Chapter 53

By late August, the summer heat was finally fading.
One by one, students returned to campus. The grounds were alive again, people everywhere, bursts of laughter and chatter rising through the air.
During orientation week, banners hung at every corner. Welcome desks popped up, volunteers helping new arrivals find their way.
That afternoon, Du Ruo and her three roommates leaned over the open-air stairwell railing, eating popsicles while gazing down at the teeming square below.
The crowd surged, and you could spot the freshmen at once, younger, faces still cherubic, eyes wide with curiosity and nerves, practically sparkling with anticipation. Everything about them screamed newness.
He Huanhuan took a dramatic slurp of her popsicle, sighing, "Tragic. We used to be baby freshmen, pampered by the upperclassmen. Now we’re stuck giving up all our perks and playing the big-sister role."
Qiu Yuchen groaned, "Right? Some newbie stopped me today and asked, ‘Excuse me, Senior, how do I get to the Physics building?’ Took me a second to even register. Damn, I’ve leveled up to ‘Senior’ status. No more rookie life for us. Where did the whole first year go? Blink and it’s over, feels like I did basically nothing."
"Look at their faces, now that’s ‘fresh,’" Xia Nan said, eyeing the new students wandering around. "Unlike us. We’re not new anymore; we’ve gone full jaded pro."
Du Ruo bit into her ice cream. "You were born a jaded pro, don’t pretend."
Xia Nan shot her a look. "You’ve changed the most, and you know it. See all those gawky new kids? That used to be you, remember? Actually, you were even worse."
Du Ruo burst out laughing.
He Huanhuan turned to her, poking her shoulder. "You’re the one I envy most. Compared to you, I totally wasted my whole first year."
Qiu Yuchen groaned. "Same. Sophomore year, I swear I’m getting my act together!"
He Huanhuan grumbled, "You at least scored a boyfriend. Me? I’ve got literal nothing."
Du Ruo bumped her shoulder. "Hey, you snagged three awesome friends!"
All three rubbed their arms in unison, shivering. "Ugh, gross, chills."
Du Ruo giggled and kept munching her ice cream.
Watching the flow of new faces, she felt a rush of emotion herself.
The past year, honestly, had probably been the hardest-working, most transformative of her life so far.
So many ups and downs, a whole spectrum of laughter and tears, struggle and sweetness.
But in the end, all her effort had been worth it. Fate had shown her kindness; her harvest matched her sweat.
Now, sophomore year was here.
In English, the word for “second-year student” is “sophomore”, someone once joked the word should be “suffer more.”
Didn’t matter. She was ready for whatever came next. Even if the road was a mess of thorns, she’d be the one slashing forward.
The four girls finished their popsicles and headed for the dining hall.
On the stairs, Xia Nan remarked dryly, "Sophomore year. Time to get it together."
Nobody said anything else, but everyone silently made up their mind.
As they reached the first-floor lobby, they ran right into Jing Ming and his friends.
Du Ruo met his eyes briefly, then glanced away.
Qiu Yuchen, meanwhile, called out to Li Wei, "You guys already had lunch?"
Li Wei said, "I just texted you and you didn’t see it."
"I was in class. My phone’s on silent." She walked over and, almost without thinking, reached for his hand. "Headed to the lab now?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I’m off to eat. Catch you later."
"See you tonight."
They’d already passed each other, but their hands were still linked. Li Wei turned, "Let’s have dinner together tonight?"
"I’ll text you," she called back.
"Alright."
Du Ruo sneaked another glance at Jing Ming, then quickly lowered her head and passed by him. As she did, his fingers brushed lightly against her arm, a teasing tickle.
She startled a little and pressed her lips together, but didn’t look back.
Over by the doors, Li Wei and Qiu Yuchen let go of each other’s hands, too.
The two groups headed off in opposite directions.
The next two months slipped by like water, gone in a blink.
For the first two weeks of September, squads of freshmen in camo uniforms were posted around every inch of the fields, drilling for military training. Their marching chants shook the sky. But once they were dismissed, clusters of camo dispersed to every corner of campus, the library, the cafeteria, the water room, shady tree-lined paths.
By the end of September, that sea of camouflage had all but vanished, and the heat of summer faded without anyone quite noticing.
The Prime of summer was over; the trees darkened emerald. The days grew short and the chilly nights stretched out longer.
Day by day, you saw fewer guys in T-shirts, fewer girls in sundresses.
When the leaves finally began to turn and the first one fluttered down, everyone was already in long sleeves and pants, busy with books in their arms, weaving through autumn sunlight. The freshmen had blended in so fast you couldn’t pick them out by face anymore.
Day by day, the development of Prime No.2 pushed steadily ahead. With each passing moment, it drew closer to completion, the twelfth revision of the blueprint was near perfect, all components had arrived, the major systems had been fine-tuned to their best. The team spent a week locked away in the workshop, assembling the car piece by piece like building a tower.
Chassis, parts, frame… each fitted together inside the shop, rising up bit by bit…
By late September, early October, the white Prime No.2 stood before the whole team. The logo had just been spray-painted on, officially seeing the light of day.
The next two or three weeks flew by in long days of road tests and system tuning.
In a flash, it was already mid-to-late October.
On October 20th, Du Ruo was up before dawn.
The mornings came later now that it was autumn.
She switched on her bedside lamp, tiptoed out to freshen up. By the time she was ready to leave,
From the bunk above, He Huanhuan rolled over and asked drowsily, “Is it today? Prime No.2’s public test drive?”
Du Ruo: “Yep.”
Qiu Yuchen, eyes barely open: “Good luck!”
Xia Nan: “Wishing you an epic win. Everything goes smooth.”
Du Ruo smiled. “Got it.” She was halfway out the door when,
He Huanhuan called after her, “Victory means you’re buying dinner!”
“Deal!”
At 6:50 a.m., Du Ruo showed up ten minutes early to meet at the lab…and everyone was already there waiting for her.
She quickened her pace, surprised. “You guys are all up this early?”
Jing Ming rubbed his eyes. “Li Wei was too hyped to sit still, he started messing around in the dorm before six. Woke me up.”
He Wang shrugged. “My room’s right across. Any noise, I’m up.”
Wan Zi’ang raised his hand. “Next door here.”
Li Wei grinned, “Sounds like we're all too excited to sleep.” He passed out bread, milk, and bottled water to everyone.
People munched and chatted. Barely a few minutes passed before their reserved minibus rolled up.
Eleven of them set off for the factory.
By the time they arrived, a few professors and teachers were already there. There were several handfuls of reporters, Tech Ministry, campus press, and some heavyweights from major science journals, all waiting outside.
Prime No.2 had already clocked nearly ten thousand kilometers in twenty days of back-to-back mock-road testing, performing flawlessly. Today was its public debut, and the event would be streamed live online.
After a quick round of greetings, they made their way into the parking garage.
The vast, empty underground garage had only one car parked in the space marked “Prime No.2,” draped in a red car cover. Under the fabric, you could faintly make out the shape of the vehicle.
Reporters and photographers raised their cameras in anticipation.
Jing Ming stepped forward, gripped the cover, and whipped it off. A white four-door sedan gleamed in the light, the pearlescent body shining. The design was sleek, dynamic, every curve seamless, the side panels arched with a three-dimensional, sculpted feel. Inside, charcoal-gray accents clashed elegantly with a white interior, understated yet bold, like a refined socialite from some high-born family.
They say men love their cars the way they love women.
And even Du Ruo, a girl through and through, couldn’t stop herself from falling a little bit in love with Prime No.2.
The reporters, for their part, were floored. They’d never seen an autonomous car this beautiful, most of the ones they'd covered were clunky, all function and no style.
Li Wei grinned, “Just wait till you see what she can actually do.”
At nine sharp, the public test began.
The eleven teammates formed a circle, reaching out one by one until all eleven hands were stacked together. On three, they shouted,
“Prime GO!”
Under everyone’s watchful eye, Vice Captain Li Wei slid into the passenger seat of Prime No.2. Jing Ming came up, shook his hand, and closed the door.
Aside from He Wang and Zhu Tao, who tagged along in the follow car, the rest, along with the professors, filed into the observation room. There, the massive control screen showed video feeds split into a dozen vantage points, inside the car, outside, driver’s seat, overhead drone, side angles, you name it.
In one corner, a stream of live comments poured in from the viewers online. The science guys were going nuts over how gorgeous No.2 looked.
Jing Ming scanned the master monitor and picked up his comm. “All right. Go.”
The very next second, Prime No.2’s soft voice sounded: “Prime No.2. Autonomous vehicle startup. Please buckle your seatbelt.”
Li Wei buckled up, the car pulled out, gliding through the underground garage, searching for the exit.
On the screen, No.2 smoothly obeyed the garage’s 5 km/h speed limit, following every sign until she reached the exit and rolled out into the sun.
By now, the morning sun was up. White paint shimmered with an almost fluorescent glow.
She drove through the factory lot for a stretch. Li Wei’s voice came through: “About to leave the factory ground.”
Jing Ming: “Copy that.”
A few kilometers down the main road, Prime No.2 announced sweetly, “Entering expressway. Please keep your seatbelt fastened. For your comfort, closing the windows now.”
The windows quietly rose. No.2 rolled onto the expressway and picked up speed, shooting up to 110 km/h in seconds. The road twisted and turned but she glided effortlessly, hugging the lane, switching sides without ever once crossing the line, it was like watching an expert driver at work.
Jing Ming eyed the side-angle feed and dictated, “From behind, the body’s rock-solid.”
Inside, Li Wei let out a howl. “Honestly, this ride feels fucking incredible, HAHAHA!”
He Wang, in the follow car, yelled, “Hey, take notes! Stop losing your mind back there!”
Right then, a slower car showed up ahead, blocking Prime No.2’s path.
Everyone quieted, watching closely.
Right at 200 meters away, she switched lanes, stepped on the gas, slammed up to 120, overtook the car in a flash, then drifted smoothly back into her lane, easing down to 110. Flawless.
The livestream chat exploded with awe.
Jing Ming and his teammates, though, didn’t even blink. In nearly ten thousand kilometers of testing, No.2 had already outperformed pro drivers.
On and on it went, after overtaking seven cars in a row, No.2 left the express lane and hit the surface streets.
This was where things really got serious.
Rolling up on the highway exit ramp, she instantly read the speed limit sign at curbside and dropped the speed to 60 km/h. After exiting, when merging into the main lane, cars zipped past at high speed on both sides.
Everyone leaned in, holding their breath, and then,
She saw it too. She slowed down, came to a patient halt, blinkers quietly ticking as she waited. When a distant car left a safe window in traffic, she merged in, calm as you please.
Du Ruo squeezed her fist, heart pounding.
Wan Zi’ang couldn’t help admiring, “Smart girl.”
Jing Ming snorted, “Please. Piece of cake for her.”
The next stretch, she drove flawless and by the book. At every turn, she’d switch to the left in advance, yield to oncoming traffic, and even slowed down to let aggressive drivers cut ahead, pure class.
But then, one little hiccup. At a crowded intersection, she edged up inch by inch in the lane. The light turned yellow, so she stopped at the front of the line.
Green.
She started forward, but just as she did, through the overhead camera, Jing Ming and the others saw a woman running a red light right across the crosswalk. Another car was blocking the view from the driver’s seat inside, human eyes would never have caught it.
Everyone watching tensed up, and yet, in that split second, Prime No.2 “saw” the woman sprinting across and hit the brakes, waiting for her to pass before pulling off again.
It would’ve been anyone else’s blind spot. But not hers.
On the comm, Li Wei was floored. “Holy crap, I didn’t even see that woman! If the car hadn’t stopped, I would have missed it completely!”
Jing Ming: “Obviously. She’s got you beat in smarts by a mile.”
Li Wei: “You little punk!” He started to get annoyed, but caved with a proud grin, “She’s definitely way smarter than me.”
He Wang: “Damn, watching this feels like Li Wei’s out on a date with my girlfriend.”
Du Ruo couldn’t help giggling out loud.
To these guys, Prime No.2 really was the perfect dream girlfriend.
That little incident sent waves through the live chat, wall to wall praise. Someone nailed it: “Machines really are sharper and more responsive than humans, in some ways.”
After the brief chaos, everyone calmed down, refocused, monitoring Prime No.2’s progress.
A while later, No.2 cruised down a leaf-strewn road, a section they’d designed specially for the test.
It was windy that day, leaves swirling in the air in front of her “eyes.” But she wasn’t fazed or distracted, instead, she sailed right on down, speeding through the autumn chase of falling leaves.
He Wang punched the air and whispered, “YES!”
The next stretch was peppered with all kinds of obstacles, plastic bags blowing, water jets spraying, animals darting out. She handled it all like a pro, never missing a beat, slowing courteously for a puppy that scurried by.
And just like that, she tore down the final leg, queued to get back on the highway, picking up speed, racing down the winding road back toward the factory's gates.
From above, the golden autumn of Beijing unfolds, and amid the gray roads, that flash of white stands out, breathtakingly bright. Like a beautiful girl in white, who, after braving countless trials, can’t wait another second to rush home to her family.
The livestream barrage exploded.
Everyone was glued to this moment, holding their breath for her perfect finish.
In front of the main screen, Jing Ming and the rest stared without blinking, the room holding a collective silence.
She raced ahead, fast as a streak, leaving the highway, gliding along the winding rural roads past bikes, motorcycles, three-wheelers, making her way into the factory grounds. She found the parking lot entrance, circled expertly following the signs, and in the end, returned right to her spot. A swift, textbook reverse, back into place, perfectly straight.
And then, everything went still.
Her voice was gentle: “The journey’s over. Please make sure to close the doors when you get off. Have a wonderful day!”
With that, engine off.
The observation room erupted in cheers.
Teachers shook hands, clapping each other on the back, while the students whooped and hugged in a pile of excitement.
Du Ruo watched her park and turn off, eyes shining with unshed tears. She mumbled, “She’s incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
Jing Ming stood by the table, hands bracing himself, head down, letting the happiness of the moment sink in alone.
Two seconds later, he straightened and turned, searching through the jostling crowd until he found her, and flashed her a smile.
The teachers and students spilled out, heading for the underground garage to welcome their star girl back.
Through the dancing shadows and bustling feet, he just watched her.
At last, he strode forward, stopped in front of her, cupped her face, and kissed her, long and deep.