Chapter 88: Chapter 86 The Girls’ Dormitory Refuses to Admit Defeat
"See?" Zhou Li said.
"When?" Brother Nan blinked.
"Now."
"Now..."
Brother Nan suddenly turned her head.
She saw a girl standing on her left. She didn’t know when the girl had appeared or how long she had been there.
"Hello, Brother Nan," Huai Xu chirped, her eyes sparkling.
"!!!" Brother Nan exclaimed, looking completely flustered.
"Are you... a girl?" Brother Nan stared blankly at Huai Xu. Her gaze drifted slightly downward; the girl seemed to be a bit larger than herself. She couldn’t help but look up at Huai Xu again before turning to Zhou Li.
"I can change freely," Huai Xu said weakly.
"She has always been the way you saw her before, but she has been busy outside these past few days, so she’s been rather defiantly staying as a girl," Zhou Li stepped forward to explain.
"Is that so?"
Brother Nan blinked again.
Zhou Li and Huai Xu both nodded simultaneously.
Huai Xu, looking a bit nervous, said to her, "I can change back to my previous appearance tomorrow."
Brother Nan waved her hand and didn’t speak.
She needed a moment to process.
After just a short while, she spoke again. "No need, no need, girls are indeed more fun!"
Then she opened her eyes wide. She reached out to pinch Huai Xu’s arm, then her face. She seemed to think of another place to pinch, but after a moment’s hesitation, she quickly retracted her hand.
Huai Xu stood obediently, letting her pinch away, only saying, "I think you’re really fun."
"Really?" she responded without thinking.
"Yes."
"You flatter me."
"Not at all."
"Are you a Sophora tree demon?" Brother Nan asked curiously.
"No," Huai Xu answered.
"Then what kind of spirit are you?"
"Not any kind of spirit. Demons aren’t transformed from animals or plants; they are inherently demons. It’s just that when coming over, some demons use the appearances of animals or plants, including humans, to confuse others."
"Oh." Brother Nan didn’t quite grasp it, but that didn’t seem important. "So," she asked, "are you male or female?"
"Demons aren’t humans; there’s no need to differentiate like that."
"Demons are beings from another universe," Zhou Li interjected. "Their true form is completely different from ours. You can think of them as not being carbon-based lifeforms."
"..."
Brother Nan nodded. "I see."
Li Daimao felt that these two were really naive, always thinking they had the ability to explain things clearly to her. Idiots.
She pulled back her hands, thought for a moment, and said to Huai Xu, "Anyway, let’s consider this our meeting. Nice to meet you... oh, it’s not exactly the first time. Let’s look out for each other!"
"It is the first time. Before, it was Zhou Li; that doesn’t count," Huai Xu seemed to think this was important.
"Erm... okay," Brother Nan thought for a while. "You can call me when you play games."
"You can call me when you get into fights!"
"Are you backing me up?"
"You backing me up works too."
"..."
The two of them went back and forth. To Zhou Li, it felt like two Li Daimaos or two Huai Xus were talking.
He walked quietly, not saying anything.
As they walked, suddenly both of them didn’t want to walk anymore. Neither of them was fussy, so they just sat down on the stone steps. Zhou Li also sat beside them, watching people play ping-pong not far away.
The evening breeze blew in their faces, cool and comforting. From a distance, the faint sound of an old song being sung drifted over.
Chitter-chatter beside him.
It was quite a comfortable feeling.
It was only suitable in the evening. During the day, it wouldn’t do. Daylight was too bright, too scorching, and there was no singing.
Around nine-thirty, the group that had been playing ping-pong left, and the tree-lined path became even quieter.
"I can’t take it anymore. I need to go back to the dorm."
"Why not come to mine!"
"Forget it, next time."
"It’s a deal!"
"Right, that Zhou Li..." Brother Nan first turned her head to the left, then looked behind her. After turning back, she finally found Zhou Li on her right side. She wasn’t embarrassed at all. "Zhou Li, are you going to that ghost story session tomorrow evening?"
"I..."
"Great, we’ll go together!"
"...Each person has to tell a story."
"I’ll prepare one for you; I have to search for one online anyway," Brother Nan said. "I know this niche forum. They write really good ghost stories, not those clichés, so it’s unlikely to repeat others. You can just read it aloud then."
"Okay."
"I have to rush back now." Brother Nan felt a coolness where she had been sitting and patted her pants. "Our class said they’re having a dinner party this week. Does your class have any plans? We could do it together."
"I’m just the class psychology representative."
"Oh... that’s true!"
"Goodbye."
"Right."
Li Daimao was quick to leave.
Zhou Li also turned and headed towards the academic buildings. His new mountain bike was parked there, and he needed to ride back.
Huai Xu was still brimming with excitement, saying, "Li Daimao is so much fun! Zhou Li, you’ve found a treasure... She’s not afraid at all. You were always afraid I would eat you!"
"Normal."
Zhou Li felt that Brother Nan was even more of an enigma than a demon. After all, demons could at least be explained as aliens.
Zhou Li glanced back. He could still see Brother Nan’s retreating figure under a distant streetlight, small as a bean, disappearing around a corner.
Meanwhile, Huai Xu beside him began to busily report her findings of the day: "There are many Great Demons in this city; it might be tough for us to do business here. Ordinary demons don’t dare make trouble here, and those who do are mostly trouble themselves. Luckily, I’m formidable."
"I’ve noticed there are a few demons in your school."
"There are some in the neighboring schools too."
"I’ve also noticed that although the city is quite peaceful, there are many menacing auras in the surrounding areas. There might be business opportunities."
"Surrounding areas?" Zhou Li interjected.
"Yes, the surrounding counties."
"That’s not exactly close."
"Right, it would take days to walk there. How should I put this... It’s like the center of the Demon Kingdom, where all is beautiful in the light, but the shadows are a gathering of all that’s evil." Huai Xu said, glancing at Zhou Li. "This kind of business definitely makes money fast, but there’s also some danger. I don’t mind by myself, but you’re attending university. I don’t think we should get involved in this kind of thing."
"Right."
"I also heard from a little demon that there seem to have been traces of a Heavenly Master here, one or two, probably fools who were drawn here. I’m worried there might be others who’ll compete with us for business." Although they didn’t have any business yet, Huai Xu was thinking far ahead. "But I’m not afraid. It’s just the start of a new era now; Heavenly Masters are quite weak. If anyone dares to steal our business... I’ll kill them!"
"..."
"I suggest we open a shop. It would be more efficient."
"..."
"Huh? Why aren’t you saying anything?" Huai Xu was already relishing their business prospects. "We can rent a storefront, hang up a sign, find someone who can write to scribble a few words. Let me think about what to write..."
"Feudal superstitions will be shut down," Zhou Li couldn’t help but interrupt.
"Who would dare!?"
"The government."
"Oh." Huai Xu acknowledged the formidable opponent. "Then a small stall would also suffice. I see others setting them up, on overpasses, under bridges. It’s not too much trouble. Just spread out a cloth..."
"..."
"Is it okay?"
"Not okay."
"Why?"
"Just because."
"..."
Huai Xu’s lips immediately puckered.
She found Zhou Li difficult to communicate with. If it were Li Daimao, they would probably have agreed before she even finished speaking.
The singing grew clearer.
Around a corner, Zhou Li saw the group he had encountered on his first day of school: members of the guitar club. There were a dozen or so people, fully absorbed, radiating the vibrant energy of youth.
It seemed they would find a place to play every evening, mainly at various quiet intersections.
Sometimes they would sing.
Sometimes just play their instruments.
The club recruitment had just ended. Compared to a few days ago, there were a few new faces among the players.
Zhou Li saw two familiar ones.
One was Senior Sister Wang Dan from his own department.
The other was the class president from the Economics and Management department’s female student cohort.
Many passersby stood in front listening, and some took out their phones to record. Zhou Li passed through them and also stopped to watch.
"University life is so much fun, even more fun than I imagined," Huai Xu’s voice came from beside him.
"Right."
「Today indeed was a remarkable day for Brother Nan; she encountered the second demon of her life.」
And she even touched it!
How remarkable was it?
Almost as remarkable as the first time she bought a scratch card—
It was during her preschool days. She happened upon twenty cents on the way to school—a blue bill. At that time, the convenience store by the school gate was popularizing scratch cards, exactly twenty cents each. She bought one.
She won two yuan.
Then she bought ten more.
Yikes...
But to be fair, it seemed remarkable only in retrospect. At the time, she didn’t find it remarkable at all. She assumed that’s what happened when you bought a scratch card. Otherwise, why call it a lottery?
「By the time she returned to her dormitory, it was almost ten o’clock.」
Brother Nan’s room was on the first floor, at the end of the corridor. She deliberately went into Zhong Xin’s room as she passed by to mention the dinner gathering. Their two classes were practically indistinguishable. They had the same head teacher, attended classes together, and were matched male-female formations during military training. Since they would have to choose their majors again in their second year, it was fitting to foster good relations. So, she and Zhong Xin hit it off right away.
Returning to her own room, Baozi was already in bed.
Two endearingly unladylike girls were still sitting on the lower bunk. One was furiously chatting on QQ on her computer, while the other was playing King of Glory and calling out "Bro!"
The return of Brother Nan immediately drew their attention—
"Wow, Brother Nan is back! Does your club meeting always last this long? Or did you sneak off for a date?" Mianmian stopped typing halfway and turned her head, her eyes shining. "Tell me all about the progress!"
Qian Qian, however, greeted her differently: "Brother Nan, you’re finally back! Quick, I’ve prepared hot water for your feet; it’s still hot!"
"I just had a chat with a friend." Seeing a bucket of water next to her seat, apparently with foot-bath salts sprinkled in, and a bag of duck necks on her desk, Brother Nan asked, "What’s all this for?"
"Brother Nan, I love you!"
Brother Nan looked bewildered.
"To be honest, Brother Nan, I’m looking to get out of singlehood."
Brother Nan was still taken aback.
"I think Zhong En is not bad."
"..."
Well, so that’s what this is about!
Brother Nan waved her hand dismissively and sat down, starting to take off her shoes. "Lately, I’ve really been craving chestnuts, the peeled kind."
"Consider it done!"
"Are you that desperate?"
"Absolutely!" Qian Qian declared. "There are just a few good-looking guys in our department. If I don’t make a move soon, they’ll be snatched away by some other seductive tramps. You’ve got Zhou Li, so you’re not worried, huh!"
"Zhou Li is my Little Brother."
"Then introduce him to me."
"No way!"
"..." Qian Qian clapped her hands once, then spread them helplessly.
"It’s for Zhou Li’s sake," Brother Nan explained, pausing briefly, "and for yours. You wouldn’t be able to win him over."
"And you actually believe that yourself..."
"Because it’s true," Brother Nan said seriously. "Anyway, I don’t understand you. I don’t think boyfriends are fun at all. Games are way more fun by comparison."
"That’s easy for you to say. You’re attractive, so of course, you don’t lack suitors. But we’re not like that."
"Wrong. Very few people pursue me."
"Like I’d believe that," Qian Qian said, already searching for chestnuts on a takeout app. "How does that saying go? A boyfriend is like the dishes in the canteen—although they might not be great, if you go late, you’ll find there’s nothing left."
"I think the canteen dishes are alright," Brother Nan commented.
"I also think Zhou Li is quite nice," Baozi chimed in, sticking his head out from the upper bunk.
Brother Nan stared at him, speechless.