That morning, Zhou You had just pulled out his chair and set down his schoolbag when, before he could sit, he saw Nuomi showing off something cupped in both hands.
"Sect Master, look! It's a phone!"
Nuomi cradled the phone, her eyes sparkling. The way she treasured it reminded Zhou You of Chu Xiaoyao's expression when she had gotten her hands on his summer homework.
"You brought it?" Zhou You looked at Chu Xiaoyao.
Chu Xiaoyao nodded inscrutably, carrying herself like a Grand Supreme Elder. "Nuomi has joined our sect. Naturally, she deserves a reward."
"Speak like a normal person."
"My dad happened to get a new phone a couple of months ago, so I brought his old one."
Nuomi was so thrilled with her phone that she wanted to spin in circles, but she worried that a phone floating in midair would draw too much attention. She crouched behind Zhou You and Chu Xiaoyao with it instead, secretly twirling to express her delight.
Once she had celebrated enough, she held up the phone and asked the Grand Supreme Elder to teach her how to use it.
Chu Xiaoyao checked all around, first making sure there were no teachers at either door, then telling Zhou You to keep watch and warn her if one came. Only then did she dare teach Nuomi how to use the phone.
Teachers couldn't see Nuomi. If one caught them, they would think Chu Xiaoyao was playing on her phone.
Even the Free and Unfettered Female Emperor wasn't brave enough to get caught using a phone by a teacher.
"This is the passcode. I charged it fully for you last night, but it's an old phone and the battery isn't very good anymore, so go easy on it."
"Tap this to watch short videos. Don't