The plane landed at Beijing Airport on an early autumn afternoon.
The sunlight was bright but not scorching, unlike the intense heat of Bangkok. The air was dry and slightly cool, a stark contrast to Bangkok’s year-round humidity and warmth.
Ruan Chaoxi followed the flow of people out of customs.
She was still dressed in simple attire, with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a suitcase in tow. She looked like a strikingly beautiful young woman who had come to China alone to study.
Only the hint of a meticulously nurtured noble demeanor and the occasional flicker of cleverness and mischief in her eyes betrayed something extraordinary.
Following the signs, she quickly found the pickup point for new students of Beijing University.
“Classmate, are you a new student here to register at Beijing University?”
A young man holding a sign warmly approached her. Nearby, several blue-and-white buses were parked.
Ruan Chaoxi nodded, replying in slightly accented but exceptionally fluent Chinese, “Yes, I’m an international student.”
“This way, please!” The young man’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly offered to help with her suitcase.
Ruan Chaoxi sidestepped slightly, avoiding his hand, and smiled politely but distantly. “Thank you, I can manage.”
The young man paused for a moment but didn’t insist, leading her to one of the buses.
The bus was already filled with many students and parents. Conversations in various accents of Mandarin and excited chatter intertwined, creating a vivid and unfamiliar atmosphere of everyday life.
Ruan Chaoxi stored her luggage and chose a seat by the window.
This was the first stop in the “ordinary” world she had chosen.
The bus slowly pulled out of the airport.
Ruan Chaoxi pressed close to the window, her eyes fixed on the passing scenery. The neatly aligned high-rises, the Chinese characters on massive billboards, the astonishingly wide roads—everything felt new and intriguing to her.
This was the city where her mother had attended university and where Aunt Xiaxia had grown up. To her, it had once been just a name from stories and maps, but now it was unfolding before her eyes in reality.
After watching for a while, she took out a phone from her bag. Its pure black casing had a unique texture and bore no brand logo. She tapped a few times on a specific area of the screen, passed an iris scan, and a clean interface appeared.
First, she sent brief encrypted messages to her parents and brother:
“Landed safely in Beijing. On the university bus now. Everything’s going smoothly. Love you all.”
Attached was an automatically generated, untraceable location signal.
Almost instantly, a reply came from her mother, Ruan Xingchen, also in encrypted format:
“Xixi, the weather up north is dry—remember to drink plenty of water! Mom misses you!”
Her father, Mo Xiaohan, didn’t reply separately, but Ruan Chaoxi knew he was undoubtedly monitoring her location in real time.
Her brother, Mo Jinchen, sent an exaggerated crying emoji: [My little sister really flew away!] Attached was a photo of him holding a gun, posing melancholically against the sunlight, with what was clearly a border camp in the background.
Ruan Chaoxi couldn’t help but laugh.
Next, she tapped on the contact labeled “My.”
A few seconds after sending the message, a video call request popped up directly.
Ruan Chaoxi put on her Bluetooth earbuds and answered.
The screen lit up, revealing Samia’s face in the center. He seemed to have just come from a meeting or training ground, with slightly damp hair and still wearing his dark green combat uniform. The background quickly switched to a more private room.
“I’m here.”His voice came through the earpiece, low and steady, betraying little emotion, but Ruan Chaoxi could feel his gaze carefully scanning every inch of her face, assessing her condition.
“Mm, I’m on the bus to school.” Ruan Chaoxi pointed her phone camera out the window, quickly sweeping over the street scene. “It’s very different from Bangkok here.”
“Adapting to the climate?” he asked, a very specific question.
“It’s fine. A bit dry, but comfortable.” Ruan Chaoxi answered truthfully, then turned the camera back to herself.
Samia gave a slight nod.
“Remembered all the school registration procedures?”
“Don’t worry, Miya-gege.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the video call. Samia seemed to want to say something more, but in the end, he simply said, “Keep communication open. Hang up now, and be aware of your surroundings.”
“Okay. You…” Ruan Chaoxi looked at his expressionless yet intensely focused face on the screen. The words “You stay safe too” lingered on the tip of her tongue, but instead, she said, “Remember to eat on time.”
Samia seemed momentarily taken aback, letting out a faint “Mm” before ending the call.
Ruan Chaoxi put away the encrypted phone and pulled another ordinary phone from the side pocket of her backpack—a tool she used to blend into “normal” life.
She opened the camera app, took a few photos of the scenery outside the window, thought for a moment, then snapped a selfie with the unfamiliar landscape whizzing by in the background.
The bus soon entered the city center, and the view outside the window grew more distinct.
Ruan Chaoxi caught sight of the legendary “Big Pants,” the broad Chang’an Avenue, the solemn red palace walls, sleek modern glass skyscrapers, and elderly men playing chess at the entrance of a hutong, lazily fanning themselves…
It was entirely different from the chaotic yet vibrant streets of Bangkok. Here, everything felt more orderly, grander, and more detached.
Finally, the bus pulled into the campus of Peking University.
The leaves of the plane trees had begun to tinge with yellow. Classic Western-style old buildings stood alongside brand-new academic halls. The paths were filled with freshmen and their parents, dragging suitcases and brimming with youthful energy.
Everything felt fresh and full of hope.
The international student registration area was set up in a spacious, brightly lit hall. Ruan Chaoxi quietly joined the end of the line, observing everything around her.
Students of various skin tones speaking different languages, parents fussing over every detail, busy senior volunteers rushing about… This was a kind of lively, ordinary bustle she had never experienced—the kind that belonged to “ordinary people.”
“Next!”
It was her turn.
She handed over her admission letter and passport.
The senior student handling registration looked up at her, a flicker of admiration flashing in her eyes before she efficiently processed the paperwork. “Ruan Chaoxi… international student from Thailand. Your dorm is in Zhongguancun New Garden, Building 5. Here are your key and campus card. Volunteers over there can help you with your luggage.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I don’t have much luggage.” Ruan Chaoxi accepted the items with a polite nod.
Just as she was about to follow the directions to find her dorm building, a somewhat brash voice sounded beside her. “Hey, freshman? Need some help?”
Ruan Chaoxi turned to look at the boy who had suddenly appeared.
He was tall and decent-looking, with carefully styled hair. He wore a designer jacket from a luxury brand’s latest collection and an expensive mechanical watch on his wrist. His eyes held a clear, appraising interest, along with the kind of privileged confidence she had grown accustomed to seeing at banquets since childhood.He was accompanied by two similarly well-dressed young men, who seemed like followers. Several students nearby appeared to recognize him, casting glances of either envy or avoidance.
This was Jiang Yaoci.
A rather well-known rich second-generation heir in the capital city, his father was a real estate tycoon, and his mother came from an aristocratic family. He himself was also a student at Capital University. With his family background and decent looks, he carried an air of the “campus prince” around campus.
Earlier at the registration office, he had been drawn to this girl who was handling the enrollment procedures alone.
She was too eye-catching.
Simple clothing couldn’t hide her natural beauty and good figure. Standing in the autumn sunlight, her profile was soft and delicate, with long eyelashes casting small shadows beneath her eyelids.
An aura of uniqueness, clean yet mysterious, surrounded her. And those calm, indifferent eyes that seemed to look past all the surrounding noise… all exuded an indescribable distinctiveness.
Unlike the enthusiastic or shy girls he usually encountered, she carried a faint sense of detachment, as if separated by an invisible layer of glass, which only fueled one’s curiosity.
Jiang Yaoci considered himself worldly, having played around with beautiful women from various countries, but this kind of unique temperament was a first for him.
He had inquired a bit earlier—she seemed to be an international student from Southeast Asia?
In his impression, Southeast Asian girls were either passionately exuberant like tropical sunshine or somewhat timidly gentle, but never like this.
“Is there something you need?” Ruan Chaoxi didn’t stop walking, her tone flat, speaking in Chinese. Her gaze swept over Jiang Yaoci without much fluctuation, as if looking at a piece of furniture.
This reaction only piqued Jiang Yaoci’s interest further.
He stepped forward, blocking her path, naturally reaching out to help with her suitcase, a confident smile on his face: “Nothing much, just saw you’re a new student. The campus here is quite large, easy to get lost alone. I’m Jiang Yaoci, your senior. Which dorm are you in? I know this school well—want me to take you there?”
His actions and tone carried an undeniable familiarity.
Ruan Chaoxi frowned slightly. Her hand rested lightly on the suitcase handle, not letting go. This kind of overly forward approach wouldn’t have even gotten close to her in Southeast Asia.
But now, she reminded herself, she was an “ordinary” international student and needed to adapt to this kind of “normal” social interaction, even though the other party was clearly not so “normal.”
She avoided Jiang Yaoci’s outstretched hand, merely nodding slightly: “Thank you, but no need. The signs are clear enough. I can manage on my own.”
Her refusal was straightforward, without any coyness or hesitation.
Jiang Yaoci’s hand hung in the air, and he paused for a moment before his smile deepened.
Interesting, a prickly one.
This cold, distant rejection only fueled his desire to conquer.
“Don’t be so distant, we’re all classmates. I heard you’re from Southeast Asia. Which country? Myanmar? Thailand? Malaysia? I’ve heard that over there…” He tried to find topics to bridge the distance, his tone unconsciously carrying a somewhat condescending judgment.
“Sorry, I still need to settle into my dorm.” Ruan Chaoxi interrupted him, her tone still calm but carrying a clear note of finality.
She no longer looked at him, pulling her suitcase and walking straight toward the dormitory area, her steps steady, not even glancing back at him.Jiang Yaoci stood in place, watching Ruan Chaoxi’s retreating figure. Far from being angry, his smile instead took on a hint of determination. He stroked his chin and said to the lackey beside him, “See that? That’s what you call having character.”
The lackey egged him on, “Is Young Master Ci getting serious now? But this kind of international student probably isn’t easy to chase—she seems quite proud.”
“Proud?” Jiang Yaoci sneered, his gaze following that graceful figure as it grew more distant. “That’s because she hasn’t yet seen what truly counts as ‘good’ here. Go, help me find out which major she’s in exactly and which building she lives in.”
In his view, an international student from a “backward” region, no matter how unique or aloof she might be, was nothing more than a little amusement to add some challenge.
He had plenty of time and methods at his disposal.