Chapter 77: Chapter 75 I, Ji Ran, Have No Feelings
"So this is the house you’re renting?" Brother Nan cautiously peeked her head around the doorway before stepping inside.
"Come in and have a seat."
"It’s so big and nicely decorated; the rent mustn’t be cheap, huh?" Brother Nan turned her head and looked around.
"She wouldn’t take my money."
"Oh, your sister again." Suddenly, Brother Nan saw the cat sitting on the coffee table and blinked. "This cat..."
"Tuanzi."
"She’s changed, huh? Starting to grow fur?"
"Maybe."
"Wow, Zhou Li, you’re so narcissistic! To actually have such a big full-length mirror in the living room!"
"I bought it for Tuanzi."
"You think I believe that?"
"Boring."
"You’re boring! You!"
"I’ve got milk and Sprite here, and snacks too."
"I’m stuffed." Brother Nan carelessly flopped down on the sofa, then pressed down on both sides with her hands. "So big and soft. I especially love lounging on the couch. Especially on hot days, falling asleep while watching TV is even more comfortable than a bed."
"Hmm."
Zhou Li also sat down beside her.
His phone buzzed. He took it out and saw a text from Zheng Zhilan—
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Zhou Li thought for a moment and replied: Have you had mooncakes?
Zheng Zhilan: Yes, bought them from down the hill.
Zheng Zhilan: What about you?
Zhou Li: I’ve had some too.
Brother Nan, who was beside him, glanced over and asked, "Who are you texting? Does anyone still send texts in this day and age?"
"A friend."
"Huai Xu?"
"Another one."
"Oh?" Brother Nan was a bit puzzled. When did Zhou Li get a third friend? I thought I was his only one.
"Speaking of Huai Xu, where is he?" Brother Nan asked again.
"He hasn’t come back."
"Oh." Brother Nan paused for a moment. "The day after tomorrow is the showcase; what are your plans after that?"
"What plans?"
"Running for class committee, joining clubs, student council, stuff like that. It’s so much fun!" Brother Nan said, picturing college as a place where lots and lots of people gathered to have fun—of course, they all had to be her little brothers.
"I’m not interested."
Zhou Li had different expectations for university life. He really wanted to make a few friends he could have fun with, but he didn’t want to put in too much effort or have people find out he was different. He’d heard that in university, you could avoid close contact with everyone and still graduate without issues. He wanted to be a salted fish and make a few salted fish friends.
Unexpectedly, Brother Nan didn’t continue to persuade him. After thinking for a long time, she said, "You should still be a class committee member, like a useless one. I specifically asked someone in their second year for you. There are a few committee members who just slack off and do nothing but still get credits. You’re definitely not the type to actively participate in various activities. I worry that you’ll have a headache in your senior year if you lack credits."
"What committee member?"
"The welfare officer, the most irrelevant one, perfect for you," Brother Nan said. "And you’re good-looking, so you’re sure to get elected when you stand up there!"
"Thanks, Brother Nan."
"Hey, no need for thanks!" Brother Nan waved it off, then paused. "But you still have to try joining clubs. You’ve never tried before; what if you find it fun once you do? It’s okay if you sign up and don’t attend. Every club has a bunch of people every year who pay the fee and never show up again."
"How do you know so much?"
"Otherwise, how could I be Brother Nan?"
"True."
Zhou Li thought about it and felt that Brother Nan had a point. Like badminton—he only found it interesting after Zhu Shuang dragged him to play. So, he decided he’d think about it and join some club or department.
Just then, Brother Nan spoke up again, "I’ve already decided. I’ll join the Supernatural Society with you, and you join the Bicycle Association with me."
Zhou Li: ???
Zhou Li said, "I never said I wanted to join the Supernatural Society."
Brother Nan looked at him, confused. "Then what do you want to join? You’re not thinking of something like the Guitar Club or Dance Club to pick up girls, right? Oh, right, you could also join the Badminton Club. Although you’re not that good, it’s the only sport you play."
"No."
"There you go."
"And why should I join the Bicycle Association with you?"
"Because I’ll be joining the Supernatural Society with you."
"..."
Zhou Li wasn’t at a loss for words. He just felt it wouldn’t be right to continue bantering in front of Baozi. But when he turned to look, he saw Baozi squatting at the edge of the coffee table, engrossed in playing with Tuanzi’s tail, which was circling around her feet as if she had gone deaf.
Tuanzi also had her head down, watching Baozi intently play with her tail, keeping silent and looking extraordinarily well-behaved.
Before long, Baozi also joined their conversation. It turned out that despite being more than a meter away, she had still heard Zhou Li and Brother Nan’s conversation. She said, "Then I’ll try to run for welfare officer too."
"Sure thing, don’t worry!"
"Really?"
"Of course! All those little brats are probably aiming for positions like class president, study committee member, or youth league secretary. Heh, they think it’s the start of their climb to the pinnacle of life," Brother Nan chuckled.
"What about you, Brother Nan?"
"I was born at the pinnacle, babe."
"...What I meant was, which position will you run for?"
"Oh, I want to go back to my old job."
"What?"
"Sports committee member," Zhou Li answered for her. "She was the sports committee member in high school."
"And in junior high, and elementary school too," Brother Nan added.
"Oh."
After sitting for a while, perhaps having digested some food, Brother Nan started eating snacks again and complained about the quality of the snacks Zhou Li had bought. Zhou Li took her opinion seriously and made a note on his phone, planning to get better ones for Huai Xu next time.
To prevent any further unexpected incidents, Zhou Li decided to leave as soon as possible.
Standing up, Zhou Li saw Tuanzi squatting at the corner of the coffee table, intently playing with her own tail. He said, "I’m heading out."
Tuanzi turned her head, a pair of bright, sparkling eyes staring at him. "Zhou Li, you humans don’t have tails. Do you feel lonely?"
She asked so suddenly that Zhou Li was momentarily taken aback.
"Yes."
"How pitiful."
"I’ll be back in the afternoon."
"Lord Dumpling won’t run around."
"What a good girl."
Zhou Li casually took the packed box with the shad.
Baozi said from behind him, "Your cat is really cute. You talk to it, and it actually responds."
Zhou Li laughed unconsciously.
Brother Nan then said, "Our school seems to have a cat thief recently. I was browsing forums last night and saw a post from a foreign language teacher and a grad student saying their cats went missing. They found them on campus, so you’d think if the cats ran away, they’d still be in the campus area, right? But no matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find them. People these days..."
"That’s scary," Baozi said.
"That’s scary," Zhou Li echoed.
They walked to the nearest subway station, partly as a stroll to aid digestion, which took about half an hour.
Baozi’s home was located in Wuhua, on Cui Lake South Road, more than twenty kilometers away from the university, but the subway ride was quick.
Zhou Li brought a bottle of wine, following behind Baozi as she knocked on the door. To be honest, he was a bit nervous. He wasn’t good at socializing to begin with, let alone dealing with an uncle he had virtually never met.
The door opened quickly to reveal a round-faced middle-aged man.
Zhou Li thought he didn’t look much like his mother. It’s probably because he’s gained weight in middle age; Mom is very pretty.
"Dad," Baozi called out first.
"Uncle," Zhou Li also nodded and greeted.
"My, how handsome you’ve grown!" The uncle greeted Zhou Li with a beaming smile. "No need to change shoes, just come in as you are."
"Last time I saw you, you were just a little tyke, but even then you were good-looking!" The uncle patted his shoulder.
Zhou Li smiled awkwardly.
Brother Nan also called out, "Uncle."
Following that, his aunt came out from the kitchen. She was a rather dignified middle-aged woman with a very bright smile, though somewhat restrained.
"Aunt."
"Eh!"
"Hello, Auntie."
"Hello, hello, please have a seat. Make yourselves at home," the aunt said, then turned to Baozi. "Xiao Ran, go show them around."
"Oh, come with me."
Baozi led them to the living room and handed them the remote control, saying, "Do you want to watch TV? Fiddle with it yourselves; I don’t know how to use this. I never turn on the TV at home."
Brother Nan curiously asked, "Your parents are so warm. How come you’re always so cold?"
"I’m not," Baozi replied.
"You are."
"I don’t know."
As Brother Nan had said, Zhou Li’s aunt and uncle were incredibly warm, not only to him but also to Brother Nan. Once Baozi mentioned that Zhou Li and Brother Nan had been deskmates in high school and had gotten into university together, they became even warmer towards Brother Nan.
The aunt prepared a table full of home-cooked meals, which tasted very familiar, and the atmosphere around the dining table was very cozy. With Brother Nan there, there was never a dull moment, and Zhou Li spoke even less than her.
The uncle said to them, "Just arrived in Chunming, right? Not far from here is Cui Lake. It’s a pity our house is too low; otherwise, you could see it from the window. After we eat, have Xiao Ran take you for a walk around. You young people won’t have fun with us old folks anyway."
"Sure," Zhou Li nodded.
"I want to visit the supermarket," Brother Nan said. "I haven’t been to a big supermarket in so long."
"There’s a Wanda nearby," the uncle mentioned.
"That’s great!"
"Tell Ji Ran to bring her camera along and take some pictures for you as a keepsake. She takes pretty good photos," the uncle suggested before lifting his wine glass for a small sip, squinting his eyes in enjoyment.
"That would be fantastic!"
Actually, Brother Nan wanted to have a couple of drinks too, but since it was her first time there, she was a bit too embarrassed to ask. And what if I end up drinking Baozi’s dad under the table...?
After sitting for a while post-dinner, Ji Ran took her camera and led them out the door, donning a white fisherman’s hat.
The uncle saw them to the door and said, "Zhou Li, Xiao Nan, come and visit more often. Look out for each other at school, and if there’s anything, feel free to call us."
Zhou Li and Brother Nan both nodded in agreement.
Once outside, as expected, Cui Lake was not far, and it was very close to Cai University’s main campus, which likely meant expensive housing prices.
Cui Lake itself wasn’t particularly stunning, but it was very pleasant, benefiting from Chunming’s unique climate. The lakeside was lined with flowers blooming all year round and plenty of benches for people to sit and rest. It looked pretty from every angle, and many people were feeding the seagulls.
Zhou Li wanted to find a quiet place to sit for a while, but Brother Nan dragged him around, constantly taking pictures.
Ji Ran followed them silently like a robot, taking pictures whenever they asked, resting when they wanted to, and even joining them for ice cream.