The sky had not yet darkened.

Zhou Li decided to finish all the psychological interviews today.

He looked around and saw that three people remained, all girls. He didn't know who they were at all, nor had he ever spoken to them. Well, perhaps he had, but he didn't know their names.

There were only two girls in his class he recognized: the class president and the culture and entertainment committee member. This was because Zhou Qianqian would sometimes call class committee meetings, usually about trivial matters or purely for formality. As such, Zhou Li, being a "rubbish" committee member, also had to attend. He had tried skipping once, but Zhou Qianqian called his phone directly, as if she absolutely had to tease him in person.

Interestingly, he was more familiar with the girls from the class next door.

Zhou Li gradually settled into a serious work mode.

In this aspect, he was quite similar to Baozi. Brother Nan had mentioned that Baozi was always very serious whenever he edited photos in the dormitory, becoming fully immersed, sometimes even forgetting to eat and sleep when he got into it.

However, Zhou Li faced an obstacle—

Tuanzi was standing right on the desk, next to the computer.

When he looked at the computer screen, she would sit down properly and look at the screen as well, seeming obedient. But, inevitably, a fluffy tail would find its way in front of the computer screen, conveniently blocking the exact spot Zhou Li was trying to read.

When Zhou Li questioned her, she would feign innocence, claiming it had nothing to do with her.

Zhou Li would move the tail away, only for it to creep back shortly after.

When Zhou Li typed, whichever key he pressed, Tuanzi would use her two paws to try and catch his fingers.

When Zhou Li wrote, Tuanzi would lean in close to watch.

She leaned in so close that her eyes, which seemed to reflect the sky, were less than a centimeter from the pen tip; Zhou Li could even see her eyelashes.

"Lord Dumpling is too mischievous," he said.

"Not at all!" Tuanzi replied.

"I'm getting a little angry now."

"NYAH NYAH NYAH~~" Tuanzi taunted, then flopped onto her back, revealing her soft, white belly, curled her paws, and rolled over.

Zhou Li was at a loss for words.

He put away the interview reports, locking them in the drawer despite Tuanzi's interference. Looking outside, he saw that the sky had completely darkened. He also felt quite proud of successfully getting to know all his classmates by the end of his freshman year.

He could go out for a walk with Brother Nan now.

Tuanzi was still staring at him with wide eyes. "Zhou Li, did you finish, meow?"

"I finished."

"You're not doing any more?"

"Not doing any more."

"Hmm…"

Zhou Li clearly saw a hint of poorly concealed disappointment in her eyes. Because it wasn't hidden well, he smiled happily, picked up his phone, and stood up. "Lord Dumpling, you can play in the dorm. I'm going out."

"Going out to play?"

"Just for a walk."

"Lord Dumpling wants to go too!" Tuanzi declared, taking a few steps forward and stepping onto the edge of the desk.

"Would it be okay if you didn't go?" Zhou Li asked, troubled.

"I must go!" Tuanzi corrected him.

"The sports field is very crowded; someone might step on you. Besides, some people have psychological issues. I was just conducting psychological interviews," Zhou Li said to Tuanzi. "They might have tendencies to abuse cats."

"Lord Dumpling has the ability to make everyone like Lord Dumpling!"

"The sports field isn't fun."

"It is fun! Lord Dumpling will go find… pretty girls!" Tuanzi actually said.

"..." Zhou Li was genuinely conflicted. Tuanzi, after all, wasn't an ordinary cat, so he couldn't just lock her in. However, he definitely couldn't be affectionate with Brother Nan in front of her. After hesitating for a long time, he asked one last time, "Wouldn't it be nice to stay in the dorm and play with Liu Zhengming?"

He quickly glanced at Liu Zhengming.

Liu Zhengming shivered but still swallowed and nodded. "Yes, yes, play with me!"

Tuanzi said nothing and simply leaped towards Zhou Li.

"Sigh…"

The man and the cat walked out together.

「...」

Without seeing it firsthand, no one could imagine how lively the sports field was at night. The football field was half-occupied by miscellaneous people; one half was still being used for football, while the other had transformed into a massive carnival. Many local bonfire parties probably didn't have such a vibrant atmosphere.

Zhou Li came here every day, but he still couldn't help but marvel.

And as the campus lockdown continued and finals drew nearer, the number of people and the intensity of the atmosphere on the sports field kept increasing.

POOF! A sound erupted beside him.

Huai Xu, apparently seeing what he was thinking, said, "Your school still can't compare. The neighboring arts college had everyone dancing all over their field days ago."

"Did you go dance?"

"I danced."

"Was it fun?"

"It was fun."

"Oh."

Zhou Li fell silent. He didn't see Huai Xu's annoyed expression as he walked straight onto the sports field. He scanned the area, noticed a spot with more pretty girls, set Tuanzi down on the ground, and pointed in that direction. "Go play over there."

"Okay~~"

Tuanzi ran a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped and looked back at him uncertainly. "What about you?"

"I'm going for a walk with Brother Nan."

"Are you two going to fight again?" Tuanzi stared intently at him, saying seriously, "Lord Dumpling will protect you!"

"No, that won't be necessary."

"Really?"

"Go on, have fun." Zhou Li forced a smile. "I'll come find you when we're ready to go home."

"Lord Dumpling will come find you too."

"Don't..."

"Why not?"

"It's enough if Lord Dumpling has fun."

"Is that so, meow?" Tuanzi looked at Zhou Li suspiciously, up and down. Suddenly, her face lit up with realization, and she giggled. "Lord Dumpling knows!"

"Knows what?" Zhou Li asked, his expression unchanging.

"You're afraid Lord Dumpling will see you get beaten up, and you'll lose face!" Tuanzi finished, then added comfortingly, "It's okay, Lord Dumpling won't look down on you."

Zhou Li was speechless.

Tuanzi finally left.

Zhou Li then looked at Huai Xu.

Huai Xu pursed his lips. "I'm not interested in you two kids dating. I've seen far more exciting things… I'm off to the arts college to dance!"

With a POOF! he disappeared.

Zhou Li still felt a bit uneasy and kept looking back every few steps. It took a long while for him to finally turn his gaze forward.

A football rolled to his feet.

Looking up, he saw a tall girl with a small tuft of hair sticking up on her head, hands on her hips, looking at him. "Hey, classmate, can you pass the ball?"

Zhou Li gently kicked the ball back to her.

The girl, a bright smile on her face, trapped the rolling ball under her foot, then turned and kicked it back onto the football pitch. However, she didn't rejoin the game. Instead, she waved to the others and walked towards Zhou Li. "Hey handsome, how about adding each other on WeChat?"

"..." Zhou Li was speechless.

"Why aren't you talking? Do you have a girlfriend?" Brother Nan immediately asked. "Mind having one more?"

"You're so silly…"

"Boring!"

Brother Nan walked up to him and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "You're no fun at all!"

"Oh."

"Where's your beloved Tuanzi?"

"She went to hit on the pretty girls."

"And Huai Xu?"

"He went to the neighboring college to dance."

"Yo!" Brother Nan squinted at Zhou Li. "Then you're in a bit of danger today!"

"It might be you."

"Oh? Getting a bit bolder, are we?" Brother Nan widened his eyes.

"Let's go."

Zhou Li took Brother Nan's hand. He cast a stealthy glance to the side. The weather had been quite hot these past few days. Brother Nan was dressed coolly in striking floral shorts and a white T-shirt that was particularly conspicuous at night. They looked thin, soft, and seemed to fit snugly.

He guessed hugging him would be very comfortable.

Ahead, some graduating students who hadn't left school yet were playing guitar and singing. They were singing "Those Years" by Hu Xia. The melody drifted through the night air, perhaps carrying some of their own hidden regrets.

Zhou Li felt incredibly lucky to be able to hold Brother Nan's hand and walk together like this.

「The evening of June 15th.」

Zhou Li had finally, truly been Zhou Li.

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