The weather had been overcast for several days, and the temperature had dropped again; sometimes it was even exceptionally cold. Zhou Li had switched to short sleeves when the weather was good a while ago, but now he had to wear a coat again.

Many people on the street were still wearing down jackets.

Huai Xu would go back to Chunming every Sunday to water the plants. Each time he returned, he would tell Zhou Li about the sunshine, sky, and evening glow in Caiyun.

Sometimes, he would also pick a flower for Zhou Li.

「Evening.」

Zhou Li and Brother Nan had arranged to go out for a walk. They met up at the square outside Carrefour, both riding electric bikes. Zhou Li had recently come to feel that a small city with electric bikes was quite blissful; no matter where he went, he could get there quickly by scanning for an electric bike.

Chunming had electric bikes, but only in the university town, and Chunming itself was a bit too big.

"Where's Huai Xu?" Brother Nan was still sitting on her electric bike, holding the handlebars, one foot propped on a roadside bollard to keep her balance.

"He's at home playing games."

"Let's go! We'll stroll by the river!" Brother Nan grinned and twisted the throttle, heading off.

"Ride slowly."

Yan City had two types of electric bikes in total.

One was Hellobike, which had arrived in Yan City several years ago. The other, Jitubike, had only appeared last year. Brother Nan was currently riding a yellow and white Jitubike. It could go much further—far further—capable of covering fifty or sixty kilometers, though its speed was similar to Hellobike's.

Zhou Li was riding a Hellobike. Since he was heavier than Brother Nan, he couldn't catch up with her even if he twisted the throttle to the max.

He guessed that perhaps this bike was low on power.

The battery life of Hellobikes was indeed poor.

"Slow down," he called out again.

Having cut her hair short, Brother Nan looked much fresher than before. She had tied it into a little tuft that stuck out slightly at the back, giving her a youthful and capable vibe.

It was already dark, and the lights along the river were on. Without the uncles and aunties square dancing, it was much quieter.

The two found a docking spot and parked their bikes.

Brother Nan glanced at Zhou Li's Hellobike and said, "Hellobike still hasn't replaced their batteries. I don't even want to ride them anymore; I can't even be bothered to scan for one. Several times, I've scanned one that could only go a few kilometers."

"Hmm," Zhou Li acknowledged.

"Jitubikes used to be annoying. You had to pedal them a few times to get them going, unlike Hellobikes, which started as soon as you pedaled. But they've changed that now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they're the same now." Brother Nan returned her bike and stuffed her phone back into her pocket. "Let's go to the other side of the river, not walk on this side."

"Afraid of running into someone we know?" Zhou Li saw right through her.

"HEHEHE..." Brother Nan's eyes darted, and she changed her tune. "Then let's walk on this side!"

"Let's go to the other side."

Zhou Li was still very shy about his first romance.

The other side of the river was further from the urban area, so there were fewer people. When Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou went for walks, they usually just stuck to this side. Besides, young couples on a date always preferred quieter spots.

"What are you doing?" Brother Nan suddenly turned her head.

"Just grabbing your little tuft," Zhou Li said.

"This is called..." Brother Nan tilted her head in thought. "This is called bullying a female classmate, you know? I'm going to tell the teacher!"

PFFT!

Zhou Li laughed.

And so, Brother Nan laughed too.

After crossing the bridge, the streetlights became sparser, but the greenery was denser, blocking more light and making it somewhat darker. Zhou Li couldn't help thinking about those high school sweethearts who secretly held hands behind the flower beds and in the corners of the playground after evening self-study. And upon further thought, those young couples did more than just hold hands.

His heart began to pound a little.

Thinking it over, he said, "Do you think we might run into any of our high school classmates?"

"Who could recognize us with masks on?"

"..."

Zhou Li glanced sidelong at the top of her head. That tuft of hers was quite recognizable, like an antenna—a sure sign of a signal soldier.

Brother Nan met his gaze and instantly grasped his meaning, but she casually gave him an elbow jab, asking, "What's wrong? Feeling shortchanged being paired with me, your Child of Destiny?"

"Stepchild," Zhou Li retorted.

"Still talking back!"

"Shall we hold hands?"

"Huh? You didn't immediately say sorry? I thought everyone in your family was like that," Brother Nan said, quite surprised.

"Oh."

Zhou Li looked straight ahead, but his hand shot out and accurately grasped Brother Nan's.

It was slender, soft, and a bit cool.

"You're taking advantage of me!"

"In my imagination, Brother Nan, your hands should have been covered in calluses," Zhou Li said. "I didn't expect them to be so..."

"What's the matter? Run out of words?"

The mood was broken again.

Brother Nan let him hold her hand and gently grasped his in turn, as if she were holding a chicken foot. "These online classes have been driving me crazy lately," she said. "They're nothing like I imagined."

"What did you imagine online classes would be like?"

"UMM..." Brother Nan thought for a moment. "You could slack off whenever you wanted, eat while attending, pet your cat during class, attend from bed, watch shows and play games while in class, scroll through TikTok, and even fall asleep without anyone knowing."

"Isn't that what you do during regular classes?"

"Have I ever attended class from bed?"

"The rest, though."

"Did I ever pet a cat during class?"

"Apart from that one, the rest fits, right?"

"...Now that you mention it, it's even more irritating," Brother Nan said. "I used to be able to do all that in regular classes, but I can't with these online ones."

"And you keep getting called on to answer questions," Zhou Li laughed.

"Exactly!"

Brother Nan had been called on four times in the past few days, probably because she was too pretty. Back in the classroom, she usually sat in the back and tried to be somewhat hidden, so teachers wouldn't easily spot her. But with video calls, she was right there on screen, and most teachers probably kept an eye on this beautiful, tall girl.

"Plus, there's so much homework," Zhou Li added.

"It's not just a lot of homework; it's practically copying the textbook. And we have to submit it for checking every day." Brother Nan took a deep breath, squeezing Zhou Li's hand tightly. "And there's no one to talk to."

"So much resentment..."

"Right? Aren't you frustrated?"

"I find it quite relaxing."

"???"

Brother Nan was suddenly bewildered; everyone else in class was complaining. "Do you love studying that much?"

"It's alright. Not as much as Huai Xu loves it," Zhou Li said. "Huai Xu finds classes to be a lot of fun. He used to crash other classes for fun back when we were at school."

"Hmm?" Brother Nan's eyes lit up. "Since he loves studying so much, why not have him transform into me and attend my classes for me!"

"I'm afraid that won't work."

"Why not?"

"Then no one would attend mine for me."

"..."

Brother Nan slowly and slightly turned her head, her eyes shifting to the side to stare at him.

Zhou Li kept his gaze fixed ahead; as long as he didn't see her stare, he wouldn't be harmed by it. He led Brother Nan to a bench on the lawn. "Let's sit for a while and enjoy the night view. I rarely come out to see it."

"Why not?"

"Don't feel like it."

"What do you think of the night scene in Yan City?"

"It's alright." Zhou Li paused for a moment. "After our walk by the river, can we go stroll down Shangxi Street?"

"Sure."

"Can we buy some duck necks to take home?"

"Of course, you pay. You've made a lot of money recently, so bleed a little to balance your luck."

"I also want to buy some instant noodles. Zhu Shuang asked me to get some spicy chicken ramen. Can you come with me to Carrefour?"

"Okay."

"Can I have another kiss?"

"No."

A failure, as expected.

Zhou Li thought about it. The reason, he figured, was Brother Nan's unpredictable nature—her answers were always different. If it were him, he would have answered 'yes' to every question, making it easier to create a pattern of acquiescence.

But he still asked, "Why not?"

"No questions allowed."

"Oh."

Zhou Li stretched his legs out to relax, silently watching the colorful lights reflected in the river, their dance revealing the water's flow.

After sitting for about ten minutes, they stood up.

They walked back and forth along the river, then strolled through Shangxi Street and Carrefour. Before they knew it, it was past nine o'clock. On the quiet street, they each scanned a Jitubike, preparing to head off.

"Give me a hug, Brother Nan," Zhou Li said.

"Why?"

"I just want a hug."

"Why?"

"We've hugged before."

"Alright, alright, a hug then..." Brother Nan said, looking like she couldn't do anything about him, and opened her arms. "Go on, hug then, hug then..."

MMM...

Zhou Li stepped forward and hugged her.

A few seconds later, Brother Nan, noticing a few passersby, had to push Zhou Li away. She didn't forget to add, "So annoying!"

The annoyed expression had barely formed on her face when, upon seeing Zhou Li, she couldn't help but switch to a goofy smile.

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