Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Registration for newcomers ended on the second day. After the mass gathering of both university staff and students, the president of the university officially announced the start of the new students’ military training.
The first day of military training started in the afternoon with a simple marching lesson. It was easy and everyone had a good time.
After he put on his training uniform, Luo Ziling’s appeal increased tremendously. Many female students were enthralled by his overall appearance. Some of the braver ones came up to him, asking for his phone number, WeChat, and QQ account ID.
Luo Ziling had always been a ‘yes man’ and so he gave away his social media account IDs to those who asked for it. As a result, the posts on his feeds received many ‘likes’ and comments. Everyone was complimenting how handsome he was, and it felt good.
He asked Cao Jianhui to take a good shot of him and posted the picture to his feed, attracting even more attention.
Li Jing was the first to hit the ‘like’ button and commented ‘handsomehandsomehandsomehandsomehandsome’, followed by a few ‘sparkling eyes’ emojis. Naturally, Luo Ziling got even happier.
‘Ye’, his WeChat friend, also posted a comment, saying that he was indeed handsome. She even posted another joke telling ladies to be careful of him, lest he kidnap them.
Oddly enough, amongst all the ladies who kept on commenting and ‘liking’ his post, ‘Fang Feijin’ was nowhere to be seen.
Back in his village, Luo Ziling had been alone, without any playmates. His socializing attempts were limited to the villagers, and even that was rare. Even though many young and older women had complimented his looks whenever they had the chance, it was not the same as being complimented by numerous people on the net.
He liked it a lot, this being complimented left and right. After being alone for so many years, he was finally getting the acknowledgement he craved.
…
The first day of military training ended well. Everyone was still in high spirits at the end of the day. But little did they know that this was simply the tip of the iceberg. No one knew about the hellish days of training they would soon have to face.
After having dinner in the university cafeteria with his three roommates, Cao Jianhui told everyone that he was going out. He left in a hurry without much of an explanation.
Meanwhile, Li Fuming and Wu Longjiang were both behaving mysteriously. Saying that they had something to do, they persuaded Luo Ziling to return to their room first. As they were being so vague, he had no idea what they were up to. Nevertheless, he did not bother to ask.
After the other three left, Luo Ziling went back into his room. He took a shower, changed into a new set of clothes, and immediately got bored. He left the dormitory in a jiffy but did not head out of the campus.
The sun had not yet dipped below the horizon, its warm, golden rays were still shining down. It was the perfect weather for a breezy walk.
There were still many things about the university that Luo Ziling did not know, such as the size of the entire campus or what the outside of the dormitory looked like.
The sun started to set in the west, lighting up a few buildings. As the last light of day illuminated the concrete buildings, it dyed them a deep golden hue. From a certain point of view, it was undeniably beautiful.
There was a certain beauty to it, and looking at it quickly reminded Luo Ziling about other parts of the campus. He took his time enjoying the scene, then decided to visit Wuming Lake.
Wuming Lake was a famous scenic spot in Yenching University. Although Luo Ziling did not know much about the university, he knew about this place and wanted to visit it. Since there was still time, as the sun was still visible a few inches above the horizon, he decided to slowly stroll towards the lake.
During this time of day, there were not many students around the lake. Many of them were having their dinner either in the university cafeteria or outside of campus. Fortunately, this worked better for Luo Ziling. The smaller the crowd, the better the view of the lake. Silence was the best accompaniment to enjoy the tranquil scenery of the lake.
Everyone agreed that this was the most beautiful place in the entire campus. Having now seen it for himself, Luo Ziling would cast his vote in agreement as well.
He felt peace like never before, as if he was drunk on the peaceful, beautiful scene of nature. With his hands behind his back, he walked in a breezy pace towards the center of the lake. His eyes were glued to the side as he walked, watching and enjoying the fleeting light reflected upon the surface of the lake.
There was nothing but the gentle wind brushing across his face. There was nothing but his own legs keeping him from walking. He was free and it felt incredibly intoxicating. It felt good.
Right now, there were a scarce number of visitors at the lake, though a few still remained. Perhaps more students would return here after they had their dinner.
Basking in the yellow light of dusk, Luo Ziling was now closer to the center of the lake. There, he could see a small bridge that arched across the entire lake. He walked along the small path lined with towering weeping willows, and quickened his pace to get to the bridge faster.
As he got closer, the flora on the side of the path changed to dense shrubs that grew at least two meters tall, blocking his direct view of the bridge. At that moment, the kid in Luo Ziling wanted to do something crazy. He checked to make sure that no one was around, then started to take a few steps back.
There was a small dent near the center of the thick shrubs. That was what he was aiming for, since he was good at jumping. He ran quickly, gaining momentum before jumping almost two meters high, over the shrubs.
However, before he could even adjust himself for a landing, he heard a loud shriek.
It came from a girl wearing a white dress. She had just been coming out from another corner of the shrubs when Luo Ziling went flying over. It was a close call, he had almost tackled her. She had been deep in thought when she was suddenly startled by a young man zooming towards her. It was only natural for her to cry out loud.
Likewise, Luo Ziling was startled too, but he quickly came to his senses. He agilely evaded the young girl and landed away from her. The girl herself instinctively moved away from this trajectory too.
“I’m sorry!” he cried, arching his entire upper body into a low bow.
He had never been more embarrassed in his life. Fortunately the two never actually bumped into each other, otherwise he might actually have tackled her to the ground.
The young girl raised her head and turned to him. She was tall. Definitely no less than a hundred and seventy centimeters. And when she faced Luo Ziling directly, her eyes met with his without needing to raise her head.
The moment their eyes locked, Luo Ziling felt a ‘ZING!’ all over his body, like an electric jolt from the heavens. He couldn’t help cocking his head nervously as he felt something akin to dizziness assaulting his mind.
He wanted to apologize more but his jaw dropped right then. Just like a dumbfounded fool. When he met her eyes, the only thing he could think was just how beautiful this young girl was.
Her gentleness was comparable to the light winds the brushed through the weeping willows on the side of the lake, to the warm dusk light of the fleeting sun past the horizon, to the feeble petals of summer flowers, to the summer dew that glided slowly over a waxy leaf…
He could go on and on but there was no way for him to describe her beauty using human language. He could only feel one thing—stunned silence.
There was grace in her nimbleness. There was beauty that complemented her warmth. She was like a deity that came down from the heavens. She was everything that Luo Ziling liked in a woman. He liked the classic Chinese culture, and liked it more if a girl could have that virtue.
Dress that rustled as the wind brushed past it… Hair that danced in the calmest of breezes…
His heart raced like it never had before, and something was expanding in his heart, something that was overflowing from deep within his soul.
One thing that surprised him was the sense of familiarity he felt upon seeing her face. That feeling of knowing someone, just like seeing an old friend. There was nothing holding him back. How he felt now was so unlike the feeling of reservation, cautiousness, and indescribable pressure he felt when he was with Ouyang Feifei.
As the young girl looked at him, she raised her hands and brushed her wind-swept hair. When she noticed how Luo Ziling was staring at her, she consciously lowered her head.
That move… that subtle movement of hers… made Luo Ziling completely lose himself. His heart sank, like it was the heaviest anchor in the world.
“Thus the grace of lowering one’s head…”
Her graceful movement made Luo Ziling recall a poem written by Xu Zhimo.