CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 40 SUCCESSOR OF DESTINY

The afternoon sun was golden, filtering through the dense foliage of the Small Ye Rong trees into shifting beams, then piercing the glass windows to dapple the table.

Zhou Li bowed his head to eat, and the spots of light danced onto his face.

Li Nan couldn’t help but imagine Zhou Li’s fair, delicate face getting sunburned into a Dalmatian pattern. She chuckled quietly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"My wife just had a baby."

"What?"

"Nothing. Have you decided on your university choices?"

"I have."

"Where are you applying?"

"Caiyun Province. If my scores are high enough, I’ll go to Caiyun University; if they’re a bit lower, then Chunming Institute of Technology."

"Caiyun University... is that the one Mother Zhao called a ’filler’ in the ’Double First-Class B category’?" Brother Nan had made a mental note of it, though her recent luck suggested the universities she’d jotted down were likely out of reach. She was planning a trip to the Capital to see for herself whether Tsinghua or Peking University had the better cafeteria. "That one needs a pretty high score, doesn’t it?" she then asked Zhou Li.

"That’s the one."

"Why do you want to go there?"

"I just want to."

Zhou Li had already made up his mind.

Brother Nan didn’t want to dwell on it and just went along with what Zhou Li said. "Well, that’s a good place. HEH HEH, I hear Nanzhao and Dayan are legendary places for romantic encounters..."

Zhou Li: ...

Li Nan, annoyed by the incessant chirping of birds in the trees outside, shot them a fierce glare. It had no effect, but she didn’t care and continued, "I heard the environment there isn’t great. They have the same number of days in a year as we do, but no real summer or winter. The People of Caiyun really have it rough."

"That’s true."

"These wood ear mushrooms are quite good, very refreshing."

"I agree."

"There’s a place over there that sells ka bing, and they’re super delicious."

"What’s ka bing?"

"It’s a type of flatbread, kind of like roujiamo—a Leshan specialty. But the texture of the bread is different, and so are the fillings. There are many kinds, like steamed pork with rice flour, or fatty intestines, and they’re stuffed full. It’s a completely different mouthfeel from roujiamo, really tasty."

"I see."

"I want some, but I’m broke. After we finish eating, can you buy two for me to take back for a late-night snack?"

"Sure."

"You’re so sensible!"

Brother Nan resumed eating. She preferred the taro, stewed until soft and flavorful, over the chicken in the pot. This restaurant used local taro, many of which were whole, about the size of an egg or smaller, with an excellent texture. Most other places used larger, cultivated varieties of taro, which they cut into small pieces.

Of course, eating also required a balance of work and rest.

While Zhou Li went to the restroom, Brother Nan sneakily undid one of the buttons on her jeans; they had two rows of buttons.

Then she sat down to rest.

When Zhou Li returned, she noticed the increasingly golden sunlight made his hair look almost ethereal. She offered some advice, "Zhou Li, when you get to university, lots of girls will definitely like you. Don’t be as aloof as you were in high school, or you’ll never find a girlfriend."

"Am I aloof?"

It was the first time Zhou Li had ever heard anyone describe him that way.

Brother Nan nodded while drinking her water. After finishing, she pursed her lips and said, "Aloof! I used to think you were introverted, just like everyone else. But after being your deskmate for so long, I realized you’re not introverted at all! So, after some deduction by yours truly, Brother Nan, I’ve concluded you’re just aloof! Tell me, do you sometimes think everyone else is an idiot and not want to hang out with them?"

"A little..."

"But that definitely doesn’t include me, right?"

"Not in..." He started to say, but trailed off, unable to finish. He felt a bit uncomfortable.

Brother Nan nodded. "That’s good. But I heard that in your first and second year... you put on some performances. Why was that?"

"It was nothing."

"Why won’t you tell me? I tell you everything."

"There’s nothing to tell."

"You think you’re different from other people, don’t you!" Brother Nan declared with certainty. "I was like that when I was little. But then I had an epiphany. Even though I’m the Child of Destiny, we all live in this world together, so we should still try to get along."

"..."

Zhou Li also picked up his water and took a sip. "I’m different from you."

Hearing this, Brother Nan didn’t press further.

She was perpetually optimistic, loved to court disaster, and disliked overthinking things—all stemming from her immense self-confidence. And her upbringing made it hard for her *not* to harbor such chuunibyou notions. But Zhou Li was the opposite during his own chuunibyou phase. He felt like he was a different kind of creature, not the same species as other people.

Fortunately, his second year of high school was long past.

Brother Nan pondered for a long while, then said, "But we must have *some* things in common, right? So, tell me what happened to you back then. Look, I tell you everything, and I’m not embarrassed. Besides, your estimated score is so low, we probably won’t see each other much after this meal. What are you afraid of?"

Zhou Li thought she had a point, so he said casually, "Well, do you believe demons exist in this world?"

Brother Nan answered without hesitation, "Of course, I do!"

Zhou Li: ...

At this moment, he felt like he was talking to a lunatic. He was also half-afraid Brother Nan would launch into some wild tale like, ’Just the other day, I was serviced by a you-know-what...’

"I’m serious! You don’t believe me, do you? I met a demon when I was a kid, and he even gave me an Immortal Pill."

"Why would a demon give you an Immortal Pill?"

"Why do you have to be like that!"

"Oh. So, did you eat it?"

"Of course, I ate it! After I ate it, I became super healthy! I know you’re healthy too, but I bet I could take on five or six of you, no problem! Believe it or not? And I haven’t been sick a single day since!"

"...What did the Immortal Pill look like?"

"Like an apple. It totally stuffed me."

"A single apple stuffed you?"

"I was little back then!"

"Have you ever considered that maybe... it was just an apple?" Zhou Li’s mouth twitched.

"Hmm? You want to test the power of the Immortal Pill?"

"No, no, forget it."

A few days ago, when Huai Xu had assessed Zhou Li’s combat power at 2.3 Li Daimao, he could still hold his own against Brother Nan. But ever since he learned to use Spiritual Power, that unit of measurement was no longer suitable for him, nor was sparring with Brother Nan.

Just then, Brother Nan asked curiously, "But if what you’re saying is true, why didn’t I see any demons in our first or second year?"

"You can’t see them."

"Why can’t I see them? I really have seen one."

"That was a coincidence."

"OH~~" Brother Nan understood. Then, staring at Zhou Li, she asked, "So you’re saying *you’re* the protagonist of this world, not me?"

"I’m not."

"I am!"

"Alright, alright..."

After they finished eating, Zhou Li paid the bill.

Brother Nan remained seated for another ten minutes or so but didn’t play with her phone because the screen was so badly cracked she was too embarrassed to take it out.

As the sun dipped lower, the evening air grew slightly cooler, and the birds chirped with even more gusto.

Brother Nan struggled to her feet, tugging her T-shirt down, and then led Zhou Li to buy ka bing.

She’d said she’d only buy two, but when she saw there were four flavors, she bought all four.

Zhou Li bought even more. He planned to take some back for Aunt Jiang, Xiao Shuang, and Huai Xu to try. Old Zhou liked to put on airs as an elder and usually only snuck snacks from the coffee table when no one was looking.

Nearby, a stall was selling candied fritters. Brother Nan eyed them, judging them to be quite tasty, so Zhou Li ended up spending a few more yuan.

"Brother Nan, don’t eat yourself into the hospital again."

"????"

"Sorry."

"Hmph!"

Brother Nan looked away. Her gaze fell on something, and she suddenly froze. "Zhou Li, look! Isn’t that your parents? And your brother? Isn’t he supposed to be... Oh, right, it’s Friday, he gets out of school early."

Zhou Li turned his head and saw his parents and younger brother strolling on the other side of the road.

They quickly looked away, pretending not to have seen anything, and continued walking.

Old Zhou tried to sneak another peek in their direction but was promptly reprimanded.

Zhou Li: ...

Standing beside Zhou Li, Brother Nan calmly munched on a candied fritter and said, "If your parents see us like this, do you think they’ll assume we’re dating?"

Zhou Li didn’t say anything.

He glanced down at himself and then at Brother Nan... He really didn’t think they looked like a couple!

The ka bing was delicious.

「June 22nd, evening.」

A tense atmosphere filled Old Zhou’s Family home.

Aunt Jiang was nervous. Zhu Shuang was nervous. Old Zhou pretended not to be nervous. The only one who seemed completely unfazed was Zhou Li.

He’d already estimated his score; the actual result wouldn’t be too far off.

While he was still in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Zhu Shuang was already at the computer, his admission ticket in hand, checking Zhou Li’s score.

Aunt Jiang leaned in.

Huai Xu also leaned in.

Old Zhou slowly rose from his seat, muttering to himself, "Well, we might as well take a look..."

So Huai Xu quietly made way for him.

Zhou Li finished brushing his teeth, wiped his mouth, and came out just in time to hear Zhu Shuang shouting that the score was a bit higher than his estimate.

626.

The cutoff for Tier 1 universities in science was 546.

Aunt Jiang announced they were going out for a celebratory dinner tomorrow.

Zhu Shuang eagerly agreed.

Old Zhou grandly returned to his seat and asked languidly, "With that score, are you confident you can get into the university you want?"

"Confident."

"That’s good."

"Which university do you want to go to, Bro?"

"Caiyun University."

"I’ve heard of that one! They say the scenery is beautiful! Probably only Aliston is better!"

"I can’t get into Xiamen University."

"Repeat the year! Repeat the year and be in my class!"

"Get lost."

Zhou Li took out his phone and saw the class group chat was already exploding. It had been buzzing for three hours, and now the flood of messages was dizzying.

People discussing the questions;

People discussing their performance and scores;

People discussing their university choices;

People discussing the rewards their parents had promised them;

Zhou Li scanned through. The top two students in the class had performed as expected. Zhang Hao had scored much higher than his girlfriend, the class president. Most of the girls hadn’t performed as well as the boys. The ones making the most noise now were those who had done well...

Strange, why hasn’t Brother Nan said anything?

Wu Yuanliang: @Child of Destiny

Wu Yuanliang: Brother Nan, want me to check your score for you?

Kang Xue’er: @Child of Destiny, Brother Nan, why did you change your name? Weren’t you ’Men’s Basketball Coach’ before?

Zhang Hao: The Men’s Basketball Coach is about to be fired.

Liu Zhonglin: Does anyone know Brother Nan’s score? I feel like anything’s possible with Brother Nan.

...

Brother Nan seemed to be offline.

She didn’t appear for a long time. Then, someone asked about Zhou Li—it was Chen Guohua, who sat at the desk in front of him.

Zhou Li shared his score.

Almost immediately, he received a private message from Brother Nan.

Li Daimao: You got 626?

Zhou Li: You’re online?

Li Daimao: How could I not be? I just got off work from the construction site. What else is there to do besides play on my phone?

Zhou Li: Then why aren’t you talking in the group?

Li Daimao: I’m too ashamed.

Zhou Li: What’s your score?

Li Daimao: 626

Zhou Li: ...

Li Daimao: Seriously? I saved up half a year’s worth of luck, even overdrawing on it for the first time in my life, and *this* is what I get? I just don’t understand.

Zhou Li: ...

Li Daimao: Why do you want to go to Caiyun University?

Li Daimao: I’m being serious.

Li Daimao: "Teacher Zhao sent me this: ’Li Nan, tell those who scored well to tone it down a bit. It’s okay to make some noise, but don’t overdo it. Let them know their three years of hard work are certainly commendable, and achieving good results is something to be proud of. It’s not that they can’t celebrate and show off, but they should try to be a little considerate of those who are disappointed.’"

Zhou Li: Teacher Zhao just sent that to you?

Li Daimao: "Yeah. Help me polish it a bit, so I can pass it on to those brats."

Zhou Li: ...

Li Daimao: Hurry up. I’ll have your back in the future.

While Zhou Li was editing the message, Li Daimao continued to send more—

Li Daimao: I feel like I wasn’t raised by my own mother, but by a stepmother.

Li Daimao: I changed my screen name.

Zhou Li took a moment to look. Sure enough, she had.

Now it was Successor of Destiny.