Outside Shrek Academy, Su Xiaoqi stopped and gently took Zhu Zhuqing's hand to examine it. When he saw the red mark on her wrist, a fresh wave of fury surged inside him.
> "Damn Dai Mubai... Once I'm stronger, he'll be the first I take down."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Su Xiaoqi's dirt-stained clothes and felt a pang of sadness. Without thinking, she leaned her head against his chest and softly said:
> "I don't want to hear that man's name anymore. From now on, he's him, I'm me—there's nothing between us."
"I understand. Get up now, my clothes are dirty."
"…Could you give me a sausage first? I'm about to collapse here."
Su Xiaoqi rambled, completely flustered. It was his first time ever having a girl rest her head against him—and he had no idea what to do.
Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback. Su Xiaoqi had been so fierce in battle earlier that she forgot he had been seriously injured by Zhao Wuji before that.
Su Xiaoqi downed three sausages in one go, which helped him recover a bit of strength. But immediately after, an overwhelming hunger hit him.
Sausages might fill up an ordinary person, but for him—a **Saiyan**—they weren't even enough to get stuck between his teeth.
Looking pitifully at Zhu Zhuqing, he said:
> "Zhuqing, I'm starving. Let's go eat."
Zhu Zhuqing smiled and took his arm.
> "Alright. I'm hungry too."
Su Xiaoqi was already used to Zhu Zhuqing holding his arm now. But just as they took a few steps away, a voice called out from behind—
> "Su Xiaoqi!"
It was **Ning Rongrong**.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned and said plainly:
> "I don't want to be bothered."
"Then let's run for it!"
Su Xiaoqi dashed ahead immediately.
Zhu Zhuqing chuckled at his retreating figure and ran after him.
Behind them, Ning Rongrong stomped her foot in frustration:
> "Ugh! That damn Flender wasted so much of my time! Otherwise, I would've caught up to them already."
She had gotten the idea to live off-campus after seeing Su Xiaoqi and Zhu Zhuqing do it. But when she brought it up to Flender, he flat-out rejected her and gave her a long lecture. She got fed up halfway through and walked off—her curiosity about Su Xiaoqi growing by the minute.
> "You two think you can ditch me? I'll search all of Soto City if I have to!"
---
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi and Zhu Zhuqing went straight to the **most high-end restaurant** in Soto City.
Upon entering, Su Xiaoqi immediately ordered **everything** on the menu. He was **starving**.
The waiter was dumbfounded, unsure if he should really serve that much. After all, Su Xiaoqi didn't exactly look like someone who could afford it.
But Zhu Zhuqing coldly tossed out a few **gold soul coins** and said:
> "Bring everything. Fast."
"Y-yes, right away!"
The waiter bowed and scrambled off, realizing these weren't people he could afford to offend.
When the dishes were finally served, Su Xiaoqi moved all the fish toward Zhu Zhuqing.
> "Alright, let's dig in."
Without waiting another second, he dove into the food like a beast. Having just been through a battle, he was ravenous—and showed no signs of slowing down.
Zhu Zhuqing finished eating first and casually messaged the group chat, updating them on the earlier fight. Then she sat and watched Su Xiaoqi eat.
Watching him clear plate after plate, she couldn't help but marvel at the **insane appetite** of a Saiyan.
> "This one meal probably equals three days' worth of food for me…"
---
Just then, **Ning Rongrong** arrived, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Su Xiaoqi.
> "Su Xiaoqi! I finally found you!"
She sat down beside him—but Su Xiaoqi didn't even glance at her. **Nothing could distract him from his meal.**
Zhu Zhuqing, seeing Ning Rongrong's persistence, just shook her head. She wasn't even mad anymore—just speechless.
Watching him eat so eagerly, Ning Rongrong started feeling hungry too. She ordered a few dishes and joined in.
After a while…
> "Finally full. That felt amazing!"
Su Xiaoqi leaned back and patted his stomach, deeply satisfied. Now he understood the truth of a Saiyan's appetite.
Their **physiology** was different—eating helped replenish the massive amount of energy they burned in battle.
At that moment, he felt like he could go another round with Zhao Wuji.
Ning Rongrong stared at him in disbelief.
> "What kind of monster eats like that? He's worse than livestock…"
After sitting for a while, Su Xiaoqi stood and said:
> "Zhuqing, let's go find a hotel. Then it's time to cultivate."
He turned to Ning Rongrong:
> "You've eaten. Go back to Shrek Academy now."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
Ning Rongrong, however, scowled:
> "I'm going with you two. The academy is boring. I'm not going back."
Su Xiaoqi snapped:
> "I'm getting a room with Zhuqing. Why the hell are you tagging along? You want a live show or something?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face turned red. She gave Su Xiaoqi a quick stomp under the table.
But Ning Rongrong just smiled:
> "No problem. I'll get my own room. After you're done, you can come find me."
> "Ning Rongrong… you're something else."
> Su Xiaoqi was dumbfounded. Zhu Zhuqing's expression darkened instantly.
No matter how much Su Xiaoqi tried to persuade her, Ning Rongrong refused to back down. In the end, they gave up and let her follow.
---
After leaving the restaurant, Zhu Zhuqing dragged Su Xiaoqi to buy clothes—saying he needed to "experience Douluo culture."
When Su Xiaoqi came out dressed in Douluo-style clothes, both girls were stunned by how good he looked. One outfit turned into several, and before he knew it, he was being pulled into trying on more and more.
Eventually, the three of them headed to the **Rose Hotel**, the city's most famous and popular hotel.
Surprisingly, there was no cliché "only one room left" situation—they smoothly booked a room for Zhu Zhuqing.
True to her word, **Ning Rongrong booked the room next door for a full month**, declaring that money wasn't a problem for her clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Su Xiaoqi turned to her:
> "Zhuqing and I are going to cultivate. You go entertain yourself."
> "Huh?"
Ning Rongrong blinked. They weren't even inside their rooms yet. Shouldn't they be… doing couple stuff first?
> "What fun is there in sitting alone in a room? What am I supposed to do—play with myself?"
By the time she came to her senses, Su Xiaoqi and Zhu Zhuqing were already heading back out of the hotel.
> "Hey! Wait for me! I want to cultivate with you too!"