CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY

"We’re starting military training tomorrow!"

"Oh no, I’ll have to go half a month without soup dumplings. I’m going to starve!"

"Why panic? As long as our mindset doesn’t slide, there are always more solutions than problems!"

"..."

As Liu Sili and her roommates sat in the cafeteria, fretting about not being able to buy tasty food during military training, other freshmen were also getting the news.

At this moment, they all started wailing like it was the end of the world.

...

"Liu Yu, you’re from Jiangzhou, there must be a lot of students from your high school who got into our university, right?"

In the girls’ dormitory, a young-looking girl was trying on the newly issued military training uniform, and another classmate suddenly asked.

"Yeah, it’s naturally easier for local students to get into a local school than for students from other provinces. That’s not surprising, right?"

Liu Yu looked back at her with some curiosity and asked,

"Chen Xiaoxiao, why did you suddenly ask that?"

"Of course, I have something in mind!"

The girl named Chen Xiaoxiao immediately became excited, jumped up beside Liu Yu, affectionately put her arm around Liu Yu’s shoulder, and asked with a smile,

"Then you surely know quite a few seniors from our school, don’t you?"

"Seniors?"

Liu Yu suddenly realized and playfully pinched Chen Xiaoxiao’s cheek with her fingers, saying teasingly,

"Why? Can’t wait as soon as you got to school? But Spring has long passed!"

"Oh dear, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Chen Xiaoxiao slapped her hand away, her face flushed, and said,

"I just want to learn a little bit first!"

"Alright, I do know a few seniors. How about this, I’ll invite them out for a meal, and you can check them out yourself then."

Liu Yu agreed readily but added a reminder,

"I only know these seniors, not particularly well, so you’ll need to keep an eye out and be careful. If you end up with a scoundrel, I’m not responsible!"

"Don’t worry, no one’s born yet who can play me!"

Chen Xiaoxiao was really happy, evidently a bit carried away as she blurted out her true motive,

"We’re freshmen and about to start military training, right?

I’m looking for a senior friend who might be willing to bring me soup dumplings and hot and sour soup every day during training, and maybe I’d actually fancy him!"

"Holy cow! Chen Xiaoxiao, turns out you’re the real player here?!"

"It is a bit cheeky, but why didn’t I think of such a great idea?"

In the dorm room, two other girls who had been hiding behind their computers binge-watching shows suddenly jumped out with excitement,

"Liu Yu, invite more seniors and have them bring their male roommates along!

I also want to find a few seniors to help buy delicious food!"

"!!!"

Liu Yu stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape, looking dumbfounded.

What fierce and wolf-like roommates are these?!

What she didn’t know was that their dorm’s Chen Xiaoxiao wasn’t the only one with these thoughts.

In the freshmen girls’ dorms, many were quietly whispering behind closed doors, "plotting" the same scheme.

...

Meanwhile, in the boys’ dorm building.

"It’s terrible, tomorrow’s military training, nothing else matters, but not having soup dumplings and hot and sour soup is really a killer!"

"Yeah, what have I done wrong? Why did I taste such delicious soup dumplings as soon as I arrived at school? If only I’d known after military training, I wouldn’t feel so bad!"

"Hahaha! Right, it’s your punishment by the heavens!"

"Hey?! Yao Wen, if I remember correctly, when we registered, there was a sophomore girl at our academy’s new students’ reception who seemed interested in you, wasn’t there?"

"What do you mean?!"

"I’m saying, why don’t you make a ’sacrificial gesture,’ hang out with that girl, and if she’s willing to bring you food every day, wouldn’t that be great?"

"Holy cow! Your deviousness is insane, wanting me to trade my charms just for a bite!"

"That’s entirely incorrect! People live for food; eating is life’s true meaning!"

"Even if it goes as you say, it would only be me enjoying the dumplings; you guys wouldn’t get any! What’s your plot?!"

"Look at me, do I look tall and handsome?"

"Hmm, not bad, passable, just a tiny bit less handsome than me."

"That’s good enough! When you’re in, have that sophomore introduce a girl to me too. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!"

"Are you serious?"

"Serious!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

...

In another dormitory.

"No matter which university, freshmen have to do military training. What’s there to discuss? Our school isn’t any different, except militarily training means no time to line up for soup dumplings!"

"Boss, then tell us, how to solve this problem?"

"Yeah, boss, don’t just give lip service, give us something useful!"

"What’s difficult? Didn’t you notice the queue at the bun shop has a bunch of ’scalpers’?"

"Hiss! Boss is still the boss, finding such a sharp angle!"

"What’s a ’scalper’?"

"Oh, basically folks who stand in line to snag spots and then sell their places to others."

"Oh, I get it. So, boss means?"

"Precisely! There are plenty of ’scalpers,’ we just need to contact one or two, have them queue up and buy our food in advance, and pay them double or triple, and problem solved?"

"Well... a portion of soup dumplings sells for 15 dollars; if it’s triple, that’s 45 dollars! That’s way too expensive! Can’t afford it, can’t afford it!"

"Relax, you guys just need to pay 15 dollars per portion, and I’ll cover the extra. After all, I’m your boss, aren’t I?"

"This, this isn’t right, isn’t it? It’ll cost a lot for half a month!"

"Hey, it’s fine! This amount isn’t even enough for a meal my dad treats others to."

"Holy cow! Boss is mighty!"

"Boss is awesome!"

"..."

...

Back in the dorm, Liu Sili and the others were all somewhat listless.

They had been discussing in the cafeteria for half a day without coming up with any feasible solution.

After a while, Linlin, the short-haired girl, bounced into the dorm, surprised, and said:

"Let me tell you something interesting!

I just visited a fellow dormmate, and accidentally heard her dorm is planning to have a social gathering with a dorm of sophomore guys!"

"What’s so interesting? Dorm gatherings are normal in university, just to see if they hit it off and become couples."

"Hehe, you’re overthinking it! These freshmen girls are crafty; their goal is just to get the sophomores to buy them soup dumplings and hot and sour soup during military training!"

"What the hell! That’s possible?!"

"What a scumbag move!"

"If it actually works, being a little scummy is okay. Besides, without determining a romantic relationship, it doesn’t count as scummy, right?"

The sweet-looking girl said timidly, cautiously observing everyone’s reactions as she spoke.

"No way, that’s a matter of character. I’m definitely not doing such things."

Liu Sili shook her head firmly. Clearly, it’s about misleading the guys’ feelings. Otherwise, why would they bring you food?

If this isn’t a scummy move, then what is?