The dinner featured an array of rich, oily, and spicy dishes. Aunt Jiang had even bought seafood, serving up everything they had been too hesitant to eat over the past few days.
Zhou Li felt a bit sorry for Huai Xu.Yet, Huai Xu didn't know to excuse himself, or perhaps he didn't want to. He watched like a child as the others ate, his eyes filled with longing.
After dinner, Zhou Li sat on the sofa with Old Zhou, watching the news.
Huai Xu ran over to stand beside him. "A couple of days ago, I saw a young girl on TV," he said. "She seems to be a recently famous star, pretty good-looking, all sweet and cute. What do you think about me changing into her likeness?"
Old Zhou was right there, so Zhou Li couldn't say a word.
Huai Xu didn't care whether Zhou Li replied or not; he just wanted to be heard. "I saw lots of young people putting her picture on their phone screens, but you haven't, eh? If you like her too, how about I let you take a few pictures later? I can even strike a few poses for you!"
Zhou Li didn't even know who he was talking about.
Huai Xu nodded. "It's about time anyway. I've been in this form for a few days; I need a bit of novelty."
After saying that, he took a step to the side.
Zhu Shuang came running over from where Huai Xu had just been standing, phone in hand, exclaiming excitedly, "Look, we're on the Yan City news!"
He showed his phone to Zhou Li and Old Zhou.
Indeed, for the past couple of days, their family had been wearing red T-shirts. Being exceptionally good-looking, they really stood out in the crowd and had been photographed by a reporter.
Old Zhou smiled, crossing one leg over the other. The topic they had dared not touch upon these past few days was now open for discussion.
"Can you get into a key university?" he turned to look at Zhou Li.
"I did pretty well on the exam."
"So, that means your chances are good?" Old Zhou raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty good."
"Have you thought about which schools?"
"I'll decide after the scores are out."
"What about your major?"
"Life sciences, or maybe ecology."
"Oh..." Old Zhou let his voice trail off. He nodded, not pressing further, as he just wanted to get a general idea. He quickly changed the subject. "What about the summer holiday? It's quite long. Have you thought about doing anything?"
Then, worried Zhou Li might feel pressured, he quickly added, "Like traveling somewhere, for example."
Zhou Li glanced back and noticed that Aunt Jiang had sat down on the edge of the sofa at some point without him noticing, listening quietly.
Seeing Zhou Li turn, she chimed in, "Traveling is a good idea. Go out and relax a bit. I see a lot of young men and women go traveling after their exams. But if you don't want to go out, resting at home for a couple of months is also nice. There's no rush for the driver's license; summer is too hot, and you'll get tanned. For someone as good-looking as our Zhou Li, it's not worth getting a tan. It's better to go to university fair-skinned and neat to make a good impression on your classmates."
"I want to find a summer job to earn my college tuition."
"That's good. Tuition isn't that high, and you have more than two months. You can earn it," Old Zhou nodded.
"What's good about that!" Aunt Jiang frowned. "Finding a summer job for experience is a good thing, but you can save the money you earn for university expenses. Our family isn't short on money for your tuition."
"Hmm, Aunt Jiang is right too," Old Zhou conceded. "So, are you going to find one yourself, or come to my place?"
"I'll try finding one myself first."
While they were chatting, Zhou Li noticed it had grown dark outside. And somehow, Huai Xu had already changed his appearance!
He now looked like a very delicate and cute young girl, very pretty.
Her face shape was quite attractive: a bit too round to be a 'melon seed' face, a bit too sharp for an 'egg-shaped' face, yet not as full as a 'Baozi' face. Her features were delicate and harmonious, quite distinctive. However, Zhou Li, having been a recluse during his senior year of high school, didn't recognize her at all.
After watching the news, he decided to go out for a walk.
Huai Xu quickly followed, eagerly asking, "How is it? Do I look good?"
"You look good, but there's something off."
"What is it?"
"Your skin is too perfect. Better than the real person with makeup, right?"
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"It's too good. It looks unreal."
"Oh, oh, that makes sense. I'll pay attention next time." Huai Xu stared at the skin on Zhou Li's neck for a while, as if memorizing it, before nodding.
"Do you like this star?" he asked again.
"I don't know her."
Zhou Li thought the two appearances Huai Xu most often used were better looking; both male and female forms were stunningly beautiful, refined to perfection. This new one was pretty too, but ultimately, it was the appearance of an ordinary human.
After going downstairs, Zhou Li began wandering around the residential complex, pondering what kind of part-time job he should find.
He rather fancied finding a construction job like Brother Nan, moving bricks. He was physically strong, and he knew several male classmates with family connections to construction sites were planning to work there too. After all, the pay was good. Even if students earned a bit less, it was still decent, and there was no shame in it.But that was precisely the problem.These days, there wasn't much work on construction sites. If you didn't have an elder family member with a long-term position there, you really had no way in.
But Old Zhou was also right: the tuition for a key university was around four thousand yuan. Even by handing out flyers or selling water on the streets, he could earn about that much.
As he was thinking this, Huai Xu, walking beside him, suddenly said, "Look, the little Demons in your neighborhood!"
Zhou Li snapped out of his thoughts and indeed saw two little Demons.
They also seemed to be taking a walk, slowly circling the stone-paved path in the residential complex. They were heading in the same direction as Zhou Li and Huai Xu, but due to their short legs, they moved much slower and were soon overtaken.
"The future... who can be certain about it..." the grey cat sighed with an air of worldly wisdom, ambling along.
"I'm a little afraid," said the round mouse, walking upright with its small hands clasped behind its back.
"What's there to fear? What's meant to come will come. Fate... if you fear it, will it spare you?" The grey cat turned its head to look at the round mouse. "After all these years, you still don't understand."
"I always remember... I just want to live a peaceful life."
"That's destiny..."
Zhou Li unconsciously slowed his pace.
At this point, Huai Xu turned his head, puzzled, and asked him, "What's wrong? Are you scared of them?"
Zhou Li shook his head.
He naturally wasn't afraid; both of them were harmless. Previously, when they had nothing to eat, Zhou Li had deliberately left biscuits for them. However, he couldn't say he was entirely without concerns. Zhou Li had witnessed them bullying stray cats and dealing with a husky that had peed at their door. So, Zhou Li wasn't sure if they would treat him differently after discovering he wasn't an ordinary person.
"Then why, after all this time, do they still not know you can see them? Haven't you ever greeted them?"
"...They know now."
The two little Demons ahead had already stopped in their tracks, turning back to look at them in terror, their eyes wide.
Huai Xu pursed his lips and said, "Perfect. Aren't you supposed to be learning how to deal with Demons? Why not start with these two little ones?"
The grey cat and the round mouse immediately exchanged a glance and, with tacit understanding, bolted in opposite directions.
Huai Xu moved.
Almost in a blur, before Zhou Li could clearly see, Huai Xu had the two little Demons in his hands. "Don't run," he said. "I won't hit you. I just want to get to know you."
After a pause, he addressed Zhou Li again. "See? Demons aren't scary at all. Ordinary people are afraid of them because they can't see them. Humans tend to fear what they don't understand, and these Demons can also make themselves intangible to ordinary people. But you're different. You were never ordinary to begin with. Little Demons like these, you could kick them away with one foot!"
Zhou Li saw the two little Demons struggling and said, "Let them down first."
"I'm afraid they'll bite you or run away again."
"But..."
"Alright, alright." Huai Xu relented, then looked down at the two little Demons. "I'll let you go, but don't run. I promise I won't hit you!"
"Understood, understood!" the round mouse nodded vigorously.
"You're far too arrogant!" the grey cat seethed, so angry its fur was practically bristling. "We didn't offend you! Do you think you can just do as you please because you're stronger?"
"So fierce," Huai Xu muttered.
He released his grip.
The grey cat landed steadily, while the round mouse rolled over once before scrambling up.
Zhou Li pursed his lips and said to the two Demons, "I apologize on his behalf. I'm sorry."
The round mouse, while brushing dust off itself, looked weakly at Zhou Li. "So you've always been able to see us! I thought you were an ordinary person. If we've inadvertently offended you... we're sorry."
"Nothing of the sort," Zhou Li said.
"Then what do you want, now that you've found us?" the grey cat asked, still indignant. "Regardless, picking us up and tossing us to the ground like that was incredibly rude. We always thought you were a good person."
"I apologize."
"Do you want to imprison us and make us serve you?" the round mouse asked. "We're just two weak little Demons."
"We will not agree," the grey cat stated firmly.
"Lies! I suddenly smell the scent of a mid-level Demon on one of you," Huai Xu suddenly spoke up, sniffing the air.
"What do you want to do?" The round mouse was terrified.
"Don't be afraid! I told you I wouldn't hit you!" Huai Xu suspected these two little Demons were suffering from persecutory delusions.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Really," Zhou Li echoed with a nod. "I'm truly sorry about what happened earlier, and I won't make any excessive demands on you. But since we've been neighbors for so long, I think it's time we got to know each other. My name is Zhou Li. What about yours?"
"Are you a Demon Hunter?" the round mouse asked.
"No."
"Really not?"
"I promise."
The two little Demons looked at each other again.
After a moment of contemplation, the grey cat spoke first. "Alright, we've decided to trust you."
Zhou Li nodded. "Thank you."
The round mouse was the first to give a nod of assent. "You can call me Xiao Yuan. It's easier to remember."
Then it was the grey cat's turn. "Humans cannot perceive our true names, but you can call me Lao Hui. I am a Lightning Demon."
"Lightning Demon?"
"My speed is very fast, so they call me Lightning Demon," Lao Hui said.
Very fast, huh... Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu.
"Very fast! Don't believe me? Just watch." Lao Hui demonstrated, running a circle around Zhou Li. He moved so quickly that, combined with his small size and the dim evening light, Zhou Li almost thought he had vanished.
"Just not as fast as him," Lao Hui said, returning to his original spot and pointing at Huai Xu beside Zhou Li, his brow furrowed.
"That's very impressive."
Zhou Li now recalled what Huai Xu had just said—you can kick them away with one foot.