Chapter 68
“Handsome,” Lin Ran couldn’t help but say, looking at the adult Feather, whose eyes lit up at the compliment, then, about to hug him, was stopped by Shao Mian.
“Transform back,” Shao Mian said, frowning. This Feather Clan cub didn’t seem to realize it was an adult now, its clumsy hug threatening to knock them both over. And its flamboyant appearance made him suspect it would grow into a troublesome demon, perhaps even using its beauty to deceive humans.
“Ee…” Little Feather, its magic fading, transformed back into its smaller form, the clothes much too large now, and hid in Lin Ran’s hair, peeking out at Shao Mian.
“What are you looking at?” Shao Mian, his predatory instincts kicking in, wanted to grab the little bird.
Little Feather quickly hid again.
“Stop it, both of you! You’re scaring him, Shao Mian,” Lin Ran said, chuckling, trying to retrieve Little Feather, its wings tickling his neck. He could tell it was genuinely scared of Shao Mian.
Hearing his name, however, Shao Mian paused, a strange warmth spreading through him at the sound of his human name spoken so casually by Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, noticing his strange gaze, wondered if he had been too informal, forgetting the respectful title. But Shao Mian didn’t seem angry.
“Ee… A-Ran!” Little Feather, feeling brave with A-Ran nearby, perched on his hand, complaining about the big lion.
“Let’s go. I’m carrying too many things,” Lin Ran said, avoiding Shao Mian’s gaze, and looking at Ser.
“Yes, let’s go,” Ser said, glancing at Shao Mian, who was still staring at Lin Ran.
“Right, let’s go,” Shao Mian said, then, as Lin Ran turned, quickly retrieved his errant tail.
Back at the office, Lin Ran looked at the mountain of shopping bags and the exorbitant bill, his face falling. He would be working here for a lifetime to repay this debt!
“Ee~” Little Feather, however, was happily unpacking the items with Ser’s help, eager to show them to A-Ran.
“A-Ran!” It held up a chestnut-colored designer jacket, its soft fabric and elegant design complementing A-Ran’s complexion. It wanted him to try it on.
“Quiet, Feather,” Lin Ran said, still calculating the total cost, and patted its head absently.
Little Feather, slightly disappointed, flew back, and Ser unpacked a crisp white shirt.
“Ee!” It thought this one would look good on A-Ran too, its enthusiasm unwavering.
“That one’s nice too,” Shao Mian agreed, impressed by the cub’s taste, despite its lack of funds. The clothes were well-chosen, suiting Lin Ran’s style. He realized Lin Ran didn’t have many clothes, even fewer than that loud human who always followed him around.
Luo Xiao, back in the dorm, sneezed violently.
“Secretary Ser, can’t we return these?” Lin Ran asked, sighing, having finished calculating the total, then saw Ser had already unpacked everything.
“Not after they’ve been opened,” Ser replied calmly.
Then why unpack them?! Lin Ran realized even Ser wasn’t on his side. And he was incredibly fast, like when he had swiped the card.
“It’s Mr. Shao’s card,” Ser explained, as if reading his mind.
So? Company expenses? Lin Ran looked at Shao Mian, who was sitting on the sofa, directing Little Feather to show him the clothes, which Little Feather obediently did, as if asking, Would A-Ran look good in this? Shao Mian was imagining Lin Ran wearing them. This was far more entertaining than those useless interaction cards. Who said money couldn’t buy happiness?
“Why return them? He can wear them all,” he said to Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, however, fell silent, looking at them, realizing he was the only one concerned about the bill. Even for the wealthy, this was excessive.
Shao Mian, noticing his silence, also looked at him, and Lin Ran finally asked the question that had been bothering him: “You said you knew Feather was a demon, from ‘Demon World.'”
Shao Mian, meeting his gaze, sensed the weight of his words. “Yes, I know.”
“So, Morson will cover his expenses. Don’t worry about it. You’re still young,” he said, sensing Lin Ran’s burden.
“Try on the clothes. They look good on you,” he said, changing the subject.
“Ee!” Little Feather eagerly held up the chestnut jacket.
“No, Feather. This will only encourage bad behavior,” Lin Ran said, his headache returning. Even if Shao Mian could afford it, this was sending the wrong message.
“You’re right,” Shao Mian agreed, knowing Lin Ran’s responsible nature. “Then he can work to repay the debt.”
“Feather? Working?” Lin Ran wondered what kind of job a little cub could do.
Shao Mian, watching him think, felt a surge of warmth. Humans were so earnest and adorable.
“There is a suitable position,” Ser said, receiving Shao Mian’s silent cue.
A few minutes later, Little Feather, wearing a small messenger bag, had its first job: Ser’s assistant messenger!
“Ee?” It looked at the bag curiously.
“These are confidential messages, unsuitable for online transmission. This cub’s abilities are perfect for this task. And I’ll train him,” Ser explained. “The payment for an F-Rank message is 50,000 yuan, increasing with each rank. The money will be deposited into this card, which… the parent will hold,” he said, handing Lin Ran a card.
Lin Ran, taking the card, thought the salary was excessive. 50,000 yuan per message?!
“They’re highly classified,” Shao Mian said seriously.
“Now you can buy things yourself,” he added, looking at Little Feather.
“Ee?” Little Feather, realizing this was the “card” the humans used, was excited. It could earn money and buy things for A-Ran! If it delivered enough messages, it could buy him gifts every month!
“Of course, besides clothes, there are many other things in the human world. But there are rules,” Ser said, many demons being tempted by human luxuries and making unwise decisions, even being exploited. The Abyssal Monitoring Committee dealt with such cases. He didn’t elaborate, however, with Lin Ran present. Such lessons were better taught privately.
“I’ll take Feather for his onboarding then,” Ser said to Shao Mian, then gestured for Little Feather to follow him. As a fellow bird, he knew how to handle these cubs.
Little Feather eagerly hopped towards him, then stopped, remembering A-Ran, and chirped.
“Go on. Be good and don’t cause trouble for Ser,” Lin Ran said, smiling, touched by their interaction. Was this considered child labor? Little Feather, barely hatched, was now working to repay its debt! It was too young to understand the hardships of life.
“Satisfied now?” Shao Mian asked, watching Lin Ran.
“It seems… reasonable,” Lin Ran admitted. This way, Little Feather would learn responsibility and the value of money. It wouldn’t be so quick to spend lavishly if it had to earn its own money.
“But is that salary… too high?” he asked, still skeptical.
“Its ability is rare,” Shao Mian said, thinking Anvers would be furious if he knew how cheaply they were employing such a valuable asset.
“I also think Feather is very capable,” Lin Ran said, wondering if Shao Mian knew something he didn’t.
“Ee~” Little Feather, waving goodbye, then diligently flew off to deliver its first message. Ser had promised a bonus for good work, so it planned to explore the entire building and find more gifts for A-Ran. It loved buying gifts for him. No wonder Snowball had given him a scarf.
Shao Mian, watching Lin Ran’s interaction with the cub, chuckled, feeling a warmth in his chest, wanting to touch him. But as he reached out, Lin Ran turned, and he quickly withdrew his hand, looking away.
“Did you want something?” Lin Ran asked.
“No,” he said, then, feeling awkward, added, “You can call me Shao Mian.”
Lin Ran, looking at his retreating figure, felt a strange sense of familiarity, his awkwardness reminding him of someone. As he walked towards him, he stepped on something and picked it up, recognizing the clumsily made little hat from his livestream tutorial. Had Shao Mian, a high-ranking executive, been watching his stream? He blushed, then realized it made sense. He had never considered the game developers’ perspective before.
“Have you… seen my livestream?” he asked, holding up the hat.
Shao Mian, seeing his creation discovered, felt a surge of embarrassment. Abyss! “…Yes,” he admitted, unable to meet Lin Ran’s gaze.
Lin Ran, however, chuckled. “You were a diligent student. But you made a mistake here. Do you have a needle and thread?”
“Yes,” Shao Mian said, pulling out the sewing kit, wondering if this made him seem unprofessional, secretly watching livestreams and sewing in his office.
Lin Ran, however, took the kit and quickly fixed the hat. “See? Just pull this thread, and it’s perfect. You did a good job,” he said, offering him the now-perfectly-shaped hat, his smile making Shao Mian’s heart skip a beat.
Shao Mian, after a long silence, gently took the hat. “It’s… very nice,” he said, much better than his own attempt.
Lin Ran, slightly embarrassed by his praise, said, “It’s quite simple, actually.” Shao Mian had clearly put effort into it.
“But why didn’t you leave any comments? I thought no one was watching,” he asked, then realized it might have sounded like a demand. Someone like Shao Mian must be very busy.
But this question hit a nerve. It wasn’t his fault! “Demon World’s” stupid message limit!
“Next time,” he said, determined to make Tao Shu fix this issue.
“There’s no need,” Lin Ran said, seeing his serious expression, feeling like he had given him a task.
“It’s a bit small, though. Perfect for a cat. Wait, where’s the Maine Coon?” he asked, noticing the cat’s absence.
“I sent him out,” Shao Mian said quickly, not wanting to reveal he was the cat. He had been wearing the hat on his lion plushie, not on himself.
Lin Ran, however, saw the lion plushie in the drawer, his eyes widening. His gift, in Shao Mian’s office?! Did Morson monitor in-game gifts? Or… He looked at Shao Mian, who was trying to look busy, then casually approaching him, and a suspicion formed. Too many coincidences.
Shao Mian, unaware of the exposed plushie, was thinking about how to convince Lin Ran to take all those clothes back to his dorm. The dorm renovations, funded by him, were starting that afternoon, and Lin Ran would be moving to a temporary off-campus apartment. He had found the dorm appalling after his visit, unfit even for demons. He was secretly pleased with his “surprise,” imagining Lin Ran’s delight.
[Smug lion.jpg]
“Yuanbao.”
“Hm? What?” Shao Mian, lost in thought, looked down at Lin Ran, who had called him by his “Demon World” nickname.
“What are you talking about? Yuanbao… ” he started to deny it, but Lin Ran grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“It’s you, Yuanbao,” he said, his tone firm, his gaze unwavering, though still gentle, making Shao Mian freeze, looking down at him, their hands clasped together. He had never been this close to Lin Ran in his human form. And they were holding hands. The human’s hand was soft, delicate, like a butterfly on his mane, easily startled.
His mind was racing, and Lin Ran, thinking he was reflecting on his actions, noticed his intense gaze and blushed, feeling self-conscious. Yuanbao, even as a human, was so… intense.
He tried to pull away, but Shao Mian held on tighter.
Lin Ran looked up at him, unsure whether to call him Yuanbao or Shao Mian. This was all too surreal.
“So, now that you know I’m also a… monster, are you… disgusted?” Shao Mian asked, still holding his hand, not directly acknowledging his identity, but asking a question that surprised Lin Ran.
What did disgust have to do with holding hands? He blushed, feeling flustered by his gaze, unsure how to respond.
