“Are they with you?” Yuan Sijie glanced at the three still standing not far away and asked Lin Wu.
“Same dormitory.”
Yuan Sijie said, “Then have them come join the line. We can all chat.”
Lin Wu: “…”
The invitation came so suddenly that it left him in an awkward spot.
It wasn’t a big deal for the others, but Lin Wu mainly worried about Ren Feiyu feeling awkward. Having just been lectured, Da Yu was likely still sulking and self-reflecting, probably in a daze.
But he couldn’t explain this to the four guys from 509—it was, after all, an internal matter of 333.
“Yeah, let’s all hang out,” Ge Liang chimed in. Lin Wu would continue night excursions with Wang Ye and Yuan Sijie in the future, so there was no need for the two dorms to maintain unnecessary distance. While Jiang Tan didn’t seem interested in befriending the guy he saved, Ge Liang didn’t mind making more connections in college. Thinking this, he enthusiastically waved to the other side, “Come over here!”
Xia Yang and Li Junchi exchanged glances.
The fact that Lin Wu knew those guys was surprising enough, but now they were being invited to join? What kind of unexpected twist was this?
However, staying put would only make things more awkward.
And so, the two dorms merged.
“This is Ren Feiyu, Xia Yang, and Li Junchi,” Lin Wu introduced his brothers to Yuan Sijie and then turned to introduce the others to his group. “This is Yuan Sijie and Wang Ye. We keep running into each other during night outings.”
“This is Ge Liang and Jiang Tan,” Yuan Sijie added. “They’re from our dorm.”
Ge Liang had heard of “Lin Wu” before but was meeting him in person for the first time today.
After Wang Ye claimed that encountering Lin Wu meant he couldn’t pet cats anymore, Ge Liang had assumed Lin Wu must be some terrifying figure. Instead, he turned out to be tall, good-looking, and exuding a kind of natural charm that made him seem approachable.
And Wang Ye threw such blame on this guy?
As Wang Ye’s dormmate, Ge Liang couldn’t help sneaking into a corner to quietly mutter under his breath… Shameless!
After grumbling about Wang Ye, Ge Liang remembered the classmate who had stirred his sympathy earlier. What was his name again? Oh, Ren Feiyu.
Where was he?
Ge Liang instinctively scanned the group and, after a long search, finally spotted Ren Feiyu on the outskirts of the conversation circle. His presence was so low that he was almost blending in with the crowd of unfamiliar students, head bowed, no longer using his gaze to seek out Jiang Tan.
The line began to shuffle forward—it was time for the health checks.
Jiang Tan discreetly glanced at Ren Feiyu hiding on the edge before withdrawing his gaze and moving forward with the line.
Yuan Sijie, pushed forward by the crowd, found himself next to Xia Yang and took the chance to study him carefully for the first time.
Xia Yang squirmed under the scrutiny. “What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?”
“I have, but never one so… festive,” Yuan Sijie replied, pulling out his phone with a warm smile. “Add me on WeChat?”
Xia Yang: “…Explain to me what you mean by ‘festive’ first.”
Li Junchi noticed Ren Feiyu being swept away by the crowd and, seeing that Xia Yang was now chatting with Yuan Sijie, turned to Lin Wu. “Lin…”
“If you were diagnosed as a particularly adorable small animal—like a chipmunk or a snow ferret—how would you feel?” Lin Wu was busy preemptively interviewing Wang Ye, completely missing the first syllable of his roommate’s call.
Ge Liang overheard Lin Wu’s question and thought, Are you trying to provoke him? My bro Ye could punt you across the room…
Wang Ye: “Either would be fine.”
Ge Liang: “…”
Lin Wu and Wang Ye joined the line, leaving only Ge Liang and Li Junchi behind.
The two students exchanged glances, and the air seemed to carry a faint sense of desolation.
“How about… we add each other on WeChat too?” Li Junchi suggested, pulling out his phone.
Ge Liang felt conflicted. He wanted to make more friends, but this felt more like two forgotten souls seeking solace in each other.
Li Junchi added, “My WeChat name is ‘aaaLiJunchi.’ Add me, and you’ll always find me at the top of your list. I’m online 24/7, ready for any legal requests—homework, drawing, PowerPoints, tug-of-war, long-distance running, aerobics, elective class attendance, standing in line for limited items, delivering breakfast for your girlfriend…”
Ge Liang: “I’ll scan you!”
Li Junchi: “Here, go ahead.”
Ge Liang: “Do I get an 80% discount for knowing Lin Wu…”
The basic health check items were still the same as before, but many people’s results had noticeably changed.
Lin Wu, Li Junchi, and Xia Yang all showed significant improvements in lung capacity, especially Li Junchi, whose results were nearly 40% higher than during his freshman year.
Ren Feiyu’s lung capacity hadn’t changed much, but his weight was seven kilograms lighter than before. When Ren Feiyu stepped off the scale, he was shocked. While his appetite had been poor shortly after awakening, he had been eating plenty recently.
The doctor measuring height and weight noticed his reaction and kindly explained, “Some awakened traits may cause bones to lighten or muscle mass to decrease, resulting in weight loss. But don’t worry too much—weight typically stabilizes after the initial adjustment period.”
Ren Feiyu, already low on energy and spirit, felt even worse after this new blow. “‘Typically,’ huh? Great, I must be the exception to that…”
The 333 brothers swiftly dragged him away before he could cry in public and embarrass their department.
After the basic checks, it was time for the awakened gene tests upstairs.
Lin Wu expected to see a bunch of unfamiliar instruments but was surprised to find it was just a simple blood draw.
From time to time, staff members came in to carry off boxes of labeled blood samples and replace them with fresh tubes and racks for the next group.
Despite their efficiency, the blood draw room was still piled high with boxes of samples waiting to be transported.
Lin Wu could clearly sense the enormous workload.
And this was just the blood draw. Each sample would then need to be sent to the lab for testing, one by one.
Lin Wu remembered reading online that there was still no method to quickly test for animalistic traits from wild-type awakenings. The long testing periods were a major reason many countries had yet to conduct nationwide awakening surveys.
While having his blood drawn, Lin Wu overheard a classmate next to him ask the doctor how long the results would take.
The doctor replied, “About a month.”
The classmate, who had expected the results within a few days, was visibly disheartened. The thought of waiting another month seemed like an unbearable ordeal.
Lin Wu, however, took it in stride.
As Wang Ye often said, “What’s meant to come will come, but as long as you’re strong enough, no one can take you down!”
Due to the large number of students, the health checks took three days to complete. On the last day, it rained. The leaves, not yet fully yellow, were beaten down, covering every path on campus with the hues of late autumn.
Lin Wu received a call from his mother while walking to class under an umbrella, stepping on water-soaked leaves.
Umbrella-less students occasionally dashed past, moving so quickly they seemed like gusts of wind in the rain. Occasionally, one would step into a puddle, sending splashes up to a meter high.
The sky, shrouded in dark clouds, made it feel like evening had already fallen.
The wind-driven rain soaked half of Lin Wu’s body, even with the umbrella.
It was at this moment that his phone rang.
Seeing his mother’s name on the screen, Lin Wu told Xia Yang and the others to go ahead before answering, “Mom.”
The rain poured down urgently, making time feel slower.
Lin Wu waited for what felt like a long time before he finally heard her voice. “How’s your health?”
Lin Wu’s eyes warmed. “Pretty good. I just finished the health check two days ago, but the results won’t be out until the start of next semester at the earliest.”
“Good. Your sister’s school also arranged health checks, so I figured your school would too.” Her relief was evident through the phone.
Lin Wu paused, his footsteps halting unconsciously.
Was his mother relieved because he was healthy, or because good health meant he wouldn’t cause trouble due to awakening?
Lin Wu wasn’t sure.
Or maybe he knew but didn’t want to think about it.
“How’s… your health?” he asked.
“There was some discomfort at first, but we’ve gotten much better now. Alright, go eat. You’re probably just out of class and haven’t eaten yet, right?” Her tone signaled the call’s end as if her task was complete. “If anything comes up, just message me.”
My classes have been in the evening for over a month now…
I don’t want to message you—I just want to call you directly. Can’t I?
Countless words churned in his heart, but in the end, Lin Wu simply said, “Got it.”
The chill of autumn lingered after the rain.
Fewer students ventured out at night. Lin Wu started wearing thicker coats, yet he still occasionally felt cold during his nighttime outings.
In early December, the university issued three important notices in one day.
The first two were national directives implemented by the school:
- Given the situation since September, all exams scheduled for December were temporarily canceled. They would be rescheduled once university operations returned to normal.
- Research showed that disrupted circadian rhythms caused by awakening could be improved through proper schedule adjustments. Universities were instructed to help affected students return to normal routines.
The third notice was specific to Lin Wu’s university:
[Environmental Science College Group]
Professor Li: [Notice] Effective immediately, students are prohibited from leaving their dormitories after lights-out at 11:00 PM. Violators will face serious consequences. We hope all students will adjust their schedules and return to regular routines as soon as possible.
Xia Yang, who had been celebrating the cancellation of the CET-4 exam, saw the group notice and groaned. “Effective immediately? Couldn’t you at least give us a grace period?” He looked worriedly at the only nocturnal member of their dorm. “What are you going to do?”
“What else can I do?” Lin Wu replied, sprawled on his bed, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Force myself to sleep.”
“Bro, you don’t look like you’re forcing anything. You’re about to knock out,” Xia Yang remarked, sensing that Lin Wu could slip into a dream at any second.
“No way!” Ren Feiyu fretted from across the room. “Lin Wu, if you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
This all took place at around 1 PM.
Through sheer willpower, Lin Wu resisted the urge to nap and stayed awake until the lights went out at 11 PM.
And now, his eyes were wide open, shining as brightly as the stars in the night sky.
[mfn]If you enjoy my translations, you can show your support by leaving a comment or donating to my Ko-fi. It will be much appreciated. Thank you! -TL: YSIAD
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