The winter of sophomore year

Author: Liu Fei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: A group of university sophomore students from all over the country, who have been nurtured and shaped by different regional cultures and material lifestyles, each possess unique psychological qualities and character traits. This makes their dormitory life both rich and varied and subtly complex. See the campus novel: Jiang Wei, a sophomore preparing to run for the president of the school's news association, always wants to let everyone know about the small articles he has published in a local newspaper, which inevitably makes others uncomfortable, but no one dares to say anything. Qiaojusheng, carefree and unconcerned with trivial matters, is determined to get close to a beautiful girl from the foreign language department but struggles to maintain a relationship with the female class monitor, Aqi. Meng Ke, from a poor family, despises and hates his roommates' sympathy. After failing to earn money outside, he attempts suicide by jumping off a building but suddenly realizes the value of life mid-fall and grabs an open window on the second floor, saving himself. Fu Xiaofei, a football enthusiast, sincerely wants to help Meng Ke but constantly faces cold words and rejection. Xiangzi, a kind and virtuous person, occasionally shows cunning, which startles people. In summary, amidst their seemingly worldly behaviors and emotions, there still shines the natural radiance of "humanity at its purest."
Excerpt: Qiaojusheng arrives at the front of the No. 7 women's dormitory on a Saturday morning, his heart full of excitement. He feels nothing could be more delightful than meeting a stranger he finds beautiful. The girl who helps Qiaojusheng is Aqi, the class monitor of the advertising class. Aqi is not particularly beautiful, though a few dull black moles on her face are mostly covered by lively, youthful red pimples. However, her overly plump face and thick eyelids cannot be covered by a riot police helmet. Aqi is, however, cheerful. In summer, she often wears tight black workout clothes, revealing a small but noticeable section of her abdomen, which often attracts distant, breathless chases from boys behind her when she walks. Upon closer inspection, they realize their efforts were wasted. In terms of clothing, Aqi is quite competitive. She never lags in studies and works hard to hold positions, showing both diligence and steadiness. Aqi has always had a good relationship with Qiaojusheng, especially after Xiangzi, who helped move boxes for the girls during the semester, discovered that Aqi lived with several beautiful girls from the foreign language department and sold him this information for the price of a cola. Qiaojusheng then nurtures his friendship with Aqi as carefully as tending to flowers.
Yesterday afternoon in class, Qiaojusheng deliberately starts a conversation with Aqi. As the conversation progresses, he brings up the weekend. "Ah, our dormitory always has group activities on weekends," he says, "like playing soccer or having barbecue." "What about your dormitory?" Aqi asks, not realizing the trick. "We often go ice skating. We went for pizza this summer." Qiaojusheng, pleased with his successful ploy, calmly says, "I'm good at ice skating too. By the way, tomorrow's weekend—let's go together. I'll treat you. After ice skating, we can grab pizza." Aqi looks around awkwardly, then glances sideways with playful mischief as she says, "You're treating me? Ice skating?" The last two words are laced with a European rhetorical question. Qiaojusheng realizes Aqi clearly misunderstands him and feels uneasy. "No, no," he quickly says, but the two "nos" carry different meanings. The first "no" clearly indicates that Aqi misunderstood, while the second "no" seems to negate the first, as he suddenly feels it's too cruel to let her see through his scheme. It's better to remain vague. "I mean, it's more fun with a bigger group. Wouldn't it be livelier if you brought your dormmates?" Qiaojusheng says, feeling both shameless and somewhat proud of his cleverness. This way, he neither denies nor explicitly invites Aqi, but also avoids making any promises to her.
In the end, Aqi doesn't refuse him, but her agreement is tinged with a hint of weariness. So early the next morning, Qiaojusheng goes to the first-floor office of the No. 7 dormitory to call Aqi. Aqi summons many people, asking Qiaojusheng to wait. He eagerly agrees.