My Demon Friends-Chapter 679 - 640: The Feeling of Being a Top Student

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Zhou Li obediently lowered his head and agreed, but then asked another question, "Can I still take photos in the future?"

Brother Nan raised an eyebrow. "Are you itching for a spanking?"

"Oh."

I understand.

Brother Nan hadn't said I could, nor had she said I couldn't. Because she's the boss, a boss can't give that kind of response, and I shouldn't ask either, as it would cause her to lose face. If I make Brother Nan lose face, I won't be able to accomplish anything. But as long as I look after her face, she'll indulge me in whatever I want to do.

Zhou Li pondered this and nodded repeatedly.

Then again, he couldn't help but think, with this ability to organize key concepts, why should I worry about failing any subjects this semester?

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Old Monster still sitting on the ground, shaking her head in disappointment.

While shaking her head, she mimicked Brother Nan's tone,

"Damn spicy skin..."

But Zhou Li wasn't moved in the slightest.

"Mala pi"—spicy skin—is a famous dish from Yi Province. It's made primarily from liangpi cold-skin noodles mixed with various seasonings like Sichuan peppercorn powder and hot chili oil, then topped with cilantro, green onions, and crushed peanuts. If you can handle it, a bit of chopped fish mint can also be added. It's numbingly spicy, savory, and fresh—very popular. It's just a dish; it can't mock me.

Tuanzi echoed, "Spicy skin..."

Zhou Li immediately picked it up and said helplessly, "Lord Dumpling, you're still young. You can't say bad words, understand?"

"Huh?"

Tuanzi looked at him, baffled, then turned its head. "Huai Xu just said it!"

"You can't learn from Huai Xu. Huai Xu is a bad demon."

"Brother Lan said it too!"

"Brother Nan also... Brother Nan is an adult; adults can sometimes say it," Zhou Li said, then turned to Brother Nan. "Brother Nan, you shouldn't swear in front of Lord Dumpling either."

"Was it because I didn't hit you just now that you got so confident?"

"I'm sorry..."

"MEOW..."

Tuanzi looked at Brother Nan, then at Zhou Li, waving its little paws huffily. "It's all Huai Xu's fault!"

In the late afternoon, Zhou Li went to the rooftop to collect the bamboo mat. Chunming, being a city of sunshine, had completely dried the mat and warmed it through. After bringing it down and letting it air for a while, Zhou Li spread it on his bedroom bed under the watchful eyes of the two demons, large and small.

Huai Xu asked, "Why didn't you buy one for me too?"

"You don't need one."

"Why don't I need one?"

"You're a demon; you don't get hot."

"I don't care! You have one, so I want one too!"

Zhou Li sighed. He had no choice but to agree and buy her another one.

As soon as he had spread the mat, Tuanzi jumped onto the bed. It took a few tiny steps for half a meter, came back, then lay on the mat and rolled around, murmuring softly, "It's become as cold as the ground... Huai Xu, you better not buy one. It's cozier when it's warm..."

Huai Xu pulled a face but ignored Tuanzi.

Zhou Li also lay down on the bed and then turned over.

The workmanship of the bamboo mat was fine, without any rough edges. Even though it had been carefully washed with soap when new, it still carried the scent of a new mat, along with a faint bamboo fragrance and the smell of soap.

"Ah..."

Lying on a cool bamboo mat, smelling its refreshing scent—that's the essence of summer.

The scorching sunshine was blocked by the curtains; only a faint light filtered into the room, dim yet clear enough to distinguish objects. Waking up from an afternoon nap and stepping out the door to see the person you most wanted to see made the harsh summer heat completely irrelevant. Only the best things about summer remained.

「Early July.」

The final exams began.

Zhou Li arrived at the classroom. Although he wasn't as punctual as he had hoped, he was still among the latecomers. Many people were already seated, and the prime spots had been taken.

Mianmian raised her hand high and waved at him. "Zhou Li! Here!"

Zhou Li walked over with his pen in hand.

Mianmian and Qian Qian had gotten up early to grab a strategic spot in the classroom: near the wall and toward the back, but not in the very last row. They had also saved seats for Zhou Li, Baozi, and Brother Nan. Baozi was already sitting expressionlessly beside Mianmian. Those two were in the front row of their group, with a spot left beside Qian Qian behind them, reserved for Zhou Li.

Brother Nan sat behind the group of four. She had always disdained cheating, so it didn't matter where she sat.

Qian Qian, almost sprawled across her desk, leaned sideways to speak to Zhou Li, as if to prevent others from hearing. "Brother Nan said you've been reviewing nonstop lately! You must feel confident, right?"

"I guess?"

"Please, please..." Qian Qian clasped her hands together and shook them continually.

Zhou Li sighed in resignation, then turned to Brother Nan. "If you get stuck later, you can take a look at mine. It's quite visible, and your eyesight is good."

Brother Nan yawned, ignored him, and started rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist. "Now that the term's ending, shouldn't we have a club gathering? Plus, it's about time our club selected new officers. Every other club has already had its elections, but we haven't made a move."

Zhou Li silently watched her.

When Brother Nan rubbed her eyes, one closed and the other open, she looked so focused. It was incredibly adorable.

Only when Brother Nan dropped her hands did he say blankly, "Aside from the few officers present, our club only has two members. How can we select new officers?"

Mianmian also turned around and whined plaintively, "Brother Nan, surely you don't want to replace us?"

"Logically, if you haven't become Club President by junior year, you should step down and let the underclassmen take over," Brother Nan said helplessly. "But considering our club is a special case, and some deadbeats are still counting on the extra credits from holding a club office, I won't strip your positions. However, we still need to promote Xiao Hua and Su Jue to officers. When I'm a senior, I'll pass the presidency to Xiao Hua."

Baozi, sitting in front, heard this and felt as if Brother Nan was talking about her. She glanced back, then silently returned her gaze to the front.

Zhou Li asked, "Don't officer and Club President positions require volunteers?"

"They *must* volunteer to run!" Brother Nan declared.

Zhou Li paused, then nodded in understanding. "That's doable. It's the end of term, so they should both be at school."

Upon hearing this, Qian Qian asked curiously, "Hmm? Are they not usually at school?"

Zhou Li was momentarily taken aback. "I'm not sure."

"Then it's settled!" Brother Nan made the decision instantly. "I'll ask Xiao Hua and Su Jue later. We'll find a convenient time to go out for a meal and play some cards, foster some club camaraderie. During that time, we'll sort out their promotion to officers next year and their taking over the club the year after..."

Zhou Li remained silent.

Even though Xiao Hua is often busy, by this time next year, we'll be seniors getting ready for internships. There'll be no one left to entrust the club to. Then again, this club barely takes up any time.

The proctor entered the room.

The bell rang.

The papers were handed out. The exam began.

From behind him, a series of pencil scratching noises against paper sounded. Zhou Li could imagine Brother Nan, head down, writing furiously. He smiled and began to answer the questions seriously.

As he did so, he couldn't help but smile.

At least eighty percent of this exam covers material I tutored Brother Nan on. Moreover, these are the very questions she remembered especially well after I quizzed her. Correspondingly, I also have a vivid memory of these concepts. My pen is moving as if guided by divine inspiration. Clearly, I owe this to Brother Nan.

Since they didn't have to do any multiple-choice questions, the scratching sounds from behind him ceased first. After at least five minutes, Baozi, in front, also put down her pen and began to sit up straight, staring blankly ahead.

A few more minutes passed before Zhou Li finished.

Neither of the cousins was in a hurry to hand in their papers, as two endearingly earnest girls beside them were still greedily absorbing knowledge.

At this moment, Zhou Li looked up, scanning the classroom. He was surprised to find that, apart from Baozi seated in front of him, no one else in the large classroom dared to look up and meet his gaze.

Brother Nan has fallen asleep, slumped over her desk...

It truly is lonely at the top!

For the first time, Zhou Li experienced the feeling of being a top student.

Soon afterward, Qian Qian also finished copying. Seeing that his Little Cousin and Mianmian were about to stand up, Zhou Li hurriedly grabbed his paper and walked to the lectern, getting ahead of them.

WHOOSH...

In an instant, many heads in the classroom lifted, watching him walk toward the lectern.

Nice...