23 Chapter 61: Bitter Swallow · Side Story: Courtship Season

Min Fan exploded onto the scene with his divine good looks dominating the hot searches, surging to the top of the traffic charts in just half a year. Haters raged time and again: "Pretty face? What good is that?"

He was constantly compared to entertainment titan Qin Baiyan, who didn't just sweep the box office—he aced singing and dancing too, with albums that flew off the shelves. In person, the man was strikingly handsome, icy cool, and sparse with words.

Pitted against each other one too many times, the pair became bitter rivals without ever sharing a single frame or scandal.

Until one gala evening, right before showtime, the man burst into the dressing room across the hall, breaths coming in ragged gasps, body still trembling.

Min Fan nearly toppled over from the impact, but as he grabbed the other's arm to steady him, his fingers brushed sleek, elongated feathers.

When he blinked his eyes open again, Qin Baiyan's gaze burned with the golden pupils of his awakened bloodline.

"Save me," he rasped. "Get me out of here."

That very night, both managers got a decisive message from the entertainment kingpin himself.

"Make the announcement: I'm moving in with Min Fan, effective immediately."

When they tried calling back, both phones were already switched off.

The managers' instant reactions: —Thanks. I want to die.

~~~

Worldview: Society divides into ordinary humans, Snake Descendants, and Feather Descendants. Snakes and birds are locked in a predator-prey dynamic; transformation triggers primal urges to hunt and devour.

Activation triggers remain a mystery, but during the evolutionary phase, the body morphs with bloodline-specific animal traits, varying by region and race.

[Shared Cycle: Awakening → Transformation → Stabilization → Nest-Building → Courtship → Mating

Rare Cycle: Egg-Laying → Incubation → Chick-Rearing]

Story Arcs (order determined by serialization and votes):

·《Seize Feather》

Stoic/Film Emperor/Haidongqing Top x Temptress/Top Idol/Flashscale Snake Bottom [Bird-Snake]

·《Sweet Song》

Rogue Hottie/School Bully/Cobra Top x Soft & Sweet/Art Student/Little Nightingale Bottom [Snake-Bird]

·《Bitter Swallow》

Buttoned-Up/Special Forces/Ornate Forest Serpent Top x Firebrand/Prosecutor/Laughing Falcon Bottom [Snake-Bird]

·《Carnivore》

Defiant/All-Rounder Childhood Sweetheart/Egret Top x Bubbly/Spotty Good Kid/Egret Bottom [Dual Bird]

·Pure Playboy/Heiress/Red Chain Snake Top x Aloof/Doctor/Bamboo Leaf Green Bottom [Dual Snake]

·Smoldering/Tactician/Immortal Crane Top x Sassy Cute/Esports Pro/Little Black Phoenix Bottom [Dual Bird]

·Mad Dog/School Bully/Snow Mountain Viper Top x Stunner/Discipline Rep/Snake Heron Bottom [Snake-Bird]