Chapter 38: This Woman Is Deranged

The next day.

After a night of cultivation, Zhou Chen’s spirit had returned to its peak.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The door was tapped. When he opened it, a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood outside, looking quite scholarly.

"Hello, student Zhou Chen. I am your counselor, Lin Tuo. If you find me too old, you can call me Teacher Lin; if you think I look young enough, you can just call me Brother."

It had to be said that Lin Tuo’s way of establishing rapport was quite effective. By leveraging his youthful appearance, he managed to bridge the gap between a somewhat distant student and his counselor, framing it as a friendship between peers in a single sentence.

"Brother Lin, are we heading to military training now?" Zhou Chen asked, glancing at the military uniform in Lin Tuo’s hands.

Lin Tuo nodded. "The other students are already gathering on the parade ground. Put on your uniform and see if it fits. If not, I’ll go get you a replacement."

Zhou Chen changed into the uniform and followed Lin Tuo toward the parade ground. Along the way, Lin Tuo was very talkative and exceptionally warm toward Zhou Chen. After all, Zhou Chen was the top scorer in the national college entrance examination!

Moreover, because the national top scorers in both science and liberal arts, as well as the runner-up in liberal arts, had all chosen the Traditional Chinese Medicine department at Beijing University, many students—driven by a herd mentality—had followed suit and applied for the same major. Consequently, the department, once considered unpopular, had seen an influx of new students this year.

For a counselor like Lin Tuo, this was naturally a good thing. When there were fewer students, one person might have to manage four or five classes; with more students, he only needed to handle two, making management much smoother. Most importantly, as long as he could bring Zhou Chen and "that young lady" together, the benefits he would reap would be unimaginable.

Soon, they arrived at an open field where students were gathering one after another. They were all wearing uniform military attire, some holding breakfast as they ate.

"From now on, you are all classmates. You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you? Neither have I; I’ll bring you some on my way back. Why don't you get to know your classmates in the meantime?" With that, Lin Tuo turned and headed toward the cafeteria.

Beijing University was massive, boasting five parade grounds and over ten cafeterias. Students were pouring out of the dormitories near the field. Using his Zerg Shared Vision, Zhou Chen realized that these dozen or so classmates were all ordinary people, so he lost interest in actively making their acquaintance. However, in other parts of the field, he spotted a few modern cultivators, which made him covetous. If he could have his Soul-Devouring Insects and Life-Devouring Insects consume their soul energy and vitality, the benefits to him would be significant. Unfortunately, they had no grudge against him, and this was a public place, so he had to let it go.

Not everyone who makes it into Beijing University is necessarily a top student. For local students from Beijing or Shanghai, the admission threshold is much lower. Most students who earn their spot through grades come from ordinary families, hoping to use education to achieve social mobility. However, there were also many "second-generation" kids—children of the wealthy, government officials, military figures, or even high-ranking party members. That is why they say Beijing University is a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside; it is not just about academic performance.

As time passed, more freshmen gathered on the field, and the temperature began to rise. Zhou Chen sat on the grass, sending a message to his older sister, Zhou Yuting.

Suddenly, he caught a familiar, fragrant scent wafting toward him. He looked up, feeling slightly stunned.

"Why are you here?"

He had not expected to see the stunning campus belle, radiating youthful energy, standing before him.

Cai Yameng!

Standing in front of Zhou Chen was none other than the former school beauty of the City No. 1 High School. She was also wearing a military uniform, holding a breakfast, and handed a portion to him.

"My college entrance exam score was 742. Is there any problem with me attending Beijing University?" Cai Yameng’s expression remained indifferent. She then added, "My father and grandfather are in poor health, so I want to study medicine. That is quite reasonable, isn't it?"

Zhou Chen thought about it and realized it was indeed reasonable. However, he did not take the breakfast she offered.

"That’s quite a coincidence. You eat it; I’ve already had some." Zhou Chen rejected her as he always did.

Cai Yameng was used to it and pulled her hand back.

"Hey, isn't that Cai Yameng, the third-ranked new campus belle?"
"So she’s already taken. How enviable!"
"After twelve years of burying my head in books, I finally made it to college. I want to have a passionate romance, too!"

A group of boys wailed in the distance.

Before long, Lin Tuo walked over, sipping soy milk and biting into a cream roll. He looked startled to see that Zhou Chen wasn't eating. Zhou Chen was also confused; didn't Lin Tuo say he would bring him breakfast? Why did he only have his own?

"Did student Cai Yameng not give you breakfast earlier?" Lin Tuo asked.

"Uh... didn't you bring me some?" Zhou Chen countered.

Cai Yameng, sitting nearby, spoke up: "He said he had already eaten."

The situation became awkward. As someone who had seen it all, Lin Tuo quickly realized what was happening. He wanted to open up Zhou Chen's brain to see what he was thinking—even a top-tier campus belle like Cai Yameng was personally bringing him breakfast, and he was rejecting it with such an excuse!

Lin Tuo had run into Cai Yameng at the cafeteria earlier. Their relationship was not simply that of a student and counselor; Lin Tuo had received favors from the Cai family and needed to play matchmaker. When Cai Yameng learned that Zhou Chen hadn't eaten, she had paid for an extra portion herself. Who would have thought Zhou Chen would refuse it?

In the end, Lin Tuo handed the extra portion to Zhou Chen, and he finally accepted it. Lin Tuo now understood: this wasn't a case of a man pursuing a woman, nor was it mutual affection. It was this stunning beauty—top-tier in both looks and family background—who was pursuing Zhou Chen! Lin Tuo felt a pang of envy and sighed. People are often driven to despair by comparing themselves to others; why wasn't there a peerless beauty chasing him?

Cai Yameng hadn't attended military training for the past two days, so the classmates were curious about these two new arrivals. It was obvious their backgrounds were not simple, as evidenced by Lin Tuo's attitude. To be a counselor at Beijing University, one needed high academic qualifications, but many were also "second-generation" officials. Being a counselor was a secure position with plenty of free time, and some used their authority to pursue women. Therefore, students who received special treatment from a counselor were either incredibly wealthy or powerful.

The military training soon began. It was quite demanding, involving more than just standing in military posture, leaving students who lacked exercise panting for breath. This was especially true for those with poor stamina, such as Cai Yameng, who was accustomed to studying and being pampered, or the "second-generation" students whose bodies had been hollowed out by indulgence. Not long into the training, their faces turned pale.

This wasn't just happening in Zhou Chen's class; it was the same everywhere. Whenever this happened, students would use it as an excuse to run to the shade to rest. The counselors, fearing an incident, generally agreed. Although Zhou Chen was technically an "ordinary person," he had spent the two months of summer vacation at his grandfather's place, practicing Tai Chi and drinking medicinal soups daily, so his physical fitness was superior to the average person.

The training didn't separate boys and girls, but since the girls' stamina lagged behind, the instructors usually allowed them to rest when needed. For some reason, however, Cai Yameng insisted on staying right behind Zhou Chen. While other girls went to the shade, she kept running behind him. Zhou Chen knew she was a stubborn girl, so he didn't bother with her.

After running for a while longer, even the instructor couldn't bear to watch. "Student, you can go and rest," the instructor said, slowing his pace to remind her.

Cai Yameng shook her head, indicating she could still go on. The instructor had no choice.

After running for even longer, many of the boys were struggling to keep up. Cai Yameng was drenched in sweat, her vision blurring. Zhou Chen finally realized that she wasn't just being stubborn—she was competing with him. She was likely feeling extremely upset because he kept rejecting her.

Zhou Chen stopped, afraid that this foolish woman would suffer heatstroke. Sure enough, when he stopped, Cai Yameng stopped too, but her vision went black, and she collapsed directly into his arms.

Zhou Chen’s mouth twitched. This woman’s brain was definitely broken!