The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, scattering rings of light in the air.
Under the shade of trees by the concrete road, small groups of young men and women sat on their suitcases, playing with their phones.
The moment Yun Su opened her eyes, this was the scene she saw.
So hot! It looked like summer here.
Before she even had time to figure out where she was, someone beside her spoke.
“Hey, classmate.”
It was a tall boy with over-ear headphones hanging around his neck.
“What year are you in? Can’t find the registration office?”
What year? Registration office?
Was this a university?
Yun Su’s mind raced as she looked down and noticed a student ID in her hand.
Opening it, she saw that only four boxes in the academic registration section, covering the first and second years, had been stamped.
“Th… third year, I think,” Yun Su guessed, her tone uncertain.
The student beside her froze for a moment. Who didn’t know what year they were in?
“Then are you looking for the counselor’s office?”
Yun Su looked at the helpful classmate and nodded.
She still didn’t understand the situation, but since she had a student ID, her identity this time must be a student.
And since the ID hadn’t been submitted yet, she must not have registered.
In an unfamiliar place, she definitely needed someone to lead the way.
Fortunately, the helpful student readily obliged and began walking ahead.
“I’m heading there too, let’s go together.”
After a few steps, Yun Su realized she was standing right at the entrance of the faculty building.
A stone monument bore the words “An University School of Foreign Languages.”
As she followed behind him, she opened the student ID again.
Ye Congshuang. That was her name this time.
French major in the School of Foreign Languages.
French wasn’t difficult for Yun Su. She had studied it before.
Thanks to her grandparents arranging all kinds of classes when she was young so she could explore her interests, she had learned several instruments and languages.
“Hey, how come you’re already a third-year student but don’t know where the counselor’s office is? How did you register before?” the helpful student asked, turning back in confusion.
Yun Su lifted her gaze from the ID. “I… have a terrible sense of direction.”
“Well, our faculty building is pretty complicated, but yours is on another level.”
The student scratched his head, clearly amazed. How could someone with such a poor sense of direction live independently?
Yun Su smiled awkwardly.
“So what’s your major?” he continued.
“French.”
“Hey, what a coincidence, I’m French too.”
The excitement in his voice immediately put Yun Su on guard.
Sure enough, he followed up with, “I’m also a third-year. How come I’ve never seen you before?”
“…”
Yun Su didn’t know how to answer. After all, she had just appeared out of nowhere.
She had only just arrived, and already there was a flaw in her identity?
This system setup was seriously unreliable.
How was she supposed to handle such an awkward situation?
Fortunately, they had reached the office door, and the helpful student didn’t press further.
“That’s the counselor’s office ahead. You’d better memorize the route again, maybe next semester you’ll be able to find it yourself.”
He was still being genuinely helpful.
“If you need anything, it’ll be more convenient to come on your own instead of always asking someone to guide you. Not that I mind helping, of course.”
“I’ve got it, thank you. Let’s go in,” Yun Su said quickly.
“Alright.”
He knocked on the door and pushed it open.
Yun Su followed him inside.
Before even reaching the desk, the student called out, “Brother Yuan, I’m here to register.”
At the desk by the window, a teacher looked up and saw the two of them.
“Oh, Chen Rui, just sign your name and leave your student ID here,” he said casually.
Chen Rui signed his name and stepped aside.
Yun Su stepped forward, leaned over the roster, and searched for a while.
She couldn’t find the name Ye Congshuang.
A wave of confusion hit her. Could there be a mistake?
She had no choice but to hand over her student ID and ask, “Teacher, why isn’t my name on the list?”
The counselor took the ID, looked at it, and then suddenly understood.
“Oh, Ye Congshuang. You’re the student who took a year off last term, right?”
Yun Su was stunned. So her background was that she had taken a year off?
That explained why third-year students didn’t recognize her.
“…Yes,” she replied uncertainly.
Chen Rui, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, “So you’re a senior! No wonder I haven’t seen you before.”
Yun Su could only smile awkwardly again while nodding vigorously in her mind.
Yes, yes, that’s right. I just found out too.
The counselor rummaged through a stack of documents on his desk and handed her a form.
“Your name hasn’t been added to the roster yet. Fill this out and complete the re-enrollment procedures.”
As Yun Su took the form, he asked, “You took leave due to health reasons, right? How are you now?”
Both the counselor and Chen Rui looked at her with concern.
“I’m better… completely fine now,” Yun Su replied softly.
The counselor nodded. “That’s good. Health comes first.”
After completing the re-enrollment process, Yun Su left the office.
The counselor had told her that since the dormitories had been reassigned during the previous third year, she had been given a new one as well, though it was a mixed dorm. Yun Su didn’t mind.
Memorizing the dorm address, she planned to navigate her way there.
As she walked out of the faculty building and saw students dragging suitcases along the road, she suddenly realized she had nothing with her.
Wait, that’s not right.
There was a backpack on her shoulders, which she had only just noticed.
It must be something the system had prepared for her mission.
She took it off and opened it. As expected, it contained her ID, various documents, and a smartphone.
Taking out the phone and turning it on, the first thing she saw was the date on the screen.
September 8th, 20XX.
That date…
If she calculated correctly, Gu Yan was already eighteen years old.
Not long ago, she had celebrated his sixth birthday with him on June 25th.
She hadn’t expected that, for her, only half a month had passed, yet he had already grown into an adult.
Yun Su felt a wave of emotion.
Was he also at An University?
Probably. Since she had appeared here, she must be close to her mission target.
But now wasn’t the time to look for Gu Yan. She needed to find her dorm first.
She opened the navigation app, searched for the dormitory address, and began walking.
There were many students on the road, coming and going, all here to register today.
After walking for a few minutes, she approached a track and field ground.
The vast field was filled with freshmen in military training uniforms, standing in formation under the blazing sun.