My Demon Friends-Chapter 601 - 575: Cause for Sighs

"What have you been up to these days?"

Leaning on her chin and tilting her head, Hong Ran looked somewhat listlessly at Zhou Li opposite her.

Zhou Li was tidying up the Go pieces on the board. He moved slowly, patiently, picking them up one by one before putting them back into the two containers. In between, he'd also nibble on a small piece of cake.

"Keeping Mom company," he murmured in response.

"Was it fun?"

"Hmm..." Zhou Li thought for a moment. "Spending time with you is still better, Sister."

"My, your words are getting sweeter and sweeter," Hong Ran couldn't help but smile. "Your girlfriend must have played no small part, huh? When are you bringing her over to meet me?"

"I meant it."

"I don't believe you."

"Finally, I've picked them all up..."

Looking up at Hong Ran, Zhou Li said eagerly, "Let's play another game!"

Hong Ran sighed, a headache coming on. "Didn't you say we were done playing?"

"Last game. I'll take the black pieces."

"You'll beat me."

"I won't."

"Sigh..."

Hong Ran decided to indulge him.

With a barely perceptible flick of her index finger, as if any larger movement would be too tiring, the bamboo canister holding the white pieces slid automatically in front of her. Tipping her chin, she signaled Zhou Li that he could begin.

Zhou Li placed a black piece down, right in the center.

A white piece flew out, landing precisely above the black one.

"Hmm..."

Zhou Li didn't let anything show on his face. Sister placed her piece on top of mine, so I have to place mine on top of hers.

Black, white, black—a Cold Star opening.

In just one minute, about twenty moves—

Zhou Li put down the last piece, clapped his hands together, and said with a smile, "I won!"

Hong Ran shook her head. So childish, she thought.

But she smiled along with him.

...

He returned home carrying the packed pastries and dishes, along with a can of Dian Hong tea leaves. The house was very quiet.

Brother Nan was on the balcony, watering the flowers. She wore shorts and was bent over, humming a song as she watered. Outside, the sun was setting. Each drop of water from the can seemed to carry the orange glow of the setting sun, wonderfully blending the girl's youthful vitality with her comfortable leisure.

A little spectator squatted by her side.

Hearing the door open, both human and cat turned in unison to glance back, but only for a moment before returning to what they were doing.

One continued watering, moving from one pot to the next, still bent over.

The other continued to watch.

Zhou Li felt utterly ignored. This won't do, he thought. He cleared his throat and raised the items in his hand. "I brought back some treats for you."

"Just put them down." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"MEOW."

Zhou Li silently set down the food and sat on the sofa.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Brother Nan on the balcony.

From behind, Brother Nan had a really great figure. She wore a fitted, light gray t-shirt made of soft material that outlined her slender waist. Her pert buttocks strained the cotton shorts into a rounded shape, and her legs were so long and straight that he dared not look too much, yet couldn't bear to look away.

What a dilemma...

Without turning, Brother Nan said, "There's still so long before school starts. It just so happens that both of us have had our driver's licenses for over a year. I want to take the D-license exam. Once I pass, I can buy a little motorbike to have fun with."

"Oh, oh..."

"I've been envious of that guy for a long time... what's his name again? The one with the motorbike."

"Yin Le."

"Oh right, that's him."

Lord Yin Le really has no presence, Zhou Li thought. He then asked aloud, "What about the bicycles then?"

"I'll still ride them."

"Oh... that motorcycle of his is really expensive."

"I'll buy a cheaper one."

"Let me buy it for you as a gift," Zhou Li said. Previously, Brother Nan had used his money to invest in a fund. Thanks to last year's market performance and Brother Nan's luck, it had yielded a return of over 100%. The profits alone could buy several motorcycles like Yin Le's. This was all truly due to Brother Nan's luck—or, one might say, the 'father-son' bond between her and her stepfather.

"No way!" Brother Nan rejected the idea without a second thought.

"But you helped me earn so much money..." Zhou Li hesitated. "Don't water them too much. Water thoroughly once the soil is dry; otherwise, they'll either drown or become leggy."

"You can treat me to a meal," Brother Nan said, straightening up. Her tone was indifferent. "Let's keep things separate."

"Oh."

"Are you going to take the test?"

"Is it difficult?"

"Super easy, just a day or two's work."

"Then I'll take it."

"Good boy. When the time comes, I can let you ride my motorbike." Brother Nan rubbed her lower back and twisted it a bit before heading back inside. "Let's go register in a few days."

"Oh."

"Let's see what you've brought..."

Only then did Brother Nan begin to inspect the takeout boxes he had brought back.

Tuanzi also followed her over, jumping onto the coffee table. She squatted down silently, watching Brother Nan open the boxes. This was unusual; normally, she would have started making a fuss the moment Zhou Li came in. Why was she so well-behaved now?

Zhou Li sent a message to Huai Xu.

Huai Xu quickly returned and started to feast as well.

Her appearance had reverted. She was now in her most commonly used young girl form, and it seemed she was finally more comfortable with it—her previous look had truly made Zhou Li too embarrassed to speak with her.

"Tomorrow, Brother Nan and I plan to go to Chengjiang City for fun. We'll ride there; are you coming?" Zhou Li asked. "We'll stay in Chengjiang for a day."

"Lord Dumpling wants to go!" Tuanzi declared.

"I'm not going..." Huai Xu's mouth was stuffed full. "You all have bikes, but I don't. It wouldn't look good if you all have nice bicycles while I'm on some shared one, would it? I'm a Great Devil King, after all. Chunming is crawling with Great Demons and little demons. If anyone saw me like that, I'd lose all face..."

"What face do you have left to lose?"

"Zhou Li!"

"Oh." Zhou Li pursed his lips. "You can just go there directly. It's a short ride from here; it won't take long."

"Still not going."

Huai Xu continued to shake her head, explaining, "I need to find out what they're looking for... The entire Yu Country is on the move, and I'm too curious to resist. I refuse to believe that I, a Great Devil King skilled in reconnaissance, can't find out what they're doing!"

"Oh."

"By the way, did you ask Hong Ran?"

"No..."

"Liar!"

"You're lying too."

"Where did I lie?" Huai Xu gave him a sideways glance.

"..." Zhou Li couldn't be bothered to argue with her and honestly replied, "I did ask her, but she didn't respond, so I didn't ask again."

"Tsk! I knew it!"

Huai Xu's curiosity was fully ignited. She had always been a bundle of questions, incredibly inquisitive—much like Brother Nan in that respect, almost like a young child.

But after a moment's pause, she lifted her head again, squinted her eyes, and smiled at Zhou Li. Her crescent-moon eyes seemed to shimmer with a flirtatious charm, quite enticing. "Although this Great Devil King is busy, since it's your birthday—even though this Great Devil King doesn't see what the big deal is with celebrating it—I'll still make time to have dinner with you... Yes, just message me when you're about to have dinner. I'll be completely busy at all other times."

That last part was completely unnecessary... Zhou Li thought.

Brother Nan also shot Huai Xu a disdainful sideways glance. She put down her chopsticks, pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, and stopped eating. She turned to look at the moon outside.

The moon was very round tonight, its light soft and mellow.

Just like last year.

Brother Nan said, "I wonder if this place has the custom of 'stealing greens' for luck. I see plenty of vegetables outside."

As she spoke, she recalled last year.

To think that she, the grand Successor of Destiny, determined to live a carefree life, untethered by worldly affairs, would have her Dao heart waver under such moonlight... To actually become sworn siblings with that fool surnamed Zhou! It was foreseeable that this would lead her down an entirely different path. She could no longer roam the world freely; Zhou Li would always pull her back.

Truly a lamentable turn of events.

Brother Nan shook her head and casually picked up a piece of pastry to pop in her mouth—

"COUGH, COUGH!"

A mouthful of powder sprayed out.