Chapter 89: Chapter 87 What Use Do I Have for You Roommates
September 19, Thursday, overcast.
Early in the morning, Zhou Li had just pulled open the curtains when he saw clouds like black smoke drifting across the pale white sky, their forms shifting and indistinct. The sun struggled to pierce the cloud layer, succeeding only in making the horizon appear exceptionally bright.
For the city of Chunming, clear skies were the norm, making such weather feel precious.
It’s really cool, Zhou Li muttered to himself.
He walked out of the bedroom and began to wash up.
He’d attended Monday’s classes yesterday, but starting today, he was supposed to follow the normal schedule, though he wasn’t sure how it had been arranged.
Zhou Li opened the Super Class Schedule app.
He had few classes today. A full morning of classes: one Basic Physics and one Calculus. No classes in the afternoon.
It was shaping up to be a very relaxed day.
After washing up, Zhou Li wiped his face with a towel, put on a jacket, and casually glanced into Huai Xu’s room. This old monster never closed her door when she slept, so he saw her with a single glance.
"You haven’t left yet?"
"I’m leaving later today."
"Why are you a girl again?"
"Hm?" Huai Xu looked at Zhou Li, puzzled. "I’ve noticed you always seem to dislike it when I become a girl. Do you have some issue with me?"
"I’m a guy."
"So what if you’re a guy? Sometimes I’m a guy too!"
"You’re too good-looking; it makes me nervous."
Huai Xu was momentarily speechless. Such pleasing words!
After thinking for a long moment, she finally said, "I could understand your nervousness before, but we don’t even live in the same room anymore, and we’re so familiar with each other now. Logically, you should have gotten used to it."
She paused, then put on a serious expression that looked like something she’d learned from Tuanzi. "It is my inherent right to freely change my form!"
"...Okay."
"If you don’t let me change, you’re making things difficult for me!"
"Alright, alright..." Zhou Li zipped up his jacket and, pulling out some change, handed it to her. "I’m going to class. This is your food money for today. Our funds are pretty tight recently, so be frugal."
"Actually, I could be even more frugal."
"No way!"
"There’s just no reasoning with you."
Huai Xu took the money.
Zhou Li waved and headed out with his keys.
Huai Xu’s personality was truly interesting. He clearly couldn’t be considered human anymore; he didn’t even see himself as one. Yet, he retained a human appearance and had peculiar tastes—he loved to switch between male and female forms, never settling on one. He also had very high standards for the attractiveness of his chosen forms.
When Huai Xu was male, it was fine. But when Huai Xu was female, Zhou Li genuinely felt a bit uncomfortable. Spending time alone together or sharing a room felt natural if Huai Xu was male, but it felt a bit strange when Huai Xu was female.
But on further reflection... it was also quite novel. Every time Huai Xu became a girl, Zhou Li needed some internal adjustment; he wasn’t a thick-skinned person, after all. Each time, it felt like Huai Xu was still Huai Xu, yet not quite *that* Huai Xu... It was a convoluted feeling, difficult to articulate and mentally taxing to ponder.
After a morning of classes and then lunch, Zhou Li and Brother Nan went to the Bicycle Association’s orientation meeting.
Compared to the lackluster Supernatural Society, the Bicycle Association was on a much larger scale. They had reportedly recruited over three hundred members this year and had even secured a small auditorium for the orientation, which was quite an impressive display.
At the entrance to the auditorium, two tall girls in bright red qipaos stood by the door.
Zhou Li and Brother Nan found their gazes frequently drawn that way.
Then Brother Nan leaned in and whispered in Zhou Li’s ear, "Those two girls seem to be from the school’s etiquette team. There must be some under-the-table dealings involved."
Zhou Li didn’t reply.
After signing in at the entrance, they went inside. Brother Nan, who had never shown such enthusiasm during classes, pulled Zhou Li to a front-row seat.
She stood up, scanned the entire auditorium, then sat down and said to Zhou Li with disappointment, "There are so few girls here, though still a better ratio than in the Supernatural Society."
"Girls aren’t as into sports."
"True," Brother Nan nodded and settled down.
The orientation meeting began soon after.
The general procedure was similar to the Supernatural Society’s orientation, but the differences in execution were vast.
For one, the Bicycle Association was more organized and impressive. They not only had greeters and members specifically maintaining order but also held a raffle with prizes. Brother Nan easily won a helmet. Although it was only worth a few hundred yuan, it was still the second prize.
The first prize was a mountain bike worth over two thousand yuan.
Brother Nan quietly told Zhou Li it was rigged, but she found it understandable and didn’t press the issue.
Secondly, their presentations had real substance. They showcased various past activities: mountain bike cross-country races, individual road races, cycling tours around Dian Lake, the Yunnan-Tibet line, and the great Shangri-La loop. The photos, looking as if taken by professional journalists, were dazzling, making everyone overlook any potential exaggeration.
So impressive...
So impressive...
Brother Nan and Zhou Li exchanged glances, thoroughly awed.
Soon, the Club President stepped down, and a rather tall senior girl took the stage. Her looks were above average—quite good, actually. Zhou Li guessed she was currently the face of the Bicycle Association.
The senior girl introduced herself as the vice president and began to share some basic cycling knowledge and related tips with everyone. The main purpose was to prevent injuries.
Brother Nan stared straight ahead, her mouth slightly agape, appearing to listen but actually completely zoned out.
Finally, the senior girl announced the Bicycle Association’s first activity of the year: "We’re planning to cycle around Dian Lake this Sunday. The standard route around Dian Lake is 100 kilometers, starting from the university and returning to the same point. Please consider your own physical condition carefully before signing up."
"You can sign up via the WeChat official account or by joining the group chat."
"If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. I hope as many of you sign up as possible. Young people shouldn’t be afraid of a little exertion, right? I believe this 100-kilometer ride will not only allow everyone to admire the vastness of Dian Lake and build deep friendships but also experience the charm of cycling..."
And so on, and so on.
Brother Nan perked up. She said to Zhou Li, "My bike arrives tomorrow. Should we sign up too?"
She paused, then added, "Our university is right on the edge of Dian Lake, but I haven’t actually seen the lake yet, despite being here for so long."
Zhou Li nodded.
Brother Nan grinned.
Listening a bit more to the senior girl, she turned to Zhou Li again. "She said we need to wear helmets. Do you have one?"
"No."
"Oh, perfect, I don’t either. I’ll give you the one I just won," Brother Nan said. "That one is really ugly."
"It looks pretty good to me."
"Good-looking? The style is too unconventional, and this color... what’s it called again? Anyway, it’s not something a girl would typically wear." Brother Nan rarely admitted her female identity.
"Iron gray."
"Right, right, iron gray."
Zhou Li figured if he were to say ’army green,’ she would just keep nodding and saying, "Yes, yes, yes."
"Well, do you have cycling shorts?"
"No."
"Your butt might get sore, you know."
"I don’t have any."
"Buy a pair, then. They’re not expensive."
"I’m a bit short on cash recently."
"Hm?" Brother Nan paused. "Isn’t your family quite wealthy? Are you trying to be financially independent? Self-reliant?"
"Yes."
"Oh, me too."
Zhou Li was speechless.
After the meeting, Brother Nan bought a lot of snacks and casually shared some with Zhou Li. The two of them went their separate ways in the residential area.
Walking back to the dorm while munching on a Dragon Claw, Zhou Li heard his roommates’ discussion even before he reached the door—
"The class president is great, the class president is really great!"
"Brother Li’s cousin isn’t bad either!"
"I’d advise you to cool it. That military training instructor from the Physical Education College is built like a tank, and even with several guys, they still got beaten up badly!"
"Hehe... There’s a cute girl in Class Four too!"
"I’m just worried the class organizer from Class Four will be competition for us!"
Zhou Li pushed the door open and walked in calmly. Seeing all three of them sitting in one spot, he held up the snacks in his hand.
"Want some?"
"What is it?"
"Dragon Claws and beef jerky."
"Sure! Perfect timing!" Chang Xiaoxiang quickly grabbed Zhou Li’s stool, moved it over, and said, "Sit, sit!"
"What are you guys talking about?" Zhou Li sat down.
"We’re discussing the get-together tomorrow night," Chang Xiaoxiang said, picking up a piece of beef jerky to eat. "The restaurant’s picked out—we’re having hot pot barbecue. It’ll be four people to a table. To promote friendship between the two classes, we’ve unanimously decided to mix up the seating arrangements, and now we’re figuring out who sits where. I didn’t expect you to buy snacks. Where’d you get them?"
"Brother Nan bought them."
"Hmm..." Chang Xiaoxiang paused, then popped another piece into his mouth. "Let’s continue the discussion!"
"Okay!"
"I want to sit next to the class president..."
"I want to..."
Class activities like this are technically the responsibility of the Organization Committee member and the Living Affairs Committee member. The Living Affairs Committee member is only responsible for financial aspects. And it just so happens that both the Living Affairs Committee member and the Organization Committee member are in Room 502.
These guys were quite excited.
Zhou Li listened for a while. Even the introverted and honest Liu Zhengming seemed to have his seating sorted. This prompted Zhou Li to ask, "Who will I sit next to? Can you arrange for me to sit with some guys? I don’t want to sit with girls."
Zhou Li wasn’t very talkative and felt awkward sitting with girls.
Chang Xiaoxiang and Liu Zhengming exchanged a look, then said with some difficulty, "That’s not for us to decide for you..."
Zhou Li fell silent.
He should have known better than to ask.