My Demon Friends-Chapter 677 - 638: Lord Dumpling, Are You a Demon?

It was nearly noon.

Brother Nan was still asleep.

Zhou Li and Tuanzi were sitting side by side on the sofa watching SpongeBob when suddenly his phone vibrated.

Tuanzi's reaction was a bit quicker than Zhou Li's. As soon as the vibration started, she sensed it, turned her head in confusion, and looked down at the lit-up phone screen.

"MEOW~"

"Yes, my package has arrived," Zhou Li said as he picked up the phone and stood up. "Lord Dumpling, continue watching cartoons at home. I'm just going out to collect a package. I'll be back soon."

"Lord Dumpling wants to go too," Tuanzi immediately stood up to follow.

"No need," Zhou Li turned back to persuade her. "I need to carry something heavy. I can't hold Lord Dumpling while doing that. You should stay at home."

"But I can help you!" Tuanzi's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"What about the cartoon..."

"Press that one!"

"Pause?"

"Pause, meow!"

"Alright then."

Zhou Li picked up the remote, pressed pause, and continued walking out. "Just so you know, I am not going to carry Lord Dumpling."

Tuanzi followed behind him with quick steps. Hearing his words, she held her head high in protest, "Lord Dumpling can walk!"

"Is that so?"

"Indeed it is!"

Zhou Li led her out of the apartment.

Tuanzi was very well-behaved today, following quietly behind him. She would sit down with him to wait for the elevator, avoid other cats and dogs, and steer clear of litter and puddles from melted ice cream on the road. When he went in to pick up the package, she sat obediently at the door, her neck craned as she watched people come and go. She didn't seek their attention and ignored the teasing from cat lovers, giving the false impression of having turned over a new leaf.

"THUMP..."

Zhou Li threw a long package, the size of several Tuanzis, in front of her, startling her with the noise.

"Take it! Didn't you want to help me carry it?"

"MEOW~"

Tuanzi stared blankly at the package, then looked up at him, her eyes brimming with little stars.

Zhou Li smiled, bent down, and picked up the package again.

「Back home.」

Zhou Li put Tuanzi on the sofa, pressed the play button on the remote, and then picked up a knife to open the package.

But Tuanzi wasn't focused on the cartoon. Instead, she turned to him and asked in a crisp voice, "Zhou Ni, what's that, meow?"

"A mat."

"A mat..."

"Right."

"Oh, what are you doing, meow?"

"Unpacking the mat."

"Unpacking the mat for what, meow?"

"To take it out and lay it on the bed," Zhou Li explained as he unpacked. "That way, it won't be hot when sleeping at night."

"Oh!"

Actually, with Chunming's climate, not many people used mats. Zhou Li hadn't used one last summer. However, these past few days had been rather hot, and he had slept with the air conditioner on the night before. A few days ago, he suddenly remembered the days he lived at Miss Zheng's house, where they would lay a cooling mat that could leave grid marks on one's face. He grew nostalgic for the feel of the cooling mat and ended up buying one, uncertain of how many nights he'd actually use it.

He preferred the cold more than the heat.

This mat differed from the gridded bamboo mat at Miss Zheng's house; it was woven from fine, long bamboo strips that rolled up easily. It had two sides – one smooth and the other with complex patterns. Being new and a product of modern craftsmanship, it had a faint smell.

Zhou Li glanced at Brother Nan, noticing she still hadn't woken up, so he took the mat to the master bathroom to clean it.

The laughter from SpongeBob echoed from outside...

But Tuanzi had scurried to the entrance of the master bathroom, sitting properly, her curious gaze fixed on Zhou Li inside. She watched him apply soap to the mat, creating foam; every brush stroke left an especially noticeable white mark.

"Zhou Ni, what are you doing, meow?"

"Washing the mat."

"Washy... mat?"

"Washing the mat."

"Oh." Tuanzi watched unblinkingly, as if deep in thought. "So you're hiding in here washing the mat, meow."

"..." Zhou Li continued to scrub as he asked, "Isn't Lord Dumpling watching the cartoon outside?"

"Don't want to."

"Is SpongeBob not interesting? What do you want to watch then?"

"Watch Zhou Ni wash the mat!"

"There's nothing interesting about me washing the mat," Zhou Li said with a smile. "Doesn't Lord Dumpling like watching cartoons? It's still playing outside."

"No, it's not that! Lord Dumpling likes watching cartoons with Zhou Ni."

This... I see.

Zhou Li's expression went through several rapid changes: surprise, delight, embarrassment, numbness... And finally, realization hit him. He had unwittingly fallen for the tricks of this sneaky Little Trash Cat.

After cleaning the mat thoroughly, Zhou Li, believing that great strength can achieve miracles, shook it vigorously several times, splashing water all over the walls. Some tiny droplets even flew towards the door, making Lord Dumpling squint each time. Eventually, she shuffled to a spot shielded by the wall where she couldn't be splashed, peering in from time to time, half her little head poking out to closely monitor Zhou Li's every move.

"Lord Dumpling?"

"MEOW!"

Tuanzi suddenly popped out from behind the door.

Zhou Li smiled tenderly. So you were here. Then, holding up the mat, he said, "I'm going to take it up to the roof to dry. Does Lord Dumpling want to come along?"

"Yes! Want to come together!"

"Let's go."

「When the person and cat returned from drying the mat on the roof, Brother Nan was also awake.」

Sitting on the couch was a languid young woman, her eyes still groggy and hair as messy as a bird's nest. When she slept, she didn't cover herself with a blanket, kicking it to the floor. Now that she had woken up, she picked it up and wrapped it into a ball to hug.

"Where did you two go?"

"I went to the rooftop to dry the mat."

"Where did the mat come from?"

"Just bought it... Were you hot when you slept?"

"The side next to the couch was hot, the other side wasn't."

"No wonder you kept flipping over." Zhou Li glanced at her chest and quickly averted his gaze. "Let's go out to eat then."

"I haven't washed up yet..."

Brother Nan spoke as she set down the bundled-up blanket and shuffled in her slippers towards the bathroom, adding, "Oh, by the way, your cousin sent you a message saying she's coming to visit you; she's already on her way. I replied for you. She should be here soon."

"Okay."

Zhou Li didn't mind Brother Nan casually using his phone.

At that moment, Brother Nan suddenly paused, tilting her head slightly but not turning back. She said indifferently, "By the way, that hidden album of yours is quite interesting!"

"!!!"

Zhou Li instantly widened his eyes.

How... How could she look through someone's photo album?

Brother Nan resumed her steps, and with the sound of her slippers dragging on the floor, came her words, "I just glanced at it quickly; I haven't started looking closely yet. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough time to finish. I plan to take my time and enjoy it later. After all, there are 231 pictures..."

As she spoke, she had already entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Zhou Li sat motionless on the couch.

The Old Monster's gloating expression appeared from the top edge of the screen. "I told you already, play with fire and you'll get burned. You wouldn't listen."

"This is ambiance!" Zhou Li insisted, flustered.

"Oh... I'll take a good lesson from this later." The Old Monster nodded. A lesson learned, a lesson learned.

"..."

「A knock sounded at the door.」

With a blank expression, Zhou Li got up to open it. Standing outside was his petite Little Cousin, who looked up at him with unblinking eyes.

"Morning."

Zhou Li greeted her first. "What made you come to see me?"

Little Cousin hesitated, then quickly said, "I-I came to pick up Brother Nan and take her back to school."

Zhou Li internally thought, Great, just take her away later, but he knew it was unrealistic. The thought was pointless and would only invite mockery from the Old Monster. Moreover, he didn't believe his Little Cousin's words. "You'd have to be incredibly free to come all this way just to pick up Brother Nan and take her back to the dorm."

On hearing this, Little Cousin lowered her head and said honestly, "Mianmian and Qian Qian went out, and I'm alone in the dorm. It's gloomy and eerie, and I'm a bit scared."

"I see..." Zhou Li nodded. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"We're just about to go out for a meal. Come with us. What would you like to eat?"

"Ice cream."

"That's not a meal."

"Oh." Baozi thought for a moment, then lifted her eyelids to steal a glance at Zhou Li. "Have you heard about this milk tea hotpot..."

"Don't even suggest it."

"Oh."

Little Cousin sat down on the couch and stared at the TV, waiting quietly for Brother Nan to finish washing up.

The TV was still playing SpongeBob, the episode about jellyfish hunting. She sneakily glanced beside Zhou Li to see Lord Dumpling sitting upright, watching the TV screen intently.

Baozi's gaze gradually became unfocused.

Until Tuanzi seemed to sense something, turned her head to look at Baozi, tilted her head, and meowed softly.

"Ah!"

Baozi quickly snapped back to reality and said in a fluster, "Greetings, Lord Dumpling!"

"Hello~~"

Tuanzi responded crisply.

Of course, to Baozi, it just sounded like a particularly pleasing meow with a kittenish tone. She fell silent for a moment before continuing to ask, "Lord Dumpling, are you watching the cartoon?"

"Yes, I am, meow!"

"Lord Dumpling, can you understand the cartoon?"

"I can understand it, meow!"

"Then... Lord Dumpling, are you a demon?"

"No, I'm not, meow!" Tuanzi looked at Baozi earnestly. "There are no demons in this world, meow!"

"Right..."

"I'm not!"

"Then I get it..."

"Meow?"

Tuanzi's gaze flickered. She suddenly turned her head away, as if she no longer wanted to talk to Baozi, and said to Zhou Li, "Zhou Ni, your cousin has gone silly, meow..."

Zhou Li nodded, muttering an "Mm-hmm" without further response.

Baozi, meanwhile, quietly observed Tuanzi's reaction and also her cousin's reaction.

Although one could always see exceptionally smart animals on the internet—more often dogs, but cats too—some cats could even mimic human speech or seemed to understand it. Whenever such videos appeared, a crowd of people would reply, saying, "Cats understand human speech; they just don't care to listen to you," and sometimes Baozi believed them.

As for Lord Dumpling...

Sometimes she seemed as clever as a little demon, and other times as dumb as any regular cat. Usually, when Baozi called her, she wouldn't pay attention or understand. But when Brother Nan told her to do something, she always seemed to understand.

In the past, no one would have thought along those lines, especially not a life sciences student.

But things are different now.

Baozi's gaze began to twinkle.