Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

By 5 p.m., all of Qian Quan's roommates had arrived.

There was Gao Yan from Linjiang, Guo Hongyi from Oakhaven, and a local student from Azure Bay named Shen Fei.

Among them, Guo Hongyi and Qian Quan were in the History Department, while Gao Yan and Shen Fei were in the Philosophy Department.

After initial introductions, Guo Hongyi suggested that everyone go out for dinner together to become more familiar with the campus. Qian Quan and Gao Yan joined, while Shen Fei politely declined.

It was evident that Shen Fei, a local from Azure Bay, carried that somewhat distant air of superiority. He wore branded clothing, carried a vintage single-strap bag, and used the latest model of an Apple phone.

Just as Ding Linlang had mentioned, he was one of those born and raised in this Mystic City.

Maintaining some distance seemed to be the norm.

Guo Hongyi and Gao Yan were similar to Qian Quan – all hailing from small towns, but their personalities were quite distinct. Guo Hongyi was outgoing and talkative, while Gao Yan tended to be reserved and introverted.

"Which club are you planning to join for the recruitment event tomorrow?"

On returning to the dormitory after dinner, Guo Hongyi asked casually.

"I'll see tomorrow. I'm leaning toward Chinese chess and basketball, but a female senior suggested I consider joining The Luminous Drama Society. I'll check it out as well," Qian Quan replied.

"I'm also signing up for basketball," Guo Hongyi chimed in, then curiously asked, "Why did a female senior suggest you join the drama club?"

"It was when I was registering today. She came up and added me on a social app, then talked to me about it. Didn't she add you?" Qian Quan retorted.

"Nope, when I registered, the male seniors helped with the process!" Guo Hongyi's tone grew more animated, "Can I boldly ask which female senior it was?"

"The one with double ponytails, her name is Wang Tongyu."

"The most beautiful one! She even told you her name?"

Guo Hongyi had clearly noticed this charming and lovely senior, Wang Tongyu, when he signed up. His expression turned complex as he stared at Qian Quan, and finally, with a resigned sigh, he said, "Forget it. This world is superficial anyway, and your looks slightly outshine mine, so I can't blame her."

"What about you, Gao Yan?"

"I didn't get added by any senior either," Gao Yan answered truthfully.

"I wasn't asking about that. I was asking which club you want to join."

Gao Yan shook his head, "I won't join any club. I want to use these four years in college to do things I'm personally interested in."

"Got it, to each their own."

As they chatted, they returned to their dormitory, realizing that Shen Fei wasn't there, but no one pressed for details.

Qian Quan briefly updated his registration in the "Happy Family" group chat with his parents today.

His mom advised him to eat well to ensure getting enough nutrition, sleep more, and drink plenty of water.

Qian Quan replied to his mom, "Alright, I got it."

Whether it was due to his zodiac sign or not, Qian Quan never entered a rebellious phase against his mom's care. Even during his teenage years, he never considered his mom to be overly nagging.

After a while, his dad replied, advising him to excel in his major and consider taking elective courses in other fields. He suggested auditing classes and spending more time in the library, making the most of the four years of freedom in university for comprehensive learning.

Qian Quan responded earnestly to his dad:

"Message received! I'll make the most of these four years to comprehensively enhance myself. I won't just idle away my days. I'll remember your guidance and follow your example, persisting in my studies, continuing to learn, cherishing time, and valuing life."

It seemed like his mom couldn't resist commenting anymore, playfully saying, "Can you and your dad please not be so formal?"

Qian Quan quickly replied with a doggy smile emoji.

Mom: "Why did you reply with a dog emoji? Do you know your dad and I are considering getting a dog?"

Qian Quan was speechless. Why do parents have such specific interpretations of certain emojis?

...

The next morning.

After breakfast, Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi headed to the campus to explore the club recruitment.

The scene was even livelier than yesterday.

Two rows of umbrellas, mostly red but interspersed with yellow and blue, were lined up. The club members responsible for recruitment were divided into two groups: one group registered information and answered questions, while the other showcased their talents.

Looking around, people were breakdancing, playing the guitar, skateboarding, twirling nunchucks, and even someone dressed in a karate uniform kicking through wooden boards...

It felt like wandering through a talent market.

Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi went to find the basketball club.

Because the names of each club were written on the umbrellas and neatly arranged, it wasn't too hard to locate them despite the crowd.

However, before they had gone far, they were stopped. To be precise, Qian Quan was stopped.

"Hello there, we'd like to invite you to learn about our 'The Luminous Drama Society.' Our drama society was the first to be established in the school and has the highest rating. Once you pass the audition and successfully join, you can enjoy a lifetime of free access to watch dramas."

Two charming girls stood in front of Qian Quan, enthusiastically introducing themselves.

"How did you know we're freshmen?" Qian Quan asked curiously.

"Because freshmen have a kind of youthful look on their faces, very easy to recognize," one of the girls answered.

Qian Quan nodded with a smile and asked, "This lifetime of free drama access, is it only for myself, or can I bring my girlfriend along?"

"You have a girlfriend?" the other girl blurted out.

"Not now, but you mentioned a lifetime of free access. I think I will definitely have a girlfriend in the future."

"Oh, I see, haha. That's right. If your girlfriend is also in the drama club, then that works too," the girl tactfully responded.

"Got it, then I'll sign up," Qian Quan thought. Anyway, it's just signing up. Whether to go for the audition or not can be decided later.

"Great. Please come over and register your information."

As Qian Quan wrote his name in the "Name" field, the two girls beside him exclaimed, "You're Qian Quan?"

"You know me?" Qian Quan was surprised.

"Yes, Wang Tongyu mentioned it to us. She said that the History Department admitted a new student with good qualifications this year."

"Oh," Qian Quan realized.

After filling out the information, the two girls added Qian Quan on the social app.

At this moment, Guo Hongyi, who had been standing by observing, asked, "Excuse me, can I sign up?"

One of the seniors glanced at him and said, "Yes, if you want to sign up, just fill out the form."

"Well, I was just asking. I'm not interested in performing drama."

"It's fine."

Guo Hongyi called out to Qian Quan, "Qian Quan, let's go!"

The two continued to look for the basketball club.

After a few steps, Guo Hongyi said, "Qian Quan, there's a Chinese chess club."

Qian Quan looked and saw a yellow umbrella on the left with the words "Chinese Chess Association" on it. There was a young man and two young women sitting under it. The young man had a crew cut and wore thick glasses. In front of him were three chessboards.

The two young women seemed more reserved, sitting at the table registering people and reading a chess manual.

It appeared a bit quiet, but it matched the atmosphere of playing Chinese chess.

Qian Quan walked up and asked, "Hello, how do I sign up for this club?"

The female senior responsible for registration glanced at him and asked gently, "Do you know how to play Chinese chess?"

"Yes."

"Any skill level?"

Chinese chess doesn't have ranks like Go, but it does have levels divided into professional and amateur categories.

Qian Quan shook his head, "No level."

"Alright, you play a game against Cao Chuande first. If you can pass his assessment, you'll officially join."

Indeed, it was an uncommon club; registration and assessment were combined.

"Okay."

Qian Quan walked over to Cao Chuande and politely said, "Nice to meet you."

Cao Chuande glanced at him and then turned to the girl next to him, who was looking at the chess manual, and said, "You play with him. I'll play against both of you."

"Okay," the girl sat down next to Qian Quan.

"You may begin."

Cao Chuande looked like a skilled Chinese chess player with a respectable rank. His confident demeanor spoke volumes.

Qian Quan and the girl each made a careful move.

Cao Chuande, with a calm demeanor, played without hesitation, swiftly responding.

Then, it was the girl and Qian Quan's turn for the second move.

After about ten moves, Cao Chuande's time spent on Qian Quan's side began to increase. After a few more moves, he found himself trapped on Qian Quan's side.

He turned to the girl and said, "You've lost," then focused his attention on the match with Qian Quan.

After five or six more moves, Qian Quan smiled and said, "Checkmate."

With Qian Quan's Chinese chess skills, defeating a distracted opponent was easy, but he didn't want an unfair victory.

As a result, in the subsequent one-on-one match against Cao Chuande, he managed to "barely win."

Qian Quan intended to join this Chinese chess club to use this platform to engage in more advanced competitions. He didn't need to perform extraordinarily from the start; passing the assessment was sufficient.

"Shall we play another round?" Cao Chuande wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Did I pass the assessment?" Qian Quan asked.

Cao Chuande blushed slightly and said, "Just making it to the 25th move against me is considered a pass. You've even defeated me, so you've certainly passed."

"Alright, we can spar in the future. We need to go sign up for the basketball club now," Qian Quan stood up.

"Okay, remember to register your information," Cao Chuande's demeanor had lost some of its former pride.

After filling out the form, Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi continued forward.

"Let's not delay this time, head straight to the basketball club," Guo Hongyi suggested.

"Okay."

Before they could continue, a tall guy in a martial arts uniform intercepted Qian Quan. He spoke with an unfriendly tone.

"You're Qian Quan, right?"