My Demon Friends

Chapter 758

"Where can we even find it..." Zhou Li said, somewhat helplessly.

Brother Nan wanted to plant a tree in the middle of the garden. Because trees grow slowly, it needed to be an already mature, large tree.

It couldn't just be any ordinary tree. It had to suit her taste, but even she couldn't articulate what kind of tree she wanted. She only knew it had to be big, lush, and have a beautiful shape. Zhou Li had already been following her around for days, trying to find that tree, locate its owner, and buy it.

So far, they'd had no success.

Brother Nan turned her head in response to his complaint.

Zhou Li had expected another punch, or at least a fierce glare or scolding from Brother Nan, but none of that happened. Instead, he saw her with her mouth slightly open, a blank expression on her face, her eyes glancing sideways.

"What's wrong?" Based on his usual understanding of Brother Nan, she had something to say, and she was likely about to do something foolish again.

Zhou Li followed her gaze—a hotel.

Zhou Li's expression also turned blank. "You..."

Brother Nan's eyes darted around, glancing left and right.

Tuanzi wasn't there.

Huai Xu wasn't there.

The miniature girl wasn't there either.

Brother Nan fixed her gaze on Zhou Li. "We've been searching for so long, aren't you tired?"

"Well..." Zhou Li hadn't finished speaking when Brother Nan interrupted him. "In that case, why don't we get a room to rest and take a nap? Wouldn't that be good?"

"That would be pretty good..."

"I think so too! If we're well-rested and have energy, we can search for the tree more effectively!"

"Makes sense..."

"You brought your ID, right?"

"I did."

"Great!"

Brother Nan nodded and took the lead.

Zhou Li wanted to follow, but his feet suddenly felt so heavy that he couldn't move; he just stood there stupidly.

By the time he snapped out of it, Brother Nan was already several meters ahead. He hurriedly jogged to catch up, following behind her, full of trepidation, his face flushing and heart racing. He kept looking around—even though going to hotels and getting rooms was already common for him, this time he was still very nervous.

This was it, the final level.

One after the other, they stepped into the hotel.

Zhou Li followed Brother Nan obediently, nervous yet excited, but trying to appear calm as he covertly observed Brother Nan's back and the hotel front desk.

After being so busy with renovations, early spring had turned into midsummer. The Gregorian calendar showed May, which was another month where the lunar and Gregorian dates aligned. At this time of year in Chunming, the afternoon sun had become very intense and hot. However, that wasn't a problem for the two of them in their car, protected from UV rays. Brother Nan was wearing a very short tank top. Seen from the back, her shoulders and back had extremely beautiful lines. Her skin was as white as snow, and her hair, tied in a braid, draped over her back, giving her a very clean and neat look.

The front desk clerk was a pretty young lady in a white shirt. A stunningly beautiful ragdoll cat sat on the counter, its captivating eyes coldly sweeping over them.

"Do you have any rooms available?" Brother Nan asked calmly, as usual.

She even had the leisure to tease the fortune cat, withdrawing her hand only after it huffed at her.

They quickly received the room card.

Brother Nan held the card, tossing it lightly in her hand, her demeanor like that of a seasoned hotel guest, casually glancing at Zhou Li. "Let's go."

"Oh."

Zhou Li followed her upstairs.

It was just the afternoon. This was the time when hotels typically experienced a peak in check-outs, so many rooms were not yet cleaned. When Zhou Li and Brother Nan reached their room, a female cleaner was still tidying up. Consequently, they had to wait at the door. The wait was excruciatingly awkward and uncomfortable.

"All done..." The female cleaner nodded at them.

Only then did the two of them enter the room. They were instantly met with a pleasant, mind-calming fragrance. The room was also very cozily arranged, which seemed to soothe the turmoil in Zhou Li's heart quite a bit.

After some preparation, the unlocking process began.

「A few hours later—」

Unlock failed... The final level was too difficult!

Zhou Li was also baffled. No one, and nothing he'd ever read or watched, had told him this level would be so hard!

From the 'instructional videos' Brother Nan had sent him to study, everyone else seemed to complete the 'task' with ease, simplicity, and joy. Of course, Zhou Li could understand that. After all, they were professionals. But even in movies or books that depicted amateurs unlocking the final stage for the first time, no such difficulty was ever portrayed. It was as if everything just fell into place, like a key sliding into its matching lock—natural and effortless.

Why was it so difficult when it was his turn? Am I the only one? he couldn't help but wonder.

It wasn't only difficult... And he even got hit during the process!

Zhou Li was utterly bewildered!

In the end, they could only give up. The two of them took a nap, which, admittedly, was very comfortable.

Leaving the hotel.

Brother Nan walked with her usual stride. Turning her head to glance at Zhou Li, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She leaned close to Zhou Li, slung an arm around his shoulder, and with a mischievous grin asked, "Was it too soft? Or did you not use the technique correctly?"

Zhou Li's expression was numb.

Not only beatings, but mockery too.

And the words used to mock him were his own past words, making the taunt all the more lethal.

"HAHAHA!" Brother Nan let out a hearty laugh.

But considering her little boyfriend's pride, after laughing, she still adopted her 'Big Bro' air, patting Zhou Li on the shoulder encouragingly. "Don't get discouraged! Failure is the mother of success. We'll learn from this experience and try again next time. Pick yourself up where you fell!"

Zhou Li silently turned his head and looked back at the hotel.

He had to pick himself up from here.

They resumed working on the courtyard and garden.

They continued searching for the tree Brother Nan had her heart set on.

Half a month later, Zhou Li and Brother Nan returned to where they had fallen, to try unlocking the final stage once more.

They failed to unlock it again.

Outside the hotel, Brother Nan said to Zhou Li, "It seems you haven't studied the materials I sent you seriously enough!"

Zhou Li was frustrated and retorted, "You don't know anything either, do you?"

"??" Two question marks seemed to pop up over Brother Nan's head. She slowly turned her head and stared blankly at Zhou Li.

"SWOOSH!" A punch flashed out like lightning.

But Zhou Li, as if he had anticipated it, stepped back to dodge her straight punch. He then bent over to avoid her hook and stepped to the side, dodging the kick she threw in exasperation. Finally, he stood his ground, silently watching her without saying a word.

It was simply a matter of practice.

「Another half a month later—」

Success at last! Congratulations were in order!

Zhou Li lay next to Brother Nan. Mirrors embedded in the ceiling above allowed him to see them lying there together. He was deeply moved and let out a long sigh of relief—

It really hadn't been easy!

Brother Nan, however, was frowning and murmuring quietly, "So this is what it's like. I thought it would be more fun..."

Zhou Li acted as if he hadn't heard, flipping over to embrace the soft and warm Brother Nan. There was no barrier between their heated bodies. He whispered into Brother Nan's ear, trying to negotiate, "How about we pick a good time next year to get our marriage license? Right after the graduation defense, we can have the wedding. What do you think?"

"Get off!" Brother Nan pushed him away unceremoniously, murmuring softly, "Couldn't you have picked another time to say that? You're ruining the mood..." But she didn't refuse.

Back at the garden. It was dusk, the time they usually returned home.

The sky was dim, the light faintly yellow, yet the horizon blazed with fiery light. The clouds overhead were a mix of rose-red and dark grey, like charcoal burning down to embers. To their astonishment, they found a large tree suddenly standing in the center of the otherwise flat garden. It was tall and lush, with a perfect shape, standing quietly alone in the twilight.

The swing under the tree was swaying.

All the flowers in the garden were blooming quietly.

Brother Nan was stunned. This was the tree she had wanted, the very scene she had imagined.

She stood at the iron gate of the garden for a long while. Although she didn't look to the side, she knew Zhou Li was standing right beside her. She whispered to him, her voice so soft it was as if she were talking to herself,

"It feels like I've dreamed this scene before.

"And yet, it feels like I haven't."