CHAPTER 420: CHAPTER 416: INNOCENT LITTLE COUSIN

The night had deepened.

Compared to other parts of the city, it was rather quiet here, with few cars passing by below, especially at night.

However, the wind was strong here, especially at night.

Zhou Li’s apartment was on a high floor. If the windows weren’t shut, the noise from the wind would be significant at night. If the door to the room was also left open, the wind would lift the curtains, pushing them open one moment and sucking them against the window the next, the fabric rustling loudly and disturbing the peace.

The wind was quite strong tonight.

Zhou Li, however, didn’t mind much; he just held an ancient book and sat on the bed, focused and frowning in the lamplight.

Brother Nan lay beside him, unusually not playing with her phone.

Zhou Li had originally planned to sleep on the sofa tonight. But the Old monster mocked him, saying things like, You’ve clearly shared a bed before; humans are so strange, and since Brother Nan had also asked him to sleep with her, Zhou Li ended up bringing his pillow and blanket back to the room. Originally, Zhou Li had intended to sleep in the living room just to be considerate of this Old monster’s feelings, fearing he might feel uneasy. In the end, it proved unnecessary.

"Mmm..." Brother Nan uttered, as if expressing some sentiment.

Zhou Li heard it and glanced at her briefly, then returned his gaze to the book, afraid he would lose his train of thought otherwise.

"What book are you reading?"

Brother Nan couldn’t help herself anymore and slightly raised her upper body, glancing toward the book in Zhou Li’s hands.

However, all she could see was the book filled with tiny characters, among which she thought she recognized a few phrases she had learned in elementary school, possibly a line from *The Analects* or something similar.

"Seals," Zhou Li responded.

"What kind of seals?" Brother Nan continued to inquire.

"This book is an introductory text on seals, along with some restrictions, mechanisms, and similar topics," Zhou Li continued to focus on the book. In his eyes, it depicted many complex patterns and unusual symbols, accompanied by tiny characters that were annotations, not the superficial content Brother Nan had seen.

"Why are you looking at this?"

"I thought it might be useful," Zhou Li said calmly. He had never read this type of book before; he had only just found this one. I want to understand it a bit more.

"Hmm..."

"What’s wrong?" Zhou Li took a moment from his reading to glance at her. "Are you bored? Why aren’t you playing with your phone? Aren’t you gaming tonight?"

"Don’t want to..."

"I see..."

Brother Nan almost choked on his reaction, taking a good while to recover. "Is something wrong with you? Your girlfriend is lying right next to you, and you’re here reading a book!"

"I want to quickly understand these things, and this content is quite difficult."

Brother Nan was stumped by such an earnest answer. After recovering, she asked, "Is it interesting?"

"It’s not interesting. I can barely understand it."

"Which is more attractive, me or the book?"

"You, of course."

This was Zhou Li’s honest answer. To show his sincerity, he took another quick look at Brother Nan.

However, attractive as Brother Nan was, and despite them lying together, they couldn’t really do anything. This made him incredibly uncomfortable. Plus, any other move he made would get him hit.

"I! Am! Going! To! Sleep!"

"I’ll stop reading soon."

"Don’t! You keep reading! All night long! If you stop for even a minute, I swear I’ll kill you!"

Zhou Li quickly placed the book on the bedside table. This book is truly difficult, he realized. Even though it’s just an introductory text, it still makes me feel as if my IQ isn’t up to the task.

Thus, he decided to put it aside for the time being.

By then, Brother Nan had already lain down again.

Zhou Li turned off the light, slipped under the covers, turned to face her, and smiled shyly out of courtesy, then reached out intending to embrace her.

"What are you doing?" Brother Nan pushed his hand away, holding onto his wrist.

"Just a hug."

"Not allowed."

"Why?"

"Go hug your book."

"Emmm..."

"Well, then you tell me"—Brother Nan was a magnanimous person and didn’t want to make things too difficult for him—"is it more comfortable to hug the book or to hug Brother Nan?"

"It’s more comfortable to hug Brother Nan," Zhou Li answered honestly.

"Then I’ll let you hug."

Zhou Li felt Brother Nan release his hand. He then wrapped his arm around her and snuggled closer, taking a deep breath.

The two of them faced each other.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

An exceptionally soft sensation.

Zhou Li’s breath hitched.

Brother Nan sensed his state. She slightly turned her head, her eyes moving as she looked to the side, as if hinting at something.

Zhou Li followed her gaze—

Next to her pillow, a strap was peeking out, the rest hidden by the blankets.

Zhou Li knew what it was.

"You..."

"Making a big deal out of nothing?" Brother Nan leaned in close to his ear, her voice very low. "I’m not naked! You don’t actually think all girls sleep in these, do you? Wearing this to sleep these past few days was damn suffocating for me."

"...Don’t swear."

Brother Nan ignored him and continued, "Letting you feel it through the clothes is a little perk I’m giving you. Just remember one thing..."

"What?"

"I’m only occasionally your girlfriend."

"Occasionally."

"Most of the time, I’m still your big brother."

"Got it."

Zhou Li’s heart was already pounding, but he soon found himself somewhat at a loss for what to do.

「October 8th, afternoon.」

Brother Nan had returned to the dormitory.

Everyone in Room 106 had also come back.

It was a bit cold today. Baozi was wearing the bunny-eared hoodie Brother Nan had bought for them last year, sitting at her desk eating a lollipop. Brother Nan sat behind her, squeezing the airbags that made the bunny ears on her hoodie stand up and then flop down, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Baozi, for her part, seemed completely oblivious.

Compared to their calm and composed demeanor, Mianmian and Qian Qian were much more frantic.

"Did you do the botany homework? Let me copy it!"

"Not yet!"

"What about chemistry?"

"I thought you did it!"

"Baozi! Baozi! Lend us the botany and chemistry homework to copy!"

"That’ll be one cup of milk tea." Baozi took the lollipop out of her mouth and glanced at the two cute-but-uncouth girls, continuing to ignore Brother Nan, who was playing with her bunny ears. Since Brother Nan had put the hood up for her, and the hood was a bit large, slightly obscuring her vision, Baozi had to tilt her chin up a bit to see them.

"No problem!"

"I meant one cup per subject," Baozi said, secretly sizing up their expressions from beneath her hood.

"Deal!"

"One person, one subject, one cup," Baozi continued, testing them cautiously.

"No problem!"

Baozi frowned.

Why did they agree so readily? Did I sell myself short?

But now there seemed to be no room for upping the stakes. She felt miserable inwardly for a while, then decided to let it go. After some thought, she then said to Brother Nan behind her, "Cousin-in-law, where did you and Zhou Li go?"

"We went to Tengchong!"

"Zhou Li sent me a photo a few days ago. It looked like a Taoist temple with a big ginkgo tree. Where was that?"

"Oh, that. He specifically told me not to tell you."

"Why?"

"He said it would make you suffer."

Little Cousin fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned her head, her face earnest, trying to move Brother Nan with her sincerity. "Cousin-in-law, tell me!"

"Nope!"

Brother Nan continued playing with her bunny ears.

Baozi immediately got annoyed.

She reached out to push Brother Nan’s hands away, trying to stop her from playing, but it was useless. Her attempts to push Brother Nan’s hands away were successful, as Brother Nan didn’t resist with strength. However, as soon as Baozi withdrew her hand, Brother Nan would immediately grab the airbags again and squeeze them. If Baozi pushed her hands away, Brother Nan would willingly remove them, only to place them back as soon as Baozi retracted her own. She was being incredibly cheeky.

After several attempts, Little Cousin gave up.

She just had to bear it silently.

But a moment later, she suddenly turned her head and asked, "You were out together for so many days, eating and staying together... did anything happen?"

Instantly, the two cute-but-uncouth girls stopped copying their homework and turned their heads, gazing unblinkingly at Brother Nan.

If the question had been asked to Zhou Li, perhaps his blushing face would have betrayed him already. Unfortunately, she was asking Brother Nan, so she didn’t get the reaction she’d hoped for. Nevertheless, she probably wouldn’t have gone to Zhou Li to ask such a question anyway. After all, in Zhou Li’s impression, my Little Cousin, always so expressionless, is still an innocent young girl. She could never ask such a risqué question.