My Demon Friends-Chapter 582 - 556

Zhou Li was right—

This year was particularly quiet, especially since Huai Xu had left.

At home, there was only Old Zhou, who loved to watch others fish in silence; Aunt Jiang, who wanted to hang out with Zhou Li but couldn't quite bridge the age gap (so the two of them often went out together); and also a Little Trash Cat, so frail the wind could knock it over by day, yet so elusive dogs couldn't catch it by night, which was Zhou Li's only remaining playmate.

Until New Year's Eve, Zhou Li's life was utterly dull—

During the day, he helped Aunt Jiang cook, teased the sleepy Tuanzi, played with his phone, read books, studied spell theory, and if he had spare time, he'd do some carving or watch variety shows...

All just ways to kill time.

At night, he endured Tuanzi's mischief.

Oh, right, Huai Xu would come back to sleep at night.

After dark, she would return and lie on the top bunk, telling him about everything she had eaten and played with during the day, and how annoying the Evil God had been again. She was like Brother Nan; she could keep talking without needing Zhou Li's input, and you had to listen—it was too noisy otherwise.

By dawn, she would be gone again.

The city also seemed quieter than in previous years.

Some chose to stay local for the New Year or simply work overtime, while others chose to go back to their hometowns early before the official pandemic prevention policies for the Spring Festival travel rush were confirmed.

The road downstairs was free of traffic jams for the first time during the New Year.

There were no lanterns.

And unlike other households, they didn't have crowds of relatives visiting.

Also, since they usually ate well, the sumptuous spread for New Year's Day didn't feel particularly special.

All in all, it felt like an utterly ordinary day.

As New Year's Eve approached, a piece of unusual news finally arrived—

Aunt Jiang, beaming, leaned close to Zhou Li. Lowering her voice, a rare, sly expression on her face, she asked, "Do you remember Aunt Luo from our old residential complex?"

Zhou Li, expressionless, "I know."

He actually had no idea.

Aunt Jiang couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle again, then continued, "She called me this afternoon, asking if you were dating anyone. She said she remembered you being exceptionally handsome and a good student, and it just so happened that a friend of hers had a daughter who was looking for a partner, so she wanted to play matchmaker for you."

"Ah?"

Zhou Li was taken aback.

He had heard online about others going on New Year blind dates, but he never expected it would happen to him.

His heart immediately tightened.

Luckily, Aunt Jiang quickly said, "I told her you were already in a relationship. She even told me to let her know if you ever become single…"

She then added proudly, "Our Zhou Li is really popular, you know."

Zhou Li finally breathed a sigh of relief, then felt extremely embarrassed. Daring not to meet Aunt Jiang's eyes, he swiftly changed the topic, "I wonder if Yan City will have fireworks this year."

"Probably not."

Aunt Jiang, ever so perceptive, said, "I'll go heat up dinner."

After dinner, it was time for the Spring Festival Gala.

Instead of returning to his room to do his own thing, Zhou Li chose to curl up on the living room sofa with Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou to watch the Spring Festival Gala, just going through the motions and to see what it was like this year.

Unsurprisingly, it was immensely boring.

In fact, its level of boredom hit a new high.

Zhou Li watched for a while before pulling out his phone, using the gala merely as background noise to create a semblance of festive atmosphere. He only looked up when he heard something interesting; otherwise, most of his attention was on his phone.

There were lots of mass-sent messages.

Just like last year, he ignored them all and didn't bother collecting any red packets from the group chats—it was too much hassle.

He replied to a few messages that didn't look mass-sent but didn't chat much. He was too lazy: lazy to type, lazy to think of what to say, lazy to expend the energy.

Only with familiar people would he chat a bit more.

Like Cotton Swab.

Like Yin Le.

Baozi's message hadn't arrived yet; as expected, she would be the first to send her greetings right after midnight.

Suddenly, he received an MMS.

Zhou Li opened it to find it was from Little Zheng.

The message contained a photo.

In the center of the photo was an old Eight Immortals table, laden with various dishes Zhou Li could recognize: chicken, duck, fish, pork, beef, lamb, and rabbit. However, it wasn't just a pile of meat; there was an almost equal amount of vegetable and mushroom dishes, as well as dried fruits and nuts. Most of them were freshly stir-fried hot dishes, which Zhou Li felt tasted much better than cold dishes, even if they were more time-consuming and labor-intensive.

A few figures were visible by the table.

Visible were the two Miss Zhengs—one with clear eyes, the other with turbid eyes—as well as Xing Hui and Ji Bai in their Manifesting Forms.

The invisible Qinghe, Lao Hui, and Xiao Yuan also made it into the frame in unique ways: a floating bowl filled with large mushroom slices, a small chicken drumstick, and sugar-coated peanuts. Considering their different heights and distinct personalities, Zhou Li could perfectly imagine the three demons' positions and poses, even their expressions as they stared at the camera.

For example, Xiao Yuan must have been standing by the table, tilting her body and holding the peanuts up high, afraid they wouldn't be visible in the shot.

Beneath the photo, a line of text read: Our New Year's Eve dinner.

Zhou Li examined it carefully back and forth. He thought the photo was exceptionally well-taken, with an excellent angle, clearly showing a lot of care had gone into it.

At first he thought Huai Xu had taken it, but then he realized the Old monster couldn't have taken such good photos. Looking at the two Miss Zhengs with their different eyes, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

So that's how it was…

Zhou Li: It's so lively.

Little Zheng: Exactly.

As the night wore on, Old Zhou and Aunt Jiang couldn't stay awake any longer and went to their rooms to sleep, leaving only Zhou Li and Tuanzi in the living room.

The Spring Festival Gala continued to play.

Zhou Li was still chatting with people.

Tuanzi leaned against him, blinking and staring at his phone, but she couldn't understand any of it. Every time she sensed Zhou Li smile, she would turn her head to look at him and ask what he was smiling about.

The midnight bells chimed.

His phone vibrated.

Baozi: [Red Packet: Cousin, Happy New Year]

Zhou Li casually opened it—

"Hmm?"

It was actually 18.88.

That was a generous red packet.

Zhou Li was quite surprised. He stared at the red packet, lost in thought.

This girl had really gotten bold.

If that's the case…

Zhou Li paused briefly before replying.

Zhou Li: Thanks, Little Cousin.

Silence.

It was silent for a long time.

Baozi: Cousin, what are you doing?

Zhou Li: Waiting for Jay Chou.

Baozi: Oh.

...

Some time passed again.

Baozi: Cousin, Happy New Year! /Fireworks

Zhou Li replied calmly: Thanks, Little Cousin. You too! /Fireworks

Baozi: I hope in the new year, Cousin, you and your girlfriend have a good life, stay healthy, and may everything go your way! /Fireworks

Zhou Li: I hope this new year, Little Cousin, you achieve financial independence, your business thrives, and you get rich overnight! /Fireworks

Baozi: ...

Zhou Li: You're welcome/Fireworks

The screen filled with exploding fireworks; it was quite a sight.

Jay Chou finally appeared.

After Jay Chou's performance, Zhou Li shared his thoughts with Brother Nan and Little Zheng, and they discussed the Spring Festival Gala. Brother Nan shared his opinion, feeling this year's Gala hit an all-time low. Little Zheng, however, watching it for the first time, found it utterly spectacular, her voice brimming with unconcealable excitement. So, he joined Brother Nan in criticizing the Gala, while also discussing its highlights with Little Zheng. Gradually, the night deepened.

He turned off his phone, washed up, and went to sleep.

It sounded as if someone was secretly setting off fireworks during the night.

But Zhou Li didn't wake up. He slept soundly until broad daylight. When he turned on his phone, he saw he had received quite a few new messages.

Including three from Little Cousin.

1:32 AM—

Baozi: Goodnight Cousin/Cute

2:46 AM—

Baozi: Cousin, are you asleep yet?/Bomb

3:08 AM—

Baozi: Cousin, Brother Nan sent me a red packet/Smile

Baozi: [Image]

Look what they'd driven the poor girl to.

Zhou Li felt a pang of guilt. To make amends for his oversight, he immediately replied to his Little Cousin's messages—

Zhou Li: I was asleep.

Zhou Li: Brother Nan's really rich.

A smile touched the corners of his mouth.

He dressed and got out of bed.