My Demon Friends-Chapter 713 - 674: Old Bacon

The first thing upon returning home—open the window.

The high-rise wind rushed in, making the leaves of the plants on the balcony flutter and lifting the curtains, bringing in fresh air.

Zhou Li quickly checked on his beloved flowers.

Indeed, some leaves were densely covered with tiny yellow spots, likely traces left from mites feeding on the sap. However, the whole plant was now clean, with no spider mites or their webs. There were a few newly grown branches and leaves, their color a bright and glossy green.

There was even a new strong shoot…

In a slightly smaller pot next to it, Brother Nan's plant was also thriving.

It had bloomed many flowers.

Zhou Li took a pair of scissors, trimmed the strong shoot, calculated the time, buried some more slow-release fertilizer, then mixed a pot of rich flower feed and watered the plant.

In Chunming, the city where they resided, the temperature was suitable for Yueli flowers for most of the year. With proper care, Yueli flowers could bloom continuously all year round. Nevertheless, Yueli flowers are still somewhat delicate plants, and potted ones are not as robust as those planted in the ground. They require not only proper sunlight, ventilation, and fertilizer but also vigilance against pests and diseases.

These plants were notoriously high-maintenance.

Just as Zhou Li finished watering and stood up, Huai Xu's voice came from behind him, "Could you tend to my Little Lotus too!"

"Tend to what?"

"…" Huai Xu was stumped by his question and said, blinking, "Like you did with your flower."

"Your plant doesn't need that."

"Why not? You don't want to tend to mine! You only care for your own flowers!" Huai Xu argued confidently. "I even caught the little bugs on your flowers for you!"

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just different," Zhou Li said, exasperated. "Don't you have a special nutrient solution? Moreover, this plant doesn't really need trimming; ensuring sunlight is enough. What your water lily needs most is sunlight—direct sunlight. The more sun it gets, the better."

"Is that so…" Huai Xu tilted his head, looking at him with a doubtful gaze.

Zhou Li felt quite hurt by this.

When had the trust between us dwindled to such an extent? I'm naturally not one to lie or deceive.

The problem definitely lay with Huai Xu.

Turning around, he walked back into the apartment. Brother Nan had carelessly thrown her luggage on the couch and hadn't bothered to tidy it up. She was sitting on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, idly shaking it, and looked at him calmly.

"If you get a bird, go out for walks from time to time, and play chess with the old men, you'll already be living a retired life."

"Cats will eat birds."

"MEOW? Lord Dumpling is not a cat, you know!"

"But you just meowed."

"Lord Dumpling can MEOW too!" Tuanzi looked straight at him. "Lord Dumpling can also BARK!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Let me hear it."

"WOOF!"

"Indeed!"

Zhou Li smiled, walked over to the sofa, and began to tidy up the luggage, at least to make it look less cluttered.

「The next morning, at the school gate.」

They stood side by side, pulling their suitcases and looking straight ahead.

The fountain at the school gate was on again, looking impressive. Many private cars clogged the road; security guards struggled to direct traffic. They resorted to using a megaphone, asking students and parents to hurry when getting out of cars, and urging drivers to leave quickly without lingering.

Many freshmen crowded at the gate, lugging suitcases of all sizes, following their parents, ready to step into this school where they would spend the next four years, a school they looked forward to with great anticipation.

The campus was filled with numerous tents. Banners bearing the names of departments hung above them, and long lines of new students were forming to register.

"It's the new student orientation season again," Zhou Li remarked.

"This scene is almost identical to two years ago," Brother Nan, for a change, sighed along with him. "Once we step through this gate today, we'll be third-year seniors."

"Time passes so quickly," Zhou Li said.

"Yeah," Brother Nan tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Hearing that someone's a junior... it makes them sound like an old-timer already, about to graduate. So..."

"So what?" Zhou Li turned to look at her.

"So let's not go through the main gate. Let's climb over the fence instead!" Brother Nan suggested earnestly. "That way, we're still sophomores!"

"..."

Zhou Li knew he shouldn't have expected anything sensible from her.

They stood at the school entrance for a long time, watching, until finally, Zhou Li, with his suitcase in his left hand and holding Brother Nan's arm with his right, entered through the main gate.

The morning sunlight was pale gold, shining on the faces of the freshmen, revealing their youthfulness, excitement, aspirations, and a bit of bewilderment. Zhou Li quietly observed and could vaguely make out their personalities from their faces—some were cheerful and outgoing, others reserved and introverted. But no one knew how they would spend these four years of university or what changes would happen after these four years. It was an unpredictable and utterly charming process.

Some young women and men spotted this pair of extremely good-looking seniors and, while stealing glances, suddenly looked forward to their four college years even more.

RUMBLE... RUMBLE...

Their suitcases rolled along the ground.

Zhou Li soon encountered his first acquaintance: a slightly chubby girl with a small black backpack and a Little Demon perched on her shoulder.

"What a coincidence!" Zhou Li greeted them. "Xiao Hua, Doudou."

"Ah! Club President! Senior Zhou Li! And Lord Dumpling!" Xiao Hua greeted them with surprise, slightly bowing her head before adding, "What a coincidence, you just arrived today?"

"Yeah," Zhou Li said. "How about you?"

"I returned to Chunming half a month ago."

"That early, huh?"

"Yeah, got stuff to do."

"You've been working hard."

"Not at all..." Xiao Hua smiled modestly, with a hint of endearing shyness. Her eyes shifted quickly as she spotted the suitcase Brother Nan was pulling and hurriedly rushed over. "Club President, let me help you with that!"

"No need!"

"It's fine, it's fine..." Xiao Hua took the suitcase from Brother Nan, then said as she pulled it along, "There are so many freshmen today!"

"Yeah, you're a sophomore now too," Brother Nan casually asked. "How does it feel?"

"My feeling? So much fresh meat! Exciting!"

"Fresh meat eventually turns into old-timers too."

"True," Xiao Hua nodded. "But Club President, with freshmen enrolling, club recruitment is coming up. What's the plan for our club this year? Are we going to make a big move, or continue the strict recruitment process?"

"What do you think?"

"I... my opinion doesn't count," Xiao Hua waved her hands repeatedly. "Only yours does."

"None of that formal stuff," Brother Nan waved her hand with a smile. "It's pointless. You're going to take over as Club President next year."

"Understood!" Xiao Hua immediately corrected her demeanor. She stood tall and spoke with conviction: "I think we can recruit all the Heavenly Masters from the entire freshman batch. The number of Heavenly Masters is increasing year by year. Gathering these Young Heavenly Masters, guiding them properly, and managing them well would perfectly complement my job!"

As she spoke, she quickly glanced at Brother Nan. "Of course, we'll still adhere to your previous recruitment principles and vet these freshmen... Ultimately, you make the final decision."

"Good suggestion!" Brother Nan thought for a moment and nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Thank you for trusting me, Club President! I guarantee I'll give my all!"

"We're friends, relax a bit..."

"Understood!"

Brother Nan just sighed, tugging at the corner of her mouth. She didn't say much more, just casually chatted with Xiao Hua about the specifics of club recruitment, occasionally giving directions to a few people who asked.