CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 56: FAMILIAR ROUTINE

"Get a little closer!"

"Smile more!"

"Zhou Li, you too! Why the long face?"

"Aren’t you all too conservative?"

"What era is this... Honestly!"

"Afraid of being dunked in a pig cage?"

Huai Xu vented his dissatisfaction with contemporary young people.

After finally taking two passable photos, Huai Xu handed the phone to Zhou Li. "Here, like this. I think it’s not bad; you both look quite good."

Zhou Li looked at the photos and then handed them to Zheng Zhilan.

Zheng Zhilan leaned in closer, but they still looked somewhat blurry, so she turned to Zhou Li and asked, "Do they look good?"

Zhou Li hesitated.

After listening to Huai Xu’s long string of instructions, he had thought this Old monster was quite professional, secretly guessing maybe it was an innate artistic talent. But now, it seemed like complete, random shouting.

Huai Xu looked at him with concern. "How is it?"

He still had the nerve to ask! And there was actually some anticipation in his eyes?

After an internal struggle, Zhou Li, who was ultimately kind-hearted, honestly replied, "Both people are in the picture."

Huai Xu’s expression stiffened.

Beside them, Zheng Zhilan covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Zhou Li was conflicted for a long time but decided to continue.

He first tried taking a photo of Zheng Zhilan alone. Then, he had Huai Xu try to replicate it with both of them in the shot. It seemed entirely feasible—just changing from one person to two. Huai Xu also confidently guaranteed that he would make it look exactly the same. However, in the end, Zhou Li couldn’t figure out where the problem lay.

Later, he used his phone to find the right distance and composition and had Huai Xu hold it still, which solved the problem.

"SNAP!"

"CLICK!"

Huai Xu’s expression wasn’t too pleased; his pride and confidence had been trampled. But he still endured it and asked, "Do you want to change poses? I’ll stay still."

"Forget it; the scenery’s not that great anyway."

Zhou Li took the phone and looked. They were beside the Tuo River. It was already past six o’clock, and the sky was a fiery red. The riverside was planted with ornamental plants; some flowers were blooming, and some leaves had turned an eye-pleasing, vivid red. They stood shoulder to shoulder, neither of them looking like people who often took photos.

Zhou Li smiled, his smile a bit stiff.

Zheng Zhilan’s expression was calm and indifferent.

Flipping back through the photos, Zhou Li still thought the solo shot he’d taken of Zheng Zhilan was more attractive. The best one, however, was a candid photo he had snapped of her in the car.

At that time, Miss Zheng had been intently gazing out the window, enjoying the breeze. Zhou Li had captured her in profile; her eyelashes were very long. The swiftly changing, blurry lights outside the window must have also appeared beautiful to her; otherwise, why would she have gazed so intently?

"Does it look good?" Zheng Zhilan asked softly again.

"It looks good," Zhou Li said. "I’ll find a print shop and have it printed for you. How big do you want it?"

"Mm, this big is fine." Zheng Zhilan gestured.

"Okay."

Zhou Li knew of a print shop nearby, so he and Zheng Zhilan walked slowly along the riverbank. They watched the sunset dye the river surface a deep, painterly red, a scene occasionally rippled by passing boats. They chatted quietly as they strolled, and he periodically reminded her to watch the steps.

Someone was fishing by the river. Huai Xu went over to look, then came back laughing at how small the person’s fish were.

Qinghe followed quietly behind.

The streetlights along the river lit up one by one.

They had the photo printed and mounted.

Seeing it was getting late, Zheng Zhilan said to Zhou Li, "Let me treat you to dinner; you’ve been a great help today. What would you like to eat?"

Zhou Li didn’t stand on ceremony with her.

So, he consulted Brother Nan and then went to a lobster restaurant. He got a private room and ordered several different flavors of small lobsters, probably around seven or eight pounds, along with many other dishes. The owner kept telling them that three people couldn’t possibly eat that much, making Zhou Li feel somewhat embarrassed.

The lobster was served platter after platter, and Huai Xu was already drooling. "Last time we ate this, Aunt Jiang made it, right?"

"Who knows with you."

"Exactly! I haven’t snuck any since then!"

"Alright, alright."

Zhou Li never liked to argue with people.

Zheng Zhilan put on her gloves, reminded Qinghe to be careful of the heat, and then said, "Back home, we have a field with lots of these, but they’re inconvenient to prepare, so Qinghe and I rarely eat them."

"I can peel them for you."

"No need, I can peel them myself."

"Okay then."

The food at this restaurant was indeed good. However, Zheng Zhilan ate sparingly, and Qinghe always preferred vegetarian dishes. Huai Xu consumed most of the lobster, and a mountain of shells piled up before him.

After paying the bill, Zhou Li accompanied Zheng Zhilan to her hotel.

Walking around Yan City at night was quite interesting. It wasn’t too crowded nor too deserted, achieving a nice balance between being bustling and quiet. Some tricycles or pushcarts that didn’t dare come out during the day took over various intersections once the city management officers were off duty. From their loudspeakers came the distinctive calls of hawkers, filled with the flavors of life.

Zhou Li walked while reminiscing, saying to Zheng Zhilan, "When I was in junior high, this whole street was a night market. There were many food stalls during the day too—cheap and tasty. In the winter, you could order some squid and potatoes, sit in the sun, and it was really comfortable."

"Are they not here anymore?"

"Later, regulations were put in place. First, stalls were only allowed at night, not during the day. Then, I heard vendors were forced to move into storefronts and could no longer set up by the roadside." Zhou Li added with regret, "I remember there used to be a fantastic clay pot rice noodle place around here; I have no idea where it’s gone now."

"Times change so fast; it’s easy to be left behind if you don’t pay attention."

"That’s right."

Zhou Li was nodding, about to say something more, when he suddenly saw a small white blur rushing towards him under a streetlight, moving fast.

"Hmm?"

By the time he realized what was happening, he saw a little white cat lying at his feet, rolling around.

Zhou Li: ???

Zheng Zhilan also looked down at the cat.

She smiled.

The little white cat continued to roll around, occasionally glancing up to see the human’s reaction. But to her, it seemed the human just stared down at her without any discernible response.

This made her question her own charm.

After a moment, she got up, moved closer to the human, pawing at his pant leg and looking up at him.

"MEOW MEOW MEOW~~"

Her eyes were bright and shiny, her voice soft and mellow.

Zheng Zhilan spoke softly, "This cat is quite special."

The little white cat froze for a moment.

Then she felt herself being picked up. The human’s handsome face came into view, and he spoke gently, "You should find someone else to bother. I’m going off to college in a neighboring province in a few days and won’t be able to take care of you."

The little white cat was unconvinced.

Humans always think they can possess me forever... TSK!

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a Demon resembling a monster appearing before her. But she wasn’t flustered. After all, I’m just a little kitty; who could possibly harm me?

Even a human Heavenly Master couldn’t see through me, right?

Then, a voice came from behind, "I only went to steal two skewers of barbecue, and you’re already being scammed, Zhou Li!"

The little white cat turned her head, stunned.

Then she was placed on the ground, hearing the human say, "Since you’re a Demon, you must understand human language, right?"

The little white cat was dumbfounded.

Then she looked up at Huai Xu, hesitated for a moment, and blurted out a MEOW before realizing her mistake and switching to human speech. "Are you Huai Xu?"

Her voice was soft and delicate, somewhat like a little girl’s.

"You actually know me?"

"Of course! How did you end up in such a state?"

"???"

"I’m just playing the game of life!" The little white cat turned to lick her fur, her composure returning. She took another look at Zhou Li. "Are you following this human now? He’s quite special. The moment I saw him, I felt drawn to him. I’ve never approached male humans before, and after all this time, to see him again... this must be destiny, right?"

"Who are you?" Huai Xu asked. "How do you know me?"

"I’m your elder sister."

"What?"

"Just kidding! You must have just woken up, right? I’m Lord Dumpling, and I’ve done you a favor." The little white cat paused. "How about you take care of my meals from now on!"

"Wasn’t the name Tuanzi given to you by that human?" Zhou Li interjected.

"I was also called Tuanzi before."

"Done me a favor? What favor? I’m pretty poor too," Huai Xu said, puzzled.

"You go steal."

"Why don’t you steal?"

"I’d be too embarrassed."

"..."

Huai Xu suddenly didn’t feel like talking to her anymore.

At that moment, Zhou Li picked her up again. "So you are Tuanzi? Did you know Huai Xu before?"

"You’re Teacher Xiao Zhou, right?"

"My name is Zhou Li."

"Pleased to meet you."

"You haven’t answered my question yet."

"Well, we can ’meow’ about that later. I haven’t had dinner today, and I’m a bit hungry now. I want some caviar, the kind that girl’s family often eats," Tuanzi said unapologetically.

"..."