I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 279: Who is the man beside her?

Chapter 279: Chapter 279: Who is the man beside her?

Now there were only a few in the room, so the conversation wasn’t ranging far and wide, but these people also came from different places. After several days, they had become familiar with each other, and the few young girls started speculating about who this person who hadn’t arrived might be.

Could it be that they had given up on pursuing their studies?

Just as they were guessing, the person arrived.

No one expected this last-to-arrive female student to be so attractive.

The two girls in the upper bunk, one named Liu Min and the other named Liu Hong, not related, just happened to share the same surname, exchanged a glance. Liu Min whispered, "Now, that’s the real campus belle. Seems like we crowned the campus belle too soon."

Liu Hong giggled, "Sun Xiuyuan hasn’t seen Qiao Qingyu yet. After she sees Qiao Qingyu, let’s see if she can still be so proud."

"All because she’s pretty and comes from a good family, she looks down on everyone. It’s only been a few days, and she’s already surrounded by so many people."

"Some boys are so pathetic, the girl doesn’t even spare them a glance, and yet they fawn over her."

"Stop talking..."

Liu Min quickly stopped the gossiping with Liu Hong when Qingyu approached with a sweet smile, handing a handful of candy to each of them.

She struk up a casual conversation and quickly became chatty with the few girls in the room.

Qiao Qingyu’s bunk was on the bottom.

He Xiuyu moved nimbly to open her luggage, make the bed, and spread the sheets. It didn’t take long for everyone to realize that the relationship between these two was not as simple as being siblings; they were more likely a couple.

Then Qiao Qingyu introduced him with a grin, "This is my husband, He Xiuyu."

By that time, He Xiuyu had finished tidying up and stood beside Qiao Qingyu. Tall and elegant, with a handsome appearance, everyone had only caught a fleeting glimpse of him when he entered. He had kept his head down, busying himself. The girls being modest had mainly focused on Qiao Qingyu and hadn’t taken a good look at He Xiuyu until then. My god, they thought, he’s even more handsome than a movie star.

Liu Min felt a twinge of sourness in her heart, it seemed unfair that these two attractive people had ended up together.

People always have a special fondness for beautiful things.

So the first impression was extremely good. If Qiao Qingyu wanted to befriend someone, there was no one she couldn’t win over, realizing that all of them were students in the same department.

He Xiuyu didn’t speak much, just smiled lightly.

Though he seemed mild-mannered, He Xiuyu had quite a commanding presence, which led several classmates to mention they had a class or found excuses to slip away.

He Xiuyu helped Qiao Qingyu organize her books and placed the electric kettle on the windowsill. There was only one desk in the room, now heaped with belongings.

First come, first served, and those who came last naturally had no place.

"I’ll find time to make you a bookshelf when I get back," he promised.

"No need to go through all that trouble; when they come back, I’ll ask them to make some space for me," Qiao Qingyu said as she looked around with a cheery smile, "This is where I will be living for the next three years."

"You seem in a good mood," He Xiuyu remarked with a smile.

"Of course, this is a university campus after all. By the way, let’s go see Professor Feng," Qiao Qingyu suggested.

Professor Feng taught two classes a week.

They were scheduled back-to-back over two days, and he also had a dormitory here, with his classes on Thursday and Friday.

He Xiuyu glanced at the bed and then suggested, "Next time we come, we’ll bring over the sheepskin pad, it’s getting cold and the school heating is surely not up to par."

"That’s much better compared to the dormitories at the base, where your engineers still have to heat their own rooms."

Currently, the main source of heating at the base is the Big White Building, followed by various laboratory bases and workshops.

The several dormitory buildings and family housing areas temporarily rely on their own heating; the boiler room’s capacity is not sufficient to handle the extra load.

He Xiuyu furrowed his brow, feeling frustrated, and sighed, "Money, it’s still a question of money."

Being a scientific research base, they could produce boilers themselves, but where would the money come from?

The Light Industry Workshop had already produced prototypes of recording machines, and now they were in the final stages of assembly. After passing quality control and being reported, they would go to market if no issues were found.

The brand of the recording machine was named "Spring Rain," symbolizing the arrival of spring and the revival of all things, marking the start of hope.

Hopefully, the Light Industry Workshop could boost the base’s economy.

He Xiuyu made a note of the things Qiao Qingyu currently lacked, then the two locked the dormitory door and went downstairs.

With all that hustle, school had already let out.

The campus grew crowded again, as Qiao Qingyu and He Xiuyu headed towards the teachers’ dormitory area.

The two of them weren’t in a hurry and walked leisurely forward, deciding not to eat at the cafeteria. He Xiuyu planned to invite Professor Feng out for a meal; in ’81, the individual economy of Xichuan was gradually reviving, and two small restaurants had opened up opposite the agricultural college.

How good the taste was, they didn’t know, but they guessed that opening a restaurant must mean the cooking skills were there.

At this moment, a group of people approached; if one looked closely, one would notice a scene resembling stars surrounding the moon.

Encircled in the midst was a very pretty girl holding books, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a white mohair turtleneck sweater, plaid wool trousers, and a pair of brown leather shoes.

Her family’s conditions must be quite good; otherwise, she wouldn’t be dressed so fashionably.

Her skin was very fair, and she had a pair of phoenix eyes that slanted upwards at the corners, giving her a commanding presence.

Qiao Qingyu and He Xiuyu only glanced at her before shifting their gaze away, but to their surprise, the girl stopped in her tracks.

Her first look was at He Xiuyu, the second at Qiao Qingyu, and then the two of them brushed past the group.

Sun Xiuyuan was somewhat puzzled in her heart, wondering when such attractive newcomers had arrived at school, and why she hadn’t known.

A boy by her side eagerly offered, "Xi Yuan, the girl we just saw is a new arrival today. She’s from the class of ’81, named Qiao Qingyu."

Qiao Qingyu, the name was familiar, well-known to many. The top student in liberal arts from West City who chose not to go to Beijing but to Xichuan Agricultural College instead; many people couldn’t understand it and naturally, the name stuck in their heads.

An involuntary gasp from a female classmate beside her, "Ah, so that’s Qiao Qingyu, she’s so pretty."

"Who’s the man next to her? He looks like a movie star, doesn’t he?"

"Is he also a new student from our year?"

Sun Xiuyuan’s countenance darkened bit by bit. She was not averse to the praises of the man’s handsomeness, but being told about another girl’s attractiveness in front of her displeased her; she had always been the one praised for her looks and couldn’t bear to hear such talk.

"Where’s the beauty in her? I think she’s nothing special," Sun Xiuyuan scoffed lightly, "Besides, we shouldn’t focus on appearances."

"Right, right, we are college students of the new era; we can’t be so superficial. Let’s not talk about looks, it’s too frivolous."

Someone said with righteous indignation.

At this time, unlike decades later, no one dared to openly call someone the "most beautiful girl on campus"; at most, they would discuss it privately.

Of course, saying someone is good-looking generally means comparing them to movie stars.