My Demon Friends-Chapter 707 - 668

August in Yan City was like a huge steamer. Apart from a few cool hours around dawn, the rest of the time it felt as if the burner was on full blast, unbearably hot and stuffy.

The air conditioning made Brother Nan's room refreshingly cool, and it felt very comfortable when skin touched the mat.

The watermelons were also ice-cold.

Zhou Li had bought two large watermelons when he arrived, one weighing thirty-three pounds and the other thirty-four. Both were as large as winter melons and quite difficult to carry.

He gave one to the wood carving master and then spent half the afternoon working on wood carvings and chatting with Old Master Ma.

As they grew more acquainted, Old Master Ma had genuinely grown fond of the young man. While unreservedly teaching him the art of wood carving, he had also begun to share the secrets of a happy marital life. He was worried that if Zhou Li and Brother Nan broke up, Zhou Li, with his shy personality, would be too embarrassed to visit anymore.

But Old Master Ma might not have considered that if such a day truly came, Zhou Li probably couldn't visit even if he wanted to.

The other watermelon was brought to Brother Nan's home.

By the time Zhou Li left Old Master Ma's house and went over to Brother Nan's, the watermelon was perfectly chilled.

Brother Nan sliced it in half, put one half back in the fridge, and didn't bother cutting the other. He carried it directly to his room and began distributing four spoons.

"Come, come, come…"

"Aren't you going to cut it?" Zhou Li asked.

"No need. It doesn't taste as good once it's sliced. We'll just scoop it like this. Watch the juice; don't spill it everywhere," Brother Nan said boisterously. "Little Trash Cat, hurry up and transform into Little Cat Girl. I'm too lazy to feed you…"

"Alright then!"

Little Cat Girl appeared out of thin air, extended her small, fair, and tender hands, and took the smallest spoon.

So, the two humans and two demons gathered around the half watermelon and began scooping, taking turns, one spoonful after another, amidst laughter and chuckles, with no one minding.

It really did seem to taste better than when it was sliced.

Little Cat Girl, however, was a bit clumsy and quite weak. It was a struggle for her to scoop out the watermelon with a spoon. She would often accidentally use too much force, causing a piece of watermelon to go ZIP! and fly into the air. But it always vanished in mid-air, never falling to the ground and going to waste.

Little Cat Girl didn't mind; with a MEOW, she widened her eyes and scooped another spoonful.

Zhou Li doted on her, digging out watermelon for her and cutting it into small pieces suitable for her spoon. But Tuanzi ate slowly, and her share was often mischievously snatched away by Brother Nan and Huai Xu.

"You guys are so mean," Zhou Li said with a frown.

"Nonsense!" Huai Xu retorted, dead serious. "I am a kind-hearted Little Demon."

"We're training Little Trash Cat's self-care skills; it's for her own good. Besides, cats shouldn't eat too much watermelon," Brother Nan said, gesturing with his chin towards Tuanzi. "Right?"

"Hmm? What, meow?" Little Cat Girl turned her head, her large eyes wide with confusion.

"Say yes!" Brother Nan ordered.

"Yes, indeed!" Little Cat Girl nodded repeatedly.

"…" Zhou Li shook his head, scooped up another piece of watermelon, and popped it into his mouth. "I heard Baozi sent her drone to the manufacturer, but they said it was beyond repair. They gave her a discount coupon—essentially recycling it—and then she bought just a new drone body, saying she'd go filming again."

"It'll break again. That thing makes such a loud WHIRRING sound when it flies…" Huai Xu said, shaking his head, his voice muffled by watermelon. "That fellow is so domineering and unreasonable. It must have been deliberate. It'll happen again!"

"Don't describe Lord Evil God as if he's like you," Zhou Li quietly advised.

"??" Huai Xu was puzzled.

"Haha…" Zhou Li chuckled dryly, changing the topic. "I'm going to play badminton tonight. Are you guys coming?"

"It's so hot!" Brother Nan exclaimed, then stuck out his lower lip and blew upwards, ruffling his bangs.

"We'll play indoors; it's air-conditioned. Zhu Shuang booked a court from eight to ten," Zhou Li said, scooping up a piece from the center of the watermelon—the sweetest part. "I heard this year's Universiade has been postponed. It's pushed to next year and will be held in Jin Palace. Zhu Shuang plans to sign up. So, for the time being, I'll be his training partner to see if he can qualify."

"Postponed because of the pandemic?" Brother Nan asked.

"Definitely," Zhou Li nodded. "It was originally scheduled for this month. If so, Zhu Shuang wouldn't have been able to participate; he felt his skills weren't up to par. But if it's delayed by a year, there's a lot of room for improvement."

"How much is the badminton court?" Huai Xu asked, blinking.

"It's more expensive at night, fifty yuan an hour," Zhou Li replied. "Old Zhou is paying."

"That's daylight robbery," Huai Xu said. "I usually don't pay when I go out to play."

"…"

Zhou Li had never liked discussing such topics with the Old monster.

Just then, the center of the watermelon had been hollowed out, leaving only the less tasty flesh near the rind. Zhou Li put down his spoon and turned to look at Tuanzi beside him.

Little Cat Girl ate slowly, holding her spoon with a reverse grip, smacking her lips, and watching them talk without blinking.

Her face was smeared with watermelon juice and seeds.

I don't know how she manages to eat like that…

Zhou Li patiently picked the watermelon seeds off her face and, taking a tissue, wiped her cheeks clean. Little Cat Girl stood perfectly still, letting him do as he pleased, her eyes still fixed on the speakers, as if completely unfazed by what was happening to her face.

"I've told you, Lord Dumpling," Zhou Li said, "you can't hold the spoon like that. You need to hold it this way!"

"Oh…"

Tuanzi lowered her head to adjust her grip, very obediently.

But a short while later, it was back to the old way.

Zhou Li sighed helplessly and didn't correct her again, continuing to chat with them and idling away the afternoon.

Brother Nan's parents hadn't returned yet, and his younger brother had gone for swimming lessons. There was no one else at home. The old house also had poor lighting, which made it seem even quieter. The only sound was the cicadas incessantly chirping from the elm tree in the courtyard, their loud, clear cries declaring to the whole world that it was summer.

「Evening.」

To Zhou Li's surprise, the indoor sports venue was quite lively.

Nearly every court was occupied. The air reverberated with the crisp sound of striking shuttlecocks and mingling voices. Occasionally, a good shot would elicit a round of applause; the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

"There are so many people," Zhou Li said. "I thought that in a small city like Yan City, such an expensive indoor venue wouldn't attract many people, but it's quite packed."

"There are still plenty of wealthy people around," Zhu Shuang said with a smile. "Besides, those who play regularly have memberships, so it's much cheaper for them."

"I see," Zhou Li acknowledged.

"Then let's begin," Zhu Shuang suggested.

"Alright," Zhou Li agreed.

The air conditioning in the venue was running strong. The air felt cool against the skin, a perfect temperature for post-exercise—not too hot, but not too cold either. Too cold wouldn't be good, as it could easily lead to problems.

Zhu Shuang served first, very cautiously.

BANG!

The shuttlecock traced a graceful arc.

He had played with his brother several times over the long summer vacation, and each time, he was astounded.

In his first year of college, he had joined the university's badminton club, spent a considerable sum on a professional coach, and played against skilled opponents daily. His natural athletic talent was strong, so his progress was incredibly rapid. He broke through one bottleneck after another, to the point where he now felt he could actually aim for the Universiade, something he hadn't dared hope for before. Yet, no matter how much he improved, his brother always managed to play him to a draw.

Perhaps brother says he didn't play much badminton at university, but in reality, he's just like me, training hard every day. All so he can come back during the holidays, play evenly with me, and still pretend it's effortless…

But he's different from those 'study try-hards' in high school.

Those 'study try-hards' are just pretentious. Brother is definitely doing this because he wants to play with me and doesn't want me to go easy on him, because that wouldn't be any fun.

And he pretends it's effortless because he doesn't want to put any psychological pressure on me.

Sniff, sniff… I'm so touched…

SLAP!

The shuttlecock hit the ground and bounced far away.

His brother stood with his racket, looking at him across the net. "You're distracted today," he said sincerely. "If this continues, your chances at the Universiade might be slim."

"Got it!" Zhu Shuang quickly retrieved the shuttlecock, his expression turning serious.

That's right! The Universiade!

Maybe the truth isn't that simple—

Last year, I mentioned wanting to participate in the Universiade. Maybe I didn't think much of it when I said it, but brother remembered it clearly. He must have been secretly training hard all this time, just so he could be my training partner and help me successfully qualify for the Universiade.

Sob… I'm so moved…