"Over there," Huai Xu pointed, but seeing Zhou Li's back was to him, he added, "It's where that long street is, the one with walls that are full of flowers in spring."
"Oh, Jiu'an Junior High School, right next to the Third Elementary," Zhou Li said.
"Yes, exactly that one," Huai Xu confirmed.
"What are you studying?"
"Pinyin, learning characters."
"Oh, Third Elementary. I went to elementary school there too."
"I learn quickly."
"Then you must be better than me," Zhou Li said. "Where will you go after the rain stops?"
"I don't know. I'll just wander around."
"When you leave, if you go left and keep walking, there's a big red house with 'Pearl on the Palm' written on it. I'll show you how to write those characters later. Inside, there are many beds and sofas. You'll definitely find a way to get in."
"I'll check it out then."
The rain showed no signs of stopping.
After finishing two sets of test papers and writing a diary entry, Zhou Li stretched lazily. He turned his head and saw that Huai Xu had, at some point, picked up one of his elementary school Chinese textbooks and had already read about a third of it.
Zhou Li hesitated for a moment, glanced at the top bunk, and quietly asked, "When are you leaving?"
"I'm leaving right now!" Huai Xu quickly put the book down.
"Just stay here for the night. I'm not trying to kick you out."
"Hmm..." Huai Xu hesitated. "Aren't you afraid I'll eat you in the night?"
"Not afraid." Zhou Li put away his papers and closed the window.
"Does that mean you're very strong?" Huai Xu asked, surprised.
"I'm not strong; you're the strong one. You managed to get up to the twenty-fifth floor. If you wanted to eat me, there'd be nothing I could do," Zhou Li said as he got up and walked towards the bed. "I'm going to sleep. You should sleep too."
"I'm still wet."
"Haven't you dried off yet?"
"No."
"It's fine, just sleep like that. I hardly ever use the top bunk anyway. I need to get up early tomorrow."
"Oh."
Huai Xu turned to look at the bunk bed, bent his legs as if to jump, but retracted the force before leaping. He took off his shoes and climbed up the wooden ladder properly.
He didn't lie down but sat on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling through the gap in the guardrail.
Zhou Li also lay down on his bed.
Two beautifully curved calves dangled before his eyes, looking as if they were carved from jade.
CLICK. Zhou Li turned off the light. Out of sight, out of mind.
The legs immediately stopped swinging.
Half a head peeked from the top bunk. "Are you asleep?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
「The next morning.」
When Zhou Li woke up, it was still dark. A head was hanging over the edge of the top bunk, staring straight at him, giving him quite a scare.
"What are you looking at me for!" Zhou Li asked in a low voice.
"Just seeing when you'd wake up."
"Are you going to school now?"
"Yes."
"How about I go with you?"
"If you want to come, then come. Just don't cause any trouble at my school."
"Don't worry!"
Huai Xu pulled his head back and then climbed down from the bed.
Logically, dawn hadn't arrived yet, but for some unknown reason, he had already reverted to his male form.
He got dressed, washed his face, and brushed his teeth.
Huai Xu followed behind Zhou Li, going wherever Zhou Li went, looking around curiously from time to time.
Aunt Jiang had already prepared breakfast: fresh milk, boiled eggs, a bowl of inauthentic Kaiyuan Rice Noodles made with last night's pig trotter soup, and a plate of pan-fried dumplings.
Zhou Li ate quickly.
After finishing a bowl of rice noodles, he looked up and saw Huai Xu standing behind Aunt Jiang, staring unblinkingly at him.
"What's wrong?" Aunt Jiang noticed his gaze and turned to look behind her.
"Nothing. I just remembered I need to get to school early to sweep the floor today," Zhou Li said, quickly picking up his milk and downing it in one gulp.
"Take the egg with you and eat it on the way!" Aunt Jiang called out. "Do you want to take some dumplings too?"
"Yes."
"I'll pack them for you." Aunt Jiang put down her chopsticks, got up to fetch a bag, and also broke off a banana from the coffee table. Suddenly, she paused. "Why are you sweeping again today? Didn't you just sweep last week? Was it the teacher or a classmate? If it's not your turn, I'll go to your school this morning and find out!"
"My deskmate can't come today, so I'm helping her. Just for today." Zhou Li had already put on his shoes and took the small bag.
"Wipe your hands and mouth." Aunt Jiang handed a few more tissues to Zhou Li.
"Okay, I'm off."
"You just ate, don't run. It's okay if you're a bit late," Aunt Jiang advised.
"Alright."
Zhou Li stepped out, Huai Xu already standing in front of him.
Zhou Li didn't wait for the elevator but turned into the stairwell. The light immediately dimmed, casting a greenish hue.
"Eat this." Zhou Li handed a pan-fried dumpling to Huai Xu.
"Why are you giving this to me?" Huai Xu looked puzzled. "Isn't this your breakfast?"
"Just try it. Hurry up."
"MMPH..." Huai Xu reluctantly took the pan-fried dumpling, stuffed it into his mouth, and his eyes immediately narrowed in pleasure.
The bottom of the pan-fried dumpling was crispy, and it tasted delicious.
Zhou Li's footsteps echoed faintly, sounding very clear in the quiet corridor. It was a bit too quiet.
"The twenty-fifth floor, how did you get up here?"
"I'm very capable," Huai Xu's voice was muffled.
"Where did you get your shoes?"
"Found them."
"They look pretty new."
"Stole them."
"I see."
"This looks like something I've eaten before," Huai Xu said, pointing at the banana, "but it wasn't this big or this good-looking. I ate them in the mountains."
"Ah, plantains are delicious."
"I'm not eating this egg. It's for you, for nutrition."
"I'm not lacking nutrition."
"You have to study for college."
"I'll go buy a marinated egg later; I like those. You hurry up and eat. After you're done, we'll take the elevator."
"Oh."
Huai Xu gently tapped the egg, then peeled it. The shell came off cleanly. He sniffed it first, then brought it to his lips and took a small bite.
His eyes immediately narrowed again!
Stepping out of the building, the sky was still a deep blue, largely obscured by the green trees in the residential complex.
Huai Xu sniffed the air and said, "There are demons in this place. Two of them."
"How do you know?"
"I'm very capable."
"Oh."
"Aren't you scared?"
"They were here before me."
"So brave... Humans aren't afraid of demons anymore!" Huai Xu lamented, marveling at the current state of the world.
"Were people in the past very afraid of demons?" Zhou Li asked.
"Of course. You see it on TV..."
"Do demons really eat people?"
"I'll tell you when I remember."
Zhou Li bought a marinated egg outside the residential complex and ate it as he walked.
The path was strewn with locust blossoms, soaked by the rain and stuck to the ground, like scattered little stars.
Arriving at the school gate, Huai Xu keenly sensed a change in Zhou Li's entire demeanor and curiously asked, "What's up? Is your teacher up ahead?"
"There's a demon in the school too."
"Huh? I thought you weren't scared?"
"I never said I wasn't scared."
"Does that demon eat people?"
"Probably not."
"Then what are you afraid of?"
"It's troublesome." Peering through the retractable gate, Zhou Li saw a massive figure not far from the school entrance, blocking the tree-lined path.
"Oh, is that the one?"
"Yes, keep your voice down. Don't attract..." Zhou Li turned to warn Huai Xu, but found he was already gone. Instead, Huai Xu's faint voice came from ahead—
"Hey! Do you often bully a human? About this tall, rather skinny?"