Upon arriving at the registration, Zhang Tianxing and Zhu Dayong took a look and saw that all the students were male.
A senior, noticing their expressions, couldn't help but laugh. With the wisdom of experience, he said, "Your university life has just begun, don't be discouraged. Our school may have fewer girls, but the ones we do have are of good quality. The most important thing is the Zhonghai Foreign Trade University next door. That place is full of beauties."
Zhu Dayong asked, "Tianxing, should we live in the dorms or rent an apartment outside?"
"Let's stay in the dorms. It's livelier, and we can get along better with our classmates. Besides, moving out right at the start of university would make us seem detached from the masses. I'm also hoping to find some free labor among my classmates."
Zhang Tianxing found his dorm, 156. His roommates hadn't arrived yet. The dorm was a standard six-person room and quite decent.
He located his assigned bed. The school had thoughtfully posted names on each bunk.
Zhang Tianxing saw that he had arrived early and immediately cleaned the dorm. Then, he went out to explore the campus, to see if Zhonghai University, a place with "more wolves than meat," had any hidden "passion pits."
When he returned to the dorm, everyone had arrived. The other five roommates were there, accompanied by their parents.
With all six occupants of room 156 present, the dormitory lineup was as follows:
Room 1 was occupied by Wang Qiang from the Northeast, a slightly chubby young man about 170 cm tall, who looked cheerful.
Room 2 was Zhao Long from Haijiao, a burly and strong man.
Room 3 was Zhang Tianxing.
Room 4 was Zhang Xiaohao from Henan, who looked very thin.
Room 5 was Dou Mingming from Henan, who had a darker complexion.
Room 6 was Shi Xingxing from Minnan, who appeared shrewd.
The six great gods of 156 were now all in place.
The parents busied themselves arranging the bedding and began chatting.
One middle-aged man with a large belly chuckled and said, "We'll all be living together from now on. Meeting like this is fate. Uncle will treat you all to dinner today."
Wow, they'd run into a big spender! A parent offering to treat them to dinner just like that. This was a great way to do things.
The roommates were taken aback. Would it be awkward to accept or decline the invitation?
Other parents chimed in, "Since everyone's here, let's all go together. It'll be a lively gathering."
Zhang Tianxing, having reported by himself, instantly earned the admiration of the other five roommates. They had wanted to come alone too, but their parents were worried and insisted on accompanying them.
They had all tried to get permission to report by themselves but were refused.
The reason was always the same: "You're going to school, and your father and I will go out for a bit, relax ourselves."
The middle-aged man with a large belly said, "There's a Zhang Ji Crayfish Barbecue outside the school. Let's go there. Crayfish are quite popular lately. We can order whatever we want."
"Let's go to that Zhang Ji Crayfish! The crayfish there are delicious. We'll have crayfish tonight!"
The stout man, wearing slippers, holding car keys, and sporting a thick gold chain, looked every bit the nouveau riche.
He declared, "Uncle isn't very educated, but I'm lucky. I have a mine, so don't worry about the cost of this meal. It's all on me today."
Zhang Tianxing forced a smile. "Uncle, let me handle it. I don't want to argue with you, but Zhang Ji Crayfish Barbecue is my restaurant."
The words hung in the air, and the atmosphere became tense. The portly man slapped his forehead.
"Ah, no wonder you looked so familiar. You must be the renowned President of the Crayfish Association. Truly a young hero."
Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected the young man who came to report alone to be such a formidable figure.
Now the kids would make good friends at university. Everyone had heard of Zhang Tianxing's crayfish; they were incredibly popular.
They were utterly surprised that the young and successful Zhang Tianxing had chosen to major in materials science, a choice that challenged their worldview.
"That's even better. We can all go and mingle, and then have dinner."
No one had anticipated that Zhang Tianxing, who came alone, would own a restaurant right outside the school.
He was truly talented. The way the others looked at him had changed.
Undoubtedly, in this era, owning a property outside Zhonghai University meant he was doing exceptionally well.
"Why is the gap between people so vast? I can't even imagine."
"I thought having a mine was quite impressive, but it turns out young Zhang is even more low-key. I see that Zhang Ji Crayfish Barbecue is doing very well, much better than average restaurants."
"How about this, everyone who's attending tonight, we'll meet at Zhang Ji Crayfish Barbecue outside the school."
"I don't have much money. Maybe I shouldn't join."
"Everyone's going. Don't worry about the meal cost tonight; it's on me."
"The counselor should come too. Everyone should get acquainted. We'll all be attending university together, and we'll need the counselor's help."
Zhang Tianxing found Ma Qiang and relayed the dorm parents' request.
"Teacher Ma, it's everyone's first meeting. Let's have dinner together. All our classmates will be there."
Ma Qiang thought about it. It was a good idea. He hadn't yet repaid the life-saving kindness. A meal was a small matter and definitely something he should attend, especially since it could strengthen the class's cohesion.
"Let's go, let's go! Let's start our first class gathering!"
A large group of people set off toward the restaurant outside the school.
This immediately drew envious glances from other students. Why wasn't their class having such an event? A dinner gathering on the first day of school, how they wished they could join.
"This class is awesome! They're eating barbecue outside on the first day, so rich and willful."
"Isn't it? The whole class is out. They've ordered a lot of food, and plenty of barbecue too."
"So rich, I wish I had a life like this."
"Good heavens, this meal probably costs a year's salary for my family."
Zhang Tianxing waved his hand. "Save some for later. It's my restaurant, so we can eat as much as we want today. But if you want to eat like this again, you'll have to pay."
"I wonder if this class is still looking for members. I suspect the school sent me the wrong notification. I'm not in Class 1; I'm in Class 2."
"Hey, be a decent person. Everything has to involve you."
As they left the school gate, the security guard saw such a large group heading out and muttered to himself, "Another group heading out to have fun."
Zhang Tianxing walked past and casually handed the security guard a pack of cigarettes.
"Brother, we're having a gathering tonight and might be back a little late. Please keep an eye out."
The security guard looked at the cigarettes in his hand and nodded with a smile.
"How about this, everyone order a bit less. Let's have beer, no strong liquor."
The crowd erupted in laughter. "To our new lives, cheers!!"
Everyone burst into hearty laughter.
The counselor's words dispelled the parents' concerns. "Come on, our materials major is quite good. If you're not satisfied with your undergraduate job, you can pursue a master's degree. Our postgraduate admission rate is quite good, and applying to our own university gives you a significant advantage. So, this major is quite decent among the 'bottomless pits.'"
The only drawback was the disproportionate number of males to females, a clear case of "more wolves than meat."
Zhang Tianxing looked at the young, unblemished faces around him, filled with youthful exuberance.
As he had predicted, in his materials science Class 2, there were thirty students in their small class, but only six girls. They had just managed to fill a dormitory.
To Zhang Tianxing's surprise, none of these six girls were unattractive, and two were quite good-looking.
In an engineering university, these were top-tier "class beauties." It seemed heaven was fair.
Where the quantity was reduced, it was compensated for in quality.
Who could win their hearts would depend on their own abilities.