the road.
Passing freshmen, parents, and even some older students occasionally glanced at her.
Although Cong Nini's beauty couldn't compare to Zhang Xinyue or Yan Yan, she wasn't someone just anyone could lightly challenge.
Being among the top five beauties at the University of Finance and Economics was not an issue.
Especially after a year of university influence and continuous improvement in her dressing and styling skills, she became even more beautiful.
Her fair skin complemented the youthful and lovely JK uniform.
Cong Nini completely ignored the complex gazes from around her, maintaining a cool and aloof expression.
A moment later, a volcano grey Panamera slowly approached from the end of the road, unable to pick up speed due to the numerous pedestrians.
Cong Nini's eyes lit up, and the smile at the corner of her mouth was uncontrollable.
Chen Pingjiang wore sunglasses and a black baseball cap, dressed in a black T-shirt, trying to make himself less conspicuous.
Passing pedestrians quickly avoided the Panamera, but Cong Nini walked quickly, opened the car door, and stepped in with her fair calf.
Cong Nini looked at Chen Pingjiang's cool demeanor, her eyes sparkling.
If it weren't for the people around, she would have rushed up and taken a couple of bites out of him.
"Alas, on the very first day of university, reality taught me a lesson. Sure enough, beautiful women still need to be paired with rich, handsome, and tall men."
"Who is that guy? So arrogant. And that beauty just got in the car as soon as she said, not reserved at all."
Many sophomores and juniors chuckled upon hearing this, looking forward to these freshmen recognizing reality.
Chen Pingjiang grunted a little impatiently:
"Are you sick or something? It's your birthday, just meet at the restaurant, isn't that simpler? Why do you insist on me making a big fuss to pick you up? Aren't you embarrassed with so many people watching?"
Instead of getting angry at being scolded, Cong Nini happily said,
"Not angry at all. If I can't be your official girlfriend, can't I at least show off a bit? You said it yourself, it's my birthday today, I'm the boss. I'll make it up to you later."
Having not seen Chen Pingjiang for an entire summer, and the last time they were alone was during a spring outing, Cong Nini stared intently at Chen Pingjiang, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him.
"Do I have flowers on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"I'll just stare. You were busy with work before, so I didn't dare disturb you, but every time I saw you in the news, I was so happy. You don't know, sometimes just thinking about it makes me feel... exhilarated."
Chen Pingjiang sneered as he looked at Cong Nini, who still harbored "the ambition to overthrow the emperor," thinking,
"Good thing I remained pure, didn't let this woman have me, at most just a kiss."
"I heard a junior rich second-generation heir was pursuing you quite aggressively before,"
Chen Pingjiang teased with a smile while driving.
Their relationship was muddled.
Cong Nini just wanted to cling to Chen Pingjiang and never expressed any desire to advance her status, and Chen Pingjiang didn't have much patience for her either.
"Are you talking about Wang Wei? I would've forgotten about him if you hadn't mentioned it. He's so annoying, always texting me during the summer for no reason. I explicitly told him I have someone I like, but he still won't give up, acting like a clingy monkey. He's already got a ton of romantic debts, and he still wants to hit on me?"
Cong Nini wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Chen Pingjiang laughed:
"Is this still the Cong Nini I know? Where's the former 'Sea King'? Back then, if you met a rich guy like this, wouldn't you take him for all he's worth?"
"Hmph, I told you I've changed, I'm not the old Cong Nini anymore. Now, my heart only has you, Daddy, and I look down on all other smelly men."
In her playful expression, there was a hint of seriousness and a touch of loneliness, though well-hidden:
"Besides, that Wang Wei isn't as handsome as you, and as for money, you could crush him. Any normal person knows how to choose."
Cong Nini's feelings towards Chen Pingjiang were complicated.
Ever since she was slapped during the campus water bar incident, Chen Pingjiang's presence gave her an immense sense of security.
Later, she indulged in the relaxed state of being able to be herself without any pretense in front of him.
Yan Yan's appearance and her own unsavory past made her feel inferior when facing Chen Pingjiang, and she dared not make any excessive demands.
She knew that if she did, Chen Pingjiang wouldn't even see her.
Later, as Chen Pingjiang's startup succeeded, becoming more famous and wealthier, the aura of Chen Pingjiang, amplified by his achievements, made Cong Nini utterly worship him; she was completely enchanted.
To be fair, when Cong Nini wasn't being dramatic, the emotional value she provided was just right.
A barrage of compliments made Chen Pingjiang so flattered he almost lost his bearings.
"If Wang Wei heard you say that, he'd be furious, and you'd drag me down with you."
"What do I care if he goes crazy? Besides, I haven't asked you for anything. As long as you can spend time with me when you're free, that's enough. I'm willingly clinging to you."
Chen Pingjiang smiled wryly and shook his head.
He reached over, opened the armrest compartment, took out an exquisite gift box, and casually tossed it onto the passenger seat.
Cong Nini's expression did a 360-degree turn.
Seeing the Cartier logo on the box, she was so happy she couldn't wait to open it.
A Tiffany Victoria key pendant appeared before her eyes, dazzling and radiating an eternal glow like a work of art.
It was delicate and graceful, dancing with light and shadow, captivating Cong Nini's gaze from the moment she saw it.
"Wow, so beautiful."
Cong Nini's heart was filled with immense satisfaction; this was Chen Pingjiang's first gift to her.
While Chen Pingjiang was driving, Cong Nini leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Stop fooling around, I'm driving."
Cong Nini joyfully opened the vanity mirror, gestured to put the pendant on her neck, struck various poses, and took several beautiful selfies to send to a certain group chat of her best friends.
"Wow, so beautiful! This is a classic Key series pendant from Tiffany. I saw it before, it costs almost thirty thousand."
"Nini, who gave it to you?"
"Wuwu, it's gorgeous, I want one too."
This group was Cong Nini's class group from her hometown, and the three girls in the chat were her best friends from high school.
Seeing all the envy, jealousy, and hatred pouring in from the QQ group, Cong Nini couldn't have been more pleased.
"It's my birthday today, have you forgotten? A boy who's pursuing me gave it to me."
Best Friend A:
"My goodness, what kind of guy is so rich? He's really going all out to win you over."
Best Friend B:
"Tall or not, handsome or not, it doesn't matter if he's plain-looking, you absolutely must get him."
Chen Pingjiang, who was driving, watched Cong Nini first constantly preen in front of the vanity mirror, then take selfies, and finally type rapidly on her phone.
He probably figured she was showing off everywhere.
The Cong Nini in front of him was vastly different from the Cong Nini before she got into the car.
The person was still the same, perhaps no longer a "Sea King," but her eagerness to show off and compare herself to others hadn't changed at all.
If it were Yan Yan, she would at most take a deep look, say thank you, and put it away.
After receiving a heap of envy, jealousy, and hatred, Cong Nini looked at Chen Pingjiang with lingering eyes and softly hummed in a seductive voice,
"Daddy, I don't want to go back to the dorm tonight, okay?"
(End of chapter)