「10:30 PM.」
The Immortal Pen session had finally ended.
Ever since Huai Xu started causing trouble, the entire classroom had remained enveloped in a dense atmosphere of horror, with everyone barely holding on. It's important to note that not everyone who joins the Supernatural Society firmly believes in the existence of ghosts and deities; most people participate just for fun. Today, many people's beliefs were overturned.
Everyone left the classroom quietly. Some whispered to their companions, their voices slightly trembling. When going downstairs, they had to call out to turn on the hallway lights and carefully avoid the shadows. The Club President was no exception. The only ones who probably weren't afraid were Zhou Li and Brother Nan. They walked leisurely under the shadow of the streetlights on a secluded path.
"HAHAHA, that was hilarious! Where is he now?"
"Right here."
"Let me feel... I can't touch him?"
"He dodged."
"Hey! This academic building will now have a legend about the Immortal Pen. Maybe in a few days..." Brother Nan turned her head, glancing at the few classrooms in the academic building that still had their lights on. "Those preparing for grad exams won't dare to come here for self-study if they don't have enough money in their Alipay."
"..." Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu.
"Where are you heading today?" Brother Nan suddenly asked again.
"Back to the dorm."
"Oh, that's on the way."
Two shadows, side by side, chatted as they walked further and further away.
「Dormitory 502.」
Chang Xiaoxiang opened the door for Zhou Li, then walked back with stiff steps to sit down and continue playing on his computer. Zhou Li glanced over and saw layers of QQ chat windows on Chang Xiaoxiang's computer screen, set against a pink background. The rapid CLICK-CLACK of keys filled the air. After finishing typing, Chang Xiaoxiang would smoothly switch to another window, contemplate for a moment, then continue typing.
Zhou Li wasn't surprised.
Though Chang Xiaoxiang didn't look frail, he used to lack physical activity. A few days ago, during the sports meet, he had sprinted twice and pulled a ligament from overexertion. It still hadn't healed.
Chen Yang said he had torn something in his groin.
As for the QQ chats... well... he had a wide social circle.
After Zhou Li had washed up, he lay down on his bed. The dormitory beds weren't comfortable—they were hard and narrow, and the sheets and duvet covers weren't very soft against the skin. But listening to his silly roommates gossip was still enjoyable.
Chen Yang mentioned that some guys in Class One had a fight in their dorm.
Chang Xiaoxiang talked about some girls in Class Two who had a huge fight in theirs.
Their class representative seemed to be getting quite close with a senior from the athletics department recently.
The academic monitor from Class Four, though she still often hung around Brother Nan, seemed to have given up her unrealistic desires.
The student union president had already started preparing acts for the welcome party.
The Literature Academy's welcome party might be held before theirs, probably in early to mid-November. The welcome parties for the Literature and Sports Academies always had the highest entertainment value, followed by the Foreign Languages Academy, which was known for its many beautiful students. The Sports Academy's party even implemented a strict ticket system, making tickets a hot commodity every year.
...
Zhou Li didn't even know where they got their information or how they knew so many things. Even Liu Zhengming was surprisingly well-informed, yet Zhou Li himself knew nothing.
However, perhaps because he was back, the others seemed especially excited, talking nonstop until 1:00 AM. Fortunately, university dorms didn't have the strict discipline of high schools.
It wasn't quiet after that either—a triple serenade of sleep-talking, snoring, and teeth-grinding.
Zhou Li wasn't picky about his sleeping conditions. He still got up early the next day, neatly folded his quilt, and got out of bed to wash up. He brushed his teeth while wandering around the dorm.
Chang Xiaoxiang was already awake, wrapped in his blanket and looking groggy. The other two were still sleeping like pigs.
Then Zhou Li began cleaning the dormitory. Seeing this, Chang Xiaoxiang finally got out of bed and, enduring his injury, helped him clean—he was much more diligent than Chen Yang and Liu Zhengming.
Today was Monday, and the dormitory management was due for an inspection. The trash needed to be taken out as well. Trash cans cannot hold trash. It was okay to randomly place things on the desk, but it couldn't be too messy; you couldn't just throw everything on it. Chen Yang had so many shoes they couldn't fit in the shoe cabinet and had to be placed beside it; Zhou Li wondered if that would cause them to lose points.
Only after they had finished tidying up did Chen Yang and Liu Zhengming finally wake up.
This morning's first class, "Military Theory," had successfully transitioned to an online course, and the second block of classes was Introduction to Life Sciences.
Chen Yang was fussing in bed, not wanting to go, but when it was time for class, he still dragged himself up.
「In the classroom.」
Zhou Li sat next to Brother Nan, and his three roommates sat behind him. They took the opportunity before class started to look for and discuss good-looking female classmates.
Suddenly, Zhou Li tapped Brother Nan's arm. "I'm thinking of getting my driver's license this semester. How about you?"
"When?"
"This semester."
"When, exactly?"
"I'll sign up in a few days." Zhou Li paused. "I checked, and if I don't fail any tests, I could get the license in a little over a month."
"Then I'll sign up too!"
"Together?"
"Of course!"
"Okay, I'll ask the others too."
"The more, the merrier. We can share a car for practice."
"Right."
So, Zhou Li turned back and asked his three roommates. They were tempted, but since they were all class committee members and had joined corresponding student associations, they said they were too busy in their first semester. They planned to get their driver's licenses next semester or in their sophomore or junior year.
Zhou Li nodded and asked Brother Nan, who was beside him, "Why are they all so busy, but you're not?"
He remembered Brother Nan had joined eight or nine clubs.
Brother Nan just blinked, her smile hiding daggers.
Zhou Li didn't dare to ask further.
After a while, he heard Brother Nan musing, "Signing up for driving school will cost three or four thousand yuan, back and forth, if I don't fail any tests. This means my savings will take another hit. I know, I'll buy another lottery ticket!"
"Why buy a lottery ticket? Don't you have over 3.6 million followers?" Zhou Li couldn't help asking.
"Didn't you read my profile? I said I don't do ads, live streaming, or join MCNs," Brother Nan replied. "I just do that stuff for fun because I was bored in high school. If I started doing it for money, the whole vibe would change."
"True, it's not like you're short on money anyway."
"Hmm... Huh? How did you know I have so many followers?" Brother Nan suddenly asked. "Didn't you say you hadn't looked at my profile?"
"AHEM! AHEM!"
"Zhou Lili!" Brother Nan stared at Zhou Li teasingly and winked. "You're not being honest, are you!"
"Brother Nan, I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
"I'll change your contact name back."
"So you still haven't changed it?"
"I'll change it to 'Brother Nan.' I'll do it as soon as I get back."
"Zhou Lili."
"I really know I was wrong. I'll change it right away."
"Hmph..."
Brother Nan hadn't initially wanted to agree. But seeing Zhou Li's aggrieved expression and the way he spoke, it felt a bit like he was sulking playfully.
What else could she do? She supposed she had no choice but to forgive him.
After class, Brother Nan invited a few girls from her dormitory to lunch. During the meal, she asked them about the driving license too. Baozi said she had already gotten her driver's license during the summer break. Mianmian was also very busy. Qian Qian decided she would take the exam next year with Mianmian to avoid being a third wheel.
So, after lunch, Brother Nan and Zhou Li went back to their dorms to get their ID cards, then arranged to head to the driving school to sign up.
Zhou Li was waiting with his bicycle at the entrance of the residential area for Brother Nan.
Soon, Brother Nan arrived, pushing a filthy bicycle. What on earth did she do yesterday? Zhou Li clearly remembered her bike had been spotless just the evening before last when she'd given her cousin a ride.
"What did you do yesterday? Your bike is covered in so much mud."
"That's not mud!" Brother Nan frowned.
"Then what is it?"
Seeing Brother Nan's serious expression, Zhou Li had a premonition—Brother Nan was probably about to lecture him.
Sure enough, Brother Nan declared sternly, "This is a patina! It protects the paint. I got it while off-roading yesterday afternoon. HEH HEH, and guess what? On the way back, I even took a tumble!"
"And you know what? The paint was totally unscathed!"