Chapter 114
As the New Year approached, even Shao Zi Jue, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, was unusually busy.
Because Shao Mian, who never went home for the New Year, suddenly said he wanted to come back early, which scared Shao Zi Jue and the elders into a flurry of cleaning and decorating.
But when he actually saw this human friend who came to visit, Shao Zi Jue was the first to be dumbfounded.
“Lin-zai——!”
“Eh, it’s you?”
Lin Ran also had a deep impression of Shao Zi Jue, the person who helped him sell peaches and earn his first pot of gold!
And the energetic black Doberman immediately jumped out and pounced on Lin Ran, who reached out and petted him, making the dog happily wag its tail.
Shao Mian… Shao Zi Jue?
“No wonder you have the same surname, so you two know each other?”
But Shao Zi Jue didn’t seem to be a demon? How could he be related to Shao Mian?
Lin Ran, petting the dog, looked at Shao Mian curiously, and before Shao Mian could speak, Shao Zi Jue had already explained.
“Well, because our entire family actually exists because of my uncle.”
Many years ago, Shao Mian unintentionally saved a human, and as repayment, this human and his descendants changed their surnames and handled some matters that required a human identity.
A direct descendant would be told this secret in each generation, and it had continued until now.
“And I! Am the direct descendant of this generation in our family. Don’t judge me by my appearance, I’m a rare ordinary human who isn’t afraid of seeing demons.”
Shao Zi Jue looked at Lin Ran with a slightly smug expression, wanting to be praised.
He didn’t mention that he had nightmares for three days and three nights after seeing Abyss, this ball of demonic flames, and only gradually got used to it later.
Lin Ran, understanding, suddenly became very curious about Yuanbao: “So how old are you, Yuanbao?”
A human he casually saved had already become a large family?
Shao Zi Jue’s eyes widened instantly, and he almost wanted to cover Lin Ran’s mouth. This was a taboo question! It was like stepping on a lion’s tail.
“…A secret.”
Shao Mian subtly turned his face away and didn’t answer.
“And demons usually slumber in the Demon World, so that part of their age naturally can’t be counted.”
A demon’s age was always a secret, okay!
Lin Ran couldn’t help but want to laugh, suddenly realizing that Yuanbao really cared about his age, he could never get an answer every time he asked.
But maybe Secretary Ser knew, it wouldn’t be too late to ask him next time.
“But we’re here to decorate for the New Year today, just stick some Spring Festival couplets and such.”
And looking at Shao Zi Jue, Lin Ran invited him: “Welcome to come to our house for New Year’s this year? Although the peaches aren’t in season yet, there’s plenty of peach juice.”
Shao Zi Jue, who had just sent them to the door, was instantly excited: “Okay, okay! I’ll definitely go! I’ve long wanted to see the peach orchard…”
But the next second, he was stared at by Shao Mian with an expressionless face and instantly shut up.
What, he couldn’t even do this?
Shao Zi Jue was a little indignant. He had even deleted his comment to Lin Ran before! It made him afraid to casually comment or like anything later, after all, mutual friends on WeChat could see each other’s activity.
In fact, Shao Zi Jue, who had been deprived of his liking rights, later watched as a certain very domineering golden lion avatar became the first to like and comment on every WeChat Moment Lin Ran posted.
This was simply too despicable, too shameless!
Shao Zi Jue dared to be angry but didn’t dare to speak.
And Lin Ran, who didn’t know about the eye contact between the demon and the human, walked into the tall atrium and found that although this villa was very large, there were no signs of anyone living there.
“You don’t usually live here at all, do you, Yuanbao?”
Lin Ran even hesitated, almost wondering if Shao Mian had brought him to a model home.
But after carefully looking at the decoration style, he could strangely believe that this was probably really Yuanbao’s private residence.
Because he had already seen no less than a few dozen golden lion pattern decorations.
This guy criticized the Scythe Clan’s aesthetic for being flamboyant, but his own aesthetic was clearly very similar… just that the main color had changed from sapphire blue to golden.
Lin Ran even suspected that these fluffy creatures in the Demon World all seemed to like this kind of flashy, nouveau riche aesthetic of the human world.
“Isn’t it good-looking?”
Facing Lin Ran’s subtle silence, a certain proud golden tabby instantly became alert, he still remembered the tone he used to praise Atylanthos!
“It’s good-looking, how could it not be? It’s even better-looking than Atylanthos’ home, such a great aesthetic, as expected of you, Yuanbao.”
Lin Ran’s eyes curved into a smile as he appeased him.
Shao Mian felt that this seemed a tiny bit perfunctory, but he was still habitually coaxed by a few words, his tail wagging, feeling a bit worthless.
“But this house is a bit big, we have to hurry up, Yuanbao, otherwise we won’t make it back for New Year’s Eve dinner!”
Putting down the Spring Festival couplets, lanterns, and other New Year’s goods, Lin Ran couldn’t help but sigh that this was probably a big project.
He should have guessed that the place where Yuanbao lived wouldn’t be small, it might have been better to come and decorate earlier.
“No rush, we can just drive back after we’re done, it won’t delay us, I’ve already told Grandma.”
Wouldn’t it expose the surprise if they went back so early?
Shao Mian calmly glanced at his watch, calculated the time, and was certain that Anvers and the other great demons had probably already arrived and started decorating.
However, once they started decorating, Lin Ran discovered that Yuanbao wasn’t good at everything.
“Yuanbao, you have to remove these small pieces inside first, then the window decoration’s shape will appear…”
Although looking at Lin Ran, who was teaching him how to tear the window decorations with his head lowered, Shao Mian couldn’t help but smile.
“What are you smiling about? You ruined so many window decorations, and you’re still smiling?”
Lin Ran, who had been demonstrating for a while, looked up and found that a certain someone who had just torn a string of window decorations with his paw was still smiling, and he couldn’t help but laugh too.
Shao Mian, charmed, endured for a while, really wanting to kiss him, but silently wagged his tail and held back, he couldn’t ruin the plan!
By the time the entire villa was decorated with festive decorations and small light strings, night had already fallen outside.
“Let’s go, let’s go home and give out red envelopes, Yuanbao! Grandma might be waiting anxiously…”
After hanging the last lantern, Lin Ran jumped down from a certain golden tabby who was willingly acting as a ladder and touched Yuanbao’s fluffy mane, giving him a kiss.
The next second, he was held by Shao Mian, who had transformed back into human form, and gently kissed on the ear, just in time to be seen by Shao Zi Jue, who was guarding the entrance of the manor and about to close the gate, making him blush furiously.
Heavens, the first thing he saw on New Year’s Eve was dog food!? This was too unfair to him, a single dog——!
And Grandma and the other family members, preparing New Year’s Eve dinner at home, were surprised but also warmly greeted “A-Ran’s friends,” who kept arriving with piles of things.
“Wait, let this old woman think, you… mm, you’re Yadi Lansi, you’re An… An what?”
This was quite a test of Grandma’s memory. She took her reading glasses and looked at the names on her notebook, trying to match them, although her pronunciation wasn’t very standard.
“I’m Anvers, Grandma! Look, A-Ran even made a hair clip for me!”
Anvers, like a peacock, tried to show Grandma his feather hair clip, but was pushed away the next second.
“Grandma! Look at me, I’m Wen Erman, Wen Erman!”
After pushing Anvers away, Wen Erman elegantly performed a hand-kissing gesture, stunning the elderly Grandma.
“Eek… Wen Erman, you’re so pretentious! Quickly move aside, I’m Liliya, Grandma!”
For a moment, the other great demons tried to make Grandma remember them first, after all, this was A-Ran’s grandma!
“Eh, eh, slowly, slowly…”
Grandma laughed and was a little flustered, but fortunately, her leg had been recovering well recently, otherwise she really wouldn’t be able to handle it.
These new friends of Lin-zai were all very handsome, making the old lady like them all, but they were a little too enthusiastic.
They were all calling “Grandma,” making Grandma almost think that she really had so many grandchildren.
“Grandma~ Pepe!”
There was even a little girl’s sweet “Grandma,” making the old lady overjoyed.
“Aiyo, whose little girl is this? Come and have some candy.”
She directly took Pepe’s hand and went inside to get candy, making the great demons feel sour that cubs were indeed more favored.
However, with so many “people” participating, the New Year’s Eve dinner was prepared much faster, and even the usually simple courtyard was decorated with a festive atmosphere.
So when Lin Ran arrived home and got out of the car, seeing the warmly lit courtyard and the incredibly rich New Year’s Eve dinner on the huge table, he was almost stunned.
Was this still his home?
“You did this, didn’t you, Yuanbao?” No wonder he had been so secretive these past few days!
Lin Ran’s first reaction was to look at Shao Mian beside him, but Shao Mian, subtly smug, restrained his smile and led him into the house.
“A-Ran is back!”
“Happy New Year’s Eve, here’s your red envelope! I was the first one drawn!”
The moment Lin Ran entered the courtyard, he was surrounded.
“You guys even know about red envelopes?”
Dumbfoundedly accepting the first red envelope that Supervisor Tao Shu desperately stuffed into his hand, Lin Ran was truly shocked.
“Don’t underestimate us, A-Ran! We also know a lot, okay?”
Tao Shu smugly wagged his finger, demons could also study human holiday customs.
“Quickly open it and see what’s inside!”
But after just a few seconds of smugness, Tao Shu couldn’t help but urge A-Ran to open the red envelope and see.
“But how can a red envelope be so big, Supervisor Tao Shu? Red envelopes are usually thin paper packets.”
Although Lin Ran was touched, he was also a bit amused and exasperated. This wasn’t a red envelope, it was more like a red box.
Perhaps thin red envelopes weren’t enough for demons?
And after opening the box, it was actually a chip card and a retro game console.
“Ahem, there’s a small game program I wrote inside. If you insert the card, A-Ran, look! It becomes a special retro version of the ‘Demon World’ game.”
As Tao Shu demonstrated, the game console actually recreated Lin Ran’s initial entry into “Demon World” in pixel art style.
Even the color of the sunset in the forest was exactly the same. He could control the little character to walk around on the map and complete tasks using the game buttons. It replicated many details and content, and the electronic music was also light and pleasant.
“Of course, ‘Demon World’ also helped me a little, finding some game logs. Anyway, this is a commemorative retro game!”
Tao Shu scratched his head and looked at A-Ran nervously, not knowing if he would like it.
After entering the human world, he had become very interested in the history of human game consoles. He had specially chosen a collector’s edition retro game console and stayed up all night writing the game program.
Lin Ran, holding the game console, didn’t know how to express his surprise for a moment.
“This is really thoughtful, Supervisor Tao Shu, much more thoughtful than most red envelopes.”
This wasn’t just a red envelope, it was clearly an exceptionally precious gift.
“Heehee, as long as you like it!”
Seeing A-Ran’s happy expression, Tao Shu instantly became excited.
The demons who were pretending to casually watch from the side silently gasped. They didn’t expect Tao Shu, this hamster, to be the first to give such a thoughtful “red envelope” that resonated with A-Ran!?
This guy was really cheating, taking advantage of his position and professional skills to give A-Ran such a meaningful gift!?
After all, whether it was strength or wealth, Tao Shu, this weak hamster, had no advantage among demons, but he had surprisingly won with his professional skills!?
“Okay, okay, the second one is my red envelope.”
The lottery machine was truly a good thing, otherwise they would have fought again just over the order of giving red envelopes!
Then Ms. Oni and Mr. Yorke also smiled and handed over the second red envelope.
This time, Sootball also squatted beside them, carrying the red box in his mouth and giving it to A-Ran, waiting expectantly for him to open it.
Lin Ran hugged the little guy who flew over and was amused and exasperated: “Sootball, why are you giving me a red envelope? I should be the one giving you a red envelope, right?”
Red envelopes were clearly given by elders to juniors.
“Cheep cheep cheep!”
He just wanted to give A-Ran a red envelope!
The little demon squatted on A-Ran’s shoulder, excitedly urging him to open it.
When Lin Ran opened this “red envelope,” he found a peach inside! But it was unusually large, he even needed both hands to hold it.
“This is actually the peach pit that Nemo brought back at the beginning, and the fruit from the peach tree he personally planted. Cough, but the first batch of fruit really didn’t taste good, and even the tree was a bit sickly and almost died…”
Mr. Yorke explained quietly.
“Mr. Yorke, this is very normal, because peaches need to be grafted, using a peach pit naturally won’t produce the original flavor.”
Lin Ran laughed hearing this, he didn’t expect Sootball to plant the peach pit after eating the peach.
Oni and Yorke’s expressions instantly became strange, no wonder!
“But we were worried that Nemo would be sad, so we watered it with some special nutrient solution, and it became like this.”
Because the fruit from the peach tree initially didn’t taste right no matter how they ate it, the demons had to use a slightly extravagant unnatural method – watering it with a drop of freshly produced “Moon God’s Dew”!
“So, if you eat this peach, it might extend your lifespan. Sootball said he hopes that A-Ran can live a long and healthy life. It’s said that this is the best blessing in the human world? This is our red envelope.”
After Oni finished explaining for Sootball, she looked at Lin Ran and smiled.
“Cheep cheep!”
Sootball also nodded seriously, his soft fur rubbing against Lin Ran’s neck, warm and ticklish.
And Lin Ran, holding this heavy peach, felt that the thought behind this gift was even heavier than the peach itself.
Although when this second gift appeared, all the demons gasped again.
Good heavens, the Luna Clan, who usually liked to use their financial power, had actually learned to play the emotional card?
Compared to giving a bunch of high-quality magic crystals and minerals, this personally grown peach with special meaning was too much of a cheat… This was the most scheming demon they had ever seen!
The demons’ private chat channels almost exploded.
But just as Ossi, who was third, anxiously pulled his brother Atylanthos and was about to rush over, he was hugged by Lin Ran, who was both touched and amused:
“Wait, let me get this straight, so you guys didn’t all prepare such a ‘red envelope’ for New Year’s Eve dinner, did you?”
Hearing this, all the demons present looked at each other and silently hugged the “red envelopes” they had prepared.
Crap, A-Ran had discovered it after only the second gift!
Lin Ran, seeing the fluffy creatures’ actions, had already guessed:
“Then let’s eat first, okay? We can give them while we eat, otherwise, the New Year’s Eve dinner will get cold if we give them one by one.”
Grandma and the other family members, watching with smiles, although they couldn’t quite understand the conversation and terms used by these “young people,” they could still tell that these seemed to be Lin-zai’s friends giving New Year’s gifts.
To be honest, this was the first time their family had such a lively New Year’s Eve.
“Yes, yes, let’s serve the dishes first, isn’t it good to eat New Year’s Eve dinner and have fun together?”
However, after receiving her grandson’s signal, Grandma also smiled, rubbed her apron, and greeted everyone.
And when the first demon tasted the food made by Grandma, his eyes widened in surprise: “My god, this is too delicious.”
So A-Ran’s grandma also had a trick that demons couldn’t resist!? And Grandma’s New Year’s Eve dinner, which conquered the taste buds of the Demon World, became famous from then on.
Sootball, Snowball, and the other little demons, raising their heads from their children’s braised pork rice, burped. A-Ran’s grandma’s cooking was super delicious!
Lin Ran truly received “red envelopes” until midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Snowball gave him a hexagonal ice cube that would never melt, inside which were all the photos of A-Ran he had taken with his camera. His photography skills had visibly improved rapidly, and every photo was so stunning that the surrounding demons’ eyes lit up.
Little Feather shyly brought out a slightly crude Magician A-Ran plushie. If you pressed it, a chubby bird would fly out of the hat! And a pair of wings would appear behind A-Ran~
As for Ossi, he still tried to hide his most precious scale in his brother’s gift box and give it to A-Ran together, but he was caught red-handed by Shao Mian, the golden tabby, and the scale was confiscated.
Even Pear Blossom and Dark Cloud trotted over with their short legs and gave A-Ran a unique lightning crystal ball.
Placed on the windowsill, it could predict the next day’s weather based on the color of the crystal ball!
“How did you guys come up with these gifts?”
Lin Ran petted the little demons in front of him, it was hard to imagine how long it took for this crystal ball to be polished by the cubs.
“Chibi~”
Seeing that A-Ran liked it, the little guy ran around happily, his fur even trembling.
“Look, it’s almost the New Year’s countdown!”
This New Year’s countdown of three, two, one, was even more lively and grand than any New Year’s Eve in Lin Ran’s memory.
Colorful fireworks exploded behind them, illuminating the originally dark night sky with brilliant festive colors.
“Cheep cheep~” “Ee!” “Chibi…” Even the little demons couldn’t help but look up at the dreamy magic fireworks in the sky, and the great demons not far away were extravagantly setting off fireworks with their magic power.
This firework display lit up half the sky, and everyone who looked up at the sky at this moment was amazed.
And the next second, Shao Mian stuffed his red envelope into Lin Ran’s hand.
“Happy birthday.”
Shao Mian looked at Lin Ran, whose fair face was illuminated by the fireworks, and couldn’t help but smooth the beige scarf around his neck.
“So these weren’t red envelopes, but birthday gifts!”
Lin Ran looked at everyone around him saying “happy birthday” in unison and finally understood the reason for all the surprises today.
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
Shao Mian raised an eyebrow and urged him, only his gift hadn’t been opened yet.
Lin Ran glanced at Yuanbao, lowered his head, and carefully opened it, only to find a crimson gold halo contract inside. The powerful law magic contained within it even made the surrounding demons look over in shocked silence.
Wait, although this was incredible, wasn’t this too much of a cheat!? No wonder he waited until the end to give it!
A-Ran, don’t casually accept this kind of thing!
“Try holding it and absorbing it into your heart.”
Facing the silent condemnation and shock of everyone, Shao Mian, the big lion, calmly instructed.
“But I feel like this isn’t something I can casually hold?”
Lin Ran was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and looked up at Yuanbao, who was also nervous.
[Ding——This is an Eternal Companion Contract. After holding it, both parties will share each other’s lifespan, magic power, and everything else. Once this contract is established, it cannot be broken!]
As soon as Shao Mian gave it to him, “Demon World” frantically popped up prompts.
However, Lin Ran was a human and Shao Mian was a demon. If they shared everything, it would undoubtedly be equivalent to Shao Mian losing half of himself.
“But if it’s you, you can hold it.” Or would he refuse?
Shao Mian was truly nervous, so much so that the longer the silence lasted, the tighter his lion tail curled behind him. He had never been so nervous in his long life.
“But before I accept your red envelope, you seem to have to accept mine first, Yuanbao.”
Lin Ran, seeing Yuanbao, this big lion, becoming more and more anxious, finally smiled and took out the first red envelope he had prepared for the New Year from his pocket.
Shao Mian: ?!
Shao Mian nervously took it and opened it, only to find that it was the bankbook he had been thinking about for days! The extremely precious proof of family status!
“Happy New Year~ You’re officially my boyfriend now, Yuanbao. Grandma also agrees to give it to you.”
Lin Ran looked at the dumbfounded Yuanbao, couldn’t help but smile, and kissed the golden tabby, who was stunned and at a loss.
The golden halo, with their close contact, burst into a dazzling light.
Two golden rings with faintly flowing halos appeared in their palms, it was a strange feeling, as if they could sense each other’s presence and breathing.
Shao Mian felt like he was truly bewitched and couldn’t help but want to lean down and kiss him back.
“No, no, we also want kisses, A-Ran——!”
But the fluffy creatures around them, who had just been force-fed dog food, were silent for a few seconds, then all shouted jealously.
Sootball and Little Feather flapped their wings and squeezed over, Snowball also tried to pounce into A-Ran’s arms, and Ossi, the little fish, was so angry that he almost cried pearls…
Pear Blossom and Dark Cloud hesitated, wondering if they should release a lightning bolt, then no one could steal a kiss from A-Ran!
“Lin-zai, it’s New Year’s, it’s New Year’s… Holy crap!”
Jiang Jie, who had come over after finishing his New Year’s Eve dinner, heard these shouts from afar and instantly became anxious, although he couldn’t clearly see what was happening to Lin-zai inside.
“No, I don’t allow it! You guys stop, no one is allowed to randomly kiss my Lin-zai——!”
There were so many people, how could Lin-zai kiss them all? Wouldn’t his mouth be kissed raw? It was terrifying!
Even the Monitoring Bureau staff who had hurriedly arrived, seeing the grand magic fireworks still blooming in the sky, holding their magic detectors with dangerously high readings, fell silent.
“Using magic to set off fireworks, these demons are quite romantic…”
Although thinking about who it was for, they seemed to understand.
“Can we finally get off work now, Chief Zou? Happy New Year! Year-end bonus arrived~”
Qiu Ying smiled and patted her leader’s shoulder, and the team members behind her also looked up at the sky with smiles.
Only the phone that had slipped onto the seat displayed the last prompt:
[Ding——Main quest completed, please freely explore this world~ BY: “Demon World” [Happy]]
[End of Main Story]
