LATDA Chapter 1.1: First Encounter

Translator: Deyonna

Tip me

First Encounter

The first time Shen Baoshan formally met Li Chishu during their university years, his impression of the man wasn't exactly favorable.

It was only much, much later—so long that it felt like he'd lived through two lifetimes in a daze—that Shen Baoshan, looking back on those days, finally caught on with belated realization: that kid Li Chishu had worn two faces from the very start—one for him, and one for everyone else.

To tell the story properly, we have to go back to that first meeting as he remembered it.

It was late September. Jian¹ University's military training had just wrapped up, and the weather in Hechuan was starting to cool.

¹Jian University — "建大 (Jiàn Dà)" is an abbreviation. "建 (Jiàn)" stands for "建设/建筑" (construction/architecture), and "大 (Dà)" is short for "大学" (university). In real-life Chinese contexts, this abbreviation usually refers to existing architecture-focused institutions like Shenyang Jianzhu University or Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology. However, in the context of this story, it refers to a fictionalized version of such a school.

With a light drizzle every three days and clear skies every five, it was right when the summer heat was beginning to fade, ushering in refreshing, pleasant weather.

Since military training had just ended, that pack of newly liberated freshmen were like wild horses that had slipped their reins, spending every day hunting for excuses to bolt through the campus gates.

Shen Baoshan usually seemed to be right in the thick of the crowd, but in truth, he wasn't one for socializing by nature. Growing up, he'd had only a handful of close brothers, few enough to count on one hand. He had little curiosity about circles beyond his intimate relationships. In fact, you could say he had none at all.

So when it came to the cliques and gatherings that university students loved, he'd almost never taken the initiative to join.

Put simply, the guy ran hot on the outside and cold within. As long as you didn't provoke him, he'd generally give you a friendly face. He seemed tolerant on the surface, but deep down, he didn't really care much about others.

But there was no denying the fact that he was naturally popular.

Good background, handsome face, easygoing personality. Stand him in a crowd and he towered above the rest like a crane among chickens, a walking trophy that made everyone around him look good. And he was easy to get along with.

If someone asked him for a favor, he'd usually lend a hand without a second word. If he was invited to a group dinner, he wouldn't put on airs or play hard to get. He'd give face wherever he could.

During the half-month of military training, Shen Baoshan served as temporary squad leader. When someone in the company occasionally slacked off or showed up late, he'd basically turn a blind eye. Even if the instructor personally called someone out, as long as they privately messaged him to plead their case—and it wasn't too outrageous—he'd help them smooth things over.

If it weren't for the two-seater sports car he'd pulled up to the dorm on registration day, and the designer logos occasionally peeking out from his never-repeating outfits month after month, his easygoing manner with everyone would've made it genuinely hard to tell he was a rich young master.

After all, he had none of the obnoxious habits people associated with the so-called rich kids.

It was no wonder someone like that was popular wherever he went.

So even though Shen Baoshan didn't seek out excitement himself, excitement kept coming to find him.

That day he happened to have nothing to do. He got a message from his roommate Feng Zilian about a dinner for the Fellow Hometown Group that night. Lots of people were coming, and plenty of them wanted to meet him, so Feng Zilian invited him along.

Shen Baoshan lounged alone on the sofa of the duplex apartment he'd bought off-campus, mulling over the messages. He thought for a long while before finally remembering that this Fellow Hometown Group was something that Jiang Chi—his childhood friend who'd grown up with him since they were both in open-crotch pants—had added him to a few days before the semester started.

Back during summer break, just days after Jiang Chi had received his college admission notice, he'd been brimming with excitement, declaring grand ambitions in front of Shen Baoshan: once he got to university, he was absolutely going to find a girlfriend, and asked his good brother whether he had his back.

Young Master Shen had been busy with a game controller at the time, eyes glued to the screen as he said, "Sure, sure, I support you." Jiang Chi said, "Then join the Fellow Hometown Group with me to show your support."

Shen Baoshan immediately tore his eyes away from the monitor and silently shot Young Master Jiang a question mark with his gaze.

Turns out Jiang Chi wanted to join the Fellow Hometown Group himself to find a girlfriend, but was too embarrassed to join alone, so he'd dragged Shen Baoshan in as cover.

And so Shen Baoshan, mid-game, had tossed his phone to Jiang Chi and let the guy add him to the group without thinking.

But the second he finished his game, Shen Baoshan grabbed his phone back, muted the group chat, and never said a single word in it.

Now he finally understood where all those people had gotten his WeChat ID to add him as a friend over the past month since training started.

With that thought, Shen Baoshan exited the chat interface and dialed the culprit, Jiang Chi.

"Hello?" Jiang Chi's voice came through loud and casual, mixed with the clatter of keyboard keys on the other end.

Shen Baoshan sprawled sideways on the sofa, asking lazily, "That hometown group dinner tonight, you going?"

Jiang Chi hesitated, sounding like he kind of wanted to. "…But I've got a five-man ranked queue tonight."

Shen Baoshan was about to speak when he heard someone knocking on Jiang Chi's side. It sounded like a waiter delivering food Jiang Chi had ordered.

"Seriously," Shen Baoshan said with a scoff, "you've got a computer at home. Why do you keep running to the internet café every day?"

"What would you know," Jiang Chi rebutted as he hammered away at his keyboard. "The café's got atmosphere."

"Yeah, right. Like you're actually playing out in the main hall."

"Alright, gotta go. My teammates are on voice chat." Jiang Chi moved to hang up. "I'll skip the dinner. Too busy."

"Hey—"

Shen Baoshan hung up the phone in exasperation, tossed it aside, and scoffed. "Serves you right that you can't find a girlfriend, kid."

After ending the call, he sat on the sofa for a moment, thinking that he had nothing to do today anyway and had been cooped up in his apartment for most of the day. Going out for a meal wouldn't hurt, so he replied to Feng Zilian's message, asking him to send over the address for the gathering.

The other side quickly sent a location pin. It was a hotpot restaurant near the school gate. Based on the reviews, the decor was nice and the prices were well-suited for most college students of their age.

Figuring it was about time, Shen Baoshan got ready, changed into a thin fleece sweater from the new season, picked out the keys to a relatively low-key sports car from his collection, and headed to the underground garage.

The Shen family owned properties in several of Hechuan's more prosperous districts. The apartment Shen Baoshan lived in was from a development project his family had built themselves. It was just the right distance from Jian University, a five-minute drive to the school gate.

He'd moved in over the summer break to get away from his parents. Apart from visiting his grandmother at her suburban villa every week, he lived alone, enjoying two full months of uninterrupted gaming time.

Although he didn't usually stay in the dorms, he still kept his on-campus housing spot, partly because military training required him to stay there, and partly because during freshman and sophomore years when classes were heavy and lunch breaks were short, the dorm was a convenient place to rest without the trek home.

Feng Zilian was his neighboring bunkmate.

He was also a local from Hechuan, from a decent family background. In middle school, he and Shen Baoshan had attended the same bilingual international integrated school.

But halfway through, Shen Baoshan had a sudden whim and transferred to the city's No. 1 Public High School. Except for Jiang Chi, who transferred with him, most of his primary and middle school classmates gradually lost touch with him over the years.

Then, upon entering college, Feng Zilian recognized Shen Baoshan at a glance. He was shocked that a rich kid from such a wealthy family hadn't gone abroad, and rushed over to greet him. Shen Baoshan, on the other hand, had to rack his brain for a while before remembering they'd been classmates in middle school.

Later, probably driven by a bit of vanity, Feng Zilian liked to play up his status as an old acquaintance. He'd occasionally brag behind his back, claiming Shen Baoshan was his childhood friend. Whenever someone wanted Shen Baoshan's contact info or wanted him to join a gathering, Feng Zilian would weigh the odds and, if he felt confident, pat his chest and agree.

This gathering was no exception. Feng Zilian had subtly probed a few days earlier to confirm Shen Baoshan had nothing to do this weekend after military training, and only then shamelessly extended the invitation.

Shen Baoshan didn't embarrass him and showed up to give him face.

They'd booked a private room at the restaurant. Shen Baoshan asked the server for the room number, didn't bother with being escorted or having the door opened for him, and just strode up the stairs on his long legs to find the spot.

When he opened the door, a whole room of people was huddled together discussing something. Feng Zilian, sharp-eyed, looked up first and spotted him, then deliberately waved in a familiar way: "Finally here, busy man!"

Shen Baoshan twirled his car keys, walked over to the empty seat they'd left for him, and nodded to greet the people nearby as he sat down.

"If I were that busy, would I be here having dinner with you?" He took the utensils the server handed him and smoothly steered the topic away from himself. "What were you all talking about?"

"About a freshman in our year," Feng Zilian said as he blinked, eager to chat and get closer to him. "Also a local from Hechuan like us, but that one? A real catch. Can't even get him to come out for a meal."

"Which kind of 'catch?" someone joked. "Is he good-looking, or popular?"²

²The Chinese term 俏 (qiào) carries a deliberate double meaning in this dialogue. It can refer either to physical attractiveness, 长得俏 (zhǎng de qiào) = "good-looking," or to strong market performance, 行情俏 (hángqíng qiào) = "in high demand / highly valued in the market.”

"Both," Feng Zilian said as he scrolled through his phone, like he was looking for a photo. "On the first day of military training, several people came to me asking about him. Both guys and girls, all claiming it was for a classmate."

He clicked his tongue and continued, "They just thought he was good-looking and wanted to know if he had a girlfriend."

"But this guy's way too cold," Feng Zilian shook his head as he talked, even adding a dramatic shrug. "If someone adds him and doesn't clearly state what they want, he just doesn't accept. If they say they just want to be friends, he ignores them, giving them the cold shoulder straight away."

Someone asked Feng Zilian, "Didn't you say you added him?"

"Yeah," Feng Zilian's face lit up with pride at this, feigning nonchalance. "I just tried, and surprisingly, he accepted. Maybe he's not that cold after all."

"What did you say when you added him?"

"Nothing much," Feng Zilian felt a little smug from repeatedly bringing up the special treatment he'd received. "Just said I was from the School of Architecture."

"Maybe since civil engineering and architecture are of the same family, he treated you as a half-classmate," Shen Baoshan finally spoke up with a faint smile. "What's his name?"

Feng Zilian: "Li Chishu."

Shen Baoshan's lips tightened slightly, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," Feng Zilian said, noticing his reaction, as if remembering something. He patted Shen Baoshan's arm. "I heard he went to Hechuan No.1 High School. Your classmate?"

"Not really," Shen Baoshan said honestly. "Wasn't in my class. We didn't have much to do with each other."

Then, for some reason, he added, "But he did well academically. Never dropped below top of the class except for one mock exam in senior year."

"So what if he did well? He still ended up at Jian University just like me." Feng Zilian's tone was a bit sour, his words carrying hidden barbs.

He'd been annoyed with Li Chishu since the start of this meal, for one simple reason: as the organizer of the gathering, Feng Zilian had privately invited Li Chishu, but the guy had bluntly rejected him.

His family background wasn't as good as Shen Baoshan's or Jiang Chi's, but it was far from poor. He'd looked into Li Chishu and knew the guy was a poor student who relied on subsidies and scholarships just to get by. Based on such a disparity, inviting Li Chishu was practically doing him a favor. Yet the guy had the nerve to turn him down. Feng Zilian thought Li Chishu was ungrateful.

So whenever Li Chishu was mentioned, Feng Zilian pretended to be indifferent and magnanimous on the surface, but in reality, he'd seize every opportunity to make snide remarks.

---

Translator's Corner: New project to celebrate Old Wounds, New Growth getting a license – yay! And it’s its prequel, so double yay! I’ve been eyeing this novel ever since it topped the boards on jjwx last week. This is still ongoing, so you guys can check the raws and read along with me; maybe we’ll run into each other in the comment section lol. Anyway, I’ll be taking down Old Wounds, New Growth in a couple of days, so I won't risk the site getting a DMCA. Regular updates are still undecided since I’ve got other projects and advance chapter obligations to fulfil. But I’ll be updating mostly on Sundays, as that’s my only break.

☰