My Demon Friends-Chapter 631 - 602 Lord Dumpling’s High Salary

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Lord Lin Zhong sighed deeply.

"In the past year, this country’s Heavenly Master organization has developed rapidly. Just as you thought, the humans of this era are unprecedentedly strong. Even without those novel technologies, their Heavenly Master abilities have not yet combined with their research capabilities. They have gained a significant boost simply through organizational ability and control over the country," the Bamboo Joint Demon said. "So, I have instructed our undercover agents in this country to slow down and act cautiously. Several who were accustomed to acting recklessly have been discovered and eliminated."

"The small human nations around us are mostly in chaos, and our infiltration is going quite smoothly. Recently, some human Heavenly Masters with decent potential have emerged, and I’ve arranged to eliminate a few of them."

"Don’t bother reporting trivial matters," Lord Lin Zhong waved his hand dismissively. "I’m getting old; you make the decisions."

"That’s all then."

"Go on, get busy."

"Yes..."

The Bamboo Joint Demon respectfully withdrew, leaving Lord Lin Zhong sitting in the dimly lit room suitable for playing games, his mind filled with images of the Elm King.

The Elm King was a demon who seemed forever unchanged by the world. She was always brimming with enthusiasm and vitality, forever yearning for happiness and beauty. Always kind and innocent, she also didn’t suffer from the low intelligence common to most demons. On the contrary, she was clever and wise—undoubtedly the ideal every demon aspired to be.

The original intention remains unchanged... A simple and beautiful phrase, like a dream. Even for demons, it’s not an easy feat.

「Outside the courtyard.」

The Bamboo Joint Demon was surrounded by a group of little demons, who were chattering and terribly noisy.

He had to conjure up a large handful of candies as if by magic but held his hand high, preventing them from getting any. "Does anyone want to eat candies made by humans?"

"They’ll give you diarrhea!" one little demon said.

"Nonsense!" another little demon retorted. "I’ve tried them before; they won’t give you diarrhea, and they are delicious!"

"Your teeth will get worms!"

"Humans are the ones who get worms!"

"Then you tell me... what do they taste like?"

"Sweet!"

"Sweet..."

The Bamboo Joint Demon distributed all the lemon candies. He watched the group of little demons contort their faces from the sourness, and his own features twisted into a smile.

Most demons have neither fathers nor mothers, being born naturally. Only a few are conceived when adult demons fall in love, come to an agreement, and then ask the Will of the World to gestate the child; these are considered to have parents. But these Little Demons, still not fully grown, are like human infants—vulnerable, naive, and in need of care and companionship from adult demons.

They often unconsciously rely on the adult demons they encounter, and the adults are inclined to provide them with care.

This, in fact, was a process of mutual comfort, much like it was for Lord Lin Zhong at that moment.

The Bamboo Joint Demon felt slightly healed inside but dared not linger. He kept an eye on the group of little demons, his smile gradually fading as he sighed inwardly—

With so many paths ahead, which one is the right path for demons?

Although he was a demon who chose the muddy road, he too hoped the final path would be a good one.

A good path doesn’t dirty one’s feet.

When the little demons finally opened their squinting eyes, the Bamboo Joint Demon had vanished.

A chorus of childish, indignant voices ensued.

...

「April 17, Saturday.」

The Nanyuan Cafeteria was packed with people.

Zhou Li sat opposite Brother Nan. Baozi was sitting beside Brother Nan.

He had ordered mapo tofu and fish-flavored eggplant, along with a small bowl of steamed eggs and a kelp and duck soup for his meat dishes. This was considered a high-end meal in the cafeteria, costing only about ten yuan. Outside, even basic dishes served in large bowls would cost at least twenty or thirty yuan.

But he felt there was no real difference between a ten-yuan meal and a few-yuan one. For instance, Baozi across from him was enjoying her two-yuan-odd meat rice noodles, looking quite content.

Huh? Is she sneakily eyeing my dish?

Zhou Li looked down. He had picked out the duck meat and pickled radish from his soup and eaten half of it. He hadn’t finished the rest because it was too greasy, leaving a few pieces of kelp he really didn’t want to eat.

Maybe she thinks I’m wasting food.

Zhou Li guessed, so he finished the remaining kelp as well.

Brother Nan, across from them, was eating maocai. She used her spoon to pick out the quail eggs, then added some bacon and tripe to Baozi’s bowl, all the while lecturing earnestly,

"You’re not even twenty yet, little girl...

"It’s the perfect time for your second growth spurt; you need to pay attention to your nutrition...

"Eating all that stuff, if you miss this period, you’ll regret it if your chest doesn’t grow big—

"I have a set of massage techniques..."

Zhou Li watched as Baozi’s expression turned from touched to stunned, then to embarrassed. Her blushing, adorable face was charming, and he, too speechless, shifted his gaze away, catching a brief glimpse of Brother Nan in his periphery.

「Ten minutes later.」

Brother Nan put down her chopsticks, "I’m done eating!"

Zhou Li whispered with concern, "Are you full? Do you want another serving?"

"No need."

"Oh."

The three of them tidied up their trays and bowls and walked out of the cafeteria.

Lord Dumpling sensed the movement and poked her little head out of Brother Nan’s black shoulder bag, glanced left and right, and finally fixed her gaze on Zhou Li’s face.

"Finished eating, meow?"

"Finished."

"Is Lord Dumpling going to work with Baozi now, meow?"

"Mhm."

"Oh..."

"Lord Dumpling, you must take work seriously. Don’t fall asleep, okay? You’ll get docked pay."

"Got it~~"

Zhou Li looked at her round little head and well-behaved expression. He couldn’t help but lift her out of the shoulder bag and into his arms to show his affection. Then, he asked if Brother Nan’s shoulder bag contained a small supermarket.

Tuanzi was a bit slow in reaction, a little silly cat indeed.

They were approaching the street with the most vendors; almost every few dozen meters, a young lady ran a stall. This place was different from the quiet spot where Baozi usually sold her goods. The foot traffic here was heavy, and many girls took advantage of the lunchtime rush, enthusiastically pitching to every passerby.

"Affordable jewelry!"

"Check out the black cat’s eye stone! It really highlights the collarbone!"

"Miss, take a look at this bracelet! It’s incredibly ethereal!"

Zhou Li couldn’t help looking at Baozi and wondered aloud, "Everyone else is working so hard to attract customers. Why don’t you learn from them?"

Upon hearing this, Baozi lowered her head deeply.

Seeing others doing so well and working so hard makes me feel ashamed. I’m really useless...

Baozi was so embarrassed that her face and ears turned red. After the shame passed, she silently decided to avoid this street as much as possible after meals in the future.

Upon reaching Baozi’s stall, they held the handover ceremony for Tuanzi.

"I entrust Lord Dumpling to you."

"Mhm! Thank you, Cousin! Thank you, Cousin-in-law!"

Baozi solemnly took Tuanzi and hugged her close. "I’ll take good care of Lord Dumpling!"

The three of them and the cat went their separate ways.

Brother Nan poked Zhou Li’s arm and said, "I heard from Huai Xu that he also bought a motorcycle. You can ride that one. One for each of us, wouldn’t that be splendid?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don’t want to ride."

"You’re lusting after my body, you shameless thing!"

"...Keep it down."

Zhou Li awkwardly turned his head away, not wanting Brother Nan to see his expression.

After hopping the wall, Brother Nan took him for a spin around Dian Lake.

Brother Nan was being her usual lewd self, saying Zhou Li lusted after her body. Yet, she rode faster than anyone, taking bends with a passenger and speeding up on rough roads. She even deliberately sought out bad roads to increase the challenge, thrashing her vintage bike as if it were a KTM, relying purely on skill and luck.

To avoid an accident, Zhou Li had to hold onto her waist tightly, not daring to move an inch. The two of them were practically glued together.

They returned to the school in the evening.

Anxious, Zhou Li immediately went to check on Baozi.

It was the peak time for after-dinner strolls, with a high volume of customers. Tuanzi, having likely just finished her work meal, was in good spirits. She bounced around, chasing bubbles that fell from the sky. At least seven or eight young ladies surrounded her, and half of them held Bubble Pistols.

Baozi sat on a small folding stool behind them, watching intently without blinking.

Zhou Li approached and asked, "How was business today?"

"Good!"

Baozi’s voice seemed more spirited than usual, "Today I sold more than forty postcards, over ten photos, and more than twenty Bubble Pistols!"

Zhou Li silently did the math in his head. Postcards were cheap, with extremely low printing costs. Framed photos were pricier but also had very low material costs. Although Bubble Pistols had slim profit margins, they sold well. In one day, the net profit must be two to three hundred, right? That’s as much as she’d usually make in half a month.

Of course, this was the first day, which had its advantages. Later, people would gradually build some resistance to the Little Trash Cat’s allure. Moreover, after patronizing her once, they might choose to just enjoy the cat’s presence for free afterwards.

Two to three hundred...

A fish soup with rice for Lord Dumpling, the consultant, would cost over thirty yuan at off-campus prices. After deducting that, Baozi would still have to give Lord Dumpling a 50% share of the profit.

As expected of Lord Dumpling, such high wages!

Seeing Tuanzi run back to his feet, Zhou Li picked her up. He was just about to ask her, "How about Lord Dumpling works and supports me in the future?" when he heard Tuanzi say aggrievedly,

"Zhou Ni, MEWWWL~~"

"What’s wrong?"

"Working is so tiring for Lord Dumpling~~"

Her voice was soft and delicate, filled with a tone of grievance. Zhou Li’s heart melted.

No wonder she ran back to his feet first, instead of going to find Brother Nan; she was seeking comfort.

Zhou Li held her, finding it amusing.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate and took it out with one hand—

Yin Le: Come help out

Yin Le: There’s a bonus

Zhou Li smiled at Tuanzi and said, "It looks like I’ll be the one working to support Lord Dumpling after all."