"It's Friday again!"

Brother Nan frowned, glancing at Zhou Li. She clutched his arm, continually tightening her grip, proclaiming her discontent. Faint veins were already visible on the delicate back of her hand.

Yet, Zhou Li seemed completely oblivious, merely grunting in response while continuing to walk and eat skewered meat.

The skewers were bought by Brother Nan for herself.

But the skewers were too spicy, and she had just had another tooth pulled yesterday. She initially thought she had one good side of her mouth left, so eating shouldn't be an issue, and surely eating skewers would be fine using just the good teeth to chew. However, the spiciness made its way to the other side. At first, she tried to act as if nothing was wrong, forcibly enduring it, but Zhou Li soon noticed and confiscated the skewers.

Brother Nan was somewhat angry now.

The happier Zhou Li ate, the more furious she became.

"Time flies!"

"You never pay attention in class, only sleep, and you play games when you return to the dorm. Of course, time flies," Zhou Li said, glancing at her and licking the chili from the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

"GULP!"

Brother Nan swallowed.

Zhou Li was startled, then became alert. "Do you want a lick too?"

"BANG!"

Brother Nan withdrew her fist, her face darkened, and continued, "Doesn't that mean it's National Day in another week?"

"Yeah." Zhou Li continued eating skewers as if he hadn't been punched.

"Where are we going this National Day?" Brother Nan turned her head away, not looking at him, while continuously increasing the strength in her hand, ratcheting up the power.

"I don't know."

"How about Tengchong?" Brother Nan suggested. "I like a TV series called 'My Chief, My Regiment'; I think it was filmed there."

"Huai Xu likes that TV show too," Zhou Li gasped from the spice. "He's watched it several times already."

"Why haven't we seen much of him these days?"

"He's been obsessed with pottery lately, making pottery at home with Tuanzi every day. When they finish, they take it to be fired. There's quite a stack at home now," Zhou Li shrugged. "The street vendor economy has been quite popular recently, and he even said he's thinking about setting up a stall to sell them."

"I know about that," Brother Nan nodded. "Or we could go to the Yuanyang Terraces. We can also visit Jianshui and eat authentic crossing-the-bridge noodles in Mengzi on the way."

"You've looked all that up already?"

"Yep!"

"I have no objections."

"Let me think about it..."

Brother Nan fell into deep thought.

As she thought, she could again hear the sound of Zhou Li gasping from the spice. Her mouth watered, her brow furrowed tighter, her eyes gradually narrowed, and her face began to look somewhat terrifying.

"Is it good?" she turned and asked.

"It's okay," Zhou Li replied honestly. "I actually don't really like eating this junk food."

"!!"

How infuriating! Eating her food and then complaining about it!

By then, Zhou Li had finished eating. He casually tossed the skewer stick, and it landed perfectly in the garbage can. He dusted off his hands and said, "We have physical education this afternoon."

"BANG!"

"Why did you hit me?" Zhou Li looked confused.

"Last time, during PE, you deliberately messed with me!" Brother Nan said emphatically, stressing each word.

"..."

The afternoon breeze was very refreshing.

The clouds in the sky drifted southward, continuously changing forms. It would be a very comfortable thing to lie on the grass and watch quietly. Lying there with a good friend would be even more delightful.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle broke the tranquility, followed by the shouts of teachers.

"Huang Jinhong's Tai Chi!"

"Those who are taking Tai Chi, assemble here!"

"Those who are taking table tennis..."

"Basketball, basketball..."

"..."

Just a moment ago, Zhou Li had been wondering, with so many people on the track and field, there must be several classes happening simultaneously. Currently, students and teachers didn't know each other and had no way of contacting one another. How were they supposed to find their groups? So, this was their primitive method...

Thinking this, he and Brother Nan had already run to join the assembly.

Last semester, physical education class was conducted for two classes together, but this semester there were fewer people. Ideally, a standard class should have fifty students, but the Tai Chi class wasn't very popular and didn't fill up.

The teacher was a middle-aged woman in a tracksuit, slightly plump and with dark skin.

She yelled for several minutes until the last student hurriedly ran to join the lineup. When there were no more kids buzzing around like headless flies, she finally stopped.

"My surname is Huang, Huang Jinhong. You can just call me Teacher Huang."

"Everyone, don't stand in a mess. Let's line up again. You were taught during military training last year, right? Shorter in the front, taller in the back, shorter on the left, taller on the right..."

"Get moving, get moving!"

Following her shouts, the students began constantly changing positions.

Zhou Li and Brother Nan stood in the last row, near the middle.

The lineup requirements in physical education were not as strict as in military training. Brother Nan was slightly shorter than Zhou Li. Though not by much, the difference wasn't insignificant either. Logically, she should have stood in the second-to-last row or at the far left, but she just stood by Zhou Li's side without moving. The teacher saw this but didn't point it out. However, a rather clueless classmate nearby tried to swap places with her, only to be scared off by her glare; that student even looked a little aggrieved.

"Alright, like this. Everyone try to remember this position; from now on, we will stand like this." The teacher took out the attendance book. "Now let's take attendance."

"Who's going to remember this next time..." Brother Nan whispered into Zhou Li's ear.

"Don't talk."

"You were talking; I wasn't!"

"..."

While the teacher was calling names, Zhou Li quietly observed Teacher Huang and the students.

Teacher Huang looked full of energy, with a sturdy build, and resembled the lead dancer aunt from Aunt Jiang's square dance group.

The students came from all departments across the school. Two-thirds were girls, and they were generally shorter, so even though Zhou Li usually stood at the very left of the last row, now he was standing in the middle. On his right was a skinny, tall male student with delicate features, quite good-looking. He stood beside Zhou Li silently, staring straight at the teacher, seemingly focused on hearing his name called.

"Zhou Li."

"Here."

"So handsome... Li Nan."

"Here!"

"Oh, another great beauty... Zhang Ke."

"Here…"

About two minutes later, the teacher put away the attendance book with a smile. "It seems you all gave me some face for this first class; no one skipped. Before we start, let's go over a few things. First, about classes. Our meeting spot will be fixed here. I'll take attendance every class, and absences will lead to point deductions. It's very easy to earn credits in PE and also easy to boost your GPA..."

The teacher went on and on.

Zhou Li was confused. He couldn't help but glance sideways. Why didn't I hear his name called just now?

That person still had a meticulous expression, showing a seriousness that set him apart from the other students.

Hmm...

Zhou Li quietly pulled out his phone and sent Huai Xu a message consisting of just a period.

BUZZ.

The male student next to him seemed a bit uncomfortable.

Zhou Li was utterly exasperated.

Yet that old monster still didn't glance sideways but made a sound, using Zhou Li's voice, "I've become so ugly; how did you recognize me?"

Zhou Li: ...

"Students, stop talking," Teacher Huang stared at Zhou Li; the sound had come from his direction. "I ignored you playing with your phone just now, but don't make any noise, especially when I'm speaking."

"..."

"Next, let's discuss the final exam. The content is simple: you'll perform a complete Tai Chi form. We'll score based on your movements. Of course, your physical fitness test scores will also be factored in. I hope everyone takes this seriously. I'm quite strict. If anyone can't even muddle through a complete form by the end of the semester, I'll fail them outright."

"Next, let's choose a PE monitor." Teacher Huang looked at Zhou Li. "The one who was talking just now, that's you."

"??"

Zhou Li was somewhat dazed, looking at the teacher and then at Huai Xu, hoping he would bravely step forward, admit his mistake, and take responsibility for the mess.

However, the old monster still stood ramrod straight, his expression serious and meticulous.

Zhou Li hesitated, words caught in his throat.

Teacher Huang quickly made a decision. "What's your name? After class, set up a group chat, and have everyone join. You'll notify us in the group about any sudden changes, like class being canceled due to rain. Now, let's run two laps to warm up."

Brother Nan stifled a laugh at his side.

Once they started running, amidst the general noise, she nudged Zhou Li with her elbow and said teasingly, "You tell me not to talk, yet you talk yourself and even get caught by the teacher."

"..."

Zhou Li could only sigh inwardly.

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