My Demon Friends-Chapter 503 - 482: Cousin, Please Don’t Act Cute

"SNIFF~~"

"What are you doing?"

"Qian Qian, don’t you think it smells amazing?"

"Yes!"

"It’s the scent of Huai Xu’s blanket!"

"Yeah!"

"Do all guys’ blankets smell this good? Why does it feel even nicer than mine!"

"If you like it, sniff it a few more times. Once Huai Xu and I get married, you won’t be able to smell it anymore."

"Get lost."

"..."

In the dim light, Zhou Li’s lips curled slightly, and he lifted his head a little to glance at Huai Xu lying on the other end of the sofa. Wondering what kind of expression Huai Xu would have if he heard their conversation.

Naturally, Huai Xu could hear them.

To be precise, the L-shaped sofa they were on consisted of a long part and a short part. Zhou Li was on the longer section, while Huai Xu occupied the shorter but wider one. Actually, Zhou Li usually preferred Huai Xu’s spot, which was like a small bed.

Zhou Li shifted, turning his head towards Huai Xu, getting closer, and whispered, "What are your thoughts?"

"About what?" Huai Xu remained motionless, his voice devoid of emotion.

"You’re so petty..."

"You’re the petty one!" Huai Xu retorted, turning his back to him. "Go back to your own side, don’t stick so close to me!"

"Just conducting an interview."

"Nothing much to say. My charm has always been this great."

"You’re really full of yourself."

"You’re the one full of yourself! Now go back already!"

"Emmm..."

Zhou Li decided not to stoop to his level and closed his eyes.

But the quiet didn’t last long before the Old monster’s voice sounded beside him again, "Listen—"

Zhou Li didn’t make a sound, holding his breath expectantly.

"Brother Nan, stop pinching..."

"Brother Nan, stop hugging me..." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I’m so sleepy..."

"Stop messing around..."

"Can I hold Lord Dumpling too?"

It was all Baozi’s voice, weak and frail. Zhou Li could already picture Brother Nan relentlessly teasing her while she tried in vain to resist—Brother Nan was just that type, incredibly annoying at times. Like Tuanzi, he wouldn’t stop until he had teased you into submission.

Unable to fall asleep, Zhou Li fished out his phone and started checking his WeChat messages.

In the family group chat, Aunt Jiang had asked during the day if they had eaten mutton soup. Zhou Li had replied once and then said no more.

Zhu Shuang, however, had a long chat with her.

Zhou Li scrolled slowly through their exchange.

It wasn’t easy to find Yan City-style mutton soup in the Capital, so Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing had settled for mutton hotpot instead.

"How pitiful," Huai Xu’s voice commented.

Zhou Li glanced back. The Old monster, who had been angry just moments ago, had changed his position again. Now he was lying prone on the sofa, head raised, staring unblinkingly at Zhou Li’s phone screen, his eyes sparkling as they reflected the light from it.

Zhou Li paid him no mind and kept scrolling.

Aunt Jiang was very concerned about Zhu Shuang and Zhu Bing’s university life. Zhu Shuang, being a good kid, enjoyed chatting with her mom. Knowing that both siblings’ schools were still under lockdown, Aunt Jiang casually inquired about it. Then, Zhu Shuang spilled the beans about Zhou Li’s visit to the Capital and how he had instigated them to climb over the school walls, accusing Zhou Li of leading them astray.

"Your image is shattered, KUKUKU..." Huai Xu snickered softly. "Hidden for so many years, but the truth will out!"

"What?" Zhou Li was confused.

"Your wicked image is finally exposed to your family!" Huai Xu explained.

"Nonsense."

Zhou Li didn’t have a wicked image; he had always been a pure, kind, and shy young man. Although dating Brother Nan had inevitably led to him picking up some of Brother Nan’s influence, staining him slightly, he was still very pure overall.

"Still trying to argue, huh..."

"Even if it was about climbing the wall!" Zhou Li paused for a moment. "It was yours and Brother Nan’s fault!"

"KUKUKU, so what?" Huai Xu didn’t deny it, his tone practically daring, ’So what if it was? Come and hit me!’ "Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang don’t know me. It’s not my image that’s ruined!"

"Time for bed!"

Zhou Li turned off his phone and closed his eyes again.

Huai Xu kept BUZZING in his ear, but Zhou Li maintained his resolve, firmly ignoring him and keeping his eyes shut.

「Monday, early morning.」

Mianmian and Qian Qian were the last to wake up.

They were both incredibly annoyed. They had agreed the night before to pretend to go out for water and to peek at Huai Xu’s sleeping posture. They had even promised to wake each other up, no matter who got up first. But in the end, they had drunk too much and, in their excitement, exhausted too much energy, sleeping straight through until now.

So, the two of them started blaming each other.

Bickering, they neatly folded their blankets and then dressed properly before stepping out of the room, wanting to make a good impression on the man of their dreams.

A faint aroma of food wafted through the air, along with the sounds of the range hood and the gas stove.

Huai Xu was squatting by the coffee table, molding clay.

Baozi sat on the sofa, hugging a throw pillow, gazing eagerly at Tuanzi, who was squatting in a corner of the coffee table.

"Morning~~"

"Oh, you’re awake."

"We’re awake." Mianmian’s voice was soft and sweet. "I can’t believe we’re the last ones up..."

"It’s all because we drank too much." Qian Qian also tried to hide her laziness. In reality, she usually woke up even later in her dorm, and if she were home on vacation, she’d sleep until noon. "Actually, we usually get up very early in the dorm."

After saying this, she glanced at Baozi. Seeing Baozi’s expression remain unchanged, as if she hadn’t heard a thing, Qian Qian quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did you sleep last night?" Huai Xu asked without looking up.

"Very well! The bed was so comfortable!" Mianmian said.

"Sorry for the trouble," Qian Qian said.

"Don’t mention it."

"Are you making pottery?"

"Yes."

"That’s amazing; it looks really good."

"Indeed, it does."

"Are Brother Nan and Zhou Li cooking?"

"Right."

Mianmian and Qian Qian tiptoed to the kitchen entrance and saw two figures standing side by side. Brother Nan was the one actually busy cooking, while Zhou Li was mainly responsible for observing from the side and continuously providing Brother Nan with a sense of accomplishment.

The two cute girls stood there in a daze.

Just then, Brother Nan turned his head and caught sight of them. "You woke up at just the right time. I’ve boiled some dumplings—they’re frozen—and I’ve also made congee, preserved egg and lean pork congee. Choose what you want."

"Dumplings!"

"Congee!"

"Go wash up first. Did you drink water when you got up? After drinking last night, your mouth must be dry and bitter, right?" Brother Nan glanced at them. "And tell the others to get ready to eat; clear the table."

"Alright!"

"You two look like a couple..."

"What?"

"I mean..." Qian Qian glanced stealthily at them. "The way you two are standing there, you look like a couple."

"I think so too!" Mianmian nodded in agreement.

"Go on, go on..."

Brother Nan frowned and shooed them away, then added a ladle of cold water to the pot and nudged Zhou Li with his elbow.

Being nudged for no reason again, Zhou Li was already numb to it. He only HISSed, pretending to be in great pain, while his gaze remained fixed on the dumplings bobbing up and down in the pot, now cooked into little chubby morsels.

Nearby, there were two bowls and a basin filled with dipping sauces for the dumplings.

Since Mianmian wanted dumplings, Brother Nan got another medium-sized bowl and prepared an extra serving of sauce. Zhou Li watched intently.

People from Yi Province generally enjoy eating dumplings with soup. Most of the time, they add condiments to the soup, with the sour and spicy flavor being the most popular. When Zhou Li made the sauce at home, he could never quite get the taste right. Watching Brother Nan, however, he made it look effortless.

"Go ask them how many they want!"

"Got it." Zhou Li went out and relayed Brother Nan’s order, "How many do you each want? Give me your numbers, everyone except Huai Xu."

"Why am I excluded?" Huai Xu looked up.

"I’ll have fifteen," Mianmian said.

"Ten," Baozi said, then turned to Tuanzi, finally finding an opportunity to talk to it. "Lord Dumpling, do you want preserved egg and lean pork congee or dumplings?"

"MEOW~~"

"What did it say?" Baozi turned to Zhou Li.

"It’s chosen dumplings~~"

"..." Baozi was silent for a moment, then said to Zhou Li, "Cousin, you’re being a bit much."

"What?"

"Your tone."

"..." Zhou Li ignored her and continued to look at Tuanzi. "Lord Dumpling, how many do you want?"

"Lord Dumpling will have a hundred!"

"Understood."

Zhou Li walked back to the kitchen and reported to Brother Nan, "Mianmian wants fifteen, Baozi ten, and I’ll have fifteen too. Scoop out two for Lord Dumpling into its little bowl first; let them cool down. The rest are for Huai Xu."

Brother Nan nodded and began to count the dumplings.

Steam rose continuously from the pot, carrying a comforting, homey scent.