At five-thirty in the afternoon.

The outline of Chunming was faintly visible ahead. The sun hung crookedly in the sky, its rays still scorching.

The highway had noticeably widened, and the traffic had increased.

Zhou Li was in the far-right lane, which flowed more smoothly than the far-left. Looking ahead, he said, "Let's all squeeze into my place tonight. I'll take you to try the cross-bridge rice noodles at the restaurant downstairs... There don't seem to be any hotels around my apartment."

Brother Nan, still with a lychee pit in her mouth, added, "That rice noodle place is very traditional. Once you leave here, it's hard to find another one like it anywhere else."

"I've been wanting to try Caiyun's cross-bridge rice noodles for ages!" Zhu Shuang exclaimed.

"After that, I'll take you all to Jinbi Square tomorrow to get fleeced a bit!" Brother Nan announced grandly.

"What do you mean, 'get fleeced a bit'?" Zhu Shuang asked.

"It's like those really famous, old-brand shops, like Quanjude or Goubuli, but not quite as much of a rip-off."

"Is it expensive?"

"It's alright," Brother Nan replied. "We'll go, 'check in' for social media, get a one or two-hundred-yuan set meal, and have a table full of dishes. The taste and portions might be questionable, but the photos will definitely look impressive. Anyway, your big brother is loaded."

"OH..." Zhu Shuang nodded, still a bit confused.

After a pause, he asked, "Brother, how many bedrooms does the apartment you rented have?"

"Two."

"Then how will we..."

Brother Nan glanced at the siblings in the rearview mirror. Zhu Shuang's face showed a hint of nosiness, while Zhu Bing looked a bit uncomfortable. It made Brother Nan a little sentimental—they were twins, yet their different upbringings had clearly shaped their distinct personalities.

Zhu Shuang was very cheerful, exceptionally so, even when compared to children from typical families.

Zhu Bing, however, seemed more like a child from a single-parent family, and her father wasn't well-off either.

Grinning, Brother Nan proposed, "You sleep in your brother's room, tell your brother to sleep in Huai Xu's room, and Zhu Bing and I will crash in the living room. One of us can take the sofa, and the other can make a bed on the floor. We can even order some barbecue at night—ah, this is the life!"

Zhu Shuang looked a little embarrassed. "Shouldn't we sleep in the living room instead?"

The corner of Brother Nan's mouth twitched. "Sleep in two guys' beds? We wouldn't want to do that at all, right, Zhu Bing?"

Zhu Bing was too embarrassed to speak, but the arrangement was tacitly accepted.

Zhu Shuang kept quiet, but his eyes darted around. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore and tentatively asked, "So, normally you two... I mean... about that... um... Brother Nan, you don't always sleep on the sofa, do you?"

Zhou Li glanced at him in the rearview mirror but could only see the top of his head; the boy was clearly shrinking down in his seat.

"I live in the school dormitory!"

"But before..."

"Oh, those few days, I slept on the bed, and your brother slept on the sofa," Brother Nan said, then added with a serious, instructive tone, "Little kids should keep their thoughts pure. Don't go thinking about messy things all day long."

"UHM..." Now it was Zhu Shuang's turn to feel embarrassed.

Brother Nan, however, remained perfectly composed, arms crossed over her chest, showing no hint of being flustered. "I seem to recall hearing you have a lot of 'little sisters' at school? Surely those aren't all just innocent friendships between male and female students, are they?"

Zhu Shuang was stunned, his eyes widening. "Of course, they're all innocent friendships! We all call each other 'sisters'!"

"...You win."

Amid their banter, the car entered Chunming.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing were still gazing at the scenery outside the window.

Chunming was characterized by its abundance of flowers. Even on the highway, vibrant magenta and crimson blossoms filled the median between lanes. Then there was the sky; besides the typical blue sky and white clouds, Chunming's sky often displayed beautiful gradients, transitioning from pale cyan to deep blue, with clouds like cotton candy.

Exiting the highway, they caught a glimpse of a corner of Dian Lake.

The two kids exclaimed in delight.

Zhou Li patiently explained to them, "That's Dian Lake. You'll be able to see it from upstairs in the apartment too. Tomorrow, we'll go play by the lake. The entire Chenggong University Town is basically built on the shores of Dian Lake."

"How much longer?"

"Ten minutes."

"This area seems a bit remote, huh."

"It is a bit remote," Zhou Li said, "but it has its advantages. It's very convenient for getting around since the roads are wide and rarely congested."

"Our school seems pretty remote too; it's at the very end of the subway line."

"MM-HMM."

Upon reaching the entrance to their residential complex, they first went to eat rice noodles.

The two kids had never encountered rice noodles served this way, nor had they ever tried them with mint. Their expressions were a mixture of novelty and amazement throughout the meal. Naturally, the flavor of this noodle shop easily won them over, and they clamored to return for breakfast the next morning.

Once inside the apartment, Zhu Shuang started exclaiming excitedly again.

"This is so nice!"

He scanned the living room decor, then looked at Zhou Li in disbelief. "This is nothing like what I imagined."

Zhou Li, feeling exasperated, tossed his bag onto the sofa. "What did you imagine? That I lived under a bridge?"

"HEH-HEH!"

Zhu Shuang plopped down on the sofa, grabbed a nearby throw pillow to hug, and continued to look around. "The decor is so pretty! And it's so clean! WOW, there's even a hanging chair on the balcony! And you have flowers and plants! Hey, what's that teeny-tiny little hammock for?"

"That's Tuanzi's..."

"WOW!"

"..."

Seeing that Zhou Li didn't seem inclined to respond further, Zhu Shuang wasn't bothered. He dropped the pillow, ran to the balcony, let out another excited shout, then plopped into the hanging chair. Turning his head, he called to his sister, "You really can see Dian Lake from here!"

Zhou Li silently poured himself some water and drank.

In the blink of an eye, the siblings were both on the balcony, squeezed into the single hanging chair, their legs dangling as they swung gently. They had quieted down again.

A breeze from Dian Lake blew in, causing the curtains to sway.

Outside, the light gradually dimmed. The clouds lingering in the sky were stained a demonic, fiery red, making the horizon look as if it were ablaze.

The vibrant sunsets of Caiyun were always a sight to behold. The siblings furiously snapped photos with their phones, occasionally taking selfies or turning to capture Zhou Li inside the apartment. The thoughtful Zhu Shuang even started a video call with Aunt Jiang, both to reassure her they were safe and to show her the beautiful view.

Meanwhile, Zhou Li and Brother Nan were making a pallet on the floor for Zhu Bing.

Huai Xu tagged along beside him, grumbling, "Look how lively your younger brother and sister are. Then look at you. I talk to you, and you just ignore me."

Zhou Li tuned him out.

After the pallet was ready, he sat back down on the sofa, letting Tuanzi climb onto his lap and settle down.

Glancing at Brother Nan, he said, "My tooth aches a bit."

"Who does?"

"I do."

"What's hurting?"

"My tooth."

"Where?"

"The one at the very back."

"Are you getting your wisdom teeth?" Brother Nan blinked. "My cousin had that happen too. He went to the hospital and had them pulled."

"That's probably it."

"You're about the right age for wisdom teeth," Brother Nan nodded, her tone like an adult speaking to a child.

"Yeah."

"Oh, then you're in for some trouble. I remember when my cousin was getting his, the pain was so bad he couldn't sleep. He had to go to the hospital, get treatment to reduce the inflammation and swelling first, and wait at least three to five days before they could pull the tooth. And after it was pulled, it was still quite a few days before he could eat properly."

"Is that right?"

"So, when we go out to eat, you'll just have to sit and watch, won't you?" Brother Nan blinked again, then added with a grin, "Perfect!"

"..."

Zhou Li was silent. Can I even keep this girlfriend?

From the side, Huai Xu's voice piped up, "Hey, how about I pull it out for you? I know how! I can get it out in just a couple of yanks!"

Zhou Li shot him a skeptical look.

Puffing out his chest, Huai Xu declared confidently, "Don't worry! I've pulled plenty of teeth back when I interrogated enemies. I can pull whichever one you point at! If you agree, I'll go find a place to borrow some pliers right now!"

Zhou Li: ...

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