After a month and a half of being roommates, if this were any other group of girls online, they probably would have formed several chat groups by now.
But Dormitory 106 had always been harmonious.
This was inseparable from their individual personalities.
Little Cousin was always indifferent, maintaining her constant poker-faced Baozi expression. She was such a salted fish that she couldn't be bothered to argue with anyone, let alone fight. Even if someone didn't like her, she wouldn't care and would sometimes even proactively take a step back.
Mianmian and Qian Qian were the ones prone to causing trouble.
They were the type to start a major spat even over an in-game romance. And it wasn't necessarily about their own romances; it could be about the romance of a member from a friend-of-a-friend's group. It was quite a mouthful to explain...
According to Brother Nan, if these two foot-picking cuties were in any other dorm, they probably would have turned it into a chaotic mess by now.
But in reality, they were actually very timid and easily scared, so they were thoroughly tamed by Brother Nan's unusual presence. Now, they had evolved from being fans of Brother Nan's looks to her hardcore devotees, constantly wanting to admire Brother Nan's face and aura.
However, they didn't consider themselves sycophants; they identified as Brother Nan's harem, her 'Attendants.'
Baozi, on the other hand, was the 'Honored Lady.'
Like tonight, Brother Nan brought her 'Honored Lady' and two 'Attendants' out to play billiards.
In high school, billiards was considered a sport with certain nefarious characteristics, and teachers always forbade students from playing it. For this very reason, Brother Nan's pool skills and cue combat were nothing short of divine, while the three girls were complete novices.
Brother Nan patiently taught them.
Among them, Baozi was the most diligent learner, while the two foot-picking cuties were noisily chattering the whole time—
"Wow, Brother Nan is so talented!"
"Why didn't it go in!?"
"A little to the left, a little to the left..."
"Ugh, so annoying..."
Brother Nan was the one who was truly annoyed; she nearly fainted from frustration!
Boys are really more fun to hang out with than girls!
Back in the dorm, Brother Nan went to take a shower first. When she came out, she saw Mianmian and Qian Qian chatting animatedly, with Baozi occasionally chiming in. Her school uniform had already been brought in by someone and placed on her desk.
"Who picked up my school uniform?" Brother Nan asked.
"I did!" Qian Qian smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescents.
"I'm going to do laundry later, Brother Nan. Do you have any clothes you need washed? I'll do them for you," Mianmian offered, not to be outdone.
"Let me think... I think there's a pair of pants."
"What were you all talking about just now?"
"We were discussing how people from Yi Province like to use reduplicated words when they speak; it's really cute," Qian Qian said.
"Is that so?" Brother Nan thought for a moment. "A bit, I guess."
"What kind of words do you use?"
"...'Corn-stalk-stalks, sweet-potato-clumps, grass-grass-vines, watermelon-seed-seeds, pea-pea-kernels.'" Brother Nan rattled off a whole list effortlessly.
"Brother Nan, you sound so good speaking the Yi Province dialect!" Qian Qian said.
"Eh..." Brother Nan felt a shiver.
"Do grown-ups talk that way too?" Baozi asked.
"Even the elderly speak that way."
"Interesting..." Baozi was doodling on her school uniform. She paused to think. "Then when your mom and dad argue, do they talk like that?"
"My mom usually doesn't argue with my dad; Dad doesn't have that privilege. He does, however, occasionally get a beating."
"Interesting..." Baozi's mouth curled into a smile as she mused, "Yi Province really seems to have a culture of husbands being afraid of their wives. My dad is often terrified by just a change in Mom's expression, even though Mom is actually very gentle."
"It's tolerable, I guess," Brother Nan said.
"So later, when you and Zhou Li are together, will you be afraid of Zhou Li, or will Zhou Li be afraid of you?" Baozi asked, her head tilting earnestly.
"...What are you talking about!"
Brother Nan tried to dodge the topic, but it was too late. With Mianmian and Qian Qian, those two gossipmongers, in the dorm, the name 'Zhou Li' soon began to echo incessantly in her ears—
Zhou Li is gentle, blah blah blah...
Gentle people are the hardest to deal with, blah blah blah...
So many men, formerly high-spirited and daring outside, get completely managed by their wives at home, blah blah blah...
Brother Nan listened dumbfoundedly.
Meanwhile, the instigator had already lowered her head and continued drawing.
Brother Nan was lying flat on her bed, staring blankly at the pristine white ceiling, her eyes unfocused.
Surprisingly, the noise in her ears still hadn't stopped!
The topic of discussion had finally shifted away from her and Zhou Li's hypothetical married life, but she still wasn't off the hook. Now, those two 'Attendants' were unilaterally offering her advice and strategies.
Brother Nan was truly exasperated with them. Why couldn't they learn from Baozi? Being quiet was so much more endearing.
Mianmian said, "Brother Nan, seriously, most girls will subconsciously lower their heads when making eye contact with the person they like."
Did that mean she liked her high school homeroom teacher?
At that moment, Qian Qian continued, "Could Brother Nan be an ordinary girl? Brother Nan, listen to me. Tomorrow, try making eye contact with Zhou Li and see if *he's* the one who lowers his head!"
Just then, a soft stirring sound came from the lower bunk. Brother Nan continued to stare lifelessly at the ceiling, but in her mind, she could already picture the little girl stretching lazily with her arms wide open.
This was followed by the flustered voices of the two foot-picking cuties; they had been so engrossed in gossiping that they had forgotten to wash their faces and brush their teeth.
The world finally quieted down.
「The next day, Wednesday.」
Walking on the sidewalk early in the morning, one could feel the coolness of the dew. Zhou Li and Huai Xu went to the cafeteria for breakfast. It wasn't that Zhou Li was narcissistic, but he genuinely didn't know how many girls were secretly looking at him. This made him feel very uncomfortable.
There was even a boy! This left Zhou Li utterly exasperated.
After breakfast, it was just about time to gather at the sports field.
The department sports meet had no opening ceremony; any necessary announcements were integrated into the flag-raising ceremony. After the leaders' speeches, the student council president, as the student representative, delivered some platitudes and led an oath. Updates are released by nοvelfire.net
With the command to disperse, hundreds of people scattered in a rush. The strains of the 'Athletes' March' began to drift across the entire sports field.
The music was all too familiar, and Zhou Li immediately felt the atmosphere of the sports meet.
Today's main events included shorter ones like the long jump and high jump, along with the fifty-meter and hundred-meter sprints. Zhou Li's two events were scheduled for today. According to the schedule, the long-distance races were slated for the morning of the final day.
Looks like I can slack off tomorrow...
Zhou Li was muttering to himself when suddenly someone patted his left shoulder, and at the same time, he heard Brother Nan's "Hey!"
He turned his head, but there was no one in sight.
Brother Nan appeared from his right, grinning. "What are you mumbling about all by yourself?"
What a childish prank.
Zhou Li didn't respond to her.
Unfazed, Brother Nan went on to ask, "When does your shot put begin?"
"Oh, I'm about to do the high jump. Hold my jacket... and come cheer for your Brother Nan!" While saying this, Brother Nan started removing her school jacket. Underneath, she wore only a very body-hugging short-sleeved t-shirt. It made her look quite tall and lean, her super long legs accentuated by black shorts with white piping.
"Why don't you take it off later? It's cold in the morning."
"Not cold, I'm in good shape."
Brother Nan tossed her jacket to Zhou Li and then walked towards a corner of the field.
Zhou Li followed her.
The staff were still preparing the field, so there was still some time before the competition started. Brother Nan and Zhou Li stood waiting on the sidelines. What Zhou Li found strange was that this girl kept glancing at him.
Zhou Li felt extremely ill at ease.
Five minutes later, when Brother Nan turned to look at him again, Zhou Li finally couldn't take it anymore. He also turned his head and scrutinized her—Brother Nan had faint dark circles under her eyes; she probably hadn't slept well.
"Did you stay up late playing games again last night?"
"Then... are you not feeling well? Why do you keep looking at me?" Zhou Li glanced up at Brother Nan's cowlick. He then subconsciously reached out to touch it, but remembered she had said she would hit him if he touched it again. His outstretched hand paused. Then, changing its trajectory, he reached for Brother Nan's forehead, trying to make it seem less abrupt by asking—
"Do you have a fever?"
Brother Nan slapped his hand away and glared at him fiercely. She felt inexplicably furious.
Zhou Li guiltily lowered his head.
He felt that today's Brother Nan was acting weird; it was probably best not to provoke her.
Suddenly, he felt as though someone was watching him?
He suddenly whipped his head around—and saw a short boy standing below the rostrum. Zhou Li thought he had seen this person on the way to the cafeteria.