My Demon Friends-Chapter 652 - 617: Hanfu Festival

"I'm going to eat."

Zhou Li took the meal card from the drawer, retrieved his cellphone from Huai Xu's hands, and asked, "Are you coming?"

Huai Xu stood up without hesitation. "Yes!"

So the two of them left.

Since Brother Nan lived on the first floor and was even closer to the dorm area's entrance, Zhou Li only sent her a message when he reached the bottom of the building. By the time Zhou Li got to Brother Nan's door, Brother Nan had already come out. She was standing under a tree, head down, focused on playing a mobile game, a tuft of hair on top of her head bent in the shape of a wheat ear.

"Let's go."

Zhou Li lightly patted her head, feeling the tuft of hair press down under his palm.

"Ouch!!"

Though Brother Nan's hands were full, she was still formidable. Holding her phone, she walked to his side and slightly behind him, then used her knee to bump his butt before walking alongside him.

Seeing this, Zhou Li shook his head and said, "Playing on your phone while walking? You're hopeless."

Brother Nan didn't even look up. "Can't let down my teammates."

"Be careful not to trip."

"If I do, it's your fault!"

"..."

Zhou Li had no choice but to slip an arm around her shoulder to prevent her from tripping and blaming him for not watching her properly; otherwise, she might not rest until she had wrestled him to the ground.

At this moment, Brother Nan was unexpectedly clingy.

Unfortunately, they hadn't walked far when her game ended. For the first time, Zhou Li wished Brother Nan's game could last a little longer.

The game ended with Brother Nan's side losing, so she put her phone away angrily. Although Zhou Li had done nothing wrong, she still bumped him with her shoulder. When Zhou Li tried to reason with her, she asserted confidently, "If you hadn't called me out to eat at this precise moment, I would've been lying on my dorm bed, playing well, and could have definitely led the team to victory."

"..."

After picking up Lord Dumpling from work, and Baozi as well, they headed to the cafeteria.

Recently, the cafeteria's dishes had been quite interesting—

The school had planted about five acres of roses, all edible varieties. It was currently the blossoming season, with roses everywhere and a fragrant breeze, attracting students eager to take photos and check in. Also, every day, cafeteria staff would come with bamboo baskets to pick the rose petals and turn them into Cai University's special rose feast.

This wasn't the infamous 'dark cuisine' of other universities; it was delicious and came in a wide variety, with about twenty or thirty types, focused mainly on desserts, sweet treats, and iced beverages.

Because it was produced by the cafeteria and the roses were grown on campus, the prices were incredibly low, making it extremely popular. It was in such high demand that items ran out every day, requiring an early visit to get a taste.

Therefore, Huai Xu was willing to climb walls just to get in on the food at Cai University, which didn't surprise Baozi at all.

At the entrance to the cafeteria, they ran into Cotton Swab, who was there for an anime club activity. The group grew larger, which was a good thing; it meant they could choose from a wider variety of desserts.

So the group walked along the dessert counter, selecting at least a dozen different types: rose milk jelly, rose ice jelly, rose sushi, rose yogurt, rose papaya water, rose papaya water again, rose sticky rice with lotus root, and so on, mostly paid for by Mianmian and Qian Qian.

Seeing this, Baozi thought for a moment, then suggested that Mianmian and Qian Qian go to another counter and fetch a few bowls of Rose Shrimp and Rose Pearl Dumplings. Eager to display their gentleness in front of Huai Xu, the two agreed to his suggestion without a second thought, even speaking in soft, timid voices.

The six people and one cat found a corner and sat down facing each other.

Brother Nan placed a serving of Rose Papaya Water in front of Baozi. Not to be outdone, Baozi respectfully presented one to her as well, but after receiving a glare from Brother Nan, he silently offered it to Cotton Swab instead.

Zhou Li, however, didn't notice their little interactions, focusing only on tasting the desserts and quietly chatting with Tuanzi.

Brother Nan asked, "Was your club activity fun today?"

Mianmian and Qian Qian glanced at each other silently.

"So-so."

"Our hearts are still with the Probability Society." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Why is this so painfully awkward!?" Brother Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Am I being that unreasonable?"

"Not at all, not at all," both of them echoed in unison.

Brother Nan was indeed very generous. However, as core veterans of the Probability Society, attending another club's activities just felt weird, like being unfaithful. It was inevitable they'd feel a little guilty in front of Brother Nan, their leader and club president.

Brother Nan rolled her eyes. "Then tell the truth."

"It was fun," Mianmian said.

"It was alright," Qian Qian hesitated, then added, "There were quite a few pretty girls, all dressed in cosplay or Hanfu and JK uniforms, but it wasn't open to the public."

"That's awesome!" Brother Nan's eyes instantly lit up. "You should have taken me with you!"

"Definitely next time," Mianmian said.

"Brother Nan, if you're interested in that kind of thing, you can check out comic conventions. Oh right," Qian Qian said, "tomorrow Chunming is hosting a large, official Hanfu Festival at Haigeng Dam. Mianmian and I are considering whether or not to go, especially since it's Sunday."

"Really? Is it big?"

"Definitely big. It's official, promoting Hanfu."

"Does everyone have to wear Hanfu?"

"Not necessarily," Qian Qian wasn't entirely sure. "There are also many who just come to watch the excitement without wearing Hanfu. If I go, I don't have any Hanfu to wear, and I can't fit into Mianmian's."

"I! Am! Only! A! Few! Centimeters! Shorter! Than! You!" Mianmian nearly crushed the plastic spoon upon hearing this, but she still maintained a smile in front of Huai Xu.

"If you want to go, Brother Nan, I can lend you my camera with my best lens," Baozi whispered. "When you're there, just pretend to be a photographer. With the camera, you can see those girls who are too far away to see clearly. And if you point the camera at them, they'll smile and pose for you."

"That's a great idea!" Brother Nan was delighted.

"But..." Baozi said.

"But what?" Brother Nan frowned.

"But..." Baozi sneaked a glance at her, then immediately lowered his head. It was less scary if he didn't see her expression. "I have to go with you guys to visit the visually impaired girl who sells desserts."

"No way."

"Then I want to go to the Hanfu Festival with you guys," Baozi said, making no further demands. He knew that sticking with his cousin and cousin-in-law meant there would definitely be no shortage of good food.

"Deal!"

Once the decision was made, Brother Nan turned to Zhou Li and Huai Xu, informing them, "We're going to the Hanfu Festival tomorrow."

Zhou Li had no objections.

Huai Xu was busy.

「Sunday.」

The group gathered at the North Gate of Cai University.

Qian Qian had bought a well-fitting second-hand Ru Skirt from a senior with diverse interests, while Mianmian wore the most expensive Ming Dynasty Attire from her wardrobe. Both had applied elaborate makeup and styled their hair. Already pretty, their striking appearances, enhanced by their makeup and costumes, attracted a great deal of attention along the way.

They had thought that among their group of six, only the two of them would wear Hanfu, but to their surprise, Huai Xu showed up in a full set of Light Armor.

The armor was exquisitely crafted with the utmost care, appearing like the real thing. It had an aged look, complete with what seemed like slashes and gouges from swords. There were mottled bloodstains in the dents and at the joints of the plates, and the leather edges and stitches were blackened as if soaked in blood, giving it a formidable aura.

The Old monster already possessed heaven-defying good looks. Dressed this way, and with a mysteriously solemn expression, he nearly stole the hearts of the two cuties—adorable, yet thoroughly unladylike.