Ethan Bennett just followed the crowd, inching forward step by step, until he could finally catch a glimpse of the table’s edge through the gaps between people, his heart surging with excitement.

When he reached the table, Ethan Bennett immediately felt the air become much fresher, and he took a few deep breaths. At that moment, a girl beside him also managed to fight her way to the table, her face flushed red, tugging at her collar and muttering, “It’s so hot, so hot.” Ethan Bennett instantly sensed countless sharp gazes shooting toward the depths of that collar. Looking at the boy behind the table in front of him, he saw that the boy couldn’t even be bothered to pay attention to Ethan Bennett. He was anxiously scratching his head, but no matter how far he stretched his neck, it was useless.

But Ethan Bennett had underestimated this guy. Suddenly, the boy stood up, lifted one foot, and stepped directly onto the bench, shouting at the crowd, “Everyone, don’t push! Chinese Department, come over here!” At the same time, he took several hard looks down the girl’s collar. Ethan Bennett was starting to wonder if the guy’s eyeballs would pop out and fall in, but by then, he had already jumped down from the bench and sat back, looking thoroughly satisfied.

He then looked at Ethan Bennett and asked, “What’s your name?”

Ethan Bennett replied, “Ethan Bennett, ‘leaf’ as in tree leaf, ‘fan’ as in ordinary.” Ethan Bennett was a fan of martial arts novels, and was especially impressed by the line from Gu Long’s novels: “Ye Kai, ‘ye’ as in leaf, ‘kai’ as in happy,” so he used the same explanation for his own name.

At this moment, the girl beside him laughed and said, “My name is Grace Bennett, ‘ye’ as in leaf, but not ‘ping’ as in ordinary.”

Ethan Bennett chimed in, “Then it must be ‘ping’ as in apple.”

The girl exclaimed in surprise, “How did you know?”

Ethan Bennett smiled, “I only know two ‘ping’ characters: one is ‘ping’ as in ordinary, the other is ‘ping’ as in apple.” As he spoke, he turned to take a closer look at the girl. Her face was still flushed, her short hair was tousled, and she wore an amber earring on her left earlobe. She was grinning at Ethan Bennett, showing two little tiger teeth, and said, “You only know two ‘ping’ characters, and you dare to major in Chinese.”

Ethan Bennett just smiled. A bold and pretty girl, that was Ethan Bennett’s conclusion.

Their names were quickly found on the list. The boy in front collected their admission letters and handed each of them a form with their names printed on it, instructing them to go collect their assigned items.

The items included: quilt, towel, washbasin, thermos, meal card, dorm key, and so on—everything they needed. The annoying part was that the pickup locations for each item were all different.

Ethan Bennett shook his head and sighed, turning to leave. He caught sight of the suitcase Grace Bennett was carrying—just one, but it was twice the size of Ethan Bennett’s. On her back was a giant backpack, almost as big as she was.

Ethan Bennett gave her a sympathetic look and was about to leave when he heard Grace Bennett call out, “Ethan Bennett, help me carry my suitcase.”

Ethan Bennett was stunned and turned back. Grace Bennett called out, “Come on, we’re classmates now, no need to be so polite!”

Ethan Bennett noticed that countless boys around them were itching to help, but she had picked him directly. He had no choice but to grab her suitcase. With a suitcase in each hand, he squeezed forward, immediately clearing a wide path. Grace Bennett followed behind him, carrying her huge backpack with ease. When Ethan Bennett glanced back midway, he couldn’t help but want to “star kill” again.

Getting out of the crowd was even harder than getting in, because it meant going against the flow. So Ethan Bennett played the role of a rebel for once, and ended up helping a girl who didn’t look weak at all.

To make the most of Ethan Bennett’s free labor, Grace Bennett chose to follow the same route as him. Wherever Ethan Bennett went to collect items, she followed. So that double-sized suitcase never left Ethan Bennett’s hands, and he even developed a deeper attachment to it than to his own, because it was heavier and he had put in more effort for it.

By the time they finished collecting everything, the suitcases were no longer just suitcases—they were like two carts piled high with stuff. And Grace Bennett and Ethan Bennett were no longer just classmates; Grace Bennett called them brothers. After sweating buckets along the way, Ethan Bennett’s reward was a fifty-cent mung bean popsicle.

Along the way, Ethan Bennett had gotten used to following behind Grace Bennett, and before he knew it, he’d been led to the girls’ dormitory. Since it was freshman registration day, the girls’ dorm, which usually forbade males, had to make an exception. Grace Bennett grinned mischievously and said, “Good brother, might as well do a good deed to the end!”

Ethan Bennett asked, “Which floor?”

Grace Bennett glanced at the number on her key and said, “Sixth floor.”

Without another word, Ethan Bennett turned and dragged his things away without looking back.

Grace Bennett shouted after him, frustrated, “Ethan Bennett, you’re not loyal, you’re letting me down! I gave you a popsicle for nothing!”

Ethan Bennett paused, turned to look at Grace Bennett. It wasn’t the popsicle that made him hesitate, but the unusual vibe he sensed when Grace Bennett lost her temper. This Grace Bennett was no ordinary person. He hadn’t noticed a thing along the way—she hid it well!

Grace Bennett saw Ethan Bennett stop, grinned, and said, “You…”

She had only said one word before Ethan Bennett had already disappeared from her sight.

Volume One, Chapter Six: Roommates