Two days later, on the morning of September 9th.

Shanhai University’s opening day.

Before leaving home, Zhang Wanxin slipped a box of natural-latex ultra-thin XX condoms into Lin Zichen’s luggage, so he and Shen Qinghan wouldn’t end up as a mom and dad before graduation.

Elsewhere, Xu Meng directly pressed the same box of natural-latex ultra-thin XX condoms into Shen Qinghan’s hand and earnestly reminded her, “Hanhan, during this period before you undergo gene fusion, you and Xiao Chen must be careful, okay?”

“I know, Mom.”

Shen Qinghan nodded with a blushing face.

After helping her check the luggage and seeing everything was packed, Xu Meng took her over to Lin Zichen’s house.

The couple still had to go teach at school that evening and didn’t have time to take Shen Qinghan to register, so they asked Lin Yansheng and his wife to do the sending-off.

Before long, Shen Qinghan climbed into Lin Yansheng’s car with her luggage, sitting in the back as always with Lin Zichen.

“Xiao Chen, my mom just gave me this.”

Face slightly red, Shen Qinghan pulled open the zipper of her backpack with slender, fair fingers, revealing the box of natural-latex ultra-thin XX condoms Xu Meng had just stuffed in.

Lin Zichen glanced at it and the corner of his mouth couldn’t help twitching.

Then he took out his phone and sent Shen Qinghan a WeChat message.

[Zichen: I never should’ve shown you that stuff, little lewd-girl. Now you think about it every day.]

Shen Qinghan saw the message and replied at once.

[Hanhan: You’re the lewd one, okay? I was just showing you what my mom gave me and you immediately started letting your imagination run wild.]

[Zichen: You’re obviously the lewd one, crying “catch the thief” while being the thief, huh?]

[Hanhan: I am not. Now you’re slandering me again!]

The two kept trading messages back and forth on WeChat the whole way.

* * *

Nearly an hour later.

The car arrived at its destination—Shanhai University.

Shanhai University sits on the outskirts of Shanhai City, only about 50 kilometers from home—not far at all.

You could say Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan were basically going to college “at home.”

“We got here so early and still almost couldn’t find a spot. There are more and more cars—never enough parking. Driving out is such a pain.”

After spending over ten minutes to finally find an empty space and park, driver Lin Yansheng couldn’t help complaining.

Then the four of them got out, each carrying luggage in both hands and headed toward the main gate.

Looking at the majestic gate ahead—forty meters tall and eighty meters wide—Lin Zichen couldn’t help feeling awed.

Though, as a Shanhai native, this wasn’t his first time at Shanhai University, every time he saw this ridiculously huge gate, he was deeply shocked again.

Back in the summer he’d looked up information on Shanhai University.

He learned that this top university—hailed as one of the “Two Top Universities”—covered 55,000 mu of land, more than triple the area of the largest aviation university from his previous life’s country.

Shanhai University’s total headcount nears twenty thousand; divided out, that’s nearly two thousand square meters per person on average—wildly extravagant.

Lin Zichen’s take: on a mutated Earth, this is a mutated university—land vast, people sparse.

Inside the university.

There’s a mall, a hospital, a food street, hotels and inns—everything.

And the hospital is a proper large hospital, not a tiny infirmary.

The whole university looks like a miniature city, meeting every need of daily life.

“Xiao Chen, look—the ice-cream shop is still there!”

When they reached the food street, Shen Qinghan pointed at a storefront selling ice cream, delighted.

As a child, her parents would often bring her to stroll around Shanhai University to soak in the college atmosphere.

Every time, she loved to get ice cream from this shop.

“Come on, let’s grab some ice cream. We’ve got time—reporting can wait till after we eat.”

Smiling, Zhang Wanxin suggested it.

Though not her biological mother, she’d always doted on Shen Qinghan as though she was.

Seeing Shen Qinghan want ice cream, she didn’t hesitate to propose going.

Soon the four walked into the ice-cream shop, each ordered a serving and found seats.

During that time, quite a few students inside kept glancing their way.

Mainly because the four of them were all too good-looking.

One handsome uncle with masculine charm.

One graceful, attractive aunt with enduring poise.

And the two younger ones had been campus hunk and campus beauty since childhood—no matter where they went, eyes followed; people would either sneak photos or ask for their WeChat.

The four of them together naturally formed a beautiful scene—anyone would take a second look.

“Xiao Chen, mine’s strawberry milk—super tasty. Try some.”

With affectionate ease, Shen Qinghan scooped a pink spoonful from her bowl and held it to Lin Zichen’s lips.

Lin Zichen tasted it—it was indeed good.

Just then, raucous male-and-female laughter drifted in from outside.

“Come on, another round!”

“Jiaxin, your skirt’s way too long today—it’s hard for me to get my hands in there!”

“You can slip them inside. I don’t mind.”

“Brother Yong, stop groping the girl and guess the dice!”

“Haha, you lost—drink!”

“…”

Lin Zichen looked toward the small bar across the street. Two male students were drinking and playing dice with a group of female students.

All the girls were pretty-faced, with hot, sexy figures.

The two guys were only average-looking, but one had hands covered in scales and the other sported a pair of unknown horns—obviously lofty gene fusers.

At the moment, each had arms around girls to the left and right, big hands roaming over curvy bodies—an indecent scene.

Lin Zichen glanced once and looked away.

By contrast, the two male students at the neighboring table started ripping into the scene outside.

“That Huang Jiaxin—she’s always playing cold goddess at the School of Fine Arts, says men disgust her and now she’s throwing herself at Evolution Academy guys for a grope. What a fake.”

“What can you do? Those Evolution Academy guys are all future top dogs. If you were a girl, you’d throw yourself at them too.”

“True… If I were from the Inner Campus Evolution Academy, I’d come to the Outer Campus for girls every day. Just crook a finger and a flock of ‘goddesses’ comes running.”

“Goddesses of the poor; bootlickers of the exalted.”

“…”

Hearing them, Lin Zichen immediately locked onto two words: “Inner Campus.”

Shanhai University has Inner and Outer campuses.

The Outer Campus is where culture-track and arts-track students study.

The Inner Campus is where evolution-track, mechanics-track and martial-track students study.

The Outer Campus is open to the public—Lin Zichen had been there at least ten times growing up and knew it well.

The Inner Campus, because of gene fusion, mechanical modification, etc. is only for Inner Campus students—closed to outsiders.

Closed so strictly that even this university’s own Outer Campus students can’t enter.

It’s got that shantytown vs. rich district vibe.

Because of that, Lin Zichen had always been curious about the Inner Campus and wanted to see it.

“You two, college means more freedom—but you mustn’t indulge yourselves like those drinkers out there. Keep studying hard, okay?”

Zhang Wanxin admonished the two very seriously.

Seeing the rowdy dice-drinking crowd, she felt genuine disgust and didn’t want her son and future daughter-in-law turning out like that.

Lin Yansheng smiled. “You’re worrying over nothing. Xiao Chen and Hanhan have always been sensible—they won’t become that.”

After finishing ice cream and seeing the time, the four got up and headed to register at the Inner Campus.

Because the Inner Campus doesn’t allow outsiders, Lin Yansheng and Zhang Wanxin dropped the two at the gate, set down their luggage, gave a few reminders and left.

“I can pack everything into a backpack and a suitcase. How come you need a backpack and three suitcases?”

Seeing how much she had—more than they could carry—Lin Zichen couldn’t help teasing, then took the initiative to pull one of her cases.

“Girls aren’t the same as boys—we have more to bring. Totally normal, okay?”

“I never said it wasn’t. I was just teasing. All right, let’s get registered.”

“Okay!”

Obediently, Shen Qinghan answered, tugging two suitcases as she followed behind him.

At the Inner Campus checkpoint, the guard uncle called out:

“Hey, you two—please show your admission notices!”

With both dragging luggage, it was obvious they were freshmen; the man needed to confirm which college they belonged to.

Every year there were many lost students—culture and arts-track kids who wandered into the Inner Campus, by accident or on purpose.

Since they couldn’t put their bags down easily, the two helped each other unzip and pull out the admission notices.

Lin Zichen first helped Shen Qinghan take hers out and opened it for the guard to see.

Then it was Shen Qinghan’s turn to take his out for the guard.

But as soon as she unzipped, the guard said, “All right, no need. I recognize you—you’re that provincial top-scorer runner-up who joined the Celestial Pavilion. Go on in.”

Hearing that, Lin Zichen was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected that long after that privacy-violating news story, people still recognized him.

Looks like the impact was bigger than he’d thought.

If even a gate guard still remembered, then teachers and students inside probably did too.

This was the start of being a campus celebrity on day one.

Chances were he wouldn’t know peace—people pointing and whispering all the time.

‘Kinda rough…’

Lin Zichen shook his head and stopped thinking about it, then hauled the luggage with Shen Qinghan into the Inner Campus.

After several minutes walking through a tunnel-like passage, they finally reached the mysterious Inner Campus.

The buildings were still buildings, trees still trees.

The only difference was that the Inner Campus was full of gene fusers and cyborgs.

Gene fusers with tails, horns or wings.

Cyborgs with alloy legs, alloy hands or alloy eyes.

At a glance, hardly anyone looked “normal.”

It felt like they’d crossed into another world.

“Xiao Chen, that senior’s cat ears are so cute. And that senior—she’s got a fluffy fox tail swaying when she walks. It looks so special. Xiao Chen, look in the sky—there’s a cyborg flying!”

Surrounded by gene fusers and cyborgs, Shen Qinghan was excited and chattered nonstop.

Plenty of passersby noticed the high spec looking childhood sweethearts.

A few slightly handsome seniors wanted to ask Shen Qinghan for her WeChat, but seeing Lin Zichen at her side, they wisely refrained from picking a flower that already had an owner.

Quite a few also recognized Lin Zichen as the provincial runner‑up who joined the Celestial Pavilion, but after a few whispers they moved on.

Everyone in the Inner Campus was a dragon among their peers.

As geniuses, people were busy—no time for gossip.

“You’ve got too much luggage. I’ll take you to register at the Evolution Academy first, then I’ll go to the Martial Arts Academy.”

“Mm, thank you, Xiao Chen.”

“We’re practically engaged to marry after graduation—don’t be so formal.”

Smiling, Lin Zichen followed the wayfinding signs and brought Shen Qinghan to the Evolution Academy’s freshman registration desk.

The seniors there, seeing the two with their off‑the‑charts looks, brightened at once.

After Shen Qinghan filled in her info and headed for her assigned dorm, the male seniors started competing to help with luggage and show off.

Sensible as ever, Shen Qinghan chose a senior woman to help carry her bags and kept her distance from men other than Lin Zichen.

“Xiao Chen, see you this evening!”

“Mm, see you tonight.”

Watching her go, Lin Zichen then dragged his luggage to register at the Martial Arts Academy.

Quite different from the Evolution Academy: when he arrived at the Martial Arts Academy’s freshman registration, the seniors lit up—this was the Southern River Province top‑scorer runner‑up!

The Martial Arts Academy wasn’t like the Evolution Academy, where champions were a dime a dozen and runner‑ups walked everywhere.

Seeing a provincial runner‑up at the Martial Arts Academy was once in a century.

After all, those with great exam scores obviously chose the Evolution Academy.

“Junior Zichen, you’re so handsome!”

“Junior Zichen, can I add your WeChat?”

“Junior Zichen, let me carry your luggage!”

While eagerly offering help, the senior sisters were just as enthusiastic about adding his WeChat; many senior brothers wanted it too.

After all—this was the provincial runner‑up!

And a very handsome provincial runner‑up at that!

With boundless prospects!

Although Lin Zichen had enrolled in the Martial Arts Academy, the seniors at the desk figured he wouldn’t stay long—sooner or later he’d transfer back to Evolution and walk the gene fusion path, becoming one of the exalted.

And now, running into such a future exalted at the Martial Arts Academy—best to seize the chance to talk, build rapport.

If nothing else, having his WeChat meant they could brag later that they knew this future big shot.