The barrage comments rushed in to stop him. Running around in the middle of the night in some rundown old temple? Forget all the ghost stories—even a simple trip and fall wouldn’t end well.
Liu Datie hesitated for a moment. Then he dashed to the window, flung it open, and peered out into the courtyard. If it looked too terrifying, he wouldn’t go out. If it wasn’t so bad, he’d check it out.
Tonight’s moonlight was faint. The courtyard lay shrouded in pitch darkness, with only faint pools of light under his own window and the one by Chen Ji’s room in the distance. They didn’t illuminate much, leaving the space in between murky and indistinct. One glance, and Liu Datie chickened out. He lowered his voice unconsciously. “Forget it, forget it. Maybe tomorrow…”
The viewers in the live stream laughed themselves silly:
{lol don’t chicken out!}
{You’re killing me! Where’d all that determination from earlier go?!}
Liu Datie aimed the camera out the window. “There, you guys take a look yourselves… I’m not going out there no matter what.”
The camera panned, and suddenly no one said a word.
It was mainly the combo: dead of night + remote mountain woods + dilapidated temple + fox + yellow weasel. With those debuffs stacked up, few Chinese folks wouldn’t get spooked. Heck, strip away everything else and leave just the ruined temple—even in broad daylight, hardly anyone would dare step inside.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot to add that bro on WeChat…” Liu Datie suddenly remembered. He let out a big yawn. “I’m turning in early tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll get up and film the full view of the Mountain Lord Temple for you all…”
As he spoke, a faint creak sounded from the distance. He focused his gaze and saw Chen Ji step out of his room, heading straight toward the temple’s main gate.
Huh? Middle of the night—what was the guy doing heading outside? Maybe checking if the gate was locked?
In the darkness, Chen Ji glided like a wraith, vanishing silently into the night. When he reappeared in the moonlight, he was already by the gate.
Liu Datie rubbed vigorously at the goosebumps prickling up on his arms.
Right after that came the sound of a door opening. For some reason, Liu Datie suddenly felt an urge to follow and see what was up. But his instinctive fear of unfamiliar places made him hesitate. In that split second of delay, the door thudded shut again, and the footsteps faded away.
Liu Datie decided to pretend he hadn’t seen a thing. Better to sleep soundly and mind his own business. Poking into why someone was sneaking out at night? Too idle—he could do cartwheels in his room for fun if he wanted. But knowing too much usually ended badly.
He was just a streamer, and a popular one at that. Everything was live right now. No matter what this guy was up to or planned to do, as long as it didn’t involve prison time or a bullet, he wouldn’t lay a finger on Liu Datie.
Even if it was about money… he’d hand over plenty.
With that thought, Liu Datie left the stream running. He propped the phone on the bedside table facing him, gave the viewers a casual wave goodnight, and drifted off to sleep peacefully.
Chen Ji slipped out through the temple gate and slipped on his Jade Jue. He didn’t go far—just a few steps, and there was Xiangxiang, sitting primly ahead. His thick tail draped neatly over his paws in a perfect gentlemanly cat pose, waiting patiently.
A flicker of amusement danced in Chen Ji’s eyes. He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Xiangxiang’s neck, and planted a flurry of kisses on the White Tiger’s face. The White Tiger dodged awkwardly to the side, but wherever he went, Chen Ji chased after him with more kisses. Soon enough, he gave up struggling and went limp like a well-loved rag doll, letting Chen Ji have his way.
“Xiangxiang! I missed you so much…” When Chen Ji spoke to the little beast, his voice couldn’t help but turn syrupy soft. He nuzzled against the White Tiger’s neck, buried his face in the fur, and took several deep breaths. Then, smoothly, he fastened the collar that had arrived that day around the White Tiger’s neck.
The White Tiger barely registered it before feeling the new weight—a perfect fit, snug without any choking pressure. Chen Ji lifted his head and toyed with the little heart-shaped tag dangling below. “Looks great. I knew it the moment I saw it—it was made for you. But we’re not done yet. There’s a little accessory to match. Let me put it on.”
The White Tiger frowned at Chen Ji, clearly not thrilled about the thing.
Chen Ji ignored it. He pulled a bundled-up wad of deep blue ribbon from his pocket. Hidden inside was some elastic cord; when released, it sprang back into shape, forming a massive deep blue bow right in front of Xiangxiang.
“Come on, let me put it on!”
The White Tiger’s response was to bolt upright and try to dodge aside. But after just a couple of steps, he felt a tug at his neck. Glancing back, he saw Chen Ji gripping the collar with a beaming smile. “And just where do you think you’re going!”
“Everyone’s got one—you need yours too, Xiangxiang!” As he spoke, Chen Ji drew closer. His strength couldn’t possibly drag a full-grown tiger over, but no problem. If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad…
With one hand securing the collar, he grinned and snapped the magnetic bow into place. Naturally, the White Tiger didn’t want this nonsense on him. But he couldn’t struggle for real— what if he accidentally flung Chen Ji flying? So he dodged in small shifts, keeping Chen Ji from reaching the back of the collar.
“Be a good boy, Xiangxiang. Everyone has one—don’t be shy…” Chen Ji coaxed, looping an arm to fasten it. The hefty, fluffy head wrestled in his embrace. He pressed it firmly against his chest to hold it still, but the White Tiger resisted. He poked his head out, planted a thick paw on Chen Ji’s arm, and let out a low rumble from his throat.
It was more of a purr than a roar, really.
Chen Ji wasn’t scared in the slightest. He hugged tighter and ruffled the fur. “Aww, is Xiangxiang shy? Good boy… It’s so pretty. Let’s just put it on for now? If you don’t like it, we can take it right off!”
As they tussled, someone lost their balance first. Chen Ji toppled backward, his face flashing surprise before he shut his eyes, bracing for the pain. At that moment, one hand clamped firmly around his waist while another cushioned the back of his head.
Thud. Chen Ji hit the ground, but it barely hurt. He’d only grazed the earth; something soft had broken his fall.
Chang Xu’s long, icy features held a trace of faint exasperation. His lips parted slightly before he uttered three words: “Be careful.”
The collar, perfect for a tiger’s neck, now draped lightly over Chang Xu’s shoulder, encircling his upper arm. Chen Ji narrowed his eyes and reached down to grope at whatever lay beneath him. His fingers found a fluffy tail.
“I’m okay.” Chen Ji gave it a pinch. Chang Xu’s expression shifted abruptly, and the tail yanked away in a flash. Now Chen Ji lay fully on the ground. He didn’t mind a bit. Instead, he placed a gentle hand on Chang Xu’s arm. “I didn’t get hurt. Don’t worry.”
“Mm.” Chang Xu responded curtly, standing first. Then he pulled Chen Ji to his feet. Chen Ji still clutched the bow. In the same motion as rising, he lunged into Chang Xu’s arms, one hand on his back as he clicked the magnetic clasp into place.
A faint click echoed. Chang Xu eyed Chen Ji, who grinned like a sly old fox. He turned his head to glance behind. The enormous blue bow swayed like a pair of tiny wings with the motion.
Chang Xu: “…”
Chen Ji burst out laughing. He hooked a finger under the collar’s edge. “Told you it looks good.”
Chang Xu’s helplessness was practically visible.
Click. Chang Xu heard the sound and saw Chen Ji step back, phone already snapping a couple of photos. Chen Ji waggled the device. “Don’t believe me? See for yourself.”
Chang Xu’s human form shared the White Tiger’s aura—like hewn from ice and snow. Yet this youth, cold as frozen depths, sported little wings on his back. The effect was utterly bizarre.
Chang Xu closed his eyes. He didn’t want to look.
Chen Ji studied the shots for a moment before murmuring, “…Yeah, it does look a bit weird.”
Chang Xu exhaled in relief. Finally, time to take it off.
Not that he couldn’t remove it himself—but if he did, Chen Ji would surely have some cheeky remark ready.
Chen Ji approached. He unfastened the collar from Chang Xu’s arm and tilted his head. “Here, lift your arms a little.”
Chang Xu complied, raising them slightly. The collar came off. He thought that was it. But in the next instant, Chen Ji’s hands slipped through the gap between his arms and torso. Somehow he’d adjusted the size. Click—the collar locked once more.
Now it cinched tight below Chang Xu’s chest, hugging his body and dimpling the fabric of his clothes to reveal the sleek lines of his muscles.
Chang Xu: “…?”
As Chen Ji fiddled with the fit, he murmured, “This looks way better. Hold still, Xiangxiang. Good boy…”
This was the first time Chang Xu had been called “Xiangxiang” in human form. He went rigid, a strange sense of embarrassment washing over him. Chen Ji seemed oblivious, still tweaking the collar… or was it more like a chest strap?
Long, slender fingers trailed over his body, smoothing the cloth bit by bit. Chang Xu endured it for a while. Lowering his gaze to Chen Ji’s earnest expression, he didn’t dare move.
Just as Chen Ji had said… He stayed put. He was being very good.
“There.” Chen Ji let go, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction. “See? Perfect.”
“You wouldn’t wear it yourself…” Chen Ji teased, stroking the collar. His fingers idly slipped beneath it, skin grazing skin as he hooked the chest strap and tugged outward. When he released, the leather snapped back against Chang Xu’s chest with a light smack.
Chang Xu let out a muffled grunt. A faint flush crept under his ears despite his restraint. “You…”
Chen Ji nonchalantly pulled out his phone and snapped several photos in quick succession. Only then did he act like he’d just noticed, reaching out with one hand to rub Chang Xu’s ear—just like he would with the White Tiger’s. “Xiangxiang, why are your ears so red? And burning hot too?”
Chang Xu lifted a hand in near panic, trying to rip off the collar. Chen Ji hurriedly stopped him. “No, no—it’s expensive! You really hate it that much? Here, let me take it off for you…”
The instant the collar came off, a massive white tiger appeared right in front of Chen Ji. The White Tiger raised a paw to leave, but Chen Ji hugged its neck and yanked it back. “Don’t gooo… I really want to see you wearing a bow… Just for a sec. I’ll snap a photo and take it right off, okay?”
“I shelled out a fortune to get this custom-made… Just once? Pretty please, Xiangxiang~?”
The White Tiger gradually stopped struggling. Chen Ji immediately readjusted the collar and slipped it back on. The deep blue bow fluttered behind the White Tiger, instantly softening its icy, badass aura into that of a gigantic cat plushie.
Chen Ji eyed it for a moment, then leaned in and planted a smacking kiss right on Xiangxiang’s nose. “So cute!”
“…”
And just like that, Chang Xu quietly shattered.
