My Demon Friends

"Finished reading?"

"I'm done."

"Don't lose it."

"I'll treasure it."

"PFFFT HA HA HA..."

Brother Nan broke into a giggle that sounded like a small train, then carefully put away the letter and raised an eyebrow at Zhou Li. "Nicely written, good handwriting too. Not bad at all, keep it up... What about my gift?"

"You first," Zhou Li struggled.

"Eh?"

"Alright..."

Zhou Li reached into his backpack again, hesitated for a long time, and said slowly, "I thought about it for a long time and decided to give you a rather special souvenir."

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle..."

"Oh."

Zhou Li took his hand out.

Brother Nan's eyes widened as she took the souvenir from Zhou Li's hand, pondering as she said, "A yellow... rose hairpiece?"

"It's a Yueli."

"A Yueli?"

Brother Nan fell into thought, then said uncertainly, "Could it be... the one you planted on your balcony?"

"That's the one."

"You sure are clever, didn't cost you a dime!" Brother Nan smiled as she examined the flower, but still teased, "While others complain that twenty yuan is too little, you think it's too much, right?"

"I thought that since I grew it myself, it's different from what others might give. I couldn't think of anything else to buy. It seemed like whatever I bought would just be the same as what others would get," Zhou Li explained quietly. "I chose the most beautiful one. Do you like it?"

"It's lovely..." Brother Nan leaned in to smell it, her expression brightening. "But it won't last long, right? How will it serve as a souvenir?"

"Last night, I visited a Demon. He has a magical ability to keep flowers forever blooming, to prevent them from wilting," Zhou Li said. "You just put it in a vase. If you want to plant it, you can also buy a pot, get some soil from downstairs or somewhere—you might have to 'borrow' it—and it will survive if you just stick it in."

"Can a flower survive being replanted?"

"That's what he said."

"I thought you had turned it into a plastic flower," Brother Nan muttered.

"..."

"Then I'll plant it once I get home!" Brother Nan said, placing the flower aside and reaching into her bag.

Zhou Li pretended not to be very interested.

Then he saw Brother Nan pull a hardcover notebook from her bag. It didn't seem very thick. The cover was quite exquisite but didn't look new; its edges were nicked.

Zhou Li pondered and guessed, "A... second-hand... notebook?"

Brother Nan's lips twitched.

Then she casually tossed the notebook onto the table.

THUMP.

Zhou Li picked up the notebook and carefully flipped it open. Every page had photos attached.

Brother Nan pretended to be a bit tired, resting her head on the table and yawning. This was to avoid Zhou Li's gaze and, through self-deception, to feel less embarrassed. "I originally wanted to make a photo album. But since we said not to spend over twenty yuan, printing these photos almost used up the budget. I had to sweet-talk the owner to print them for me. I couldn't afford a proper album, so I had to do it this way. And the photo quality isn't that great. Just bear with it, don't be picky..."

Zhou Li nodded repeatedly while flipping through page by page.

Most of the photos were of him and Brother Nan biking around Dali and later traveling to Meili Snow Mountain. There were about a dozen pictures, all carefully selected. He knew some photos were being taken at the time, while Brother Nan had secretly taken others. Most photos featured only him or even just his bike; only one or two showed Brother Nan.

There were also four photos taken this week: three taken by Baozi yesterday, and one, taken by someone without their knowledge, of him and Brother Nan walking side by side outside the cafeteria.

Additionally, there were even a few from high school, seemingly cropped from other classmates' photos. Zhou Li was puzzled as to how Brother Nan had managed to get them; he found it somewhat unbelievable.

As Brother Nan continued to rest her head down, acting nonchalant, she lamented, "Too bad these are all I could print. I didn't have enough money for more. There were some other nice ones too. I spent a full two days picking them out, but couldn't get them printed..."

"I'll make you a better one later..."

Once Zhou Li finished looking at the last page and closed the old notebook that had been repurposed into a photo album, she quickly asked, "How is it?"

Even though she had told Zhou Li to just make do and not be picky, she was still very keen to know.

Zhou Li's expression was complex. He was unsure how to begin or express his feelings at that moment. Finally, he copied Brother Nan's usual move by reaching up to scratch the back of his head.

"Thank you..."

He felt he must have looked sillier than Brother Nan doing that. Then again, maybe not as silly as Brother Nan *could* look if she were just pretending—she was much more practiced at that, after all.

Zhou Li was still for a moment before realizing the main point. "You knew about this task beforehand?"

"Yeah."

"Got it."

"Your cousin told me."

"Figured as much."

"Right..."

Actually, Brother Nan didn't have experience with this kind of situation either, but she was ultimately better at handling it than Zhou Li. After thinking for a while, she continued to ask, "Have you ever written letters to someone before?"

"I have."

"You really have!"

"When I was a kid, the school organized it. I wrote them for practice and as essay assignments."

"That doesn't count." Brother Nan felt anxious for him.

"I have, though."

Zhou Li had written to his mom across the seas, just once. He had also written to Hong Ran once, but he never knew where she lived and never sent it. They were very young then.

Seeing his expression, Brother Nan seemed to guess something but didn't ask further. Instead, she said, "I've never really written to anyone either... Oh, I did write to a magazine in elementary school. You know the magazines back then, right? They had jokes and some brain teasers. There were quiz contests with prizes like laptops, MP4 players, digital cameras, and things like that..."

"I know, they were scams," Zhou Li said.

"Exactly!" Brother Nan said indignantly. "They even said to include two yuan in the letter for their return postage. It took me a long time to realize it was all a scam. I believed it for so long."

"And then?"

"There's no 'then'!" Brother Nan spread her hands helplessly. "They were in the Capital, so far away. It wasn't like I could go find them. I could only curse them in my heart... Ah..."

"I see..."

Zhou Li felt a bit of sympathy for those people.

Before they realized it, Brother Nan had casually moved past that awkward feeling. Zhou Li carefully put the photo album in his backpack, got up, slung it over his shoulder, and followed her downstairs and out of the shop.

The harsh sun kept many students huddled in their dorms; those who did venture out stuck close to the buildings, daring not to stray from the narrow shadows.

As they neared the dormitory gate, both slowed their pace.

Brother Nan occasionally glanced back at Zhou Li, her expression as neutral as ever, as if just making sure he hadn't gotten lost. Zhou Li, too, watched Brother Nan's back, noticing her antenna-like cowlick swaying gently, her long legs, and her clean white T-shirt.

"Brother Nan," Zhou Li finally called out.

"Ah?!"

"The task mentioned, 'embrace,'" Zhou Li hesitated.

"Oh, I'd totally forgotten!" Brother Nan said dismissively. "A hug is just a hug! What's the big deal?"

"Right."

It really wasn't a big deal.

Brother Nan was audacious. She'd kicked many boys' butts and had even dunked quite a few in the river—both forms of physical contact. Even hugs—before college, she had obliged a few 'Little Brothers' by giving them a goodbye hug at their request. Plus, the last time at the base of Meili Snow Mountain, she had accidentally embraced Zhou Li.

What's the big deal?

She stood before Zhou Li, statuesque. She quietly swallowed, moistening her dry throat, then pursed her lips. Blinking, she stared at Zhou Li, hesitating, and for a long moment, made no move.

Zhou Li took a step forward and opened his arms.

They hugged each other.

Zhou Li felt the soft skin of Brother Nan's neck against his cheek, the fresh fragrance from her clothes and hair filling his senses. A girl's body was always so soft, so tender. He had thought Brother Nan would be different, but he had been wrong.

Now Zhou Li started to wonder how Brother Nan's body could unleash such powerful strength...

Until Brother Nan patted his back and coughed lightly.

Zhou Li let go.

Brother Nan's face was flushed as she punched him hard in the chest, feigning nonchalance. "Huh, you're quite firm! I thought you'd be as soft as a girl. You've actually surprised me…"

Zhou Li nodded. "Me too."

THUMP!

Another punch came flying.

Both were unaware that, far away on a bench, Little Cousin sat composed, holding a camera, its long-focus lens looking quite professional.