"Zhou Li, what are you doing?"
Brother Nan had her hands in her coat pockets, staring straight at Zhou Li. She was still wearing pale white work pants and khaki work shoes. She had always been fond of this style of dress, which made her look tall and leggy. However, the style was bold and had nothing to do with being soft and cute.
A tuft of hair on her head was politely bent at the end.
Zhou Li couldn’t help but glance at the top of Brother Nan’s head, watching the tuft of hair repeatedly bowing in the wind; he found it incredibly amusing.
"I’m just sitting on the lawn for a while."
"Why not play some sports? How about playing basketball with me?"
"Then let’s play badminton," Brother Nan said, then turned to Baozi. "Do you know how to play badminton?"
"A little," Baozi answered.
"Then take your cousin out to play badminton."
"And also bring the other guy from your dorm, the quiet one! How can a guy at this age be so introverted? He won’t find a girlfriend in all four years of university..." Brother Nan said.
That cowlick of hers is really meddlesome, Zhou Li thought.
"Take care, Brother Nan."
Brother Nan didn’t look back but just raised her hand in a wave and strode directly toward the basketball gym.
Zhou Li then turned to Baozi.
Baozi looked at him and after a moment of silence, said, "I’m not very good. What about you?"
"World champion level."
"..." Baozi was somewhat speechless and silently turned to walk to the side. "I’ll go borrow the equipment. You call your roommate, and I’ll call the other two from our dorm. It’s more fun with more people."
So Zhou Li went to find Liu Zhengming.
Chen Yang had also gone to play basketball. Chang Xiaoxiang was watching from the sidelines; he seemed to know a little but wasn’t very good, so he was too embarrassed to join in, leaving only Liu Zhengming sitting on the lawn watching the sports majors practice sprinting.
Faced with Zhou Li’s invitation, Liu Zhengming said somewhat sheepishly, "I’ve never played badminton..."
"You don’t need to learn."
"I don’t believe it."
Zhou Li looked very serious.
After a moment of hesitation, Liu Zhengming agreed.
The two left the soccer field and walked to the badminton courts; Baozi had already borrowed the equipment. But since the courts were crowded, they found an empty spot next to the basketball courts and drew some lines.
After they got organized, the game began.
Liu Zhengming indeed had never played badminton. Baozi and Mianmian played averagely, and Qian Qian played a bit better.
Zhou Li was very considerate toward them.
Badminton is a sport that is typically easy to pick up but has a high skill ceiling. For beginners, you just need to aim at the shuttlecock flying towards you and hit it to the other side; you don’t need pinpoint accuracy, and it’s easier than table tennis or tennis.
Playing against Zhou Li was even simpler.
You just had to hit the shuttlecock over the line, and Zhou Li would reliably hit it back to you.
For beginners, there is no need for frequent jumps, position changes, or other explosive moves; the intensity is moderate.
The only risk is possibly straining an arm muscle if you play too long.
Before long, Zhou Li was warmed up and handed his racket to Baozi. Taking off his jacket, he held it in his arms and looked around.
Those playing basketball had their jackets hanging on the basketball hoop stands, but those were already full. Just as Zhou Li was wondering what to do, Brother Nan’s voice suddenly came from behind—
"Just put it on the ground. Why fuss about it?"
Zhou Li turned around and saw Brother Nan standing behind him.
That makes sense, Zhou Li thought, so he found a relatively clean spot and carelessly placed his jacket on the ground.
He turned back and continued to play.
He hadn’t walked far when Zhou Li suddenly felt something was off. Something’s not right, he thought.
Turning around, he saw Brother Nan had also taken off her jacket and placed it neatly on top of his. When one corner accidentally touched the ground, she even carefully picked it up.
Brother Nan straightened up, meeting his gaze without a hint of guilt, "Is badminton fun?"
"I’ll join in for a bit later," Brother Nan said as she warmed up her arms and twisted her neck. "After I play basketball a little longer."
If the heavens had any eyes, they’d surely take her away, Zhou Li thought.
Zhou Li silently went back, watching Baozi and Mianmian gently rally, hitting the shuttlecock back and forth more than a dozen times.
It had to be said, the average attractiveness in Brother Nan’s dorm was quite good. Even excluding Brother Nan and Baozi, the other two girls—cute despite their unladylike habits—were above average in looks. With a bit of makeup, they were quite eye-catching at the College of Life Sciences.
Several people stood watching.
Zhou Li stood for a few minutes before it was his turn to play.
On the other side was Qian Qian. Perhaps her name was Li Qianqian, or maybe Zhang Qianqian, Zhou Li thought. I can’t remember.
Both girls had always been enthusiastic towards him. Qian Qian squinted her eyes and smiled, "Handsome Zhou, go easy on me!"
Qian Qian wore a plaid skirt, small leather shoes on her feet, a shirt on top, and even a tie, looking very prim and proper. But who could imagine her picking her feet in the dorm?
Qian Qian smiled as she tossed the shuttlecock into the air, looked up, her chest puffed out, and even let out a "HUP!" as she hit the shuttlecock over.
Zhou Li silently returned it.
It took a dozen or so exchanges before she lost the point.
But she was not discouraged at all, panting as she ran to pick up the shuttlecock, her skirt fluttering.
So adorable, Zhou Li thought.
Zhou Li glanced aside and noticed several burly men watching with interest.
Suddenly, a tall male student came over. He asked with a smile, "Can I join?"
Qian Qian looked over, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"Of course, you can!"
Zhou Li also knew this student. They were in the same military training squad; it was Zhong En, whom Chang Xiaoxiang and Chen Yang had gossiped about in the dormitory. He was in the same class as Baozi and Qian Qian, and also a class monitor. According to Chen Yang, this person coveted Brother Nan’s beauty.
Zhou Li, in a leisurely manner, continued returning Qian Qian’s shots.
Twenty minutes later, Zhong En positioned himself opposite Zhou Li and called out from a distance, "Class Leader, I’m pretty bad at this, go easy on me, okay?"
Zhou Li continued nodding.
Then he saw Zhong En toss the shuttlecock up and serve a forehand.
The shuttlecock shot up high, traveling far and fast, immediately setting him apart from the previous players.
The style of the game changed.
Zhou Li returned the shot, but it went a bit high.
Zhong En performed a jumping smash.
This guy is too modest, not honest at all, Zhou Li thought. Thinking this, he lightly swung his racket, and the shuttlecock swiftly flew back.
A drop shot to the left diagonal.
Zhong En returned it awkwardly.
Zhou Li then hit a backhand drop shot to the right diagonal.
He returned that one too? Zhou Li thought.
Zhou Li feigned a high lob, making Zhong En stay at the back of the court, but instead, he sliced the shuttlecock. It spun lightly and fell, landing just near the line.
Zhong En had already charged forward, but he was too late.
He hurriedly picked up the shuttlecock, clasped his hands in a salute, and said to Zhou Li with a wry smile, "Class Leader, go easy on me..."
Zhou Li still nodded.
A minute later, Classmate Zhong regretfully left the court, wiped the sweat off his face with his T-shirt, and stood on the side, looking rather disgruntled.
Baozi was dressed casually, wearing her school uniform pants as sportswear, canvas shoes, and a long, loose T-shirt. But she had a delicate "bun face," far more charming than any intricately dressed cute girl.
Facing Little Cousin, Zhou Li softened.
The style of the game shifted back.
Back and forth, they played until 5:30 PM.
Little Cousin went to return the rackets and came back just in time for assembly, rubbing her right shoulder while jogging over.
The PE teacher took attendance, calling out names one by one.
After finishing, Brother Nan raised her voice, "Anyone who needs to use the restroom, hurry up. We’re going to the gathering now. It’s a bit far, so please group by dorm and share a Didi. The fare will be advanced, but be sure to get reimbursed by your respective life committee member once you get off."
Pausing, Brother Nan added, "Make sure to get reimbursed. Even if the amount is small, don’t try to be overly generous and pay out of your own pocket."
Then both class leaders posted the address in the group chat.
It was convenient for Dorm 502, as Liu Zhengming was their life committee member; he called for a Didi right away.
During the car ride, Zhong Xin shared the seating chart.
Both classes had booked the entire venue.
Zhou Li sat next to Brother Nan, sharing the table with Little Cousin and a shy boy.
Brother Nan took great care of them; she first went to get a bowl of fruit, then ran back and forth fetching meat and vegetables.
Brother Nan grabbed a bottle of beer and also got them some Weiyi drinks. She used chopsticks to pry off her beer cap, then tilted her head back and gulped it down.
She then evenly spread the streaky pork across the grill to maximize surface area usage, staring at the meat and said, "I heard the price of meat has skyrocketed back home recently, though our cafeteria seems largely unaffected..."
Zhou Li nodded. He had also heard from Aunt Jiang.
After the meat had been grilling for a while, Brother Nan took out her phone to take a picture. "I’m sending this to my mom and brother, hahaha!"
Zhou Li started with a few pieces of fruit.
Once the meat turned golden brown and slightly charred, sizzling with fat, he picked some up, dipped it into the sauce, wrapped it in lettuce, and stuffed it into his mouth. The cold lettuce and hot meat combined wonderfully.
The restaurant also had Dai-style lemon dipping sauce, sour and spicy. Zhou Li initially wasn’t used to it, but now he found it very tasty.
As they ate, the atmosphere grew lively.
Stimulated by the alcohol, several boys unconsciously raised their voices, and some wandered around with beer and glasses, toasting others.
It was annoying how some people just didn’t know their limits, insisting that others drink. If you didn’t drink, it was as if you were making things difficult for them.
And when Zhou Li said he didn’t drink, no one believed him.
Luckily, Brother Nan was there.
Brother Nan could handle her liquor well, loved drinking, and never turned down a toast. Coupled with her readiness to drink with anyone who challenged her, she soon had quite a few people under the table.
Brother Nan shook her head and leaned in to whisper to Zhou Li, "Young people these days are really ridiculous. They can’t hold their liquor but still love to pressure others to drink, just putting on an act... By the way, shall we pull an all-nighter after we’re done eating?"
"I don’t want to go."
"I’ll take you gaming."
"I’ll send you a red packet."
"I..." Zhou Li pursed his lips, turned his head, and reached out to touch Brother Nan’s cowlick. "Brother Nan, you’re a bit drunk."