Chapter 529: Chapter 529: Encountering First Love
After dismissing the classmates who were tricked into a pyramid scheme, Xu Xiangbei learned from them that he had gone to the wrong campus.
He hurriedly called Dean Sun: "Dean Sun, I’m sorry. It’s my first time visiting the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and I went to the old campus by mistake. I’m coming over now."
Dean Sun seemed relieved and laughed, "So that’s what happened. I thought you weren’t coming. I called your phone but no one answered. It’s okay, we’re waiting here for you."
The new campus is one kilometer away from the old campus. Xu Xiangbei planned to run over, but a friendly classmate came over with a bicycle: "President Xu, it’s not far from here to the new campus, but it will take some time to run there. You seem to be in a hurry, why not ride my bike?"
Xu Xiangbei laughed, riding a bicycle saved a lot of effort compared to running.
"But how can I return it to you?"
The classmate said somewhat embarrassedly, "I’m a senior in the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I came here looking for a job but got tricked into joining and forced to sell products to relatives and recruit others. President Xu, after you reach the campus, just lock the bike next to the school reception and hand over the key to the reception. I can use my student ID to pick it up."
"You trust me so much, thank you."
After noting down the student’s name, Lv Junxian, from the student ID, Xu Xiangbei rode the bicycle towards the new campus of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
As he was nearing the new campus, he passed by a construction site. Some pipes might have leaked, as a large amount of water flowed onto the road outside, forming puddles of varying sizes.
As Xu Xiangbei passed these puddles, a white Ferrari suddenly sped by, splashing a large amount of muddy water onto him.
The owner of the Ferrari had no sense of public decency, speeding through the puddles without regard for nearby pedestrians, spraying muddy water over many, including Xu Xiangbei.
Being the closest, Xu Xiangbei got the brunt of it, ruining his expensive Armani suit with mud all over, even his hair. He could only curse at the Ferrari’s fading silhouette.
Upon finally reaching the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xu Xiangbei used tissues to wipe off the mud on his head and clothes as he walked. Dry mud was easier to clean, but the muddy water mixed with the fabric was harder to remove, smearing more dirt the more he wiped, leaving muddy streaks even on his face.
Instantly, Xu Xiangbei went from looking like a dignified president to a muddy beggar.
Approaching the administrative building, he saw the white Ferrari in the parking lot—it was the same car that had sprayed him with mud.
Leaning against the car stood a fashionably dressed, greasy-haired young man, accompanied by a pretty girl with a ponytail.
Angry, Xu Xiangbei wanted to confront them, but as he approached, the couple started laughing.
The young man laughed excitedly and said to the girl, "See how handsome he looks now, more like a beggar, right? Good clothes are wasted on him. So, people should wear suitable clothes. Riding a bicycle in Armani—only a bumpkin would do that. I splattered him with mud, haha, now he’s exposed."
Xu Xiangbei squinted his eyes, realizing the young man didn’t accidentally splash him but did it out of jealousy because he was wearing an expensive Armani suit while riding a bike.
This guy was too despicable; if he wasn’t taught a lesson, Xu Xiangbei wouldn’t deserve his name.
Xu Xiangbei smirked coldly and walked toward the young man.
Seeing Xu Xiangbei striding over, the young man knew he was coming to seek trouble. He wasn’t flustered; instead, he showed an arrogant expression, smirked, rubbed his wrist, stood straight, ready to fight at any disagreement.
Just as Xu Xiangbei was about to make a move, a familiar and pleasant voice sounded: "Xu Xiangbei, is that you?"
Following the voice, Xu Xiangbei was stunned. A girl in a plaid dress with a familiar, pretty face, ponytails adorning her shoulders, and bangs adding a touch of innocence, stood there. Her eyes, bright as stars, were full of laughter.
Despite not having said the name in years, upon seeing her, her name jumped straight into Xu Xiangbei’s mind, and he blurted out, "Song Yuting, is it you?"
Wanting to get closer, Song Yuting hesitated, seeing Xu Xiangbei covered in mud from riding a bike, and pinched her nose in disgust, walking away from him.
"Old classmate, how did you end up like this? In four years, you haven’t changed at all."
Xu Xiangbei smiled wryly; he wasn’t like this four years ago either.
Seeing Song Yuting, Xu Xiangbei felt embarrassed. Not only was she his high school classmate, but being seen in such a state by her was quite improper; most importantly, he had once pursued Song Yuting.
For Xu Xiangbei, Song Yuting was a memory buried in the most sensitive corner, his first love.
Song Yuting was the type of girl-next-door, innocent and cute, often wearing a yellow plaid dress with ponytails tied with colorful ribbons.
Back in high school, Song Yuting was one of the top students in class, unlike Xu Xiangbei, who often lagged behind and eventually didn’t even make it to university.
Xu Xiangbei’s poor academic performance wasn’t due to lack of intelligence, but because his grandfather constantly pressured him to practice the mystical Eight Needles, cultivating Inner Strength morning and night, leaving no study time.
Learning requires time unless you’re a true genius with photographic memory, claiming to spend just a little time and still be top of the class.
For most people, achieving something requires immense effort. Spending less time means not learning well.
In high school, as Xu Xiangbei’s feelings awakened, he became infatuated with Song Yuting, the pure and cute girl-next-door, always finding ways to chat with her at school.
Song Yuting knew Xu Xiangbei liked her; she didn’t dislike him, but high school studies were so intense that she had no time for romance.
The best way to stop Xu Xiangbei from bothering her was to ignore him completely.
Her method worked; focusing solely on her studies, she improved her grades and finally got into the Earth Sea College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, laying the foundation for becoming a good doctor in the future.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiangbei felt like a complete failure, not only lagging academically but also becoming emotionally downbeat, eventually turning into a poor student.
Under the teacher’s "earnest guidance," to ensure the class’s college acceptance rate, he didn’t even take the college entrance exam and went home.
