My Demon Friends-Chapter 691 - 652 My Good Cousin

The sunlight outside was scorching, but inside Miss Zheng's room, it was extremely cool and shady, a contrast that made it feel particularly pleasant.

The main room was quite lively today.

Miss Zheng had brought in several long benches, placing them somewhat haphazardly around the room. Each bench could accommodate two people: Xing Hui and Ji Bai, two old friends, shared one; Zhou Li and Huai Xu took another; Brother Nan and Miss Zheng sat on a bench beside the square table. Baozi thought she had a bench to herself, but Xiao Yuan and Lao Hui were actually sitting beside her.

Qinghe, seeming a bit unsociable, had taken a small stool and was sitting in the corner, picking vegetables alone.

Tuanzi was darting around the room.

Lao Hui frowned at Brother Nan. "So, you suddenly gained Spiritual Power, and that's how you can see us?"

"Mhm!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan said blankly, "How magical!"

Lao Hui, however, kept his frown, sparing a glance at Xing Hui and Ji Bai from the corner of his eye.

The eyes of the two experienced Great Demons flickered as they exchanged a glance, clearly not as naively innocent as Xiao Yuan.

Heavenly Masters are all born with their gifts, aren't they? It's unheard of to acquire them midway. Unless one was sealed from a young age. But even then, sealing off Spiritual Power can't stop someone from seeing demons—this involves the Will of the World.

However, the groups weren't that close. Curiosity aside, they knew to stop before prying too far.

"So that's how it is."

"Quite magical indeed."

"Quite a stroke of fortune."

The demons nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Brother Nan certainly hadn't revealed everything. Lao Hui understood this, and so did Xing Hui and Ji Bai. The difference was that Lao Hui's knowledge was limited, so even if he was curious, he wouldn't know where to start guessing. He could only bury it in his heart; otherwise, it would be very trying.

Xing Hui and Ji Bai were different; their extensive and varied experiences led them to all sorts of speculations.

No, wait! There's another chance!

Lao Hui looked hopefully at Miss Zheng, who was sitting next to Brother Nan, hoping she might ask the question, allowing him to get an answer for free.

"Mm."

A pity...

It was clear that Miss Zheng also harbored her own curiosities and was very intrigued. However, since she was naturally reticent and in the presence of strangers, if the young woman called Brother Nan didn't elaborate, she wouldn't ask either. She just rested her chin on her hand, propping her elbow on the table, listening quietly, and showed an interested expression to encourage Brother Nan to speak more comfortably.

Meanwhile, Zhou Li was also quietly observing them, taking in every change in their expressions.

But he noticed more than that—

Lord Dumpling jumped onto the freezer, nearly knocking over Miss Zheng's honey jar.

The Old Monster beside him had been staring blankly upward the whole time. Uninterested in Brother Nan's tale, as he knew the real situation, his eyes shifted for a moment when Tuanzi jumped onto the freezer. After the honey jar wobbled twice then steadied, he resumed his blank stare.

Qinghe had already picked a basketful of vegetables.

Little Cousin sat silently, her hands clasped together, her face etched with an expression that screamed: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here?

「Half an hour later.」

The four demons left.

Miss Zheng had already tidied the rooms for Zhou Li and the others, even thoughtfully placing a lit mosquito coil. They went upstairs to put their luggage in their rooms.

Brother Nan approached Baozi, slapped her on the bottom, and said in a roguish tone, "Little darling, do you want to sleep alone tonight, or snuggle up next to me?"

"Alone," Baozi replied without hesitation.

"Huh? So decisive?" Brother Nan was taken aback, as if doubting her own charm.

"Mhm."

"Won't you reconsider?"

"No, no need."

"...I suggest you think about it."

"Thank you, Brother Nan, but no thank you."

"..."

After a brief silence, Brother Nan stared at Baozi and spoke in a grave tone, "You're making this really embarrassing for me..."

"Sorry!"

Baozi quickly bowed.

"..."

Brother Nan shook her head and decided not to mind. "If you don't want to sleep next to me, fine. I'll just cuddle with Little Zheng... But don't regret it; there are demons around here!"

Baozi hesitated, feeling conflicted.

The truth was, Brother Nan was too restless before bed. She'd pinch Baozi's face, touch her waist, and even pinch her breasts—as if she didn't have her own—and Baozi didn't dare retaliate. She could only narrow her eyes and endure it.

But her cousin had said that this place was safe.

Baozi decided to trust her cousin.

Once again, Brother Nan's face appeared in front of her. With an enticing tone, she said, "What do you say? This is your last chance."

Baozi looked at her weakly. "You never actually planned to sleep with me. You said you wanted to talk with Little Sister Zheng tonight. You were just teasing me, and then you were surprised when I refused..."

"Hey!"

Brother Nan was actually amused.

Walking into the room, Baozi opened her suitcase and first replaced the duckbill cap on her head with her goose-yellow fisherman's hat. This hat made her look particularly well-behaved and cute. Given the rapid average height growth among children these days, she could easily be mistaken for an elementary or middle school student on a spring excursion.

With the hat, she wouldn't have to worry about sunburn.

Then Baozi took out her heavy camera lens, gritted her teeth, and decided to go out and take pictures.

Descending the stairs and reaching the doorway, she saw a clear line demarcating the shadow cast by the eaves from the scorching sunlight outside. It made her stop in her tracks. Even standing in the shadow, she could feel waves of heat pulsing from beyond the line, as if stepping over it would plunge her into a fiery inferno.

The mountain village was extremely quiet, save for the chirping of cicadas; not another sound could be heard. In such intense sunlight, even the birds were hiding in their nests, unwilling to come out.

A few dogs were sprawled out, lazily napping in the midday heat.

Baozi stood expressionless for a long time, struggling internally. Her unusual behavior attracted the attention of the Dog Gang members.

Finally, with a lowered gaze, she stepped over the boundary.

"HISS..."

It felt like stepping into a hot spring.

Baozi clutched her camera and quickly picked up her pace, jogging forward.

Oh, right! Will I be able to find my way back later?

Baozi braked suddenly and looked back to get her bearings, but she got a shock.

A yellow dog was following her. When she stopped, it stopped too, staring at her. It moved when she did. It was the same dog that had come to pick them up today.

Baozi felt inexplicably guilty.

「Five in the afternoon.」

Zhou Li had taken a pleasant nap in the cool room. Before he fell asleep, the Old Monster was playing video games. When he woke up, he was still playing.

"Hah..."

Zhou Li yawned but didn't pay him any mind. Instead, he got up and went downstairs.

By coincidence, Baozi had just returned from outside. Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, her face slick with sweat, and her hair was damp. Her white T-shirt clung to her back. Her heavy camera hung around her neck, its coarse strap chafing her skin red. In her hand, she carried a portable tripod.

Zhou Li was taken aback. "Went to take photos?"

"Yeah."

"It's so hot!"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you afraid of heatstroke?"

"No, I won't."

"Then aren't you afraid of demons?"

"Yes."

Little Cousin answered honestly, her steps unfaltering as she passed by Zhou Li, heading upstairs. "Cousin, if there's nothing else, I'll go up and select photos..."

Zhou Li shook his head, truly impressed.

But Little Cousin hadn't taken two steps before running into Brother Nan and Miss Zheng, who stopped her and asked a series of questions.

Little Cousin still answered honestly.

However, it was evident that compared to her less-than-impressive cousin, she had more respect for Brother Nan. When her cousin questioned her, she answered while walking. But when Brother Nan asked, however, she stopped, stepped to the side, and stood there with her cute goose-yellow fisherman's hat, looking just like an elementary school student who had bumped into her teacher while out on a weekend.

"I thought you'd be taking a nap in the room. I didn't expect you to go out. You're pretty bold; there are many wild things on this mountain."

"My cousin said it was very safe," Baozi replied, looking down. "And a dog was following me..."

"Well, that's good," Brother Nan nodded. "Oh, and don't just focus on taking scenery shots. You're the photographer for our 'Sanxiaxiang' team; you need to take photos for our records. Well, not today. Starting tomorrow, we'll discuss how to pose for the photos."

"Yeah!"

Baozi nodded vigorously, showing she definitely wouldn't mess up.

Seeing Miss Zheng's puzzled look, Brother Nan explained to her, "'Sanxiaxiang' is an activity for earning academic credits. It involves university students going to rural areas to promote science and technology, health and hygiene, and culture and education. Zhou Li and I figured, these are free credits, right? We'd be fools not to take them."

Miss Zheng hummed in acknowledgment, her eyes shimmering; she didn't know what "credits" meant.

Brother Nan draped her arm around Miss Zheng's shoulder. "I'll have Baozi take the photos and Zhou Li write the work report—we'll just fudge it. Later, you just cooperate with us for some staged photos. Just treat it like acting. Otherwise, that idiot Zhou Li might still not have enough credits by next year."

"Okay."

Miss Zheng agreed without a second thought.

Baozi, however, was stunned by what she heard—

Asking Cousin to write the work report? Not me?

Baozi turned her head blankly to look at her cousin behind her.

She saw her cousin also looked a bit stunned, but he quickly shook his head, stretched, and walked off as if he hadn't heard a thing.