My Demon Friends

Chapter 764: Congratulations to EDG once again!

Qiongzhou Island.

The weather was still hot, the sun blazing scorchingly.

The little girl, looking like a child in her loose overalls with a cartoon pattern and a small, light-yellow round hat, held a camera that seemed even bigger than her face. Or so it seemed.

Her temporary assistant, Mianmian, held the reflector, but her gaze often drifted into the distance, watching other people taking wedding photos. Not professional at all.

In front of Baozi, where the camera was pointed, a tall woman in a white wedding dress stood with her hands on her hips, staring at her. The wedding dress accentuated the woman's impressive figure, but her pose was so crude it almost completely ruined her aura.

"Why does he have to hold me? Can't I hold him instead?"

The bride questioned the photographer's directions for the pose, her attitude quite arrogant.

Baozi stared blankly at her. After a few seconds, her gaze involuntarily shifted into the distance.

The sky and water here were beautiful, the beach clean, and it wasn't too crowded. Besides their group, two other wedding photography teams had also found this spot. Since they all primarily used the ocean as a background, they didn't easily interfere with each other and weren't far apart.

Baozi could even hear their voices.

"Don't hold your face so stiffly!"

"Way too rigid!"

"I told you not to place your hands like that!!"

"Oh my..."

"Don't you usually take photos?"

It was other photographers instructing their clients on poses and expressions.

Baozi rarely shot wedding or honeymoon photos, but she knew something about it. Not all, but many people who hired photographers for destination wedding shoots encountered less-than-pleasant ones. Impatience was the norm, especially since many men weren't comfortable in front of the camera. The photography team had to ensure the quality of the photos while keeping to a schedule. If their poses or expressions consistently failed to meet requirements, the photographer's patience would quickly wear thin. An ill-tempered photographer might even resort to harsh words. Good-tempered yet professional photographers were truly rare. That's why many people now avoided destination wedding photo shoots; they could be very upsetting.

After watching for a little while, Baozi shifted her gaze back. She immediately saw Brother Nan, who was in the wedding dress, raise an eyebrow at her.

"What are you looking at?"

Her expression seemed to say— Stop dreaming!

Brother Nan then added, "By the way, can I not wear this wedding dress tomorrow? It's so uncomfortable."

Baozi fell silent and looked up at the sky. Making money is tough.

Just then, she overheard another photographer's voice: "Be careful, don't get the wedding dress dirty!"

Oh! It's only tough for me!

Baozi raised her camera again and nodded. "Then, Sister-in-law, you just hold Cousin. Don't force your expression, just go with the flow; you two have been giggling and laughing the whole time anyway. After this shot, we'll go to the front and take shots of the waves hitting the wedding dress. Those will look great too."

Indeed, they were always happy. Even when the camera wasn't on them, their faces always wore smiles—relaxed and genuine, completely free from the usual impatience and irritation other newlyweds showed during troublesome shoots.

Why was that? It was all because I was the one bearing the burden for them! Ultimately, I was the one shouldering everything! Baozi thought to herself.

「Ten meters to their right—」

The fair and pretty Miss Zheng sat on the beach. She wore red floral beach shorts, her legs stretched out together, her skin pale and delicate. Her hands quietly held a cold drink as her head turned slightly, watching their antics.

Qinghe was picking up shells around her.

Huai Xu squatted before her, digging a hole beside her legs. The hole was about a foot wide and a foot deep, roughly the length of her legs.

Tuanzi the Knight was bravely battling little crabs, the fight fierce.

「Two hours later.」

Baozi put down her camera. Noticing the impatience on Brother Nan's face up ahead, she quickly announced, "That's it for today's shoot. We can play for a bit and then head back for dinner."

"Phew..." Brother Nan let out a long sigh; she was clearly exhausted.

Especially wearing that wedding dress, she was completely uncomfortable. If she hadn't gotten an Obedience Card from Zhou Lili six months ago, she, who had never worn a dress in her life, would never have worn this thing. It was so heavy and long.

Not far away, Miss Zheng's legs were buried in the sand. Her cold drink, no longer cold, was still in her hand. She turned her head to ask them, "Are you leaving?"

Her eyes were calm and clear. Her voice was quiet and gentle.

Huai Xu lifted his head from behind her and looked toward Zhou Li and Brother Nan, also very interested in the answer.

In front of him, a pit less than half a meter wide and a foot deep, about the length of Miss Zheng's upper body, was almost finished. And there were already seven or eight pits on this beach, each as long as Miss Zheng's body.

"Let's play a bit more first!"

After saying this, Brother Nan's eyes darted around. She immediately ran over, swiftly grabbed Tuanzi, who was engrossed in catching crabs, with one hand, and quickly dug a hole with the other. She then stuffed Tuanzi in and covered her up. Only her small cat head was showing.

"HAHA!"

Tuanzi was still a bit dazed. Once she was securely buried, she raised her head to look at the retreating Your Highness. "Your Highness, save me..."

Beside them, Huai Xu had already made Miss Zheng lie down and was in the process of filling the pit.

If things proceeded as usual, Qinghe would soon come over, dig Miss Zheng out, and help her up to sit elsewhere. Then there'd be one more person-sized pit on the beach.

Miss Zheng stayed still and quiet, letting them fuss over her.

"Cousin, it's so hot. Let's get some ice cream?"

"What flavor?"

"Strawberry jam."

"How about a milk tea too?"

"Great!"

Baozi squinted, wiping the sweat from her flushed face with the back of her hand. This time of day was always her happiest.

The sun was gradually sinking below the horizon. The sunset dyed half the sky red.

The neighboring photography team also finished their work for the day. The couple, mentally and physically exhausted, strolled along the beach, not daring to go too far. As they passed by the group sitting in a row watching the sunset, a hint of envy crossed their faces.

「Half a month later.」

On the evening before the wedding, Brother Nan and Zhou Li were rehearsing.

Brother Nan took the lead in removing many cumbersome procedures she disliked, simplifying the ceremony. Zhou Li was also very happy about this; the complex ceremony was as torturous for him as it was for Brother Nan. A wedding should be conducted in a way the couple likes, not according to how others are used to doing things.

A kitten wearing a bow tie walked onto the stage with a box of wedding rings and handed it to Zhou Li.

"...Now please place the diamond ring on the bride's left ring finger."

Zhou Li suddenly realized his hands were trembling. Holding Brother Nan's hand, he fumbled with the ring, struggling to align it.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up and saw Brother Nan grinning at his awkward predicament.

How strange. Even though he knew it was a rehearsal, he still felt so excited and nervous.

He finally managed to put the ring on. Zhou Li looked at Brother Nan's ringed finger, slender and beautiful. A complex, indescribable feeling arose in his heart.

The kitten from before had changed its outfit and came up again. Now it was Brother Nan's turn.

Zhou Li looked down and saw her grinning foolishly, not as flustered as himself. She quickly put the ring on herself but then couldn't help leaning in to whisper to him, "It feels weird."

Zhou Li nodded in agreement.

He glanced quietly to the side. Brother Nan's parents, Old Zhou, and Aunt Jiang were sitting up front, discussing animatedly. The onlookers below included Brother Nan's numerous siblings, who loved a lively scene, Sister Hong Ran who had flown in from Chunming, Ms. Ji, Zhu Shuang, and Huai Xu. They even came to watch the rehearsal. That's just too much.

After finishing the rehearsal, they each went home. When parting, Zhou Li repeatedly cautioned, "No staying up late playing games."

Brother Nan nodded repeatedly. She probably didn't take it seriously.

Zhou Li didn't sleep much either. He was too restless, and he knew tomorrow would require an early start and be quite a hassle.

「The next day.」

Everything went according to plan.

There were no unpleasant traditions and no unexpected hitches. Many formalities were discarded, with the focus solely on having fun and enjoying themselves. A group of bridesmaids did their best to stump the groomsmen, but the groomsmen held the intellectual advantage. The math problems posed by the bridesmaids didn't even last ten minutes. Even the door, which had been securely locked beforehand, inexplicably broke just as Zhou Li and his party arrived. It was as if fate had intervened.

Brother Nan still wore a wedding dress but skipped the high heels.

The wedding ceremony wasn't much different from the rehearsal. The kitten delivering the rings caused an uproar, the young women's eyes filled with little stars.

The demons emerged from their private room and watched from a distance.

It was just that the plain water Zhou Li was drinking had too much alcohol mixed into it, making it taste a bit bitter. If he had known beforehand, he definitely wouldn't have let them mix in a single drop of alcohol.

The evening was even more lively than the afternoon. As many friends and relatives had already gone home, there were fewer people around. Zhou Li and Brother Nan finally had some downtime to sit with their close friends, chatting, drinking, and laughing together. Brother Nan drank a lot, laughing nonstop.

When night fell, it was time for the wedding night pranks.

Everyone then saw Brother Nan shouldering a Guangong Sword. She swept her gaze over the crowd, raised an eyebrow, and said in a slightly tipsy voice, "Who wants to start the wedding night pranks?"

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! The room flashed with the gleam of the blade!

Suddenly, no one dared to make a sound.

"Zhou Li!"

"Ah?"

"You come here!"

"Oh."

"Everyone else can leave now!"

"Alright, Big Brother..."

"Close the door behind you."

The last person out closed the room door.

Brother Nan propped the sword with one hand. With the other, she beckoned Zhou Li with a hooked finger, her breath reeking of alcohol. "Come here, let me 'take good care' of you!"

Zhou Li helplessly walked over. Under Brother Nan's scorching gaze, he pinched her cheek, which felt hot from the alcohol. Then he looked down at Brother Nan as she was now and pursed his lips.

This evening, Brother Nan was wearing Xiuhe attire.

This style of dress, though created only recently and not actually a traditional Chinese wedding garment, is truly beautiful. Perhaps it will become a traditional wedding garment in the future. Brother Nan, naturally beautiful and tall, looked even more slender and elegant in this outfit, with a delicate waistline. When she wasn't speaking, and if one ignored the Guangong Sword in her hand, she truly had the air of a young lady from a prominent family on her wedding day.

"I'm so tired today, Brother Nan." There was a hint of weariness in Zhou Li's voice, and if you listened closely, even a trace of a wheedling tone. After speaking, he reached out and hugged Brother Nan.

With her chin resting on his shoulder and her cheek against his, she asked, "Are you happy?"

"I'm still happy."

"Hmph..." Brother Nan chuckled. "You're the one getting married. If you said you weren't happy, I'd chop you down right now!"

"It's time for the bridal chamber, Brother Nan."

"Haven't we already done that?"

"Don't put it so crudely." Zhou Li patiently taught, but still explained, "This outfit gives it more of a 'feel'."

"You perv!"

"Oh..."

Zhou Li gently pried her pale fingers open, took the Guangong Sword from her, and carefully placed it aside. He then walked over, turned off the room lights, and led Brother Nan by her smooth, pale wrist to the bedside. He was still somewhat in disbelief. "From today onward, we're husband and wife."

"It's fake." Brother Nan shook her head, her cowlick swaying along, and comforted him, "Don't be nervous. This is all just an act."

Zhou Li nodded, understanding.

Brother Nan continued, "But when you put on an act, you have to do it properly... Of course, not *that* kind of 'properly.' *That* kind is impossible."

Speaking in an instructive tone, she leaned closer to Zhou Li, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Having drunk alcohol, her breath was hot. Her body temperature was also very high.