One hour later, Jiang Xuehan stood before Donghai University’s gate for the first time.

Noon sun blazed. It was the first day of freshman registration, and the campus buzzed with students in summer clothes. Their faces glowed with youthful innocence and a peculiar sheen of hope—something Jiang Xuehan rarely saw in the people she’d met since dropping out.

A pang of bitterness tightened her chest. If not for quitting school over a year ago, she’d be walking through these gates today, hope cradled in her heart like the others.

Wu De didn’t notice her flickering emotions. He strode ahead, cheerfully pointing out landmarks. "This is our Sakura Avenue. Every early spring, cherry blossoms draw crowds from all over the city..." He gestured toward a building. "That’s the Economics Department office. Just take your acceptance letter to the second floor for registration."

Registration lines were short on this first day. Jiang Xuehan soon faced a department teacher. The woman checked her documents, then looked up, studying her. "You’re much prettier in person than in your photo."

"I’ve been taking better care of my skin this summer," Jiang Xuehan replied smoothly, though her heart hammered.

The teacher flipped through a few more pages and slid a form across the desk. "Your tuition was paid last week. Just sign here."

Wu De’s cousin, still waiting for U.S. admission news, had already paid Donghai University’s first-year fees. The money was non-refundable—and now conveniently hers.

After signing, the teacher handed her several papers. "Use this for your campus card at the Student Center. This proves your dorm assignment—give it to the manager of Building Seven. And remember: be in your dorm by 10 a.m. two days from now. Your advisor will gather everyone for the opening ceremony."

"Thank you, teacher." Jiang Xuehan bowed slightly, stepped out, and exhaled deeply.

Relieved, Wu De guided her to the Student Center for the campus card. The plastic ID bore her name and photo. From now on, it would pay for everything—cafeteria meals, bathhouse showers, supermarket runs.

Next, they stopped at a dormitory building. Wu De scratched his head sheepishly. "This is your new place. I can’t go in, but we’ve got each other’s contacts. Get settled today. I’ll call you tomorrow."

Jiang Xuehan finally noticed the stream of girls entering the building. *Girls’ dormitory!*

She’d agreed to Wu De’s plan mainly for shelter—a safe, cheap dorm beat all-night wars against ferocious mosquitoes. But she’d forgotten: Wu De’s cousin Jiang Xuehan was female. Of course she’d be assigned here.

*What do I do now?*

As Meng Han, she’d barely interacted with girls. Aloof and friendless in high school, her only decent relationship had been with a freshman-year desk partner. After dropping out, her world shrank to men and middle-aged aunties like Aunt Chen. Now she’d share a room with three girls—day and night.

Her feet turned to leave. But where? Back to the playground seesaw? Another mosquito siege all night?

After a long pause, she entered. The dorm manager handed her keys after checking her papers. On the third floor, room 312 waited. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Empty. No one had moved in yet—it was only day one.

*So this is a girls’ dorm...* She scanned the bare space. Nothing special: stripped bed frames, empty desks, a balcony, a tiny bathroom. In the center stood a foldable wooden table, left behind by last year’s students.

Jiang Xuehan sank onto a chair, catching her breath. Her stamina had always been poor; as a girl, even moderate walking left her drained.

Shelter was secured—for now. Her next goal: win the gaming tournament in fifteen days. The ¥20,000 prize would fund her revenge. She desperately needed money: for daily survival, upgraded streaming gear, hackers to dig up dirt on that scheming bastard, online trolls to hype her new channel...

In this world, people were millstones. Only money set them turning. That ¥20,000 would be her first lever—small stones to shift larger ones.

But the tournament required team training. Donghai University sat downtown, while her convenience store job was in the suburbs. The two-hour commute each way, plus near-full-time shifts, left no room for esports practice.

Quitting meant no rent money.

*Find a new job near campus.*

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through local listings. Campus areas teemed with shops—and scams. After a year of odd jobs, she knew the traps. She scanned carefully.

Wait. "Silver Moon Internet Cafe" sought part-time staff: current students only, presentable, responsible. Minimum 25 hours weekly. ¥20/hour.

Her pulse quickened.

¥20 an hour, 25 hours a week—that was ¥500 weekly, ¥2,000 monthly. Less than the supermarket’s full-time pay, but far lighter hours. Living in the dorm would save rent too. More cash in hand.

Jiang Xuehan hated delays. She dialed the contact number immediately.