The next day, everyone came to the classroom and took their seats. Since it was the first day of classes, the students arrived early, and Class Advisor Peng Ling was already there as well. Seeing that it was not yet time for class to begin, she took the opportunity to explain the teaching situation to the students:
"Although we are a private college, our teaching staff is very strong. Most of our instructors are currently serving professors and lecturers from various universities—mainly Nanchang University. Some are also retired professors. So you don't need to worry about the quality of teaching.
"In addition, please hurry and register for the self-study exams. My office will not close at noon, so you can first decide which subjects you want to take, then submit the registration fees and subject list to the class monitor."
The first class was Computer Principles, taught by an associate professor from Nanchang University. Although Zhu Siqi had already finished reading the textbook the day before and could even recite it from memory, the professor didn't just repeat the book's contents. He also talked about the latest developments and future directions in computer technology. Zhu Siqi listened with rapt attention, thinking to himself that he must find a way to get a library card from some university.
At noon, instead of going to eat, Zhu Siqi went straight to the class advisor's office. He first looked at the self-study exam guide posted on the wall and selected four subjects: Advanced Mathematics, English, Computer Principles, and Assembly Language.
"Teacher Peng, I want to get a library card for Nanchang University. Can you help me think of a way?" Zhu Siqi asked.
Peng Ling looked at him. She recognized him as a student from her class but couldn't recall his name yet. "That's very difficult. Nanchang University's library is not open to outsiders."
"Our school has so many professors from Nanchang University. Can't we ask one of them to help?" Zhu Siqi asked unwilling to give up.
Seeing how motivated her student was, Peng Ling didn't want to discourage him. "Alright, I'll ask around for you. But don't get your hopes too high. As far as I know, no one has managed to do this before."
"Thank you first, Teacher Peng."
"No need for thanks. Since you want to study, I should support you. By the way, have you decided which self-study exams to register for?"
"I've chosen four subjects."
"That's good, but you should know that self-study exams are very difficult. You need to thoroughly understand the textbooks. Although passing requires only sixty points, many students still fail every year."
"I'm not too worried about that," Zhu Siqi replied. "I looked through the textbooks yesterday. They're not that hard. I should be fine." Since he was asking for help, he knew it wouldn't hurt to show some confidence in his studies.
"Well then, since you're so confident, I'll personally handle your registration," Peng Ling said. "Give me the money and fill out this form." She handed him a form.
Zhu Siqi filled it out quickly. Peng Ling noticed that his handwriting was quite neat, which further increased her favorable impression of him.
After paying the registration fee, Zhu Siqi was about to leave. As he exited the office, he casually glanced at the admissions notice again, wanting to see which subjects would be tested in the second half of the year. Suddenly, he felt someone bump into him from the front. He quickly shifted his body to the left to avoid them, but the other person—seeing him distracted and also trying to dodge—moved to the same side. Even with Zhu Siqi's quick reflexes, the collision was unavoidable.
The other person cried out in surprise, and the items in her hands scattered across the floor. Zhu Siqi looked up—and his eyes lit up. It was a beautiful young woman. She looked quite young, probably a student. She was tall, had excellent skin, and an extremely pretty face. Zhu Siqi had never seen such a truly beautiful girl before. At first glance, his admiration surged. So beautiful, he thought. Realizing that they had collided and made quite a bit of physical contact, his face flushed slightly.
The girl spoke sharply, "What's wrong with you? You bump into someone and don't even apologize—and you're still staring at me. Do you look like a student at all?"
Zhu Siqi snapped back to his senses. He wasn't lecherous; he was just momentarily stunned by her beauty. Realizing he was in the wrong, he hurriedly picked up the items she had dropped. One of them was a College English textbook—exactly the same as his own.
"I'm sorry, just not intentional," he said hurriedly, slipping into English.
The girl didn't expect him to speak such fluent English and replied in English as well, "I'll forgive you this time."
At that moment, Peng Ling came over. She already knew Zhu Siqi's name.
"Zhu Siqi, this is our class's English teacher, Teacher Zhang Mengqin. She's a graduate student from Nanchang University."
"I'm sorry, Teacher Zhang," Zhu Siqi apologized again. "I was looking at the notice on the wall just now. Are you alright?"
"Forget it. You can go now," Zhang Mengqin said. Although she was no longer angry, her expression remained cold.
Zhu Siqi quickly took the opportunity to leave. As he walked away, he thought to himself that Teacher Zhang was really cold and aloof. But in truth, this wasn't her fault. When Zhang Mengqin was studying at Nanchang University, many male students pursued her relentlessly, which annoyed her endlessly. If she didn't maintain a cold demeanor, it would be impossible for her to deal with those thick-skinned admirers.
Back in the office, Peng Ling apologized to Zhang Mengqin. "Sorry about that, Teacher Zhang. It's your first day here and something like this happened. But Zhu Siqi is still basically a kid—please don't be angry with him."
"How old is he?" Zhang Mengqin asked. "He looks about eighteen or nineteen."
"I only found out when he filled in his ID just now—he's only sixteen."
This immediately piqued Zhang Mengqin's interest. "Only sixteen? He could still be in high school. Why come to a school like this? And his English sounded quite good—his studies shouldn't be bad."
"I don't know his reasons yet," Peng Ling replied. "But he really is very motivated. Just now, he even asked me to help him get a library card at Nanchang University."
"That doesn't show," Zhang Mengqin said. "But I actually have a way to get a library card. I have a classmate who works at the Nanchang University library. How about this—tell him to bring two photos this afternoon and come with me to Nanchang University."
Peng Ling was delighted. "That's wonderful. I'll thank you on his behalf."
That afternoon, during English class, Zhu Siqi already knew who the teacher was and didn't dare to be late. He arrived early.
Zhang Mengqin was beautiful and taught well. Since the class was mostly male students, everyone listened with great interest. Listening to her speak English was enjoyable both visually and audibly—how much they actually learned was another matter.
During the break, Teacher Peng found Zhu Siqi and told him that Zhang Mengqin had agreed to help him get a library card and asked him to prepare two one-inch photos. Zhu Siqi immediately ran back to the dormitory, grabbed two photos, and kept them with him.
After English class ended, Zhu Siqi went straight to the class advisor's office. Zhang Mengqin saw him and didn't bring up the incident from noon, remembering that he was, after all, her student.
The two walked out of the teaching building. Zhang Mengqin had come by bicycle, and she clearly didn't want to carry Zhu Siqi.
She looked at him, signaling that he should ride. Zhu Siqi felt a little embarrassed. "I don't know how to ride a bicycle."
"You're a man, and you don't know how to ride a bike? Do you expect me to carry you?"
"How about I take a bus, and we meet at the gate of Nanchang University?" Zhu Siqi suggested a compromise.
"Forget it. I'll take you," Zhang Mengqin said, pushing out the bike.
Seeing her look of slight disdain, Zhu Siqi felt uncomfortable. "How about you let me practice here for a bit? Riding a bike shouldn't be that hard. It won't take long."
Zhang Mengqin thought he was just trying to save face, but she was also curious to see how he would embarrass himself.
"Alright, but don't take too long."
Zhu Siqi took the bicycle. He had seen others ride before. He stood with one foot on the ground, swung his body over the bike, sat down, lifted the pedal into position with his right foot, and pushed off. At first, his body wobbled awkwardly, but he quickly found his balance. When practicing Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace, he had to control his balance with extreme precision in midair—this was far easier with two wheels on the ground. After riding one circle, he was already fine.
Once balance was mastered, all that remained was pedaling, controlling speed, and braking. After a few more laps, he rode up to Zhang Mengqin.
"Teacher Zhang, please get on."
At first, Zhang Mengqin had found his wobbling amusing, but seeing how quickly he stabilized and rode smoothly after just two laps surprised her. This person has excellent control over his body, she thought.
With Zhu Siqi carrying her, they soon arrived at the Nanchang University library. When Zhu Siqi walked in, he felt it was enormous—four floors high. Reading the introduction on the side, he learned that it housed over a million volumes.
On the first floor, there was a counter with a computer. Behind it sat a quiet-looking girl about the same age as Zhang Mengqin. Zhang Mengqin walked over.
"Xie Lu! What are you looking at so intently?"
Xie Lu looked up. "Mengqin, it's you. I haven't seen you since the New Year. Did you forget about your old classmate?"
"How could I?" Zhang Mengqin laughed. "I spent the New Year in Nanjing with my dad. I only got back a few days ago."
"What brings you here today? If you want to read, just go in," Xie Lu said. Then she noticed Zhu Siqi and smiled teasingly. "Who's this? Mengqin, confess honestly."
Zhu Siqi was over 1.7 meters tall, and after months of tough experiences, he didn't look much younger than Zhang Mengqin.
"Don't talk nonsense," Zhang Mengqin said quickly, afraid of misunderstanding. "His name is Zhu Siqi. He's my student. We're here to ask you for help."
"Oh? You only come to me when you need something," Xie Lu teased, then continued, "Alright, what is it?"
"Can you help him get a library card here? He's very motivated, but you know Southeast College doesn't even have a library."
"That's no problem," Xie Lu said. "But you have to be his guarantor. If anything happens, you're responsible."
"Deal."
Zhu Siqi handed over the two photos. Xie Lu also asked for his ID card to copy down the number. Only after seeing the ID did she believe that this young man was truly Zhang Mengqin's student.
Taking the library card, Zhu Siqi said gratefully, "Thank you, Teacher Xie."
"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Xie, can I go in and have a look now?" Zhu Siqi asked eagerly.
Zhang Mengqin, who was chatting with Xie Lu, replied immediately, "Go ahead—but remember the time. Don't stay too late."
Zhu Siqi walked straight into the library.