CHAPTER 422: 418

「10:00 p.m.」

Zhou Li arrived home.

Just as he stepped through the door, he saw Tuanzi squatting on the floor by the entrance, sitting demurely and looking up at him with her small head tilted—a sight so endearing it melted his heart.

"Lord Dumpling heard my footsteps again?" Zhou Li couldn’t help but smile. He had always believed that Tuanzi’s well-behaved demeanor at home, waiting for him, more than made up for all her bad habits. Consequently, the thought of such a fluffy little creature waiting for him always made him quicken his pace on his way home. "She’s really impressive."

"Not really~~" Tuanzi denied it.

"Then what is it?"

"Lord Dumpling was here waiting for you." Tuanzi’s voice was soft and crisp. She finished speaking, her small head tilting slightly as she continued to stare at Zhou Li. "Zhou Li, you were gone for so long, Lord Dumpling has been sitting here for a long time~~"

"Yes... it has been a bit long." A pang of guilt struck Zhou Li. "Lord Dumpling, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Huai Xu said you must have gone on a date with Brother Lan."

"..." Faced with Tuanzi’s especially bright eyes, Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu, who was sitting on the sofa eating chips and watching a war movie. He lowered his voice, "Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to create discord, deliberately saying things to make Lord Dumpling unhappy and ruin our relationship so I’d only be close with him."

"MEOW!?"

Tuanzi suddenly widened her eyes, staring at Zhou Li without blinking, taking a long time to recover.

With her small brain, she couldn’t seem to comprehend that such a thing could actually happen in the world.

Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu again out of the corner of his eye.

The old monster was still sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a bag of chips and gazing unblinkingly at the television, completely ignoring them.

"It’s all Huai Xu’s fault."

"Blame Huai Xu!"

"Why didn’t Lord Dumpling watch TV? Did Huai Xu change your channel, forcing you to sit here and wait for me?"

"Exactly!"

"Bad Huai Xu."

"Bad H... H... Huai... X..."

"Did Lord Dumpling get her tongue twisted?"

"No," Tuanzi replied honestly, sounding a bit disheartened. "Lord Dumpling’s mouth just won’t listen..."

"Like her tail?"

"Mhm!"

Seeing her nod so vigorously, Zhou Li couldn’t hold back anymore. He quickly bent down to pick her up, gently kneading her fur and whispering, "Don’t wait at the door next time. Just play inside the house."

"Have to wait."

"The floor is so cold."

"Lord Dumpling is furry!"

"Alright then..."

Zhou Li, holding Tuanzi, sat down on the sofa. He glanced at the old monster, who was still staring at the TV, seemingly unaffected by his presence. Zhou Li shook his head and said to them, "The school is going into lockdown again, starting tomorrow. So, I packed my things tonight and will move back to the dorm in the morning."

"Why is the school locking down again?" Huai Xu finally tore his gaze from the TV temporarily and offered Zhou Li some chips. "Want some?"

"No thanks. It’s the school’s call, I suppose."

"Suit yourself!" Huai Xu took back the chips. "In a few days, we’re going to the Capital..."

"I can request leave. That allows for entry and exit."

"So it’s not that strict then!" Huai Xu pouted. He had just been worried that it would be too quiet at home with only him, but if that was the case, "Then you can still come back sometimes..."

"I can’t take leave too often."

"You don’t need to take leave. The campus is so big; just find a spot to sneak out. Who would know!"

"That doesn’t seem right," Zhou Li said, abashed. "What if the security guards catch me?"

"You mean you can’t outrun the security guards?" Huai Xu asked, puzzled.

"..."

Zhou Li felt the gap in thinking between him and this old monster was indeed quite large. His concern was whether it was the right thing to do and if getting caught would be embarrassing. Huai Xu, on the other hand, was concerned with whether the guards could catch him at all, essentially adhering to the ’if no one sees it, it’s not stealing’ mindset.

"Boring!"

Huai Xu sighed again.

Zhou Li remembered Brother Nan saying something similar about him.

Huai Xu ate a few chips, then asked, "What about the onions we planted? I can water them, but once they grow and you’re back at school, no one will eat them. We planted so many and they grow fast—they’ll get too old, right?"

"I’ll take them back to the dorm to use in instant noodles, or I’ll ask Brother Nan to make scallion oil with them; that can last a long time."

"I guess that works... Still so boring!"

"Lord Dumpling, you’re coming back to the dorm with me, right?"

"Lord Dumpling wants to go out and play~" Tuanzi’s voice became incredibly soft and wheedling. "Lord Dumpling hasn’t been out to play in ages~~"

"But we’re going to a state banquet in a few days."

"Yes! Lord Dumpling will go back to the dorm-temple with you!"

"Okay."

Zhou Li watched TV with Huai Xu for a while before starting to pack.

「October 9th.」

「Early morning.」

Zhou Li, Huai Xu, and Tuanzi planted the strawberries and cilantro together. Then, Zhou Li took his luggage and Lord Dumpling back to school.

The gatekeeper was an older man, likely in his forties or fifties. He was physically fitter than most his age, with no paunch and thick arms, but he definitely couldn’t outrun younger people.

Zhou Li took a good look at him while using facial recognition to enter the school.

The school also had a patrol team.

The security members of the patrol team were relatively younger, probably in their thirties.

They had electric vehicles.

Zhou Li silently made these observations, purely out of boredom.

When he returned to the dorm with breakfast, none of his three roommates were up yet, as expected. Not only that, but the entire hallway was very quiet.

Zhou Li sniffed.

The dormitory was filled with a distinctly sour smell, probably originating from someone’s socks and shoes that had fermented overnight. Additionally, the balcony doors and windows had been closed to block the night wind, and the air had become murky from the breathing of three people all night.

Zhou Li was not worried.

Humans possess a faculty called olfactory adaptation: the ability to decrease sensitivity through continuous exposure to olfactory stimuli. This process doesn’t take very long.

But Tuanzi, in his arms, was squirming and burying her face in his chest.

"Ugh, so stinky~~"

"Dorm Leader, you’re back!" Chang Xiaoxiang peered out from his bunk and also greeted Tuanzi, "Good morning, Lord Dumpling!"

"I’m back."

Ordinarily, Tuanzi would respond to a greeting. Today, however, she was too overwhelmed. She just buried her face tightly into Zhou Li’s chest, even unsheathing her claws—a rare occurrence—to cling to his clothes.

Zhou Li quickened his pace to open the balcony doors and windows, creating a cross-breeze with the main door. Then he turned and said, "I brought you guys soup dumplings and soy milk."

"Wow, soup dumplings!"

"From that Tianjin soup dumpling place."

"Thank you so much!"

"No problem." Zhou Li paused for a moment, unable to hold back his curiosity. "Whose smell is this? It’s so potent."

"What? What smell?" Chang Xiaoxiang asked, puzzled.

"...Never mind."

Zhou Li handed him a bag of baozi and a cup of soy milk. He silently sat down in his seat and watched Chang Xiaoxiang eat with relish, gradually feeling a bit of regret. I shouldn’t have opened the doors and windows, really. While it provided some ventilation, it also disrupted the continuity and stability of the sour smell, making it come and go in waves.

Waves of fresh air alternated with waves of sourness.

In this situation... olfactory adaptation struggled to take hold.

As time passed, Chang Xiaoxiang, on the upper bunk, also began to find the soup dumplings less fragrant.