engyan's three people were defeated by countless hands with just six punches; this was already an established fact. Secretly setting traps for them to ambush is something they couldn't avoid either. T...Chapter 13: A Single Flower

Zhang Xiaqiao got up from the ground, brushed off his pants and dirty backside, looking somewhat disheveled despite his flushed cheeks due to such an undignified display. He raised his head and looked at Su Can with a confident gaze amidst Li Han and Xiao Xu's bewildered expressions. "Boss, I have some friends in Rongcheng too. I know the word that's trending there is 'tension.' You can continue to maintain your cool." Zhang Xiaqiao felt ashamed, realizing he had fallen so miserably into Su Can’s exaggeration, which was contrary to his own cherished calm and composed demeanor. It was truly embarrassing, but at least it only happened within their dormitory for now.

From Zhang Xiaqiao's expression and words, Xiao Xu and Li Han exchanged glances before immediately understanding that this must be a prank by Su Can.

If they thought about it in reverse, the answer was clear. The bouquet of roses Su Can had presented then must have been quite expensive.

That large bunch of flowers, carefully selected by the Student Union and all thorns removed from each stem, would cost enough to buy a decent meal with at least two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes in the main campus cafeteria on the second floor.

If Tang Wu really were Su Can’s girlfriend, was there any need for such a display It wasn't every day they had so much money to be frivolous. That bunch of flowers would have cost half a month's expenses for an ordinary student.

Spending that kind of money on a bouquet wouldn’t make sense when the same amount could afford them two days in a standard room at Home Inn on Handan Road and maybe even buy a discounted pack of Durex condoms from Guoding Road.

In light of their financial situation as college students, Li Han and Xiao Xu came to this conclusion. Xiao Xu said sarcastically, "Boss, you’re not playing fair! Don't mess with our heads like this. If you want her, just say so clearly. But I heard that there are plenty of people interested in her now."

"I also heard the Student Union is quite impressed by her and hopes she will join them. A senior from the Department of Automotive Engineering who's a fan club president wants to recruit her when they start their new semester activities, planning for a bicycle trip to Suzhou that could attract over 100 participants."

Su Can ignored their exaggerated speculations but sensed that Tang Wu was busy either preparing study plans or collecting relevant information after selecting courses.

On the other hand, a female Student Union member named Mo Xue was very considerate of her and introduced her to friends in both the School of Management and Foreign Languages College, almost as if she wanted Tang Wu to meet everyone and expand her social circle.

Seeing that his roommates took everything he said as a joke, Su Can stopped arguing when he realized they didn’t believe him or simply dismissed it based on their romantic logic.

Hence, Su Can decided not to explain further. He had refrained from doing more at the ceremony out of consideration for Tang Wu’s feelings.

Furthermore, hugging was already considered a bold move in front of everyone; kissing would be too forward. Whether Tang Wu could handle it was also an issue, and under public scrutiny, some things needed to be kept in check.

They weren’t performing on stage nor did they need to show off their intimacy to hundreds of people for the girl’s sake.

"Well, Boss, since you're fine, join us at our gathering. We don't allow anyone to remain independent in 602," said Xiao Xu.

"We’re heading to a freshmen get-together tonight. Are there any activities for you Do you want me to accompany you"

Su Can sent this text message.

Shortly after, Tang Wu replied with “Okay, I'll be playing tennis with my senior and drinking less alcohol. Let me know when you’re back in the dorm.”

Tang Wu's text messages are in this style, but for some reason, they make Su Cen feel very comfortable every time he reads them.

Tang Wu went to the school tennis court at Mo Xue’s invitation. The price of using the court is quite affordable, and accompanying her were also a few of Mo Xue's close friends who all hold some positions in their respective departments as senior students.

The foreign language department is widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful areas on campus at Nan University, so these seniors are not lacking in looks either. Dressed in sporty tank tops and shorts, walking alongside Tang Wu makes them a sight to behold on campus.

Tang Wu feels that participating in dormitory social gatherings is less meaningful than learning tennis from the senior students. Moreover, she doesn’t seem to need such activities because Su Cen’s presence alone at this university already suffices for her needs.

When thinking about it like this, Tang Wu finds herself rather peculiar. Back when she was in Grade 27 Middle School, which was essentially a small college itself with various club activities, the only thing she cared about was academic pursuits, and these activities were uninteresting to her; they seemed utterly meaningless.

However, since Su Cen arrived, it seems that many things now carry significance beyond mere formulas in理科公式之外的意義。

Now at university, especially after the freshmen orientation and welcome party, Tang Wu feels very good. She thinks the sky of this university is hazy yet warm, filling her heart completely. Even when that boy isn't by her side, the campus lined with paulownia trees also seems extraordinarily meaningful.

As a result, she finds learning and activities interesting as well. Towards Mo Xue, the senior who has been friendly to her, Tang Wu reciprocates in kind and gets along well with her friends too.

The greatest advantage of Nan University’s tennis courts lies in their affordability; local students only pay 5 yuan for access, though the facilities aren’t top-notch. The tennis court is also surrounded by dormitory buildings like a moon encircled by stars. Occasionally one could see figures as beautiful as department flowers leaping around on the court, causing quite a stir.

The surrounding dormitories often collect optical instruments used to observe distant objects through principles of concave and convex lenses from students. And every time it’s tennis-playing hours, there are always heads peeking out of windows along the balconies.

Here's a snippet of their conversation: "Eh Vice President Mo Xue is also here today. The girl next to her I know too. She played the piano so well at this year’s Nan University welcome party, wasn’t it Tang Wu" "Beautiful, right She’s from our department." "Very beautiful indeed. You guys are really domineering in your departments, we can barely see a few girls in our chemistry department, and they’re all like 'I’ll turn you into a bunch of water and inorganic salts' types." "But yours and the foreign language department take up most of the university's prettiest girls. Can you introduce me to one Such girls often have extraordinary tactics to win over men because ordinary guys feel too far from them and dare not pursue. But these girls certainly won’t lower themselves to chase after a man, so no one chasing them can make them feel lost. At this moment, as long as you're thick-skinned, the ugly frog can still get its swan meat."

Many dormitory heroes are now discussing how to capture such a girl with various strategies.

The sunset slants over Nan University's campus in the evening.

Tang Wu, destined not to be ordinary, is sweating profusely while practicing tennis with her seniors under these conditions.

Outside of school at this moment, Su Cen, who doesn't know whether his future will be mundane or extraordinary, has been dragged by the dorm mates to a gathering restaurant named Xiao Nanpu.

The organizers of the new student dinner are several inconspicuous but low-key students among the freshmen. One part of this dinner is also due to the meaning of the Freshman College Student Union, so the school’s side has given support too.

Organizing the 2001 batch of freshmen was simple; most costs were initially covered by the organizing department or faculty, and each new student only needed to pay twenty yuan to attend this gathering dinner.

Dining out together is also quite popular among college students.

Although it's very active to mention dining out in groups at NDU, not everyone is enthusiastic about paying for it. However, being able to enjoy a good meal at Xiaonanpu, a famous restaurant outside the campus, for twenty yuan makes economic sense and there are quite a few people willing to participate.

The second floor hall of Xiaonanpu was booked entirely by the organizers. When they saw Su Cen and his dorm mates arrive, they greeted them warmly. After giving a red envelope as courtesy money, they entered to find many tables occupied by familiar faces. The second floor of the restaurant is estimated to seat around one hundred people, often with whole dorms appearing together.

The group was seated at a table by the organizers, and most of the people around the round table were known to them; everyone was quite familiar. They greeted each other and some girls even inquired about Su Cen's major and class, as there are quite a few people who are very interested in him. After all, among this year's freshmen, Su Cen has made an impression.

Even at the outer tables, people were pointing and talking enthusiastically about Su Cen. This is one of the most popular topics for gossip among students from the eight colleges after meals or tea breaks besides asking each other what courses they are taking and who their professors are.

This was in 2001 when many dormitories did not have computers, and the TV at the cafeteria would broadcast CCTV's evening news program at seven o'clock. The auditorium's activities were often fully attended.

When Su Cen and his group sat down at a table and looked around, Zhang Xiaoqiao’s expression became strange. Li Han put an arm around him and asked, "What is it"

Looking over, the freshmen who were humiliated by Su Cen during the orientation meeting were staring at him with uncontrolled anger. There was also a table of senior students.

Xiao Xue whispered, "The senior student sitting next to the checkered shirt is named Zheng Rong; he's the captain of NDU’s baseball team. The guy who fought us that day, Qian Zhongyuan, his two friends are from the baseball team too. If you count further down the line, there’s Fan Qiyi, the president of the NDU Student Union. The two people next to him I don’t know, but I heard that many top seniors have come to this gathering. We shouldn't have come if we knew."

Li Han was also cautious, seeing how the baseball captain Zheng Rong was looking over at them now and then according to Qian Zhongyuan's description; he kept glancing in their direction with the men and women on his table eyeing them up and down. This made Su Cen unhappy as he thought they were seeking some trouble behind the scenes, hoping that these seniors would be sensible.

The group around Fan Qiyi heard Qian Zhongyuan say that this kid impersonated a teacher to chase them out and couldn't help but laugh when looking at Su Cen. A roommate of his with a perfect TOEFL score remarked, "This kid is pretty amusing."

Qian Zhongyuan's expression wasn’t too pleasant. His friend Zheng Rong was next to him; they were close since Zheng Rong’s father is under the Chemistry Department and he often met Zheng Rong when both of them were in NDU High School.

The organizers gave some remarks that promoted unity, then the banquet began. During the mid-stage, everyone stood up with their wine glasses to visit other tables for rounds of drinks.

Zheng Rong felt he couldn’t just sit there given how Qian Zhongyuan had come and told him everything; it would be too face-saving if he didn’t do something about it.

So Zheng Rong walked over with a group of people. When they arrived at Su Cen's table, all the people in Xiaonanpu’s second-floor hall sensed an unusual atmosphere because the main conflict among freshmen was between Zhang Xiaoqiao and Qian Zhongyuan, then expanded to become a conflict involving Su Cen.

Now it had turned into a conflict between Dorm 602 and the baseball team members.

Su Cen stood up in front of Zheng Rong; Li Han, Zhang Xiaoqiao, and even Xiao Xue also rose to their feet.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment.

People around were getting excited. Senior students who knew Zheng Rong's reputation at the school felt somewhat surprised.

The freshmen standing before them can actually hold their ground against them. This is quite extraordinary.

It's been said that this year's freshmen are full of talent, and there seems to be some truth to it.

At this moment, Li Han, standing in a relaxed posture beside Su Can, still intimidated the others who had come with Zheng Rong and Qian Zhongyuan’s baseball team. Zhang Xiaqiao's face was darkened, while Xiao Xiu adjusted his glasses, looking at everyone ahead of him.

The freshmen from Room 602 displayed a lot of bravado, to the point that those around them felt suffocated.

Fan Qiyi’s side, with several senior students who had built up quite a reputation in their circles, simultaneously chuckled. "This is interesting. Can Zhongyuan swallow this humiliation And how will Zheng Rong handle it"

"Zhongyuan is my little cousin; I won’t take sides," Zheng Rong said with his hands inside his pants pockets. This action impressed the girls around him, finding him very cool.

The fairest and simplest solution: tomorrow morning during the school-wide physical education session, he’ll be waiting at the baseball field. If you can catch one ball I throw, Qian Zhongyuan will apologize to you.

He took out a spherical object from his pants pocket, holding it in his hand. A silver ring shone on his right middle finger.

With a grin, he said, "If you can't catch it, then you owe him an apology. No tricks, no gimmicks—baseball is the purest form of competition. If you don’t want to do this, I won’t force you. Consider that I didn’t say anything. Freshmen should be more low-key; if they wish to make a spectacle of themselves, it will have to wait until after their second or third year when we’re long gone.

The surrounding students gasped softly at the arrogance of this senior student, who had effectively included all other freshmen in his statement.

Fan Qiyi shook his head. "This guy really doesn’t choose his words carefully."

Another senior student sighed. “We can’t do anything about it; that’s just how he is. They say when he wins a baseball game, he still talks back fiercely, making many people reluctant to challenge our school in baseball.

Su Can thought to himself: Is there any need for such self-confidence It might be difficult to play baseball against him, but if it were before I had my experiences, catching even one ball would have been impossible.

But he didn’t know that in American high schools, to get straight As, he often attended extracurricular activities. And as the most popular student, he was invited to many baseball star games—those were truly fulfilling days.

Self-important and arrogant—this is just what I like about you.

A single ball for tomorrow’s morning physical education session" Su Can smiled while Li Han, Zhang Xiaqiao, and Xiao Xiu felt a surge of excitement followed by concern. One ball Can he handle it

Don’t let our enthusiasm go to waste; otherwise we’ll be in trouble.

Zheng Rong nodded with great confidence: "One ball— I'll throw, you hit. A single round will decide the outcome."Can smiled in the mirror. If Mu Ji really set up such a trap to target him, she overestimated herself.Perhaps her performance in front of Mu Ji had made her feel threatened. If left unchecked, Su Can...