My Demon Friends-Chapter 590 - 564 You’ve Grown Up Too

Today, Zhu Shuang returned.

Several days ago, he had announced in the family group chat that he would be returning today.

He took a high-speed train that arrived in the afternoon, so when Zhou Li got back, Zhu Shuang was already home and had even gone out to hang out with his female friends from high school for the afternoon.

"Brother!"

Zhu Shuang looked at Zhou Li with a complaining expression. "Why are you only back now? I was so bored waiting for you."

"It's a long trip."

"I've been back from Jin Palace for a while."

"Huai Xu's House doesn't have a high-speed train, and I had to cross mountains and take backroads." Zhou Li casually tossed Tuanzi onto the sofa and, without changing his expression, shifted the topic. "So tired. This Little Trash Cat really doesn't make things easy. She won't even walk a few steps."

"MEOW!" Tuanzi retorted.

"Lord Dumpling, did you miss me?" Zhu Shuang's eyes sparkled as he stared at Tuanzi, his smile wide.

"MEOW!" Tuanzi answered honestly.

"She said she didn't," Zhou Li stated flatly.

"Nonsense, Lord Dumpling clearly said she did!" Zhu Shuang didn't believe him. "Lord Dumpling really likes me, right?"

"MEOW!"

"She's a Little Trash Cat; she loves to deceive people's emotions," Zhou Li remarked, then asked, "Was security tight on the high-speed train when you came back?"

"Not at all. It's just that, well, those electric scooters have become so scarce." Zhu Shuang immediately perked up at this topic and started complaining, "I heard that a lot of them were confiscated all at once back in December. I have no idea why they did that. It forced me to take a taxi home from the train station."

"Is that so..."

Zhou Li thought about it. It did seem like he had seen fewer electric scooters this year. There used to be a parking spot downstairs; because the residential complex was so large, there were always plenty of them.

For someone like him who preferred to travel by electric scooter, it was undoubtedly a shame.

"Did you have fun in Jin Palace?"

"It was great! I went to Happy Valley this year, ate tons of delicious food, and I feel like I've gained weight," Zhu Shuang said with a chuckle. "I also got a lot of red envelopes."

"Give me half."

Zhu Shuang's eyes widened. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine his own brother saying something like that.

So, he tilted his head, scrutinizing his brother with a puzzled look, wondering if he'd been possessed by a demon. Lately, he had often seen news and frightening short videos online about demons causing trouble, and legends said some evil spirits could even bewitch people's minds.

Fortunately, he saw no such signs.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Shuang concluded, "Brother, Brother Nan has already corrupted you."

Aunt Jiang, who was watering the plants nearby, cracked a smile.

Zhou Li didn't argue or blush, simply changing the subject again, "Has your school delayed the start of the semester?"

"Delayed? No."

"So you're heading back in a few days?"

"Yeah, so early. Everyone else starts at the end of February." Zhu Shuang paused. "Has yours been delayed?"

"Pushed back a week. Now we don't start until March 8th," Zhou Li said calmly. "This long break is so boring."

"AAH~~" Zhu Shuang's mouth fell open, an expression of disbelief on his face. "You guys already start later than us! And it's still delayed by a week! How are we supposed to survive?"

"That's rough."

"Zhou Ni, you sound just like Huai Xu!"

"Brother, you're not even trying to comfort me."

"School is fun too," Zhou Li added silently in his mind. And there are plenty of girls.

"Hmm, true," Zhu Shuang nodded, finding his reasoning sound. "Then, Brother, you still have more than half a month at home, don't you?"

"I'm leaving the same day as you."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because our mom is back in the country, in Chunming," Zhou Li thought for a moment, then added, "I also need to go back to my 'maiden home' and visit."

"Hmm..."

Zhu Shuang couldn't help but feel that sounded a bit odd.

Aunt Jiang, holding the watering can, smiled until her eyes crinkled.

「The 17th, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.」

The weather had been wonderful throughout the entire Spring Festival, and today was no exception. The blue sky and white clouds felt like Brother Nan's stepfather compensating Yi Province for the haze that had shrouded it for most of the winter.

Zhou Li and Zhu Shuang headed out with badminton rackets, a bag on their backs containing a few bottles of sports drinks and Tuanzi.

Zhu Shuang, never short of words, asked as they walked, "Brother, did you join the badminton club?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"They're too unskilled," Zhou Li said frankly.

"Not necessarily! Our school's badminton club has many skilled players, especially from the School of Physical Education. Some who are going to compete in the Universiade are in our club too. I think their skill level is quite decent, even among professional athletes," Zhu Shuang said, swinging his racket. "I often play with them, and I feel like I've improved a lot. My current goal is to practice hard at school and try to represent the school at the next Universiade. It's a pity this year's Summer Universiade is being held in Jin Palace, so I definitely can't go. Otherwise, you, Sis, and Dad could all come watch me compete. That would be great."

"Is that so..."

"Brother, you should join too. There really are many experts in the club; it's not as boring as you imagine."

"I see."

Zhou Li nodded, mulling over his words. It seemed Zhu Shuang was implying: Brother, I've really improved a lot, so you'd better watch out!

Primary schools were closed due to the pandemic, so they couldn't get in. Zhu Shuang knew he couldn't charm his way in, not that he even tried. They chose to find a spacious area by the river. Luckily, the badminton court on the opposite bank was unoccupied. A proper badminton court is obviously better than a lawn—at least it has a net in the middle, the ground is flat, and you don't risk hitting the shuttlecock into the trees.

They set their bags down, each choosing a side.

Compared to the boisterous basketball court next door, the badminton court was much quieter, just as they liked it.

Zhou Li turned his head to Tuanzi, who had just climbed out of the bag and stumbled. "Lord Dumpling, can you help me pick up the shuttlecocks? I'll treat you to fish soup with rice tonight."

"MEOW!" Tuanzi replied.

"Lord Dumpling is a cat, not a dog," Zhu Shuang said with a chuckle. "Bro, I've recently learned a new move. I guarantee you won't be able to return it."

"Oh, really?"

"Don't believe me? Just try."

"Alright."

Zhou Li casually served the shuttlecock, glancing back as he did.

Tuanzi was quite experienced with their badminton outings—she knew to run to the side and stay out of the way, to avoid being stepped on or distracting him. She sat quietly, a small, fluffy bundle, watching him play intently, her gaze following the shuttlecock. It was an adorable sight.

Only then did Zhou Li feel at ease.

When he looked back, Zhu Shuang had already returned the shuttlecock.

It was a very ordinary shot.

Zhou Li casually swung his racket. The movement seemed light, but the sharp SNAP it made in the air was something many beginners couldn't achieve even with all their might.

Zhu Shuang smiled as he called out, "Here it comes!" then hit a quick smash.

The shuttlecock flew straight out, not upward but slightly downward, its trajectory almost a straight line.

Zhou Li saw at once that he was aiming for the net.

Sure enough, the shuttlecock slammed right into the top of the net. The clever part was that as it grazed the net, it immediately angled downwards, still carrying significant force. This caused it to hit the ground right after contact.

Zhou Li indeed failed to return it. Although he had run forward, by the time he was within range to play the shot, the shuttlecock had already hit the ground.

He then laughed, "What a sneaky trick."

"Learned it from Lai Zi at the club."

"You've picked up bad habits."

"Lord Dumpling!"

Zhu Shuang's eyes widened. Just as his brother was about to bend down and pick up the shuttlecock, a small white shadow darted out from behind him, snatched the shuttlecock from his grasp, and then presented it to him.

Zhou Li took the shuttlecock from Tuanzi's mouth and petted her head. "Thanks, Lord Dumpling."

Zhu Shuang fell silent.

A moment later, he squatted down and beckoned to Tuanzi. "Lord Dumpling, come help me pick up the shuttlecocks. For the next few days, I'll treat you to fish soup with rice every day."

Hearing this, Zhou Li shook his head with a helpless look. "It's useless, Lord Dumpling only helps..."

A small white shadow scampered towards the other side of the court.

"What were you saying, bro?"

"Watch the shuttlecock!"

SNAP...

Zhu Shuang scrambled to return the shot.

After that, he didn't use that kind of underhanded trick again. Although he had practiced it for a long time in school just to show it off to his brother—ensuring he could pull it off eight or nine times out of ten—it was clearly unhelpful for either serious training or casual fun.

「...」

Dusk fell, the river reflecting the fading light of the sky.

Besides the two brothers and their official shuttlecock retriever, two young girls had joined them on the badminton court, attracted perhaps by Zhou Li, Zhu Shuang, Tuanzi, or the game itself. Zhu Shuang, of course, was receptive to the pretty young newcomers; they provided some welcome breaks for rest and stretching amidst their vigorous match.

"It's half-past five."

"Are we done playing?"

"Yeah, it's getting late."

"Oh..."

One of the girls looked a bit disappointed, clearly not having had enough. "Let's add each other on WeChat then, so we can hang out more often."

"We're not often in Yan City."

"You can come back during summer and winter vacations to play!"

"Makes sense," Zhou Li said, pointing at Zhu Shuang. "Add him. It's all the same."

"What about yours?" the little girl persisted.

"My girlfriend is quite fierce, also petty, gets jealous easily, and would kill me," Zhou Li said. He was really too lazy to add anyone; even if he did, he wouldn't chat much, and ignoring their messages would be rude. So, he described his girlfriend using a slightly tweaked version of Brother Nan's personality as a model, hoping Brother Nan wouldn't blame him for taking liberties.

"Who would be that petty?" the little girl said with a laugh.

"He's telling the truth!" Zhu Shuang stepped forward. "If my sister-in-law finds out, forget him, even I might not get away with it!"

"Alright then."

The little girl pretended not to be disappointed and added Zhu Shuang on WeChat.

This made Zhou Li feel somewhat surreal. Zhu Shuang had always been more popular than him. Could good looks truly be justice...?

The brothers then headed home.

Zhu Shuang blinked, shaking his head repeatedly.

Today, he had uncharacteristically lost more games than he won. Usually, he would at least break even or, more often, win more. This puzzled and saddened him.

Was it that I was just off my game today?

Zhu Shuang didn't think so. Mulling it over as they walked, he complained, "Bro, you're such a good liar! You've improved so much, yet you tricked me by saying you hardly ever play!"

Zhou Li smiled without a word.