Awakening Elementary School System in University

The word "physiognomy" sparked a flash of insight in Chen Lin’s mind. He suddenly recalled a hot topic from one of the late-night talks in Room 406 a while back.

He asked tentatively, "Is this that thing that’s been popular online recently, what’s it called... Fu Han City physiognomy?"

Hearing this, Yunqing showed clear surprise. She looked Chen Lin up and down, then let out a snort of laughter.

"Not bad, junior," she nodded, her eyes showing approval. "You even know about this?"

To be fair, back when he’d first enrolled as a freshman, the conversations between Chen Lin and his roommates were mostly about games, sports, novels, and anime.

But in the last six months or so, their late-night dorm chats had started to involve these kinds of topics more and more.

The term "Fu Han City physiognomy" was a new piece of knowledge Chen Lin had picked up from Fatty Zhao.

Chen Lin thought back to what Yang Han looked like. She did bear some resemblance to the pictures Fatty Zhao had shown him.

Then he returned to their original topic.

"Senior, if we really have to wait for the university to handle this, won’t that be a hassle too?"

Chen Lin analyzed, "If we push this Yang Han too hard, she could totally paint herself as a weak victim who’s pursuing academic rigor but being suppressed by a powerful authority. Then she could rally public opinion... Principal Chang would probably get a headache from that, right?"

"You’re right," Yunqing agreed with a nod. "Under normal circumstances, that’s true. But..."

She gave a mysterious smile, leaned closer to Chen Lin, and lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. "I heard from a professor I’m on good terms with that our dear Principal Chang isn’t some old fossil who’s solely focused on academics."

"He’s more like an entrepreneur, running Yannan University like a big corporation. He’s basically delegated all academic matters to the deans and department heads, while he spends most of his energy on networking, securing resources, and boosting the university’s overall strength and influence."

Yunqing’s analysis was spot-on. "So, my guess is, Principal Chang will definitely not let this slide. This was a public slander against a Yannan University student at a national competition with the media present, smearing our school’s academic reputation. If word of this gets out, how are we supposed to recruit students in the future? How can we compete with other universities?"

She paused, then added with conviction, "So, the university definitely won’t get into a head-on fight with her over this, to avoid giving people something to talk about. But a capable man like Principal Chang has other ways to get even. Just you wait and see. That Yang Han, and her Jiangcheng University, are in for a world of hurt."

Chen Lin listened and agreed completely.

What Yunqing said was consistent with the impression he got from his own interactions with Principal Chang Kai.

’It makes sense when you think about it,’ he thought. ’How could someone who reached the position of principal at a major university be a simple character? I really was being too naive.’

’Looks like I really don’t need to worry about this anymore. I can just sit back, relax, and watch the titans clash.’

The two chatted for a while longer. Perhaps because they had touched upon those unpleasant memories from the past, Chen Lin could feel that Yunqing’s mood wasn’t as high as when they had first met.

He looked up and out the window. The sky was gradually darkening, and an orange-red sunset stained half the horizon.

"Senior, it’s getting late," Chen Lin said, breaking the slightly heavy atmosphere. "Should I walk you home?"

Yunqing was slightly taken aback, then smiled and waved her hand. "No need, my place is really close to here. I can just grab a cab; it’s only a ten-minute ride."

After speaking, she seemed to suddenly remember something. Her pretty eyes lit up again as she looked at Chen Lin with a hint of anticipation. "Oh, right, junior, are you free later during the summer break? Want to come hang out at our band’s rehearsal space? I still want to hear you sing."

"Well..." Chen Lin thought for a moment and decided to be honest. "I probably won’t have time. I just transferred to the math department, so I expect to be pretty busy from now on."

"You transferred to the math department?"

The smile on Yunqing’s face froze instantly.

In her bright eyes, Chen Lin saw a complex expression.

But it lasted for less than a second before she quickly concealed it.

"Wow, from Chinese Literature to the math department, that’s a huge leap!" She pouted, her tone carrying a trace of playful regret. "You really will be busy then. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to find another chance in the future."

The two of them left McDonald’s and parted ways on the roadside.

Yunqing quickly hailed a ride-share. Before getting in, she turned and waved at Chen Lin.

Chen Lin stood where he was, watching the car merge into traffic.

A warm summer evening breeze brushed against his cheek.

He turned and began to walk slowly back toward the dorms, all alone.

Chen Lin returned to his dorm and closed the door.

The campus, in the summer evening, had shed the sweltering heat of the day, leaving only the chirping of a few cicadas outside the window.

Room 406 was empty, with only him inside. The solitude helped the restless feeling in his heart, frayed from a long day of running around, to quickly settle.

He didn’t rush to wash up. Instead, he walked straight to his desk, pulled out the chair, sat down, and skillfully pressed the power button on his laptop.

Chen Lin immediately created a new, blank Word document.