Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 40: The Two Beauties Unrivaled

In such a fair electoral environment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the instructor had no choice but to announce that the class president elected by the Social Sciences Department’s Class 2030 was Chu Tianyu!
To comfort the other two “elites” who had delivered their campaign speeches on stage, Wang Shengyi was elected as the organization committee member based on vote count, while Bai Lei was chosen as the labor committee member. After consulting the students below, they unanimously approved the choices.
One of the candidates protested strongly, but the instructor dismissed his objections, saying it had been agreed beforehand that one of those running for office must become the labor committee member, raising it to a political level. He even threatened that otherwise, the person would receive a serious disciplinary action and two verbal warnings. Under such pressure, the candidate had no choice but to accept a pile of honorably wrapped gifts tied with red strings, along with several mops and brooms…
Other class officers were also elected—Xu, the tall guy, became the sports committee member, while Zhou Yun, a girl, took on the role of study committee member. Her election was due not only to her excellent grades but also to her figure and appearance, which had already earned her the title of “class beauty” among the boys, with potential to become the school’s beauty queen.
The rest of the positions, such as the arts committee member and publicity committee member, were also filled one by one. According to the instructor, Class 2030 of the Social Sciences Department finally had its organization in place, with solid “political” roots…
Thus, out of the Four Heroes of Beifu, three unexpectedly became “leaders.” In Bao Cai’s words, including himself as the commoner, the Four Heroes of Beifu now formed a complete party and government team, providing one-stop service! What kind of service? Of course, it was for him, the only commoner—after all, the three of them had all been elected as “servants of the people”!
The orientation was over, the class elections came to a “successful” end, and the freshmen gradually settled into their studies and daily lives. Everyone focused on their own tasks, adapting to the new environment and setting new goals.
The Four Heroes of Beifu—leader Xu Zhanqiang and the fourth member Bao Cai—started by behaving properly, attending classes, taking notes, and doing homework. After all, it was the beginning of a new semester, and a fresh start was needed. The second member, Bai Lei, became much more subdued after the electoral setback. He would go to the sports field early every day, claiming it was for motivation, while also practicing breathing techniques and posture, vowing to develop an air of kingship that would allow him to look down upon the world…

These days, Chu Tianyu has been quite relaxed. Aside from occasionally updating his family on his situation and keeping in touch with his elder brothers, he spends his days at the library reading. Of course, there’s one thing he never misses: every Monday and Saturday, he gets up early to “run” to the breakfast stall next to the train station to help the old lady run her business.

It was Saturday, already past eight o’clock. After dropping the old lady off at home, Chu Tianyu hurried toward Peking University. The day before, he had called his high school best friends Hu Zi and Zhou Jie, saying they would meet at Peking University at 9:30, with Zhou Jie and Le Er hosting a get-together for the old classmates.

At 9:30, Chu Tianyu arrived on time at the agreed entrance of Peking University. He immediately spotted Zhou Jie and Le Er, as well as Hu Zi who had already arrived. As soon as they met, Hu Zi exclaimed, “Hey, A Yu, you’re way too punctual! We said 9:30, and you show up right on time, not a second early or late!”

Zhou Jie also said with a smile, “I told you it would be exactly 9:30. You lost the bet—you owe us and Le Er a Western meal!”

“Damn it, I won’t back out! A Yu, shouldn’t you at least chip in half? After all, because of your ‘punctuality,’ that kid Zhou Jie gets to feel proud again!” Hu Zi said unscrupulously.

“Hehe, you’re using me as a bet. I’m already not charging for the ‘rights,’ and now you want me to cover your gambling debts? No way! But if you’re treating, I can supervise and join in, haha…” Seeing his old friends, Chu Tianyu was in high spirits and joked around.

“Wow, A Yu, have you finally come around? It seems university life is really colorful—it even changed you! By the way, A Yu, you haven’t… right? People say love can change everything. Come on, be honest—have you?” Hu Zi asked suggestively.

“What do you mean ‘have I’? It takes ten months! Hu Zi, stop calling me A Yu. Tell me about yourself—haven’t you hooked up with one or two girls?”

“Yeah… right. You and Le Er are always so close together. You’ve been envying us for years and never even helped out a brother. But I heard Peking University has not only many beautiful girls but also many talented ones. Hehe, this time I hope our sister-in-law, Le Er, can act as a matchmaker and introduce us to a few. After all, it’s university—how embarrassing not to have a girlfriend!” In the end, Hu Zi said this in a voice that made everyone’s skin prickle.

“Go on, you’re so irresponsible. You can’t expect to produce something good out of nothing. I can introduce someone for Tianyu, that’s fine. But as for you, Hu, you really need to think it over!” Le Er interjected irritably.
“What? Think it over? Why? I’m just as single as A Yu. Is there discrimination here?” Da Hu demanded anxiously.
“Tianyu is so honest. I’m relieved introducing him to someone—at least he won’t harm others. Unlike you, who’s all flirty online but turns out to be utterly untrustworthy in person. You almost corrupted A Jie too!” Le Er scolded.
“Injustice! It wasn’t me who influenced Zhou Jie back then; it was clearly him…” Before he could finish, Da Hu was met with Zhou Jie’s murderous gaze, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words. His face showed pain and resentment, yet his right hand covered Le Er’s view as he made a gesture with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger toward Zhou Jie…
Now it was Zhou Jie’s turn to nod silently, showing he accepted this blatant extortion!
Amidst the bickering, Zhou Jie led the group around Peking University’s campus. Laughter, arguments, and insults were inevitable. Chu Tianyu was often brought up as a target for criticism, especially by Da Hu, who kept emphasizing the importance, urgency, and necessity of finding a girlfriend in college.
Chu Tianyu was utterly exasperated. He wondered what this theory-driven expert would think if he told him he was already engaged.
Thinking of this, he remembered Qin Nianran and their conversation by the river. She must be at Peking University now. He still had her phone number. After getting engaged, she had suggested exchanging numbers in case they needed to contact each other.
Should he reach out out of courtesy? But after considering it, he decided not to cause trouble. He’d rather enjoy his peaceful life. Oh, there was one thing he needed to do first. With that thought, Chu Tianyu interrupted their jokes and said, “Zhou Jie, Da Hu, I need your help with something. Could you help me get advanced library cards for Peking University and Tsinghua University? The regular university cards won’t let me access certain books.”
“Damn, I thought it was something serious. No problem! I’ll take care of it for our school!” Da Hu said, patting his chest.
“A Yu, don’t worry. I know you love reading. One of Le Er’s roommates’ sisters works part-time at the library. Did you bring a photo? If so, it can be done in a couple of days!” Zhou Jie also assured him.

Chu Tianyu was well prepared and quickly took out several photos, handing them to Da Hu and Zhou Jie at the same time, saying, “Hehe, then thank you!” Unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, he was looked down upon by Da Hu and Zhou Jie. They said they were brothers, and this act seemed hypocritical, hurting their sincere and passionate hearts. It wasn’t until Chu Tianyu agreed to organize two movie screenings plus a dinner that their wounded hearts and spirits were somewhat soothed…

For lunch, Zhou Jie treated them at a restaurant on campus. The restaurant was nicely decorated, of decent quality, and quite busy. Fortunately, Zhou Jie had reserved a table in advance; otherwise, they might not have had a seat. Zhou Jie’s family wasn’t wealthy, so it was already quite difficult for him to treat others here. Likely, his standard of living next month would have to drop.

Chu Tianyu and Da Hu were aware of his situation, so when ordering food, they wisely chose some cheap, hearty dishes that could accompany the meal. After all, catching up came first, and eating was secondary.

Although the restaurant was crowded, the food was served quickly. In no time, the dishes they ordered were brought in one after another, along with drinks. Da Hu spoke first, “A-Jie, Le-er, what are your plans for the future? I really envy you for both getting into Peking University at the same time, fulfilling your wish to be together. Come on, let’s skip the clichés about rare gatherings and good health. Let me and A-Yu raise a toast to you two. Cheers!”

“Cheers…”

During the meal, everyone also talked about their summer vacations and future plans. For Zhou Jie and Da Hu, getting into prestigious universities was certainly exciting, but they faced fierce competition. In high school, they had been considered elites and top students, but here, who wasn’t a top student? There were plenty of talented people. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that anywhere you threw a brick here, it would either hit a top scorer in the college entrance exam or a champion in some competition. So, their top priority now was to establish themselves and find their footing.

However, when the conversation turned to Chu Tianyu, it became much more relaxed. Chu Tianyu shared a few amusing stories from his school, especially the funny incident of him accidentally becoming class president, which he couldn’t help but tell to make them laugh.

Sure enough, when Chu Tianyu recounted the words he had said during his election campaign, Da Hu laughed so hard he almost cried, shaking his head and saying, “Haha, you really are lucky! You even encountered something like this. Why didn’t you buy a lottery ticket that day? Haha…”

“I actually went and bought it later, but sadly I didn’t win!” Chu Tianyu replied “honestly.”
“Ayu, you’re really lucky. Not only did you become a class leader, but I heard North Mansion Academy is quite free-spirited—perfect for you to read books all day. Hehe, come on, tell us your plans. You’re not planning to become a professional ‘reader’, are you?” Zhou Jie asked jokingly.
“Hehe, as for me, it’s simple. I just love reading. I’m not brave enough to be a professional reader. After graduation, I’ll definitely find a place close to the library to live, so it’s convenient for reading. I haven’t thought much about anything else. As long as I can do what I like, that’s the happiest thing!” Chu Tianyu said with a smile.
While saying this, none of them—including Da Hu—had any hint of disdain. On the contrary, Chu Tianyu’s words made them feel something vaguely, though they couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps the true meaning of life should be as simple and clear as Chu Tianyu’s goal—calm and at peace…
As everyone was lost in thought, suddenly a quarrel broke out at two tables next to the restaurant, drawing everyone’s attention. Upon listening carefully, they realized it was a fight over who the school beauty was, who the top attraction was. Both sides argued fiercely, their voices rising, faces turning red.
“Damn! I support Ouyang Ziyi. She’s as beautiful as a flower, warm and generous, talented in many ways—she’s the number one at Peking University!”
“Tch. If you can’t speak properly, then don’t talk. Although she’s not bad, with Yu existing, why need Liang? In terms of talent and grace, she can only rank second. Only Qin Nianran, oh, our goddess, deserves the title of the top beauty at Peking University…”
“Ziyi, Ziyi—born to be number one…”
“Nianran, Nianran—undoubtedly superior…”
…
“Pfft…” Chu Tianyu, who was watching the chaos and drinking free tea, was interested in knowing who the other beautiful contestant was when Ouyang Ziyi’s name came up. But as soon as the name “Qin Nianran” was mentioned, all the tea he had just taken into his mouth sprayed out. Luckily, he was turning his head to watch; otherwise, it would have been a huge embarrassment in front of the dining table!

Especially the following sentence, “Oh, the goddess in our hearts…” made Chu Tianyu even colder. Why did it feel so awkward? Although his relationship with her, Qin Nianran, was just like what the song said—a game, a dream—there was at least the pretense of being engaged. Hearing such remarks outright from others now, if it didn’t make him feel cold or awkward, then that would truly be abnormal!
“Ah Yu, are you okay?” Zhou Jie asked worriedly beside him.
“Ahem, ahem, I’m fine, fine. I just choked on some water just now…” Chu Tianyu quickly came up with an excuse to cover it up.
“Hehe, Ah Yu, slow down! They’re discussing the top beauty—why are you so excited? Really! By the way, A Jie, Le Er, who are these Ouyang Zi Yi and Qin Nianran? How can they be so charming?” Da Hu said carelessly.
Hearing this, Chu Tianyu felt even colder…
“Shh, be quieter. What do you mean ‘what kind of people’? These two are now super-popular idols, known as the ‘Two Beauties of a Generation.’ They have tons of fanatics following them. If they hear you talk like that, they might even get physical!”
“Pfft, who am I, Da Hu, afraid of?” He said, puffing out his 190-something-centimeter frame and showing off his big fist.
At that moment, there was a commotion from the other side of the argument. People on both sides stood up and started shouting at each other:
“Well? Are you looking for trouble? We’re from the school basketball team…” The speaker was a giant over two meters tall and weighing over 200 kilograms.
“Just because you’re on the basketball team doesn’t mean anything! Don’t think just because you’re tall and big, I can’t beat you. I throw sandbags every day—just like you! We’re from the wrestling team…” retorted the other man, with a face full of scars and a muscular build.
…
As for Da Hu, he had already moved back to his seat, shrunk in size, buried his head almost entirely in the table, and whispered, “Shh, let’s talk quieter. Damn, there are so many talented people from Peking University! I thought they were all just bookworms with glasses. Now it seems they’re all fierce and strong! Anyway, let’s talk about these two super idols quickly.”