Love & Redemption
Chapter 282: Liuli Fandom - Chronicles of the Bustling Liuli University

Chapter 282: Liuli Fandom - Chronicles of the Bustling Liuli University

Tang Xinqian MM wrote a spinoff... honestly, it’s really good, I’m so looking forward to the rest...

Everyone, let’s encourage MM~~ to keep writing!!!

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I. Freshman Chronicles

a.m.

"Xuanji, get up!" Linglong kicked open Xuanji’s bedroom door, yanked Xuanji out of bed, and hurriedly spoke, "Today is the new student registration, and we have to go early!"

Xuanji rubbed her bleary eyes, responded with a low "oh," then continued to sleep while standing.

"Where are your things? Your suitcase?" Linglong scanned Xuanji’s room and asked.

Xuanji yawned and pointed to a small travel bag beside her desk. "Just this?" Linglong’s voice went up by eight octaves, "How is that enough? Bedding, study materials, books, personal items, we have so much to bring! Don’t tell me, you haven’t prepared anything?!"

Looking at Linglong’s slightly distorted pretty face, Xuanji was fully awake. She hugged Linglong closely and said in a sweet voice, "Let’s buy them near the school, I’m too lazy to carry so much. Anyway, we are in the same city, and it is fine to come back and get them if we have to~"

Linglong took a deep breath and rolled her eyes upwards. Thinking about it, life was tough! Being the elder sister, she always nagged her twin sister like an old hen, yet her sister simply did her own thing, often leaving her choking with frustration.

"Alright then, let’s go. Xiao Liuzi said he’d wait for us at the school gate," Linglong waved her hand, signaling to depart.

Liuli University, here we come!

Why did they choose this university? There were three reasons:

1. It’s in the same city, Xuanji was too lazy to travel far, while Linglong didn’t want to be separated from her sister;

2. Their father, Professor Chu Lei, was the dean of the school’s business department, and their mother, Professor He Danping, was the vice dean. Without this advantage, Linglong’s scores might have just barely made it into the university entrance exams, but Xuanji would have had to adjust her preferences or settle for a second-tier college;

3. Please refer to reasons one and two.

No sooner had Linglong stepped out of the car than she saw a young man in white hurrying towards them, waving as he ran: "Linglong! Xuanji!"

"Xiao Liuzi!" Linglong waved her hand excitedly, thinking to herself with secret delight: Labor has arrived!

Xuanji, holding the strap of her small backpack, looked at Zhong Minyan unsurely. The late August sun was still quite hot. Zhong Minyan’s face was slightly flushed from waiting under the sun, which highlighted his fair complexion even more beautifully, and the sunlight cast a layer of gold around him, dazzlingly so. Xuanji only felt that it was too hot, and she was getting a bit dizzy.

But essentially, it had nothing to do with Xuanji. She saw Zhong Minyan skillfully take over Linglong’s large and small suitcases while nodding at Xuanji, probably not even hearing Xuanji’s mosquito-like greeting.

Yes, he didn’t care.

Xuanji silently followed behind them, listening to Linglong’s constant chattering and Min Yan’s occasional bursts of laughter.

The campus was full of flying flags, and around the large playground, various departments had set up many welcome and registration booths. Many sophomores were posing at their best, while their wolfish eyes were wide open, PPMM recruiting system in full force!

The arrival of Linglong and Xuanji stirred up the pack of wolves. They were nearly in tears. How often in life did one get the chance to see such a perfectly flawless set of twins? One as charming as the bright sun in the sky, and the other as serene as the clear moon hanging overhead. However, it seemed that the charming one was already taken, but at least there was still one left.

Linglong and Xuanji had not expected that in just ten short minutes inside the business department, the "Twin Flowers" of the department had already become famous throughout the entire university.

After signing in, they headed to the gym to pick up items and get accreditation. Stepping inside, Linglong and Xuanji were taken aback by the heat and crowds.

"Oh my gosh, there’s so many people!" Xuanji couldn’t help but step backwards.

Linglong puffed out her chest and looked around defiantly, a little frustrated, "Just a sea of heads, it looks like all men from here!" Given Linglong was only 1.70 meters tall, one could tell the height of the male students in the vicinity. Linglong was somewhat disappointed, she looked sidelong at Zhong Minyan and sighed softly. Was he the only one she could look at for the next four years?

"You guys go line up; I’ll look after your stuff outside," Zhong Minyan seemed intimidated by the crowd as well and quickly moved outside with the luggage.

Linglong, left with no choice, grabbed Xuanji and randomly picked a queue to start lining up.

Xuanji turned her head and gazed out the door at Min Yan, who was engrossed in his phone and didn’t even glance their way. She pursed her lips in self-mockery and turned her gaze back, listlessly watching her own toes.

Suddenly, Xuanji felt the originally boisterous gym fall eerily silent, and she could even hear the whispers of the girls in the next two rows: "So handsome..."

"Who is that?" "What department is he from?" "Is he also a freshman?"

Linglong also noticed the change and immediately looked around, asking, "What’s going on?"

Xuanji tugged at her clothes and pointed towards the entrance of the gym. Linglong couldn’t help but say "Oh!" in realization.

At that moment, three tall youths were walking through the door, almost all around 1.85 meters tall. More notably, all three were exceptionally handsome.

Especially the one in the middle, whose eyes and eyebrows were inexplicably attractive, and not the feminine type currently in vogue, but rather with a proud and aloof temperament. Coupled with a clean and neat hairstyle and a straight figure, he was so appealing yet untouchable.

The youth on the left was even more peculiar, sporting a head of silver hair, earning screams from the surrounding girls. Yet, he frowned at these HC girls with a slight fierceness in his eyes, exuding a somewhat dangerous aura.

And the one on the right seemed a bit more amiable. Although not as splendidly handsome as the male beside him, he could still be considered attractive.

Forget F4, Fahrenheit, TVXQ, everyone step aside. The girls in the crowd instantly boiled with excitement. As they saw the two of them lining up to collect their campus cards, the crowd immediately surged in that direction.

What? Already got your campus card? Can’t I get another one? Dare to stop me? I’ll wipe you out on behalf of the six people in our dormitory!

Like a drop of water into a frying pan, the formation was in total chaos. The surging crowd separated Linglong and Xuanji.

Xuanji was stunned; this was the first time in her life she had seen so many aggressive girls. Without paying attention, someone pushed her from behind, and she immediately fell on the floor. The area was crowded and noisy, with quite a few people stepping on her hand. She cried out in pain, fury rising in her heart, and couldn’t help frowning with her eyes slightly squinted.

Just as Xuanji was about to lose her temper, a pair of large hands steadied her shoulders, intending to help her up.

Is it Min Yan? Did Min Yan see me fall and come to help me up? Xuanji thought quickly but then heard a gentle and clear voice say, "Are you okay? Can you stand up?"

That wasn’t Min Yan’s voice, and the tone and pronunciation were strange, as if he had just learned to speak Chinese. Xuanji quickly stood up, turned her head, and saw, "It’s you! The chief culprit!" Xuanji blurted out without thinking and immediately regretted it, wishing she could crawl into a hole, her face flushing red.

"Si Feng, why aren’t you leaving yet?" The silver-haired boy impatiently shook off a few girls around him and approached them, cursing, "Damn, a bunch of stinking little misses, so annoying. Haven’t you ever seen a man before!"

Si Feng, after hearing Xuanji’s words, didn’t counterargument but just smiled lightly and let go of his hands. To the silver-haired boy, he said, "Now. Too many people. Come back. In the afternoon."

"Let’s go, let’s go," said the silver-haired boy impatiently, and then yelled at the people further away, "Ruo Yu, let’s get going!"

The three people who caused the chaos in the gymnasium thus left amidst the stunned gazes of many young girls.

"Who are they?"

"They’re from the International Students’ Office. The one with phoenix eyes is named Yu Sifeng, the silver-haired one is Bu’er Tengshe, and the one who smiled at you just now is named Ruo Yu," a girl, flipping through her notebook, explained.

"Wow..."

"How do you know?"

The girl closed her notebook with pride, pushed up her glasses that had slipped down slightly on her nose, and said confidently, "Look who I am! There’s nothing in this school that Lu Yanran of the School of Journalism can’t find out!" As she spoke, she smiled watching their retreating figures.

After things settled down, Linglong found Xuanji and anxiously checked if she was hurt.

"So that person is named Yu Sifeng. Quite handsome," Linglong sighed, "An international student, huh..."

"No wonder his Chinese isn’t good," Xuanji laughed, "Chirping away, just like a bird person; indeed, the International Students’ Office is like a bird-person college..."

Chapter 2: Dormitory Tales

The dormitories at Liuli University are two apartments per floor, with each apartment having a three-bedroom, one-living-room setup. Typically, 6 students live in each apartment.

"Welcome to Room 414 of Building 1." A round-faced girl with a sweet smile warmly greeted Linglong and Xuanji, "Hello, I’m the dormitory head—Ye Qinghe."

Two other girls stood beside Ye Qinghe. One had a gentle and beautiful face, long hair to her waist, and was wearing a light blue dress, giving off an ethereal and otherworldly aura. She softly said, "Xia Maolan," and smiled faintly, making Linglong and Xuanji feel as if they were breathing in the fresh air by the sea.

"Zhu Neng!" The other one seemed lethargic, casually leaning on Xia Maolan and stretched out a pig trotter—oh, no, a hand, waving at them and adding, "My hobby is to throw myself at all beauties."

Xuanji was confused and a bit frightened. Linglong immediately stepped forward and replied, "Hello, I’m Chu Linglong, and this is my sister, Chu Xuanji. We hope our seniors can provide lots of guidance."

"Sure, sure," Zhu Neng responded with a mischievous smile, which was promptly dispersed by a slap on the back from Xia Maolan.

"Don’t scare the kids!"

"Ouch..."

Zhu Neng, clutching her face, scurried to Room A, shouting, "Qian, Maolan hit me!"

Linglong and Xuanji had just realized there was another roommate missing and couldn’t help but curiously follow to the door of Room A to take a look.

They saw Zhu Neng running out with a girl, shouting, "Guests coming, guests coming!"

"You dead pig, I was in the middle of a raid!!!" The girl she dragged out was furious, but as soon as she saw the angelic-looking Linglong and Xuanji, her face changed, and she revealed two large dimples.

"New students, huh! Hello, hello! My name is Tang Xinqian!" She then eagerly grasped Linglong and Xuanji’s hands, examining them both with a beaming smile.

"Which college are you guys from?"

"The School of Economics and Management."

"Are all the enrollment procedures done? Do you need any help with anything?...￥**%**￥%"

"Damn!" Zhu Neng complained mournfully, leaning against Xia Maolan, and said in a low voice to Ye Qinghe, "Qian is too quick to act."

Ye Qinghe shook her head and said, "It’s fine. She’s always fickle, only chasing after the novelty."

Liuli University, in an attempt to better integrate students from different departments, implemented mixed housing. Therefore, although Linglong and Xuanji were assigned to the same dormitory, their other roommates were not freshmen.

After a day of interaction, Linglong and Xuanji had a general understanding of the other four people’s situations.

Ye Qinghe, a senior direct-entry graduate student in the Department of Environmental Engineering, led a pig-like life. Her main hobby was cozying up with her boyfriend every day at the cafeteria, and cycling around the campus on her own "BMW" bicycle.

Xia Maolan, known as Mao Mao, a third-year accounting student from the School of Management. She excelled in each and every subject and received scholarships year after year. Rumor had it that in the world, the highest price was paid for the photocopy of Xia Maolan’s notebooks, because they were not only organized and concise but also highlighted all the key points. Definitely not like some girls’ notes, long and wordy, if the teacher sneezed they would write "parenthesis, teacher sneezed, parenthesis". Therefore, many boys liked to compete for Xia’s notebooks. In the words of a regular customer, "That saved me so much silver and time!"

Zhu Neng, nicknamed Ah Zhu, a sophomore student of the Foreign Languages Department. Although he majored in English, he also dabbled in French, Spanish, and German, being a language genius. Of course, Xuanji thought that if little Zhu didn’t spend so much time reading online novels, he might even master Latin.

Tang Xinqian, a senior directly pursuing a Master’s at the Law School, also lived like a pig. The only difference from Qing He was that she was a homebody. Her biggest hobby was playing games, but recently she had progressed to developing a new online game with several brothers. To quote Mao Mao, that was a real step forward.

Dorm 414 of building No. 1 had an unwritten rule, which was to gather in the living room for a collective prayer before lights out every night. In the middle of the living room wall, there was a plaque with four large characters written in powerful strokes:

"Fourteen Fourteen"

The paper appeared slightly aged, showing signs of the years, probably a tradition passed down from long ago.

Xuanji once asked what that actually was. The other four roommates put their palms together and said in unison, "That’s like the existence of a deity, amen!" Then they all made the sign of the cross.

The nightly prayer content in the dormitory went as follows:

"The face-slimming cleanser I bought on Taobao doesn’t work at all, I hate it!" Qing He’s voice sounded hauntingly.

Linglong and Xuanji listened, wanting to laugh but feeling it wasn’t polite to do so.

"Sigh, I sold this set of notes for probability theory too cheaply, I regret it!" That, of course, was Xia Maolan’s voice.

Money-grubber, Xuanji thought.

"Hmph, this author dares to tj, I curse her with no little jj..." Zhu Neng hummed a few sentences.

Linglong secretly scoffed at how venomous this girl was.

"People are female by nature and naturally don’t have one," Xia Maolan kindly pointed out.

Linglong couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"Ah!! My Bengyu!! My purple gear!!" Tang Xinqian wailed while beating up Zhu Neng, "It’s all your fault, you pulled me away when I was opening the treasure!"

That afternoon, Xuanji chatted with Tang Xinqian and learned she was playing a self-developed online game called "Beauty Killer online". The highest dungeon boss droppable item was a purple one-handed sword called "Bengyu", with attributes of strength 40, agility 50, stamina 35, intelligence 60, and three red sockets, increasing the critical hit rate by 5%, plus it was a quest item that could be further upgraded into an incredibly overpowered orange one-handed sword called "Ding Kun". Of course, the drop rate was also infinitesimal. Today, when opening the treasure, Tang Xinqian was kicked offline and missed it.

Zhu Neng parried with a slew of excuses and counterattacks, "You were busy p..."

Linglong and Xuanji exchanged smiles, thinking how difficult it must be to have a dull university life!

Chapter Three: Student Union Chronicles

After the initial bustle of the school’s opening had passed, life gradually returned to its peaceful routine. Freshmen didn’t have much choice in selecting their courses, apart from a few introductory courses in Economics and Macroeconomics. Their choices boiled down to scheduling classes in subjects like Marxist Political Economy, Marxist Philosophy, Military Theory, and Basics of Law to fit their weekly schedules.

Having endured a dark, final year of high school crammed with study, Linglong and Xuanji found themselves at a loss with so much free time. With university expansion, even the economics department had over a hundred students, and faces became a blur within a short week or two. Advisors weren’t as ever-present as high school homeroom teachers, who would keep a daily, strict watch. They were more like dragons: you’d see their heads but not their tails. This major shift left some students feeling joyfully liberated, like birds out of a cage, while well-behaved students accustomed to restrictions suddenly lost their bearings in life.

Zhu Neng saw the two of them idling their days away, either in class or staring blankly in the dormitory, and immediately felt a surge of enthusiasm. Drawing on her own experience, she pointed them toward a bright path:

Join the Student Union.

"A college life without joining the Student Union is a life in vain!" Zhu Neng said with unusual seriousness, "Although college is an ivory tower compared to society, it is a microcosm of society itself. You can get a taste of society early by joining the Student Union!"

Linglong looked at her with skepticism in her eyes, "Really?" Zhu Neng’s expression seemed more like that of a wolf in grandma’s clothing no matter how one looked at it.

"Don’t believe me? Ask the other sisters tonight; they’ve all had their time in the Student Union!" Zhu Neng immediately cited living examples. "I also mixed in for a brief year myself."

Xuanji, who had been silent so far, suddenly asked, "Then why didn’t you continue?"

Zhu Neng appeared well-prepared for this question and replied with ease, "Sophomore year isn’t as leisurely as freshman year; naturally, studies come first. But it varies from person to person." Inwardly, she rolled her eyes at Xuanji. The only reason I didn’t stick around is because the waters were too deep for me... This kid really...

Linglong wanted to ask for more details, as she had been a student council member in high school and was quite interested in the activity. But just then, a childish voice suddenly announced, "Beauty, you have a new text message! Beauty, you have a new text message."

Zhu Neng grabbed her phone and immediately howled, "I’m doomed! Guan Gong is only calling roll third period today! How malicious!!!" Then she waved quickly at them, abruptly ending the conversation, "Alright, in a few days, it’s routine for the Student Union to recruit new members. You can go check it out."

In less than three seconds, Zhu Neng had vanished outside the door, leaving Linglong and Xuanji to exchange glances—Zhu Neng had skipped class today!

However, Linglong was quite taken by the idea Zhu Neng threw out casually. In the evening, when everyone was gathered, she actually went around inquiring from each one.

"I was in the Literature and Art Department for a while, but then I fell in love and didn’t have the time!" Ye Qinghe’s answer was crisp and clear.

"Vice Minister of the Career Development Department, currently serving," Xia Maolan said lightly as she flipped her long hair, "I just do it to see the handsome guys." She added something afterwards that made Linglong and Xuanji drop their jaws. Seeing the shocked expressions of the two sisters, Xia Maolan gave a slight smile, offered no further explanation, and gracefully headed to the restroom—simply to use the toilet.

"I’ve been the head of the Academic Department." Tang Xinqian said, her eyes not leaving her computer as she continued battling in an instance PVE, casually adding, "Keep your chin up." Linglong and Xuanji immediately closed their mouths. Was the Academic Department for learning how to play games?

So, after an intense evening of pros and cons comparison and debate (most of which were Linglong talking and Xuanji listening), the sisters decided to follow in their seniors’ footsteps and join the glorious Student Union. Naturally, Linglong was feverishly enthusiastic, convinced that if her dorm sisters could do it, so could she. Under such zeal, she naturally encouraged the indolent Xuanji to join as well. Reluctantly compelled, Xuanji agreed to at least check it out. After all, if she didn’t get selected, it wouldn’t be her fault.

What Xuanji didn’t anticipate was that the so-called interview was merely a formality, and naturally, both were selected for the Student Union, becoming the latest batch of members.

The difference was that Linglong, being pretty, sweet-talking, and quick-witted, was favored by the senior members. Not long after joining, she was made the assistant head of the Publicity Department, overseeing a group of peers from her own year. She was involved in all the major school events, making quite a splash. Xuanji, on the other hand, being lazy and not too sociable, was assigned to the Life Department, distributing flyers on the main campus thoroughfare about the latest products at the third canteen or sorting goods at the student supermarket, or taking turns selling newspapers at the school newsstand...

Xuanji’s favorite job was to sell newspapers at the newsstand because this way she could read all the recent magazines and newspapers without spending any money. To read books, one must borrow them. Therefore, she was quite willing to accept such a dull job.

"A copy of Southern Weekend!" a clear voice called out, instantly breaking the dreary afternoon silence.

Xuanji was engrossed in the National Geographic in her hands and hadn’t heard a thing. The person who had called out had to extend two slender fingers to tap lightly on her magazine a few times.

"Huh?" Xuanji immediately looked up to see a tall and thin young man in a sports vest squinting at her. He must have just finished playing basketball, Xuanji thought to herself, as she saw him holding a basketball in his left hand. His usually pale skin glowed with a healthy redness, while drops of sweat rolled down from his forehead, slipping along his cheeks, down his neck, and disappearing over his shoulder blades.

It was the person who had helped her that day in the gymnasium! What was his name again?

Seeing Xuanji staring blankly at him, he shook his head, picked up a newspaper himself, and then placed down two yuan.

Xuanji instantly understood and her face turned red. Oh my god, I was actually staring at him. "Wait!" Xuanji called out as he turned to leave, quickly standing up, "I owe you fifty cents!"

Yu Sifeng turned back and took the change, smiling at her, as bright as a cloud-breaking dawn. Xuanji felt a little panicked, not sure if it was the guilt of being caught doing something wrong or the faint regret of always making a fool of herself in front of him.

She then heard Yu Sifeng slowly say, "Is this always how you are? Focused and devoted, yet absent-minded?" He didn’t seem very good at speaking Mandarin; he pronounced the two idioms exceptionally clearly.

"I, I was just momentarily captivated by the beauty of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau," Xuanji showed him the beautiful scenery of Namu Lake in the magazine.

"It is very beautiful," Yu Sifeng said after carefully flipping through the magazine and looking at Xuanji.

"Yes!" Xuanji couldn’t help but be lost in longing and sighed, "I must go there myself one day. It’s as if the heavens and earth there are the closest to man, the most real."

"This one, I’ll take it too," Yu Sifeng said without another word, paid for the magazine, and took the National Geographic.

"Ah!" Xuanji stretched out her hand but then had to withdraw it, muttering, "That was the last one." But she hadn’t finished reading it yet. She had no reason not to sell it to him, and she regretted why she didn’t buy it when she liked it. Always thinking she would buy it later, but later might not mean there’s a next time.

Seeing Xuanji’s conflicted look, Yu Sifeng found it very interesting and raised the magazine, saying, "I can lend it to you."

Xuanji nodded happily, thanking him repeatedly, unaware that there existed a plot device called borrowing and returning books.

After several encounters, Xuanji finally matched Yu Sifeng’s name with his face and learned that he studied biology. Yu Sifeng would often come to buy groceries at the supermarket or newspapers at the newsstand when Xuanji was on duty. Even when Xuanji switched shifts unexpectedly, he seemed to know in advance and would appear right on schedule.

Habit is a terrifying thing. Over time, Xuanji seemed to have grown accustomed to his presence, discussing current events, local customs of various places, academic exchanges, and so on. The more time they spent together, the more Xuanji felt that Sifeng was like a luminary, constantly attracting people’s gaze, constantly offering new insights that she hadn’t encountered before.

Like right now, they were sitting on the top floor of the school gymnasium, looking up at the starry sky, silent. Xuanji stared blankly into the dark indigo night, only to suddenly hear a gentle guitar melody near her ear.

"It takes a night to make it dawn,

And it takes a day to make you yawn, brother,

And it takes some old to make you young,

It takes some cold to know the sun,

It takes the one to have the other,

And it takes no time to fall in love,

But it takes you years to know what love is,

It takes some fears to make you trust,

It takes those tears to make it rust,

It takes the dust to have it polished,

Ha la la la la la, life is wonderful,

Ah la la la la la, life goes full circle,

Ah la la la la la, life is so full of,

Ah la la la la la, life is so rough,

Ah la la la la la, life is wonderful,

Ah la la la la la, life goes full circle,

Ah la la la la la, life is our love....."

Xuanji didn’t know where Yu Sifeng had found the guitar, but this melodious sound combined with his clear and transparent voice was indeed touching. Sifeng’s English was very authentic, making this simple and yet not so simple song sound like it could reverberate for days.

It takes no time to fall in love, but it takes you years to know what love is.

She turned to look at Sifeng, only to see that he was also staring intently at her with a bright and penetrating gaze, yet there was something indescribably intense, like a raging tide rushing towards her. Suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous, Xuanji hastily praised his singing as very nice and resumed pretending to watch the stars in the sky.

Seeing this, Yu Sifeng didn’t say anything but after a moment of silence, he said, "It’s getting late, let’s go back."