Going back to 18, demanding 30,000 yuan in compensation from the school beauty.

At 6:30 a.m., the train entered Shanghai.

The train attendants woke up the arriving sleeper passengers one by one and returned their tickets and ID cards.

When we arrived at Lin Zhao's berth, he had already finished washing up and packed his luggage.

Sun Jiajun woke up groggily from the middle bunk.

After quickly packing my luggage, without even having time to wash up, the train had already stopped at Hongqiao Station.

The two got off the car.

"Which way do I go?" Sun Jiajun looked at the grand platform and the flowing crowds, completely bewildered.

Lin Zhao stood still, his gaze fixed on the car door: "Wait a minute."

Sun Jiajun followed his gaze, but was puzzled: "Waiting for what?"

Lin Zhao did not answer.

After waiting for about a minute, a girl appeared at the car door.

With short, ear-length hair, wheat-colored skin, and exaggeratedly large eyes, she curiously surveyed the entire platform, her dark pupils filled with novelty and awe.

Unlike Lin Zhao and Sun Jiajun, who both carried light suitcases.

The girl's bag was a large, heavy, red and white checkered woven bag, bulging with many sharp edges.

After a brief interaction last night, Lin Zhao had already guessed that this classmate's family background was probably not very good.

But when he saw this enormous woven bag, he was genuinely taken aback.

The surprise was fleeting.

"Xing Zhou." Lin Zhao waved.

"Ugh."

After Xing Zhou agreed, he noticed Lin Zhao standing not far away and gave her a completely unreserved smile.

He quickly walked over, carrying a woven bag in one hand.

"Are you waiting for me?"

"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, we should be at the same destination, right?"

"Well, it's hard to be wrong about that..."

Xing Zhou's eyes were bright and lively.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Sun Jiajun stood there dumbfounded, hundreds of guesses flashing through his mind in just five seconds.

He nudged Lin Zhao: "Hey, who is it?"

Lin Zhao rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to reply.

"Why don't you put the bag on top of my suitcase? It'll make things easier," he suggested.

"No need, no need, I can carry it."

"Yes, yes, I'll take it." Lin Zhao smiled playfully. "You treated me to braised duck yesterday, so consider this my way of returning the favor. Please do me the honor, classmate?"

Xing Zhou grinned and didn't refuse again.

Lin Zhao admired the female classmate's straightforwardness and reached out to take the rope.

However, the next second, his back slid down three centimeters.

With a "thump".

The woven bag crashed heavily to the ground.

On the platform, all three of them looked completely bewildered.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

Lin Zhao's eyes widened in disbelief; she couldn't understand how this could have happened.

Although the woven bag looks big and bulging, Xing Zhou carried it with one hand and walked briskly just now, so it shouldn't be very heavy, right?

How could this be...?

"How about I take it?" Xing Zhou's face showed embarrassment for the first time.

"No, no!"

Lin Zhao waved her hands repeatedly, looking relaxed. "I slipped just now. This bag isn't heavy at all, it's quite light!"

As he spoke, he subtly turned his feet outward by fifteen degrees, gripped the ground with his toes, tensed his arms, and lowered his body... With a sudden effort, he easily lifted the bag with one hand and placed it on the suitcase.

"I told you it wasn't heavy at all... phew~"

Lin Zhao blushed.

Sun Jiajun saw his brother's little tricks and struggled to suppress his laughter.

The three of them left the station with the flow of people.

Xing Zhou and Sun Jiajun were both visiting Shanghai for the first time. Looking at the station's extensive network of exits, the bright and glaring lights, and the various signs and logos, they recognized every single one of the characters, but their legs simply didn't know where to go.

Fortunately, with Lin Zhao leading the way, they didn't even look at the signs, turning left and right until they quickly exited the station and arrived at the bus stop.

"Mr. Lin, you're amazing! When did you secretly come to Shanghai without telling your father?"

Sun Jiajun complained verbally but admired in his eyes.

Lin Zhao couldn't explain that she had lived in this city for nearly thirty years; she could only say that she had checked the route in advance.

The two of them had no suspicions.

Because it's the start of the school year, many special buses have been set up at the bus stop, heading in multiple directions. Some universities are located next to each other or on the same route, so you can board the same bus, which departs as soon as it's full.

Jiaotong University and USTC are both in Minhang District and not far apart, so the three of them naturally got on the same bus.

Xing Zhou found a seat and sat down first.

There were two empty seats behind him. Sun Jiajun stared at the short-haired figure in front of him, finally getting a chance to interrogate him.

Lin Zhao spoke frankly, recounting in detail the scene of her first encounter with Xing Zhou the previous night.

He didn't think it was a big deal.

Upon hearing this, Sun Jiajun's eyes lit up, and he whispered in a low voice, "Running into a classmate on the train and even eating noodles together?! What kind of idol drama plot is this?! Mr. Lin, you're in love!!"

Lin Zhao was so speechless that she rolled her eyes.

Are you crazy?

"Hey! You're really unfair!"

"How am I being unfair?"

"In this vast sea of ​​people, you two just happened to meet. What do you call that?"

"What's your name?"

"Fate, fate!"

Sun Jiajun became more and more excited as he spoke.

Lin Zhao fanned himself under his nose, still sensing a peculiar smell.

Sun Jiajun said disdainfully, "God has practically handed you a girlfriend, what are you pretending to be so reserved for? This girl is quite pretty..."

"I didn't say she wasn't pretty..."

"See, see, you've been exposed! You said you didn't have any ulterior motives, but it's clearly love at first sight!!"

Sun Jiajun thought he had caught someone red-handed, and he became even more excited.

Lin Zhao was helpless and too lazy to explain, so he simply elbowed him.

Taking advantage of his pain, she said seriously, "Stop it now! I don't believe in love at first sight. Judging whether I like a girl based on her appearance is too superficial and doesn't suit my style!"

Sun Jiajun pursed his lips, put his hands on his hips, rolled his eyes, and did the whole thing.

"Screw you! What kind of behavior is this? Didn't you just declare Tang Wei your only goddess after watching Lust, Caution?"

"...That's different!" Lin Zhao said solemnly.

Sun Jiajun was too lazy to argue with the loading and unloading.

He thought to himself: "Such a pretty and cheerful girl is your classmate. You see her every day. Who wouldn't be attracted? I'll see how long you can keep up this act..."

Speechless all the way.

The bus arrived at Jiaotong University first. Sun Jiajun got off the bus with a mixture of curiosity and fear, reluctantly but trying to remain calm.

Five minutes later, the car stopped at the main gate of USTC.

Lin Zhao, Xing Zhou, and several other students from the same school got off the bus together and stepped into the university, which has a history of only fifty years.

Although Lin Zhao had lived in Shanghai for nearly thirty years.

But he had never attended university, let alone visited HKUST; this was his first time setting foot on the campus.

So at this moment, his novelty and excitement were no less than Xing Zhou's.

Upon entering the gate, you'll find a spacious plaza where a musical fountain is dancing to a lively rhythm.

The students were amazed and exclaimed that it was truly a high-class university in Shanghai!

At that moment, they had no idea that the scene before them was a limited-edition skin for this square; this so-called musical fountain only sputtered once a year...

On either side of the fountain are welcome areas set up by each college.

The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, red flags fluttered in the breeze, and crowds of people thronged the streets.

Lin Zhao and Xing Zhou quickly found the School of Humanities, completed all the necessary procedures, and were then taken to their dormitory by a senior student to check in.

The dormitories of the School of Humanities are in the same campus, but male and female students live in different buildings.

Lin Zhao first escorted Xing Zhou to the girls' dormitory building.

He originally wanted to help her carry her luggage upstairs, but Xing Zhou refused, saying it was too much trouble for him.

Lin Zhao recalled the awkward scene at the train station and decided not to insist.

After unloading the woven bags at the entrance, the two exchanged phone numbers, and he went alone to the men's dormitory diagonally opposite.

Take the keys, get the blankets, and go upstairs.

"316..."

Following the dark and narrow corridor, I counted the door numbers on both sides as I walked forward.

There is a window at the end of the corridor.

On an early autumn morning, the sun shone brightly and intensely, casting a dazzling golden light on the gray floor tiles.

"My university life is finally about to begin, so please don't disappoint this domineering CEO!"