Chapter 46
“Ahem, Snowball has a headache. I’m giving him a massage,” Lin Ran explained under Grandma’s curious gaze.
“…Yes!” An Xun played along, nodding obediently.
“His nickname is Snowball? Cute,” Grandma said, then, distracted, brought the food to the table. Kids will be kids.
An Xun felt a strange warmth hearing his nickname used in the real world.
After Grandma left, Lin Ran removed his hand, and Snowball’s ears popped back up, their fluffiness tempting.
Lin Ran chuckled, pinching Snowball’s cheeks. “Your ears popped out. Almost caught by Grandma.”
“I don’t know…” An Xun blushed, unable to resist A-Ran’s touch.
“It’s okay. Let’s eat in your room. No one will see them there. Such cute little ears,” Lin Ran said, sensing his nervousness.
An Xun, looking at him, realized showing his ears wasn’t always a bad memory. He would remember this moment, A-Ran’s gentle touch and kind words.
“Sit here and eat. I’ll get your pajamas,” Lin Ran said, leading him to the desk.
“Okay!” An Xun said, his ears twitching as he ate.
Lin Ran, returning with the pajamas, couldn’t help but think how adorable he was.
He saw An Xun cover his ears and look up as he ruffled them, then he pinched his cheeks too.
“So cute, our little Snowball… or should I say, little An Xun?”
An Xun hugged him, his ears pressed against A-Ran’s face.
“Just Snowball,” he whispered. A-Ran’s Snowball.
Lin Ran, holding the sleepy cub, looked at his ears, wondering how to ask about his transformation. Was An Xun human first, then Snowball? But was it okay to ask? An Xun hadn’t offered an explanation.
An Xun, sensing his gaze, was about to explain—
“A-Ran…” I just logged into a game, and you’re a popular NPC everyone wants to befriend…
—when a warning message, usually only seen in the game, appeared:
[Warning: Unauthorized information disclosure will result in permanent account ban!]
A permanent ban was the harshest punishment in “Demon World,” leaving demons vulnerable to uncontrolled transformations. It was reserved for those who severely disrupted the game. Was A-Ran that important to “Demon World”?
“What’s wrong? You’re quiet,” Lin Ran asked, stroking his cheek, sensing his hesitation.
“Thinking… how to tell A-Ran,” An Xun said, carefully choosing his words, avoiding the forbidden topic. Perhaps some information was allowed.
“About why you’re human?” Lin Ran asked, and An Xun looked up, surprised. Was this allowed? He nodded tentatively, receiving no warning.
“Some demons… can be human. Not all,” he said cautiously, relieved when nothing happened.
“Some demons? I agree, not all demons are smart,” Lin Ran said, then realized something. “So, Sootball can be human too!?”
An Xun, however, didn’t want A-Ran’s attention diverted to Sootball. “I don’t know…” he mumbled, which wasn’t entirely a lie. He had never seen Sootball’s human form.
But Lin Ran remembered the teenage Sootball from the Mirror World. He didn’t look Chinese. If he was abroad, they were less likely to meet.
“Are there… demons in human form all over the world?” he asked.
“Yes,” An Xun confirmed. The “Demon World” forum had members from all over the world.
Lin Ran looked at the world with new eyes. So, some of these seemingly ordinary people were actually fluffy demons? It was like a surprise gacha pull.
“But Sootball might not be in this country,” An Xun added, most Luna Clan demons residing in a faraway land. Unless Sootball transferred to an international school, he wouldn’t be able to see A-Ran as often as he could! He felt a surge of happiness.
Lin Ran chuckled. He couldn’t be blamed for not bringing Sootball then. “But don’t tell him. He’ll get jealous.”
“Okay!” An Xun nodded eagerly. This was their secret.
Lin Ran, seeing his excitement, wondered if he could use the Time Mirror to see Snowball’s future. The information he had gotten from Sootball’s future wasn’t enough. Perhaps Snowball’s would be different. Like puzzle pieces, revealing “Demon World’s” secrets.
“Give me your hand,” he said.
“?” An Xun, though confused, obeyed.
Lin Ran tried to activate the Time Mirror.
[Beep—Insufficient prerequisites! Cannot activate!][This is a Dangerous-level event. Prerequisites (0/2) unmet. Doubled risk.]
Two prerequisites? Even more than Sootball’s cloak. What had Snowball done in the future?!
An Xun, seeing his shocked expression, said nervously, “Nothing… just curious.”
“Curious?”
“Yes, curious about what you’ll be like when you grow up,” Lin Ran said, and An Xun thought about his own future, planned by his parents and manager: a life of acting.
“Do you like acting?” Lin Ran asked, and An Xun, surprised by the question, realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
“I don’t dislike it… I’m good at it,” he said, realizing he was simply skilled at it, earning praise and recognition. But did he like it?
Lin Ran, watching him, realized he had probably never had a choice.
“Acting is good. It lets everyone see you. And your movies are good,” he said. He had seen a few, impressed by An Xun’s natural talent. Even his grandma had been moved to tears by his performance.
“But you should also explore other interests. Don’t stress too much. People like you,” he said, patting his head.
“No! If they find out I’m a monster, they won’t like me! They’ll be scared…” and throw things at him. He touched his ear, remembering the arguments and broken things at home.
“Is that why your ear is injured?” Lin Ran asked softly, and An Xun’s eyes widened. He had guessed… He had never told anyone, keeping it hidden like a secret.
“But it’s not your fault. You’re still young,” Lin Ran said, stroking his ear. “You’re hardworking and talented. It’s natural for people to like you. If you let a few hateful people make you unhappy, wouldn’t it be unfair to those who love you? We want to see you become a famous actor, winning awards. Everyone who loves you would be so happy, including Sootball and me,” he said, hugging him, pinching his ear gently.
An Xun, after a long silence, nodded. A-Ran liked his ears, and he liked him as a snow leopard. Being a snow leopard wasn’t a bad thing!
Lin Ran, however, felt angry towards his parents. No wonder their relationship seemed so strained. He suspected they would have abandoned An Xun if he wasn’t valuable to them. And he sensed An Xun’s mother was human. Was his father a demon? Or could demons be born from human parents? What caused these transformations?
An Xun was a mystery. Or perhaps “Demon World” itself was becoming increasingly mysterious.
“Does Yuanbao have a human form?” he wondered.
An Xun didn’t know. Unlike Sootball, Yuanbao’s lineage was unknown. But he was clearly different from other demons.
“If he does, he must have a terrible temper. I wonder how people deal with him,” Lin Ran chuckled, imagining Yuanbao’s arrogance in a human workplace, probably getting fired constantly. Perhaps he could work at a zoo as a lion? But he shed a lot. Would he lose his hair in his human form?
“A-Ran, I don’t shed…” An Xun said, holding up his tail, reminding him that snow leopards were allowed on the bed.
“You’re still a cub, you don’t shed,” Lin Ran said, hugging him.
“Let’s take a bath. I have some new pajamas for you. Can you bathe yourself?” he asked, it being almost 8 pm.
“Okay!” An Xun, surprisingly self-sufficient, took the pajamas and went to the bathroom. Sootball would have needed more coaxing.
As Lin Ran tidied up, the broken crystal halves fused back together.
[Beep—Obtained complete “Ice Necklace.”][Grants the wearer ice protection, weakens mutated demon attacks by 50%, and increases affection growth by 50%!]
His phone vibrated with notifications. “Demon World” was no longer hiding its connection to the real world. And the mention of “mutated demons” gave him a clue. Sootball’s notifications mentioned the Luna Clan, but Snowball’s didn’t mention any specific race, only “mutated demons.” Did that mean An Xun wasn’t born a demon but transformed later? That would explain the Time Mirror’s “Dangerous” rating. A human awakening demonic powers, especially one in the public eye, could be… problematic.
[Beep—Activated!] Lost in thought, he forgot about the Moon Brooch’s effect and accidentally activated the Ice Necklace. And he wasn’t even in “Demon World”! He had no magic to sustain the transformation!
The world grew larger, and his clothes fell over his head.
“…” He opened his eyes, his hands now fluffy paws, the pads pink!
“A-Ran—? A-Ran!” An Xun, wearing the blue pajamas, couldn’t find him and panicked.
Lin Ran hesitated to make a sound.
“Mew…” He couldn’t help it.
“A-Ran!?” An Xun found the small, white snow leopard cub under the clothes and hugged it. A-Ran was a snow leopard too! And so cute! He stared at him, realizing why the Luna Clan demons were so fond of him in his cub form.
Lin Ran, being lifted by Snowball, wanted to rewind time. “Demon World,” couldn’t there be a confirmation button?! He would uninstall this game!
[Beep—We’re working on it… Sending compensation.] The game, sensing his frustration, sent a compensatory gift. It seemed genuinely worried about him uninstalling it.
“Mew—!” But An Xun also transformed, sitting beside him, licking his fur, trying to show him how to groom himself.
Lin Ran, however, hid under the pillow, only his tail sticking out.
“Mew!” An Xun brought him another pillow, in case he wanted to hide completely.
Lin Ran just wanted to be left alone.
Meanwhile, at Morson Group’s “Demon World” development team, the urgent update request from the game’s core consciousness had caused a panic. Even Tao Shu, the head programmer, rushed to the office. What could be so important? The game had been stable for a long time.
Shao Mian, carrying a weary Abyss, emerged from the underground training facility, sneezing again. He had been sneezing all night. He would find out who was talking about him.
“Abyss wants to sleep… Or go back to ‘Demon World.’ I miss A-Ran!” Abyss whined. Training was hard! How did that snow leopard do it?!
“It’s only been a few days. Weren’t you determined?” Shao Mian said, looking at Abyss with disdain. It was like a lazy, unmotivated cub. Why were his subordinates so useless, while the human’s cubs were awakening so quickly? Was he bad at training? He felt a flicker of self-doubt.
“Your training plan is unreasonable! I’ll just tell you about A-Ran—!” Abyss regretted using the secret as leverage. Shao Mian was now pushing him too hard, ruining his plans to visit A-Ran.
“Well… that’s acceptable,” Shao Mian said, hiding his satisfaction, then entered his study, finding Tao Shu and the others waiting. Whatever it was, he wanted it dealt with quickly. He hated overtime. Not that he was interested in the secret or anything.
