Brother Nan was already lying down.

Zhou Li shifted his gaze from his phone and sneaked a quick glance at her with his peripheral vision. However, the anticipated moment of their eyes meeting didn't happen.

Not only that, but she had also put on an eye mask, so Zhou Li could now look without worry.

Even in the midst of summer, the nights in Dali were pretty cool. Brother Nan lay flat on her back, covered with a blanket. Yet even so, you could still see a slight rise and fall in her upper body, as if to remind him that the person lying on the bed beside him was, indeed, a girl.

And she was his girlfriend.

Zhou Li tentatively asked, "Really asleep?"

There was no response.

He tried again, "Hmm?"

This time Brother Nan did react—she simply turned over to face the other way.

Zhou Li lowered his head, exchanged a glance with Tuanzi in his arms, then continued, "I'm checking out the freshman group. The group name has been changed to 2020 Freshmen Group. So many juniors are bustling about in there; the message counter hits 99+ in the blink of an eye. Pretty much like when we first joined."

"What the hell does that have to do with me," Brother Nan said.

"I'm scouting for future prospects for our society," Zhou Li said after a moment's thought.

"Bullshit!"

"Um..."

"I'm really trying to sleep. Don't be so loud!"

"Oh."

Zhou Li saw that Brother Nan still had her back to him, obviously sulking because her plan to tease him hadn't worked.

What did this demonstrate?

It demonstrated that his guess was right!

And according to his understanding of Brother Nan, the more annoyed she was, the stronger her earlier desire to tease Zhou Li had been, and the higher she had anticipated the payoff. So when her goal wasn't achieved, she felt as though she'd lost out big time, just like a child.

If she had succeeded... the consequences were unimaginable.

Zhou Li was thin-skinned and couldn't handle her teasing.

When he thought about it, he had really dodged a bullet.

Zhou Li felt quite pleased with himself and said no more, continuing to look down at his phone.

This freshman class seemed even more raucous than previous ones. Perhaps due to the pandemic, it was less convenient to go out for jobs or travel this year. The speed at which messages refreshed in the group could even rival last year when Brother Nan stirred things up after work.

Back then, like now, Zhou Li only lurked silently, not saying a word.

Many upperclassmen were also chatting in the group, shooting the breeze, answering questions for the juniors, or occasionally showing off.

Some were quite shameless, for instance—

Life Sciences.20.Chang Xiaoxiang

More or less repeating the old tricks from last year.

But times had changed. Last year, they were bewildered freshmen; this year, they had become upperclassmen. The student council elections were over, and the current department heads were students in the same year as Zhou Li, mostly Brother Nan's Little Brothers.

Only Brother Nan was unaffected by time. Last year she was an upperclassman; this year, she still was.

The nights in the Ancient city were also extremely quiet, without the sounds of car horns or human voices. Zhou Li could even hear Brother Nan's steady breathing from the next bed.

Brother Nan had fallen asleep. Looking at the time, it was getting late.

The little brats in the group were still making a racket.

Brother Nan hadn't surfaced in the group this year, which was out of character for her, mainly because she was busy dating. Still, legends of her echoed in the group.

People always mentioned her when they chatted idly. They talked about Zhou Li too, more than once. Whenever military training came up, someone would invariably bring up Zhou Li's past actions. As for Brother Nan, she was mentioned even more.

After watching for a little while longer, Zhou Li also closed QQ.

Turning his head, he saw Brother Nan had resumed her supine position. For all her usual boisterousness, she was tranquil when asleep.

And Tuanzi crouched on the cabinet in front of the TV, its eyes reflecting a strange light in the darkness, staring at him unblinkingly.

"Zhou Li, are you going to sleep, MEOW?"

When Zhou Li heard this, it felt as if Tuanzi was asking, "May I begin my demon's antics?"

About half an hour later, Zhou Li had also fallen asleep, but it was a light sleep. In a daze, he could feel Tuanzi running back and forth in the room. One moment, she jumped onto the TV cabinet; the next, she ran into the bathroom to drink from the open faucet; then, she crawled into his quilt and crept forward...

She ran everywhere in the room except Brother Nan's bed.

Non-stop...

Lin Daiyu by day, Sun Wukong by night.

In his daze, Zhou Li sensed Brother Nan wake up once, seemingly to use the bathroom, because the light turned on, making him a bit more lucid.

Almost simultaneously, Tuanzi immediately burrowed into his quilt, not daring to make a sound.

Ha!

When the bathroom faucet was turned on and then off, and the dim light extinguished, Zhou Li heard the PATTER PATTER of Brother Nan's slippers. Then he felt someone standing in front of him, bending low to look at him—bending very low.

Because Brother Nan's hair had fallen onto his face. Tickling, with the scent of shampoo.

Then, he felt his quilt being lifted. Brother Nan had apparently grabbed Little Trash Cat and tossed her out, followed by a loud MEOW in the room.

By then, Zhou Li was about eighty percent awake.

Then... Brother Nan lay down next to him!

!!

Zhou Li instantly became fully alert!

By the time he opened his eyes, Brother Nan had already lain down, facing him and hugging him. Her hair spilled onto his arm and neck. He could feel the heat of her body through their thin clothes, and her scent filled his every breath.

Zhou Li was completely stiff, even stiffer than a zombie.

How could anyone sleep like this?

It took a long while before he could stiffly lower his head.

Brother Nan's face was inches away, her steady breath brushing his face, her expression peaceful.

You just fell asleep?!

Zhou Li felt extremely uncomfortable.

This was destined to be a night of poor sleep. Time passed so slowly, and he didn't know how he eventually managed to fall asleep.

Drifting into a haze again, his mind less sharp, he grew a bit bolder. He vaguely remembered wrapping his arms around Brother Nan, even adjusting his position to sleep more comfortably.

「Morning.」

Brother Nan's sleep gradually lightened. After holding one position for so long, she started to stir, making small movements—scratching an itch here and there.

It was these little movements that woke Zhou Li.

Waking up, he felt somewhat dazed, as if still in a dream.

Brother Nan often said his temper was soft, but his body was very firm, finding it strange and somewhat puzzling.

But Zhou Li now understood.

Because Brother Nan's body was very soft. Especially when she was asleep.

He, too, felt an inexplicable sense of dissonance.

He turned his head toward the window. A wisp of pale golden sunlight seeped through a gap in the curtains. Outside, the faint sounds of vehicles, likely electric scooters, were just beginning.

Another fine day.

Suddenly sensing something unusual, he slightly lifted his upper body and looked toward the foot of the bed. At his feet, in the very corner, Tuanzi was curled into a fluffy little ball, head buried, fast asleep. She looked small and pitiful.

If he didn't remember her antics from the previous night, Zhou Li's heart would surely have ached for her.

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