Chapter 66
For Little Feather, the wait for A-Ran’s attention felt like an eternity. For An Xun, however, the lunch break with A-Ran flew by. As Lin Ran walked him back to the hotel, An Xun held his hand tightly.
“What’s wrong? Sad again?” Lin Ran asked, sensing his mood.
“I want to live in your dorm, A-Ran,” An Xun confessed, making Lin Ran chuckle.
“It’s too small, and you’d have to share a bathroom with three other people,” he said, knowing An Xun’s slightobsessiveness with cleanliness.
An Xun felt a pang of disappointment. A-Ran treated him like a child.
“See you tomorrow at the festival?” Lin Ran said, as the car arrived. He crouched down to adjust An Xun’s mask and hat, but An Xun quickly wrapped the scarf he had bought for him around Lin Ran’s neck.
“Don’t catch a cold, A-Ran. Autumn is coming,” he said, pleased with how well the scarf suited him.
Lin Ran, touched, let him tie it. “Thank you, Snowball. So grown-up now, buying clothes for me.”
“Can I buy you more?” An Xun asked, knowing A-Ran was easily swayed by such requests, his voice muffled by the mask. He then hugged Lin Ran, nuzzling his cheek.
“Bye, A-Ran. See you tomorrow,” he said, blushing, then quickly got into the car, like a cub who had just done something mischievous, both shy and worried about A-Ran’s reaction.
Lin Ran, however, found his awkward hug endearing. He suspected An Xun hadn’t received much affection from his parents. He waved at An Xun, who was looking at him through the car window, and sent him a message:
[You can hug me longer next time, baby. [Hugging dog sticker]]
An Xun, blushing, wanted to transform into a snow leopard and curl up in a ball. A-Ran didn’t mind his hug and even wanted more! He regretted leaving so quickly. He covered his ears, afraid they would pop out in his excitement.
Then, another message:
[If anything bothers you, tell me. Especially if someone at work is being mean to you.] An Xun, after a moment’s thought, realized A-Ran had noticed his issues with Fu Yan. A-Ran always seemed to notice his emotions. He secretly enjoyed this attention.
[I know. Don’t worry. [Kissing dog sticker]] He quickly typed the message, then, after hesitating, added the kissing sticker, wanting to kiss A-Ran. A-Ran often kissed him as a cub, but less so in his human form. Was he less cute as a human? He wanted to check his reflection.
Lin Ran, having prepared an explanation, was surprised by An Xun’s immediate reply. Did he already know? Did he understand what he was referring to?
Fu Yan, watching An Xun through the rearview mirror, felt her suspicion towards Lin Ran grow.
“I left something at the Guan Bai district house,” An Xun said, breaking the silence.
“Should we go back? It’s quite far,” Fu Yan asked, annoyed.
“No, I’ll give you the code. Bring it tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Fu Yan said, her mind racing. She had long coveted the treasures in that villa, Lu Ya’s personal playground. Having the code meant access, and it seemed An Xun trusted her. Or perhaps he was simply naive, unaware of the villa’s true value. She didn’t notice An Xun’s indifferent gaze as he looked out the window, his expression almost… adult-like.
Lin Ran, walking back to the dorm, wondered if An Xun had noticed Fu Yan’s hostility. If so, he was relieved. But it also meant An Xun had learned to be wary at a young age, forced to rely on himself. He felt a pang of sympathy.
Back in his dorm, he realized Little Feather was missing. It usually rushed to greet him. “Feather? Are you here?” he called out, searching, then came face to face with the Maine Coon, which had entered through the window.
“…” Shao Mian was silent.
Lin Ran’s eyes widened. He had almost forgotten about the cat. He would have to return it to the office. He had even borrowed a carrier. How had it escaped again? He found a bell collar he had been making for Sootball and put it on the cat.
“Be good. I’ll remove it later. I don’t want you to run away again,” he explained, petting its head, and Shao Mian, about to swat the bell away, paused, his expression darkening. So, it was a safety precaution, not a fashion statement? Was this… a gift? He played with the bell, thinking it would look good on his lion plushie. Wait, why was he accepting a bell collar? He felt strangely compliant around this human.
“Feather? Not under the bed either…” Lin Ran continued searching, then heard the whirring of the ceiling fan and saw a flash of white. He found Little Feather hiding there, the fan blades bent out of shape. It must have been playing with them. He would have to get them repaired.
Little Feather, watching him, felt conflicted, wanting to fly to him, yet hesitant, seeing the scarf Snowball had given him, which A-Ran was now wearing.
[The cub doesn’t want to be near the scarf.] A notification from “Demon World” explained its behavior.
“Are you jealous of Snowball’s scarf, Little Feather?” Lin Ran asked, guessing correctly.
Little Feather froze, its wings still.
“Then… can you help me choose some gloves? It’s getting cold, and I need them for cycling. Will you help me, Feather?” Lin Ran said, changing the subject, not wanting to force it to accept the scarf, but offering a different way to connect.
Little Feather, its jealousy momentarily forgotten, considered. A-Ran needed gloves. His hands would get cold. He was so fragile.
Lin Ran, smiling, looked up at the fan, and, as expected, Little Feather appeared, peeking down at him. He knew that emphasizing Snowball’s “betrayal” would only make it more jealous. He had learned that offering them a way to be helpful, to protect him, was more effective. He felt slightly manipulative, but it worked.
Little Feather flew down and landed on his outstretched hand, trying to warm it with its wings. Lin Ran’s hand was cold, making the warmth even more noticeable. He gently touched its soft feathers, feeling a surge of affection. Being allowed to touch its wings meant a high level of trust. It really liked him.
“Ee…” Little Feather chirped softly, as if asking if his hand was still cold.
Lin Ran smiled, stroking its wings. “Thank you, Feather. I’m much warmer now. Your wings are so beautiful.”
Little Feather, looking into his smiling eyes, felt a surge of warmth, all its insecurities fading. It had to find the best gloves for A-Ran! A-Ran needed it. It couldn’t be selfish anymore. It was A-Ran’s little demon now.
[Triggered Cub Quest: Develop a Sense of Responsibility. Cultivate Eno Gard’s virtuous qualities, changing his chaotic evil alignment. More virtues unlock more rewards!] A new notification surprised Lin Ran. It was his first time triggering a quest outside “Demon World,” and this one was different. Sootball’s wings and Snowball’s ear had been physical ailments. This was about… morality. Was Little Feather destined to become evil? And was Eno Gard its full name? It sounded ominous.
“Our Little Feather is special, isn’t he? Will you become very powerful someday?” he asked, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and concern.
“Ee…” Little Feather, unaware of his complex emotions, just nuzzled his hand, its warmth comforting. It liked A-Ran. It wanted to protect him. And it even nuzzled his burnt cheek against A-Ran’s hand, which didn’t flinch or pull away.
Shao Mian, watching, also sensed the change in Little Feather’s aura, the chaotic energy lessening, its power becoming purer.
“Let’s go. Time to take you back. You’ve almost eaten me out of house and home,” Lin Ran said, picking him up and placing him in the carrier, startling Shao Mian.
“Meow—” What did I eat? Shao Mian wanted to ask, but Lin Ran just zipped up the carrier.
“I think you understand me. Don’t tell Shao Mian what I say about him, okay?” he muttered, heading towards the subway.
Shao Mian, intrigued, listened intently.
“Actually, never mind. What if you do understand?” Lin Ran chuckled, and Shao Mian, his ears perked, felt a surge of frustration. Had the human figured out his identity? But he didn’t seem like the type to play such games. He was too… sincere. Though Shao Mian didn’t realize his judgment was influenced by the human’s appearance.
Little Feather, however, was now preoccupied with a new mission, its gaze fixed on the gloves displayed in the shops they passed. But none seemed good enough, not as good as Snowball’s scarf. It might not know about brands, but it could sense quality.
People noticed the little bird flitting around the shops, disappearing before they could take pictures.
“Don’t run off, Feather. It’s crowded; you’ll get lost,” Lin Ran said, feeling the movement in his backpack. He knew birds liked to fly, but the subway was too crowded; he was worried.
“Ee.” Little Feather, pretending to agree, was still thinking about the scarf. But asking about it would be embarrassing. It didn’t want to seem less knowledgeable than Snowball.
As soon as they arrived at Morson Group, Lin Ran went to return the Maine Coon, and Little Feather slipped out of the backpack. A-Ran would be leaving at 6 pm. It took a piece of paper from the printer and, holding a pen, carefully drew a clock showing 6 o’clock, then added a picture of a glove. A-Ran would understand. It flew out the window, unaware that it was being observed, especially by Liliya.
“That’s the Feather Clan cub from A-Ran’s livestream!”
“The cursed one? What’s it doing? And a little note! So cute!”
“A-Ran’s cub! So lucky!”
As they whispered, Liliya saw it fly towards the Central Mall, the city’s largest and most luxurious shopping center. Was it going shopping? Did it even have money? Should she tell Shao Mian? It concerned A-Ran.
Little Feather’s logic was simple: shops were in buildings, so the biggest building must have the best scarf.
“Look out! Don’t let that bird in!” Security noticed it, but Little Feather easily evaded them, entering the mall through the rooftop garden’s elevator. A-Ran had never been to a place like this. It was different from the university’s convenience store.
The mall, filled with glittering displays and expensive goods, was a place Lin Ran, a student on a budget, would never visit.
Little Feather, however, liked it. It was shiny and pretty, perfect for A-Ran. It spotted a pair of gloves in a display case, a warm beige color with soft fur trim. It could improve the fur, replacing it with something warmer from a large demon beast. But how to “buy” them? It wanted to just take them, but A-Ran had said that was “stealing,” like that creepy man in the dorm. It wasn’t a thief.
Remembering how A-Ran bought kao leng mian, it transformed into its human form and approached the counter.
“Little boy, are you lost?” a saleswoman asked, then, seeing its burnt face, gasped.
Just as she was about to scream, Little Feather instinctively used its magic to erase that part of her memory. It had forgotten these weren’t A-Ran.
“Strange… no one there?” she muttered, confused.
Little Feather, its first attempt a failure, perched on the ceiling, observing the humans, learning their customs. Then, it saw Lu Ya, An Xun’s mother, and paused, sensing a faint trace of Snowball’s scent. She was related to Snowball. And she was being treated with great deference by the staff, unlike him. Perhaps it needed to be older. But it had never tried transforming into an adult. What would it look like?
