"I declare that the military training completion ceremony and performance report show officially begins!"
The stirring and grand music imdiately started. Formations, one by one, entered from outside the athletics field in an orderly fashion, stepping in ti with the drumbeats, their footsteps uniform.
Today, just like the entire previous week, it was only morning, yet the sun’s power had already begun to show. Unprotected skin would feel hot in no ti, as if scorched by fire.
The freshn had mostly all darkened a shade.
Behind the podium, however, the seats usually reserved for watching football matches were shrouded in tree shade. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the gaps in the leaves, casting only sparse dapples on the concrete ground. Occasionally, a breeze would even blow through.
Brother Nan and Zhou Li were standing shoulder to shoulder, leaning on the railing.
This wasn’t a place just anyone could co up to; aside from them, only school newspaper reporters, teachers, and mbers of the school student council responsible for maintaining order were present.
"Doesn’t this remind you of last year?" Brother Nan turned her head and glanced at Zhou Li. "I was down there struggling through military boxing, and you were watching from up here... How did you get up here last year anyway? Did you sell your charms?"
"I climbed over from that small gate."
"Oh~~" Brother Nan showed an understanding look. "You were also wearing a hat and a mask, and clothes you don’t normally wear."
"Necessary disguise."
"I’m telling you, you have no idea—" Brother Nan’s expression quickly brightened. "After I recognized you, I was chatting with Huai Xu below, and he even tried to mimic your way of talking to fool ! HA HA HA HA... He did a pretty good job!"
"I hadn’t thought you would recognize ."
"Hmph! You thought you could deceive ?"
"Brother Nan is mighty."
"Hmph, hmph!"
Brother Nan accepted Zhou Li’s flattery with a very pleased expression, then continued to gaze downward—she had been down there last year, in the midst of it all. Now, watching from a different perspective gave it a unique flavor.
The sun grew more intense.
The temperature rapidly rose.
Brother Nan gazed at the rigidly standing freshn below, noticing many squinting their eyes, perhaps due to the sun, perhaps irritated by sweat. Her face showed a touch of pity. "These idiots are still talking! Look how badly the sun is burning our juniors..."
Zhou Li remained silent.
Recalling the past with Brother Nan brought up many mories for him.
The most wondrous thing about ti is that you never know where it will lead you. Back then, he had never imagined that he would later be with Brother Nan; he had even spent a night with her already.
The performance report show ended.
It was the sa routine as last year: the instructors saluted and discreetly ran off, the boys cursed, the girls sobbed.
Several minutes passed before the command to dismiss was given. The first-year students dressed in camouflage, relieved and filled with complex emotions, stread out of the large gate of the athletic field like a torrent.
Brother Nan, holding Zhou Li’s hand, was mixed among them but quickened her pace. "Hurry, hurry, let’s beat the lunch rush..."
Zhou Li was sowhat speechless.
「At ten o’clock at night.」
The small supermarket had already closed. Most students had returned to their dorms, leaving the streets deserted and chilly, lit only by the dim light of the streetlamps.
Zhou Li moved a table to the roadside.
Brother Nan and Huai Xu were also there.
The spots for club recruitnt were sowhat scattered but mainly concentrated along this road. Additionally, a few spots would be set up near the cafeteria, the sports field, and so dormitory entrances. These were usually reserved as extra spots for the larger clubs.
For the Probability Society, one spot was enough.
As for the best location...
Of course, it was at the intersection!
No matter which direction the new students ca from—whether going to eat, heading to class, or returning to their dormitories—they would all pass through this three-way intersection.
Zhou Li rembered that last year, this spot belonged to the Street Dance Club, with the Bicycle Association and Basketball Association next to it. They were all large clubs.
They set up their table early at the corner of the intersection. Huai Xu sat on the table swinging his legs. Brother Nan paced back and forth out of boredom, kicking at a small plant growing from a crack in the pavent, while Zhou Li leaned against the table, standing.
"Why aren’t they here yet?"
"Don’t rush."
"We haven’t even decided on our recruitnt criteria yet," Brother Nan said, her gaze fixed on the small plant. "Should we let just anyone join and recruit more mbers, or should we have a strict screening process to recruit quality mbers?"
"I don’t know."
"Are you an idiot?"
"...I feel that since our club’s main purpose is eating, drinking, and having fun, strict screening doesn’t make much sense, does it?" Zhou Li said expressionlessly.
"How does it not make sense?" Brother Nan was puzzled. "Shouldn’t we pick people we find agreeable, people we can get along with, so we can actually have fun during our activities?"
"You’ve already decided, so why are you asking ..."
"Isn’t it about showing you respect?"
"You’re crazy..."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Zhou Li looked towards the end of the street on the left. A large group of people carrying things was approaching, their indistinct voices growing louder as they neared.
"They’re here," he said.
"Finally!" Brother Nan imdiately perked up. "Looks like Zhou Qianqian is reliable after all!"
"Yeah."
Almost at the sa ti, people carrying tables and chairs approached from two other directions. Like them, they apparently knew to co early tonight to set up tents and claim their spot.
"Looks like we’ve got competition for the spots," Brother Nan grinned. "Good thing we got here early and already claid this corner."
"Yeah."
The groups coming to claim spots arrived before the student council. They were clearly divided into several factions; so tables already displayed posters with their club nas. In the last hundred ters or so, they practically raced each other. Everyone wanted to grab this corner at the intersection, running so hard they were out of breath. However, when they arrived, they discovered the spot was already taken.
"Damn! The tents aren’t even set up yet, and soone’s already co to claim a spot. Which club is it?"
"I’ll take the left!"
"Then we’ll take the right!"
"No way! We’ll take the right! We got here first!"
"What did you say? The streetlight is too dim; I can’t hear you!"
"Are you being serious?"
A group of students had already started squabbling, but their tone seed sowhat jocular, as if they all knew each other, or at least seed familiar with each other.
By the light, Zhou Li could clearly see their clubs. They were all major ones.
It seed the smaller clubs were laying low, with no plans to fight for spots.
anwhile, the others took the chance to look them over, though the streetlight was blocked by trees, making it sowhat hard to see clearly.
"Brother Nan!" That was soone from the Basketball Association.
"Deity!" That was soone from the Bicycle Association.
"Shit!" It was the squad leader from the sports college’s formation, the one beaten up by ’Zhou Li’ during last year’s military training. He was now the newly elected Club President of the Street Dance Club.
"What’s up?" Brother Nan glanced at them.
"Brother Nan, what club is this?" asked the president of the Basketball Association.
"Probability Society."
"Probability Society?" The new president of the Bicycle Association seed a bit puzzled. "Do we have that club at our school?"
"I just started it last year."
"Aweso!"
"What does the Probability Society mainly do? Probability theory?"
"Eating, drinking, and having fun."
"Brother Nan, to be honest, I want to eat, drink, and have fun with you," the president of the Basketball Association said, seeming quite spineless. "Do you recruit sophomores?"
"Count in." The new president of the Bicycle Association had always held Brother Nan and Zhou Li in high esteem.
"Our standards are very high," Brother Nan said. "It depends on fate."
"..."
While they were chatting, Zhou Li quietly glanced in the direction of the Street Dance Club.
Actually, Brother Nan had initially joined the Street Dance Club. However, during the first club activity, she had viciously beaten up the sports student in front of her and had never returned, claiming to others that she was too uncoordinated to dance. The Street Dance Club was one of the largest at the school. Last year they seized the pri spot, but this year, being a step late, not only did they miss the main spot, but they didn’t even get the one next to it, which was quite disheartening.
Zhou Li saw a sowhat short boy dressed in a hip-hop style step forward, grinning at them. "Fellow students, let’s make a deal. Your new club doesn’t need such a good spot. Can you let us have it? We’ll cover your boxed als for these few days, how about it?"
Brother Nan smiled. "Get lost..."
The boy was stunned; he hadn’t expected such a rude response and instinctively looked towards his own Club President.
The Club President was a tall and imposing figure who looked quite reassuring. Although a new president, he had been playing with them for a year, so they were fairly acquainted. They knew he was usually very straightforward, soone who spoke his mind and did as he pleased.
But today, he seed off his ga.
Despite the mbers looking at him, the Club President could not afford to lose face, so he had to toughen up and respond.
He dared not look at Zhou Li or Brother Nan. Instead, he chose to fix his wavering gaze on Huai Xu and stamred, "We were just negotiating, just asking. It’s okay if it’s not possible, no need to..."
Huai Xu suddenly interrupted him—
"What are you looking at?"
The Club President instantly shifted his gaze elsewhere. "No, not looking at anything..."
He sounded as if he had no idea what Huai Xu was talking about.
A voice ca from behind him, deliberately lowered, "Club President, we have more people. There’s no need to be afraid of them..."
The Club President looked left and right, turning a deaf ear.
Huai Xu said, "What ’more people’?"
Club President: "..."
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