Chapter Forty-Three: The Rise of Yin and the Decline of Yang

Jueshi Kuanglong

Long Fei was majoring in musical performance—a field where, generally speaking, most students harbored dreams of stardom. But in Long Fei’s view, those few male students in his class had clearly enrolled with motives as dubious as his own. So, when he noticed those young men casting wary glances his way, Long Fei deliberately flashed them a wicked grin.

Striding into the classroom, Long Fei’s arrival made the already boisterous room even livelier. It wasn’t long before a few people recognized him—after all, on the day he registered, Long Fei had gotten into three fights in a row on campus, acts of madness that had made him something of a minor celebrity, though he was unaware of his own burgeoning notoriety.

It was a curious phenomenon—just a few months earlier, these boys and girls were still kids, but as soon as they entered university, they seemed to become more open and bold, the girls dressing provocatively and fashion-forward—what Long Fei would call downright daring—while most of the boys had temporarily dyed their hair in all sorts of colors and styled it into outrageous shapes. As for the girls’ attire, Long Fei was all in favor, but the boys’ outfits made him frown.

Fortunately, he wasn’t here out of any true passion for studying; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen this major. So, with an air of indifference, Long Fei made his way to an empty seat in the corner. It wasn’t about playing it cool, nor did the whispers and pointing faze him. Rather, the few beauties who had caught his eye had already been claimed by other boys. He couldn’t help but wonder how those guys had shown up so early and ruined his plans.

Since he couldn’t claim the best, Long Fei figured he’d rather give up altogether—a guiding principle in his life. Besides, though there were still a few empty seats in the classroom, if he sat elsewhere now, and some stunning beauty showed up later, he’d have no chance. So, rationally, he chose a spot with two empty seats beside him, killing any thought those two wannabe buddies might have had about cozying up. He had no interest in befriending those brash youngsters.

There might not actually be any exceptional beauties arriving, and even if there were, the odds were slim. But from a probability standpoint, Long Fei was convinced his choice was sound.

Settling into his seat, Long Fei began analyzing the available data further. After a minute, he reached his final conclusion: there were 58 students in the musical performance major—8 male, including one handsome guy; 50 female, including two second-tier beauties, but no first-tier beauties, and, thankfully, no ogres.

Five out of the eight boys sat alone. There were nearly ten girls sitting by themselves as well, but their looks paled in comparison to the acknowledged beauty in the class. Under her radiance, they faded into the background; thus, none of the five boys, Long Fei included, made any attempt to strike up conversation.

These days, women’s standards for men kept rising—no house, no car, no power, no background, who would marry you? But Long Fei found some comfort in the fact that men’s standards for women seemed to be rising too; his classmates were living proof.

Better to have none than to settle for less—that was truly the principle here.

Long Fei was still sighing over this when a gaunt-looking middle-aged man entered, a booklet in hand, and took his place at the lectern. Instantly, everyone realized this must be the head teacher of their major.

Sure enough, the man broke into a genial smile and introduced himself, “Hello everyone, my name is Wang Ziguo, and I’ll be your advisor. I’m very happy to spend the next four years with you all—I’m sure you’re looking forward to it as well!”

Wang Ziguo seemed easygoing, and precisely because of his overly casual manner, he hadn’t finished speaking before a wave of laughter rippled through the room.

“Did I say something wrong? If so, please point it out,” Wang Ziguo said without the slightest annoyance, rubbing the back of his head. His gesture only made the students laugh harder.

Tall—over six feet—but as skinny as a clothes rack, with a head as long as a standing winter melon, Wang Ziguo had a thick mane of black hair, but had shaved it all off, giving him a comical appearance.

Long Fei found him amusing—was this what all art types were like?

Once everyone had laughed their fill, Wang Ziguo chuckled, “I’m quite democratic—if you want to keep laughing, go ahead. Otherwise, why don’t you each come up and introduce yourselves? It’ll help us all get to know one another.”

This suggestion was met with enthusiastic approval. Most of the students in the musical performance program had their sights set on the entertainment world, so even those who were once shy now became bold, eager for a chance to stand out—even a brief self-introduction was not to be missed.

“Excuse me!” Just as everyone was fired up and ready to introduce themselves, a clear but somewhat timid female voice called from the doorway, instantly drawing every eye.

Wow.

Long Fei heard the boys around him gasp in awe.

Catching sight of the latecomer at the door, Long Fei’s spirits soared and a smile crept onto his face—it seemed his instincts had been spot on. He’d hoped for a beauty, and a beauty had indeed appeared. What’s more, he’d met her once before; they’d parted ways with a casual goodbye, never expecting fate to bring them together again so soon.

Long Fei waved to her, and seeing this, the other boys, unwilling to be left behind, quickly followed suit, signaling for the beauty at the door to come sit by them. The three who’d already paired up with girls felt a pang of regret—the fifty other girls in the room, no matter their level of attractiveness, simply couldn’t compare.

Liu Ruoyi wasn’t in the best mood. She hadn’t meant to be late, but a chance run-in with Ding Liujun on the track that morning had delayed her. He’d tried to win her over with a slew of empty words, and though she wasn’t swayed, she still ended up late. So, as she reached the classroom door, she couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed, though she refrained from cursing him outright.

But seeing Long Fei waving at her from the back of the room, her mood instantly brightened. She remembered how he’d come to her rescue at a crucial moment the day before and kindly walked her back to her dorm—how could she not feel a surge of goodwill?

After all, Long Fei was the first friend she’d made at this university, and though the old “hero saves the beauty” story was a bit cliché, it was still irresistible to most women. While she couldn’t say she liked him yet, she certainly felt a fondness.

Wang Ziguo hadn’t expected his class to include such a stunning student. That air of gentle vulnerability stirred something even in him, a man nearing forty. Of course, it was only a fleeting feeling—he was far more noble and upright than Long Fei.

“Come in, please. Find any seat you like,” Wang Ziguo said, his smile unwavering.

As soon as he finished speaking, every boy in the room grew tense—where would Liu Ruoyi choose to sit?