2016.

"Attention passengers: Train PVE951 has arrived at its final destination, Southern District of Dongchuan Guang. Please gather your luggage and valuables before disembarking. Thank you for your cooperation."

The mechanical female voice echoed through the train. Passengers began hauling their bags off as dawn light seeped in. Many wore weary faces—those from sleeper cabins yawned from early rising, while the rest, stuck in hard seats all night, were either half-asleep or had spent hours playing cards to stay awake.

"Ugh... seriously dead tired," I muttered. Yep, I was one of those broke card-game spectators.

"Where’s the exit? ...Guess I’ll just follow the crowd."

Time for introductions. I’m Li Xiaobai, nineteen, fresh out of China’s college entrance exams. I’d come to Dongchuan Guang for university. Totally ordinary—average height, average looks. Nineteen years of zero highlights: never fought, never won awards, single since birth. Basically your standard NEET otaku.

Now, Dongchuan Guang: once a nationally prioritized development zone, now Asia’s largest trade hub with 30 million residents. The city splits into five districts—Central (business), East (ports), North (industry), and South/West (residential). I’d landed in the Southern District.

Getting into a Dongchuan Guang university took brutal last-semester cramming. I memorized politics and history like my life depended on it; math and English? Pure faith. (Don’t copy me—I took art electives, so my academic scores counted half. Three years of grinding still wouldn’t have cut it otherwise.)

"Taxi! Stop!" I flagged one outside the station, handing the driver a slip of paper. "Master, please take me to this address."

"20 Pinghe South 3rd Road? Pretty close," he said.

"How much?"

"Metered. About 70 yuan."

"Oh." *Damn.* Back home, 70 yuan covered cross-city trips.

Yeah, big cities were different. Skyscrapers everywhere. Luxury cars. Beautiful women—though honestly, everyone here wore makeup. Who knew about their bare faces?

"Kid, we’re here."

"Huh? Oh." Seriously? From the station to Pinghe South 3rd Road felt like my hometown’s cross-city ride. His definition of "close" and mine clearly came from different planets.

"Here you go, master." I reluctantly handed over a red bill. He took the money, gave change, and sped off without a word. *Time is money, I guess.*

Apartment 20 on Pinghe South 3rd Road stood right beside my future campus. I’d arrived two days early because I’d skipped dorm registration, renting this tiny room instead—courtesy of a Dongchuan Guang friend. A costly favor.

"Ugh... 6th floor, Room 603. Zhuo Junfeng, you bastard." Six flights of stairs? For a shut-in like me? Death sentence.

I pulled out the keys my friend had mailed earlier.

Well, "tiny" meant tiny: one bed, one desk, one bathroom. Spotless but bare. Why avoid dorms? Simple—I couldn’t handle shared living. Weird cleanliness quirk: my own mess? Fine. Others’ dirt? Unbearable. Plus, I’m a light sleeper—any unfamiliar sound, and I’m wide awake. Survived one semester of high school dorm life before fleeing.

*Beep... beep-beep... beep...* The phone rang.

"Hello? Who’s this?"

"Yo! Xiaobai! It’s me! How’s the place I found you?" a male voice chirped.

"The place is fine. But the *sixth floor*? You did this on purpose! And stop calling me Xiaobai."

"Seriously, Xiaobai~ Finding *any* place at this hour was a miracle. You know how many want rentals here? Only got it ’cause I know the landlord. Think you’d find something near campus otherwise?"

"Fine, fine. You win. Where are you? Let’s meet."

"Busy charming girls today. I’ll call after midnight," he chuckled darkly.

"You weirdo. Always sneaking out at night!" I laughed into the phone.

Zhuo Junfeng—my rare non-anime/gaming friend. A Dongchuan Guang local who’d randomly attended my middle school back home. We bonded over midnight street wanderings. Tall, handsome, loaded (family business unknown), and utterly bizarre. Perfect match for another bizarre soul like me.

"Where’s the Ethernet cable...?"

After hanging up, I dug my laptop from my backpack, plugged in, and surfed briefly. Sleepiness crept in. Just as I headed for bed—

*Ding-dong! Ding-dong!* The doorbell rang.

"Zhuo Junfeng, you idiot. Didn’t you say midnight? It’s only 2 PM. Blind much?" Grumbling, I shuffled to open the door.

*Click.* "Zhuo Junfeng, you— ...Huh? You?"

"Uh... hi?" A startled girl stood there. Never seen her before.

"Hi... um, who are you?" Nineteen years of singledom made my voice crack.

"I’m your neighbor! Saw you moving in and thought I’d offer help." She smiled.

Let’s paint her: 160cm tall, dimples when she grinned, chestnut shoulder-length curls. A white sundress, a small handbag—pure innocence radiating from off-the-charts looks. Honestly, average girls couldn’t pull off this vibe.

"Oh! N-no, I finished moving early. Thanks though." Nervous sweat.

"Hehe, I’m Wuxiaowu. We’ll be neighbors now. Please take care of me!" Xiaowu’s giggle was soft.

"Li Xiaobai. Likewise." *Her smile’s lethal. Her voice? Adorable.*

"Xiaobai? Xiaobai? What kind of weird name is that?"

"...Seriously?" *Lady, I didn’t mock your name ‘Five Little Dances,’ and you’re roasting mine?* Since "Xiaobai" stuck, name-jokes never stopped. Today’s victim: me.

"Hey, Wuxiaowu! You coming or what?" A commanding, mature voice cut in from the stairwell. I whipped my head around—but the woman had already descended. Still, my sharp reflexes caught details: black skinny jeans, white shirt, heels. 170cm tall, long black hair. Couldn’t see her face, but her silhouette rivaled Xiaowu’s.

"Xiaobai, gotta run—shopping with friends. Bye!" Xiaowu said.

"Bye..."

She gave an apologetic smile and turned toward the stairs. But after two steps, she skipped back. "Xiaobai—are you a freshman at Dongchuan Guang Art Academy?"

"Huh? Ah! Yeah. Class of this year."

"Then you should call me *senpai*!" With another skip, she vanished down the stairs, humming happily.

Watching her disappear, I felt lighter than I had in nineteen years. *Senpai.* Such a beautiful word. A gorgeous, kind senpai living right next door... *Was my spring finally here?* Heh.

"Eh, whatever. Time for a nap." I shut the door and collapsed onto the bed.