Last night, Zhou Li chatted deep into the night and accidentally stayed up late, which made him feel groggy when the alarm woke him up.

It was all Huai Xu's fault.

He got up, dressed, and left the house.

Tuanzi must have fallen asleep just before dawn, but her sleeping times were always fragmented anyway. Half awake, she opened her eyes to see Zhou Li walking out. She climbed out of bed, jumped down, and followed him in a daze.

She walked wobbly, as if she were drunk.

Zhou Li began to wash up. She hopped onto the vanity, squatting quietly by his side, watching Zhou Li go through his morning routine.

"Lord Dumpling hasn't brushed her teeth for a long time." Her voice was very faint, as she was still groggy.

"We'll brush them when we get back to Chunming."

"MEOW~"

After finishing up, Zhou Li took out his razor. Today he was going to Jin Palace, and he needed to tidy himself up a bit.

"BUZZ..."

The razor started, making a noise.

Tuanzi, beside him, gradually widened her eyes. She stared at Zhou Li without blinking for a long time before her gaze shifted to the razor—even after so long, she still couldn't understand Zhou Li's behavior.

"Humans are so strange~~"

"What's wrong?"

"How can you bear to shave off your own beard?" The half-grown cat looked both serious and curious, her voice still lazy from just waking up. Her question was disarming.

"Does Lord Dumpling want to shave?" Zhou Li teasingly held the buzzing razor up towards Tuanzi.

"Not at all!" Tuanzi immediately shrank back. "Cats can't shave their whiskers off. Otherwise, they'll bump into walls when they play."

"Really?"

Zhou Li had expected a simple yes in answer. Instead, Tuanzi looked down to think for a moment and then hesitantly responded, "I'm not sure~~"

"How could you not be sure?"

"Lord Dumpling heard it from you humans," Tuanzi explained. "Lord Dumpling is just a faux cat."

"I see..."

After finishing up, Zhou Li looked at himself in the mirror, then his gaze gradually turned back to Tuanzi.

Tuanzi was puzzled, tilting her head. "What's wrong?"

The next second—

Zhou Li picked Tuanzi up and walked outside.

Perhaps she was still groggy, or maybe she'd grown accustomed to it. In any case, she didn't struggle or scream. She simply let Zhou Li carry her outside and set her on the ground. Then, she sat quietly at the door, looking up at him.

The door closed.

Ten minutes later, it opened again.

Tuanzi was still sitting obediently, but she remained puzzled, tilting her head at Zhou Li. "You humans are indeed very strange~~"

Zhou Li pursed his lips, picked her up again, and went to sit down in the dining room, where breakfast was already on the table.

"I'm going to Jin Palace today to see my mom. Does Lord Dumpling want to come?"

"I want to come."

"Really?" Zhou Li was somewhat surprised. Although Lord Dumpling was a little tag-along, she was quite lazy. "Lord Dumpling, you were up causing a ruckus late into last night. Don't you want to sleep at home today?"

"Not sleeping."

"Why not?"

"Because Lord Dumpling wants to see what Zhou Li's Mom looks like." Tuanzi pointed at an egg. "Lord Dumpling wants the yolk. Because Lord Dumpling doesn't have a mom."

"I see."

Zhou Li peeled the egg, placing the yolk on Tuanzi's little plate. He didn't like egg yolk anyway.

After breakfast, he left the house.

Currently, both high-speed trains and buses were operating normally, though it was said that a health certificate might be needed. Zhou Li didn't have one and was too lazy to get it. Driving himself only required passing through a checkpoint and disinfection, and he might not even encounter one.

「10:30 AM.」

Fog hung over Jin Palace. Zhou Li had just arrived at the entrance of the complex when he saw a woman in a light trench coat standing by the roadside. He lightly tapped the horn.

Ms. Ji immediately looked up.

Upon seeing Zhou Li, a smile bloomed on her face.

Ms. Ji was tall and beautiful. Unlike Old Zhou, she wasn't disabled; she had maintained herself very well.

Time hadn't diminished her beauty; instead, it had settled into her elegance. Her demeanor was somewhat cold and radiant. Aunt Jiang was also a beautiful woman, but just looking at her face, Aunt Jiang appeared very gentle.

Ms. Ji, on the other hand, gave off a keep-away vibe.

They said she hadn't always been like this.

But no matter how standoffish she was, it all melted away in front of Zhou Li. Her smile was radiant as she stared at him.

Zhou Li even felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"This way..."

Ms. Ji didn't get into the car. Instead, she jogged towards the entrance of the parking garage. She seemed so excited she was practically flustered—it might take her ten minutes to lead Zhou Li to a parking spot, given the size of the complex.

Instead, Zhou Li stopped the car and told her, "Get in."

Ms. Ji opened the car door. Zhou Li picked up Tuanzi, who was lying on the passenger seat, and placed her on his lap.

Tuanzi opened her eyes, looked dazedly at him for a moment, then turned to look out the window, rubbing one paw against her eye. "Hmm, have we already reached your mom's place? Lord Dumpling feels so dizzy, in the car again..."

"You're raising her?" Ms. Ji asked.

"Yes."

"How long have you had her?"

"Half a year now."

"It's good to have a pet," Ms. Ji nodded. "They keep you company when you're alone."

"This human here is your mom, right? She looks no different from Aunt Jiang, meow~~" Tuanzi turned her head towards Ms. Ji upon hearing this, then attempted to correct her. "Lord Dumpling is not a pet. I am Lord Dumpling!"

"So cute!" Ms. Ji exclaimed.

"Her name is Tuanzi," Zhou Li started the car. "Because she thinks she's a big tiger, I usually call her Lord Dumpling."

"Lord Dumpling isn't just a tiger; I am a Great Demon!"

"Hello there, little guy."

"Hello, Zhou Li's Mom~~"

"It responded to me!" Ms. Ji laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly with age. "Keep driving straight."

"How's quarantine life?" Zhou Li asked.

"It's okay, I'm staying at a hotel," Ms. Ji said. "The food every day is not bad, better than what I used to eat over there. The chef our company recently hired from back home isn't very skilled."

"Boring?"

"Just a bit dull. Turn left here."

Ms. Ji began to scrutinize Zhou Li's small car, and a smile appeared again. "This is the car you bought with that girl, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Your cousin Ranran told me."

"Ranran, my cousin..."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just that I don't usually call her that. Feels a bit novel," Zhou Li replied honestly.

"Then how do you usually address her? Don't tell me, let me guess." Ms. Ji looked forward and thought for a moment. "You don't call her 'Little Steamed Bun,' do you?"

"Little Steamed Bun?"

"Looks like I guessed wrong..."

"Not at all." Zhou Li was slightly surprised but didn't show it. "We usually call her Baozi."

"Human thought patterns really are similar."

Mother and son exchanged a glance, both finding it amusing. The stiffness from their long separation was quickly fading, and his cousin deserved credit for it.

"How did she tell you?" Zhou Li asked again.

"I forgot. It came up in conversation a while ago, not too long ago actually," Ms. Ji said. "I'll visit them in Caiyun in a few days."

"I see."

In Zhou Li's memory, Baozi wasn't a talkative person, even somewhat silent, and not interested in gossip. It seemed the red envelope his mom had sent her over the New Year was quite generous.

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