"You're looking for her?"
Hearing the voice, Meng Luobai looked over. Ling Sui was standing by the registration desk nearby, in a hoodie and sweatpants, his figure exceptionally tall and straight—broad shoulders, narrow waist, the clean lines that only come from years of regular exercise. Just standing there simply, he made everyone around him seem to shrink half a head shorter.
He wore the hood up, sunlight falling on the side of his neck, tracing a sharp jawline where every inch of contour radiated strength.
The senior students in charge of registration looked up, their gazes involuntarily lingering on his clearly defined face, practically radiating raw magnetism, and for a moment they forgot to respond.
It wasn't until Ling Sui raised his eyes again that the two at the registration desk snapped back to their senses, both reaching for the forms. "…Ah, yes. You can register here."
Ling Sui lowered his gaze and handed over his graduate school admission notice, a copy of his valid ID, and a series of other registration materials.
An involuntary hush fell over the surroundings. People stopped what they were doing to stare openly.
Before long, he finished registering, set down the pen, and casually handed the form back. His gaze swept around and landed almost precisely on Meng Luobai, who was waiting nearby for Sangsang.
He was just about to step forward when the senior student in charge of distributing keys spoke up to remind him, "Um… classmate. This is your dormitory key."
Ling Sui lowered his eyes, his long fingers picking up the key from the table. "Thank you."
The shoulder line of his hoodie shifted slightly with the movement, and then Meng Luobai watched him take his key and registration materials and walk straight over to stand beside her, drawing a wave of curious, probing gazes.
Perhaps because there were too many people around, Ling Sui stood very close to her after weaving through the queue. He lowered his eyes, a faint, barely noticeable smile rippling at the corners of his gaze. "Has Sangsang finished registering?"
A flicker of momentary daze at being struck by his looks passed through Meng Luobai's eyes. She lifted the corners of her lips slightly and hummed in acknowledgment.
They stepped out of the line and regrouped with Meng Wenjian.
Meng Wenjian spotted Ling Sui and said in surprise, "A-Jin, you've registered? Why didn't I see you in line earlier?"
Ling Sui stood tall and broad. "I don't know. When I came over, it didn't seem like there were many people ahead of me."
Meng Luobai: "…"
It wasn't that there weren't many people ahead of you—it was that people voluntarily made way for you.
While Ling Sui was talking with Meng Wenjian, Wan Rongxuan walked over to her side and said in a low voice, "Isn't that the younger brother from your neighbor's house? Why is he here too?"
Meng Luobai lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, a hint of pride unconsciously creeping into her tone. "He's also a first-year grad student."
Wan Rongxuan was a bit surprised and asked her, "Same major as your sister?"
Meng Luobai shook her head. "No, he's in archaeology."
Just then, Meng Wenjian smiled warmly at Wan Rongxuan. "Rongxuan, we'll go drop off Sangsang's luggage first. Do you have time this evening? I'd like to treat you all to a meal."
"No need, Aunt Meng, it's nothing much." Then he patted Meng Luobai on the shoulder. "Old Meng, I'm heading off."
Meng Luobai nodded. "I'll treat you to a meal another day."
Wan Rongxuan smiled and was about to leave when he suddenly felt a faint gaze on him, carrying an imperceptible note of scrutiny. He instinctively turned to look. Meng Luobai had said something, and the "younger brother from next door" was handing his admission notice to her, his profile cool and composed—yet somehow, it was enough to make one feel that he carried warmth within.
Wan Rongxuan paused for a moment, dismissing it as his imagination.
Meng Luobai looked at Ling Sui's admission letter in her hands—[Dear Student Ling Sui, we are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Department, majoring in Archaeology. Please report to the main campus of Longcheng University with this letter before September 3rd.]
In the upper left corner was Ling Sui's photo. The person in it had sharp, clear features, expressionless, cold and distant—yet exceptionally handsome, so clean-cut that it was hard to look away.
Her gaze slowly shifted from the photo to the real person's face before her. He tilted his head slightly, quietly placing the materials in his hands into his backpack. His profile was sharp and handsome, lacking the icy sense of distance from the photo.
"Student Ling Sui, where's your luggage?"
Ling Sui looked up at her. "I don't plan to stay in the dormitory."
Hearing this, Meng Luobai placed the admission letter into his backpack as well. "Then did they assign you a dorm room?"
"I think so. They just gave me the key."
Meng Luobai pulled over the suitcase beside her. "After helping Sangsang drop off her things, I'll go with you to take a look."
Ling Sui: "Is it necessary?"
Meng Luobai: "Let's just take a look."
Ling Sui took the suitcase from her hands. "Alright."
After dropping off Sangsang's luggage, Meng Luobai informed Meng Wenjian, then headed down the dormitory building first.
Because it was the start of the semester and freshman registration, there was a steady flow of people at the dormitory entrance. All the facial recognition turnstiles were open, with a few new students registering their images with the help of the dorm supervisor.
As Meng Luobai was about to pass through, whether due to an operational error or some other reason, suddenly all the turnstiles snapped shut one after another—click, click, click—locking tightly without any warning.
A wave of confused voices rose in the lobby. "Auntie, what's going on?"
The supervisor fiddled with the equipment, but the system seemed frozen and unresponsive. Not knowing what was wrong, she stood up. "Everyone, wait a moment. I'll go find someone."
Meng Luobai had been just two steps behind and found herself trapped inside the dormitory building. She waited for a while, but the supervisor hadn't returned yet. She let out a soft sigh, tapped the screen with her fingertip, and sent Ling Sui a message: [The turnstiles at the entrance seem to be broken. I can't get out. Might have to wait a bit.]
The moment she sent the message, she looked up—and there was Ling Sui, standing outside the turnstiles.
Meng Luobai: "?"
Ling Sui said, "I saw it from outside."
Meng Luobai sighed. "Looks like we'll have to wait a while."
Ling Sui lowered his gaze, glancing at the turnstile blocking his way, then said to Meng Luobai, "Give me your hand."
"Huh?" Meng Luobai didn't understand what Ling Sui meant, but instinctively raised her hand.
The next second, her palm was firmly grasped by his. Meng Luobai felt a large hand wrap around her waist, and with a light yet steady force, she was lifted up—effortlessly carried over the turnstile.
When her feet touched the ground, she was still a bit dazed, but she was already standing steadily beside him. She looked up at him with a smile. "How are you so strong?"
Ling Sui released her hand, lifting an eyelid casually. "This counts as strong?"
Meng Luobai still carried a light, floating sensation from being lifted so suddenly. Her eyes sparkled as she said happily, "Yeah, it's impressive."
Ling Sui looked down at her. "It's because you're too light. Don't you eat?"
Meng Luobai couldn't help but press her lips together. This kid sure knew how to talk. "Of course I eat."
As they were talking, a girl's complaint came from nearby. "Look at that girl's boyfriend—he just scooped her up and carried her out."
The boy probably saw it too, pursed his lips, and muttered in rebuttal, "Look how tall he is, and how tall I am."
The girl said, "What does your height have to do with whether you can lift her? That girl is even taller than me."
Meng Luobai tugged at Ling Sui's hoodie, ready to leave, but Ling Sui didn't budge—instead, he glanced over curiously at the couple.
Meng Luobai: "…" Why is he so interested in watching other couples argue?
"Ling Sui, let's go."
The male and female dormitory buildings stood on opposite sides of the road, within sight but still a fair distance apart.
It was just the beginning of September, and the temperature in Longcheng was unpredictable—sometimes hot, sometimes cold. When Meng Luobai had left home, the wind had been picking up, but by late afternoon, the temperature had steadied somewhat. She took off the knit cardigan over her long dress and held it in her hands. The blue long dress swayed gently with the breeze as she turned to ask Ling Sui, "You're not staying in the dorms—where are you planning to stay?"
Ling Sui: "I bought a place nearby."
Meng Luobai: "…" She really shouldn't have asked. She brought up another question. "How come you chose archaeology as your major?" She had wanted to ask for a long time—whether it was the Lu Jin she knew or the Ling Sui from Empirl, neither seemed to have any connection to this field.
Ling Sui's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "I didn't like the other majors, and this one I didn't dislike."
Meng Luobai pressed her lips together, thinking Ling Sui's reasoning was actually pretty sound. Most people picked their majors in a daze, and plenty ended up hating what they chose.
The two quickly reached the entrance of the dormitory building. Just as Meng Luobai was about to step inside, Ling Sui pulled her back. "This is the men's dorm."
Meng Luobai blinked. "I know that." She raised her hand and pointed at the women coming out of the men's dorm. "Girls are allowed in too."
While boys could never enter the girls' dorm at any time, during the registration period, girls were allowed into the boys' dorm.
Ling Sui didn't look in the direction she pointed. "Not you." Then he gestured toward the garden beside the men's dorm building. "Go wait over there. I'll be down soon."
Meng Luobai wasn't that eager to go into the men's dorm anyway. Mostly, she'd been tagging along with Ling Sui, feeling a bit like she was playing the role of a parent. "Fine, then."
With that, Ling Sui slung his backpack strap over her shoulder. "Hold my bag for me."
"Okay." Meng Luobai slipped it on. The bag was very light—probably just holding his registration materials.
After Ling Sui left, she stood alone by the flower bed with the backpack on, watching students walk back and forth, laughing and joking. After a while, she took out her phone and saw messages from Zhi Qian and Ding Yongcheng.
[Ding Yongcheng: Class monitor, I'm hosting a pre-wedding dinner at my family's hotel on the 8th. No need for you all to decorate the new house—it's just a casual meal before the wedding with a few close old classmates and friends to get the celebration started.]
While Meng Luobai was still hesitating on how to reply, Ding Yongcheng sent another message: [I heard from Zhi Qian that you're back in Longcheng for work, so you absolutely have to come.]
Only then did she see Zhi Qian's message: [Ding Yongcheng just mentioned having a small get-together before the wedding, and he asked about you.]
[Meng Luobai: Yeah, I saw it.]
[Meng Luobai: Are you going?]
[Zhi Qian: I can't make it. Someone's coming over for their birthday, so I have to be there.]
Meng Luobai exited the chat and replied to Ding Yongcheng, "Congratulations. Let me check my schedule for that day and try to make it."
Ding Yongcheng replied just as quickly, "The gathering is in the evening, so it won't affect your work hours."
Meng Luobai let out a slight sigh. 【Meng Luobai: Okay.】
Zhi Qian asked, "Have you and your sister finished checking in? Are we meeting up tonight?"
Meng Luobai wasn't quite sure. As she glanced toward the dormitory building to see if Ling Sui had come out, a figure suddenly appeared before her. Meng Luobai looked up—it was a tall boy wearing a gray hoodie. He spoke shyly, "H-hi, are you a senior?"
Meng Luobai regarded him calmly without answering right away.
Because of this, the boy probably felt he'd been too forward and quickly said, "I'm a freshman. I asked because you don't look like a freshman based on how you're dressed."
Meng Luobai curved her lips into a smile. "Is there something you need?"
"I—" The boy held up his phone and gave it a little shake. "Could I add your contact info?"
Before Meng Luobai could speak, she felt a light tug on her back shoulder, her center of gravity shifting backward, and she steadied herself against the chest of the person behind her. Ling Sui held his backpack with one hand, half-enclosing her in front of him, his aura low and cold. He merely glanced flatly at the boy across from them, his tone as indifferent as a mechanical voice, "You have business with her?"