Even Top Students Fail

Roommates

Lilith and her friends returned from their meal to find a new roommate had arrived. Amy, tall and beautiful with a stunning figure, was the epitome of a goddess.

Despite being the last to arrive, Amy seemed approachable, even offering Lilith a banana upon her return.

Though beds were already labeled, Alice took charge once everyone was present. "Let's introduce ourselves," she suggested cheerfully. "I'm Alice, nineteen. In our dorm, I've always been the big sister, so that's what I'll be from now on, regardless of age." Alice was outgoing, though not particularly tall.

Amy went next. "I'm Amy, eighteen. Just call me Amy." With her fair skin, Amy could easily be the dorm's beauty queen.

Lilith smiled. "I'm Lilith, also eighteen."

"Your skin is so fair!" Alice exclaimed, pinching Lilith's cheek. "So soft and supple, I bet I could squeeze water out of it!"

While Alice wasn't unattractive, her skin was rougher, perhaps due to the harsh Northeast climate.

Emma introduced herself last. She'd been quiet since arriving and simply stated, "I'm Emma," before falling silent again. Her bed was draped with a mosquito net, likely due to the summer heat. She didn't even poke her head out while speaking. The lively atmosphere stilled momentarily due to Emma's aloofness, but Alice quickly revived it by asking Lilith about her skincare routine.

Lilith shared her "secrets" with a smile, though she didn't have much to reveal. Both her parents had fair complexions, and she'd been drinking milk constantly since childhood. For the past three years of high school, she'd practically replaced water with milk. Her fair and dewy skin was purely the result of all that dairy. As they say, "Fair skin covers a multitude of flaws." Even if Lilith's features weren't as delicate as others', her complexion made her more beautiful.

The girls chatted animatedly about skincare until dinnertime approached. Unfamiliar with their surroundings, they decided to eat together. Alice suggested exploring the campus afterwards, as the university would be their home for the next four years. Even though Lilith had visited before, it had been during summer break when she'd only seen the grounds.

Given Emma's earlier reticence, the three discussed these plans among themselves. When it was time to leave, Alice cautiously asked, "Emma, would you like to join us?"

"No need, you go ahead," Emma replied without emerging from behind her mosquito net, exuding cold detachment. Apart from her name, they knew nothing else about her.

Alice was naturally friendly, but after being rebuffed twice, her expression soured slightly. The three ate dinner in the cafeteria, and Alice's spirits lifted as they began their campus tour. With new student orientations underway, the campus was bustling. They visited the gardens, sports fields, academic buildings, library, English Corner, and many other locations before returning to their dorm around 9 PM. Fortunately, tomorrow was the registration deadline, so they still had time to rest.

By the time they finished washing up and got into bed, it was nearly 10 PM. Despite her exhaustion, Lilith found herself unable to sleep, feeling as if she'd forgotten something important. She'd called home before dinner to confirm that her friends had arrived safely. She'd also exchanged new contact information with her other friends. What else could she have missed? Scratching her head in frustration, Lilith couldn't figure it out.

After pondering for a while longer, Lilith gave up and decided to count sheep while staring at the white ceiling. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... By the ninety-ninth sheep, it finally hit her. She nearly jumped out of bed - she'd forgotten to text William!

Quickly grabbing her phone, she saw it was already 11:29 PM. It was so late; she wondered if he was already asleep. Lilith's face scrunched up in worry. William's threat still echoed in her ears, but sending a late message was better than not sending one at all. She cautiously typed out a message: "Are you asleep?" She even forgot to sign her name.

As it happened, William was still awake. He was pulling an all-nighter to study. Although lights-out at No. 1 High School was at 10:30 PM, review students had special privileges. If they wanted to continue studying, they could bring a small stool to the hallway. William had been studying until midnight every night since joining the review class. Tonight, however, he was distracted. He'd kept his phone in his pocket all day, but there hadn't been a single message. Even if her phone wasn't working, she could have used the dorm phone - he'd given her that number too.

William had been preoccupied all day, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief when the message arrived. He muttered "silly girl" under his breath, but his reply showed no trace of anger: "Lilith? Not asleep yet? Go to bed soon, be good." With her not physically present, William didn't dare be too domineering. If that girl got angry, what would he do? After all, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

Lilith, who had been feeling anxious, felt a twinge of guilt when she saw William's lack of reproach. "You're not asleep either? I've been so busy today, I only just got a chance to text you."

"It's fine. It's late, go to sleep. If I wasn't waiting for your message, I'd be asleep too. I'll call you tomorrow." Of course it wasn't fine. Although William was dying to give Lilith a piece of his mind, his tone in the message remained gentle.

Seeing that William still wasn't angry, Lilith let out a long breath. His temper really had improved. "Okay, I'm going to sleep. You should rest early too." Perhaps because her mind was at ease, she fell asleep after counting just a few more sheep.

As for William, after seeing Lilith's reply, he couldn't be bothered to continue studying. He packed up his things and headed back to the dorm to sleep.

Early the next morning, while Lilith and her roommates were still asleep, the world outside their dorm was already bustling with activity. It was the last day for registration, with military training set to begin tomorrow. As such, it marked a peak in new student arrivals.

The influx of people made the dorm particularly noisy that day. The dorm supervisor found it difficult to keep track of everyone, allowing many unauthorized individuals to sneak in. After turning away a newspaper salesman for the third time, Lilith sighed. She'd been scammed in her previous life. Many people had come under the guise of sharing experiences, only to peddle various goods. Back then, they were truly naive, believing everything they were told and handing over money to people who then vanished. Lilith had once been swindled out of 200 yuan, leaving her so upset she couldn't sleep.

Every school had such people, and today they encountered them again. To Lilith's surprise, Emma was the first to send them away. When the first newspaper salesman entered, Alice had been the most welcoming, with Amy not far behind. Amy even offered to pour hot water for the visitor. If Lilith hadn't discreetly pulled her back, she might have already handed over money. After the salesman left, Lilith explained the scam to her inexperienced roommates. Emma looked at Alice and Amy as if they were idiots, and while her gaze towards Lilith wasn't quite as contemptuous, it still carried a hint of disdain.

Under such a gaze, Alice and Amy felt embarrassed. High school life had been relatively simple, and without personal experience, who would have thought that seemingly kind upperclassmen eager to share advice were actually out to con them? During her first time in university, Lilith had been scammed more than once, even falling for a trick in her sophomore year. Lilith also felt awkward. Having already completed four years of university, she should have been the one guiding her roommates. Instead, she was now being blatantly looked down upon. Although Emma hadn't said anything, the contempt in her eyes was clear to anyone who wasn't truly foolish.

Despite the awkwardness, Alice still thanked Emma, even offering to treat her to ice cream later. After all, whether Emma had acted out of annoyance or for some other reason, she had helped them. This time, Emma didn't retreat into her personal space. She responded with a calm "You're welcome," her face still expressionless. However, Lilith noticed that Emma's ears had turned slightly red.

Seeing this, Lilith found it amusing. It seemed Emma wasn't as unapproachable as she appeared. At most, she was just aloof. It was even possible that she wasn't truly aloof but simply didn't know how to interact with others, using aloofness as a facade. After all, there were many people like that.

The day passed with a constant stream of visitors. At 8 PM, they had a class meeting to discuss the next day's military training and to select five temporary class representatives to manage various affairs until the formal election in six months when everyone would know each other better. Alice had privately expressed her desire to be a class representative to the counselor earlier, so she became one of the acting class committee members after the meeting.