Chapter Sixteen: On the Eve of Parting

It turns out that hotpot is delightful in the moment but a furnace of misery afterward.

At least, that was the unanimous complaint from the classmates who had attended the hotpot gathering in the QQ class group chat.

Three days had passed since the day of the teacher-student meeting at the Regency Hotel. During those days, Lin Nian’s family had been busy moving house. Evidently, compared to his classmates’ fragile stomachs, his digestive system was exceptional. While others were frequently dashing to the restroom, he was occupied with moving furniture.

In truth, saying Lin Nian was “moving” wasn’t exactly accurate. They had been renting their place, which came furnished with various appliances — an inefficient refrigerator that barely cooled, a TV that would black out after three hours, and a microwave that couldn’t be timed beyond ninety seconds. These were all part of the rental; their personal belongings were few.

Looking back, they had been fortunate to rent this place. The landlady was kindhearted, charging cheap rent and no fees for appliance use. She often even showed up in person to help clear clogged pipes.

After repeatedly assuring the landlady that their move wasn’t due to financial hardship, Lin Nian and his sister Lin Xian finally set about packing their miscellaneous items. Beyond clothes and toiletries, they had to decide what to take and what to leave behind.

For instance, Lin Nian’s solid baton, weighing dozens of pounds, and Lin Xian’s bulk of half-priced cosmetics from the mall. Since they were flying to Kassel College in Chicago, the siblings suspected customs might confiscate or fine them for these items, so they decided to dispose of them entirely.

In the end, their packed bundles were sizable. After finishing the packing, they stared at their necessities for life abroad and sighed involuntarily.

“You carry the big bag, I’ll take the small one. No objections?” Lin Xian asked.

“No objections. Actually, I can carry the small bag too.” Lin Nian, recalling the weight he’d handled during his last gym session, sounded confident.

“You’re no mule,” Lin Xian teased.

“I think I’m even stronger,” Lin Nian hesitated, “Mules can carry three or four hundred pounds, but I feel like I could handle six or seven hundred.”

Lin Xian rolled her eyes and set about organizing the remaining documents. Lin Nian shrugged off the banter, sank into the sofa, and pulled out the “Kassel College Admission Guide” that Mandy had left him.

This guide detailed every step necessary for studying abroad: passports, visas, Kassel College materials, flight precautions... and even protocols for hijacking situations? There was a section on negotiation tactics with hijackers and joint techniques for subduing them.

Reading this, both Lin Nian and Lin Xian were baffled, convinced the author must suffer from paranoia.

Putting aside this peculiar guide, their ultimate destination was Chicago’s train station. From there, they would take the express train CC1000 to Kassel College, located on the city’s far outskirts. Professor Manstein and Mandy would be on that train to conduct final orientation and sign relevant agreements.

Professor Manstein and Mandy’s mission to this lakeside town was mainly to interview Lin Nian; now that was complete, and they had already returned early. The rest was up to Lin Nian and Lin Xian.

Their flight was booked for the day after tomorrow, so time was tight. Over the past days, they had to finalize everything. They even visited the orphanage director to explain, so that if the director came by and found them gone, she wouldn’t worry and call the authorities.

Lin Xian had been informing her close colleagues and friends about the situation. Lin Nian visited the youth center's kendo dojo and realized his social circle was narrower than he thought. Aside from classmates, he barely knew anyone, and when it came to farewells, he hardly had anyone to say goodbye to.

Actually, there was one person.

On the sofa, Lin Nian took out his iPhone 3 and found a contact named “Chu Zihang” in QQ.

After hesitating, he opened the chat window and typed: “I’m going abroad to study soon. Hope we meet again someday. Take care.”

He read it silently once, ensuring the tone was normal, the sentences smooth, and no typos, then sent it.

Setting the phone down, he relaxed, about to get up when the screen lit up with an instant reply: “Take care.”

Concise, as straightforward as the sender’s face.

He quickly typed “Mm,” but paused, reconsidered, deleted it, and instead wrote: “Senior brother, you have the college entrance exam this year, right? Which university are you aiming for?”

Half a minute later, the reply came: “Not sure yet, might study abroad.”

Chu Zihang was also considering studying abroad? Lin Nian thought about it and found it unsurprising.

In recent years, studying abroad had become a trend, with rumors suggesting that even China’s prestigious 985 or 211 universities didn’t guarantee better job prospects than returning from overseas studies. Opinions varied widely.

Undeniably, graduating from a top foreign university and returning as an overseas returnee often ensured easy hiring by major companies, with rapid advancement to high-level positions. Even staying abroad, a degree from a renowned school was highly valued, with salaries paid in dollars.

Chu Zihang’s stepfather was supportive, providing strong family backing for studying abroad. Combined with Chu’s excellent grades, passing IELTS or TOEFL would be a breeze. So studying abroad was quite normal for him.

“Have you decided which school to study at abroad? Maybe it’s nearby, so we could visit each other for meals,” Lin Nian messaged.

“Already decided, but I don’t know exactly where,” Chu replied.

Not knowing? How could he choose a school without knowing its location?

“Well, good luck then,” Lin Nian sensed Chu didn’t want to say more and tactfully ended the conversation.

“Who’re you chatting with?” Lin Xian asked casually, carrying a box of cosmetics at the room’s entrance, glancing at Lin Nian on the sofa.

“No one, a guy,” Lin Nian switched off the screen. “Chu Zihang, you’ve probably heard of him?”

“Oh, the school’s heartthrob from Shilan,” Lin Xian nodded after some thought. “Too bad. If you’d stuck it out in Shilan one more year and wooed him away, you’d be the new top guy.”

“You sound like you’re from the underworld. I went to Shilan High, not Linglan High,” Lin Nian corrected.

“Fine, then the new school heartthrob,” Lin Xian amended.

“I’m still a school mushroom,” Lin Nian shook his head. “This isn’t a romance novel; where are all these heartthrobs and beauties?”

“Maybe not here, but abroad? You might become the heartthrob at Kassel College,” Lin Xian said, moving the cosmetics to the door and wiping sweat.

“Kassel College? You saw the photos Professor Manstein showed us—handsome guys and beautiful girls everywhere. And Mandy told me there’s a recognized heartthrob named Caesar.”

“Gaius Julius Caesar?” Lin Xian, with a good grasp of history, immediately named the ancient Roman emperor.

“No, this Caesar obviously isn’t Julius, but he’s Italian,” Lin Nian recalled some gossip Mandy shared during their meal at the Regency Hotel. “Apparently, this Italian heir is a freshman who became the darling of all the college girls right away—lavish spender, chivalrous, and a Harley rider!”

“Italian men are all passionate,” Lin Xian said, organizing the bottles. “Sounds like this Caesar might be a scoundrel. Don’t learn from him.”

“Scoundrels need capital. I don’t have any,” Lin Nian said, lying on the sofa with his phone.

Hearing this, Lin Xian stopped what she was doing, stood up, walked over, leaned down, and grabbed Lin Nian’s cheeks, squeezing them hard together.

“Just look at this face! Otherwise, why did I pick you out at first sight and care for you since childhood, even bringing you out of the orphanage?”

“We’re practically playing ‘child bride’,” Lin Nian muttered unclearly from the sofa.

“You caught me today. I’m wondering if I should silence you forever,” Lin Xian chuckled, then shifted to a threatening expression.

“Spare me,” Lin Nian broke free, slipped off the sofa, and escaped.

“You little rascal!” Lin Xian twisted around to chase him.

They ran and tumbled around the small room, causing chaos and shrieks until the sunlight outside faded, and quiet finally settled.

---End of Chapter---