Chapter 1 The Train to Kyoto
Carriage Number Six was filled with Peking University freshmen, all of them.
After passing three stations, all twenty-eight freshmen had arrived.
When the freshmen boarding the train saw Gao Fei, the bolder ones directly approached to greet him.
Those with slight social anxiety would take photos from afar, then inform their friends via social media that they were on the same train as a freshman celebrity.
The freshmen were very enthusiastic, and Gao Fei did not refuse anyone.
As long as someone greeted him, he would politely respond. If someone asked for an autograph, he would sign it on the spot.
However, among these twenty-eight freshmen, he was surprised to find that Wang Shiyu was also a freshman at Peking University.
After their relationship became clear, Gao Fei had not inquired about Wang Shiyu's news.
As for Hu Xu and other brothers and friends, they had tacitly agreed never to mention Wang Shiyu in his presence.
Therefore, seeing Wang Shiyu board the train from Yancheng Station still surprised Gao Fei.
"Long time no see, Gao Fei!"
"Yes, it has indeed been a while. I haven't seen you since the graduation party!"
Wang Shiyu was slightly awkward when she greeted him.
But Gao Fei did not feel any discomfort and replied in a normal tone.
Just as the two finished greeting each other, a girl next to them said with a smile, "So you're Gao Fei. I heard you used to deliver breakfast to Xiao Yu often, for three years. Is that true?"
As soon as this was said, it immediately attracted the attention of other freshmen in the carriage.
Everyone looked at the three of them with gossip in their eyes, full of interest.
Wang Shiyu's face turned red. She tugged at the girl and whispered, "Zhou Yuyan, that was so long ago. If you mention it again, do you believe I'll ignore you from now on!"
"Hey hey, I know!"
Saying that, the two were about to leave. Zhou Yuyan, who was quite socially outgoing, directly sat opposite them. "Classmate Gao, can we sit here? Don't you refuse a little girl's request just because of Shiyu!"
Gao Fei shrugged and smiled, "As you wish. Anyway, this carriage is all freshmen from our Peking University. It's the same wherever we sit!"
"Then thank you!"
After Wang Shiyu was pulled to sit down, her cheeks became even redder, and her eyes flickered as she looked forward. "I'm sorry, Gao Fei. Yuyan likes to joke. Don't take it to heart!"
"It's fine, we're all classmates. It's just a few jokes!"
Gao Fei waved his hand indifferently and lowered his head to continue looking at his phone.
But Zhou Yuyan, sitting opposite him, frowned at his nonchalant attitude.
"Hey, Gao Fei, it looks like you have no feelings for my Shiyu anymore. Have you found a new girlfriend?"
Wang Shiyu was about to speak when she was glared back by Zhou Yuyan.
Gao Fei slowly raised his head, scanned the two of them, and smiled, "Classmate Zhou, Wang Shiyu and I are just normal classmates. It's not as complicated as you think. Besides, whether I have a girlfriend or not doesn't seem to be your business! Or are you secretly crushing on me and indirectly trying to get information about my love life through Wang Shiyu?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding freshmen looked over again, their eyes already sparkling with gossip.
"You... you... you... Who's secretly crushing on you? Don't you look in the mirror and see what you look like!"
With a move from defense to offense, Zhou Yuyan suddenly turned red in the face.
Gao Fei grinned, "Oh, why is your face red? Did I hit the nail on the head? If you really have a crush on me, I'm sorry, you're not my type!"
Zhou Yuyan was just a young girl who had recently graduated. In terms of verbal sparring, how could she compare to the former "Ancestor's Pianist" Fei Ge?
Finally, after calling him a "shameless person," she blushed and ran away with Wang Shiyu.
As soon as the two left, a chubby boy suddenly leaned in and gave Gao Fei a thumbs-up. "Classmate Gao, you're amazing. Zhou Yuyan is known as the 'little poison tongue' of our Yancheng High School. I didn't expect you to anger her away in just a few words. Amazing, amazing."
"Brother, do we know each other?"
"You don't know me, but I know you!"
The chubby boy extended his hand and smiled, "My name is Li Shuishui, and I'm a fan of your song 'Classmate'! Nice to meet you, Classmate Gao!"
"Likewise!"
Gao Fei, being a social butterfly, quickly hit it off with the chubby boy Li Shuishui.
Meanwhile, in carriage number six, his recent verbal exchange with Zhou Yuyan had sparked rampant gossip.
Rumors about two girls liking Gao Fei and fighting over him...
Rumors about Gao Fei liking Wang Shiyu, but Wang Shiyu liking Zhou Yuyan, and Zhou Yuyan liking Gao Fei...
Before even reporting to the school, the three of them had become gossip fodder.
Gao Fei paid no mind to these rumors. He had experienced online defamation, so why would he be afraid of such trivial gossip?
But Zhou Yuyan was different. Usually, she was the one who teased others, but today she had suffered a setback. Hearing the faint gossip from the carriage and seeing Gao Fei chatting and laughing with Li Shuishui, she stamped her foot in anger.
"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Have some snacks to calm down!"
Wang Shiyu handed her some snacks, comforting her.
Zhou Yuyan took a bite of a potato chip, glancing sideways at Gao Fei, who was now arm-in-arm with Li Shuishui. "Shiyu, you know that during past holidays, I used your account to chat with Gao Fei. He wasn't someone who could talk well. How did he suddenly become so infuriating with his words!"
She chewed the potato chips vigorously, clearly displeased.
Wang Shiyu looked at Gao Fei, who was still chatting and laughing. She was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Ever since that day he was rejected by me in front of classmates again, he's changed. He's become so unfamiliar, making him seem unreachable. Actually, I still prefer the old Gao Fei. Although he was a bit silly and straightforward in his words and actions, at least I knew who he was."
Zhou Yuyan knew their past very well. Seeing her somewhat dejected best friend, she smiled and said, "Alright, alright, don't think about it. Out with the old and in with the new. Besides, we're going to Peking University, a place full of talented people. You'll meet people who are a hundred times better than Gao Fei in the future. Find someone handsomer, richer, and more outstanding than him, and make him regret it!"
"Oh well, we'll talk about the future when it comes!"
...
The long train journey allowed the freshmen to get acquainted. The atmosphere in the carriage was no longer as awkward as it was before boarding. Everyone was now chatting and laughing, interacting harmoniously.
At Gao Fei's seat, besides Li Shuishui, another boy named Zhang Cheng from Bin City, Yunnan Province, joined them.
"By the way, Gao Fei, what's your major?"
"Me? Computer Science!"
Upon hearing his major, Li Shuishui and Zhang Cheng both widened their eyes, their expressions strange.
Gao Fei noticed their gazes and touched his face. "What's wrong? Is there something on my handsome face?"
"You really are shameless!"
Li Shuishui, who now understood his personality, rolled his eyes. Zhang Cheng said, "Logically speaking, Computer Science majors are usually science students. You, as an arts student, are choosing Computer Science. It's a bit hard to understand!"
"What's so hard to understand? The future is the internet era. If you study computer science, you can become a programmer after graduation, with an annual income starting from a hundred thousand. Never mind me, what are your majors?"
"I'm in Language and Literature!"
"I'm in Psychology!"
Gao Fei was stunned. He winked at them. "You say I, an arts student, chose a science major. You two, science students, chose two arts majors. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other!"
"That's true!"
As the three of them discussed their majors, students who were paying attention to Gao Fei immediately started talking about their own majors.
After listening to everyone's majors, the entire carriage suddenly fell silent.
Because arts students chose science majors, and science students chose arts majors. In their carriage, everyone had done the opposite!
Six hours passed, and the train finally entered Kyoto Station.
As everyone disembarked, they saw parents accompanying their children to school in other carriages. The twenty-eight people who alighted from carriage number six clearly stood out from their surroundings.
Some parents saw the twenty-eight of them and assumed they were going to vocational schools in Kyoto, hence their parents were too embarrassed to accompany them. The children next to them also thought these twenty-eight people were going to vocational schools, so they walked past them haughtily, their eyes inadvertently revealing their sense of superiority.
The surrounding gazes made these twenty-eight academically gifted students very uncomfortable. They felt as though everyone was looking at them like trash, always with a condescending gaze.
Gao Fei was an exception, as he was on the phone. Tomorrow, his recorded song "Classmate" would be released, and he needed to reconfirm with the media company that the song had not been altered.
Because he was on the phone and walking at the back, a boy with a swagger walked up to him, nudged him with his shoulder, and said with a smile, "Brother, you're here to study?"
"Mm," Gao Fei replied casually while on the phone.
But the boy was persistent. "Honestly, studying at a vocational school is worse than retaking the exam for another year. Look at you all, your parents aren't even accompanying you. Truly a failure."
The sudden appearance of this person and his comment about vocational students completely stunned Gao Fei. He looked up and directly retorted, "What? Did vocational students eat your rice, or use your money? You look down on vocational students with every word you say. Is your brain filled with water!"
The boy, who used to be the class monitor and was accustomed to being superior, was taken aback by the retort. Just as he was about to strike back, he froze, staring at the person in front of him.
"You... you... you... You're Gao Fei!"
"I am your father!"
Gao Fei glared at him. "With your condescending attitude, you're a waste even if you're reformed. You dog-eyed snob, what the hell are you imagining!"
With that, he grabbed his luggage and quickly followed the group ahead.
The surrounding parents, seeing Gao Fei's confrontational demeanor, all said he was a fish that had slipped through the net of quality education.
However, when Gao Fei and his group of twenty-eight arrived outside the train station, the extraordinary welcoming ceremony left the parents present dumbfounded.
Outside the train station, a military green truck was parked by the roadside, looking imposing. Beside the truck stood four soldiers in camouflage, exuding a distinguished aura.
The squad leader, looking at the twenty-eight people who stood out from their surroundings, asked loudly, "Are you new students at Peking University?"
The twenty-eight people nodded in unison.
"I'm asking you, are you!"
"Yes!" Gao Fei and the others replied vaguely.
The squad leader frowned. "Are you!"
The twenty-eight people, realizing their mistake, immediately shouted in unison, "YES!"
"Everyone on board!"
The squad leader shouted with satisfaction, and the soldiers behind him directed Gao Fei and the others to board.
The surrounding students and parents were first shocked by this scene, then embarrassed, wishing they could find a hole to hide in. They had just been mocking these twenty-eight people. Who would have thought that they would slap their faces and tell them they were Peking University freshmen!
This incredibly imposing welcoming ceremony immediately became a hot news item on the day of Peking University's freshman enrollment.
At this moment, Gao Fei and the others, having just boarded the military green truck, had no time to rest before the leading squad leader suddenly produced a plastic basin.
"Fellow students, hand over your mobile phones. Your recruit training officially begins now!"