On a winter morning, before the sun had risen, the sky outside the window was dim.

Jing Ran woke up on the upper bunk bed in the boys’ dormitory. He sat on the edge of the bed, his legs hanging down, taking advantage of his long legs, with his feet not far from the ground. With a leap, he stood steadily on the floor. Below the bed was a personal desk and wardrobe. He put on a pair of thick black-framed glasses, as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle, from the desk, and in the dim light, he opened the wardrobe and took out his everyday clothes to change into.

A set of dark blue cotton sportswear, although a bit old-fashioned, was suitable for morning exercises in the winter season and provided warmth.

After washing up, Jing Ran went to the playground.

It was a bit cold on the winter morning, and it was also the weekend, so most of the students who usually loved sports were probably still in bed, leaving only a few people on the playground. Jing Ran put on Bluetooth earphones, played the VOA audio, and started jogging.

Two male students, who seemed to be freshmen, were running and passed by Jing Ran. They chuckled a few times. Faintly, he could hear snippets of their conversation, “His hairstyle is so ugly,” “He looks like a big idiot”…

Jing Ran heard it, but he didn’t seem to have any particular reaction. It’s better to say that he didn’t care at all about how others judged his appearance.

Jing Ran’s parents were busy with work, so he grew up with his grandmother since he was young. His grandmother had told him that a person’s appearance is not important, what matters is their inner qualities.

Therefore, Jing Ran studied diligently, always ranked first in his grade, and later became the top scorer in the provincial college entrance examination, gaining admission to J University.

With his grades, he could have chosen more challenging and technically demanding majors at J University, such as applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, and so on. But the academic genius (Jing Ran) chose an ordinary engineering major – hotel management.

He made many engineering professors cry, and even when he reached his third year, there were still engineering professors inviting him to switch majors.

“Da, da, da…” came the sound of rhythmic footsteps from behind.

A graceful figure surpassed Jing Ran.

The girl had a slender figure and was not very tall, about 1.6 meters. She tied her hair in a lively ponytail and wore a light pink and vibrant velvet sports suit, which was quite eye-catching.

Jing Ran recognized that girl. They had some interactions in the library, so he paid some attention to her.

**

[Flashback]

He remembered that morning when he was studying in the library until noon before taking a break to go to the cafeteria for lunch. He packed up his books, which were quite a few that day, about five or six, and held them in his arms as he walked down the stairs.

In the stairwell, there were two stylishly dressed boys who were joking and laughing while going up the stairs.

One of the boys accidentally bumped into Jing Ran, causing him to lose his grip on the books, which fell and scattered on the landing of the stairs. Jing Ran pushed up the thick glasses with black frames on the bridge of his nose and looked at the two boys. They should be his juniors, right?

Before Jing Ran could say anything, one of the boys took the initiative to complain, showing a disdainful and reproachful tone, “How do you walk?” He raised his hand and patted his own shoulder where he had just bumped into Jing Ran’s body, as if he had touched something dirty.

Jing Ran was also puzzled…

Where were their moral values?

Where was their integrity?

What has happened to this world?

The two boys hurriedly left the stairwell as if they had seen a germ.

Jing Ran went down the stairs and stopped on the platform, ready to bend down to pick up the textbooks on the ground. A small figure squatted down faster than him and quickly picked up the textbooks. The girl stood up, stretched out her hand and handed him a pile of books, smiling sweetly.

That smile is very beautiful, like the warm sunshine in winter, just warm.

“Here you go.”

He awkwardly reached out and took the books.

It seems that in twenty years, no girl of the same age has taken the initiative to smile at him.

The girl had long curly hair, and there was a faint scent of moisturizer on her body, which was pleasant to smell. Her facial features were delicate, with light makeup that looked natural and energetic. Underneath her curved eyelashes were a pair of watery almond eyes. She blinked mischievously. The corners of her mouth slightly curled up, maintaining a beautiful smile that made people feel close…

He had always buried himself in studying, oblivious to the outside world. It seemed that he had never looked at a girl seriously like at this moment.

“Bye-Bye.”

Before he could even say thanks, the girl hurriedly ran up the stairs and left the stairwell.

The faint fragrance disappeared as if the whole thing was just a dream…

Which grade was that girl in?

What was her major?

Which class is she in?

What is her name?

I really want to know…

This is the first time Jing Ran has been so interested in a girl. She is like his favorite advanced math, and he wants to unravel all the mysteries step by step.

On that evening, Jing Ran went to the cafeteria with his roommates for dinner. Jingran’s roommates had a similar style to him, dressed plainly and unfashionably. When they appeared in the cafeteria, there was a sense of a group of otaku coming out of their nest.

However, among these people, except for Jing Ran, who is a top student, the others are all otakus who are passionate about online games.

Jing Ran saw the girl he met in the library again in the cafeteria, holding a tray and looking for a seat.

Cao Jianhua asked: “Boss, what are you looking at?”

Jing Ran’s roommates were all computer majors, while he was studying hotel management. However, he had a good learning ability and could grasp the knowledge from a book in one go. He often helped his roommates solve difficult homework problems. Over time, his roommates recognized him as their boss.

Jing Ran’s gaze never left the girl, and he asked, “Do you know that girl?”

“What the hell, boss, are you kidding me? She is your classmate from the next class, named Jing Li. You really don’t know?” Cao Jianhua looked at Jing Ran in disbelief.

Jingran was confused, “My classmate from the next class? How do you know someone from the Hotel Management Department ?”

“Here, she is the department flower of the Management Department! She ranks third among the campus beauties on the J University Forum! Don’t tell me, you’ve been in the Management Department for almost three years and don’t even know who your department flower is!”

Jingran remained silent, watching Jing Li carry the tray and sit down at a dining table with her friends, chatting and eating together.

So she is the campus beauty, no wonder she looks so beautiful…

[End of flashback]

**

Jing Li kept running forward when she was suddenly stopped by a boy.

Jing Ran approached curiously, took off his Bluetooth headset, and listened to their conversation.

“Jing Li, I have liked you for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend?” The boy shyly finished his confession.

Jing Li suddenly asked, “What was your score in calculus?”

The boy never expected Jing Li to ask such a question, and replied embarrassedly, “I got 61 points in the final exam last semester.”

“No, that’s not enough. If you want to be my boyfriend, you must get a perfect score in calculus!”

When the boy heard Jing Li’s words, he felt that she was making things difficult for him. The boys are also students majoring in hotel management. Although hotel management is an engineering major, most of the students who applied for it were liberal arts students in high school ,so their math skills were naturally weak.

Passing calculus was already a miracle, and now Jing Li was demanding a perfect score from a liberal arts student.

The boy became angry and embarrassed, “If you don’t want to date me. Just reject me directly. Why do you have to add such a bizarre requirement?”

After saying that, the boy ran away directly.

Jing Li shook her head helplessly, no longer in the mood to continue running. She turned around and prepared to walk towards the dormitory.

Jing Ran had been standing behind Jing Li just now, and when Jing Li turned her head, she was surprised to see the top student from the neighboring class.

Why is he standing here?

In the end, Jing Li didn’t think too much about it and simply walked back.

Jing Ran noticed that she was without makeup today, yet still beautiful, and he caught a whiff of the same moisturizer scent from that day. His Adam’s apple moved, and for the first time in his life, he took the initiative to speak to a girl his age: “I got a perfect score in calculus.”

Jing Li happened to pass by him, stopped and asked, “Are you talking to me?”

Jing Ran nodded: “Yeah.”

“So what if you got a perfect score?” Jing Li thought Jing Ran was showing off his perfect score in calculus and felt a bit annoyed. Because she had been at J University for over two years, and she had always failed calculus, even in the make-up exams. She hated it when someone flaunted their math grades in front of her.

Jing Ran reminded her, confirming, “Didn’t you just say that if someone wants to be your boyfriend, they have to get a perfect score in calculus?”

“I……”

Jing Li’s cheeks turned red, unable to find the words to respond, and then hurriedly ran away.

Jing Ran looked a little disappointed as he watched Jing Li leave in a hurry.

Grandma once said: A person’s appearance is not important, what important is the inner qualities.

Perhaps Jing Li is just someone who values looks…

But it’s not her fault, everyone has their own preferences.

And he, in the future he will meet a girl who is willing to be with him because of his talent.

*

In the blink of an eye, the first semester of the third year has ended, and students have gone home for the New Year and returned to school for a new semester.

After returning to school from winter break, Jing Ran remained the same, with his mushroom-like hair, wearing thick-framed glasses with deep blue sports clothes. He held a few English exercise books and did a few sets of practice problems in the library.

Unconsciously, it was already dusk. He packed up his books, left the library, and walked on the campus road towards the cafeteria.

“Jing Ran, can you be in a relationship with me?”

Jing Li seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, catching him off guard.

What did she just say?

He couldn’t hear clearly…

Jing Ran looked at Jing Li with a somewhat reserved expression.

Seeing Jing Ran’s lack of response, Jing Li anxiously asked, “I said, can we be in a relationship?”

At the end of February, although it is spring, the temperature is still a bit cold.

A cold wind blows, and Jingran unexpectedly feels warm.

Grandma, you are right, a person’s appearance is not important, what matters is inner qualities.

Jing Ran nods and responds, “Okay!”