After breakfast, the temperature indeed began to rise.

The sky outside the window accumulated more and more clouds, dark, and the light was as dim as a foggy evening. Occasionally, between those dark clouds, bursts of light would shoot out, or countless forks of lightning would tear through the air, followed seconds later by rolling thunder.

Huai Xu had taken his seat by the window again. Sitting on the windowsill, he turned his head to watch the weather outside, saying without looking back, "A heavy storm is coming."

"Mm."

"It rained during the college entrance examination last year too, and it's raining this year as well," Huai Xu muttered.

"You still remember that," Zhou Li said.

"Of course."

"Do you remember if it rained during the college entrance examination the year before last?"

"I don't remember."

"'It did.' Zhou Li paused for a moment. While petting Tuanzi, he looked up at him. 'It mostly rains during the college entrance examinations.'"

"This year it's a storm. Last year, the storm started after the examination was over, when we went to Mingjiu Mountain," Huai Xu remembered this very clearly.

"Mm."

Another thunderous BOOM!

The sudden burst of intense light even illuminated the inside of the room, casting the shadow of the window frame and the figure sitting on it onto the wall, and reflected in Zhou Li's eyes as well.

Zhou Li suddenly thought of that little mountain village— Qinghe would manifest during stormy nights with thunder and lightning. Evil Gods also greatly enjoyed rainy days; they would always move up and down through the rain clouds, as if playing, yet also seeming to battle against the might of Heaven… His mind naturally conjured the image of that massive figure bathed in dark clouds and lightning. Then, a young girl in plain clothes would be standing in the mountain village below, gazing up at this scene, the Evil God's figure exceptionally clear. The rain, blown sideways by the wind, would sneak under the eaves…

Zhou Li withdrew his gaze.

Sure enough, it had started raining outside, with large drops falling, some of which the wind blew onto the bay window.

Huai Xu suddenly turned his head. "Are you afraid of thunder?"

"Not afraid," Zhou Li shook his head.

"What about when you were a child?" Huai Xu pressed on.

"Not afraid then either."

"Many demons like to come out during thunderstorms. Weren't you afraid of being eaten by demons before?"

"...On rainy days, they usually didn't pay attention to me."

"I see."

Huai Xu looked away disappointedly, as if he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted. After a while, he spoke again, "I used to be very afraid."

"'The Great Devil King is afraid of thunder? Evil Gods aren't,' Zhou Li said."

"Why bring him up?"

"Just thought of it."

"'The Great Devil King wasn't born the Great Devil King,' Huai Xu replied after a moment's thought. 'Back then, I was nothing. People from our era always said that thunder was Heaven's punishment, specifically for unfilial people and evildoers.'"

"If only that were true," Zhou Li said.

"That's why I was scared," Huai Xu continued. "I always heard… I don't know who said it, can't remember, maybe a neighbor? They said it so convincingly. For instance, in Cai Family Bay across the river, an unfilial person was supposedly struck dead by lightning. And another loafer, in a different village, supposedly hid in a wardrobe but was still killed by lightning. I believed it when I was a kid."

"I heard similar stories when I was young too," Zhou Li pondered. Does Brother Nan count as a loafer?

"Don't change the subject!"

"Please continue."

"Because my father was a thief and very much disliked, but he wasn't a bad person. Back in those days, too many ordinary people starved to death... But still, every time it thundered, I was very scared, afraid that Heaven was indiscriminate."

"I see."

"Sigh..."

"The rain is getting heavier."

"AARGH~"

Then, with a WHOOSH, Huai Xu closed the window, and the whole room suddenly quieted down.

From the living room came the faint sound of a news broadcast discussing the cross-strait situation, mixed with the muffled sound of rain from outside. The air conditioning made the room chilly. Hiding inside—quietly listening to music, reading books, and comforting the startled cat—brought a strange sense of security.

「July 7, morning.」

The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet.

Zhu Shuang strode into the examination hall.

Behind him stood Old Zhou, Aunt Jiang, and Zhou Li, all dressed in the same red clothes as last year, with "Destined to Succeed" on the front and "Victory from the Start" on the back. The material of these clothes wasn't very good; it was very cheap. They would be thrown away after tomorrow. He wondered if this counted as "crossing the river and tearing down the bridge."

This year, there was an additional figure: Tuanzi.

She also wore a small red dress and was held in Zhou Li's arms, turning her head to look around everywhere.

Zhu Shuang turned back to glance at them.

Zhou Li gave him a thumbs-up gesture.

Zhu Shuang smiled briefly, and his figure quickly disappeared through the entrance to the examination hall.

Meanwhile, a gaunt man with a camera slung over his shoulder aimed his lens at the family of three and Lord Dumpling, then pressed the shutter.

After taking the photos, the man still stood there hesitantly. It took a while before he approached them.

Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang had noticed him and exchanged smiles.

Zhou Li speculated from this that the reporter must be the same one who had photographed them last year. They had been on the cover of the popular web news portal then.

He was right; it was indeed the case.

Old Zhou had already struck up a conversation with the young reporter. Eventually, Zhou Li even posed for another photo with him. I could roughly imagine the afternoon's report on the popular web news portal: 'Encountering an Extremely Good-Looking Family of Four! Last year, the elder brother got into Cai University; this year, the younger brother takes up the baton, aiming straight for Tsinghua and Peking University! Let's see just how handsome a top student can be!' There would probably also be a piece about 'the cute little cat coming to cheer on its owner.'

The examination started.

The wait was neither particularly long nor particularly short, and with many parents waiting at the gate, it inevitably became somewhat tedious.

After chatting with the reporter, Old Zhou conversed with other parents, but Old Zhou, having always been low-key, didn't brag about his stepson's achievements again.

Perhaps it was also to save face for his biological son.

Some parents even struck up a conversation with Zhou Li, but since Zhou Li wasn't much of a talker, the conversations quickly fizzled out. However, Zhou Li didn't feel bored. He soon began softly explaining to Tuanzi about studying, exams, and the college entrance examination. When she dozed off, he would shake her awake.

A tall girl in tight jeans rode past on an electric scooter...

...then rode back again...

...and past again...

...and back again.

She wore a mischievous smile on her face.

Zhou Li's face, however, bore several dark lines.

Once she realized she'd been spotted, Brother Nan finally stopped this childish behavior and, suppressing her laughter, slowly rode her scooter over. "Hey! Zhou Li, what are you guys doing here? Hi Auntie, hello Uncle."

"Xiao Nan, are you just passing by?"

"Yeah, I just happened to pass by and spotted you guys straight away." Brother Nan grinned. "Looking good, and dressed in red—too eye-catching."

"Hahaha, where are you heading?"

"Just bored, came out for a ride!"

"Where are you going to hang out? Let Zhou Li keep you company!"

"Aren't you here waiting for Zhu Shuang?"

"'Oh, we old folks can wait. You young people go have your fun!' Aunt Jiang said, swiftly selling Zhou Li out. And that wasn't all; she even had designs on Tuanzi. 'Leave Tuanzi with me.'"

"'Alright! I promise to bring Zhou Li back to you before Zhu Shuang finishes his exam, without a single hair out of place!'"

"Deal!"

And so, utterly bewildered, Zhou Li found himself following Brother Nan away from the examination venue.

Brother Nan glanced back. Seeing that Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang were out of sight, she casually elbowed Zhou Li and glowered at him. "What's with that expression?"

"'Watching your performance…'"

"?"

"Sorry!"

"HMPH!"

"What are you doing wandering around here?" Zhou Li asked.

"'Bored.'"

"I see."

"??"

"What's up, Brother Nan?"

"BANG!"

Brother Nan punched him impulsively and, gritting her teeth, seemed inexplicably irritated. "We haven't seen each other for two or three days. Didn't you miss Brother Nan?"

"I did."

"Then you didn't come to hang out with me!"

"It was raining."

"Not today!"

"I guess it might rain this afternoon." Zhou Li looked up at the sky. "The weather forecast also said there would be rain today."

"BANG!"

"...If it doesn't rain this afternoon, should we go out and play?"

"'No way!' Brother Nan grunted to one side."

"Come on."

"'No!' Brother Nan huffed to the other."

"..."

Zhou Li paused in thought for a moment, then grabbed Brother Nan's arm and shook it gently. "Let's go. If it rains, we'll find a place to take shelter from the rain."

"EEH~~"

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