My Demon Friends-Chapter 667 - 628 Still a Little Parrot_2

A moment later, Chen Yang pointed at Liu Zhengming and said, "It's all your fault! You don't wash the dishes after eating, just letting them sit there and ferment. Anyone who didn't know better would think we're brewing alcohol! And your clothes, pants, socks—you don't wash them for two months!"

Liu Zhengming pointed at Chang Xiaoxiang and said, "No, it's you! You buy durian and spicy snail noodles every day and eat them in the dorm. Cats hate that smell the most!"

Chang Xiaoxiang pointed at Chen Yang and said, "You're one to talk! You have so many shoes they can't even fit in the shoe rack. Look, there's a whole row of them outside, like pieces on a chessboard! Plus, every time you come back from playing basketball, you're drenched in sweat and don't shower first. You just sit around the dorm in nothing but your red underwear. My eyes are killing me!"

This was all too real. Zhou Li put on his noise-canceling headphones and chose a song: "Sea of Flowers."

The three of them in the dorm continued to trade accusations.

...

「In the middle of the night.」

I thought I could finally get a good night's sleep, Zhou Li mused, but then he unexpectedly began to sneeze. One or two didn't bother him, but after several in a row, he finally woke up.

He saw a beetle made entirely of Spiritual Power fluttering up and down inside his mosquito net. As he opened his eyes, the beetle dived toward him, seemingly ready to tease him again. Noticing he was awake, it quickly slammed on the brakes and then, with a POOF, exploded into countless points of light and disappeared within the mosquito net.

This kind of technique...

Zhou Li felt like he'd seen something similar in movies and TV shows, except it was usually butterflies, dragonflies, or at worst, a small bird. What's with this beetle with two big pincers?

Inside the dorm, the sounds of teeth grinding, sleep-talking, and snoring rose and fell. As if disturbed by him, Chang Xiaoxiang, in the bunk across from him, turned over in his sleep.

Then, a bird-like whistle came from outside the balcony.

Zhou Li lifted the mosquito net and poked his head out.

The balcony door was open. Down below, the streetlights in the dormitory area cast a lonely, pale white glow, supplemented by the light from the stairwell of the opposite building. The night on campus wasn't as dark as it was outside.

A tall girl was sitting on the balcony railing, facing the dormitory. She supported herself with her hands on either side, wearing a different, slightly too-small t-shirt that accentuated her waistline. Below her shorts, a pair of long, perfect legs swung back and forth. She wore flip-flops and was looking at him with a bored expression.

A small, well-behaved cat sat beside her. Seeing him peek out, it tilted its head, met his gaze, and called out in a tiny, tiny voice, "Zhou Ni..."

Zhou Li checked his watch: 3:05 AM.

You guys are unbelievable.

Reluctantly, Zhou Li got out of bed.

He found his slippers and put them on. Just as he was walking towards the balcony, the girl stretched out her hand, pointed above his head, then picked up the kitten, stood up on the railing, and her body slowly floated upwards.

Zhou Li paused, stunned.

Sigh...

He silently found a coat, carefully and quietly opened the room door, and walked out, making his way upstairs.

The rooftop door, which should have been locked, was open. Zhou Li hadn't even stepped out yet; just by reaching the doorway, he felt the cool night wind. Having just gotten out of bed, he couldn't help but shiver and quickly draped the coat he'd brought over his shoulders. Good thing I came prepared, he silently praised himself.

The girl had her hands in her trouser pockets, kicking her feet idly as she paced back and forth on the rooftop, dislodging scraps of paper.

She's not going to tempt me, Zhou Li thought. My girlfriend has the exact same quirks.

The girl turned to look at him. "It's so boring..."

The kitten, which had been engaged in a battle of wits with some unseen enemy in the night air, also paused, turned its head, and said, "So boring, Zhou Ni..."

Then it resumed pouncing at nothing.

Well, there goes that, Zhou Li thought. My question was answered before I could even ask it.

He swallowed the words he was about to say and replied helplessly, "Even if you're bored, you can't just come looking for me in the middle of the night. I need to rest. I need to sleep. Besides, this is a school, a dormitory! If my roommates find out I snuck out in the dead of night... their imaginations are incredibly vivid."

"Well, who made it so boring around here? So, naturally, you were the only one I could come find..." The girl feigned a headache, pretending to rub her temples. "This academy is so lively during the day; I thought it would be fun at night too, but there's nothing. And get this, you can't even order takeout at night here, and there's no electricity after a certain hour!"

"Mmm, meow! Play with Lord Dumpling, Your Highness!" Tuanzi chirped.

"Because this is a school. Plus, there's been an epidemic outside for the past two years, so the school is under lockdown," Zhou Li whispered, stifling a yawn.

"No wonder you guys climbed over the wall to get out." The girl nodded. "So, is it lively outside the school then?"

"It's the middle of the night! In ancient times, most places had a curfew, right? Even though we don't have curfews now, most shops are still closed. Only a few..." Zhou Li paused, his sleepiness vanishing as he suddenly became alert. He stared seriously at the girl. "Those places that are still open in the middle of the night—you can't just go into them recklessly!"

"Oh?" The girl tilted her head. "Are you ordering me?"

"..."

Zhou Li fell silent, quietly observing her. After a moment, he tentatively called out, "Brother Nan..."

"NGH!!"

The girl suddenly frowned and clutched her head.

It feels like the other soul has noticed something, like it's about to awaken, she thought. This sensation of being forcefully pushed offline was incredibly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Zhou Li didn't call out again.

In the ensuing silence, the feeling gradually receded.

The girl regained her composure and raised a hand. "Believe it or not, I have a hundred ways to make you unable to speak."

Zhou Li nodded. "I have Brother Nan on my side."

The girl: "..."

The girl: "Trash!"

Zhou Li yawned again.

Tuanzi: "Trash!"

Zhou Li feigned a brief moment of heartbreak.

He then explained to the girl, "The kinds of places still open at midnight, aside from internet cafes, are generally... well, you can probably guess. Even in those bars playing music, many people are looking for overnight companions. You definitely wouldn't be interested in that."

"As if I needed you to tell me!" the girl huffed lightly.

Zhou Li nodded.

With personalities like Brother Nan and the Elm King, it's best to be direct, he thought. If I try to be mysterious, it'll only pique her curiosity. Considering the Elm King is just as violent as Brother Nan, and even more arrogant, I'm afraid one slap from her could cause mass casualties.

A brief silence fell over the rooftop.

The girl looked down, drawing circles with the tip of her flip-flop on the dark, damp ground before finally looking up. "Didn't you say you guys use your smartphones to pay for things? Then why were you using a card for lunch and dinner in the cafeteria today? Like this..."

She raised her hand, mimicking the action of swiping a card.

"BEEP BEEP...

"And that's it."

Although Zhou Li was tired, he patiently explained the concept of campus cards and government subsidies to her.

"Oh... so you can't pay with your phone, then?"

"That's right."

"Wait, then why was that little girl who was eating with you tonight able to pay with her phone?"

"Ah, Mianmian. She took an old, unused phone, hollowed it out, and stuck her meal card inside to create the illusion that she was paying with her phone," Zhou Li explained with a touch of boredom. "But essentially, she's still using her meal card, get it?"

"Why would she do that?"

"Because when she does that, some clueless idiots who are impressed without understanding why will come over and ask, 'Hey, we all use cards, how come you can use your phone?'" Zhou Li said. "She gets a kick out of it."

"What's a 'clueless idiot'?"

"..."

Zhou Li bent down and picked up Tuanzi, feeling her warm little body. "That's classified information."

Tuanzi let him pick her up obediently, without any resistance, and even mimicked his tone, whispering softly, "That's classified information~~"

"What a little parrot."

"Little parrot," Tuanzi echoed.

"What's a parrot?" the girl asked.

"You sure ask a lot of questions..." Zhou Li said.

"You sure ask a lot of ques— Oh! Your Highness, please forgive me!" Tuanzi quickly corrected herself.

"I'll figure it out eventually," the girl said, then raised an eyebrow at Tuanzi. "And if I find out you're insulting me, you definitely won't want me introducing you to a Blood Demon. Are you going to stay here and spend the night with this human?"

"Zhou Ni, put Lord Dumpling down right now!"

"..."

The girl grabbed Tuanzi with one hand and levitated.

What a shame, I hadn't even managed to get her properly warm with a hug yet, Zhou Li thought with regret, at the same time whispering a reminder to the girl, "Be careful of the security cameras on the way."

The girl's expression remained calm as she ascended higher and higher, her voice drifting back, "Anything you can think of, *she* can think of too..." By the time she finished, her voice was barely audible.