Chapter 1: I Am a Warrior of Materialism
H University, Room 404, Male Dormitory.
Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu were just about to take their afternoon nap when the door suddenly opened—it was Chi Wang.
He stepped in, took one look at the dirty floor of the dorm, and couldn’t help but comment, “Shu Tingyu, it’s your turn to clean today, isn’t it? Are you just going to leave the dorm like this?”
Shu Tingyu, who had already lain down, jumped up at Chi Wang’s words and went to grab the mop. “I’ll clean it right now.”
Chi Wang walked out to the balcony to fetch the hot water kettle, only to spot some clothes Luo Lianyun had discarded in his bucket last night. After a hot night, they had already started to reek.
Luo Lianyun quickly pulled the thin blanket over his head, but it didn’t stop Chi Wang from calling him out. “Luo Lianyun, get up and wash those clothes—they’re already starting to stink.”
Luo Lianyun: “…”
He didn’t bother arguing and climbed down from his bed to obediently wash the clothes from the night before.
Chi Wang didn’t linger long in the dormitory. After filling his water cup, he supervised Shu Tingyu as he finished mopping the floor to his satisfaction. Before leaving, he told Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu, “I’ll bring you guys some herbal tea when I get back.”
Shu Tingyu immediately responded, “Alright, alright. Make sure you come back early—there’s class at three in the afternoon.”
Chi Wang acknowledged this and left.
After hanging the washed clothes to dry, Luo Lianyun lay back down again.
Their dorm was designed for four people, but only three of them lived there. The fourth was a wealthy kid who moved off-campus as soon as the semester started. Word was, his family had bought him a house nearby.
Of the three remaining, Chi Wang was actually the youngest. He turned eighteen during the summer vacation after their first year of college, as he had skipped a grade. When he first arrived, his face still carried the soft roundness of baby fat, making him look youthful and bright, with a mix of sunshine and shyness in his smile.
Even though he was younger by a year, Chi Wang behaved with maturity beyond his peers, naturally making both Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu inclined to listen to him.
Boys’ dorms often had a certain level of untidiness. Both Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu were good-looking guys—handsome even—but their personal habits were nothing to brag about. Clothes left overnight, shoes in disarray, belongings scattered—such was the norm.
Chi Wang, however, was different. With a mild case of germaphobia and an almost obsessive sense of order, he had initially held back out of politeness as they were all strangers. But once they got familiar with one another, he didn’t hesitate to impose his standards, ensuring their dorm stayed clean and tidy.
Shu Tingyu often joked that Chi Wang reminded him of his mother. He hadn’t expected that coming to college would mean returning to the arms of a motherly figure.
Both Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu secretly admired Chi Wang. His family background was modest; he had arrived at college on his own, with minimal luggage—just a few sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes, most of them well-worn and faded. It was clear he came from humble beginnings.
Yet, based on his demeanor and looks, you wouldn’t think so.
Chi Wang was exceptionally good-looking. When he first arrived at college, his baby fat made him appear fresh-faced and youthful. His bright, pitch-black eyes were like painted lacquer, his nose sharp and elegant, and his lips were naturally rosy. Standing at 1.8 meters tall—an impressive height for someone from the south—he was the epitome of a clean and refined beauty.
For someone from a less fortunate background, even with good looks, it’s hard to completely shake off the introversion and insecurity that come with financial difficulties. But Chi Wang was different. He carried himself with ease and confidence, creating a subtle sense of contradiction.
He was never shy about his financial situation. Working three jobs a day didn’t faze him in the slightest.
It was difficult to imagine how Chi Wang managed three jobs while pursuing such a demanding major. He utilized every spare moment to the fullest, without letting it impact his studies. In fact, he was the top student in their professional courses during their freshman year—a true standout.
Neither Shu Tingyu nor Luo Lianyun could match that.
More impressively, Chi Wang was incredibly smart, learning new skills with remarkable speed. During their freshman year, Shu Tingyu had enrolled in a guitar class. While practicing in the dorm, Chi Wang, after finishing his shifts, learned alongside him. Before long, Chi Wang had mastered the instrument and started leveraging this skill for another job as a backup guitarist in a bar band. He worked there about once a week, earning over a thousand yuan a month.
This made Shu Tingyu’s 7,000-yuan guitar lessons seem almost laughable.
Both of them were curious about how Chi Wang managed his finances. After a year of hard work, he should have been doing quite well. Yet, he still lived frugally, rarely buying clothes, eating simply, and maintaining a humble lifestyle. It was unclear where all the money he earned went.
When they asked him, Chi Wang brushed it off with vague answers.
Shu Tingyu suspected that Chi Wang might have personal burdens, but no one could get anything concrete out of him. While Chi Wang was usually easygoing, he was crystal-clear about what should and shouldn’t be shared.
Sometimes, Shu Tingyu and Luo Lianyun felt they didn’t really understand Chi Wang at all.
For now, those thoughts were set aside. The two took their afternoon nap, and Chi Wang returned with two cups of iced lemon water for them.
Though inexpensive, receiving treats from the thrifty Chi Wang was more about sentiment than value.
At the moment, Chi Wang was juggling three jobs. He worked as a tutor for high school students, earning 180 yuan an hour for two hours each evening, totaling over 10,000 yuan a month. Another job was a flexible internship at a startup he had joined during the summer. Though it had originally paid well during the summer holidays, earning over 10,000 yuan, it now only paid 100 yuan a day during the semester. The last was his backup guitarist gig, which brought in over a thousand yuan a month. Altogether, his monthly income was around 16,000 yuan.
For a college student, this was impressive—more than many white-collar workers earned. By all rights, he could have been living the high life, but Chi Wang remained frugal.
Shu Tingyu held his iced lemon water, nearly moved to tears. Sipping through the straw, he asked, “Don’t you get tired from skipping naps?”
Chi Wang replied, “At our age, who can even sleep during the day?”
Shu Tingyu: “…” Speak for yourself.
Both Shu Tingyu and Luo Lianyun needed their naps; without one, they’d feel drained all afternoon.
Chi Wang, however, didn’t have this problem. His boundless energy was channeled into his work.
All three of them majored in electrical engineering. Except for electives, their course schedules were identical. They grabbed their textbooks and headed to class together.
Their major was notoriously male-dominated, and their class had only two girls. Even with Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu’s good looks, they were left with no opportunities—purely a monk’s temple.
Chi Wang, on the other hand, remained unbothered. If it were up to him, he’d dedicate all his time to working; he had no time for anything else.
Luo Lianyun suddenly remembered something and turned to Chi Wang. “Oh, there’s a mixer with the neighboring school. You’ve got to come. I heard the campus queen from their school will be there. I’ve seen her in person—fair skin, gorgeous, long legs.”
Luo Lianyun, an internet aficionado, was deeply involved in campus gossip and knew all about the top beauties and heartthrobs of nearby schools.
Chi Wang wasn’t interested. “Not going. I’ve got work.”
Luo Lianyun groaned in frustration. “If you don’t start dating soon, you’ll graduate! It’ll be even harder to find someone after that.”
Chi Wang responded calmly, “My partner is my work.”
Luo Lianyun: “…”
“Fine,” Luo Lianyun muttered. He already knew Chi Wang would say that. After a year of observing him, it was clear that Chi Wang had no leisure activities—he was always either working or on his way to work.
In their freshman year, Chi Wang’s fresh and striking appearance made him a campus sensation. When H University held its annual “campus king and queen” contest, Chi Wang’s name quickly rose to prominence.
Previously, the reigning “campus king” title had been held by a senior named Xie Siheng. Luo Lianyun had seen him before and admitted, even as a guy, that Xie Siheng was extraordinarily handsome—his title was well-deserved, and even the neighboring schools’ campus kings paled in comparison.
It was said that Xie Siheng came from a wealthy family and excelled academically—a quintessential golden boy. He had held the title for three consecutive years without question, captivating freshman girls year after year.
When Chi Wang enrolled, he gave Xie Siheng a run for his money. Their votes were neck and neck, with Chi Wang ultimately losing by just over 3,000 votes.
Ironically, while the forum was buzzing with vote counts, Chi Wang himself was oblivious. His only concern was work.
After the contest ended, Luo Lianyun informed Chi Wang of the result, but Chi Wang was uninterested.
“Campus king” was an empty title, unable to pad a resume or bring any tangible benefits. It was, in his eyes, just child’s play.
Of course, if the title came with a salary, Chi Wang’s attitude might have been different—he was nothing if not practical.
As the summer heat intensified, the lecture halls at H University—an old institution—offered limited air conditioning. With one AC unit per hall, only the front rows were cool, forcing everyone to crowd forward.
The three of them arrived late and had to sit in the back.
As soon as Chi Wang sat down, his chair creaked ominously. He quickly stood up, and the chair collapsed with a loud crack.
Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu weren’t surprised at all. To be honest, Chi Wang seemed to carry a streak of bad luck with him. He could trip while walking in the dorm or choke on a sip of water—a textbook example of a “cursed” individual.
Chi Wang himself was used to it. He crouched down, hammering and fiddling with the chair until he managed to piece it back together and sat down.
Luo Lianyun lowered his voice and said, “I’m serious. You should go to a temple and pray. This level of bad luck is just uncanny.”
How was it that their chairs were perfectly fine, yet Chi Wang ended up with the one that looked okay but collapsed under him?
Chi Wang replied, “I’m a warrior of materialism. I only believe in Christianity.”
Luo Lianyun: “?”
A materialist warrior who believes in Christianity?
Shu Tingyu voiced his confusion. “Why Christianity? Isn’t that superstition too?”
Chi Wang explained, “The church service gives out eggs and milk.”
Shu Tingyu: “…”
Luo Lianyun: “…”
Too pragmatic, bro.
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