Chapter 5: Enthusiastic Senior Zhou Yuwen
Zhou Yuwen handed each junior a flyer and noted down the names of those interested in getting a new SIM card. As an enthusiastic senior, he repeatedly reminded them that one card per dorm was enough to avoid waste. His patience and care made the juniors think of him as not only handsome but also gentle and considerate, making them even more excited about their college life.
"Senior, do you have a girlfriend?" a bold girl finally mustered the courage to ask.
Zhou Yuwen, busy jotting down details, smiled and replied, "Why, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
This made the surrounding girls burst into laughter, and the girl who asked turned bright red, laughing nervously without saying anything further.
Zhou Yuwen made sure to escort all the girls to their dorms, with the last ones being Shen Yu and her mother.
"Auntie, your dorm is at the very back. Let me help you with the luggage," Zhou Yuwen offered.
"No need, young man, you seem busy. We can manage," Liu Man replied.
"It’s no trouble at all. I’m a volunteer, and it’s my duty to help. Besides, this luggage looks heavy. Let me carry it up," Zhou Yuwen insisted.
Initially, Liu Man thought Zhou Yuwen was just a helpful volunteer, which gave her a good impression of the university and Zhou Yuwen. Seeing him carry the heavy luggage up five flights without breaking a sweat, Liu Man felt even more impressed and started chatting with him.
"You were talking about SIM cards with those girls earlier. What’s that about?" Liu Man asked.
"Oh, it’s a part-time job. Most students are from out of town, and using their hometown SIM cards here is expensive. Plus, young people love surfing the internet, and data plans can be costly. Our campus SIM card offers 30GB of data monthly," Zhou Yuwen explained patiently.
As they reached the dorm room, Zhou Yuwen realized he knew where it was without being told, making Shen Yu suspicious.
"503, right?" Zhou Yuwen said, covering his slip.
"How did you know my room number?" Shen Yu wondered, but let it go as they entered.
He helped them settle in, leaving a good impression on Liu Man, who introduced Shen Yu to Zhou Yuwen.
"This is my daughter, Shen Yu, studying architecture."
Shen Yu, taking off her baseball cap, revealed a delicate and refined face, typical of a Southern Girl. She graciously shook hands with Zhou Yuwen.
"I’m Zhou Yuwen, studying landscape engineering," Zhou Yuwen replied, also with a warm smile.
"Please take care of me, senior," Shen Yu said, clearly impressed by Zhou Yuwen.
Liu Man suggested they exchange contact information, concerned about her daughter being away from home for the first time. She felt Zhou Yuwen was a reliable young man and hoped he could look out for Shen Yu.
"Would you like to get a local SIM card?" Liu Man asked Shen Yu.
Shen Yu agreed, planning to get one from Zhou Yuwen, who said he would handle it the next day and suggested they exchange contact info in the meantime.
"Little Zhou, let me add you as well," Liu Man said, catching Zhou Yuwen off guard.
"Mom!" Shen Yu felt embarrassed by her mother’s straightforwardness.
Ignoring her daughter's protests, Liu Man insisted, thinking it would be good to have someone to check on Shen Yu. Zhou Yuwen quickly agreed, noting Liu Man’s number.
Life was strange indeed. In his previous life, Zhou Yuwen had never met Shen Yu’s parents and remembered her as a rather aloof girl. But now, with a different encounter, Shen Yu seemed like a shy, young girl to him.
After exchanging contact information, Zhou Yuwen excused himself, saying he needed to help other freshmen, and politely took his leave.
"No need to see me off. Take your time settling in. If you get hungry, there’s a great place for duck blood vermicelli at the canteen just 200 meters to the left from here," Zhou Yuwen advised before leaving.
Shen Yu smiled sweetly. "Got it, thank you, senior."
"No problem, we’re all schoolmates now," Zhou Yuwen said with a gentle smile and left.
As Shen Yu and her mother unpacked, Liu Man remarked how impressed she was with the school and Zhou Yuwen.
"I wasn’t sure about you studying here, but seeing students like Zhou Yuwen reassures me. He seems very decent," Liu Man said.
Shen Yu was delighted that her mother approved of her choice and the school.
"We don’t mind you dating in college, but choose wisely. A boy like Zhou Yuwen would be a good match," Liu Man added.
"Mom, stop! He probably has a girlfriend," Shen Yu protested, a bit annoyed at her mother's matchmaking.
"I’m just saying, he’s well-mannered and comes from a good family. It’s not about wealth but character," Liu Man said, trying to set some standards for her daughter.
Shen Yu, as typical of daughters, didn’t want to hear too much about this, so she brushed it off, asking her mother if she was so eager for her to find a boyfriend.
After settling with Shen Yu and her mother, Zhou Yuwen returned to the school gate, continuing his role as the 'enthusiastic senior,' escorting freshmen and promoting the SIM cards.
Known for being profitable, these SIM cards gave sub-agents like Chen Wan a 20 yuan commission per card. Zhou Yuwen had discussed this with Chen Wan in their second year and even tried it himself with Chang Hao. District-level agents earned up to 50-60% commission, which could amount to 80 yuan per 150-yuan card, with monthly bonuses.
Although Zhou Yuwen couldn’t directly access such high commissions, he could gather enough potential customers to negotiate better deals with local representatives.
"Freshmen, if you need a SIM card, you can find me," Zhou Yuwen announced, handing out flyers.
This unusual activity drew the attention of sophomore volunteers under the shade canopies.
"Who is that guy? Never seen him before,"
"Yeah, is he from our school?"
"Chen Wan, do you know him?"
Chen Wan, returning from helping new students, overheard her fellow student council members and saw Zhou Yuwen distributing flyers.
"Oh, him? He’s a new student I helped earlier. He’s from Jinling and already has a local number. He felt bad and took some flyers to help me out," Chen Wan explained, smiling warmly.
"Wow, Chen Wan, you’ve got some charm!"
"Yeah, Chen Wan, we’re envious!"
Her friends teased her, and Chen Wan, feeling shy, watched Zhou Yuwen work tirelessly in the sun, her heart warming at his kindness.