"It's fine, I'll go get some eggs to reduce the swelling," Chen Ke said. If Yao Yao were here, she could have healed me directly.
I lay on Daji's bed and looked up information about the southeastern flying foxes. It turned out they were called fruit bats, with a body length of up to 40 centimeters and a wingspan of over 1.5 meters. Xu Ran, who had transformed in the corridor earlier, was a demon, and her height and wingspan were far greater than ordinary fruit bats, reaching human height. She could probably grow even larger, but was limited by the corridor space. My eight demons also possessed this ability.
Looking at the pictures, they were indeed very ugly. However, when transformed into human form, they were beautiful, with small noses, delicate faces, eyes curved like the moon, and small mouths like cherries, possessing the gentle beauty of a Jiangnan maiden. What surprised me was that fruit bats in nature were herbivores, feeding only on wild fruits, nectar, and the like. I had always thought bats were carnivorous.
However, this did not change the fact that after becoming a demon, she had to feed on fresh blood and flesh. Deer are also herbivores, yet my deer demon ate meat more ferociously than a tiger.
Soon, Chen Ke came up with four eggs, presumably from the hotel's buffet. They were very hot. She blew on them while peeling them, then rubbed the egg whites on my swollen face. As she rubbed, she also blew on my face, which smelled delicious, making me hungry. I didn't know whether to eat the eggs or her.
After rubbing all four eggs, my cheeks had recovered considerably, but there was still noticeable swelling. It would have to do; at least the pain had lessened.
While they went down to eat, I continued to rub my face with eggs, seeking psychological comfort. It was no longer of any use. At seven in the morning, I posted an announcement in the group I had created the previous night, requiring the junior students to come to Bai Lu Hotel at nine o'clock for makeup.
When they came back after eating, I asked Chen Ke if she needed any other auxiliary makeup materials. She said no, that the girls had good natural looks and acupuncture alone would suffice.
By half-past eight, some of the junior students had arrived early. Chu Qi was at the entrance to greet them, Daji was watching from upstairs, and Chen Ke, using selfies sent by the demons in the group, was responsible for their "makeup." Due to the considerable remuneration and the agreement made yesterday, no one refused this unique makeup method, nor did anyone complain of pain (it truly didn't hurt; Chen Ke's needles were very fine). By ten o'clock, all the junior students had finished their makeup and were lining up to show me one by one.
I must admit, Chen Ke's skill was almost divine. Even I, who had spent so much time with them, could barely tell if they were real or fake—as long as they didn't speak. They were all from the south, whereas the demons, as soon as they spoke, had a distinct Northeastern accent.
However, I noticed their clothes didn't quite fit. Contemporary college students have their unique styles of dress, and even without uniforms, one could discern a certain academic flair. I took everyone out of the hotel, hailed several taxis, and headed straight to XinJieKou to shop for clothes. The junior students were somewhat overwhelmed and quickly asked how the clothes would be paid for, as we were at Golden Eagle Plaza, where each item was quite expensive.
"It's all a gift for you, don't be polite with your old senior," I said with a smile.
A few of the smarter ones seemed to have caught on and whispered amongst themselves, "Are we going to be exploited later?"
"There will be no exploitation," I said seriously. "We'll just shop until two o'clock in the afternoon, then return to the hotel, and you can go back to school. After this, we probably won't have a chance to meet again, as I'll be going abroad."
To be cautious, I even lied about my next whereabouts, in case they were questioned by the demons from Shan Hai.
"Oh," I even added, "I'm planning to go to Singapore."
They were half-believing. After they changed into their new outfits, they finally looked the part.
I had the one playing Yao Yao walk in front with me, and the others followed behind. We browsed in crowded areas. At noon, we had another meal at a large hotel. After eating, I saw there was still time, so I led them back to Bai Lu Hotel on foot from XinJieKou. Many of the students had come in high heels, and I was afraid they wouldn't be able to endure for long. Passing a shoe store, I bought each of them a pair of sneakers, board shoes, called Aj1, which were quite expensive. Unlike the clothes, they weren't too flashy and might not be suitable for school. These shoes, however, they could wear back at school—simple white shoes that matched well with various outfits.