For the next few days, there was only one exam, which took no more than an hour.

Brother Nan was nursing a foot injury in the dormitory, so going for walks was out of the question, nor could they go out to eat or buy snacks together. Zhou Li could only see her when delivering meals; otherwise, they chatted online.

He had no choice but to read in the morning, do some carving in the afternoon—sometimes mixing the two—and then review his lessons in the evening.

In between, he chatted with Lord Dumpling and bantered with Huai Xu.

It was said that Baozi didn't go to her stall the day after Brother Nan's fall. He tried to inquire about her situation, but Baozi ignored him.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhengming was also a dull sort. He played games from morning till night, using the waiting time before a game started to review his notes. He only left his seat to go to the bathroom and only left the room once to get food.

Yes, get food, just once.

He skipped breakfast.

At noon, he'd bring back a bowl of rice and make it last for two meals.

Because of Liu Zhengming's presence, Huai Xu couldn't easily show himself, and Zhou Li had to be more careful when talking to Lord Dumpling, making things even more boring. If Liu Zhengming hadn't returned to the dorm, it might actually have been livelier. Once the Old Monster was unrestrained, he could get up to all sorts of things.

Boredom made time pass painfully slow.

In the blink of an eye, the semester was almost over.

「The Chemistry Exam.」

This time, the exam was stricter. Although it was still answered online, the school required cameras and microphones to be on, with a teacher proctoring.

「Dorm 106.」

Mianmian was dressed in a Ru Skirt, with full makeup, not a hairpin nor earring missing, staring blankly at the computer screen.

Qian Qian wore a crisp white shirt and a tie, scratching her head in deep thought.

They both had answers stuck to the wall behind their computers. These answers had come from a chemical engineering student, supposedly leaked directly from a faculty member—an exclusive scoop for the whole school. For this, they not only acted cute for half a day but also spent twenty yuan. However, since that student mysteriously disappeared from their contacts list last night, they had felt an ominous premonition.

Now, the premonition had come true.

The two girls, who had planned to take photos after their exam, looked miserable, yet you couldn't deny they were pretty.

The proctor said they were distracting other students.

Compared to them, Baozi wore a grey T-shirt with a curled-up collar, looking like a child from a poor family. But she stared at the screen calmly—serious, yet composed—a stark contrast to the first two.

Brother Nan was as laid-back as ever.

And since it was an online exam, with a large proportion of multiple-choice and true/false questions, completing these would net her a score in the seventies or eighties.

She finished these questions in two minutes, but out of respect for the teacher and the proctor, she didn't submit immediately.

But sitting there doing nothing was also quite boring.

So, Brother Nan quietly moved the mouse, clicked on Zhou Li's video feed, and secretly admired him.

The camera angle was odd and the image unclear, but the blurrier it was, the more handsome Zhou Li seemed.

Brother Nan watched intently.

Seeing Zhou Li with a serious face, she couldn't help but smile; she guessed Huai Xu was probably reading answers to him at that moment.

Lord Dumpling swaggered past the camera.

Within a couple of minutes, she came back again, rolling and cocking her head at the camera, her shining eyes seemingly full of words.

Sometimes she would accidentally press the mouse or keyboard—or maybe it was intentional—causing Zhou Li to helplessly pick her up and move her aside. Then there would be a momentary peace in front of the camera.

For a little while.

Soon, Lord Dumpling would return.

Zhou Li pushed her away again.

She came back, meowing.

The proctor didn't seem to mind.

Feeling it was about time, Brother Nan submitted her paper, but she could still hear the proctor's voice through her earphones—

"What's the matter with this student? How could she hand in the paper after just a little over ten minutes?"

She ignored it, turned off her camera and microphone, and continued to enjoy the sight of Zhou Li being pestered by Lord Dumpling. Unknowingly, a foolish smile appeared on her face—the more frustrated Zhou Li got, the brighter her smile shone.

The second one to submit the paper was Little Cousin.

The third was the class president from Zhou Li's class.

It was clear to all that Zhou Li was having difficulty with the questions. Fortunately, he had Huai Xu's help, and after about forty minutes, he submitted his answers.

That was still considered relatively fast.

His phone immediately chimed—

Li Daimao: Hungry?

Zhou Li: A bit.

Li Daimao: Me too, but it's just past ten.

Zhou Li: Maybe it's because the exam was so mentally draining, used up too much energy.

Li Daimao: Makes sense.

Zhou Li: Plus, I've been constantly matching wits with Lord Dumpling.

Li Daimao: I saw.

Zhou Li: Yeah.

Li Daimao: Go out to eat?

Zhou Li: Is your leg better?

Li Daimao: Yeah.

Zhou Li: Alright.

Li Daimao: Let's go to a restaurant. We can invite Huai Xu and bring your mischievous little scamp of a cat too.

Zhou Li: Okay.

So, the two met up downstairs at the dormitory.

Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, looked down at Brother Nan's foot. "Is it really better?"

"What's up? Wanna carry me?" Brother Nan's eyes darted for a moment as she said, "If you want to carry me, then it's not better!"

"Does it still hurt?" Zhou Li asked again.

"If you carry me, then it hurts!" Brother Nan still said.

"If it hurts, I'll carry you."

"It hurts!"

Brother Nan smiled mischievously at him and spread her arms wide, so wide they almost seemed to be asking for a hug.

This gesture accentuated the gentle curve of her chest.

Tuanzi quickly realized something was off. Her eyes widened as the flowers and grass around her seemed to grow taller while she descended. She turned her head, looking at Zhou Li in confusion. "Zhou Li, what are you doing?"

"Lord Dumpling, how about you walk on your own?"

"No."

"Lord Dumpling doesn't want to walk, MEOW."

"MEOW!!"

Tuanzi felt her feet touch the ground and started to struggle, twisting around to try and grab Zhou Li's hands. But in the end, Zhou Li successfully put her down and walked towards Brother Nan.

Tuanzi sat there dumbfounded, watching Zhou Li lift Brother Nan onto his back. Brother Nan simply waved at her, telling her to follow, as they headed into the distance.

"Meow?"

Lord Dumpling was unhappy now, her cheeks puffed out in anger, making her look even cuter.

However, Zhou Li didn't stop despite Brother Nan's repeated "Giddy-up! Giddy-up!" cries. Instead, he walked farther and farther away, his figure receding into the distance.

Her cheeks deflated in an instant.

Lord Dumpling's anger vanished.

She quickly trotted to catch up.

Over the past few days, students from various colleges had gradually finished their exams, such as those from the art and music schools, which typically finished earlier. The school gates were now only for entry, not exit, so the number of students on campus dwindled. Also, since there were no classes during the exam period, everyone's meal times had become irregular, so seats in the restaurants weren't as hard to come by.

"Spicy Chicken," Brother Nan browsed the menu. "Old Granny Potato."

"Let's also get a Unique Sour Chicken. What else? Zhou Li, do you want Fish-Flavored Eggplant or Mapo Tofu?" Brother Nan asked again.

"I'll have the Fish-Flavored Eggplant," Zhou Li said, taking the pen and writing down the dishes she ordered, then adding his Fish-Flavored Eggplant. Turning to Tuanzi, who was continuously meowing at the side, he said, "The Fish-Flavored Eggplant already has fish broth, so no need to order more fish... Besides, you've been eating fish broth with rice every day these past few days. Aren't you tired of it?"

"Oh!"

"Four dishes already. What does Huai Xu want?" Brother Nan glanced towards the entrance but didn't see anyone who looked like Huai Xu.

"He wants a Big Plate Chicken," Zhou Li said as he wrote it down.

"That's enough, that's enough. Let's also get a Cucumber and Century Egg Soup. That's all," Brother Nan finished and waved her hand.

"Alright."

Zhou Li wrote the number 3 on the paper and circled it to indicate Table 3, then stood up and handed the paper and pen to the waiter.

The waiter looked down at the order slip and confirmed with him, "You ordered three chicken dishes?"

Zhou Li nodded. "Yes."

Brother Nan's voice came from behind him, "It's fine, he just likes to order chicken."

SWISH!

Many people turned their gaze to him.

... Zhou Li thought.

He blushed a little and hurried back to his seat.

Brother Nan watched him, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles, and mocked him, "You're the thinnest-skinned guy I've ever seen!"

Zhou Li couldn't be bothered with her.

Soon, Huai Xu also arrived.

Clearly, he had just come from the restroom, as Zhou Li faintly smelled a bit of ammonia.

"Is your foot better, Brother Nan?" he asked as soon as he arrived.

"It's been better for a while!" Brother Nan didn't even look up.

"Did you order Big Plate Chicken for me?"

"Ordered it," Zhou Li answered.

"Can't believe the exams are almost over!" Brother Nan was engrossed in her phone, but her gaze swept over the top of it, scanning them back and forth. "You guys won't be heading back to Yan City right after, will you?"

"No."

"I just went back to Yan City yesterday," Huai Xu interjected.

"I don't want to return right away either; it feels like I just arrived last week. Going back right after exams would be a waste of gas money," Brother Nan said, ignoring Huai Xu. "Where should we go to have fun next?"

"I definitely need to stay in Chunming for a few days."

"I know that."

Ms. Ji was still in Chunming. Zhou Li needed to stay with her for at least a few days. Incidentally, he would also get the keys to his first apartment.

Brother Nan took a sip from her teacup. "With an apartment, you can now laze around without a care. After graduation, just find an easy job and live comfortably."

It sounded like mockery.

Zhou Li thought for a moment and whispered back, "You can also play without a care. When you get tired, you'll have a place to crash."

PFFT!

Brother Nan sprayed out her drink.

Huai Xu's lips twitched a couple of times.

So cheesy. It was unbearable not only for humans but even for demons.

Only the innocent and oblivious Tuanzi, with her bright and sparkling eyes, kept glancing between Huai Xu and Brother Nan, utterly clueless.

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