The courier envelope was specially made, adorned with an abstract painting of Tiandu University. It felt substantial, packed with numerous items.
In her hand, it was heavy, much like a ceramic tile.
Huang Xiu carefully emptied its contents.
Essentially, there were three main items.
Two admission letters, one black and one red, both standard paper size, and a thin, black-bound booklet.
The rest were miscellaneous trinkets, such as a Tiandu University emblem and various souvenirs.
Both the black and red admission letters featured large, embossed gold lettering, yet their materials differed significantly.
The red letter boasted a velvety, hard-shelled exterior, while the black one was incredibly smooth, almost metallic to the touch.
“This red one must be fake,” Huang Xiu murmured.
She opened the red letter first, her mother immediately craning her neck to peer over.
Their gazes, fixed on the document, were intensely focused.
Her mother appeared even more excited than Huang Xiu herself, reading aloud as she perused the contents.
“Dear Student Huang Xiu, congratulations on passing Tiandu University’s independent enrollment examination. Approved by the Great Xia National Admissions Committee, you have been admitted to the School of Information Science and Engineering, majoring in Computer Science and Technology. Please report to our university with this admission letter on May 15th. Late arrivals will not be processed for enrollment.”
“It looks quite authentic,” Huang Xiu remarked.
Even as she spoke, her mother suddenly lunged forward, planting a loud kiss on her cheek.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” she stammered, her face flushing, a bewildered expression in her eyes.
“You truly are my pride and joy,” her mother said, beaming, faint wrinkles crinkling at the corners of her narrowed eyes.
For parents in Great Xia, witnessing their children achieve success and then marry and have children were undeniably the two most joyous milestones.
The former was now largely accomplished, but regarding the latter, even the perpetually optimistic Zhuang Wenli believed her daughter was unlikely to achieve it.
‘Now *this* is what I call Tiandu!’
A small surge of pride swelled within her.
“Just you wait. Once I get my scholarship…” she began.
‘…I’ll move you both into a much bigger house.’ Huang Xiu left the latter half unsaid, as it was a surprise she planned for her parents.
“Classes start on May 15th. That’s so soon,” her mother lamented, a hint of reluctance in her voice.
Although she had spent the past few days complaining about everything and wishing Huang Xiu would start university immediately, when the actual enrollment day approached, she was, in fact, the most reluctant.
Such was the intricate nature of parenthood.
“It’s alright, Mom. It’s only May 5th; we still have ten days!”
Huang Xiu reassured her mother, then retrieved the black admission letter.
‘I wonder if there’s truly anything different about this one,’ she mused.
With a face full of anticipation, she rubbed her hands together before carefully opening it. However, the result left her feeling somewhat disheartened.
Its contents were largely identical to the red one.
Only the major and faculty had changed; it now read ‘Exploration Department,’ without specifying a particular specialization.
“Is that all?” Huang Xiu muttered, disappointed, preparing to close it.
Just then, the entire admission letter subtly vibrated.
The next moment, milky-white luminous patterns slowly surfaced across the black letter’s surface.
*Zing, zing!*
The letter pulsed lightly in her hand.
Immediately, a miniature projection materialized above the text, slightly distorted in its finer details but remarkably clear overall.
It depicted a lush bamboo forest, emerald green and towering into the clouds, wreathed in a faint mist. The entire grove resembled an earthly paradise.
As if a gentle breeze swept through, the mist dispersed, revealing a bamboo hut nestled deep within the grove.
An elderly man lay sprawled on a reclining chair in front of the hut.
He exuded an ethereal, almost immortal aura, clad in a mottled white Daoist robe that seemed out of place in modern times.
After observing for several moments without any further changes, Huang Xiu simply extended her finger.
Her fingertip effortlessly passed right through the ethereal image.
It felt cool to the touch, and with the slightest movement, it rippled like water.
“It’s somewhat like a projector,” Huang Xiu mused. “This letter must have a ‘Void Energy Device’ embedded within it, capable of projecting void techniques.”
Connecting it with her previous observations, she swiftly grasped its fundamental nature.
“Is that all?” her mother asked, understanding nothing but feeling slightly disappointed by its brevity.
She turned to Huang Xiu, inquiring, “Do you understand it all?”
Xiao Xiu shook her head, then after a moment of hesitation, ventured, “Could it be frozen?”
Owing to a certain professor, her impressions of Tiandu University were largely unreliable.
“How could that be? It’s Tiandu University; how could it possibly have such a problem?” her mother chuckled dismissively.
Yet, before her words had even faded, the image on the letter underwent a new transformation.
More precisely, a sound emerged.
“Principal! Principal! Wake up!” An off-screen voice emanated from the booklet in her hand.
Huang Xiu and Zhuang Wenli exchanged glances, the latter’s expression instantly falling. ‘He was actually asleep!’
‘Hmph! Why does this principal feel just as unreliable as Professor Yuan?’ Huang Xiu mused inwardly.
At that moment, the voice in the image called out a few more times, and the mottled white-haired old man finally stirred awake.
He let out a prodigious yawn, then flipped himself upright and clasped his fists in a formal greeting.
“I, Du Mingzhe, as the Principal of Tiandu University, extend a warm welcome to all of you joining our esteemed institution!”
His voice was undeniably robust, so powerful that the bamboo forest visibly rustled from the reverberation.
Bamboo leaves cascaded down like raindrops.
Immediately, the scene shifted, and the emblem of Tiandu University—the ‘Five Peaks Supporting the Heavens’ image—slowly emerged.
The admission letter vibrated once more, and the milky-white luminous patterns dimmed as if losing all energy.
Simultaneously, the illusory image faded away.
This time, it was truly gone.
“What a shame I can’t take a picture,” her mother remarked, clicking her tongue regretfully. “Otherwise, I’d definitely post it on my Moments to show off.”
“Teacher said the red one could be photographed,” Huang Xiu stated, pointing to the red admission letter.
“You *can* photograph it, but *you* can’t,” her mother retorted, glancing at her daughter, whose mind hadn’t quite caught on.
“Oh, right.”
Huang Xiu finally realized, belatedly, that she was different from the other new students.
She now possessed a new identity.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” she apologized instinctively, only to immediately receive a sharp rap on the head.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
The blow was quite forceful.
Although Huang Xiu could now endure the pain of cutting herself to draw blood, those instances always came with psychological preparation.
This hit, however, was completely unexpected.
Clasping her head, Huang Xiu’s eyes immediately welled up.
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault. You need to break this bad habit,” her mother scolded.
Her daughter always seemed a little timid when facing them, quick to say ‘I’m sorry’ at the slightest provocation.
This was not a good trait.
“Alright,” Huang Xiu mumbled pitifully.
“Alright, I’m going back to my chores now. Make sure you put the admission letters away safely, and show them to your father when he gets back from closing up shop.”
With that, her mother picked up the broom and resumed cleaning.
Huang Xiu, ever obliging, immediately took her things back to her room and stored them away.
‘[Flash of Lightning] mentioned we need to register for some account according to the new student handbook,’ Huang Xiu recalled.
She pulled out the small booklet that had come in the courier package.
‘This must be it!’