Chapter 004 – “First Love”

Shen Qingli wanted to live in the dormitory, but specifically in the same dorm building as Qian Xiqiao.

So she would have to wait a few more days until a spot opened up.

The next morning, Shen Qingli got up early and went to the roadside with her backpack to wait for the bus.

Jiang Junwen had just woken up when he saw from the balcony that Shen Qingli had already left for school.

Today, Shen Qingli had an early class.

Jiang Junwen’s face was gloomy as he stared at her back. “Don’t think doing all this will make me notice you.”

…

After coming down the hill, the bus arrived within a few minutes.

This bus route was always crowded. After boarding, Shen Qingli squeezed her way to the back.

As she stood in place, she suddenly felt someone pressing against her from behind. At first, she ignored it, but soon the person behind her kept inching closer. Feeling something was off, she turned her head.

She saw a middle-aged man in black standing right behind her. When he saw her look back, he even gave her a creepy smile.

Shen Qingli: “……”

She frowned and tried to move away, but the man was standing too close—she couldn’t get out.

She frowned and said firmly, “Excuse me, could you please move aside?”

The man replied shamelessly, “Can’t you see how crowded it is? Where am I supposed to move to?”

Shen Qingli started regretting taking the bus.

Maybe she could ride a bike next time—after all, an hour of riding would still get her to school.

Just then, a young man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing a gray hoodie with the hood up, making it hard to see his face. He had black cargo pants on and was quite tall. In his arms, he was holding a small pot of cactus and squeezed his way over.

As he moved forward, he said, “Excuse me,” using the cactus to part the crowd, and ended up right in front of the middle-aged man.

Seeing the cactus—about the size of a fist and covered in white spines—the man instantly backed off in fear.

He wasn’t fast enough, though, and still got pricked.

Enraged, the man shouted, “What’s wrong with you? Who brings a cactus on a crowded bus? Can’t you be more careful?!”

The young man now stood where the middle-aged man had been. He responded lazily, “Sorry about that. Won’t happen again. Thanks for your understanding.”

The middle-aged man: “……”

He did not understand!

But the bus was too crowded, and it was just a cactus prick—not like he’d been hit in the face—so he couldn’t say much more. He gave Shen Qingli a resentful glare and reluctantly moved to a different spot.

Shen Qingli looked at the young man, who happened to lower his head to meet her gaze.

He was wearing black-rimmed glasses, with fair and handsome features. His slightly long hair covered his forehead. His nose was high, and his eyes sharp.

The expression he gave Shen Qingli… looked like he was staring at an idiot.

Their eyes met for a few seconds. Finally, Shen Qingli asked, “Are you laughing at me?”

She wasn’t being overly sensitive—his expression made it quite clear.

The young man, holding the fuzzy white cactus in one hand and gripping the bus railing with the other, asked, “Are you from A University?”

Shen Qingli nodded.

The guy replied, “Be careful when riding this bus in the future. That kind of person shows up a lot—I’ve seen it many times.”

Only then did Shen Qingli realize he had been helping her earlier.

She was touched. “Thank you for helping me. I’m Shen Qingli, majoring in opera scriptwriting. What about you?”

The young man replied, “Pei Songjiang. I go to B University across the road, second year. I study agriculture.”

Shen Qingli looked at the cactus in his hand, then back at his elegant, refined appearance. It was hard to imagine him rolling up his pants and wearing a straw hat, planting rice in the fields.

As they talked, their stop arrived.

The two universities were only two streets apart. Coming out of A University’s north gate and crossing the road led to B University’s south gate. The schools often held joint events, mostly competitions.

They were known to be rivals.

After getting off the bus, Shen Qingli wanted to say something more, but Pei Songjiang had already taken a long stride forward, cactus in hand like some kind of cactus-wielding hero, and was soon several meters ahead, quickly vanishing into the opposite campus.

Shen Qingli watched his retreating figure, then turned and headed back to class for her 8 AM lecture.

Qian Xiqiao was taking the same class as her.

Just as the professor was about to enter the room, Qian Xiqiao came rushing in with messy hair, holding a book in one hand and a cup of soy milk in the other.

Shen Qingli was shocked. “Qian Xiqiao, you actually came to an 8 AM class?”

Usually, she’d just have Shen Qingli sign her in.

Qian Xiqiao replied excitedly, “Oh, you didn’t hear? There’s a freshman welcome event today! It’s at the school field—the stage is already set up. I heard Jiang Junwen is going to perform a song! You really didn’t know?”

Shen Qingli nodded, dazed. “Ah… I know…”

In her past life, this was the moment she started falling for Jiang Junwen.

Jiang Junwen was a performing arts major. He came from a wealthy family whose money would last generations.

He only went to school for fun—his parents spoiled him terribly.

His real talent was in his voice—he had an amazing singing voice.

At the freshman welcome event, a song titled “First Love” made him A University’s campus heartthrob and newly crowned campus crush.

Countless girls fell for him.

Shen Qingli was one of them.

Qian Xiqiao lowered her voice and said, “I’m going to grab a spot early while most people are still asleep. Don’t worry, A’Li, I’ll save us front-row seats!”

She added, “Since Jiang Junwen’s performing, there’s gonna be a huge crowd. I heard even girls from B University are coming. So annoying. I’ll have to run.”

Shen Qingli: “……”

In her previous life, it was Qian Xiqiao who had dragged her to the event. She even went on stage to give Jiang Junwen a bouquet.

But he had too many flowers in his arms, and ended up setting hers on the ground. After the event, the logistics team just cleared it away.

Shen Qingli was heartbroken over it for quite a while.

But this time, she had no plans to give him flowers again.