“What?! You’re both not coming back tonight?!”
December 20th, Saturday morning.
Jiang Miao got up early and climbed out of his warm bed at around ten o’clock. He ventured into the chilly world and settled at his desk to write.
Chen Haoshang had left early to deliver food, and Wang Xin had insisted on waking up early to study at the library, leaving only Jiang Miao and Xun Liang to hold down the fort.
Ever since his forced breakup with his ex-girlfriend and his older sister’s monthly inspections, Xun Liang had fully embraced life as a hobody beast. Unless class attendance was strictly mandatory, he would rather stay cocooned in his blanket.
In the cold winter, with recent rains bringing damp air, the chill seed to seep into the bones. Even thick down jackets and heavy sweaters couldn’t entirely fend off the biting cold.
Only a blanket could retain the warmth of ho. Leaving it felt like becoming a wanderer.
Xun Liang didn’t want to beco a wanderer, so by noon, he was still wrapped in his blanket.
He had been awake for a while, lying in bed and playing on his phone. He played Honor of Kings, chatted in group chats, and read so novels. If he hit a cliffhanger, he would scold the dog author before switching to short videos.
Whenever he saw sothing funny, he would cackle. If it was sothing particularly hilarious, he’d laugh so hard that the bed fra would shake as he tried to suppress his laughter, looking like soone having a fit.
When Jiang Miao finished writing a 1,500-word chapter at noon and told him that neither Wang Xin nor he would be returning tonight, Xun Liang was shocked.
“Yeah.” Jiang Miao nodded. “It’s the debate team’s gathering. We’re staying overnight at a rental house.”
“Fuck, I’m so envious…”
“What’s there to be envious of?” Jiang Miao was speechless. “Doesn’t the sports association have gatherings too?”
“I turned them all down.” Xun Liang sighed, slumping back onto his bed. “My ex-girlfriend is still in the sports association. What if my overwhelming charm makes her want to get back together when she sees ?”
“Honestly, Dog, your thick skin could stop bullets.”
“Get lost!”
“What do you want for lunch? I’m heading to the cafeteria. Want to bring sothing back?” Jiang Miao smiled as he shut down his laptop. Only after the screen turned completely dark did he close it. 𝙍àＮỒ฿Εȿ
“Pork liver rice.” Xun Liang’s muffled voice ca from under his blanket.
“Got it.”
Downstairs, Jiang Miao joined Su Huaizhou and Qi Lianyue for lunch.
The mont the lovey-dovey pair t, they held hands. Qi Lianyue silently distanced herself from them and walked in front, not wanting to contaminate her eye.
Su Huaizhou, hand in hand with Junior Brother, leaned close to Jiang Miao’s ear and teased softly, “You’ve been working hard today. You even released this morning.”
“Yes, of course. So, Senior Sister, do I get a reward?” He leaned in for a kiss, but she smiled sweetly and pressed a hand against his face to stop him.
“It’s just 1,500 words.” Su Huaizhou wrinkled her nose and harrumphed. “When your book first went premium, you used to write at least 3,000 words in the morning.”
Jiang Miao: “…”
Sure enough, even a considerate and understanding girlfriend like Senior Sister was just like those insatiable readers who could never be satisfied.
“Senior Sister, you have to understand the power of a warm bed in winter.”
“Then can’t you understand the pain of a reader tornted by cliffhangers?” Su Huaizhou said in a low, sweet voice as she pinched his waist. Her smiling face was only missing a knife to complete the scene.
“Today is the debate team’s gathering. Enjoying ourselves is the priority.” Jiang Miao gently pressed down Senior Sister’s mischievous hand, clasped it back in his palm, and comforted her. “Besides, I’ve already released a chapter. If I don’t have ti later, I’ll just redeem a leave pass.”
The requirent for the full attendance bonus was to update 3,000 words a day. If soone wanted to maintain their full attendance without reaching the 3,000-word quota, they could use points to redeem a leave pass.
Points were distributed proportionally to royalties.
For example, if Jiang Miao earned 40,000 yuan in royalties over two months, he would receive 40,000 points.
The first leave pass of a month cost only 100 points, but the second required 1,000 points, the third 10,000, and so on.
With Jiang Miao’s current points, he could afford to take at most three days off in a month.
If he wanted the full attendance bonus, it would an working every single day, with only three days off.
Public holidays didn’t grant a reprieve either. In fact, because most people had ti off during holidays, authors were often expected to update even more to attract readers.
“The gathering ends tomorrow night,” Su Huaizhou said, not rushing to stop him from redeeming a leave pass. “After it’s over, you can co to my place.”
At this point, she bit her lip and blushed slightly. After confirming that Qi Lianyue wasn’t looking, she leaned over to whisper in Jiang Miao’s ear, “I have several swimsuits.”
Hiss…
Her breath seed to wrap around his ear, warm and tantalizing, sending a tingling sensation that instantly made him straighten up. He said earnestly, “Senior Sister, I’ll go back to get my laptop after lunch and write during the gathering when I have ti!”
“Actually, you don’t have to work so hard. It’s fine to take a break and redeem a leave pass once in a while,” Su Huaizhou said gently, smoothing his collar with tender care. “Taking a day off won’t hurt.”
“No, no, no.” Jiang Miao shook his head repeatedly and declared righteously, “Writing makes happy! Constantly creating is the aning of life!”
…
After lunch, Jiang Miao saw Senior Sister and Qi Lianyue off. He didn’t forget to buy pork liver rice for Dog in the nest and returned to the dorm room with the takeaway box.
Following Jiang Miao’s example, Xun Liang had also bought a bed desk. He reached out a hand from behind his bed curtain to take the pork liver rice and prepared to eat his lunch in bed.
Other than addressing his biological needs, he didn’t plan to get out of bed at all.
If soone gave him a catheter straight to the toilet, Jiang Miao suspected he could spend the rest of his life in bed.
“I’m leaving soon. Take care,” Jiang Miao said to the bed across from him while stuffing his laptop and charging cable into his backpack.
Xun Liang was eating pork liver rice when he suddenly poked his head out and asked, “Brother Jiang, can outsiders go to your gathering?”
“Yes, team mbers can bring family.” Jiang Miao nodded.
“Ugh… so that ans I can’t go, right?”
“You can.” Jiang Miao continued nodding. “A son counts as family too.”
“Get lost!” Xun Liang spat. “I won’t go even if you invite . All I’ll get there is you and Senior Sister feeding dog food.”
“It might not just be and Senior Sister.” Jiang Miao blinked and reminded kindly, “There’s also Wang Xin and Song Huanhuan, and Senior Sister Qi Lianyue and Senior Zhao Lu. I heard a few other girls are bringing their boyfriends too…”
“Fuck!” Xun Liang couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you having a gathering or a single dog abuse session?”
“You’ll have to ask the dogs.”
…
After being chased out by Dog, Jiang Miao leisurely put on his backpack and looked at WeChat.
[Zhouzhou Loves Congee]: Hurry up and co downstairs. We’re heading to the rental house.
[Miaomiao is Deep in Thought]: Okay, coming down.
Then a ssage ca from the ‘First-Year Debate Team’ group chat.
Everyone was discussing what to do in the afternoon, what snacks to buy, and whether they should order delivery or buy ingredients and cook together in the evening.
Jiang Miao took a few glances but had no intention of joining in as he slowly walked downstairs.
When he reached the entrance, Su Huaizhou happened to erge from the door of Building 30. She jogged over to the bike shed, moved her roommate’s scooter out, and pushed it over to Jiang Miao.
“Hop on. You drive.” Su Huaizhou patted the front seat, signaling Jiang Miao to hurry up.
He glanced at Qi Lianyue, who had followed her out, and felt a little embarrassed. “Senior Sister, why don’t you go ahead with Senior Sister Qi?”
“Huh?” Su Huaizhou blinked in surprise.
Before she could even laugh, Zhao Lu rode over on his electric scooter and smoothly stopped in front of Qi Lianyue.
“Ahem.” Jiang Miao decided to act as though he hadn’t said anything and quickly hopped onto the scooter.
“Still have ti to worry about other girls?” Su Huaizhou wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, her small hand slipping into his jacket and her cool fingers brushing against his skin.
“Hiss…” He shivered. After Senior Sister’s hand gradually ward, he chuckled and said, “Senior Sister, you’re even jealous of this? I’m just being considerate.”
“More like considerate of undressing ,” Su Huaizhou mumbled, recalling the ti when Jiang Miao had tried to use the excuse of gathering material to undress her. Her hand pinched his large abs a few tis.
With Zhao Lu and Qi Lianyue ahead of them, Jiang Miao couldn’t be bothered to navigate and simply followed behind.
After weaving through the streets, they stopped in front of a large supermarket.
As seniors of the debate team, the task of shopping naturally fell to them. Since Jiang Miao and Wang Xin were the only two male first-years on the team, they had to pitch in as well.
When Jiang Miao arrived with Senior Sister at the supermarket, they saw Wang Xin already waiting at the entrance.
… And Song Huanhuan, who was clinging to his arm.
Wang Xin was clearly still not used to how couples interacted. When he saw Jiang Miao’s smiling gaze, he instinctively tried to pull his arm away.
However, he only managed to pull halfway before Song Huanhuan tightened her hold, unwilling to let go.
Though a little embarrassed by the seniors’ gaze, Song Huanhuan had finally softened the stone beside her. Now that she had the chance, she couldn’t bear to let go.
Jiang Miao held Senior Sister’s hand and walked over. Looking at Wang Xin and Song Huanhuan, he couldn’t help feeling a bit mischievous, wanting to snap a picture and send it to Dog back in the dorm.
In the end, he decided against it, sparing Dog’s life.
…
Half an hour later, six people erged from the supermarket, loaded with bags.
The boys carried the large ones, while the girls took the smaller ones.
By the ti they arrived at the rental house on their scooters, it was already 2 p.m.
The term rental house was just a general label. It was sowhat similar to a guesthouse but with rooms converted into entertainnt areas, such as mobile gas tables, gaming rooms, ho theaters, mahjong rooms, and karaoke rooms.
This kind of space could comfortably accommodate twenty to thirty people. Everyone could find their favorite entertainnt activity and switch to sothing else once they grew tired of it.
Such gatherings were perfect for college clubs or company departnts to hold team-building events. The cost was typically shared among everyone, amounting to just a few dozen yuan per person, which wasn’t too expensive.
However, Jiang Miao wasn’t concerned about this right now. Although the gathering wouldn’t end until tomorrow night, he was already fantasizing about what would happen once he and Senior Sister returned to her place.
“What are you thinking about?”
They followed Zhao Lu into the rental house, and the spacious living room imdiately caught their attention. In the center was a pool table, and to the right of the entrance was a wine cabinet and bar counter. By the windows was a long table, about four to five ters in length, large enough to seat a dozen or more people.
Su Huaizhou thought Jiang Miao was stunned, so she turned to him and asked, “You’ve never been to a place like this before, have you?”
Jiang Miao snapped out of his daydreams, shaking off the image of Senior Sister smiling in a swimsuit. He coughed twice and replied, “Ah, yeah.”
To the left after entering was a mahjong room, with a bathroom beside it.
To the right of the bar counter were two rooms: a karaoke room and a ho theater. In the corner stood a VR device, an arcade machine, and a claw machine, all lined up.
The rental house was a duplex, with a second level above.
All the entertainnt facilities were on the first floor, and the five small rooms upstairs were for guests to sleep in at night.
Of course, most people who ca here often played all night, so the upstairs rooms were rarely used.
Even if soone couldn’t stay up all night, they would likely doze off on the soft sofas in the movie theatre.
“This mahjong table is pretty new.” Su Huaizhou wandered into the mahjong room, pressed the switch, and a set of mahjong tiles popped up. She expertly ran her fingers over tiles, flipped one over, and confidently guessed, “This is the nine of characters!”
She flipped over the six of characters.
Su Huaizhou silently put the tile back, pretending she hadn’t seen it.
“Senior Sister, you can play mahjong?” Jiang Miao asked curiously, not seeing the silly mistake she had made.
“Of course. My grandmother loves playing mahjong.” Su Huaizhou smiled. “When no one else was around, I used to play with her.”
“That’s great.”
“How so?”
“My mom loves playing mahjong too.” Jiang Miao hugged Senior Sister from behind, inhaled her pleasant scene, and teased softly, “She’ll definitely love having you as her daughter-in-law.”
“Go away.” Su Huaizhou pushed him away with a flushed face. “Who wants to be your wife?”
“Senior Sister, you touched all over on the way here. You have to take responsibility.” His hands moved to her stomach. “My body is no longer pure.”
She laughed at what he said. She tapped his shoulder and turned around in his arms. Just as she was about to give him a kiss, she noticed Qi Lianyue standing at the door with her arms crossed, watching their little show.
“Yueyue!” Su Huaizhou hurriedly pushed Jiang Miao away. “Why are you peeping? !”
“I ca to ask you two for help,” Qi Lianyue said flatly. “Who knew soone couldn’t hold back so soon?”
“Ahem.” Seeing Su Huaizhou couldn’t put up any resistance, Jiang Miao quickly laughed and walked out of the mahjong room. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing,” Qi Lianyue said calmly. “I was just saying it casually. I happened to see you two as I passed by.”
Jiang Miao: “…”
The rental house had already been cleaned. All they had to do was unpack the snacks they bought and spread them out on the table, so there wasn’t much to do.
Since the other team mbers hadn’t arrived, Zhao Lu grabbed a cue stick and called Wang Xin to join him for a ga of pool.
Song Huanhuan sat at the side, holding a drink, watching and cheering while occasionally taking photos of her boyfriend.
After several rounds where Wang Xin easily defeated him, Zhao Lu laughed and pulled Jiang Miao over to continue, while he cozied up to Qi Lianyue to catch a stuffed toy from the claw machine.
In the end, it was Qi Lianyue who caught a stuffed toy and handed it to Zhao Lu as a reward.
When the other debate team mbers arrived, Su Huaizhou had already pulled Jiang Miao back into the mahjong room and also dragged along Wang Xin and Song Huanhuan to begin a fun-filled mahjong session.
“Senior Sister… I still need to make ti to write,” Jiang Miao whispered in Su Huaizhou’s ear.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Since we’re already here, let’s play first. Writing can wait.” She pushed him into a seat and gave him a kiss as encouragent.
“Okay.” Jiang Miao blinked, feeling that this wasn’t so bad.
He had already thought of what to write in today’s ‘Author’s Note’. He would explain that a senior sister from the debate team was too enthusiastic and dragged him to play mahjong all day, which was why he didn’t have ti to write.
He was sure the readers would understand.
===
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