The sunlight outside the car was scorching and unbearable.

Inside the car, however, it was quite cool.

A large truck ahead was belching thick black smoke. As Brother Nan sped up to pass it, she muttered something about the truck probably burning coal briquettes and then turned her head to Zhou Li, who was dozing in the passenger seat. "Don't fall asleep! You need to keep me company and chat to relieve my boredom!"

"I'm worried I'll affect your driving," Zhou Li said, sounding listless.

"I'm an experienced driver already."

"An experienced driver who can't even get on the highway?"

"You…" Brother Nan felt that this person had absolutely no awareness of what it meant to be a co-pilot for an experienced driver. "You need to entertain me, and you also need to compliment my driving when appropriate, got it?"

"Brother Nan drives well."

Brother Nan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to drive recklessly. "How are our flowers doing?"

"I go back to water them every week," Huai Xu's voice came from the back seat as he ate an ice cream cone. "I think we could also keep a pot of roses at home and make our own fresh flower cakes. Fresh flower cakes are usually made from roses, I think."

"All you think about is eating," Zhou Li said helplessly.

"Roses can also be used to make rose yogurt and rose ice jelly; they're a great ingredient," Huai Xu continued.

"Are the flowers blooming well?" asked Brother Nan, referring to the ones they had planted.

"They're blooming nicely," Huai Xu said, then paused. "They bloom every month—bloom and then wither, wither and then bloom again. I felt it was a pity, so I took them to the rooftop to dry and make tea, claiming it was for beauty. It didn't taste good at all, though."

"How come I didn't know about this?" Zhou Li wondered.

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd be reluctant to let me use them," Huai Xu said, quite self-righteously.

"It tastes better with honey," Brother Nan said. "Add some osmanthus as well. The fragrance of osmanthus is really nice. Add some dates and goji berries, and I guess it would taste good."

"And then you discover that removing the Yueli flowers doesn't affect the taste at all," Zhou Li interjected.

"You think you know everything!" Brother Nan said discontentedly.

Zhou Li looked ahead in silence, his hands unconsciously fiddling with Tuanzi's paw, pinching the pads. The sleeping Tuanzi seemed completely unaware of his antics.

During the next stretch of their journey, they truly witnessed how a Demon could act as it pleased with its formidable powers.

POP!

A Häagen-Dazs appeared in Huai Xu's hand.

POP!

Over-the-bridge rice noodles.

POP!

Crispy roast duck.

POP!

Steaming hot spicy crayfish.

POP!

Freshly grilled Zhaotong meat skewers.

POP!

In his left hand, a honeycomb with bees still crawling on it; in his right, a cup of water with Yueli flowers, lemon, goji berries, and honey dates.

Zhou Li was about to lose his mind.

Brother Nan couldn't help but stop the car several times.

Even the sleeping Lord Dumpling, nostrils flaring, opened his eyes in a daze and chided Huai Xu.

Fortunately, their destination for the day was approaching. Otherwise, Zhou Li suspected that if they drove any further, he would end up eating hot pot in the car.

The city ahead was barely visible. Roadwork in the area slowed their driving speed.

Brother Nan rolled down the window, resting her arm on the sill, looking every bit like an experienced driver. As she patiently waited, she critiqued others in a grand, opinionated tone: which car was poorly driven, which car jerked when starting, which car looked good and which was truly ugly, and how those who cut in from the opposite lane were all a bunch of idiots...

Zhou Li, while half-heartedly responding to her, was checking accommodation options in the upcoming city on his phone.

Suddenly, Huai Xu leaned over to him, his breath still smelling of barbecue and crayfish. "What's this '520' thing today? I see lots of young people on the internet treating today as a holiday..."

As he spoke, he held his phone out to Zhou Li. The screen displayed a clickbait article, the kind published by marketing accounts.

Zhou Li shifted his gaze away, not wanting to look.

Huai Xu didn't mind at all. He retracted his phone and continued, "You should be a bit more proactive. Pacify Brother Nan, then amuse me. Then tonight, you two can go out for a candlelit dinner, share a room, chat at night, hold hands, kiss, without a gender-ambiguous little demon like me playing third wheel..."

Zhou Li turned a deaf ear.

However, Brother Nan seemed to catch some of it and turned her head. "What? What '520'… Oh, right!"

She clapped her forehead. "Today is May 20th! No wonder Mom looked at me a bit strangely when I left the house. She definitely thought I chose this date on purpose!"

Zhou Li remained silent. He suddenly recalled that Aunt Jiang and Old Zhou had also seemed a bit off.

It was dark by now. Ahead, a row of scarlet taillights glowed. Brother Nan casually picked up her phone and murmured, "I see other people seem to be getting red envelopes today."

A hint?

Zhou Li pondered for a moment and sensibly took out his phone.

Coincidentally, it rang right then.

Alipay transfer.

Zhou Li was stunned.

At the same time, Brother Nan's voice sounded in his ear, "Don't be too moved. Everyone else gets one, so my boyfriend has to have one too!"

Zhou Li thought briefly and nodded. "Thanks, Brother Nan."

Then he immediately switched to Huai Xu's chat interface and typed, "What do you want to eat?"

Huai Xu: I want a red envelope.

Zhou Li: [Red Envelope]

Huai Xu: I want to eat clear soup goose.

Zhou Li: Okay.

Suddenly, Huai Xu furrowed his brow. "Oh, shoot! I forgot! I still have something to do in Yan City! You guys go ahead. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll come find you tomorrow morning, or maybe by noon!"

Brother Nan turned her head, puzzled. "Wha—"

POOF!

Huai Xu vanished directly from the car.

Brother Nan was thoroughly confused and turned to look at Zhou Li.

Zhou Li was also clueless. "Maybe he has some dinner engagement with a Demon over there?" he said uncertainly.

Brother Nan nodded, a look of sudden realization on her face.

Zhou Li tentatively asked, "Should I book a standard twin room?"

"Yeah!"

Suddenly remembering something, Brother Nan said, "I heard online that when scumbags go out to get a room, they always book twin rooms."

"Why?"

"Not telling you!"

"Huh?"

"Don't want to corrupt you."

"Oh."

Zhou Li placed the booking, selected the navigation route, and swapped Brother Nan's phone with his own for the GPS.

At eight-thirty, they arrived at the hotel.

Entering the room, Zhou Li felt somewhat uneasy.

Now that Huai Xu wasn't here and Lord Dumpling didn't count as a person, it was just him and Brother Nan alone in a hotel room. Even if they weren't sleeping in the same bed, this could still be considered getting a room together, right?

BEEP!

The door was swiped open.

Following Brother Nan into the room, Zhou Li noted the dim lighting. Stepping onto the soft carpet, he felt a surreal sensation.

Brother Nan, in contrast, was very casual. She tossed her backpack onto one of the beds, turned to him, and asked, "Go out to eat?"

Zhou Li nodded.

There was no candlelit dinner, just grilled skewers, crayfish, and beer.

The two of them and the cat had a satisfying meal.

They returned to the hotel.

Zhou Li quietly lay on his bed, texting Aunt Jiang. The sound of rushing water came from the adjacent bathroom. Through a layer of frosted glass, he could only make out a completely indistinct silhouette; Brother Nan didn't seem shy about him potentially seeing.

Zhou Li: We've arrived in Zhaotong.

Aunt Jiang: Have you eaten?

Zhou Li: Yes.

Aunt Jiang: Was the journey safe?

Zhou Li: Safe.

Aunt Jiang: Where are you staying?

Zhou Li: A hotel.

Aunt Jiang: Xiao Nan must be tired from driving, right?

Zhou Li: Mm-hm.

Aunt Jiang: It's so late, go to bed early. By the way, is Xiao Nan asleep yet?

Zhou Li glanced at the light still on in the bathroom and typed to Aunt Jiang: Dunno. Probably not. She's a night owl.

Aunt Jiang: Alright then.

Zhou Li put down his phone and let out a long sigh.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.