9 The University Is a Society

Zhonghai University.

In the vast sports field, there were colorful flags waving in the air and the sound of people chatting filled up the place. All the welcoming committees from the different departments were in full swing as the senior students enthusiastically welcomed the new enrollees.

Welcoming the new students at the start of the term has always been a grand occasion at a university. The single senior students were on the lookout for pretty juniors and most of them even offered to carry their luggage and acted as guides. Everyone was extremely excited.

Qin Yang, who wore a casual t-shirt while holding onto his duffel bag did not look too conspicuous while standing in the middle of the crowd. He realized that the other departments were mostly males while the English department consisted of mostly females with only two males and the important thing is that most of them were actually quite good-looking.

A female senior enthusiastically helped Qin Yang fill out his admission papers, and with her guidance, Qin Yang paid his tuition fees and received the key to his dormitory. 

Building 11, Room 306.

Qin Yang walked upstairs and found the door open. Sitting inside the room were two boys: one was a tall guy with a robust body in a black stretch tank top who was tidying up his desk, and the other one had a thinner figure, wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and was watching a live-streamed game on his computer.

Qin Yang walked in and the two boys turned around. The robust guy gave him a warm smile. "Roommate for Room 306?"

Qin Yang grinned. "Yes, you guys are early."

The robust guy started to introduce himself, "I'm Sun Xiaodong from Dongbei, and he's Lin Zhu from Kunnan. Brother, how should we address you?"

"Qin Yang, Qin as in the 'Qin Dynasty' and Yang as in sunshine. I'm from Yanjing."

The smaller guy, Lin Zhu, laughed and greeted him and everyone considered themselves acquainted with each other.

Qin Yang looked at the remaining empty bed. He smiled and said, "A dorm for four. Looks like we have another brother who hasn't arrived yet, huh?"

Sun Xiaodong also laughed and said, "The registration period takes the whole day anyway. He'll probably get here in the afternoon? Qin Yang, let's unpack our things and go out for a meal first then buy some daily supplies. Later in the evening, when our last brother finally arrives, let's have a get-together since we'll be comrades in the future."

"Sure!"

Although Qin Yang had no intention to live in this dorm for a long time since settling his affairs while living in the dorms would be inconvenient but since they were classmates and we're sharing one dorm. If this was fate, Qin Yang wouldn't mind making a few more friends.

Qin Yang simply organized his things. Then, the three of them left the dorm building and headed towards the dining hall.

Each of them took a tray and then followed the crowd to get food. Just as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a fierce quarrel a few tables away which caught their attention.

Qin Yang turned around and saw two boys that were staring at each other. They look like they are about to start a fight and there was a pretty girl standing next to them, who was looking at them with a tranquil expression on her face.

"I'm warning you! The next time I see you going near Liu Hong, don't blame me for beating you up!"

"Oh, so what if Liu Hong is your girl? You think you can control everything, huh?"

"Wanna try saying that again?"

"I'll say it again and again! Who do you think you are? Wanna fight?"

"F*ck you!"

Suddenly, one of the guys tossed the meal tray in his hands directly toward the guy across from him. The guy turned his head in a flurry but the soup still spilled all over his body. So, he took advantage of the situation and kicked the other guy's foot, sending him to the ground.

Before the other guy could get up, he already grabbed the meal tray beside him and smashed it down onto his opponent's face.

Qin Yang was dumbstruck. Damn! What just happened? 

Fighting over a girl?

This fierce?

Their actions were so smooth that it almost looked like they did this on a daily basis.

Furthermore, what was even stranger was that no one around them tried to stop the fight. All of them were just standing in a circle and were watching them excitedly. Some were even cheering the fight.

Isn't this ridiculous?

Soon enough, the guy on the ground surrendered and repeatedly begged for forgiveness. The guy who was smashing him with the tray felt proud of himself as he walked towards the girl like a victorious gladiator. He held the girl in his arms, and just like that, they left the dining hall.

Sun Xiaodong also looked equally surprised. "Wow, you have to fight like that to get a girlfriend? That girl didn't even bother stopping the fight and then she just walked away with the winner?"

Beside them, Lin Zhu was unusually calm and he even asked them back with a strange expression on his face, "You guys don't know anything about Zhonghai University before you enrolled here?"

Qin Yang turned his head sideways and curiously replied, "I don't know much in detail but from your tone, there's something special about this place?"

Sun Xiaodong also urgently asked, "Are they not worried about the school's disciplinary actions after having such a big fight?"

 "Disciplinary actions?"

Lin Zhu glanced at Sun Xiaodong with a peculiar expression on his face. "Not likely. It was just a fight and nothing happened. No one was sent to the hospital."

As he noticed that the both of them were getting confused, Lin Zhu sighed. "Seems like you two have no idea about what Zhonghai University is like. Among all of the universities in China, Zhonghai University is known for its unique character and this can be summarized in just one word: chaotic!"

"Chaotic?!"

Lin Zhu nodded his head firmly. "Yes, chaotic! In the past, Zhonghai University was a famous school with a long history. It wasn't always like this but then a weird headmaster appeared. His philosophy was that the university shouldn't raise their students delicately like flowers in a greenhouse who are unable to withstand the ravages of joining the society in the future."

"He advocated the concept of the university as a society which caused major controversies at that time. A lot of problems arose in between but they insisted on keeping this culture and the university is now exactly like a society filled with power struggles, reality, money, and even social classes… you get to experience all of it here!"

 Sun Xiaodong's eyes opened wide in amazement. "Are you saying that Zhonghai University is a trash university now?

"No!" 

Lin Zhu shook his head with his eyes looking astonished. "For the past few decades, it's true that Zhonghai University's atmosphere has been declining day by day with people constantly criticizing it. However, Zhonghai University has continued to produce more elites than other universities. And most of them have achieved great success in their respective fields. Whenever they talked about their rise to success, they would mention that the four years in the university was the one that changed their lives!"

"After four years at Zhonghai University, the students would be prepared to face the difficulties as they join society later—like fish being released back into the water. Even those who have pushed around in school would also do well in society; maybe that's how everyone is destined in their own path. Although Zhonghai University has remained chaotic, it still continues to tenaciously exist. It's the reason why Zhonghai University still has a high admission rate…"

Sun Xiaodong exclaimed in surprise and said, "So does this mean that entering Zhonghai University is like joining the society in advance?"

Lin Zhu nodded. "More or less. However, our English Department has always had more girls than boys, so our situation is slightly better. But those engineering majors, hmmm… the extent of their struggle is beyond our imagination."

Qin Yang kept quiet but his eyes lit up a little.

He had originally thought that studying would be boring, but now, looks like this school will be really interesting...

P.S.: The designation of the university is entirely fictional and is not a reflection of any real university. Please do not assume any relations.