Xiao Xun gently put his right arm around Liu Shijia's waist, and Liu Shijia, not satisfied, urged him to hold tighter.
When the two returned to the residential complex, a barbecue restaurant on the ground floor facing the street was still open.
"Cousin, can you treat me to some barbecue? This is the first barbecue of the summer!"
Liu Shijia parked the electric bike and turned to look at him, "You don't earn a penny, but you have quite a few demands. Why don't you offer to treat me to barbecue?"
Xiao Xun chuckled. Liu Shijia couldn't argue. After all, she was the one who had injured her cousin, so it was only right to compensate him with a barbecue meal.
Upon arriving at the barbecue restaurant, there were three tables of guests engaged in loud discussions. The waitstaff had already finished their shifts, leaving only the owner and a barbecue chef in the kitchen.
The owner smiled and asked, "What would you like to eat? You can scan the code on the top left of the table to order."
Xiao Xun took out his phone and scanned the code. He noticed that many popular items were sold out. He casually ordered a few dishes and a draft beer.
"Cousin, I've ordered. What do you want to eat?"
Liu Shijia scanned the QR code with her phone and looked at the unpaid order, "You've just been injured, why are you drinking alcohol? Drinking is not conducive to wound recovery."
Xiao Xun retorted, "What's barbecue without alcohol? Barbecue and alcohol are like instant noodles and ham sausage, indispensable."
Liu Shijia had no further objections and quietly paid the bill, putting her phone away.
Soon, the skewers and draft beer were served. The owner also thoughtfully sent over a plate of peanuts and edamame. "Your food is all here. If you don't order anything else, the kitchen will close."
Liu Shijia nodded, "No more orders."
The owner smiled and said, "Enjoy your meal!" before going behind the counter to play on his phone.
Xiao Xun looked at the items on the stainless steel plate, all of which he had ordered. He looked up at Liu Shijia, "Cousin, why didn't you order anything?"
Liu Shijia huffed, "I think you're up to no good. I can't find a boyfriend, and you want me to get fat by eating at night. What's your intention?"
Xiao Xun gulped down the beer with a happy sound and continued, "So what if you don't have a boyfriend! I'll support you then..."
Liu Shijia's face immediately turned red. She glanced at the owner behind the counter, who was engrossed in his game, while the guests at other tables were absorbed in their own conversations.
She kicked Xiao Xun hard, "Are you crazy? You want to support me? Have you earned a single penny since you came to find me? You're still living at my place, eating my food, and using my things..."
Xiao Xun rubbed his calf, wincing in pain, "Cousin, this is just temporary..."
Liu Shijia appraised Xiao Xun from head to toe, "Temporary? You? Staying up all night and sleeping all day, dreaming? You need money to even buy a lottery ticket, and your pockets are emptier than your face!"
Facing Liu Shijia's lecture, Xiao Xun could only silently eat skewers and drink. Liu Shijia ate a few edamame, "Mmm! The edamame here is quite fragrant."
Xiao Xun downed the beer in his glass, "I'm full..."
Liu Shijia looked at the plate with many meat skewers still on it, "Keep eating! It's a waste if you don't."
Xiao Xun patted his stomach, "But I've had too much to drink, I really can't eat anymore."
Liu Shijia picked up a skewer, "I really don't know what to do with you. You're a university student, don't you know 'who knows what's in the bowl, every grain is hard-earned'?"
"Even if it's hard-earned, it shouldn't make my stomach burst! Farmers work hard, and doctors also work hard. Let's not cause them trouble. It's fine if you eat it."
Liu Shijia recalled the doctor who had wrongly bandaged Xiao Xun's arm, a smile appearing on her face, "You glib-tongued 'little devil', I really can't do anything about you." With that, she finished the remaining skewers and even packed up the peanuts and edamame given by the restaurant.
It was almost four in the morning when they got home.
Liu Shijia yawned, "You should rest early. I'm going to sleep." She then scratched her hair and went into her room.
Xiao Xun returned to his room and first checked his headphones with concern. Seeing that they were intact, his heart settled. Luckily, there was no problem; these peripherals were his treasures.
Then he checked his game account. It indicated: "Due to prolonged inactivity, your credit score has been deducted. We hope you maintain good gaming habits in future games."
Xiao Xun hit the desk in anger and then closed the game.
Because his left hand was injured, he couldn't play many games. It wasn't time to sleep either, and he never slept before dawn.
He played games that could be controlled with a mouse, but they were certainly not as interesting as esports.
He soon got bored and opened a web browser, typing in a familiar URL. He turned down the volume of his headphones, wearing one earpiece and tucking the other behind his ear.
After watching for a while, he heard movement next door and immediately clicked the red 'X' in the top right corner with his mouse.
At this moment, footsteps passed by his door, then the bathroom door opened, followed by the sound of a light being switched on.
Xiao Xun opened a web-based game that was very boring, requiring only simple clicks.
Just then, the door opened again. Liu Shijia stood at the doorway, "I'm going to work. Remember to tidy up the room later and wash the dirty clothes in the basin."
Xiao Xun turned to look at Liu Shijia, "Cousin, I'm an adult. Could you please knock before entering? Also, my left hand is injured, how am I supposed to tidy the room and wash clothes?"
"No complaining. We grew up together, when did you develop this bad habit? You can tidy the house with one hand, it'll just take longer, and you have nothing else to do. Washing clothes is even simpler; just put them in the washing machine, add detergent, and turn it on. Is that difficult?"
Xiao Xun knew that further discussion was useless. He couldn't win the argument, and even if he could, he couldn't win a fight. He could only shrug, "You're always right anyway, so be it!"
Liu Shijia closed the door, then immediately reopened it, "Oh, right, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll buy the ingredients for you."
Xiao Xun's relieved heart tensed up again, "You decide! Just don't buy all your favorite dishes. Oh, I saw online that pork is cheaper than vegetables now, so buy more pork."
Liu Shijia frowned, "No matter how cheap, it still costs money! How about this, I'll buy you two pork knuckles tonight to help you recover. Tell me what seasonings you need later."
Without waiting for Xiao Xun to respond, she went back to her room, leaving the door ajar.
Xiao Xun scratched his hair, which looked like a bird's nest, "Sigh! Why do all the bad things happen to me?"
He stood up and turned off the computer, yawning. He watched as the sky gradually brightened and the birds began to chirp.
Xiao Xun knew it was time for him to sleep.
He took a sip of the flat cola, closed the door, and stared blankly for a while before lying down on the bed to sleep.