Chapter 12

The other robber cursed, “Lao Si, your damn perverted problem is acting up again? With money in hand, can’t you get any woman you want? Hurry up; we can’t stay here for long!”

Reluctantly, the bearded man took Song Haowen’s bag and searched through it. As expected, he found nothing valuable, tossed it back, muttered, “Broke guy!” and let the two of them go, continuing to search further.

Song Haowen gently pushed away the girl who was trembling and pressed against him, proactively swapped beds with her, allowing her to stay in his inner beds, while he moved to the outer beds closer to the aisle.

The passengers remained silent, their anger was suppressed, watching the two robbers plundering everyone’s money on the bus.

Before the four robbers left, Big Beard eagerly approached Song Haowen and forced him to move away with a knife. Then, Big Beard grabbed the girl’s hand and forced her to get off the car. The girl was so scared that she screamed loudly in terror and refused to comply.

Song Haowen saw that there was only one robber left in the car, Big Beard. He took advantage of Big Beard’s carelessness and suddenly struck him a punch, knocking him  unconscious.

Then, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone on the bus, Song Haowen leaped out and giving no time for the other three robbers to react. He first punched the nearest robber in the head and knocked him down; Then he soared into the air, his feet flying together, and knocked out the remaining two robbers. Before the passengers could comprehend what had happened, all four knife-wielding thugs were on the ground.

At this point, several young people jumped off the bus to help Song Haowen tie up the robbers and escort them back onto the bus. Following the consensus of the passengers, the plump driver handed the four robbers over to the nearest police station, subjecting them to legal consequences.

After the bus resumed its journey, everyone looked at the money they had regained in their hands, filled with gratitude towards Song Haowen. Several women even offered him snacks, which he graciously accepted.

The girl beside Song Haowen was especially grateful for his lifesaving actions and initiated a conversation with him.

It turned out that the girl’s name was Tian Yuxi, twenty years old, a native of Beijing. Both her parents worked in Beijing, and she was studying in the Economics Department of Qinghua University, a prestigious institution alongside Beijing University. She was in her second year of college.

Tian Yuxi’s grandfather and grandmother both from Linshan County. Her grandfather passed away many years ago, and after her grandfather passed away her grandmother retired teaching from school, she lived with her youngest son’s family. Tian Yuxi hadn’t seen her grandmother for many years and felt a bit nostalgic. This time, she came to visit during the summer vacation. Unexpectedly, she encountered a robbery on the way.

Tian Yuxi heard that sixteen-year-old Song Haowen had been admitted to the capital university, and she was surprised. She couldn’t believe it until she saw his admission letter. She chuckled and said, “I thought you were still in middle school.”

Song Haowen smiled awkwardly and said, “In the countryside, they are not strict about age in school. I started going to school with my second sister when I was seven.”

Tian Yuxi shook her head, a bit envious, “It’s better to start school early. By the time you reach my age, I’ve already graduated from university and started working.”

Haowen smiled bitterly, “Early work is not necessarily a good thing. Maybe I need to enjoy life more before I troubled myself about working.”

Tian Yuxi fixed her beautiful eyes on him, “Going to University school is not easy, especially with the physics you chose.”

Haowen couldn’t admit that he had a bachelor’s degree in physics in his previous life, with a solid foundation in the subject. He vaguely said, “I like this course; I don’t find it difficult.”

Tian Yuxi gave a thumbs up and said, “This senior sister admire you! My junior brother is indeed a natural talent in science. My own performance in science is just average.”

Song Haowen felt a bit embarrassed and said, “It’s not easy for you either, senior, to be admitted to Tsinghua University.”

Tian Yuxi picked up the lengthy novel “Second Handshake” that Song Haowen had placed on the bed, casually flipped through it, and said, “This book is very beautiful. Have you read its manuscript?”

Song Haowen nodded, “I have. However, it doesn’t have as much content as this book, and the plot is not as complex.”

They chatted about literature for a while, feeling that they had a common language, and the conversation flowed smoothly.

Tian Yuxi grabbed Song Haowen’s hand, brought it close to her eyes, and said, “With your slender arms and small fists, I can’t tell if you have any martial arts skills. You managed to defeat all four robbers in an instant, so fast that it was hard to see. Have you practiced before?”

Song Haowen shamelessly said, “I am a martial arts master. In the future, if you need to go out, you can hire me as a bodyguard. Ten or twenty thugs are not my opponents.”

“Pfft! You’re boasting, you can’t fool me. Keep bragging!” Tian Yuxi mocked.

As they talked more, they found themselves getting along well, and for a moment, they forgot about the incident in the car.

The next morning, after waking up, they felt like they had become friends who could talk about anything. They addressed each other as brother and sister without hesitation. During a breakfast stop, Tian Yuxi insisted on paying for Song Haowen. At lunch, Song Haowen refused to let Tian Yuxi pay, insisting on treating her. She reluctantly agreed.

When dinner came, they had another round of friendly arguments, and in the end, Song Haowen emerged victorious. Tian Yuxi could only pretend to be unhappy and scold him for not being considerate to his elder sister.

In the joyful conversation between the two, the day swiftly passed. However, at night, Tian Yuxi became a bit anxious. Song Haowen comforted her while they switched beds. After sleeping in the inner bunk, Tian Yuxi felt much more at ease, and surprisingly, she slept soundly.

As dawn approached, Song Haowen and Tian Yuxi were excited, anticipating the arrival at their destination with no more danger. They had a hearty breakfast, and during lunch, they only had some soda and melon seeds.

The bus faced delays, and by the time it reached Beijing Bus Station, it was already past one o’clock in the afternoon.

Since the next day might be the day for new students from out of town to report, the station square was devoid of university reception staff and vehicles, except for some welcoming banners hung by the universities. Tian Yuxi suggested treating Song Haowen to a restaurant, but he disagreed. Instead, they found a noodle shop near the station and had a light meal.

After lunch, Song Haowen hailed a taxi intending to drop Tian Yuxi home first, but she disagreed. Considering him a newcomer unfamiliar with the area, she insisted on accompanying him to report first, planning to take the bus home afterward.

Song Haowen didn’t insist much, appreciating the rare opportunity to have an acquaintance in the capital, especially a beautiful woman. He was reluctant to part ways with her.

After a taxi ride and a half-hour walk, Song Haowen recognized the Hongyi Road sign, realizing that his dream university before his rebirth was finally within reach, causing his heart to beat wildly.

At the east gate of Jingcheng University,

Tian Yuxi pointed across the street and said, “I am studying across the street, and it will be very convenient for us to contact each other in the future.”

After the taxi stopped, she settled the bill and helped Song Haowen with his belongings. Holding his admission letter, she inquired with the security guard about where to report.

The official registration for new students was scheduled for tomorrow. Considering that some out-of-town students might arrive early, the university had already made preparations to welcome them.

Watching Tian Yuxi take charge like an elder sister, helping him with registration, finding the dormitory, and getting meal tickets, Song Haowen felt a bit guilty and very grateful. Once everything was settled and he met with the counselor, Professor Jin, he invited Tian Yuxi to take a stroll on campus and have dinner together that evening.

Tian Yuxi, considering the late hour and not wanting to worry her parents, declined. She made an agreement with Song Haowen that whenever she had time, she would come find him to explore Wanguo Park. She refused his offer to accompany her home and opted to take the bus back alone.

After parting ways with Tian Yuxi, Song Haowen headed to the school cafeteria to purchase daily necessities such as rice bowls, hot water bottles, washbasins, and reed mats. Carrying the supplies, he returned to Room 301 on the third floor.

The dormitory had three double beds, accommodating a total of six students. Since Song Haowen was the first to arrive, he could freely choose his bed. He opted for the upper bunk near the window.

Inside the dormitory, there was a long table, six square stools, and a storage cabinet with six doors, but no bathroom.

The male dormitory building where Song Haowen resided had a total of six floors, and each floor had a central corridor with dormitories on both sides. Common bathrooms were located at each end of the corridor, serving the purposes of washing, showering, and relieving oneself. Due to the inconvenience of singing in the dormitory, the bathrooms also functioned as practice rooms for singing and playing instruments.Many campus singers and band members started their musical journeys from these rooms. Despite the lack of a formal audience they enjoyed themselves with this room.

Entering the campus for the first time, everything felt fresh to Song Haowen. The food in the cafeteria was very affordable, with meat dishes costing less than twenty cents, vegetarian dishes less than ten cents, and generous portions. Some students were so satisfied that they used bowl-like containers to fill up their food. The cafeteria staff often assumed they had not received enough and added extra portions.

The most expensive pastries cost one yuan and two cents for two meal tickets, meat buns were five cents for two meal tickets, and steamed buns were one cen and a half for two meal tickets.

Song Haowen bought braised pork for one yuan and five cents, celery stir-fried with dried tofu for five cents, and got free soup and four liang of rice. After a hearty dinner, he strolled around the campus, eventually reaching a small grove by the nameless lake. Sitting on a stone bench, he contemplated his past and present, finding it challenging to calm his emotions.

The next day, five more roommates moved in. All of them were from the same class as Song Haowen, hailing from different provinces. Among these elite students, Song Haowen was the youngest. The oldest was Ding Mo, aged thirty-five, married for several years, with a wife and three children back in his hometown.

The other four roommates were: Yu Guangzhong, twenty-six years old, married with a lively three-year-old daughter; Sun Laixi, twenty years old, highly myopic and introverted; Zhang Qiang, nineteen years old, slightly overweight, with a passion for literature; Wu Sida, eighteen years old, short in stature, with a love for music. Regardless of their various hobbies, all of them were academic elites, excelling in the sciences with top-notch intelligence.