There were two tables set up at the registration desk, with a man and a woman seated there—the man was middle-aged, and the woman looked like a college student.

“Excuse me, are you from Public Administration Class Two?” the female college student asked.

“My name is Chris Brooks, from Public Administration Class Two.” Chris Brooks replied with a smile.

As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Chris Brooks wasn’t ugly to begin with—tall and sturdy. Although he was tanned from farm work, he looked healthy and full of energy.

“My name is Ashley White, I’m also a freshman this year. We’ll be classmates from now on.”

The girl introduced herself enthusiastically.

Of course, Chris Brooks already knew about Ashley White. If things went as usual, Ashley White would be the class monitor for all four years of college, and after graduation, she’d become a selected civil servant and enter the system.

Ashley White’s looks could only be described as average. In a school like the Finance Institute, she was the kind you couldn’t pick out in a crowd. But she was proactive in her work, had short hair cut to her ears, spoke quickly, and gave off a very capable vibe.

“This is our counselor, Mr. William Scott.”

Ashley White then introduced the middle-aged man beside her.

“Old Guo, huh. Better not get too familiar in the future.”

Chris Brooks thought to himself.

William Scott wore gold-rimmed glasses and was still in the observation stage with the students. He greeted Chris Brooks with a squinting smile, then took out a few registration forms and said, “Fill in your personal information, and I’ll help you arrange your dormitory.”

While Chris Brooks was filling out the forms, Ashley White asked curiously, “Didn’t your parents come with you?”

“No, I came by myself,” Chris Brooks replied.

“That’s impressive! In our class, only you and another girl registered alone. It’s really admirable,” Ashley White praised sincerely.

Ashley White was speaking freely, but didn’t consider that there were several parents nearby who had accompanied their children to register.

These were all future classmates. Hearing this, they felt a bit awkward and looked up at Chris Brooks and Ashley White.

Ashley White was completely unaware she’d misspoken and was still busy, sweating profusely.

“It’s not impressive at all.”

Chris Brooks said calmly, “I had no choice. My parents had already bought tickets to come to Jianye, but something urgent came up at home and delayed them.”

Ashley White was momentarily stunned—she didn’t even catch what Chris Brooks meant, but the faces of the surrounding classmates looked much better.

The counselor William Scott glanced at Chris Brooks, but said nothing.

After finishing the procedures, Chris Brooks was finally officially a college student. He greeted Ashley White and left straight away.

Back then, Ashley White had a great starting point as a selected civil servant, but because of her personality, she suffered quite a few setbacks in the system and eventually resigned on her own initiative.

There’s never a shortage of hardworking people in this world—diligent and conscientious—but the rewards are far less than imagined.

Actually, if they could just look up amidst their busyness, take some time to observe and reflect, broaden their minds, and absorb feedback from their surroundings, perhaps their lives could be even more brilliant.

……

Chapter 14: The Correct Guide to Rebirth

It took about fifteen minutes to walk from the Finance Institute’s Student Activity Center to the boys’ dormitory, and along the way, Chris Brooks kept looking around, his eyes never stopping.

There were so many beautiful female college students.

The girls in high school were pure, but they were busy with their studies, and with their bulky uniforms, unless you had looks on the level of Julia Bennett, it was hard to be stunning at first glance.

Women in the workplace had learned how to dress up, but their words and actions had started to carry the flavor of everyday life.

What is “the flavor of everyday life”? Frankly, it means adjusting how you interact with others based on their family background, appearance, and prospects—a kind of realistic “order according to the dish.”

So, college girls, who are in the middle, are both fashionable and lively. The worst part is, they still believe in love.

“Although the Finance Institute’s teaching standards are nowhere near Dongda’s, the average quality of the girls here is more than enough to outshine them by several blocks. No wonder those Dongda guys all come to our school to hunt.”

Thinking of this, Chris Brooks felt annoyed. At Donghai University, the cute little snaggletooth Emily Clark could probably be voted campus belle, but at the Finance Institute, she’d only be class belle.

Of course, it was a different story with Julia Bennett—she’d still have the power to “outshine all others” at the Finance Institute.

Chris Brooks grinned and threw flirtatious glances at several upperclasswomen, but unfortunately, they were all wasted on the blind. With the way he was dressed now, these pretty upperclasswomen wouldn’t give him a second look.

Even though he was ignored, Chris Brooks still enjoyed the view. Sometimes, when he came across the college gymnastics team, it was truly a beautiful sight on campus.

Halfway there, Chris Brooks felt hungry, so he detoured to the second cafeteria for dinner.

Top up the card, get the food, find a seat—all done in one go.

After sitting down, Chris Brooks realized that all college cafeterias were pretty much the same, because you could always find familiar scenes inside.

In the corner, a few college couples snuggled up together, feeding each other bites of rice and vegetables, full of affection;

There was also a group of single guys eating while watching TV, and whenever the NBA Top 5 Plays came on, someone would always stand up and shout—Awesome!