My Demon Friends

The street dance performance was indeed cool.

With dynamic music, meticulously designed lighting, and a group of energetic and handsome young men, the show was extremely captivating.

They even integrated technological elements into the dance—their clothes featured controllable LED strips that flickered on and off on the dark stage, adding another layer of visual appeal.

The young men genuinely danced well, showcasing various flashy skills; no wonder the student council president decided to have them as the finale.

At the end of the street dance show, the crowd cheered like thunder.

Yao Guangzhi stood in the middle, bowing with his team members to the audience below. He then grabbed the microphone and cleared his throat, ready to speak.

Before he could utter a word, those in the know began to cheer unceasingly, sending the auditorium into an uproar.

Brother Yao gave a shy smile, suppressing his inner nervousness. "Yes, some students might already know, and many sophomores and juniors have probably heard about it too—our Street Dance Club, especially our department's club, has a tradition. After our performance at the Freshman Welcome Party, we confess to a girl we like..."

The audience fell silent for half a second, then an even more ferocious wave of cheers and screams erupted, deafeningly loud.

The young men's hormones were ignited.

The young women's romantic sentiments were also stirred.

These young men and women, the type to get overly excited just by seeing candles arranged for a confession beneath the dorms, had completely lost control of themselves!

On stage, Brother Yao hesitated several times, on the verge of speaking, all while searching below for the figure he admired. He was too nervous; so nervous he couldn't find where Brother Nan was...

Little Cousin, having participated in the performance, sat in her reserved second-row seat, watching the stage with a blank expression.

In the back row, Mianmian and Qian Qian had vacant expressions, looking almost stupefied.

Zhong En, the class representative from Class Four, clenched his fists tightly.

Huai Xu, however, was still sitting cross-legged on the ground, hands clutching her shins, body leaning forward, a grin on her face, her eyes seeming to shine.

"I've hesitated for a long time," Brother Yao continued, his voice tight. "I feel I should be brave and say it. Even if my confession fails today, I believe I won't regret it. In fact, if I keep holding back, *that's* what I'll regret... That's not my style."

"So..."

"Li Nan, I, I like you! I fell in love with you the first time I saw you when school started!"

"Li Nan, did you hear me?"

"..."

Below, the cheering continued, and even the faculty leaders and teachers in the front row were smiling. Yet, no one responded. And in the section where Brother Nan and Zhou Li's class sat, there was dead silence.

Brother Yao looked into the distance.

He saw Zhou Li's and Brother Nan's classmates craning their necks, some even standing up to look towards the back, as if searching for someone.

Brother Yao's expression gradually stiffened.

At that moment, his teammates beside him, his roommates in the audience, his classmates, and even students from his year all sprang into action.

The search for the leading lady had begun.

The first to be found was Brother Nan's roommate, Little Cousin, who had also performed.

Facing an anxious senior from the dance team, Little Cousin nodded at him, then very calmly took out her phone. Dialing a number, she stood up and walked into a dark corner.

"Hello?"

"Mom!"

"Nothing serious, I just missed you a bit."

"It's getting cooler at night; remember to use a blanket when you watch TV."

"I have enough money."

"But I bought two camera lenses last month, so I'm a bit tight on cash recently. If you were to send me some money... BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

Before she could finish, the call was disconnected.

Little Cousin didn't seem bothered at all. She silently turned off her phone, walked up to the anxious senior, and said with a helpless, pursed-lipped smile, "Brother Nan said she's feeling a bit unwell and has already gone back to the dorm to sleep."

"Then what do we do?" This senior, loyal to a fault, was extremely anxious on Yao Guangzhi's behalf.

"I don't know."

"..."

The scene became extremely awkward.

「On the other hand.」

Senior Sister Wang Dan had also found Mianmian and Qian Qian in the back row. "Do you know where Brother Nan went?"

Mianmian sat as still as a wooden chicken.

Qian Qian tilted her head back, staring at the dark ceiling.

Senior Sister Wang Dan pleaded earnestly, "Can you guys give her a call and get in touch? Please, I beg you. Otherwise, this is so awkward."

Mianmian smacked her lips and swallowed hard.

Qian Qian picked at her fingernails, her gaze fixed on the sky.

...

「The snail noodle shop.」

Zhou Li accidentally choked and couldn't stop coughing.

"COUGH, COUGH!"

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" Brother Nan exclaimed from across him, clearly reveling in his misfortune. With every cough from Zhou Li, she would echo, "Oh dear!" laughing as she plucked a tissue and stuffed it into his fumbling hand when he reached for one.

"How come I never choke?" Brother Nan chuckled.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

"Oh dear, oh dear~"

While teasing Zhou Li, Brother Nan lowered her head and fiercely slurped a large mouthful of noodles.

SLURP!

Suddenly, Brother Nan's expression changed—

"PFFT, COUGH, COUGH!"

The one person choking had become two.

Zhou Li recovered first. He silently watched Brother Nan coughing opposite him and passed her a tissue too. "Eat slower," he said.

Brother Nan took the tissue and shot him a fierce glare, apparently thinking Zhou Li was mocking her.

Zhou Li silently retracted his hand. Repaying kindness with hostility!

Once Brother Nan also stopped coughing, they looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

As they laughed, Brother Nan reached out and playfully smacked Zhou Li again. Her arms were long and the table narrow, making it an easy reach.

After finishing the luosifen, Zhou Li paid the bill.

Brother Nan tugged at her clothes, looking at the splattered oil spots, then lowered her head to sniff them. Grinning, she said to Zhou Li, "When you get back, your Tuanzi will definitely think you've been out eating poop!"

"She definitely won't."

"Really! My Pumpkin is just like that. Every time I eat luosifen or durian, it looks at me in horror. I always feel like its glorious and upright image of me gets shattered."

"Tuanzi is not a cat."

"A dog?"

"A demon."

"What?"

"Yes."

"That's amazing! Can she talk?"

"She can, but you can't hear her."

"Oh, I know! She can also turn into a Little Cat Girl, right?" Brother Nan recalled their conversation on the high-speed train.

"...Yes."

"I wouldn't have guessed, Zhou Lili! You're really something!" Brother Nan glanced teasingly at Zhou Li and nudged him with her elbow.

"We agreed you wouldn't call me that," Zhou Li said helplessly.

"Okay, fine!"

At that moment, a few students walked past them, and their conversation reached their ears.

"The person isn't even here, what's the point of confessing..."

"Now *that's* awkward!"

"Exactly!"

Brother Nan acted as if she hadn't heard a thing.

Zhou Li, however, was quite interested and quietly asked Brother Nan, "What are they talking about? What confession, the person not being there?"

"I have no idea," Brother Nan said blankly.

"Could it be that someone confessed to you?" Zhou Li speculated.

"That's possible!" Brother Nan agreed.

"Who could it be?"

"Who knows, and who cares who it is!" Brother Nan waved her hand dismissively, suddenly turning narcissistic. "This Brother Nan is as beautiful as a celestial being; isn't it normal for someone to confess to me? I even sold the love letters I received in middle and high school for over ten yuan—enough for some internet cafe time!"

"People actually dared to write you love letters?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Brother Nan activated her 'Death Stare' skill.

"No, no..." Zhou Li hastily waved his hands. "I just mean, they should all treat you like a big brother."

"HMPH!"

The two continued walking, neither mentioning the confession again.

As soon as Zhou Li got home, Huai Xu began to vividly describe the earlier scene to him, much to Zhou Li's regret for missing it.

Finally, Huai Xu remarked, "Young people of your era really know how to have fun. If you ever confess to Li Daimao or Miss Zheng in the future, I suggest you also make it a grand spectacle. Girls definitely love that."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Oh! So you think you have more say in this than I do now?" Huai Xu retorted, sitting on the sofa, leaning against the backrest, feet propped on the coffee table. Her long, slender legs seemed to glow with a delicate, jade-like luster.

"You win…"

Zhou Li couldn't help but sneak a glance at her, then quickly shook his head and looked away.

Just then, Tuanzi trotted over, sniffed him, then suddenly leaped back a step, creating distance. She asked in astonishment, "Zhou Li, did you fall into a cesspit?"

"No, I didn't."

"Then why do you smell all..." Tuanzi quickly backed up a few more steps, increasing the distance again. "So stinky!"

"I ate luosifen," Zhou Li explained, starting to move towards Tuanzi for a hug. "Do you know what luosifen is? It's something that smells bad but tastes delicious." However, Tuanzi darted several meters away, then stopped and stared at him.

Zhou Li felt a bit upset.

Tuanzi tilted her head, thinking for a long moment before asking, "Did the first human who ate it know it was delicious?"

"That... probably not," Zhou Li said.

"Then why did they eat it?"

"..."

"Did they also eat other things that smelled bad, without knowing if they tasted good?" Tuanzi suddenly seemed to have grown sharper, her thoughts drifting off to who knew where.