My Demon Friends

In Zhou Li's original imagination, the days of cycling would inevitably be somewhat challenging. Of course, they wouldn't be sleeping rough, but surely they couldn't avoid missing meals and having to make do with accommodation, right?

But that was not the case.

Brother Nan was always very happy, no matter what, and this happiness seemed to be infectious, spreading to Zhou Li.

She certainly didn't shortchange herself, arranging every day's meals and lodging very well, and even buying snacks along the way.

On the first, they stayed in the city.

At night, they went to eat the hot and sour fish that Brother Nan had longed for; the taste indeed gave them a new and refreshing sensation, totally different from the pickled vegetable fish at Yicai.

Brother Nan loved hot and sour food. She loved it very much.

On the second, they cycled around Erhai, which took about an entire day, and they took hundreds of photos:

Photos taken during the ride;

Check-in photos with the glass ball and white chairs;

Striking various poses;

Pure landscapes;

Of course, there were also group photos taken by setting the phone on an octopus tripod, with Brother Nan then dashing to Zhou Li's side. Making her pose for these tired Zhou Li more than cycling from Chunming to Dali.

And short videos of front flips and backflips.

They also ate hot and sour fish three times.

And they had raw pork skin.

At night, they stayed in Dali Ancient Town. They had the bikes shipped back and then, following Brother Nan's wishes, stayed one more day to do some "boring" things by the shores of Erhai such as sunbathing, zoning out, skimming stones, and teasing innocent girls.

Early on the fourth, they took a car to Lijiang.

Brother Nan had booked a half-day tour of Lashi Lake for that day, one hundred yuan per person, including shuttle service and lunch, with activities like horseback riding and boating.

It was quite novel for the two young people.

After returning, they climbed Lion Mountain in the ancient city to take a few photos as a check-in, then wandered around at night to see the night views, buying two skewers of barbecue—the kind you could find anywhere—to eat while walking. They didn't fall into any other tourist traps.

Yulong Snow Mountain was skipped due to time constraints.

Zhou Li still preferred Dali. He felt that Erhai was a rare place that was both beautiful and possessed a sufficient touch of worldly life.

On the fifth, they arrived in Zhongdian, only visited Napahai briefly, and then went to Meili Snow Mountain.

The altitude here was high, and the temperature was low.

It had been snowing in Deqin for the past two days.

Brother Nan put on a down jacket, wrapped herself up warmly, donned a big hat, and didn't let the snow affect her mood.

On the contrary, she was extremely excited.

Meili Snow Mountain was just opposite Feilai Temple, separated only by a valley. However, it was concealed by clouds and mist due to the snowy weather, much to the dismay of Zhou Li and Brother Nan, who had rarely seen snow in their lives.

"Zhou Li, come quick!"

Brother Nan led the way, her face pale from the cold yet exquisitely beautiful, as she looked up at the snow-filled sky.

With Brother Nan's figure, many couldn't help but steal glances at her.

Zhou Li also thought the scene was incredibly beautiful, right up until Brother Nan stuck out her tongue to try and catch the falling snow.

Afterward, Brother Nan went a bit wild.

The snow hadn't laid a thick layer on the road; instead, it had been pressed into thin ice by passing vehicles. Other girls walked cautiously, afraid of falling, their delicate voices exclaiming, "Oh, it's so slippery! You have to hold me..."

But Brother Nan took a running start, braked hard, let out a cry, and slid a long way down the road—

"WHEEE!!"

"So fun!"

"Zhou Li, you have to come play!"

"I want to play with you," Zhou Li said sarcastically.

"Let's see who can slide the farthest!"

"Yes, let's see who can slide the farthest!" Zhou Li continued, his tone still sarcastic.

"Enough of that! Come on! Let's use this to decide who pays for tonight's hot pot!" Brother Nan said.

"No!"

"?"

In the first contest, Zhou Li won.

Brother Nan looked closely and protested, "I started sliding from here, and you started from there! That doesn't count, it doesn't! I'm drawing a line here. We start from this line; crossing it is a foul!"

In the second contest, Zhou Li won.

Brother Nan pondered for a moment and said, "I started my run-up from here, and you ran farther than me. That doesn't count!"

In the third contest, Zhou Li won.

Brother Nan claimed her jacket was unbuttoned, creating too much air resistance.

Zhou Li glanced at the growing audience by the roadside and at Huai Xu silently watching from a rooftop, but he didn't say anything in rebuttal.

In the fourth contest, Zhou Li won.

Brother Nan complained that her clothes were too thick.

In the fifth contest, Zhou Li won.

...

It turned out Zhou Li could slide farther than Brother Nan.

"Last round! The decider!" Brother Nan rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath, suspecting her shoes might be the problem. "You slide first!"

"Okay!"

Seeing a car approaching in the distance, Zhou Li waited for it to pass before he started sliding. He intentionally slid a shorter distance. Then, noticing that the pattern from the past dozen or so slides was becoming a bit too obvious, he let out a breath and said, "I'm tired now."

Brother Nan didn't call him out but put all her energy into it.

A running start, brake—

WHOOSH!

She slid straight toward Zhou Li!

"Watch out!"

Zhou Li caught her in a hug, somewhat at a loss. He had truly tried his best, to the point where he now didn't know what to do.

After thinking for a long moment, he finally managed to say, "Since you've already bumped into me, how about we just say you won this time?"

When Brother Nan looked up, her chin was against Zhou Li's chest.

"Do you hear the people around us catcalling?"

"What?"

Zhou Li turned to look around and only then did he notice that the audience who had been watching the contest was now sporting amused smiles. He quickly let go of Brother Nan. "Oh, I just didn't want you to fall... You're the one who ran into me!"

"Me?? Oh, I'm sorry?"

"It's okay."

"??"

Brother Nan stared blankly at Zhou Li, her fists already clenched inside her sleeves.

After a long while, she finally let out a sigh, abandoning the idea of thrashing Zhou Li. She waved her hand at him and said, "Fine, fine, let's just say you're better than me. Alright, you've won the right to treat us to hot pot!"

Zhou Li was stunned for a moment but agreed.

As they were leaving, Brother Nan finally couldn't hold back. She gave him a playful punch on the back and then headed to the hotel first.

Zhou Li pursed his lips, glanced around, and saw Huai Xu sitting on the rooftop, roaring with laughter. The people around were also laughing, and their smiles made him want to hurry away.

When he returned to the room, Huai Xu was already sitting on the other bed, holding a mobile phone connected to a power bank.

"What did it feel like, holding Brother Nan?"

"Felt like a down jacket."

"Did your heart pound?"

"...No."

"You hesitated a bit there. You're lying."

"No." Zhou Li indeed wasn't lying; his heart only started pounding after the fact, when he had a moment to process. He carefully considered that holding Brother Nan might inherently carry a certain degree of danger.

"Do you like Little Zheng or Brother Nan?"

"..."

"Little Zheng is one of your kind! But she lives in the mountains, and it seems you have little contact. Your era values free love, and a man can only take one wife... oh, it's not called 'taking a wife,' it's 'getting married,' right?" Huai Xu, clearly not caring if Zhou Li responded, continued, "So, if two people are to live together, feelings are very important, aren't they?"

"You sure know a lot!" Zhou Li said, his face dark.

"Naturally! I even know how to use the internet!" Huai Xu said. "I like Brother Nan's personality, and you two are together every day!"

"..."

"But Little Zheng's cooking is excellent!"

"..."

"However, Brother Nan seems very capable too; she always manages to find all sorts of delicious things!" Huai Xu entered a state of self-absorbed excitement. "Miss Zheng is gentle, virtuous, and cute, while Brother Nan is super fun. Oh, man..."

"Please shut up."

"Alrighty then!"

"It's time for dinner. We're having hot pot tonight," Zhou Li said. "I hope the weather is good tomorrow."

"AWOO~" Huai Xu thought for a moment. "I don't think I'll go eat. On my way here, I saw a very fierce Great Demon. I'm going to think up a few insults, pay him a visit, and try to pick a fight!"

"...You're really asking for it!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're just too good-looking."

"Takes one to know one."

"..."

Huai Xu vanished into thin air. Zhou Li tidied himself up a bit, stood at the door to compose himself, then opened it and walked out.