Loving to Learn ≠ Good Grades

Xue Tao was frantically boasting about his expertise as a camping guru, while Chu Mingzhe kept arguing with him. This was all accompanied by the hum of the cafeteria's air conditioning and the aroma of breakfast...

If Wang Haoran were present, he would definitely shout, "That's the flavor!" Whenever the eccentric guys of Dorm 517 had an 8 a.m. class, this was exactly the kind of scene that played out bright and early. It was authentic! (Cue a full-arm windmill giving a thumbs-up).

Usually, the local guy was in charge of showing off, and the Shanghai native was in charge of being a contrarian.

Perhaps because there were girls present today, the two of them were extra energetic.

From a certain perspective, this pair of clowns actually brought some vitality to college life.

After all, the lives of many college students were lifeless; they hadn't breathed their last yet, but they were already walking corpses.

However, the fierce bickering between the local guy and the Shanghai native felt incredibly alive.

It was so cinematic.

"It feels like Xue Tao really does have a lot of experience. Since that's the case, we should hang out more often in the future. It just so happens that I'm almost done with everything this semester, and I'll be free next semester too."

"You're already done? Final exams haven't even started yet, right?" Xue Tao asked.

"Our classes are pretty relaxed. Many of them just require an assessment, like writing a short essay, and the ones that require exams tested early."

"Heh, we can't do that. Exam review week has just begun. After this camping trip, we have to study seriously. Damn, Jiang University really carries weight."

Huang Ran didn't say anything more, just smiled and agreed.

It was obvious that Xue Tao cared quite a bit about his identity as a top-tier university student. Whenever similar topics came up, he was very proud, and Huang Ran chose to play along. This was called the professional ethics of a gold digger.

Chu Mingzhe couldn't listen to it anymore: "Where does it carry weight? You'd be lucky not to fail your classes this finals week."

"Damn, Old Chu, you have the nerve to talk about me? Aren't you also on the counselor's watch list? To be honest, our levels are about the same. I just didn't perform well during midterms, otherwise, I would have easily crushed you. At the very least, my grades would be about the same as Wang Haoran's."

"Who is Wang Haoran?" Huang Ran asked.

"Oh, my hardcore otaku roommate who plays Genshin."

"Give it a rest. Wang Haoran gets nearly perfect scores in every subject, only slightly worse than Su Bai. If he keeps up these grades, he can apply for the top-tier scholarship next semester. Stop flattering yourself, you bastard!"

The two of them just sat there exposing each other's secrets.

Suddenly, the Jirai-kei girl, who had been engrossed in slurping her noodles, weakly raised her hand and asked:

"So that means... neither of you are actually good at studying? But Mingzhe said before that he was the most studious one in the dorm..."

Chu Mingzhe's face stiffened, and he stretched his neck out stubbornly: "Loving to study doesn't mean having good grades!"

That was actually true!

Huang Ran thought this logic was perfectly sound. In fact, this outcome was to be expected.

Generally, students from these so-called prestigious universities who liked to show off in front of outsiders were usually not doing so well on campus...

However, what made Huang Ran even more curious was that, according to these two clowns, the person with the best grades in their dorm was actually Su Bai?

The top-tier tall, rich, and handsome guy they ran into yesterday.

To think that his grades weren't lagging behind either. Sigh, he really was the most outstanding type of man. Anyway, Huang Ran had no confidence in pursuing that kind of guy. She couldn't hook him, not at all. The gap between them was too big, unless the other party was the inexperienced and clueless Xiao Chunan.

But then again, the bright and generous temperament Su Bai displayed didn't make him seem like someone who would fall for a woman's tricks.

In short, Xue Tao and Chu Mingzhe spent a joyful breakfast time.

Just as the two were blushing and trying hard to make excuses for their academic levels, Su Bai's arrival broke their awkwardness.

Su Bai liked coming to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Mainly because the cafeteria had everything, and his appetite was huge now. He could buy a large plate of various types of breakfast foods all at once and feast.

Moreover, the camping group was gathering and departing from within the campus. After eating here, it was just a short walk away, so there was no need to go through any extra trouble.

After greeting his roommates... and his roommates' female companions, Su Bai sat down and started eating voraciously.

"Su Bai, are you coming camping by yourself?" Huang Ran asked curiously.

"No, I'm with our counselor."

"Huh?"

"Our class counselor, Xia Lin. She's really nice and a major outdoors expert. She's climbed several state-certified high-difficulty routes. You can ask her anything you don't understand."

Oh my god, this is the real expert here, right?

However, this sounded like a female counselor, yet she was teaming up with Su Bai for camping... Wait, they wouldn't be staying in the same tent, would they? So what was their relationship?

Huang Ran's curiosity suddenly skyrocketed. She secretly messaged Xue Tao, asking what exactly was the relationship between Su Bai and the counselor he mentioned.

This question instantly caused Xue Tao to reveal a pained and strained expression.

Clearly, the relationship between Su Bai and Xia Lin was not simple.

But there wasn't any particularly obvious superficial ambiguity, nor was there any melodramatic plot. Overall, it was very decent, but every time the two appeared together, it was very harmonious and warm.

Much more harmonious than the vast majority of couples seen in college.

In this day and age of fast-food romance, there are more couples who are seemingly together but emotionally divided... Actually, they don't even look that together. In many cases, the girl is absent-minded while the guy is running around doing everything.

This situation is especially common when going out to play.

By such contrast, it made Xia Lin seem especially good to Su Bai. There were so many ways she took care of him. Ahhh, I really want a gentle, considerate older sister who takes care of people!

Staring at Huang Ran's question, Xue Tao gritted his teeth and gave the standard answer:

[Xue Zhitao: I heard she's supposedly Su Bai's god-sister? (Nose-picking emoji)]

[Xue Zhitao: Uh, maybe the older generations of their two families are acquainted.]

[Huang Ran: Wow, wouldn't that be awesome? Having an acquaintance as a counselor while in college, a lot of things must be super convenient!]

[Xue Zhitao: It's alright, not particularly convenient, actually just so-so...]

"By the way, when is your counselor coming over?"

"She'll be a little while longer. She's heading straight to the gathering spot; she didn't have time for breakfast."

"Oh, oh, she really is busy with a myriad of affairs."

Not at all...

Actually, she was just quite shy when she first woke up, so Su Bai left Xia Lin over there to give her some personal space.

If the two of them got out of bed together, their eyes would inevitably meet, and they would end up hugging again...

In short, it was all so they could successfully go camping!

Huang Ran, however, grew increasingly interested in this counselor. They said she was his god-sister, but she had a different understanding of it. She felt that there definitely wouldn't be any girl who would willingly just be Su Bai's god-sister. Sticking by his side under some identity definitely meant she had ulterior motives regarding him. Who could resist liking such a dreamy man?