Chapter Twelve: I Like Beautiful Women and Men Who Aren’t Too Clever!

Chapter Twelve: I Like Beautiful Women and Not-So-Smart Men!

Tang Zhong stared in disbelief at the self-satisfied face before him, thinking: Is this really possible? Was this the so-called top student of the psychology department he was about to join?

For a moment, Tang Zhong felt the urge to turn around and leave. Even if he wasn’t willing to give up on the prestigious Nandu University, he should at least find some way to switch majors—Chinese, business, arts, architecture, even archaeology would be better. Anything but psychology.

It was simply too misleading for young students!

The so-called “Master of Psychology” sitting across from him seemed oblivious to Tang Zhong’s inner turmoil and the tangled thoughts running through his mind. Instead, he enthusiastically reached out a hand and said, “Classmate, was my guess correct?”

“—More or less,” Tang Zhong replied, unsure how to answer such a challenging question, so he could only offer a perfunctory response. He reached out to shake the man’s hand, only to find his palm coated in a thick layer of sticky moisture. Tang Zhong couldn’t tell if it was sweat from the heat or perhaps saliva left from wiping his mouth earlier.

“This is the magic of psychology,” the “Master” still didn’t forget to extol the greatness and uniqueness of their department before this “novice.” “Classmate, I’m not just tooting my own horn here, but psychology is the science most closely tied to human happiness. If you study here for a few years, by the time you graduate, you’ll be able to handle any social situation with ease, becoming the center of attention wherever you go. You’ll be able to accomplish tasks with half the effort and become a trusted right hand to your superiors, leading your career to great heights. You’ll refine yourself step by step through the ordinary and the lonely, eventually embracing success. And, you can even use psychology to pick up girls.”

“Just imagine, you fancy a girl, and you can understand her personality and thoughts just from her every move, every word, even from the clothes she wears or a newly cut hairstyle. Then you tailor your approach to win her over—what kind of girl couldn’t you charm? What kind of man could possibly compete with you? Classmate, you’d be a walking cheat code!”

The “Master” pointed to his own slightly lopsided face and asked with utmost seriousness, “Do you find me to be different from the rest?”

Seeing how earnest he was, Tang Zhong nodded even more sincerely.

“Different? He’s not just different—he’s a born performer,” Tang Zhong thought to himself. “If he played Tang Xin, he’d probably do a much better job than I could.”

“Exactly. That’s the allure of psychology.” The “Master’s” voice grew excited. “Look at me, I’m not especially handsome or striking in a crowd—if I hadn’t used what I learned in class to identify you as a nobody, would you have remembered me?”

Tang Zhong shook his head.

“See?” The “Master” patted Tang Zhong’s arm affectionately. “Classmate, just work hard. One day, you’ll be just like me.”

“—I’ll do my best,” Tang Zhong replied, feeling as if the muscles in his face might be cramping, because he could barely get the words out.

The “Master” seemed very pleased with Tang Zhong’s attitude, finally opening Tang Zhong’s admission letter and flipping through it. “Your name’s Tang Zhong? All right, let me register you in the logbook, then I’ll take you to the finance office to pay your fees. After that, I’ll take you to the dormitory center to get your room number. Once you’re settled in, your student advisor will get in touch with you.”

“Thank you,” Tang Zhong said gratefully. This time, it was genuine gratitude, because he knew these upperclassmen did this out of goodwill. The school didn’t offer them any monetary reward or special benefits.

The work of welcoming new students was exhausting and thankless, but to help freshmen feel the warmth of spring as they left home for the first time, some upperclassmen even helped students carry their luggage, hauling heavy bags up the stairs.

What’s that? You never got this kind of treatment?
Please—upperclassmen only help the girls with their luggage. What kind of guy would foolishly carry bags for another guy?

All students needed to pay their fees at the finance office, so by the time Tang Zhong and the “Master” arrived, a long line had already formed. Nandu University knew today would be a “profitable” day, so they partnered with the local Industrial and Commercial Bank, which sent over more than twenty staff members to help, setting up over a dozen payment windows.

As a result, even though the line was long, things moved quickly. Naturally, taking money is always done more efficiently than giving it out.

The man ahead of Tang Zhong in line was one of the doll-faced student’s bodyguards, but Tang Zhong had no interest in chatting with him; instead, he enjoyed a lively conversation with the “Master.”

“I see all the other departments bustling with activity. Why is ours so quiet? Have the students already reported in?” he asked.

“Of course. Do you know how many students other departments recruit? And how many do we get?” The “Master” shuffled forward with Tang Zhong in the line. “Take the business school, for example—they have several majors and admit about three thousand students. Us? Last year, we only admitted sixty, split into two classes.”

“How many this year?” Tang Zhong asked.

“One hundred and twenty,” the “Master” replied. “Forty per class, three classes in total. That’s double last year’s intake—a major expansion.”

“—”

“Don’t underestimate our department. We’ve produced some true talents.” Fearing that Tang Zhong might think the psychology department was too small, the “Master” hurried to explain. “Do you know Wang Qikui? He’s a world-renowned psychologist. Every time he does a session, he charges a thousand U.S. dollars an hour!”

“Impressive,” Tang Zhong nodded.

“Exactly,” the “Master” said. “My goal is to become a master like Wang Qikui—one thousand dollars an hour for every therapy session.”

“You’ll get there one day,” Tang Zhong replied, uttering words he himself didn’t believe, feeling so awkward he quickly changed the subject. “If the intake doubled this year, why haven’t I seen more new students?”

“There are! I welcomed over a dozen this morning,” the “Master” protested.

“—”

Tang Zhong was speechless. He’d seen other departments gathering in groups of dozens, even hundreds. Some departments had organized a dozen or so bicycle carts to haul students’ luggage.

When it was his turn, Tang Zhong handed over his tuition fees at the window and received a thin receipt—just like that, he was officially a student of Nandu University.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the dorm center to get your room number,” the “Master” said.

“Room number? Isn’t it assigned by class?” Tang Zhong asked.

“It’s assigned by department,” the “Master” explained patiently, just like any other upperclassman helping new students. “For example, in our psychology department, the incoming freshmen are split into three classes—the boys from all three classes live together, and the girls live together. Four students to a room—it might be all from one class, or from different classes, depending on the order you registered. But the dorms are quite nice, so don’t worry.”

Tang Zhong’s dorm was 6#307—in other words, Room 307 in Building 6. With the “Master” leading the way, it was easy to find his new home.

The “Master” hadn’t lied—the room really was quite decent. Two sets of bunk beds placed side by side, four desks for computers and books, a private bathroom, and a small balcony. The building looked pretty new, barely used, with only some dust on the beds and desks since nobody had moved in yet.

“Tang Zhong, this is your dorm. Get settled in and take a good rest. Later, your advisor will come talk to you and explain some things you need to know. I’ll head back to the reporting station—there might be more freshmen arriving,” the “Master” said.

“Thank you,” Tang Zhong replied with a smile. “Master—after all the help you’ve given me, I still don’t know your name.”

The “Master” reached for the staff badge around his neck, only to realize he wasn’t wearing it. He scratched his wild, weed-like hair and said, “My name’s Wang Aiguo, a year ahead of you, majoring in Applied Psychology. Looks like you’re in Applied Psychology too, so we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“Great. Let’s stay in touch. Once I’m settled, dinner is on me,” Tang Zhong said.

“Deal!” Wang Aiguo replied heartily. “Tang Zhong, I don’t know why, but I feel an inexplicable sense of kinship with you, like we’re cut from the same cloth—”

“Really?” Tang Zhong squinted, smiling. “I feel like we hit it off at first sight, too.”

“Then one day, we’ll have to become sworn brothers!” Wang Aiguo laughed loudly, then turned and left the dorm.

Looking at the beds, the desks, and everything in the room, Tang Zhong’s face wore a contented smile.

A good start.

Tang Zhong liked beautiful women and not-so-smart men.

On his first day, he had already encountered both.

(P.S.: Gearing up for takeoff. I’ll need your support.)