Chapter 40: Typhoon Holiday Plans

Having drunk the coffee and ridden his bike all the way back to school, Zhong Tian no longer felt the initial fatigue. He finished the remaining coffee and headed into the academic building.

He had barely stepped into the classroom when Zhong Tian saw a dark blue “thing” lying quietly on his desk.

Zhong Tian’s eye twitched, and he almost failed to maintain his aloof persona.

‘It’s waiting for me!’

Zhong Tian no longer wanted to return to his seat.

He walked to his desk and reached out, attempting to pick up the Cat Senior — now to be called Cat Class Monitor — and place them aside.

But the Cat Class Monitor suddenly displayed an agility unbefitting its size, swiftly turning just before Zhong Tian could touch them and delivering two “cat punches” to his hand.

Although it didn’t hurt, it successfully startled Zhong Tian, causing him to retract his hand abruptly and take a step back.

The Cat Class Monitor lay on Zhong Tian’s desk, belly up, with its two front paws poised like a boxer, looking ready for a fight.

But the next second, it was swiftly scooped up.

It was Jiang Nanjin who had acted.

“Good morning, Class Monitor~”

The Cat Class Monitor, held high in the air, instantly looked panicked, flailing its four paws and emitting protest-like meows.

Jiang Nanjin swiftly pulled it close to her face and stared it down.

“Behave now.”

She said it with a smile, yet there was a deterrent power emanating from her, of unknown origin.

The Cat Class Monitor immediately conceded, its entire body going limp and dangling, allowing Jiang Nanjin to carry it to the back row of the classroom, to its designated seat.

Seemingly finding the soft cushion on the seat quite comfortable, the Cat Class Monitor cooperatively settled onto it.

Zhong Tian, seeing that the Cat Class Monitor seemed quite pleased with its exclusive seat, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

‘I shouldn’t be used as a cushion anymore, right…?’

“Thank you.”

Having thanked Jiang Nanjin, Zhong Tian sat down with peace of mind, ready to begin his morning reading.

****

The morning classes passed uneventfully.

Zhong Tian yawned, organized his notes and books, and after returning them to their original places, exchanged a look with Li Jianren.

The meaning of this look was, ‘Get my food, meet at the dorm.’

Their years of unspoken understanding allowed Li Jianren to immediately grasp Zhong Tian’s meaning, so he subtly gave him a thumbs-up, indicating he understood.

The dismissal bell rang.

The academic building instantly stirred with commotion.

Those few “speed eaters” present in every class were already clutching their rice bowls, and like Fei Yu Zhen rushing towards Luna, they burst out into the corridor with astonishing momentum, heading straight for the cafeteria.

Li Jianren was among their ranks.

At times like these, Zhong Tian always wanted to play “Kakimashita” or “Be Brave, My Friend” for them…

Zhong Tian, who had almost been amused by the images in his mind, readjusted his expression. He stood up and slowly made his way towards Li Jianren’s dorm.

Since there were likely many people near the main entrance of his dorm, Zhong Tian opted to use the back entrance.

Expertly navigating the narrow path and scaling the low fence, Zhong Tian deftly climbed onto Li Jianren’s dorm balcony and pushed open the door.

Since it was Zhong Tian’s exclusive passage, Li Jianren typically wouldn’t lock this door.

Upon entering the dorm, Zhong Tian first turned on the air conditioner, then lay directly on Li Jianren’s bed, waiting for him to return with lunch.

Zhong Tian wasn’t just idly waiting; he opened his phone, intending to chat briefly with Bai Ruijin.

Because, according to her, the Literature Club was going to recruit new members from the first-year students tonight, and they had decided to add Li Jianren as a friend at that time.

[Are you there?]

[Have you thought about what to say tonight?]

After a moment, the other side replied.

[Yep, I’ve got it!]

[What are you planning to say?] Zhong Tian decided it would be best to hear it.

[Well… I discussed it with our club president and asked him to arrange for us to handle the new member interviews. Then I’ll use that as an opportunity to add him as a friend…]

‘Hmm, that sounds pretty good.’

‘And it can effectively conceal the true intention.’

[Be careful when you chat with him,] Zhong Tian replied. [Don’t let him discover your intentions.]

[Got it!]

‘Alright, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about then.’

At this moment, a muffled thud came from the dorm door.

Zhong Tian got up and opened the door.

Holding food in both hands, a sweating Li Jianren entered the dorm, put down the rice bowls, and immediately let out a long sigh.

“I unilaterally declare that air conditioning is the greatest invention in human history!” he declared, spreading his arms wide and embracing the cool air from the air conditioner.

“You’ll catch a cold, you know.”

“But it’s genuinely hot today! I’m practically melting,” he said. “No, I think I need a shower.”

“Go on, go on.”

Zhong Tian, who was eating, waved him off.

He quickly went to the balcony to retrieve his clothes, then darted into the shower room.

“Woo—”

Along with the sound of water, Li Jianren’s strange cry echoed.

“Stop making those weird noises!” Zhong Tian shouted.

‘Anyone would think a monkey got into the dorm…’

“If you can’t stand cold water, don’t take a cold shower!”

Zhong Tian shook his head and sighed, continuing his meal.

Just a few minutes later, Li Jianren, with only a large towel wrapped around his lower body, darted out of the shower room, entered the room, and once again spread his arms wide, embracing the air conditioner’s cool blast.

“If you don’t catch a cold from this, I’ll write my name backward.”

Zhong Tian picked up the remote, about to turn off the air conditioner, but was stopped by Li Jianren.

“Don’t turn it off!” he said. “What if I catch a cold? I’d even welcome it!”

“So it’s all going according to your plan, huh…” Zhong Tian put down the remote, saying grumpily, “Fine, don’t turn off the air conditioner, but at least put some clothes on.”

“I’ll put them on later, later, let’s eat first.”

“Aren’t you even a little embarrassed…?”

“There’s no one else in my room, why would I be embarrassed?”

“Am I not a person?”

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.” Li Jianren sat down and began devouring his food. “What kind of relationship do we have? Best bros! No need to be shy.”

“……”

‘How did Bai Ruijin ever fall for this guy?’

Zhong Tian ate about half of his meal, then gave the rest to Li Jianren.

He intended to quickly catch up on sleep.

‘Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to last through the afternoon.’

****

****

Zhong Tian! Grandly revived!

The quality of this sleep was excellent; Zhong Tian woke feeling his entire body tingle pleasantly, his headache vanished, a comfort beyond words.

Zhong Tian, as usual, nudged Li Jianren awake, tidied his appearance, and headed out.

He had barely stepped out the back door when Zhong Tian froze.

‘Damn, why is it so hot!’

‘And so stuffy.’

‘What’s going on?’

Zhong Tian picked up his phone, intending to check the temperature.

Instead, he discovered a typhoon landing warning message from a day ago.

‘So a typhoon is coming, no wonder…’

‘In that case, won’t there be a holiday?’

‘A holiday on the second day of school, that’s hilarious.’

As someone who grew up in a place where typhoons frequently made landfall but rarely caused significant damage, Zhong Tian had no fear of typhoons, merely feeling that he could legitimately stay home again.

Moreover, typhoon weather was also perfect for sleeping and resting.

He put away his phone, climbed over the balcony, and returned to the classroom.

****

****

During the break after the second class in the afternoon, the homeroom teacher, Wang Changgeng, entered the classroom.

“Some students may already know, but a typhoon is expected to make landfall in Taishan City tomorrow. Therefore, after discussion among the leadership, second-year and first-year students will be dismissed simultaneously today to return home. Starting from tomorrow and extending until Monday, there will be a total of four days of holiday.”

“Additionally, the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is included within this period.”

“Yay!”

As Zhong Tian expected, half the class cheered.

Class Four, separated by a stairwell, also cheered similarly.

Only Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao were stunned.

This holiday schedule meant that the break would seamlessly connect to the School Cultural Festival next week, which also meant the Literature Club’s recruitment plan would have to be postponed…

“The plan has to be delayed…”

“Uh… it’s alright, it’s not like it can’t happen at all,” Zheng Qiao comforted her. “For now, let’s just enjoy the holiday.”

“With a typhoon… I guess we can’t really go out and play.”

“Hmm… you can still enjoy the holiday without going out,” she said. “Read some books, watch some manga or something.”

Zheng Qiao had already planned her holiday; she intended to catch up on several manga and novels she had been interested in.

She also thought she might as well take a look at Zhong Tian’s manga.

She was quite curious to see what level a peer’s manga could reach.

Listening to Zheng Qiao, Bai Ruijin also began to ponder.

What should she do during the typhoon and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday?

****

****

“Old Zhong!” Zhong Tian had just stepped out of the school gate when he saw Li Jianren rushing out from the crowd. “Do you want to come to my place for a sleepover tonight!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s celebrate!”

“Celebrate the typhoon?”

“Ah, it’s a four-day holiday, we have to make the most of it!” Li Jianren seemed very excited. “Let’s buy some food and drinks, come back to my place, and have a party just the two of us, eating and drinking while playing PS5!”

Zhong Tian felt a little tempted listening to him.

“Are your… parents home?”

“Good, you finally asked the important question,” Li Jianren said. “They’re away on a business trip! I’m home alone!”

“……Alright then.” Zhong Tian agreed. “But I need to bike home first.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll scan a shared bike and follow you to your neighborhood, then we can take a taxi to my place together.”

“Okay.”

****

Su Linxi emerged from the kitchen, carrying the last dish.

Zhong Jing had returned home early today and was now sitting at the dining table in her pajamas, playing on her phone and waiting for the food to be served.

She looked at the four dishes Su Linxi placed down, then raised her gaze to Su Linxi, who was taking off her apron, and said in an even tone, “You made too much food.”

“There’s a portion for Zhong Tian.” She sat down at the dining table. “He should be back soon, what with the typhoon tomorrow.”

No sooner had she spoken than a crisp sound came from the main door of the house.

Zhong Tian unlocked and entered the house, finding the two women already seated at the dining table, preparing to eat.

“Eating so early today?”

“Yes,” Su Linxi replied. “There’s a portion for you, have a seat.”

Zhong Tian found himself in a predicament; Su Linxi had already prepared his portion, so he couldn’t very well turn around and leave…

“Wait a moment…”

Zhong Tian turned and exited the house, walking all the way to the entrance of his residential complex.

Li Jianren was at the convenience store near the complex entrance, buying drinks.

“You haven’t taken a taxi yet, have you?” Zhong Tian asked, approaching him.

“Not yet.”

“Perfect then, let’s go to my place for a meal first,” Zhong Tian said. “My family made dinner, and it would be rude not to eat.”

“How about we go to your place to play after we eat?”

“Eat at your place, huh… that works too.” Li Jianren nodded, took his drinks, and went to pay.

“Three yuan…” the store clerk said.

Li Jianren paid, and he and Zhong Tian left.

The clerk’s eyes, almost hidden beneath their bangs, watched the two figures until they disappeared from their sight.