"Is Huai Xu at home?"

"She should be."

Zhou Li walked to the door, saw it was still tightly closed, and said to Brother Nan, "Or she might have gone out to play."

Usually, Huai Xu would come to open the door for him as soon as he reached it.

But he still knocked.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Only a faint voice came from inside, "Come in!"

Zhou Li, with a puzzled expression, turned his back to Brother Nan. He asked her to help him get the keys from his small bag, insert them into the lock, and turn them several times.

CREAK...

Inside, a figure lay spread-eagled on the living room floor. It was a girl, her chest visibly rising and falling. Her long hair was splayed out on the floor—not neatly like in movies or photoshoots, but rather disheveled.

An open packet of potato chips rested on her stomach.

On the floor beside her were fried chicken, French fries, canned cola, and snacks like jam-filled cookies.

"See? I told you she was at home."

"Uh..."

Brother Nan, eyebrows furrowed, stared at the... thing... lying on the floor, then at Zhou Li, completely baffled by this behavior.

However, Zhou Li walked into the living room as if no one else was there. He stepped over Huai Xu's arm, put his backpack on the sofa, and sat down. The Little Trash Cat, trotting with quick, light steps, followed closely behind him and also nonchalantly skirted around Huai Xu. Meanwhile, Huai Xu fished a chip out of the bag on her stomach, popped it into her mouth, and crunched it loudly. CRUNCH!

Brother Nan pursed her lips, also entered the room, carefully stepped over Huai Xu, and met her gaze.

"Hello, Brother Nan!"

Huai Xu, still on the floor, greeted her and offered another chip. "Want one?"

"I'll take a jam-filled cookie."

"Help yourself!"

"Why are you lying on the floor?"

"I'm so bored. You guys don't play with me. And you even call me crazy and a liar," Huai Xu said, still lying there, crunching away. "CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Don't step on my hair."

"Okay!"

"If you're bored, you could get a membership card," Zhou Li suggested from the sofa.

"What card?"

"For swimming and fitness."

"..."

Huai Xu, unfazed by the teasing, casually replied, "Those iron hunks at the gym are too light. It's no fun lifting them."

Zhou Li's mouth twitched. "Iron hunks..."

Huai Xu turned her head to glare at him, then suddenly sat up and adjusted her hair before asking casually, "School's starting soon for you guys, right?"

"Yes."

"It'll be fun once school starts."

Huai Xu picked up a cola, took a sip, and lay down again.

...

Brother Nan didn't return to her dorm. She slept in Zhou Li's room, while Zhou Li and Tuanzi slept on the sofa.

「The next day.」

The morning sunlight was already quite dazzling. Vehicles were clustered at the school gate. Students and parents lined up to enter, forming a long, bustling queue.

Brother Nan and Zhou Li also joined the queue.

It was even more bustling inside the gate than outside, just like when they had arrived last year. Long tents were set up for freshmen registration, and numerous volunteers in red armbands guided the newcomers, loudly shouting the names of their respective departments.

Aside from everyone wearing masks, it seemed no different from last year.

Brother Nan turned her head, saw the face-scanning machines installed at the gate, and said, "It looks like we'll be able to enter and exit the school freely this semester."

"Really?"

"Probably. You can live off-campus now."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, someone popped up beside them. "Excuse me, are you new students this year?"

It was like a stone dropped into water, setting off ripples of voices around them asking if they were freshmen and from which department. Only the orientation volunteers from the Life Sciences Institute greeted them cheerfully.

Zhou Li waved them off.

Brother Nan said disdainfully, "It's obvious we're not freshmen; we don't even have any suitcases. They must be desperate for junior girls, completely out of their minds!"

Zhou Li quietly reminded her, "Watch your language."

Brother Nan pretended to gaze at the scenery.

Suddenly, Brother Nan nudged Zhou Li and pointed ahead. "Look, isn't that your cousin over there?"

Zhou Li turned his head to look.

A figure was sitting by the roadside. Since a couple had occupied the only bench behind her, she was forced to sit on the curb. Her legs were tucked close together, arms hugging her knees with her chin resting on them, making her look tiny.

A rather large camera hung beside her.

It was indeed Little Cousin.

The two quickened their pace and walked over. Little Cousin's voice, faint as a mosquito's hum, reached their ears.

"Photos."

"ID photos."

"Photos."

"ID photos."

"Pho..."

She repeated this over and over.

All the while, she kept her head down, her eyes staring blankly at the ground with an expression of utter resignation.

The orientation area was still very noisy. The shouts of volunteers, conversations among freshmen, parents, and student helpers, and the high-pitched chatter from excited upperclassmen all blended, completely drowning out her voice.

Soon, Little Cousin noticed two people standing in front of her. She finally lifted her head.

"...Oh, it's Cousin and Cousin's wife." She sounded weak.

"What are you doing here?" Zhou Li asked.

"Making money and waiting for you."

"Waiting for us to do what?"

"To take your ID photos."

"Oh." Zhou Li casually changed the subject. "How much have you earned?"

"I haven't made any money yet."

"How long have you been sitting here?"

"Two hours."

"Two hours... Does that mean you've been sitting here since early this morning?" Zhou Li looked at his watch. She's actually somewhat diligent.

"There was no one else around when I entered the school gate."

"So not a single person has wanted you to take their photo?"

"..." Baozi fell silent, clearly unwilling to discuss it. "Besides," she added, "I was waiting for you two."

"..." Zhou Li stayed quiet.

"Cousin, Cousin's wife, let me take a set for you!" Baozi looked up, her expression serious. "For sophomore registration... there are lots of activities in the second year too. A beautiful set of ID photos can last you for your next four... I mean, three years, and really boost your appeal."

"Your sales pitch is a bit stiff," Zhou Li said.

"Will you get them taken?"

"We don't need ID photos for much anymore, do we?" Zhou Li thought for a moment. "We took a bunch last year. I still have a few left in my drawer."

"Those are ugly."

"..."

"I won't charge you."

"??"

This genuinely surprised Zhou Li.

He and Brother Nan exchanged glances, and he saw the same surprise in her eyes.

Little Cousin continued to plead, "Please, let me take a set!"

Seeing how truly pitiful she looked, Brother Nan said to Zhou Li, "Alright, let's do it. Last year's ID photos really weren't great. We can get a new set, and we'll need photos for our club recruitment badges right after school starts anyway. Consider it giving your cousin her first bit of business."

Since Brother Nan had spoken, Zhou Li nodded in agreement.

Baozi instantly stood up.

But she had been sitting for so long with her legs bent that they felt a bit weak. When she suddenly stood up, she almost fell. Her first instinct was to protect her camera with one hand and grab onto Zhou Li, who was nearby, with the other.

Fortunately, Zhou Li steadied her.

Little Cousin was prepared. She led them to a nearby white wall; the background could easily be changed to red or blue later during editing.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The sound of the camera continued nonstop.

Zhou Li was somewhat surprised to realize that this chubby-cheeked Little Cousin actually looked quite pretty when she was serious.

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