A living dog

Two people suddenly appeared and immediately asked her if she wanted something to eat.

Mi Li didn't know either of them. If her sister hadn't brought them back, she would have left on the spot.

Even without Chen Luo around, Mi Li wouldn't have accepted anything from strangers.

Besides, Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu hadn't showered in over ten days. After all their running around, their sweat stank so badly that Mi Li nearly fainted.

And they kept moving closer.

Mi Li was on the verge of tears. Don't come any closer.

"I'm really not hungry."

Mi Ling was about to take out the chocolate she had deliberately saved. She'd had no choice; food had been desperately scarce along the way. They had taken a detour around the outskirts of the city, with hardly any shops along their route.

But Mi Li looked healthy, her skin rosy, fair, and smooth. One glance was enough to tell that she had been living comfortably.

Compared to her, Mi Ling now looked like a grimy-faced old woman.

Mi Ling gave Chen Luo another suspicious look. Judging by his clothes and complexion, if her own appearance hadn't offered such a stark contrast, she really would have thought he was a handsome guy heading downstairs for a walk in perfectly normal times.

Had he really taken such good care of my sister?

With Mi Li refusing to take it, Wang Xinwu stood there awkwardly with his hand outstretched.

Was she really not hungry? I'm giving you a chance, and you're wasting it. When you get hungry and want some, there won't be any left.

Mi Li said awkwardly, "Sis, let's go inside."

Chen Luo watched from the side, laughing inwardly. So even the Flame Empress could end up looking this bedraggled?

If not for your bust, I almost wouldn't have recognized you.

Mi Ling thanked Chen Luo. "Hello, I'm Mi Ling. Thank you for looking after my sister."

Mi Ling was still wary of Chen Luo, but regardless, Mi Li had clearly been well cared for and hadn't suffered any harm.

Chen Luo smiled faintly. "I'm Chen Luo."

Mi Ling reached out to take Rice from Chen Luo's arms. She hadn't seen Rice in so many days, and she missed her too.

She was also delighted that Rice hadn't died.

Rice turned her head away, refusing, and used her telepathic ability to speak to Mi Ling.

"Ugh, go away! How many days has it been since you showered? You're filthy! What if you get me dirty?"

"It's fine if you get me dirty, but when Chen Luo holds me, I'll get him dirty too. That would be really bad."

At Rice's words, disbelief first appeared on Mi Ling's face. Rice could talk?

Then Mi Ling's expression darkened completely.

How could you even say that?

You're not refusing to let me hold you because I'm dirty, but because you're worried about getting Chen Luo dirty?

I'm your owner, you know.

Mi Ling couldn't understand why Rice had completely switched sides after just half a month apart.

Though shocked by Rice's ability, Mi Ling didn't make a scene.

Mi Ling glanced at Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu behind her. They would have one farewell meal, then go their separate ways.

It wasn't that Mi Ling wanted to discard them once they'd served their purpose. The truth was that these two had been worse than useless the entire way.

Just thinking about it made her angry.

Around them, she had been nothing but hired muscle, clearing every obstacle for them. Whenever danger came, all they did was cower behind her.

She must have lost her mind when she chose these two burdens. She'd had enough. She couldn't let them drag her and her sister down any longer; it would only put them in greater danger.

Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu followed along, inwardly delighted.

My life living with the campus beauty is about to begin. Once we're living together and spending more time together, feelings are bound to develop, right?

After all, we escorted you all this way to find your sister.

Mi Ling asked tentatively, "Is there any food left at home?"

She was hungry too. She had originally planned to look for supplies after finding her sister. The supermarkets had been cleaned out, but there were bound to be supplies somewhere in the residential complex.

She could find a few apartments whose owners had turned into zombies and take some rice. That would keep them going for a while.

Chen Luo gave a quiet snort. Of course there's food. More than you could count. But unless you listen to me, Mi Ling, join my crew, and call me boss, you can forget about getting any of the good stuff.

Chen Luo called loudly, "Ma Yu, don't we still have some rice at home? Cook a little."

She was Mi Li's sister, after all. Being completely stingy wouldn't look right. He would give them some rice.

Of course, Ma Yu had noticed what was happening downstairs; she simply hadn't gone down. At Chen Luo's words, she froze for a moment.

Weren't we planning to have a barbecue?

But she wasn't slow, and she immediately understood what Chen Luo meant.

Ma Yu nodded. "All right, I'll cook some now."

There was another woman in the house?

That actually made Mi Ling feel a little more reassured.

Chen Luo added, "Don't rinse the rice, though. That would waste water."

Normally, the rice Chen Luo and the others ate was rinsed, of course. But did they need to bother for Mi Ling and those two?

No!

For Mi Li's sake, they were lucky to get anything to eat at all.

Ma Yu chuckled. There really was no need to rinse it. At worst, it would be a little dirty, but not very.

At the mention of water, Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu realized their throats were practically burning.

Along the way, water had been as much of a problem as food. Combined with the sweltering weather, it had left both of them feeling close to collapse.

By then, they had reached the door to Mi Li's home. Zhang Zhen and Wang Xinwu couldn't wait to get some water.

They headed straight for the kitchen, where they saw Ma Yu holding a large jug of purified water and pouring some into the rice cooker.

Without a word, Zhang Zhen snatched the jug, which was still a third full, from Ma Yu's hands. He lifted it and gulped straight from the opening.

If Wang Xinwu hadn't kept urging him to hurry, Zhang Zhen could have drunk for half a minute.

Wang Xinwu didn't mind Zhang Zhen's saliva either. He took the jug and lifted it to drink.

Watching the two drink straight from the jug like a pair of beggars, Ma Yu instantly felt disgusted with them.

Ma Yu snapped, "There are bowls right here. Can't you pour the water into a bowl to drink? What are the rest of us supposed to do after you've drunk from it like that?"

Zhang Zhen said dismissively, "Sorry about that. We were just desperate for a drink. Don't worry, we're not sick."

Wang Xinwu, however, complained, "You've been sitting at home instead of being out in the sun. Of course you're not thirsty. Do you have any idea how much we've suffered getting here?"

Zhang Zhen chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. Cut us some slack. We won't do it next time."

Ma Yu's face went cold. Why should I cut you any slack? What do I care how much you've suffered? I'm not the one who put you through it.

Mi Ling shook her head, not bothering to say anything else. Once the meal was over, they would go their separate ways.

Feeling sorry for her sister, Mi Li handed her the bottle of Nutri-Express she had been drinking, which was still more than half full.

Mi Ling was desperately thirsty too. She drank a little under half and left half for Mi Li, only to find herself growing thirstier the more she drank.

Better to save more of something this tasty for Mi Li.

Having finally drunk their fill, Wang Xinwu and Zhang Zhen came out of the kitchen and surveyed their surroundings with great satisfaction. As expected of the campus beauty's home, it was not only spacious but stylishly decorated.

The only pity was that there was another man here.

Zhang Zhen suddenly froze, his eyes fixed on Dharma King lying beneath the sofa.

A dog.

A living dog.

For over half a month, they had eaten nothing but junk food: instant noodles, bread, potato chips, biscuits, and other snacks. There hadn't even been enough of those.

His stomach had long since had enough.

As the saying went, once dog meat bubbled in the pot, even the gods couldn't stay on their feet.