But what they never expected was that Xiao Qicai seemed fully prepared. The moment she saw people approaching, she dashed off like a rabbit, disappearing into the school in the blink of an eye before anyone could get a single interview.
This left many deeply disappointed. It appeared this year's new actuarial student was keeping an extremely low profile.
After all, if you missed interviewing someone on their first day, it became much harder later—the academy wasn't just open for anyone to enter.
Xiao Qicai quickly arrived at the academy's registration office.
The staff member handling reception immediately became extremely enthusiastic upon learning she was the actuarial program's sole student, personally guiding her to the Actuarial Science Academy's premises.
While other departments had massive teaching buildings, the Actuarial Science Academy only had two modest structures—one dormitory building and one academic building.
Professor Wen was already waiting there.
And to everyone's astonishment, the entire academy faculty consisted of just Professor Wen! There were two other staff members, but one was merely a teaching assistant and the other a residential advisor.
Oh, and there was one janitor.
The place was pitifully understaffed.
Not that this was surprising—the actuarial program had shockingly few students, having produced zero graduates in recent years.
When asked about other upperclassmen, Professor Wen mentioned there were two who hadn't graduated yet, seniors who had enrolled several years earlier.
After completing enrollment procedures and dorm arrangements, Professor Wen specifically went to the modeling lab to drag out these two seniors.
One was a disheveled man with messy hair, a vacant stare, and an unkempt beard covering his face.
The other was a chubby girl with long braids, still chewing on something as she appeared.
"Guo Fenghua! Didn't I tell you yesterday to clean up for our new student's arrival? Looking like this, even if you graduate no company would hire you!" Professor Wen scolded the scruffy man the moment she saw them.
The man seemed to suddenly wake up, noticing Xiao Qicai standing before him. Stumbling over his words, he introduced himself: "H-hello, I'm Guo Fenghua, I-I-I... if you don't need anything, I'll just go back now."
The plump girl introduced herself enthusiastically: "I'm Qin Sanwan—got the name because I could eat three big bowls of rice in one sitting as a kid. So glad we finally have a junior! Hey junior, I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"
"My name is Xiao Qicai," she responded. Though these seniors seemed rather eccentric, maintaining good relationships within the same academy was paramount—she had no intention of stirring up trouble.
The girl, though chubby, had charming crescent-moon eyes and an endearingly simple appearance. She seemed quite young, possibly even younger than Xiao Qicai herself.
After his awkward introduction, Guo Fenghua retreated back to his lab, while Qin Sanwan appeared quite taken with the new arrival. She enthusiastically showed Xiao Qicai around the actuarial facilities and lab locations, even offering to give her a tour of the school cafeteria.
Professor Wen could only sigh in resignation.
"Miss Xiao, be careful—she's got ulterior motives and might steal your food! The school provides set meal portions, so don't let her leave you hungry."
"Huh?"
Xiao Qicai didn't quite understand.
Next, Qin Sanwan took her on a tour of the academy's six canteens. In the end, the two of them sat directly in the fourth canteen, waiting until mealtime arrived.
As soon as the chefs at the serving window brought out the food, Qin Sanwan immediately grabbed Xiao Qicai and rushed toward the counter, successfully becoming the first student to get food that day.
So eager to eat!
But at this moment, Xiao Qicai still found Qin Sanwan refreshingly honest. After all, as the old saying goes, "If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your mindset."
According to Qin Sanwan, the fourth canteen served the largest portions, and the dishes were the most appetizing, making it her favorite.
The canteen staff seemed to recognize Qin Sanwan. Seeing her arrive first again, they helplessly handed her a pre-portioned meal.
Qin Sanwan took the lunchbox but wasn’t satisfied.
"Chef, why’d you give me so little today? Add some more! How am I supposed to get full on this?"
The chef’s lips twitched.
"This is machine-measured for fairness—every portion is the same. You should eat less. You weren’t this chubby when you first enrolled!"
"Isn’t there any extra today? Doesn’t the canteen usually prepare more? Just dump the leftovers in my box!"
The chef rolled his eyes but still scooped an extra large spoonful of rice and dishes from the big serving tray behind him into her box.
Only then did Qin Sanwan leave contentedly, while Xiao Qicai followed behind with her standard-sized meal, returning to their seats.
Not bad—there was actually food!
Xiao Qicai looked at her bowl—two dishes, one staple, and a small bottle of nutrient solution—and sighed.
This was technically her first proper meal since arriving in interstellar society.
The food didn’t look particularly appealing, but her appetite was surprisingly strong.
At the very least, it had to taste better than the nutrient paste she’d been living on.
So Xiao Qicai dug in without hesitation, eating at a brisk pace.
As a result, she actually finished eating before Qin Sanwan!
Then again, Qin Sanwan’s portion was twice as large as hers.
After finishing, she instinctively glanced at Qin Sanwan, who was still eating with great relish, and marveled at the girl’s impressive appetite.
Qin Sanwan’s eyes widened in shock, and she immediately shielded her lunchbox with both hands.
"Don’t take mine!"
She added, "You looked so skinny—I thought you wouldn’t eat much and could leave some for me. Turns out I misjudged you! From now on, junior, you’re on your own for meals!"
Clearly, she had misunderstood something.
Xiao Qicai’s lips twitched. Now she understood what their teacher had meant—Qin Sanwan had invited her to eat together in hopes of getting some leftovers. Who knew she’d clean her plate on her very first meal here?
She coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, senior, it’s just that I was extra hungry today. Next time, I definitely won’t—"
Qin Sanwan shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no. This just means you can finish your food. I may love to eat, but I don’t steal food. And you’re so small—I’m afraid I might end up giving you my portion instead!"
As the two bantered, a mocking laugh suddenly came from nearby.
"Country bumpkins will always be country bumpkins. Actuaries Academy students really are just gluttons who’ve never had good food!"
"Exactly. F-class citizens probably never tasted anything this decent before!" another voice chimed in.
"I wonder what use the school has for wasting so much money every year on these trash? Can't even graduate, what kind of actuaries are they? Just freeloading parasites!" The voice grew increasingly harsh.
Xiao Qicai looked up to see three tall, well-dressed youths approaching.
The leader was the one who'd spoken most offensively.
"Two months apart, and still as fat as a pig!" He cast a disgusted glance at Qin Sanwan before turning to Xiao Qicai.
His gaze traveled from her face down to the terminal on her wrist.
"So this is the so-called genius the Actuarial School got this year? Just another penniless failure who can't graduate. What do you think, guys? Three geniuses, all F-rank, none can graduate!"
"Exactly! Another F-rank!" the other two echoed.
Qin Sanwan immediately stood up, her meal suddenly unappetizing. She glared at the trio:
"Zheng Hao, Mo Qiuyu, Jie Renke! Don't go too far! Insult me if you must, but what has junior sister done to you? She just arrived! Must you antagonize our Actuarial School like this?"
"Antagonize? If you pigs didn't eat like animals in the cafeteria, ruining our appetites, we wouldn't bother. Look at you—stupid, low-class, just seeing you pollutes our vision!"
"And you, Qin Sanwan, getting fatter by the day. Still haven't graduated yet? Shamelessly hogging school resources. I'd have killed myself by now..."
The boys' cruel words made Qin Sanwan clutch her chest, nearly hyperventilating with anger.
Xiao Qicai frowned. Following her no-waste principle, she finished the last sip of nutritional broth before leisurely standing.
Studying the three troublemaking young masters, she suddenly remarked:
"I think I might be the protagonist?"
"?" Confusion flashed across their faces.
Xiao Qicai smiled:
"Not much for reading, huh? Surely you've read novels? Because only when protagonists are eating do so many blind cannon fodders come picking fights, right? You three fit the cannon fodder role perfectly!"
"You're the cannon fodder, you low-class citizen! How dare you!" Zheng Hao and company roared, finally processing her insult.
They never expected Xiao Qicai to retaliate so directly.
An F-class citizen—who did she think she was!
Yes, F-class—but Xiao Qicai was an F-class who feared no trouble.
She glanced at Zheng Hao's E-class terminal insignia: "You're E-class because you were born lucky, that's the only reason you're here. We're F-class—we got in purely through talent, no?"
"Trash like you, riding on your parents' coattails—who do you think you are? How dare you compare yourself to actuarial geniuses!"
Zheng Hao nearly fainted from rage.
His lackeys chimed in: "What did you say? How dare you insult Young Master Zheng!"
"Do you know who he is? You want to get blacklisted across Planet 4628?"
Xiao Qicai remained unfazed:
"Then I'll be blunt. I don't care who you are. According to Article 342 of the United Government's Citizen Law, unwarranted humiliation of citizens with conclusive evidence warrants a fine of 500-2000 star credits. In severe cases, it may lead to detention and re-education. We were just peacefully having our meal when you came over hurling insults—mocking us F-class citizens, calling us gluttons and pigs, demeaning our dignity. I'm now calling campus security officers to see exactly what kind of powerful figure you are who can flout United Government laws. Or perhaps your parents already intend to secede from the United Government, which is why you dare disregard its Citizen Law?"
Having said this, Xiao Qicai opened her terminal and began dialing the security officer's number.
SOS46...
In the United Government, all personnel maintaining social order are collectively called security officers, with patrols and stations present in nearly every academic institution.
But before Xiao Qicai could finish entering the last digit, Zheng Hao interrupted her with a darkened expression: "Stop! Our dispute is between us—why involve security officers? Do you want an academic demerit that could jeopardize your graduation?"
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