The other end of the phone was eerily silent. Zhou Li guessed Brother Nan was trying hard to suppress her laughter.

Until Brother Nan finally said, "Got it!"

Zhou Li immediately stopped laughing and seamlessly switched to a serious tone. "So, did you ask Mianmian to bring congee or not?"

"No."

"Then what do you want to eat? I'll bring it to you later. Just ask them to come out and get it."

"I want the extra-spicy vegetarian assortment from Cao's Duck Necks," Brother Nan said after a moment's thought. "And bring me a bottle of ice-cold Brave brand beer."

"You're injured. You need to eat something light and nutritious."

"This doesn't even count as an injury, okay? If your cousin hadn't ratted me out, I'd be fine by tomorrow or the day after." Brother Nan paused. "At most, the day after the day after tomorrow, I'll be fully recovered."

"You still need to eat something light and nutritious."

"You…!" Brother Nan took a deep breath, her heavy breathing audible through the phone. "I don't want you to bring me anything! You're just using this as an excuse to mock me!"

"No, you can't refuse."

"I'll hit you!"

"Even if you hit me, you still have to eat it."

"..." Brother Nan pondered for a moment. "Fine. I'll change the extra-spicy to medium-spicy. And add some quail eggs, chicken wing tips, and duck intestines to the vegetarian assortment."

What?! Zhou Li thought.

"Still not okay?" Brother Nan asked.

This guy is so demanding, Brother Nan thought.

Zhou Li considered. This is a rare chance to make Brother Nan do something under the guise of caring for her—an opportunity too good to miss. He cleared his throat and said, "Just wait. I'll bring it to you soon."

With that, he hung up.

His ears twitched. I think I heard Brother Nan saying something else just now, he thought, but the call had already disconnected before he could make it out.

He turned his head; Huai Xu wasn't in the dorm room.

Takeout delivery couldn't get into the dorms. Zhou Li took out his phone, intending to send Huai Xu a message. But before he could finish typing, a barely perceptible sound echoed, and a figure materialized out of thin air.

Zhou Li, phone still in hand, stared blankly at him.

Huai Xu usually cut the figure of a refined young gentleman, but now his clothes were ripped in several places. There were also a few bloody scratches on his body and face, though fortunately, they weren't deep.

Zhou Li deleted the message he was typing, put on his earphones, and asked quietly, "How did you get hurt too?"

Huai Xu glanced at him and sat down on the stool opposite, looking unconcerned. "I went to pick a fight with a Demon. I've been bored these past few days anyway… Eh? Why did you say 'too'?"

"Brother Nan got injured too."

"She got injured?"

"Yes."

"How did she get injured?"

"She was imitating something she saw on TV and deliberately stepped on a banana peel."

"And then?" Huai Xu's interest was instantly piqued, his own injuries forgotten. "Did she slide really far?"

"In cartoons, when cats step on banana peels, they slide really, really far…" Tuanzi said, her eyes wide.

"Then she fell and got hurt," Zhou Li said.

"Can she still walk now?"

"It's not convenient for her to walk right now."

"Heh heh!" Huai Xu grinned, clearly reveling in her misfortune. "Serves you two right for always going on evening walks without me, leaving me bored at home playing games! Go on, go out and have fun tonight! Go on!"

"..."

Clearly, Huai Xu also found it perfectly normal for Brother Nan to do something like that.

Of course, Zhou Li was also quite used to Huai Xu returning injured from fights with other Demons.

「One hour later.」

Zhou Li arrived in front of the girls' dormitory building carrying several bags.

Brother Nan, dressed in loose sweatpants, hopped out on one foot. Her other foot was wrapped in bandages.

"What took you so long? I'm starving!"

"Are you a ghost now?"

"What? Do you think I can't catch you just because my foot is injured?"

"Not exactly," Zhou Li said, facing Brother Nan squarely through the iron railing. "Firstly, it's not about what I think; it's a fact that you can't catch me on one foot. Secondly, even if your foot weren't injured, you still wouldn't be able to catch me."

"??"

Brother Nan stared at him in shock, glanced at the iron railing, then down at her injured foot. She clenched and unclenched her fists.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "HSSS… Phew…" Then she asked, "What did you bring me? Why so many bags?"

Zhou Li began passing the bags through the gaps in the iron railing, one by one.

"Pig's trotter soup."

"Spicy lamb's trotters."

"Braised duck feet."

"Rice."

"And some Dragon Claws for you to snack on while you're on your phone." Zhou Li paused. "Huai Xu went out to fight other Demons this afternoon and got injured. I didn't ask him to bring these, so I'm a bit late."

"It's fine, it's fine. I had some fruit. I was just teasing you," Brother Nan said, taking the bags. She then asked, "Was he badly hurt?"

"Not really. He's often like this. He recovers quickly; he'll probably be fine after a night's sleep."

"Oh."

"And you? How did you hurt your foot?" Zhou Li asked, looking down at it.

"I just… slipped and twisted my ankle. Then my foot slid out and hit the corner of the bed frame. The wood there was thin and kind of sharp," Brother Nan said, scratching her head sheepishly. "Just bad luck."

"Did it bleed?"

"It did."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really."

"It hurts me just thinking about it," Zhou Li said. He could vividly picture a little toe stubbed hard against the leg of a cabinet.

"If I say it doesn't hurt, then it doesn't hurt."

"Then get some rest. Let me know if you want anything."

"What's the use of telling you? It's not like you'd actually buy it for me!"

"If it's reasonable, I will."

"Alright, alright…"

Brother Nan waved her hand dismissively. She glanced around; they had been standing in front of the girls' dorm, separated by the railing, for quite a while. Many girls passing by were giving them curious looks. This prompted her to feign impatience. "Go on back, go on back!"

"Okay."

Brother Nan turned and was about to hop away when she heard Zhou Li remind her not to spill the pig's trotter soup. She immediately changed her large hops to smaller ones, muttering, "So naggy…"

But as soon as she muttered it, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

「Half an hour later.」

Brother Nan was savoring the pig's trotter soup and gnawing on spicy lamb's trotters. Her keyboard had been pushed to the far edge of the desk to make space, and it was covered with a few tissues to prevent grease and soup from splattering on it.

Her computer was playing the latest episode of *Passing Away*.

She mentally compared whether the food in the show looked better than her own, all while complaining about how many ads there were this season.

Suddenly, the door to her room was pushed open.

Brother Nan, still munching on a lamb's trotter, turned to look.

Baozi walked in carrying a large bag, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. As usual, she nodded at Brother Nan. "Hi, Brother Nan."

Brother Nan didn't say anything.

Baozi's expression remained unchanged as she sat down in her chair.

She set down her bag, poured herself some water and drank it, opened her laptop, and started working on some accounts. Only then did she sneak a glance at Brother Nan—

Oh no!

Brother Nan had been staring at her the whole time.

Baozi quietly averted her gaze, adhering to her life principle: Just keep your head down, and bad things will pass. She continued to mind her own business, hoping the trouble would resolve itself.

"Baozi."

"!!"

Baozi's hands trembled slightly. She slowly turned her head, her expression still calm. "What's up?"

"Come here. I have something to tell you," Brother Nan beckoned.

"..."

"Come here."

"..."

"Come on over."

"..."

Baozi sat bolt upright, her back straight, hands clasped tightly in her lap. She showed no intention of getting up.

Brother Nan changed her tack. "I just want you to help me throw out this trash."

Baozi's eyelids drooped, her gaze shifting to Brother Nan's injured foot.

"I won't!"

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