Chapter Eighteen: Falling Snow

Today was Ye Feng’s first day of the new school term. He woke up early, made a bit of millet porridge, and had breakfast with Xia Ling. After tidying up his things, he got ready to head to school.

“Ling’er, I’m off to class. Be good at home and look after the house. When I get back, I’ll buy you some sweets.” Ye Feng saw Xia Ling, who had finished eating and was now clutching her phone, absorbed in a game of Honor of Kings. He could only shake his head in resignation. This little girl seemed to love gaming even more than he did.

“Get lost!” Xia Ling snapped without even looking up.

“Ling’er, can you be a little gentler with me? If you stay this fierce, you’ll never get married, you know. No matter how pretty you are, you can’t always act so mean.” Ye Feng shrugged as he spoke.

“None of your business!”

Ye Feng had long since grown used to Xia Ling’s icy temperament.

Today was the first day back at school, so the campus was exceptionally lively. Not only were there new students registering, but the sophomores, juniors, and seniors were all returning as well.

For many freshmen, it was their first time leaving home. Excitement and a touch of nervousness mingled in their hearts. They were thrilled to be independent at last, stepping out from the warmth of their families into society, yet also afraid that university life would be hard to adapt to.

Many parents had brought their children to settle in. After making sure everything was in order, some mothers quietly wiped away tears, clearly worried about their kids. From this day on, their children would move step by step further from their parents.

When they were first born, children couldn’t leave their parents’ sides for a moment. But once school began, the time spent at home grew less and less. By the time they started working, they’d hardly ever return.

Ye Feng wandered the campus, bored, as he’d always been on his own. He couldn’t help but feel a pang seeing students accompanied by their parents, but the thought quickly faded as his eyes were drawn to the multitude of beautiful girls from all over, each with her own unique charm—there were so many, he couldn’t even take them all in.

He soon found the registration area for new students in the Department of Economics. The registration tables were set up on the open ground in front of the girls’ dormitory; there were simply too many new students for any classroom to hold them all.

Large signs marked each class.

Ye Feng looked around. “As expected, the Economics Department really does have its fair share of beauties. I’ll be soaring in a sea of lovely ladies from now on, but with so many, how could I possibly devote myself to them all? What a waste.”

Thinking this, he walked over to the table for Class 31B, where two girls, dressed up quite nicely, were handling registration. Usually, sophomores handled the new student check-ins. Ye Feng overheard their conversation.

“Sigh, it seems we picked the wrong department to help out with. We came hoping to check out some senior guys—if there were any good ones, we could strike while the iron was hot and make a move,” one of the girls said.

“Yeah, but this class only has four boys. The first three aren’t much to look at.”

“One’s chubby, one’s got a face full of stubble, and the last is pretty delicate, but…”

“I wonder what the fourth guy looks like. He has to be handsome,” the other girl said, folding her hands together and closing her eyes in prayer.

“Excuse me,” Ye Feng asked politely.

At the sound of a male voice, one of the girls snapped her eyes open. The light in her eyes dimmed a little when she saw Ye Feng, but quickly reignited.

“Hello, senior!” she replied excitedly.

Ye Feng thought she had pretty decent taste, but soon realized her gaze wasn’t on him at all, but fixed somewhere behind him. He turned to see another young man, and realized the girls’ attention was all for him. To Ye Feng, the guy looked utterly repulsive—how could they find him attractive? He really couldn’t see it. As he frowned, however, he noticed a stunningly beautiful girl beside the other guy.

She was quiet and elegant, wearing a simple T-shirt and a pair of casual pants—conservative and understated, like a lotus flower standing silently in the pond, inviting admiration from afar.

Another girl looked up quickly at the mention of “handsome guy.” “So the fourth boy really is handsome?” But when she saw the boy behind Ye Feng, her lips parted in surprise and her cheeks flushed. “He’s so cute!”

“Excuse me, could you step aside?” one of the girls nudged Ye Feng, indicating he should move out of the way.

“Hey, I was here first, wasn’t I?” Ye Feng said helplessly. The other boy stepped forward as well. “Sorry, man,” he said, then ignored Ye Feng, while the beautiful girl with him never even spared Ye Feng a glance.

“So just saying sorry lets you cut the line?” Ye Feng muttered, a little annoyed, but he didn’t make a fuss. He had plenty of time after all, and with them cutting in, he could take a better look at the pretty girl.

“Are you from Class 31B?” one of the girls asked the boy.

“No, I’m here to register my girlfriend,” the boy replied, his tone tinged with pride.

“Oh, so you’re not in this class. And you already have a girlfriend!” the girl sounded a bit disappointed.

“What’s wrong with that?” the boy asked, noticing her reaction.

“It’s nothing. What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“Feixue.”

“Hold on, I’ll look it up.”

Soon, Feixue’s registration was completed and the boy led the girl away.

As they left, Ye Feng stepped forward. “Is it my turn now, you lovesick seniors?”

Their cheeks flushed at his words. “What’s your name?”

“Ye Feng.”

His registration was quickly handled as well.

“Ye Feng, remember to come to the classroom on time tomorrow. The counselor will go over everything you need to know,” one of the girls reminded him as she handed him his documents.

Ye Feng took his things and turned to leave. He’d only gone a few steps when he overheard their conversation.

“Well, that’s it. All four boys in this class are a lost cause—no comparison, no pain. We should’ve gone to the Mechanical Engineering Department; I hear it’s full of handsome seniors.”

Their words reached Ye Feng’s ears with perfect clarity. They thought he couldn’t hear them, but Ye Feng’s hearing was far sharper than most. He thought to himself, are girls these days all blind to real beauty?

“Yes, exactly,” the other girl agreed.

“But the new girls in this class are really pretty! That one just now was stunning—the boys in this class are so lucky.”

“Yeah, even I feel a little envious. If I were a guy, I’d have to make a move on them.”

“You’d better worry about finding someone to make a move on you first…”

Ye Feng stopped listening to their banter. Although their lack of appreciation for his handsomeness annoyed him, he was secretly delighted to hear that his class had so many pretty girls.

Just as Ye Feng was about to leave, a BMW pulled up suddenly to his right. Instinctively, he stepped back a few paces, and the car screeched to a halt right in front of him.

Cursing quietly, Ye Feng watched as the driver’s door swung open and a fashionable-looking young man got out. The youth shot Ye Feng a glare, then hurried around to open the passenger door. First, a slender, shapely leg emerged, adorned with a red high heel, followed by an ultra-short skirt. The boy murmured a soft “be careful,” then rather suggestively helped the girl out of the car.

She wore large sunglasses and carried an LV handbag. After getting out, she stepped toward Ye Feng.

“Hick, do you not watch where you’re walking? If you scratched my car, could you afford to pay for it?” she said with contempt.

She was quite pretty and exuded a heavy scent—not the natural fragrance of a young woman, but rather the overpowering aroma of cosmetics, with a hint of something more pungent, which made Ye Feng’s sensitive nose wrinkle in discomfort.

He pinched his nose. It wasn’t that he disliked fragrance, but he preferred the natural scent of a girl’s skin.

She found his reaction offensive. In her experience, no boy ever wanted to miss a whiff of her perfume, but this country bumpkin was plugging his nose. She thought to herself, I haven’t even complained about his filth, and yet he’s covering his nose first.

“Mu Shao, look at him!” she whined, tugging at the young man’s arm.

The boy swaggered over. “Hey, what’s your name? You almost damaged my car, do you realize that?”

“Ye... Feng…” Ye Feng recognized the type immediately—people like them weren’t worth arguing with. He knew they were picking a fight, so he deliberately acted timid.

The boy seemed even more pleased at Ye Feng’s submissiveness. “Look at you, so spineless! What class are you in?”

“31B.”

“Meng Han, this loser is actually in your class.” Mu Shao’s disdain was obvious as he glanced at Ye Feng’s plain clothes.

“Just my luck! I should’ve checked my horoscope before coming out today!” Meng Han snorted.

“So… do you want me to pay for it?” Ye Feng asked, feigning fear.

“As if you could afford it!” Meng Han sneered, shaking her LV bag for emphasis.

“Hanh, look at this bumpkin, he’s disgusting. Just ignore him and go register. My house is on fire—you need to come put it out!” Mu Shao said with a wicked squeeze to Meng Han’s rear.

“You’re terrible! Didn’t I put it out for you just last night?” Meng Han giggled, playfully punching him.

“Not completely—it’s flaring up again.”

“I’ll be quick, then.” Meng Han shot Mu Shao a flirtatious look, then glared at Ye Feng in disgust. “Get lost already!”

“So I don’t have to pay, then?” Ye Feng’s lips curled into a faint smile as he spoke.

“No need. Now scram—you couldn’t afford it anyway,” Mu Shao replied.

“Fine, I won’t pay for your car. But you startled me with your reckless driving—I want compensation for emotional distress,” Ye Feng said coldly.