"So, I formally welcome you to join our club, Junior Sister Xiao Hua." Zhou Li solemnly put away Xiao Hua's registration form. She was the second member of their club, a fact that made him treat the occasion with utmost seriousness. "Our club activities usually involve getting a meal, grabbing some milk tea, perhaps catching a movie if there's a good one, and also exploring the surrounding areas, like going on adventures and such."

"Adventures?" Xiao Hua was bewildered.

"That's right," Zhou Li nodded.

"We can also meet up to play cards, board games, billiards, basketball, badminton, and the like. As long as it's fun and interesting, we can arrange it. Don't limit ourselves," Brother Nan added with a clear air of leadership. "We need to foster a spirit of innovation, strive to make our activities novel and take them to new heights."

"Oh… Oh…" Xiao Hua only vaguely understood.

"In any case, we'll notify you about activities in the group chat." Brother Nan handed her phone to Xiao Hua. "Join the group, and you'll also need to pay the fee."

"Oh… Oh…"

Xiao Hua quickly took out her phone.

She scanned the code for payment and joined the group. Her mind was still a bit muddled, and she didn't even realize that this club's joining fee was particularly expensive.

When she put down her phone, she noticed that the cat, who had previously been lying in the corner playing cards, had somehow moved in front of her. The cat looked up at her, its eyes vast like the ocean yet filled with stars. With a slight blink from the cat, a meteor shower seemed to fall from them.

A gentle, delicate voice entered her ears, "Welcome, I am Lord Dumpling."

"Damn!"

"Are you afraid of cats?" Zhou Li eyed her.

"No…" Xiao Hua responded quickly. "She just appeared so suddenly, I was afraid she would scratch me."

"She won't. She's very cute." Zhou Li petted Tuanzi on the head and, looking down at the cat, asked, "Isn't that right, Lord Dumpling?"

"Lord Dumpling is super cute!" said Tuanzi.

"Oh… Oh…"

"We won't keep you then," Brother Nan said. "If you have any questions, ask us in the group chat. You're new to the school and don't know your way around yet. You can ask us anything, especially about food—no one is more expert in that area than us."

"Oh, goodbye then…"

Xiao Hua was still a bit dazed. She took a few steps, then turned back to look at them.

The evening sun cast a dazzling golden light beneath the red pavilion tent. Zhou Li was holding Tuanzi's face and talking to her, while others whispered amongst themselves or playfully jostled each other… This seemed to be what she had always imagined college life would be like.

The ice cream in her hand was melting a little, the cold drips sticking to her skin.

Xiao Hua averted her gaze and said to the little demon on her shoulder, "I don't think they're as scary as you thought…"

"I want her ice cream!" Huai Xu declared.

"We're about to have dinner," Zhou Li said, his tone like that of a parent.

"But she's eating!"

"You're far too old to be comparing yourself with a little girl," Zhou Li said, glancing at the girl's departing figure.

"Speaking of which, now that we've recruited those two, our club's average attractiveness has been dragged down a bit," Huai Xu remarked, his train of thought rather scattered.

"Don't say that; it's rude."

"Teacher Zhou…"

"..."

Zhou Li couldn't be bothered with him.

Brother Nan stood up, clapped her hands, and announced, "Alright, everyone, it's about time for dinner! Pens in your pockets, registration forms in the drawer. Let's head to the back school gate for some pickled cabbage and pork knuckle to celebrate. It doesn't look like there'll be many people tonight, so we'll just need one person on duty."

A cheer went up from the group.

Zhou Li then volunteered, "I'll stay on duty tonight."

Brother Nan approved.

「After dinner.」

Zhou Li returned to the recruitment station, took a pen out of his pocket, and scanned the passersby.

The evening clouds had already appeared on the horizon, a vast expanse of crimson.

The temperature had dropped by then, roughly equivalent to the nighttime temperatures during spring and autumn in Yan City. Walking on the road felt pleasantly cool, very comfortable.

Many students were out shopping, taking walks, or heading back to their dorms after dinner.

Zhou Li saw groups of people chattering and laughing, couples in slippers strolling hand-in-hand, and many who were clearly freshmen, walking while looking around at everything. They seemed to have no worries at all and were freely enjoying the beauty of youth and time. Inside this ivory tower, youth and time were beautiful to an absurd degree.

Glancing at the registration forms in the drawer, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.

Brother Nan had printed fifty forms, but so far, only two had been used. Their only hope was to see if they could find someone Brother Nan found agreeable tomorrow, but the chances looked slim. Most people would have chosen their clubs on the first day.

The Probability Society might just end up with these few people, and these few could be divided into two factions—the Heavenly Master faction, led by Zhou Li, and the Idiot faction, led by Brother Nan.

After some thought, Zhou Li took out his phone, found Su Jue and Xiao Hua, and sent a message.

Zhou Li: Fancy some milk tea?

Xiao Hua: Where?

Zhou Li: Recruitment spot.

Xiao Hua: Mango pomelo sago.

Zhou Li: Okay.

Su Jue was a bit more reserved: Who all is there?

Zhou Li: Me, Huai Xu, Lord Dumpling, and a new club member I found this afternoon who's like us.

Su Jue: Oh, I'll be there. Do I need to bring milk tea?

Zhou Li: I've asked Huai Xu to buy it.

Su Jue: How much?

Zhou Li: My treat.

Su Jue: Thanks.

The personalities of these two seemed quite different.

About ten minutes later, the two arrived at the recruitment spot, one after the other.

Su Jue was dressed as neatly as he had been in the afternoon.

Xiao Hua, on the other hand, had clearly just showered. She wore pink flip-flops and loose clothing, her hair still damp, and the little demon from the afternoon was still perched on her shoulder. Honestly, she wasn't conventionally attractive—a bit plump and not tall—but she had a cheerful disposition. When she smiled, small dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, giving her a very friendly air.

"Let me introduce you." Zhou Li started by pointing to Su Jue. "This is Su Jue. He's a sophomore, but we've also pulled him into the club. I met him last year when I was learning to drive."

"Nice to meet you, Senior Brother Su." Xiao Hua introduced herself before Zhou Li could. "My name is Xie Minqing. You can call me Xiao Qing, Minqing, or Junior Sister Xie, whichever you prefer."

"You can also call her Xiao Hua," Zhou Li added.

"..."

"Junior Sister Xiao Hua... nice to meet you." Su Jue involuntarily glanced at the little demon on her shoulder, somewhat frightened.

"His name is You Dou, but I usually call him Doudou. He's a friend I've known since childhood, and we've been together ever since," Xiao Hua proactively introduced. "He's harmless."

"Did I scare you?" You Dou asked.

However, Su Jue couldn't hear his words clearly; he only sensed a voice reverberating in his ears, as if ghosts and deities were whispering.

"Let's sit down and talk," Zhou Li suggested.

"Oh."

"How did you all meet?" Xiao Hua asked, looking towards Zhou Li and Huai Xu, then glancing at Tuanzi.

"We just bumped into each other," Huai Xu said.

"Zhou Li was picked up by Lord Dumpling," Tuanzi blurted out, her expression incredibly serious.

"Little ones shouldn't lie, you know," Zhou Li gently chided.

"Lord Dumpling isn't lying!"

"Emmm…" Xiao Hua pondered briefly, then continued, "Why can ordinary people see you?"

"Because I'm the Great Devil King, of course!" Huai Xu boasted.

"Lord Dumpling is also an incredibly powerful Great Demon! Three times more powerful than that foolish Huai Xu!" Tuanzi declared in her childlike voice, spreading her front paws to indicate a 'very large' area. It was an obvious lie, yet it left Xiao Hua and the little demon completely dumbfounded.

"And you…" Xiao Hua turned to Zhou Li, her gaze suddenly becoming eager. "You must be really powerful too, right?"

"Not really."

"Can you perform spells?"

"A little."

"Can you teach us?"

Admiration shone in Xiao Hua's eyes.

Almost simultaneously, Su Jue also discreetly glanced their way.

Before Zhou Li could reply, a tall figure approached. The setting sun bathed the road in crimson, stretching her shadow long. The person's shadow hadn't yet arrived, but the small black silhouette on her head reached the recruitment spot first.

Brother Nan was carrying a small bag of strawberries, beads of water clinging to it, clearly freshly washed.

"What are you all talking about?" she asked casually, tossing the strawberries onto the table and saying to Zhou Li, "I just bought these on my way back. They turned out to be quite sweet, so I brought some for you. Go ahead and share them."

Sweet?

Xiao Hua, however, felt a little sour.

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