Chapter One: Chu Ping

  In the spacious and bright classroom, dozens of people were scattered about, each busy with their own affairs. Some were holding mobile phones to send text messages, some were chatting in hushed tones, while others were dozing off on the desk. At the front podium stood a teacher who appeared to be over fifty years old, lecturing away as if he hadn't noticed the distracted students below.

  In the last row of seats near the door, Chu Ping was lying on the desk with a look of boredom, her round pen moving constantly as she wrote some irrelevant words. Not far away, there was a girl with a clear and beautiful face, who also looked impatient. Seeing Chu Ping writing non-stop, she leaned over to take a closer look, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

  "Can't tell at all, Chuping, you can still write a good hand!"

  Chu Ping slightly raised her head, revealing a pale face that seemed to have been indoors for years, and gave a slightly shy smile. She then lay back down, let out a long yawn, and continued to fiddle with the pen in her hand.

  The girl saw Chu Ping and didn't say a word, nor was she angry, as if it were normal, and continued reading.

  The A4 paper had already been scribbled with more than half of it, randomly and disorderly. It was clear that the person who wrote it didn't put their heart into it, but the words were smooth and elegant, with sharp corners and a lively spirit between the lines. Compared to regular script, it seemed slightly slender. The girl looked like she was in a trance, and couldn't help but whisper to herself.

  "After parting, I don't know how far or near you are, and how much sorrow and melancholy I have endured! As we gradually move further and further away from each other, with no letters to bridge the distance, the vast waters swallow all news of you, where can I ask about your whereabouts? The deep night wind stirs the autumn sounds in the bamboo, a thousand leaves and a hundred voices all speak of longing. In the past, I would lean on my pillow and search for you in dreams, but even those dreams are now lost as the lamp burns out."

  Chu Ping slightly furrowed his brow, and a boy in the front row suddenly turned around, with a playful smile on his face. "Autumn Flower, are you reading what Chu Ping wrote? This kid is always messing around with some old-fashioned stuff, and now our dormitory is filled with an elegant atmosphere." He pretended to be heartbroken, "Alas, we can't keep up with the times, we can't keep up with the times!"

  Chu Ping smiled softly and swung his fist, "Get out of here. Your brother has been cultivating your moral character for free every day, don't be arrogant after getting a good deal!"

  This is a classroom at Jiangbei University, where Chu Ping is one of the freshmen in their first year. Now, it's an old professor's political economics course, with dry and dull lectures that make all the students below sleepy.

  It's almost the end of the semester now, and winter is approaching, but the classroom is warm and cozy, making it hard to get motivated.

  The girl called Qiuhua chuckled and said, "It's indeed true to one's name, equally thin, doesn't seem like a copy!"

  The boy in the front row turned around, "How about it, our dormitory lao ba is not yet an adult now, Autumn Flower, you mustn't have any bad ideas, even if you do, you'll have to wait until next year at this time!"

  Chu Ping snorted and her face turned slightly red.

  Qiu Hua pushed that boy, "Liu Qiang, you can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth, be careful to be a bachelor for life!" Then curiously looked at Chu Ping, with a smile on his face, "You really haven't turned 18 yet?"

  Chu Ping hadn't spoken yet, and Liu Qiang hastily took over the conversation, "Of course, Chu Ping is the youngest in our dormitory, a true otaku..."

  The professor on the stage cleared his throat and said, "You students in the back, keep your voices down!"

  The three of them stuck out their tongues and lowered their voices.

  "This old professor is really stubborn, why hasn't he taken attendance yet? I'm in a hurry to leave after it's done, tomorrow is New Year's Day and there are still events on my game for the next few days, double points!"

  Chu Ping let out another yawn and stopped talking, leaning on the table as if he was about to fall asleep.

  "Qiu Hua blinked her eyes and said, 'Liu Qiang, let's go hiking tomorrow. New Year's Day is a holiday, after all!'"

  Liu Qiang suddenly became enthusiastic, his eyes shining like light bulbs, "Great, great, let's go together!"

  "Of course we'll call out to the whole dorm!"

  Liu Qiang smiled, "Alright, you go back and mobilize your dormitory, I'll go gather ours. These guys have been bored out of their minds with nothing to do, playing games in the dorm every day, it's infuriating!"

  "Qiu Hua pushed Chu Ping and said, 'Chu Ping, let's go together tomorrow!'"

  Chu Ping lazily responded with a "meh", "I won't go then, it's so cold outside and I want to sleep in!"

  Qiu Hua hadn't spoken yet, but Liu Qiang was already staring at him, "I'm telling you, Xiao Ping, you're not getting any younger, it's time to find a girlfriend. This is the perfect opportunity to build relationships. Look at your physique, if you don't start exercising, you'll enter old age prematurely!"

  Chu Ping was about to say something when Liu Qiang smiled and said to Qiuhua, "Don't worry, we'll all go tomorrow, you just need to convince your dormitory!"

  The bell rang, but class was already over!

  The old professor picked up his leather bag and left after saying a sentence at the end of the class.

  "Damn it! He didn't even mention my name, and I wasted two class periods for nothing!"

  Liu Qiang said discontentedly and bid farewell to Qiuhua, then went back to the dormitory with several boys.

  The dormitory of the university, it was always not until 11 o'clock that all eight people were present, and after washing up, they lay in bed, chatting occasionally.

  Liu Qiang cleared his throat and suddenly spoke up, "I'm telling you guys, tomorrow is New Year's Day after all. For the sake of our university happiness, we've spent a lot of effort today to invite some girls to go hiking with us tomorrow. We'll have to get up early tomorrow!"

  "My god, why didn't you say so earlier? I haven't prepared anything!" This was said by Zhang Mingjun, the third in line in the dormitory, who slept on the lower bunk of Chu Ping. Upon hearing Liu Qiang's sudden shocking words, he couldn't help but exclaim.

  "It's all your fault, Liu Qiang! Why didn't you say so earlier? Are you going to let us brothers lose face tomorrow?" Wang Tianyuan, who was sleeping on the upper bunk, slammed his body down forcefully, causing the big bed to creak and groan, as if it was about to collapse and crush Liu Qiang underneath.

  Liu Qiang chuckled twice, "No big deal, no big deal, I've got all the food and drinks ready. You guys just clean up and dress neatly tomorrow, and you'll be fine with your faces alone!"

  "Good!" Several people exclaimed in unison, and the sound carried far away through the window.

  Chu Ping stuck her head out of bed and said in a low voice, "I won't go then! I'm afraid of heights!"

  Liu Qiang looked like he was fed up, and just as he let out a sigh, before he could say anything, Zhang Mingjun from the lower bunk kicked Chu Ping's bed frame with his foot, his tone heavy with emotion. "I'm telling you, Xiao Ping, how can you hold back the progress of us brothers? Those who know understand that you don't like going out, but those who don't know will think our dorm is not united and is having internal conflicts!"

  Liu Qiang chimed in, "That's right! Old Three is absolutely right! Old Eight, you're not just thinking for yourself, but also for your brothers. Today I made a bold statement, if I don't make it come true, you'll owe me a daughter-in-law!"

  Wang Huaqiang, the eldest, Tang Guangbo, the second, Guo Yu, the fourth, Cui Can, the sixth, and Meng Yongren, the seventh, all spoke out in unison, their voices trembling with sobs as they accused Chu Ping of his crimes. It seemed that if he didn't go, it would cause irreparable losses to several people, and the happiness of several people's lives was in Chu Ping's hands!

  Chu Ping covered his forehead with his hand and let out a sigh of despair, "I give up on you bunch of kids! Alright, I've said it before, tomorrow when we go there, I won't care about anything, you guys handle the girls' side!"

  "It's necessary, of course it is. We still don't trust you to handle it, what if that sentence offends someone or you charm the beauty away? Wouldn't that ruin our happiness?"

  Eight people chatted idly for a while, expressing their opinions and filling tomorrow's actions with fantasies.

  Suddenly, Old Wang Huaqiang shouted strangely, "Classmates, please note that the time is approaching New Year's Day at zero point. Please edit and send a happy text message immediately. Don't miss this opportunity and regret it for a year!"

  Several people hastily picked up their phones and saw that it was indeed 11:59. They quickly edited a text message and sent it out in a rush to the group chat.

  Then came a string of short message tones, sending reports and receiving messages, filling the ears.

  Chu Ping opened her mobile phone and typed "Happy New Year" again. After flipping through the phone book, she let out a long sigh and chose only "Mu Wei Qing"'s name, then sent it.

  "Hey guys, who's got some funny or impressive texts to share? Help me out!" Liu Qiang shouted loudly from his bed.

  Then another one came from you and I replied to you, the phone kept ringing nonstop.

  In just a few minutes, Chu Ping also received some congratulatory messages and chose to reply with different content.

  He has always been like this, rarely taking the initiative to contact others, and generally only responding when others talk to him.

  "What's the point of going back and forth like this? The person sending these messages probably doesn't even know who they're sending them to or what they're saying, so why bother putting in the effort to maintain a relationship like this?"

  Chu Ping simply lay in bed, staring at the top of the house illuminated by the fluorescent light of his mobile phone, thinking about some miscellaneous things with nothing to do.

  But even if you understand, what's the point? In society, people ultimately have to compromise, compromising with others and going against their own wishes. No one can be self-sufficient and detached from everything.

  "Is it really necessary for one's life to be ground into smooth, round stones in order to survive the turbulent waves of society?"

  "In the end, must one bury all the love and hate that comes with birth, become just like everyone else, in order to stand firm and establish oneself?"

  "Is it really necessary to erase all the different personalities, just to fit in? Does this society only need outgoing and optimistic people to live a vibrant and easy life?"

  Chu Ping was just staring blankly when her phone suddenly rang. She opened the message, which was from Mu Yuqing, and it only had six words:

  "Merry New Year's Day, goodnight!"

  Chu Ping suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction, replied with a "good night", turned off her phone, rested her head on the pillow and fell fast asleep.