Chapter 62
Lin Ran, holding Sootball, felt strangely self-conscious under Snowball’s gaze, like he had been caught cheating.
“Okay, okay, stand up straight. See? You woke Snowball,” he said, trying to detach Sootball, who was clinging to him.
“…No,” Sootball said, refusing to let go for the first time.
Lin Ran: ?
An Xun, however, walked over and said, “A-Ran said let go.” It was their first meeting in their human forms. An Xun, at eighteen, was taller than Sootball, like an older brother.
Sootball looked at Snowball, then buried its face against Lin Ran, muttering, “A-Ran, you’re playing favorites.”
Lin Ran: !? Being accused of favoritism was a blow to his self-proclaimed “fairness.”
“That’s not true! When have I ever played favorites?” he asked, petting Sootball.
“You spend way more time with Snowball,” Sootball said, which was undeniably true. Lin Ran coughed, remembering his lower game level and shorter time limits in the Time Mirror.
“But I met you first. Wouldn’t Snowball feel the same if I spent more time with you?” he reasoned gently.
Sootball glared at him, about to argue, when An Xun, no longer tolerating its clinginess, grabbed its collar, his height advantage making it difficult for Sootball to escape.
“You’re so short,” he remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Sootball’s human form, however, wasn’t bad, fitting his personality.
Sootball: “…!!!”
“Snowball, that’s not nice! Luna Clan demons grow slower than humans!” Lin Ran said, but it was too late.
Sootball, its face puffed out, glared at Snowball, its aura flaring, its body rapidly growing until it was almost as tall as An Xun, its features still youthful but with the defined lines of a young man. While An Xun’s aura was a cool, indifferent blue, Sootball’s was a regal, mysterious purple.
An Xun, seeing this, smirked, his own aura flaring, and they were about to engage in a childish height competition when Lin Ran, caught in the middle, interrupted them.
“Fine, since you’re both grown up now, no more cuddles for either of you,” he declared, tired of their bickering. Being an adult meant no more bedtime stories and being able to earn their own living. He was done playing referee.
Sootball and Snowball: !!! They instantly transformed back into their cub forms and rushed towards him, Sootball clinging to his arm, Snowball hugging his leg.
“You’re both so heavy! Stop!” Lin Ran said, trying to resist their cuteness, then picked them up by their scruffs and placed them on the bed.
“Go to sleep! Wake up in four hours for lunch! And then we’ll talk,” he said, and they obediently curled up and closed their eyes, Sootball not daring to mention that Luna Clan demons didn’t sleep at this time. Sootball, exhausted from its frantic search for A-Ran, however, genuinely fell asleep, soothed by his familiar scent.
Lin Ran, watching them sleep, Sootball sprawled across the bed, Snowball curled up with its tail as a pillow, chuckled. He was glad he had stopped Little Feather from touching the spring water; it would have been even more chaotic. And Little Feather was prone to tantrums.
Looking at Sootball’s wings, he remembered the elixir and gently applied it, the cub relaxing under his touch.
[Unnecessary actions may have unforeseen consequences,] “Demon World” warned, noticing his excessive care for his cubs.
“I’m leaving soon,” Lin Ran replied, not stopping.
He also felt drowsy from using his magic and fell asleep beside them, the cubs instinctively snuggling closer, the scene peaceful and serene in the moonlight, except for a black raven watching from the roof. The Luna Clan heir was here, an unexpected development. The proud Luna Clan rarely interacted with half-demons, let alone humans. What was the secret behind this unusual connection? And it seemed to be related to this young human.
Wang Ayi, the housekeeper, was also surprised. Her usually aloof employer, An Xun, now had another “friend,” besides Lin Ran. And she couldn’t help but smile, watching the three young men eating together. They were all so handsome. She still appreciated a good-looking young man, even in middle age.
Sootball, back in its little boy form, kept staring at A-Ran, only to be glared at by An Xun: Don’t stare at A-Ran while he’s eating.
Sootball just “hmphed” and moved his chair closer to Lin Ran.
“Sootball, what are you doing? Eat your food,” Lin Ran said, pushing his head back gently, knowing Snowball would follow suit, and he would be the one squished in the middle.
Sootball sat back down, sulking. Snowball didn’t know A-Ran would be leaving, did he? But since A-Ran hadn’t mentioned it, it wouldn’t either. It could enjoy his presence for a little longer.
After lunch, Lin Ran suggested a walk in the garden, and Sootball, transforming, perched on his shoulder, An Xun, also transforming, following them, then being picked up by Lin Ran.
The garden was beautiful in the morning sun. Standing by a fountain, Lin Ran finally revealed his secret:
“I’m from the past, and I’ll be leaving in three days.”
A silence fell. Even Sootball, chasing butterflies, stopped, and An Xun, who had been playing with a fish in the fountain, turned and looked at him, the fish slipping from his grasp. He had known this moment would come, but not so soon.
“And Snowball, you’ve probably guessed why I’m here, haven’t you?” Lin Ran asked, crouching down, petting his head.
“But… I won’t interfere with your choices. I don’t know what you’re planning… but I’ll stay until your movie is released,” he said, looking into his blue eyes. If Snowball still chose to trigger the apocalypse, he wouldn’t stop him, even if “Demon World” said he could. Snowball’s actions were a result of his past suffering, and he had no right to ask him to forgive and forget. He could only try to prevent those events from happening in his own timeline.
An Xun, after a long silence, nuzzled against him, understanding. A-Ran was giving him a choice. He didn’t know how A-Ran knew about his plan, or where he had come from, but he appreciated his respect.
Three days later, the premiere of “Doomsday.” The public only knew it was Director Ma Sai’s latest masterpiece, starring the internationally acclaimed An Xun. The film’s promotion was everywhere. Theaters were sold out, and online platforms crashed.
But Zou Zhen Yuan felt a growing unease. He sensed something big was about to happen, a true doomsday. The demons under surveillance had been unusually quiet, too quiet. He had been dealing with supernatural incidents for years, minimizing damage and preventing public panic, and he knew how easily these forces could manipulate humans. He had warned his superiors about An Xun’s potential to trigger mass hysteria through his film, but no one had taken him seriously.
“Zou, are you stressed? You said the worlds were merging, but nothing has happened yet,” someone had said.
“And those demons, they’re living peacefully among us, even contributing to our society. Morson Group alone has created countless jobs. If we treat them all as enemies, who will compensate for the economic losses? And we might provoke them, affecting our budget…”
Zou Zhen Yuan, looking at them, realized the demons had learned to infiltrate human society, their influence like an addictive drug. His only recourse was to monitor the premiere, hoping to understand An Xun’s plan.
“He’s here!” an agent said, and Zou Zhen Yuan focused his binoculars on An Xun, surprised to see him relaxed, dressed casually, following a young man.
Lin Ran was attending his first movie premiere, through a special entrance, amazed by the celebrities around him. An Xun patiently explained everything, making Lin Ran realize how much he had grown. Sootball, however, looked unimpressed, thinking he should have taken A-Ran to the Luna Clan manor. It wasn’t fair!
As the movie started, the excited chatter subsided. The film depicted a world where humans and demons coexisted, then a disaster struck as demonic energy dwindled. The protagonist, Augier, a rookie agent, investigated a vast conspiracy, searching for the key to preventing the apocalypse.
Zou Zhen Yuan, watching, was stunned. How had this film passed censorship? It was completely different from the submitted version! Director Sai Ban and others tried to stop the screening, but they couldn’t.
Lin Ran, however, was captivated, recognizing the “Demon World” setting. “Will the protagonist… betray humanity and give the key to the demons, causing the apocalypse?” he whispered to An Xun, wanting a spoiler.
An Xun, however, was looking at him intently. “No. He chooses to give up.” He noticed Lin Ran’s body becoming translucent. He was leaving.
“So, it’s a happy ending? But it’s such a good movie…” Lin Ran wondered why “Demon World” considered this movie a prelude to doomsday.
If the humans had been surprised by the film’s content, the demons were even more so by its ending.
“They didn’t keep their promise,” Ser said, his voice flat, reporting to Shao Mian. “Those mutated humans are unreliable.”
Shao Mian, however, was watching the translucent figure in the front row.
“My hand… it’s disappearing, Snowball,” Lin Ran said, noticing the change, and An Xun, instinctively reaching for him, only caught the Box of Memories as he vanished.
[You dropped it again!] “Demon World” exclaimed. It was a valuable item!
“I didn’t expect it to happen so fast,” Lin Ran said, having wanted to leave a note for Snowball. He hoped this version of Snowball would find happiness, even though it was just a Time Mirror image. He waved goodbye, though An Xun couldn’t see him.
As the lights came on, An Xun stood up abruptly, and the audience, still immersed in the film, also stood, applauding, looking around, wondering what he was looking at.
“A-Ran is gone,” Sootball said quietly, understanding his feelings.
An Xun, clutching the box, said, “I know.” Perhaps he had simply been envious of his dream self.
[Quest complete! Returning to the real world!]
But as Lin Ran was leaving, he saw a familiar face.
“Wait, someone can see me,” he said, looking at the man on the balcony, his features undeniably familiar. Shao Mian!? But his aura was different, less intimidating, more… approachable. He remembered their awkward first meeting, now suspecting Shao Mian hadn’t been deliberately hostile, but simply nervous. Though that seemed ridiculous. Why would he be nervous around an intern? But he had been secretly buying his juice and even had a Maine Coon, a surprisingly gentle creature, despite its aloof appearance. He liked that cat; it reminded him of Yuanbao, easy to please, always willing to help after a bit of flattery.
He suddenly wanted to see Yuanbao. He wasn’t in his Monster Notes; he couldn’t see his future. But this Time Mirror trip had been far more informative than the last one.
He woke up in his dorm, eager to write down all the new clues, when his roommates’ voices startled him.
“Lin-zai! You’re awake!”
He blinked, then saw the Maine Coon on his desk. A valuable cat, in their simple dorm room?
“It crawled out of your backpack! When did it get in there?!”
“And it’s so fierce! We can’t even touch it!”
“It even drank all your juice!”
Shao Mian, however, just looked at him calmly.
“I’m hallucinating. I brought my boss’s cat back,” Lin Ran muttered, wanting to hide under his blanket.
“Your boss’s cat?! Lin-zai?!” his roommates exclaimed. He was even more amazing now!
“That cat is expensive! Its monthly expenses are more than our living expenses!” Luo Xiao said, knowledgeable as always.
“Will your boss offer a reward? We’ll be rich!”
“We can say it transformed into us!” Zhu Yao joked.
“Meow—!” The Maine Coon swatted the desk, glaring at him, as if scoffing at his ridiculous suggestion, making Zhu Yao freeze. “Did… it just insult me? Did it understand us?” Rich people’s cats were different.
Lin Ran, unable to ignore the commotion, especially Little Feather, hiding behind the fan, realized he wasn’t dreaming.
“How did you get here?” he asked, picking up the cat, bewildered.
Shao Mian flicked his tail, secretly charmed by the human’s sleepy confusion. He had simply seen a disturbing image and come looking for him. He looked around the small, simple dorm room, displeased. The human he had been so carefully nurturing lived in such poverty? Why hadn’t he told him?
