My Demon Friends

The pickled cabbage and pork knuckle came with a dipping sauce; it was simple, but the flavor was surprisingly good.

Zhou Li handed out four pairs of chopsticks, one to each of them, while eavesdropping on Brother Nan asking Zheng Zhilan her age.

Zheng Zhilan was younger than him by a little over ten days.

She was much younger than Brother Nan.

Only after confirming she was indeed older than Zheng Zhilan did Brother Nan reveal her real age. Otherwise, she usually evaded the question or exaggerated her age to satisfy her penchant for acting like an older sibling, which was rather quirky.

Zhou Li naturally didn't dare to expose her.

Then, Brother Nan, like a curious child, started questioning Zheng Zhilan about everything—except her eyes.

"Between you and Zhou Li, who's stronger?"

"Well..." Zheng Zhilan looked at Zhou Li.

"I get it." Brother Nan shot Zhou Li a 'you're really weak' look, then asked, "Between me and Zhou Li, who do you see more clearly?"

"Both of you are very clear."

"Where did you learn your spells from?"

"Um..."

Zheng Zhilan couldn't help but glance around.

It was peak dinner time, and the first floor of the restaurant was still crowded with students, many of whom were sneakily glancing their way. Zheng Zhilan could vaguely feel their gazes. She thought it must be because Zhou Li, Brother Nan, and Huai Xu were exceptionally good-looking.

"Don't mind them. They'll probably think we're talking about games or something, or that we're idiots." Brother Nan actually lowered her voice when she said this.

"True." Zheng Zhilan nodded. "I learned them from a book in a Taoist temple."

"How mystical!"

"Can you change the weather?"

"Can you fly?"

"Oh, you can't? That's a shame."

"Do you know anyone who can fly?"

"I don't know anyone either. Sigh, let me tell you, I've wanted to fly since I was a kid. In elementary school, I even made a hang glider. It was like this..." Brother Nan gestured a triangle with her hands. "Anyway, it was huge; a person could hang from it. Then I jumped off the building from the third floor. I ended up breaking my leg and missed half a semester of school. Luckily, my uncle had connections; otherwise, I would've had to repeat a grade."

"I also fantasized about having X-ray vision so I could see through people's cards or lottery numbers. Then I realized I didn't need it anyway!"

"..."

Zheng Zhilan was very quiet, either softly answering Brother Nan's nonsensical questions or just watching her silently, listening attentively.

They seemed to be getting along quite well.

Zhou Li wasn't surprised. Brother Nan was someone who could get along well with anyone.

Just like now: she and Little Zheng had no obvious topics in common, and she could see that Little Zheng wasn't very talkative or a great conversationalist. Still, she managed to chat harmoniously with Little Zheng, satisfying her own curiosity without pressuring Little Zheng.

It seemed Miss Zheng was actually finding it quite interesting.

The pickled cabbage and pork knuckle arrived—a big pot of it.

Before Zhou Li could say anything, Brother Nan had already jumped in to invite Zheng Zhilan to eat.

"Come on, eat, eat, eat..."

"Let me tell you, this pickled cabbage and pork knuckle is a local specialty. We'll see if it's to your taste; it's on the sour side, with a clear broth. Anyway, I've always loved sour food, and sour and spicy is even better. By the way, can you eat spicy food?"

"I can."

"..."

The meal took less than an hour.

After they finished eating, Brother Nan seemed to have already become quite friendly with Zheng Zhilan. She even offered to treat them to steam-pot chicken the next day. Steam-pot chicken was significantly more expensive than pickled cabbage and pork knuckle, so for the recently frugal Brother Nan, this was quite a splurge—

She had only eaten noodles for lunch that day.

Brother Nan returned to her dorm, while Zhou Li, Huai Xu, and Zheng Zhilan walked slowly back across campus together.

It was late November, and the temperature began to drop as the sun neared the mountain peaks. Many dry leaves lay along the roadside, but strangely, no matter how many leaves fell from the trees, they never seemed to become bare, as if new leaves were growing even as old ones fell.

Stepping on the fallen leaves sometimes produced a satisfying CRUNCH.

Zheng Zhilan stayed close to Zhou Li's side, yet she couldn't help but let her gaze wander, even though the scenes around her were just a blur.

Students came and went.

Some hurried along by themselves.

Others walked in pairs or groups, chatting and laughing about all sorts of things, their carefree manner the very picture of youth.

Under a parasol tree, a young man and woman sat side by side, neither speaking. An electric scooter weaved down the middle of the empty road, a boy riding with a girl on the back.

"Watch the steps."

Zhou Li's voice broke in.

When Zheng Zhilan refocused her gaze, she was herself again. She simply looked down, stepped down the steps, her heart completely unmoved.

「...」

Back home, Zhou Li had just turned on his phone when he saw messages from Senior Sister Wang Dan—

Senior Sister Wang Dan: You and Brother Nan are together?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: That was fast?

Zhou Li: ?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: I heard a rumor that you and Brother Nan are together. Tsk tsk, you two are practically celebrities in our department.

Zhou Li: What kind of celebrity am I?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: So...

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Is it true?

Zhou Li: Just a rumor.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Really?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Don't you lie to me again!

Zhou Li: I've never lied to you.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Oh, right. It was Brother Nan who lied to me.

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Alright then, I believe you. To be honest, my classmate was almost in tears (covers mouth, laughing).

Senior Sister Wang Dan: He was planning to confess at the orientation party. That would be quite a scene, right? He's thinking about canceling, so I'll go tell him not to.

Zhou Li: Orientation party?

Senior Sister Wang Dan: Yes, a confession by someone from the Street Dance Club at the orientation party is a tradition. Apparently, every year, students from our department in the Street Dance Club put on a cool performance. After they finish, someone has to stand up and confess their love. Last year, no one confessed, so they dragged out a guy who already had a girlfriend and made him confess to her all over again. The girl was so moved she almost cried! HAHAHA!

Zhou Li: Looking forward to it.

「Meanwhile, on the first floor of a certain building in Qiu Yuan.」

Brother Nan, with her usual devil-may-care attitude, sauntered down the corridor toward her dorm, hearing the news before she even got there—

Some girls even went out of their way to 'congratulate' her.

Others who bumped into her casually asked for confirmation.

Still others, with 'dreams shattered' expressions, lamented that she had taken away their Deity, then asked how far things had progressed, wondering if they had held hands, hugged, kissed, or even done something more outrageous.

Brother Nan was baffled. Are these people perverted?

Pah, no, that's not it. Brother Nan was dumbfounded.

Even some girls from other departments, seemingly from Economics or perhaps Foreign Languages, were involved.

Is Zhou Li really that popular?

Ah, no, that's not the point.

The twenty-meter walk from the dormitory's main entrance to her room took Brother Nan a full ten minutes. She kicked open her door to find three girls playing cards around a folding table set up in the middle of the room.

"Pair of fours!"

"Who leaked the news?" Brother Nan demanded, feigning ruthlessness. "Confess, and I'll let you off easy. I'm sure it was you three."

"What news?"

"Still playing dumb?!"

GULP!

Mianmian and Qian Qian gulped nervously in unison, so scared they quickly lowered their heads. "You're so mean!"

Eyeing the two ditzy girls, who were good for nothing but acting cute, Brother Nan pressed her advantage: "I know it was you two. Now, what I want to know is, whose idea was it?"

The two ditzy girls looked completely bewildered.

"We're innocent!"

Little Cousin, however, was unperturbed. She calmly played two cards. "Pair of fives. You're talking about that rumor, right? Even though I did suggest something like it a few days ago, this really has nothing to do with us."

"Then who does it have to do with?"

"Ask yourself."

"Myself?"

"You two are always going around together. In most people's eyes, doesn't that look like you're dating?" Little Cousin said. "And like you're in the passionate honeymoon phase, too. It's perfectly normal that someone took it seriously and started spreading it."

"Non-nonsense!"

"?"

"That's called friendship! Brotherhood! What do you know? Haven't you—haven't you seen any Hong Kong movies? That's how it is with a boss and his underlings!"

"..." Little Cousin couldn't be bothered to argue with her further. She stared at her own cards, deep in thought, while her peripheral vision scanned the cards on the table. She judged that Mianmian and Qian Qian likely didn't have many pairs left, and their remaining cards were probably low.

"Pair of tens."

"Pass."

"What are you playing for?" Brother Nan couldn't help asking.

"Fight the Landlord."

"I mean, are you betting money or something else?"

"Loser does twenty squats."

"Hey, have you gained weight? Your face looks rounder," Brother Nan said to Baozi, surprised.

"...I heard from Zhou Li that he met that girl when he was with Huai Xu. From their conversation, it doesn't seem like they know each other very well, but they have this unspoken understanding that I can't quite grasp." Baozi paused, then played a pair of sevens, which no one took. "That girl is pretty too. Although she might not be as tall or striking as you, she's very gentle—exceptionally so—and quiet without being timid. In short, I really like her. I wonder if Zhou Li feels the same way."

"What are you talking about?" Brother Nan asked, puzzled.

"An ace. Last card," Baozi announced.

"I'm asking you," Brother Nan said.

"I win." Baozi played her last card, just a three. Then she looked at Mianmian and Qian Qian. "Do your squats."

"..."

Mianmian and Qian Qian shakily got to their feet, legs trembling slightly, and began their squats. After struggling to finish, they frantically waved their hands, signaling they were done for the day, worried they wouldn't be able to get out of bed tomorrow.

"Don't worry. You *already* won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow."

Baozi picked up her toothbrush and got up to brush her teeth on the balcony. Halfway there, she paused and turned back. "Two yuan for bringing you food, by the way."