Although Han Tao was utterly resistant to the idea of three beautiful women escorting him to registration, he had considered waking up early, sneaking out while they were still asleep, and getting the process over with to avoid them. Just as he hefted his bag toward the door, Shi Man emerged from the bedroom, yawning. “Han Tao, wait for us. Registration takes all day; you don’t need to rush.” He knew then that this guy wasn't going to be easily placated. He was trying to slip away, wasn't he? “Qiqi, Lina, hurry up! Han Tao is trying to sneak off—that’s too much!”

After shouting that, Shi Man turned back to Han Tao, a sharp look in her eyes. “If you dare run off, we’ll go stand beneath your dorm building and shout your name.” See how you handle that then. You’d still become a focal point; trying to keep a low profile would be impossible.

The moment Shi Man yelled, Han Tao felt a powerful urge to bolt, but when he heard her follow-up threat, he breathed a sigh of relief internally. He knew that if he actually tried to leave, he would only end up worse off. Shi Man would undoubtedly bring Wang Qiqi and Lina to stand under his dorm and scream his name, which would only make him more famous. “Then hurry up, or when the sun is fully up, you won’t have time to explore A University.” At that moment, Han Tao only wished they were just traveling with him to A University so he could register while they went off to sightsee.

“Got it.” Wang Qiqi had actually been awake for a while, just reading in her room. “I want to buy a notebook computer.” Although the laptops available now were a bit clunky, even ugly, and their performance mediocre, their advantage was that some materials could be stored on them. As for internet access, Wang Qiqi had low expectations for current speeds; dial-up was slow, and it seemed only one computer could connect at a time. Furthermore, there wasn't much information online, and people weren't accustomed to using it. News sources were newspapers or television; people usually surfed the net to play games.

A notebook computer? Shi Man was confused. “Are you planning to buy a notepad?” Although they were registering tomorrow, military training would follow immediately, and then the National Day holiday. This meant their actual university life wouldn’t truly begin until October. There seemed no immediate need to buy a notepad.

When Wang Qiqi heard Shi Man question if she meant a notepad, she was momentarily stunned. How could Shi Man be so obtuse? A junior high student might confuse a notebook with a notepad, but at their age, a "notebook" would certainly imply a laptop.

“A laptop computer.” But just as Wang Qiqi was about to retort, she suddenly remembered that people nowadays didn't usually refer to them that way.

A laptop! Shi Man hadn't realized Qiqi intended to buy one of those. Good heavens, those were incredibly expensive, costing over ten thousand yuan! “You’re so rich, Qiqi.” Still, Shi Man couldn’t figure out why Qiqi needed one right now. “Honestly, I think a desktop would be better.” A desktop would be cheaper, but Shi Man envied Qiqi’s ability to buy whatever she wanted without needing anyone’s permission.

A desktop computer—Wang Qiqi would have preferred one too. A heavy laptop was something she could barely move around the house, let alone take out. But the biggest problem was: “My desk isn't wide enough.” That small surface area couldn't possibly accommodate a bulky monitor. If it were an LCD monitor, then buying a desktop would be feasible.

Shi Man recalled the width of Wang Qiqi’s desk and conceded that a monitor might not fit. “I guess a notebook is the only option. Oh, right, Qiqi.” Shi Man suddenly thought of something. “Can I borrow your laptop to play games later?”

Wang Qiqi thought it was premature for someone to ask to borrow her computer before she’d even bought it. “Sure, but if you’re going to play games on a computer, you should probably get a Nintendo.”

“It’s not as fun as PC games.” Shi Man had become somewhat addicted after playing on her cousin’s computer for a while. Unfortunately, she was going to study in the capital, so it felt awkward to ask her parents for one. Her parents didn’t need one, and if she had one while at university, would it just gather dust at home? “Qiqi, I’ve decided. When our stock market ventures really start paying off, I plan to buy a laptop during winter break. I can take it back and forth.” At this point, Shi Man realized the convenience of a notebook, being portable.

Zhu Lina stared at Shi Man for a moment. “I think you could just ask your parents for it as a New Year’s gift.”

Shi Man knew that if her grades were good at university, her parents would very likely buy her a laptop if she asked. But, “I want to buy one with money I earn myself.” It made no sense that Qiqi could use the money left by her parents without touching her principal to earn tuition and living expenses, while Lina was using her accumulated lucky money and savings from years of scrimping for her four years of university expenses. Lina’s parents wouldn't give her an allowance anymore; they would only provide money if she started working at the family company, and even then, it wouldn't be much. But they had all decided not to rely on their families anymore. Shi Man also planned to earn her own way through college, though getting a part-time job was unlikely. If not for following Qiqi in stock trading and the future plans for a purchasing agent business, Shi Man would likely just dip into her savings to finish university.

“Very ambitious. I’m sure Man Man can complete this mission.” Wang Qiqi thought that given Shi Man’s existing foundation, buying a laptop shouldn't be a major hurdle. “Alright, Man Man, we’re packed. You need to speed up.”

Hearing Wang Qiqi say that, Shi Man was about to retort that they should hurry up with their own washing up instead of nagging her, but upon looking closer at Wang Qiqi and the others, she realized they were already dressed. “You guys… you guys…” It made no sense; they had all stayed up talking in Wang Qiqi’s room until 1 AM the night before, only returning to their own rooms to sleep. Shi Man had assumed she’d be the first one up, only to discover she was the last.

Zhu Lina looked at Shi Man, who was clearly about to lecture them, and simply said, “If you don’t get changed now, we aren’t waiting for you.” It was already nine o’clock; by the time they got to A University, it would likely be peak registration time.

Shi Man glared resentfully at Zhu Lina, then quickly ran into her room, worried that if she didn't get dressed immediately, Qiqi and the others genuinely wouldn't wait.

“I was just scaring her, you know.” Zhu Lina spread her hands in a gesture of mock innocence. “Okay, I admit it, I was doing it on purpose, but you have to understand…”

“I understand.” Wang Qiqi knew that if Zhu Lina hadn’t said anything, Shi Man would still be standing there debating with them about computers and self-sufficiency.

In less than three minutes, Shi Man burst out, bag in hand. “Done. We can go.”

The four of them went downstairs to the complex entrance and spotted an empty taxi. Zhu Lina raised her hand to stop it. “Man Man, you pay the fare. If you hadn’t woken up late, we should have taken the bus to A University.”

Why is it always me who gets hurt? Shi Man thought mournfully. “Fine, I’ll pay.” She immediately slid into the front passenger seat.

“Let me,” Han Tao said, thinking he was being taken to register; there was no reason for Shi Man to pay the fare.

“Let Man Man pay. Man Man has money. Oh, and you’re treating us to lunch, okay?” Although Wang Qiqi hadn't toured A University in her previous life, she had heard the food there was good—more importantly, cheap and high-quality. She wondered how C University’s food would compare; she hoped it would also be affordable and tasty.

“Sure, absolutely. Which cafeteria, or rather, which window has the best food?” Han Tao didn't want to pay only to have them complain about some food being subpar. Of course, they could always say that because they were close to him, they didn't need to hide any of their feelings in front of him.

“Don’t worry, we can try them all one by one,” Shi Man said from the front seat. “I think we’ll be visiting A University quite often in the future.”

Han Tao, carrying his luggage, found his dorm room, informed Wang Qiqi and the others waiting under the shade of a tree of his location, arranged a time to meet downstairs, and then they parted ways. This immediately made Han Tao sigh with relief. He had genuinely feared Wang Qiqi and the others might insist on touring the male dormitories.

Shi Man watched Han Tao’s steps visibly lighten. “Can I interpret that as him finally relaxing? He doesn't need to be so dramatic about it.”

“It’s normal for him to feel that way. If three handsome guys who weren't your relatives were seeing you off to registration…” Wang Qiqi hypothesized. “If it were me, I’d be quite happy.”

The thought of being escorted by three handsome men made Shi Man’s mind wander. “It had better be three handsome guys of different styles; then I would definitely be thrilled.”

Zhu Lina shook her head at such an obviously flirtatious topic. “Alright, aren’t we going to tour A University? If we don’t hurry, we won’t finish seeing it all.”

Shi Man shook her finger at Zhu Lina. “Today is A University’s registration day. I want to sit here and see if there are any promising boyfriends worth developing a connection with.” Of course, Shi Man was just saying that. “Okay, let’s go tour A University. Let’s get out of here quickly; there are just too many people.”

Shi Man truly couldn't stand the constant flow of people. “Looking at scenery is better than looking at people.” Although Shi Man wanted to indulge in her fantasies, she realized she wasn't the type of person who could just daydream idly.

“Me too, but it seems like a lot of people are just walking back and forth.” As soon as Wang Qiqi saw so many people milling about, her crowd-aversion sickness started acting up. “Let’s hurry to somewhere less crowded.” While looking at handsome guys could be entertaining, it needed to be done slowly. (To be continued)