Chapter Fifty-One: Where Dreams Set Sail

(Thanks to Qing Twenty-Seven, Half Good Half Bad, Foodie, Think 2018, Lianlian Surplus, Wiped—Nickname All Taken, Oh My, How Are They All Taken, and Can't Be Handsome for their generous support. Little one, this week’s recommendations have reached 500 votes, so here’s an extra chapter. There are still three days left; I think we could probably add another update. The coming plot will only get more exciting, giving everyone a nonstop thrill. Many of the scenes are fresh and original—unique to this story. Once again, I ask for your recommendations and your bookmarks.)

“Dreams, a hundred flowers bloom in competition.”

Su Tong stood before the gates of Min University, gazing at the eight bold, sculpted characters before him.

In his previous life, Su Tong knew that Min University didn’t have this motto, but here, it did.

A hundred flowers referred to the dozens of ethnicities in the Great Qin Empire.

Min University was renowned for its strong ethnic identity, attracting countless minority students from across the country.

As a result, minority students made up more than half of Min University’s population.

Yandu was the political and cultural heart of Great Qin, drawing in nearly twenty million aspiring residents. With universities everywhere and countless students, the city brimmed with boundless energy.

Given its massive population, Yandu also boasted the highest number and quality of beautiful women in the entire empire.

Su Tong once saw two bare-faced girls in a Wangfujing mall—true goddesses—outshining even the four great beauties of the entertainment world in full makeup.

There’s no shortage of rare beauties among the common people, unseen on television.

Returning to this city once more, Su Tong realized he harbored no real aversion to it—perhaps simply because of its abundance of beautiful women; it was a feast for the eyes.

Su Tong had endured Yandu’s rush hour buses and subways a few times; the chaos resembled a refugee tide. After experiencing it once, he never wished to do so again.

Yandu’s congestion was said to be the worst in the world. To be fair, Su Tong loved the city’s bustle and energy, and its cuisine, but not its housing prices or traffic.

A house was the foundation for any man in Great Qin, the greatest hurdle to marrying and starting a family.

After a busy afternoon paying tuition and settling in, Su Tong returned to the dorm just as his roommates, who’d been out all day, came back.

“Hey, Su Tong, you’re finally here. Didn’t your message say you’d come yesterday? I was ready to fetch you, you hopeless navigator.” His tall roommate, Li Hua, tossed two large bags onto his bed and walked over to punch Su Tong lightly in the chest.

A wave of warmth filled Su Tong’s heart. In his first year, it was this big guy who had treated him best—tall and sturdy, nearly one meter ninety, a true Shandong man.

Though Su Tong was over one eighty himself, he was still a bit shorter than Li Hua.

But the heavens are fair—Su Tong believed he was much more handsome than Li Hua.

“Haha, someone happened to be going my way and brought me over. Besides, you’ve picked me up enough times already. Even if I got lost, there was no rush, so I took my time.” Su Tong smiled.

“Oh? Someone going your way? Don’t tell me it was a girl.” The big guy commented as he unpacked his purchases.

Su Tong glanced at him, but since Li Hua didn’t press, he couldn’t be bothered to answer.

The person who’d brought him was indeed a girl—Yang Feifei.

Yang Feifei was still studying at the Northern Film Academy. Though only twenty, she was already a senior.

“Su Tong, you’re here.” Another roommate, Shao Sheng, returned from shopping with the big guy. Upon seeing Su Tong, a hint of delight flashed in his eyes.

Shao Sheng was from the south, but not much shorter than Su Tong—only four or five centimeters less.

Of the six in the dorm, Su Tong got along best with Li Hua and Shao Sheng.

The other three maintained a surface harmony with the trio, but their hearts were not aligned.

“Yeah, I arrived after lunch. Have you guys eaten? If not, let’s go together.” Su Tong smiled. The old Su Tong had never been this active or optimistic; his change was quickly noticed by Li Hua and Shao Sheng.

“Just one summer break and you’ve become so much more cheerful. Did you get a girlfriend?” Li Hua joked as the three of them headed downstairs to the canteen.

“I think so,” Shao Sheng added.

Li Hua clutched his chest theatrically. “Ah, how many girls in our class and school will be heartbroken when they find out? Tell me, is she from our school or another?” he pressed, ever the straightforward and cheerful one.

Shao Sheng, being from a minority group, was more reserved.

“You think everyone’s like you, obsessed with ‘creating humanity’ and nothing else?” Su Tong brushed off Li Hua’s hand. “If a man has no other pursuits, women lose interest fast.”

Li Hua’s looks were ordinary, but his height was an asset. He’d had a girlfriend since high school, and both had gotten into Yandu—just not the same university.

Li Hua grinned and whispered to Shao Sheng, “Fourth, did you notice? As soon as Su Tong joined us, our head-turning rate shot up.”

It was true; Su Tong had once been the epitome of tall, rich, and handsome. But after his father’s disastrous fall, he was left with only the ‘tall and handsome.’

“I want to soar up to the sky, stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun, and change the world…”

As they passed a dormitory, a boy’s ear-splitting singing echoed out. Su Tong was surprised—the song had even made its way to Min University.

“Damn, does everyone think they can sing this song? That range is too high for him—let’s see if he runs out of breath.” Li Hua covered his ears.

Su Tong laughed. Clearly, neither Li Hua nor Shao Sheng knew that he was the one who’d written and performed that song.

“Dinner’s so much more relaxing; lunch is just too crowded.” Entering the canteen, Li Hua couldn’t help but complain.

Min University’s canteen was always packed at lunchtime. Many nearby office workers came to eat, making it hard to find a seat. Dinner, however, was much quieter.

After the three settled down with their food, they’d barely started eating when two girls arrived with their trays.

“Su Tong, we’re sitting right next to you. You didn’t even spare us a glance?” One girl, seated beside Su Tong, spoke up. She had a pretty face with a smattering of acne on her nose, wore a skirt, and as she sat, her fair calves were visible beneath the table.

“Ha, Tang Yan, when did you return?” Su Tong swallowed his food. He’d actually seen Tang Yan and Wang Yuanyuan earlier, but since they were eating and hadn’t noticed him, he hadn’t greeted them.

Tang Yan was the deputy head of the Literary Arts Department of the Student Union in the School of Management, while Su Tong was just a regular member of the clubs division.

Their student duties rarely overlapped; they’d only met while preparing for the Spring Festival Gala last year as part of the whole student union.

Su Tong and Tang Yan weren’t in the same class and barely knew each other. Li Hua and Shao Sheng, even less so—they’d never spoken to her before.

Neither had much experience with beautiful women; this meal was both thrilling and awkward for them, especially for Shao Sheng, who’d never had a girlfriend.

Li Hua was better off, at least having dated—just not taken the final step—so he was more at ease.

The old Su Tong would have felt awkward too, but now, even if Yang Feifei sat on his lap, he wouldn’t be fazed. But that was only because he’d been half-dead tired at the time; who could think of anything else in that state?

It was like trying to relieve yourself while sprinting a hundred meters—not physiologically possible.

“The new students will be arriving the day after tomorrow.” After dinner, Tang Yan and Wang Yuanyuan asked Su Tong to walk around campus with them, saying they had something to discuss.

Li Hua and Shao Sheng shot Su Tong resentful glances—student duties, they said, but it was obvious they were trying to win him over.