Zhou Li sat on the balcony. The swing chair emitted a grating CREAK... CREAK... These past two days, it had also rained in Chunming. The sky was heavy and overcast, yet it remained refreshingly cool.

He turned his head to look at Huai Xu sitting next to him. The Old monster seemed carefree and was still munching on beef jerky.

"What do you say we do?"

"What?" Huai Xu turned her head, still chewing. "What should we do?"

"Do you think she was really sealed away?" Zhou Li rephrased the question, simultaneously taking out his phone and aiming it at the rain clouds above the distant factory. His expression showed little anxiety or tension.

"How would I know."

"I don't think so."

"Not likely? Then where do you think she went?"

"..."

CLICK.

Zhou Li checked the photo he had just taken but wasn't quite satisfied. He'd heard that a new 100-megapixel camera was released this year; if he had known, he would have waited a few more months to upgrade.

Pressing the power button, the screen immediately went dark, reflecting Brother Nan's figure inside the house.

After a pause, Zhou Li asked again, "So, what do we do now?"

"How would I know."

Huai Xu's response remained the same. She was still eating beef jerky—the kind produced in the distant factory, twenty yuan, take all you want. "What else can we do? Those families... who knows if they're even around anymore? Besides, they're living incognito, scattered far and wide. You couldn't possibly find all of them, could you?"

Of course not.

Zhou Li leaned back, resting in the swing chair, holding Tuanzi tightly in his arms. He side-eyed Huai Xu, who was focused on tearing into the beef jerky.

Being carefree also meant being without worries. But why did it arouse such envy?

"Demon colluder."

"What did you say?"

"Demon colluder."

"Who's a demon colluder?"

"You."

"What makes you say I'm a demon colluder?"

"You just are."

"You pervert!!!"

Zhou Li instantly felt much better. He turned his head away, not wanting to look at the Old monster's infuriated state.

Only Tuanzi, nestled in his arms, listened, her small face a mask of bewilderment.

The balcony remained quiet for a long time. Zhou Li didn't move. The wind was comfortable, and Tuanzi suspected he might have fallen asleep, so she pawed at him lightly. "Zhou Li, did you fall asleep?"

"No," Zhou Li finally moved. "Even if I were asleep, your scratching would wake me up."

"Oh~~"

"Does Lord Dumpling need something?"

"Do you know about a round disc, about this big?" Tuanzi stood up from Zhou Li's lap, stepping onto the perilous area of his inner thigh, and gestured with her two little front paws to show a distance of about ten centimeters.

"That big?"

"Yes, that's right!"

Zhou Li couldn't help but fall silent for a moment. Even Tuanzi's gesture for 'two bicycles' was only 'that big.' Considering her small stature, he realized this was likely the limit of how 'big' she could illustrate; anything larger was impossible for her to convey with her paws.

So, he nodded.

"I know of it."

"Lord Dumpling suggests you buy one, too!"

"?"

"Hmm?"

Tuanzi tilted her head back, her bright eyes staring at him.

Zhou Li asked, "Why?"

"Lord Dumpling wants it."

"Why do you want it?"

"Lord Dumpling likes it."

"Why... what do you like about it?"

"It runs on the floor by itself, back and forth. Lord Dumpling can sit on it. It's very fun." Tuanzi then added, "Lord Dumpling has seen many people have one in their homes. How come you don't?"

"Alright, I'll buy it."

Zhou Li looked around the house. Indeed, he thought, he should buy a robotic vacuum cleaner. Being on a high floor meant more wind and dust.

「The next day.」

At a go-kart track inside a service area in Chunming.

The receptionist, eyes sparkling, looked at Zhou Li and Tuanzi and whispered, "It's best not to bring pets inside, as the track is quite dangerous. How about you leave her here, and I'll look after her for you? You can come and pick her up when you're done playing."

Tuanzi cocked her head to look at the girl. Thinking she seemed quite agreeable, Tuanzi squirmed out of Zhou Li's arms and jumped towards her.

"So cute!"

The receptionist's eyes practically had hearts in them as she continuously petted her, while saying to Zhou Li and the others, "Have you played before?"

"Never," replied Zhou Li.

"Never," echoed Brother Nan.

"I've played before, many times," Huai Xu said.

"It happens to be quite crowded today, so we've organized a competition that's about to start," the receptionist said. "Don't worry if you haven't played before. You can just follow behind others, sticking to the edge. Someone will teach you how to drive in a bit."

"Okay."

One hundred yuan for seven minutes, not cheap.

The registration fee for the competition was 150 yuan. They said the top three would win prizes: membership credit recharges of 2,000, 1,200, and 800 yuan, respectively.

They walked in to take a look. There were indeed quite a few people: about ten young adults and teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen years old, who looked like experienced and competitive racers.

"When did you race go-karts?" Zhou Li asked Huai Xu.

"Hey, you're so nosy!" Huai Xu shot Zhou Li a sidelong glance. "You just need to know that I'm definitely winning first place today! When I get the prize money, I'll treat you both so you can play to your hearts' content!"

"I'll try to win a spot too," Brother Nan patted his chest, assuring Zhou Li. "It looks pretty simple."

"...Good luck."

Donning the somewhat grimy protective gear and dirty helmets, the three of them, having arrived late, were positioned towards the back, waiting for the competition to start.

Huai Xu turned her head to pass some tips to Brother Nan.

Brother Nan faced forward but leaned in, listening intently.

Zhou Li was a bit bored in the back.

He had expected a gunshot or something similar to start the race, like in the track competitions he used to participate in, but there was none. Instead, all he heard was the roar of engines from the front row, followed by Huai Xu's and Brother Nan's karts rushing out.

Ten seconds later, Zhou Li silently admired the fierce competition unfolding before him, watching people crash, use drainage ditches to overtake, and shout and scream at each other.

Twenty seconds after that, Huai Xu and Brother Nan had disappeared.

Half a minute later, Zhou Li looked up at the sky. He then turned to a father and daughter driving alongside him and said, "Yes, yes, it has been quite cool these days. Tomorrow will be Qingtian..."

A few minutes later, Huai Xu had won first place.

Brother Nan had come in third.

This totaled 1,800 yuan in membership credit. They also became members, making future games much cheaper.

They used this 1,800 yuan to play for more than an hour. Since there were two-seater karts suitable for parents and children, Brother Nan even took Zhou Li for a couple of rounds of fast and furious action. Truthfully, Zhou Li didn't lack the courage or ability to drive fast; in fact, his reactivity and judgment were quite strong. He just didn't particularly enjoy it. But being with Brother Nan amplified the pleasure.

「At three in the afternoon.」

The three of them each bought a cold drink. It took considerable effort to retrieve Tuanzi from the reluctant receptionist.

DING DONG.

Zhou Li quickly fished out his phone.

There was a message from Mr. Jiang—

Mr. Jiang: Master Zhou, that person is looking for you

Zhou Li paused for a moment. He quickly clamped his cold drink under his arm and placed Tuanzi on his shoulder as he typed: Is it Lord Xing Hui?

Mr. Jiang: Yes

Mr. Jiang: She's here with me right now. She nearly got into a fight with the stone lion. I don't know what she wants.

Mr. Jiang: What should I tell her?

Zhou Li: Don't be nervous. She probably won't hurt you. Lord Xing Hui is very reasonable.

Zhou Li: Please tell her I'm out of town for school and will be back in a few days. I'll look for her when I return. Thank her for me.

Zhou Li: And thank you too.

After putting down his phone, he looked up and met Brother Nan's questioning gaze.

"Who are you chatting with? You're typing so fast. Aren't you normally really slow, almost like my mom?"

"It's because I'm walking now," Zhou Li paused. "There's been progress on that matter I asked a Demon for help with. Shall we head back to Yan City in a few days? If there's anything else you want to do, we can do it. We'll save the more time-consuming activities for later. We can return to Chunming early then and do them when we get back."

"Is it Little Zheng's thing?"

"Yes."

"Hmm!" Brother Nan nodded as he sipped his drink.

"Okay," Zhou Li said as he opened the car door. "Let's head to the Xiaomi Experience Store on the way back."

"For what?"

"To check out their robot vacuum cleaner. I'm thinking of buying one." Zhou Li looked down at the scrappy cat in his arms. She still had the little toy pendant, a gift from the receptionist, in her mouth. "What do you think, Lord Dumpling?"

"Good~~"

The pendant fell, but Zhou Li caught it with one hand, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.

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