Chapter 20 – I live with my boyfriend

The reporting process for international students is no different from that for regular students, except that there are more documents to prepare and the tuition fees are more expensive.

When I arrived at the registration desk, there were quite a lot of people at this moment, from yellow-skinned and black-haired Asian students to white-skinned and blonde-haired European and American students, all with information in their hands, waiting in a queue to report.

“I, I can do it myself, Shen Yu you go back to class!”

Asaba Rika said that Shen Yu could clearly see the lack of confidence and confusion in her eyes.

“Don’t be a hero and save me from having to run back later.”

Shen Yu’s tone was one of disgust, but Asaba Rika was so happy to hear it that he nodded his head repeatedly.

Shen Yu looked at the time and saw that it was almost 8.30am. He had to accompany Asaba Rika to finish the registration procedure and he would probably miss his first class.

But it’s okay, missing a class won’t affect him much, plus the teacher likes him, so just say hello later.

This year, you are just in your second year of study and are eligible for early graduation according to the university’s regulations, provided you have completed your credits and have been enrolled in the university for at least three years.

Shen Yu would be out of school by now if there were no school hours.

After queuing for more than 20 minutes, it was finally Asaba Rika’s turn.

“Have you brought all your documents? Letter of acceptance and copies, passport and copies, photos”, asked the person in charge of the registration desk.

“Greetings! It’s all ready to go!” Asaba Rika hurriedly handed over the information in her hand and waited nervously for the arrangements to be made.

After reviewing the information, the person in charge brought over a school registration form and a safety responsibility form, “Confirm the information then sign it and go over there to collect the payment slip.”

“Yes! Is it signed here?”

“This position.”

“Yes!”

After signing, Shen Yu took her over to collect the payment slip.

“Are you in school accommodation or are you walking?”

“I, I’m staying out here.”

Many international students do not have a host family and choose to stay at the school, which is relatively safer but certainly not as free. It is still very inconvenient to have four international students of different nationalities living in one dormitory with different living habits from each other.

The person in charge printed out the payment slip and handed it to Asaba Rika: “Pay the fee at the Finance Office of the Institute of International Education.”

“Okay, and then what’s the next arrangement?” Asaba Rika asked.

“You’ll be told what to do after you’ve paid your fee over there.” The man in charge said.

After leaving the registration desk, Shen Yu took Asaba Rika to the finance office. The school was so big that if he had just gone back, Asaba Rika wouldn’t have known when to find out where the finance office was.

“What a pain in the ass.”

Asaba Rika spat, “Why can’t we arrange to get it all together in one place?”

“It’s the same everywhere, in the system you just have to follow the process, it’s like Chinese students in Japan, all the same hassles.”

“Hmm.”

After paying the fees at the Finance Office, Shen Yu took Rika to the Academic Affairs Office to submit the receipt according to the instructions of the Finance Office, and then went to the International Student Residence Management Centre to register for foreign accommodation according to the requirements of the Academic Affairs Office, and finally went to the International Classes of the College of Arts to sign and report.

After collecting the campus card, textbooks and class schedules, the check-in process was finally completed, and then Shen Yu took Rika to the small classroom.

” Shen Yu, are you tired?”

Asaba Rika was clutching the textbook in her hand like a frosty aubergine, her legs were sore from walking so far.

“You tell me, if you didn’t know anything, would I have to accompany you so far.”

“I’m sorry, let me rub your shoulder.”

“Don’t, the more you rub the more tired I get.”

Asaba Rika wondered why the more she rubbed her shoulders, the more tired she became, as she often rubbed her mother’s shoulders at home, and she even praised her for the comfort she received.

When we arrived at the door of the lecture hall, Shen Yu looked inside and saw that there were already many international students waiting inside.

“Go in and find yourself a seat, if I’m not out of class by the end of your training, you can wait for me in the library, you know where it is, don’t you?”

“I know! It’s that tallest building right?”

“Just tweet me if you need anything, don’t contact me if there’s nothing.”

“Ohhh.”

After Shen Yu had left, Asaba Rika stood at the door of the classroom and looked in for a moment, then gingerly walked in against the wall.

This is a small classroom, basically full of international students who are in the same class as her, studying art, with a higher proportion of girls.

Asaba Rika looked for a seat for a while and saw a rather pleasant Asian girl whose seat next to her was empty.

Then he asked in English, “Sorry to bother you for a moment, may I sit here please?”

The Asian girl is also very fair-skinned, with dyed flaxen hair and delicate make-up, but her features are not as good as Asaba Rika’s, which are naturally good-looking, while the Asian girl is basically propped up by make-up.

She was bored with her phone and looked back at the sound of it, seeing the same Asian girl, there was still a lot of affinity.

It was difficult to understand the Japanese English, so I said back in English, “What did you say?”

Asaba Rika repeated it once more before she returned, “Please sit down.”

“Thanks!”

Asaba Rika sat down and nodded politely at the other man, reading quietly with the book he had just been given.

I don’t really feel like reading at the moment, I just feel awkward sitting with strangers and uncomfortable if I don’t have to read a book to pretend.

The Asian girl played with her phone for a moment, sized her up again and asked, “Are you from Japan?”

“Eh? Yes! Are you too?”

“I’m not, I’m from Singapore.”

The Asian girl said, asking again in Chinese, “Do you speak Chinese?”

Asaba Rika’s English is not bad, but because of the spoken language, it sounds in the bad category and the two of them really struggle to converse in English.

Asaba Rika felt friendly and nodded happily, “Yes, my name is Asaba Rika and it’s nice to meet you!”

“Hi, you can call me by my middle name Jiang Ningle , are you in the art class too?”

“Yes! You have a nice middle name!”

“I like lemon cola, so I named it myself.”

The two girls felt a great sense of destiny and chatted happily.

Like the majority of foreign students, Jiang Ningle also expressed her admiration for how much China has changed, and how what she saw with her own eyes was completely different from what she had learned back home.

Asaba Rika responded like a pecking hen, mmmmmmmmm.

“Which dorm do you live in? I’m in c9208.” Jiang Ningle asked.

Asaba Rika shook his head and said, “I don’t live in the hostel, I live outside, how are you living in the hostel?”

Jiang Ningle said, “All three of my flatmates are from Europe and America, so I feel uncomfortable living together.

After all, life abroad starts with accommodation before classes even begin, and Jiang Ningle has a lot to say about this.

“It’s really that bad, huh?”

“The girl in the bed next to mine is 5’8″, big and snores so loudly in her sleep, I don’t know what to tell her”

“Terrible.”

Asaba Rika clutches his textbook and listens with a heartbeat.

Jiang Ningle suddenly shook Asaba Rika’s hand and said earnestly, “Asaba Rika, how about the house you rented outside? I also wanted to live outside, but I didn’t know anything and I didn’t know how to find an apartment, why don’t we live together?”

Asaba Rika waved her hand and said apologetically, “No, I’m staying at my boyfriend’s house and you might not feel comfortable with a boy around.”

“Is your boyfriend Chinese?”

Jiang Ningle was a little surprised to find that Asaba Rika had a boyfriend, she did know the difference between a friend, boyfriend, boyfriend and male friend.

“Yeah, I came here not knowing anything and he helped.”

Asaba Rika nodded and counted on his fingers, “including accommodation, food, taking me shopping, taking me to get a bank card, taking me to get a mobile phone card, taking me to school, taking me to report, reporting is so troublesome, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Jiang Ningle was forced to eat a ton of lemons, and then he remembered his poor self, who had come to a place he was unfamiliar with and had to do everything on his own.

“No wonder there is a Chinese proverb.”

Jiang Ningle feels like her words are bubbling with acidity, she’s really sour!

“What’s the proverb?”

“Different lives for the same people!”