"This..."

"What's wrong?"

"Erm..."

"You want to return the favor?"

"No, not at all!" Zhou Li awkwardly looked away.

"You're hemming and hawing..." Brother Nan looked at him with some disdain. Honestly, I'm so much more decisive! "Get up. Let's go, we're heading back!"

"Oh."

Zhou Li got up from the ground. His butt was already ice-cold.

The full moon had traveled from the horizon to directly overhead, still casting down its watery, silver moonlight, utterly cold. Brother Nan was still walking ahead, following the downhill path. Her pace always involuntarily quickened, forcing her to consciously control her own speed.

Zhou Li silently followed behind, holding his breath.

His heart was pounding fiercely now, his ears starting to burn, and it felt as if the veins behind them were also throbbing rhythmically. But just like with thievery, he lacked any relevant experience in matters of love. Due to his upbringing, his reactions were even a bit duller than the average person's.

He looked at his wristwatch. It was 12:11 a.m.

The night seemed unusually quiet at this time. Except for the sound of their footsteps, almost no other sounds could be heard. Suddenly, the distant barking of dogs from the village below reached them, but it only made the night seem more desolate.

Zhou Li finally spoke up, "You're still not going home this late. What will your family think?"

"It's perfectly normal."

"Normal?"

"Normal."

"Oh."

"How much did you earn yesterday?"

"A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"Enough to buy a villa."

"Rich, huh."

"Uh..."

Zhou Li suddenly felt a bit more at ease; it seemed it wasn't just him—Brother Nan also didn't know what to say anymore.

They went down the mountain and got in their cars.

Zhou Li waved to Brother Nan.

Brother Nan waved to him.

Zhou Li bid farewell to Brother Nan.

Brother Nan bade him farewell.

Zhou Li was in a daze.

Brother Nan reminded him to drive slowly, to be careful.

Zhou Li returned her exact words.

Finally, it was Brother Nan who raised her car window first. With a step on the gas, she drove onto the road as if fleeing, leaving the place.

Watching the taillights grow fainter and disappear around a bend, Zhou Li hastily started his own vehicle. He intended to signal a turn but realized his hand was shaking. He stopped the motion, calmed himself, and leaned back, resting fully against the seat.

"Whew..."

The breath he exhaled fogged up the windshield for a moment before quickly clearing.

He looked again in the direction Brother Nan had left.

Her car was no longer visible, but due to the uneven road surface, her headlights flickered on the distant mountains as the car bounced, sparkling intermittently.

Could this be... Zhou Li couldn't help but ponder. Is this the start of our romantic relationship?

He touched his face.

A little over ten minutes later, Brother Nan messaged to say she had gotten home, waking Zhou Li from his trance. He promptly put the car in gear and set off.

Driving at night was a bit less stressful than during the day. In the daytime, there were too many cars, and the small roads were too narrow. At night, he could take up both lanes, though he still drove slowly.

「Yan City, the old residential district.」

Only a few dim lights provided illumination, yet even they were blocked by the dense foliage of the Small Ye Rong trees.

Zhou Li didn't mind; he walked leisurely in the extreme dimness, not in a rush at all, his mind filled with jumbled thoughts—he had already moved on from Brother Nan's peck to more profound possibilities.

It wasn't until he reached the entrance of his apartment building that he remembered to look back.

There was no sign of Lao Hui or Xiao Yuan, and no stray cats either; presumably, they had all gone to sleep by this point.

When he returned home, it was empty.

Zhou Li went straight to his bedroom, sat down on the lower bunk, and took out his phone to text Brother Nan—

Zhou Li: Arrived.

Then he stared at the screen.

The time was 1:40 a.m.

Brother Nan's response came back incredibly fast—

Li Daimao: So late?

Zhou Li: Drove slowly.

Li Daimao: Oh, oh, that's understandable.

Zhou Li looked at the message, hesitated for a long time, his gaze sweeping randomly around the room, and finally, he lowered his head again.

Zhou Li: Um, so we…

Li Daimao: Speak human language.

Zhou Li: So, what's next for us...

Li Daimao: Confess, you idiot.

Zhou Li: ?

Confess? Confess what? How to confess? Who should confess to whom? How should I agree so it feels right? What if I just reply with an "okay" and Brother Nan thinks I'm being too casual?

Li Daimao: Aren't you going to confess to me?

Li Daimao: What's wrong with you?

Zhou Li: …

Zhou Li scratched his head, typing: Do we still need to confess? Haven't we already held hands and kissed?

Li Daimao: You still have to go through the motions, you know.

Zhou Li: I'm a bit shy.

Li Daimao: Hurry up.

Zhou Li: Actually, it's the same whether you confess to me or I confess to you...

Li Daimao: ...

Li Daimao: How about this, let's leave it to fate to decide?

Zhou Li: It won't be biased towards you, right?

Li Daimao: [Image]

Li Daimao: I have a coin here. In a moment, I'll toss it into the air, catch it, and then adjust it. If it lands heads, you confess to me. If it lands tails, I'll confess to you.

Zhou Li: What do you mean by "adjust"?

Li Daimao: Literally.

Zhou Li: Can I object?

Li Daimao: Please keep quiet during the examination period.

Zhou Li: I choose tails.

Li Daimao: Fine.

Li Daimao: I'm going to toss it now.

Li Daimao: [Image]

Li Daimao: See? Tails.

Zhou Li: Oh.

It seems fate truly decrees it so.

Zhou Li: How should I confess?

Li Daimao: Answer your own question. No consulting others.

Zhou Li: Is it really okay to confess on QQ?

Li Daimao: Then use Alipay.

Zhou Li: …

Li Daimao: Hurry up, don't be coy.

Zhou Li: Brother Nan, I like you.

Zhou Li: Let's be in a relationship.

Just a dozen words, yet it felt like he had run dozens of kilometers, exhausting all his energy, leaving him sitting on the bed motionless, staring at the screen.

Brother Nan sent several emojis in a row, all expressing surprise; some even looked like shock, as if she knew nothing about this and was completely unprepared.

Zhou Li stared blankly, black lines starting to form on his forehead.

Li Daimao: Oh my God!!

Li Daimao: You actually confessed to me!

Li Daimao: Unbelievable!

Li Daimao: Pfft, I totally didn't expect it, hahaha...

Li Daimao: I need a couple of days to think about it.

Zhou Li was filled with question marks again.

What's going on? Another blind spot in my knowledge.

Li Daimao: Screenshot taken.

Li Daimao: I'm logging off now.

Li Daimao: Goodnight.

Zhou Li numbly replied "Goodnight," still utterly baffled. It took a good while for him to come back to his senses—

That's it? It's over just like that?

After a long pause, he finally put down his phone.

He had moved his towel and toothbrush to her place, but even if he hadn't, he probably wouldn't have had the mind to wash up. So, he just cupped some water to splash on his face and rub it, then cupped some more to rinse his mouth. The cold water was chilling, making him feel a bit more alert.

He returned to his room.

The bunk beds, both upper and lower, were a mess, especially the upper bunk, where Huai Xu had been sleeping these past few days.

Zhou Li lay on his bed, forcing himself to close his eyes.

He quickly opened them again.

Because as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see were Brother Nan's expressions and actions, especially the peck from earlier tonight, as well as their chat history. He was a person with a rich imagination; he even pictured Brother Nan's state as she messaged him—probably sprawled on her bed with a goofy grin, wriggling around, and after achieving her goal, rolling back and forth on the bed, her feet even alternately patting the mattress.

Gradually, even with his eyes open, he couldn't resist—

Brother Nan's image started to appear on the wooden slats of the upper bunk.

Zhou Li flipped over, picked up his phone, opened QQ, and messaged Huai Xu, trying to distract himself.

Zhou Li: Are you asleep?

BANG!

A light creak came from the upper bunk, followed by Huai Xu's voice, "What do you want from me?"

Zhou Li fell silent for a moment. This Old Monster's actions are always incomprehensible. After some thought, he said, "I 'harvested' some vegetables, remember to take them back."

"Was it fun?"

"Fun."

"Stealing stuff or hanging out with Brother Nan—which is more fun?"

"Both are fun."

"See? You think stealing is fun too, don't you?" Huai Xu leaned over the edge of the upper bunk, his upper body poking out to look at him. "Your method is no good, it's not thrilling. That's not even stealing, it's just playing. If you really think it's fun, I could take you..."

"Stop!"

"Roger that!"

Huai Xu stared at Zhou Li; the darkness was like daylight to his eyes. He quickly discerned Zhou Li's unease. "What's the matter? Did Brother Nan hit you again?"

"What?"

"You seem off."

"How do you know?"

"You think you can hide it from me? I knew it at a glance!"

"How could you tell?"

"That's a funny question. You think I wouldn't recognize myself?"

"..." Zhou Li, illuminated by a faint light, stared at his own face hanging from the upper bunk and found himself at a loss for words. "I just confessed to Brother Nan?"

"What??"

The Old Monster's eyes suddenly widened—

"You took the initiative?"

"Whoa!"

"That's not like you at all!!"

"How did you confess? Tell me!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... This is big..."

Zhou Li quietly turned over, facing the wall and lying on his side, not looking at Huai Xu nor letting Huai Xu see him. "It wasn't me who took the initiative. She kissed me first. Then we flipped a coin to decide who would confess to whom. I'm a man of my word. But she seems to be acting a bit weird, saying she needs two days to think before giving me an answer... Have you ever been in a relationship?"

BANG!

Huai Xu appeared in front of him.

Now, two Zhou Lis were lying on the same bed, face to face.

Zhou Li wanted to turn over again.

Huai Xu reached out, holding him still, and stared directly at him. "Quick, tell me what happened then!"

As he spoke, his face showed regret.

Such an exciting scene, and he actually missed it because he was helping Zhu Shuang climb the ranks from that trash Silver tier? He'd planned it this morning: he would sneak over, find a place to hide, and eavesdrop. But it was all because of the late-night snack Zhu Shuang had promised!

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