Chapter 25 Say That Again If You Dare

Back in the dormitory, Zhao Fangting, Lu Xiaobin, and Chen Zhe were buzzing with excitement, chattering incessantly.

Each of them had fared well, having successfully obtained the contact information of the girls they were interested in—including Lu Xiaobin and, of course, Chen Zhe. Even though Fu Rao had initially rejected Chen Zhe, she couldn't withstand his persistent pestering. Being from the Northeast, Chen Zhe possessed a level of boldness, meticulousness, and thick-skinned determination that truly no one could match.

[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for completing today’s check-in task. Check-in progress: 7/7. Side quest 1 completed!]

[Task Reward: The latest Huawei Mate XT foldable phone. Please bring your ID to the designated mobile store tomorrow to collect it.]

Having completed his final sit-up, Lin Bai finally finished his seven-day fitness check-in streak. Listening to the system notification in his mind, he felt a profound sense of accomplishment. Getting a new phone was secondary; what mattered more was the significant improvement in his physical condition. He had gained muscle, something that money alone could not buy.

"Zhou Min is clearly the prettiest, isn't she? What’s wrong with your eyes?"

"Nonsense! My Fu Rao is the most beautiful. Didn't you see her killer figure? Huh?" Chen Zhe struck a seductive pose, looking quite ridiculous.

"Chen Shuya is the most beautiful and pure. Those eyes of hers... tsk, tsk, tsk..." Lu Xiaobin took off his glasses, his gaze drifting off into the distance.

Listening to the other three argue over which girl was the prettiest, Lin Bai was speechless. He pulled out his phone, checked his class schedule, set an alarm, put the phone down, and closed his eyes.

...

The first class of the morning began at nine o'clock.

Lin Bai followed his usual routine: waking up at 6:30, jogging with Qin Ruowei, eating breakfast, then returning to their respective dorms to shower, gather books, and head to class.

The "Four Scoundrels" of Lin Bai's dorm set out together, joining the dense crowd of students moving toward the classroom. It was a sea of people, and with the foreign language department having a majority of female students, there was an endless view of fair, long legs.

When the four of them entered the classroom, they found their classmates already seated, with the class monitors—one male and one female—speaking at the podium.

The students spotted the four of them immediately, especially Lin Bai. The last time the class had gathered was during military training, where everyone wore uniform camouflage, looking dark and indistinguishable. Given the changes in Lin Bai over the past few days, the female students were stunned.

The four of them exchanged glances. Lin Bai walked to the front and took a seat in the back row.

"You four, do you realize you're late?"

Before he had even settled into his seat, the male class monitor pointed at them and scolded.

The four were bewildered. Lu Xiaobin glanced at the time, "It's only 8:55. How are we late?"

"Don't you check the group messages?" the female monitor asked, frowning.

The four were confused again. Lin Bai pulled out his phone and checked the class group chat for announcements. Finally, he found the notice. It was several hundred words long, and it did indeed mention that everyone should arrive at the classroom half an hour early this morning. However, the message had been sent after 8:00 PM the previous night, at which time the four of them were busy having fun at the Qingpingyue club and hadn't paid attention.

"Sorry, Monitor. We didn't see it. That's on us." Lin Bai apologized sincerely; if it was their fault, it was their fault.

The female monitor was reasonable enough, but the male monitor continued to lecture: "Late on the very first day of class—no organization, no discipline. You four live together; did you all go blind, or did none of you see the message?"

Faced with the male monitor's abrasive tone, Chen Zhe was the first to lose his temper. He frowned and said, "Wang Peichuan, we’ve already apologized. Isn't that a bit excessive?"

Wang Peichuan glared at Chen Zhe, and just as he was about to retort, the female monitor pulled him back. "Stop arguing. The teacher is coming. Let's start class."

Seeing this, Wang Peichuan had to suppress his annoyance for the time being.

Chen Zhe stared viciously at Wang Peichuan’s back. "Thinks he’s something special. Hmph!"

He didn't bother to lower his voice. Wang Peichuan, who had just sat down in front, heard him, rose in a fury, turned around, and pointed at Chen Zhe. "What did you say? Say that again if you have the guts!"

Chen Zhe, a native of the Northeast, wasn't about to be intimidated. He started to rise to argue, but Lin Bai pressed him back down. Keeping his hand on Chen Zhe, Lin Bai looked at Wang Peichuan with a calm gaze.

"Monitor, this is our class's first session. You wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on the teacher, would you?"

Wang Peichuan looked deeply at Lin Bai, then finally pointed at Chen Zhe and sat back down.

"Brother Bai!" Chen Zhe was furious, looking at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai shook his head. "This was our mistake to begin with. Let it go and focus on the class."

Having introduced the other three to the reality of the situation, they still held a great deal of respect for Lin Bai and didn't say anything further.

Almost the second Wang Peichuan sat down, the classroom door opened, and the teacher walked in with books in hand to take the podium.

"Hello everyone. Who is the class monitor? Please give me a list of the students."

The female monitor, Cao Ying, stepped forward and handed the list to the teacher.

"Good. Let's begin. My name is..."

The first subject was University English, consisting of two sessions, forty-five minutes each, with a ten-minute break in between.

As a student who had made it into a 985 university, Lin Bai had a strong foundation in English, and he found the two sessions quite effortless.

When the bell rang and the teacher left, the students had to rush to their next classrooms, as different courses were held in different locations.

As Lin Bai and his group were packing up and passing by Wang Peichuan, the female monitor, Cao Ying, called out to them.

"Wait a moment."

The four stopped. Cao Ying handed each of them a form and instructed, "These are the university clubs. Everyone is required to sign up for at least one. Please submit them before six o'clock tonight."

"Also, since you weren't here this morning, the class is organizing a dinner this weekend so everyone can get to know each other better. Remember to keep an eye on the group messages."

Compared to Wang Peichuan, Cao Ying’s way of speaking was much easier to accept.

Lin Bai apologized again, "I am very sorry, Monitor. We will be sure to check the class group messages carefully."

Cao Ying smiled, "Go on, let's go together."

Setting aside their roles as class monitors, Cao Ying and Wang Peichuan were just students of the same age. Beside Cao Ying was another girl with a very pretty appearance; she had sparkling eyes, fair skin, and was wearing a floral dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders—she looked incredibly pure.

Lin Bai had learned her name during military training: Li Ruonan, the prettiest girl in their class, the class beauty.

The group walked toward the next classroom, chatting and laughing. During the walk, Li Ruonan would occasionally steal glances at Lin Bai, her eyes filled with a peculiar curiosity.

...

The second class was Pedagogy, and after it ended, it was lunchtime.

Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei met on the second floor of the East District canteen. They ordered a claypot dish and two bowls of rice, sitting in a corner to eat.

"Chess club, dance club, music club, calligraphy club... there are so many. Can we choose not to join?" Lin Bai looked at the club form, feeling rather dejected.

The female monitor, Cao Ying, had said in the morning that everyone had to join at least one, but Lin Bai really didn't want to get involved in these things. If there were a fitness club, he might have considered it.

Qin Ruowei took the form from Lin Bai, scanned it, and finally pointed to one of the options with her finger.

"Here, sign up for this one!"