5:30 PM.
A group of students burst out of the classroom noisily.
Zhou Li, being closer to the back door, took that exit.
So did Brother Nan.
They left around the same time. Not long after they'd departed the classroom, Zhou Li noticed Wu Yuanliang slowing down ahead, clearly waiting for Brother Nan— The three years of high school had ended yesterday, and this was his only chance; otherwise, who knew how far apart they would be once college started.
Zhou Li glanced down from the balcony before turning the corner into the bathroom.
By the time he came out, everyone had left. The whole floor was empty, with not a single person in the corridor. He descended the stairs alone, all the way to the sports field.
First and second-year students were returning to school, wearing uniforms and carrying backpacks, casting envious glances his way.
There were also quite a few students playing sports on the field.
The cafeteria had already prepared food. A few boarding students were crossing the field with their meal trays, and the drifting scent was actually quite appetizing. Wisps of steam rose from the tiled roof of the hot water room next door. Many girls stood in line with colorful pails in hand. Some, having collected their water, mixed it to a warm temperature to wash their hair right there, the area becoming damp and full of steam.
The scene was vibrant with activity.
Zhou Li walked all the way to the little pond.
About half a month after getting beaten up, San Zheng could occasionally manage to keep his cool in front of Huai Xu. However, if Zhou Li was around, San Zheng would usually try to enlist him in rebelling against the Great Devil King Huai Xu.
"Play, together!"
"No, thanks."
"Play!"
"I'm done with my exams, San Zheng." This was the first time Zhou Li had called San Zheng by his name.
"Alright! Come and play!"
"Do you not have a brain?" Huai Xu called down from the tree where he sat.
"I do!" San Zheng retorted, then looked at Zhou Li again. "Come and play!"
"No, thanks."
Zhou Li, imitating what Brother Nan often did, plucked a willow leaf. Looking up at San Zheng, he said, "After the exams, I'm going to leave this place. I'll rarely come back, and perhaps I'll never return."
San Zheng froze, bewildered.
He was usually slow to react, but this time, he was exceptionally so.
Zhou Li waited in silence.
Huai Xu also sat in the tree without speaking, his gaze lifted to the distance.
The sun had turned golden yellow, hanging in the west. Light filtering through the gaps in the willow leaves diffracted into star-like rays.
"You're... leaving," San Zheng finally managed to say after a long pause, his voice deep and muffled.
"Yes, I'm about to leave. Why do you always stay here? Why not look for other Demons?"
"W...h...y?" San Zheng repeated slowly.
"Yes."
"Why..."
"Yes. Is there a reason?"
"Why..."
Zhou Li looked at Huai Xu, exasperated.
"That's right, he's this hard to communicate with," Huai Xu said.
"I'm going to eat."
"Not playing..." San Zheng looked down at him.
"Mm-hm, not playing." Zhou Li took a deep breath and, looking up at San Zheng again, said earnestly, "Considering you're not that smart either, I'll let bygones be bygones for the trouble you caused me over the past two years. As for the future... it'll be very difficult for me to return. Even if I wanted to, the security guards probably wouldn't let me in. Whether we meet again will depend on if fate allows it."
San Zheng looked at him without speaking.
Zhou Li pursed his lips and finally said, "Take care of yourself."
With that, he turned and walked towards the school gate.
Suddenly, Huai Xu's voice came from behind, "Quick, look! There are two flowers blooming in the pond!"
Zhou Li turned back and glanced at the pond. Sure enough, there were.
「 」
After Zhou Li left the school and had walked two blocks, Huai Xu suddenly appeared beside him.
Huai Xu tilted his head and asked, "Are you going far away for college?"
"Yes."
"How far?"
"Hmm..." Zhou Li pondered. "If you were to walk, it would take a very long time."
"Oh." Huai Xu nodded and fell silent too.
"What did you say to him?"
"Nothing much. How could I have a proper conversation with him? His brain is rusted through," Huai Xu said, waving dismissively. "I just sat in the tree for a bit, then left."
"And him?"
"He was sitting under the tree."
"And what about you? I'm going to university. What will you do?"
"Me..." Huai Xu thought for a long time. "I don't know."
"Are you going to stay here?"
"There's nothing much worth staying here for."
Zhou Li smiled. Just then, his phone chimed. As he fished it out of his pocket, he said, "Then come with me. We can go stay somewhere else for a while."
"Is college fun...?" Huai Xu asked, a little awkwardly.
"It's fun," Zhou Li replied, looking at his phone.
It was a message from Brother Nan, asking where he had run off to. Zhou Li knew that for someone like him, with a history of 'episodes,' suddenly disappearing from the group at such a time could easily cause worry. He stopped to reply, saying he had just gone to the restroom and that they should go on ahead; he would catch up shortly.
When he looked up, Huai Xu was standing in front of him, looking down at the phone in his hand.
As the screen went dark, Huai Xu lifted his head to look at him.
"You're having dinner with your classmates tonight?"
"Mm-hm."
"What are you eating?"
"I don't know. Probably a lot of dishes," Zhou Li said.
"Is it tasty?" Huai Xu asked, his eyes wide with anticipation.
"It won't be bad, at the very least," Zhou Li said, stepping to the side and continuing to walk. "It might be very tasty, or perhaps not as good as what Aunt Jiang makes. Whether it's good or not doesn't matter to you, though; you can't eat it anyway." And Zhou Li couldn't possibly feed him secretly in a place with so many people around.
"HMM..."
Huai Xu quickened his pace to follow.
「 」
In recent years, teacher appreciation banquets hadn't been popular, and Yan City had even issued official directives on this matter. Teachers might only consider attending if a student got into Tsinghua University or Peking University. Alternatively, if a student with previously poor grades surprisingly gained admission to a top-tier university, their family might be so thrilled that they'd insist on a grand celebration. They would invite many relatives and friends and also send an invitation to the teacher. In such cases, the teacher might attend, partly to enjoy a free meal and share in the joy, and partly to receive a red envelope.
Otherwise, there was just a simple graduation dinner.
The graduation dinner for Grade 12, Class 2 was held in a hotel. A small hall was reserved for a Chinese meal, with six tables in total, averaging eight or nine people per table.
Only five teachers showed up: those for Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, and Biology.
Zhou Li was clearly the last to arrive. As he entered the small hall, Chen Guohua, who was sitting near the door, saw him and waved for him to sit with her, so Zhou Li walked over.
Chen Guohua, beside Zhou Li, said, "We're going to sing karaoke after dinner. Are you coming?"
Zhou Li pursed his lips. "I don't want to go, but I heard everyone else is, so I guess I'll go just to make up the numbers."
Chen Guohua hummed an "mhm" in response.
You could tell she didn't really want to go either.
Actually, the two of them weren't very popular, which was why they stuck together. The nickname "Two Golden Flowers" had been used to mock them in their first and second years of high school. By the third year, however, everyone had matured considerably and gradually stopped using it.
The reason was simple—they weren't considered attractive.
Both were short. One had dark, rough skin; the other had a round face, small eyes, and slightly buck teeth.
They hadn't actually done anything wrong, of course.
Fortunately, both girls were quite cheerful.
Only after sitting down did Zhou Li realize Huai Xu had disappeared. At the same time, his phone chimed again:
Li Daimao: You're sitting over there? I saved a seat for you!
Zhou Li quite liked this spot, so he messaged back: I'm already settled here.
Li Daimao: Alright then, stay put. Heh, that means more room for me!
Brother Nan was chivalrous and loyal by nature. Back when they were deskmates, Mother Zhao had asked her to look after Zhou Li, and she still took good care of him to this day.
The hotel staff began serving the dishes one after another.
The eight people at Zhou Li's table exchanged silent glances and picked up their chopsticks.
No one at their table touched alcohol, but servers were bringing in cases of beer. Quite a few of the boys probably wanted to get thoroughly drunk today, Zhou Li mused.
Suddenly, a voice sounded near Zhou Li's ear—
"This is delicious!"
Zhou Li kept a straight face, but the hand reaching out with his chopsticks trembled slightly. His gaze shifted to the side, where he saw a clean, white hand pointing to the fish cake soup on the table.
Zhou Li picked up a piece of fish cake; it was delicious.
Glancing casually to the side again, he saw a very familiar person, still chewing on something—
What the— Isn't that me?!
He heard this 'himself' say, "I just went to the back kitchen to sample the food for you all. Hmm, it's pretty good! Even better than what Aunt Jiang makes."
Zhou Li remained silent.
Huai Xu then pointed to a newly arrived dish. "These sweet and sour ribs are also decent, but it's inconvenient for me to spit out the bones."
Zhou Li noticed a drop of oily sauce on the flat rim of the plate holding the freshly served sweet and sour ribs.
He glanced at Huai Xu's hand.
Noticing his glance, Huai Xu said, "Go on, eat! My hands are very clean. Besides, I didn't stick them into the bowl and stir things around; I just picked a piece very carefully with my fingers. If you mind that, you won't be able to eat anything tonight! BURP..."
So Zhou Li picked up a piece of the ribs.
Huai Xu disappeared again.
Zhou Li looked around casually. From his seat, he had a clear view of Brother Nan's table. She was sitting next to Mother Zhao, with Wu Yuanliang seated diagonally opposite, frequently stealing glances at her.
A lot of beer bottles had already piled up beside their table.
My intuition tells me there's definitely going to be some drama tonight, Zhou Li thought.