My Demon Friends

"Where are you going?"

"Out to get a package."

"Oh."

Huai Xu retracted his gaze and continued to squat, drawing his driving practice area. He had watched many videos online today and, after finishing them, confidently declared he had mastered all the Level 2 driving skills.

Zhou Li believed him. He could probably get a perfect score with a toy car too.

When Zhou Li returned, Huai Xu had already finished drawing the site map and was concentrating on practicing parallel parking.

Zhou Li leaned over for a look. The drawing was really good, almost comparable to a design blueprint.

"What did you buy this time?" Huai Xu turned his head to look at him.

"Not me."

"Hmm?"

"Books, sent by Zheng Zhilan."

"Finished the ones she brought before?"

"Finished them."

"Oh. Want to learn parallel parking?"

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Aww..."

Under the watchful eyes of Huai Xu and Tuanzi, Zhou Li opened the package. Seeing that it indeed contained books, the two demons lost interest. Zhou Li, meanwhile, carefully examined the small stack of books.

There were six in total.

Each book had a proper title and preface; they were definitely much more formal than the first few he had started with.

They were also much more profound.

Clearly more professional.

Zhou Li turned down the TV volume and then began flipping through them.

This line of study proved to be much more challenging than he had anticipated, mainly because it lacked a comprehensive educational system and proper summaries. The books Zhou Li had read before were mostly introductions to demons and Heavenly Masters, along with some basic necessary knowledge. They were often very subjective, filled with the authors' personal biases and fabrications, and even contained many contradictions. However, they were still somewhat useful. At the very least, they greatly helped Zhou Li in reading these more advanced books.

It was a gradual process.

Time slowly passed.

Zhou Li moved from the living room to the bedroom balcony, hoping it would be quieter, but his sensitive hearing betrayed him.

"Shall we watch a war movie?"

"No way!"

"..."

"I'm a bit hungry."

"Lord Dumpling wants Wensi Tofu."

"You go tell Zhou Li!"

"..."

"Come here, silly cat, I'll teach you how to park and start on a slope!"

"Call me Lord Dumpling!"

"..."

"Hey! Zhou Li, I'm ordering takeout! What do you want?" The question was accompanied by a knock on the door.

"..."

Zhou Li tapped his head, staring blankly at his book.

He had been reading for almost an hour and a half and had only gotten through a page and a half. He developed a headache, likely due to the two noisy demons outside.

Before going out, he placed the book on the bedside table. The books he had finished were stored in a small suitcase. He planned to take them all back to the Old Daoist at Zhihong Guan during the winter break.

"Zhou Li, Lord Dumpling wants Wensi Tofu!" Tuanzi looked up at him, eyes wide and unblinking.

"Meow?" Zhou Li said.

"??"

Lord Dumpling was completely bewildered.

Huai Xu then asked, "What do you want to eat, Zhou Li?"

"Anything is fine."

"You're not reading anymore?"

"Can't get into it."

"See! That's what you get for drifting off in class!"

"When did I drift off?"

"You're always staring at Li Daimao's cowlick, think I wouldn't notice? Reconnaissance and intelligence gathering are always more important than fighting!"

"Show-off!"

Zhou Li sat down on the couch, pulled out his phone, and saw two messages from the director of the entertainment department—

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Really not going to the bridal fashion show?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Come on!

Zhou Li replied: Not going.

Wang Dan's message came back quickly—

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Come on, come on, I just need a partner.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Is it Brother Nan not letting you go?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: But didn't you say you two aren't a couple?

Zhou Li typed listlessly: I have to practice driving lately. Classes in the morning and practice in the afternoon, I really have no time.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: If Brother Nan goes, will you go?

Zhou Li: No.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Okay, okay, then forget it. I'll just ask my classmates.

Zhou Li: Okay.

Zhou Li knew Brother Nan's personality. If she said she wouldn't go, she definitely wouldn't, no matter what; she'd stubbornly refuse. And as her Little Brother, he definitely couldn't go either. Otherwise, wouldn't that be tantamount to defecting to the student council?

Brother Nan would be really angry.

Then... well, she wouldn't be easy to placate.

Zhou Li thought the conversation had ended there, but then Senior Sister Wang Dan sent another voice message.

Zhou Li opened it.

Senior Sister Wang Dan's voice was very magnetic: "Let me ask, are you and Brother Nan a couple? I'm not... well... I'm mainly asking for a classmate of mine. He has a lot going for him and wants to pursue Brother Nan. If you two are a couple, I'll tell him to look elsewhere."

Huai Xu, who was practicing S-curves, immediately turned his head. "In his dreams! Get that classmate's address from her!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll be right back!"

"Stop messing around."

Huai Xu hummed in acknowledgment and looked away, but his expression suddenly changed. "Oh no, I crossed the line!"

Zhou Li: No.

Zhou Li: Don't send voice messages, it's not convenient to listen right now.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Really?

Zhou Li: Who wants to pursue Brother Nan?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Someone from our class. He's really handsome, comes from a rich family, is pretty outstanding himself, and he's also the president of the Street Dance Club.

Zhou Li: Oh.

Then he thought about it. He seemed to recall seeing such a person during the department's flag-raising ceremony and morning exercises. Indeed, quite handsome. Probably the most handsome guy in Senior Sister Wang Dan's class.

Maybe... a third as handsome as I am?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: So, do you know what Brother Nan likes? What are her hobbies? Or what kind of guy does she like?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Since Brother Nan and I are quite close, my classmate asked me to find out for him. But honestly, I have no idea, so I thought I'd see if you knew.

Zhou Li: I'll ask her for you.

So Zhou Li found Brother Nan on QQ. To avoid seeming abrupt, he first asked: How about I bring you some milk tea tomorrow?

Li Daimao: Just thinking of milk tea now?

Zhou Li: I've been experimenting for the past few days on which ratio tastes best. I want to bring you the tastiest one. Plus, I bought some coconut jelly and tapioca pearls. Do you like them?

Li Daimao: Love them.

Zhou Li: What kind of guy do you like?

Li Daimao: ??

Li Daimao: Are you out of your mind?

Was it still a bit abrupt?

Zhou Li nodded thoughtfully and replied honestly: Someone wants to pursue you and asked me to help find out.

Li Daimao: Tell him to scram.

Zhou Li: Alright!

Zhou Li switched back to Senior Sister Wang Dan's chat window. He had already typed his reply, but a look of reluctance crossed his face; he was, after all, kind-hearted. So, Zhou Li deleted the line and, after some thought, began to retype—

Zhou Li: Brother Nan likes domineering, somewhat chauvinistic types—the overbearing CEO type, or even a tough-guy, worldly type.

Zhou Li: It would be even better if, during the confession, loads of people could turn up, create a scene, and insist she must accept. Brother Nan always appreciates that kind of spectacle.

Huai Xu's head popped up beside Zhou Li unexpectedly. Spying on his privacy without the slightest guilt, he commented, "Li Daimao will beat that guy to death."

"She won't."

"Then she'll at least cripple him."

"That won't happen either."

"Why not?"

"Brother Nan isn't that unlucky."

"GULP!"

「The next morning.」

Zhou Li struggled to bring the milk tea to the classroom.

Since he was bringing it for Brother Nan and Baozi, he had to bring some for Mianmian and Qian Qian as well. And since he brought it for Brother Nan's entire dorm, if he didn't bring any for his own dorm, people would talk.

So Zhou Li carried a big bag.

Brother Nan held the still-steaming milk tea, examining its packaging. She asked, puzzled, "You actually used these to pack it?"

"Isn't milk tea always packed in these?"

"But that's from a milk tea shop!" Brother Nan's eyes widened.

"So what should I use?"

"I thought you'd use a glass bottle, you know, the kind for fruit or juice that you wash out after drinking…" Brother Nan mimed shaking a bottle with both hands, then pretended to pour something out, looking at Zhou Li with an expression that asked if he understood.

"That would mean buying a lot of fruit that comes in glass bottles."

"Then where did you get this from?"

"Oh, I bought a sealing machine."

"How much?"

"Over a thousand."

"That expensive! Are you planning to sell milk tea?"

"It can still be used later."

"Ah!"

"Is it tasty?"

"It's tasty."

As Brother Nan sipped her milk tea, she glanced sideways and saw Zhou Li's little cousin also seriously drinking her milk tea, her expression unchanging. However, she soon saw her little cousin unconsciously lift a hand to rub her ear.

This gesture inexplicably made Brother Nan feel a bit guilty.