The sunset glowed with an otherworldly red.

Ms. Ji stood by the window, holding a cup of water. Feeling Zhou Li's approach, she slowly said, "The weather here is really nice."

"Right," Zhou Li nodded.

"I think so too," Brother Nan added. "I used to think that the weather everywhere in the world should be similar to that of Yan City. But after coming to Caiyun, I found such beautiful skies and clouds that I don't even need to go anywhere else for vacation. Just looking at the sky is enough."

"Did you two agree to apply to Cai University together?" Ms. Ji had gotten somewhat familiar with Brother Nan.

"I followed him in applying!" Brother Nan said openly.

"Ohh..."

Ms. Ji paused before asking them, "You'll be going back later, right?"

"Yes," Zhou Li said.

"By the way, how many rooms does the apartment you rented have?"

"Two rooms," Zhou Li replied, pausing slightly. His face flushed a little as he explained, "Because we can't get into the school dorms right now, I'm sleeping with a friend of mine, and Brother Nan is using my room."

Upon hearing this, Tuanzi immediately stared at him and shouted, "Zhou Li, you're lying! Liars grow tails!"

Zhou Li didn't respond, silently fiddling with her fluffy tail.

Ms. Ji just smiled, not minding. Instead, she asked, "Can I come over to your place for a visit?"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hmm..." Ms. Ji thought for a moment. "It seems you keep the place quite clean."

"Yes."

"Then I'll come over tomorrow. See if there's anything tasty nearby and treat your mom to a meal," Ms. Ji said.

"There's a cross-bridge rice noodle shop that's cheap and delicious," Zhou Li said. "We eat there every day."

"It's indeed tasty," Brother Nan chimed in.

"MEOW!"

"Alright." Ms. Ji reached out to tease Tuanzi. "Since Lord Dumpling says it's tasty, let's go for that."

"Okay."

Looking at the time and then at the traffic outside, Zhou Li said, "The evening rush hour is almost over. We should go."

"Be safe," Ms. Ji reminded them.

"Come over tomorrow at noon too. I'll make you some blue-staining boletes," Aunt Jiang immediately got up and said.

"Okay."

Zhou Li and Brother Nan left.

Ms. Ji sighed. It felt like Zhou Li had grown up in the blink of an eye, already old enough to have a girlfriend. Years truly had flown by. She was filled with emotion.

Outside the window, Zhou Li and Brother Nan's figures appeared below, walking side by side, Brother Nan's hand resting on Zhou Li's shoulder.

They seem to be a good match, Ms. Ji thought.

Ms. Ji took out the remote for the gate, opening it for them as they left. She saw the two of them look back, so she quickly put on a smile and waved, unsure if they saw her.

The following hours were incredibly boring. She didn't want to watch TV; instead, she took out her phone and began looking at nearby real estate listings, her other hand still holding the remote key, opening the gate for people below—she seemed to have a particular fondness for such monotonous tasks.

At some point, Little Cousin came to stand beside her.

She turned to glance at her. "Ranran," she discussed with Little Cousin, "which residential complex nearby do you think has a good environment?"

"The area around Cui Lake is pretty good."

"I see."

"Are you thinking of buying a house in Chunming?"

"I'm kind of interested. Then you could come visit your auntie."

"Then..." Little Cousin hesitated. "Let's go have a look around together in a few days."

"Oh?" Ms. Ji was somewhat surprised. "You're not going to be a homebody anymore?"

"Not anymore."

"Then it's a deal!" Ms. Ji paused, then suddenly asked, "You're roommates with Xiao Nan, right? Do you know her well?"

"Not really," Little Cousin said frankly.

Ms. Ji was taken aback for a moment. "But you've lived together for a semester, haven't you? What do you think of her?"

Little Cousin fell silent for a moment. Should I just pretend I didn't hear her? she wondered. But in the end, she gave up on the idea and answered honestly, "Brother Nan is very generous; she's always buying things for us when we go out. She's very easy-going and free-spirited. She might seem carefree, but she's actually very attentive and good at taking care of people. Plus, her personality complements Zhou Li's perfectly. It's Zhou Li's good fortune to be with her."

"I think so too. Zhou Li has become much more outgoing than last year," Ms. Ji said.

"But there's one thing..." Little Cousin hesitated.

"What?" Ms. Ji immediately asked.

"It seems like she doesn't really like vanilla ice cream," Little Cousin said regretfully. "It's a pity she doesn't."

"I see," Ms. Ji said.

Little Cousin continued to silently stare downstairs.

She saw two security guards huddling by the gate downstairs, investigating. They seemed puzzled by the gate's behavior that day. She watched even more intently, secretly deciding she would do the same after her aunt left.

The security guards apparently couldn't decipher the mystery of the gate.

「Ten o'clock.」

Little Cousin was already lying in bed, looking up routes to nearby properties on her phone, planning the shortest path.

She was usually very lazy. The only reason she was willing to accompany her aunt to look at houses in a couple of days was because of her aunt's generosity—not only did she send her red envelopes for Chinese New Year and her birthday every year, but she also gave her a lot of pocket money whenever her aunt visited each year.

In her mind, her aunt was incredibly wealthy.

So, in a few days, when Ms. Ji left, she would be able to receive a big red envelope.

Little Cousin was a person of principles.

Turning off her phone, she stared at the dark ceiling and began to calculate.

It was already the end of May, and her finances were still in the red.

Fortunately, school was starting in a few days. Her living expenses, plus the pocket money her aunt would give her, would significantly improve her economic situation. After getting that money, she had to first repay her credit account, repay the money she borrowed from Zhou Li, and also treat Zhou Li and Brother Nan in return.

She did the math. Maybe I should cut back on treating them!

After that, she had already decided: she would set up a stall at school and sell postcards. The money earned would go towards recharging her meal card.

Little Cousin closed her eyes, and an image of the future appeared in her mind—

She sat on a small stool, holding a cellphone in one hand and an ice cream in the other. Customers streamed continuously in front of her stall, paying by scanning a code voluntarily, without her having to worry at all. She just needed to play with her phone, quietly listening to them discuss and scramble for her items as she waited to collect the money.

"This photo is amazing!"

"Heavens! This is master-level photography!"

"I love this one so much!"

"I love this one too! Junior Sister, please let me have it!"

"No way! This is the only one I'll buy!"

"I'll pay ten yuan."

"Twenty..."

"I'll pay ten thousand!"

In the completely dark room, the little girl holding a Minion plush toy slowly curved her lips into a smile.

Wait... next month is June?

June 18th!!!

Little Cousin's expression became solemn, and she clenched her fist under the blanket.

Damn it, why did I suddenly think of this? I had already envisioned my work receiving admiration from the art school's photography teacher and, with his help, breaking out of Asia and going global. Now, that dream is gone.

Brother Nan was sitting in the passenger seat, arms crossed, and casually asked Zhou Li, "What do you think your mom's impression of me is?"

"I don't know..."

"Hmm?"

"I can ask her for you."

"Don't! I was just saying..." Brother Nan turned her head to look out the other window. Her reflection, along with Zhou Li's careful driving, was mirrored on the glass, while outside the city lights blazed brilliantly.

"It's fine. She definitely likes you very much."

"Go on."

"You're so likable; who wouldn't like you?" Zhou Li had to continue flattering. "Aunt Jiang likes you so much; my mom must also really like you."

"Really?"

Brother Nan chuckled inwardly.

Zhou Li nodded and said, "Plus, she's usually abroad and has a new family, so even if we got married, it would be hard to see her. You don't have to be too anxious."

"I'm not anxious."

"Oh."

"I'm! Not!"

"Mm-hmm."

"You're just humoring me!"

"Please do not converse with the driver," Zhou Li said. Feeling a bit uneasy, he quickly added, "Or distract the driver in any way. If your beloved car gets scratched, you'll be the one heartbroken."