As for students from other departments, when they hear “mathematics department,” their first reaction is always, “Oh, that group of single dogs,” “Have they ever dated anyone?” “That’s impossible, right?” Generally speaking, girls aren’t too keen on dating people who lack a sense of romance, so those who manage to find a partner are truly one in a million.

Otherwise, how do you explain why someone as handsome, elegant, and skilled at basketball as me—a heartthrob on par with Rukawa Kaede—still hasn’t found a girlfriend?

Sigh, reality is just that cruel.

Eric Grant looked up at the sky.

At that moment, William Carter happened to return to the dorm. As he pushed open the door, he laughed and said,

“What are you guys up to? I could hear Thomas wailing like a ghost from all the way down the hall. Hurry up and get yourself a girlfriend, or I’m afraid something’s going to happen if you drag this out any longer.”

Thomas Hill put on a serious face: “Elbow, I have a very serious question for you, and you have to answer honestly.”

“What…?”

Eric Grant chimed in with a straight face: “Do you have a girlfriend?”

William Carter replied impatiently, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have two! Jealous? Want me to lend you one?”

“Get lost!” the three of them shouted in unison.

William Carter was stunned for a moment, not expecting them to be so synchronized. Suddenly realizing something, he gave an awkward laugh and said, “What are you guys thinking? I was talking about Advanced Algebra II and Mathematical Analysis II. I took notes in them, so if you want to take a look, go ahead—just remember to return them.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Uh.

Looks like the conversation died.

……

In the morning, William Carter got up early as usual, washed up, got ready, and headed to the cafeteria with his notebook.

The cafeteria had just opened for business, and the hall was nearly empty.

Just as William Carter walked in, fresh steamed buns were coming out of the steamer, and the aroma of the dough could be smelled from far away.

“Auntie, three buns and a cup of soy milk, to go please!”

“Alright! You’re here early again, young man. Auntie will pick out a big one for you.”

“Thank you, Auntie!”

William Carter was always sweet-talking, whether it was with classmates, teachers, or even strangers.

This was something his dad taught him: be kind to others, and you’ll never lose out.

Of course, that’s not always the case. His dad had worked as a laborer in a steel factory for many years and had suffered plenty of losses and grievances. As for William Carter himself, even though he kept his dad’s advice in mind, he sometimes couldn’t help but be sharp-tongued when he shouldn’t speak.

Once the buns were packed, William Carter took out his meal card and tapped it on the card reader.

But the next second, his expression turned awkward.

[Insufficient balance]

Seeing William Carter’s embarrassment, the cafeteria lady smiled and said, “It’s fine, you can pay with cash too. I have change here.”

William Carter patted his pockets and pulled out his wallet, looking even more embarrassed.

The wallet was empty except for a bank card. As for his Xiaomi phone, he’d left it charging in the dorm, so he couldn’t use QR code payment either.

This cafeteria probably doesn’t accept bank cards, right?

System…

Can we talk? Can I exchange points for cash?

William Carter asked quietly in his mind, but unfortunately, the system didn’t bother to respond.

Just then, like a voice from heaven, the card reader gave a “ding-dong.”

William Carter immediately turned around and saw a girl with airy bangs standing behind him, smiling at him, gently shaking the meal card in her right hand.

“Hi, good morning.”

“Morning…” William Carter was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

This person…

Who is she?

“How mean, you don’t even recognize me!” Sarah Brooks could tell right away that William Carter didn’t recognize her, and pouted in annoyance.

“Uh, sorry… Thank you. How about you add me on WeChat? I’ll pay you back later?”

“No need, it’s only 2.5 yuan, I’m not that stingy. Besides, we’ve already added each other on WeChat!” Flipping her hair, Sarah Brooks smiled and extended her right hand, “Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I’m Sarah Brooks from the Business School. William Carter junior, you can call me ‘senior’ from now on.”

William Carter didn’t know why she emphasized the word “junior” so much, or why she added “little” in front of it, or how she knew the truth. But when she mentioned they’d already added each other on WeChat, he suddenly remembered who she was.

It’s just…

She looks so different now!

Below the waist, she wore fresh denim shorts, and further down were a pair of long legs that left you wondering where to look, topped off with white sandals. On top, a cool white boat-neck T-shirt that somehow gave her a geometric three-dimensional look. Her face had a touch of light makeup, her lip gloss was a fresh yet vivid light red, and especially, her round glasses were gone… probably replaced with contact lenses?

Seeing William Carter standing there speechless, Sarah Brooks felt a little proud. At first, her roommate had dragged her to get all dressed up, which she found a bit annoying, but now she suddenly felt that all that time wasn’t wasted after all.

Of course, that was also because she had good looks to begin with—she just usually didn’t bother to dress up.

Most people, no matter how much effort they put in, couldn’t achieve half her effect.