Chapter 65
In the crowded auditorium, Fu Yan caught up with An Xun, her gaze fixed on Lin Ran. “Hello, I’m An Xun’s manager. Let’s go backstage; it’s too crowded here,” she said, her tone a bit commanding.
Lin Ran nodded politely and crouched down, looking at An Xun. “Let’s go back, okay?”
“Okay,” An Xun said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the backstage area, the fans screaming as they watched An Xun, usually aloof, run like a happy snow leopard, glancing back at Lin Ran, a rare display of affection.
Backstage, in the VIP room, Lin Ran gently tapped An Xun’s head. “Don’t run so fast; you’ll fall.”
“I just wanted to stay close to you,” An Xun said, holding his hand tighter, his gaze making Lin Ran think he would be a heartthrob when he grew up. Who could resist those eyes and that voice? He hadn’t seen the adult Snowball in any romantic relationships, though, but perhaps that was normal for a young actor focused on his career.
He pinched An Xun’s cheek gently. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said, but An Xun, hearing this, froze, a fleeting sadness in his eyes, as if he had witnessed Lin Ran disappearing before, unable to hold onto him, a memory he couldn’t quite grasp.
“You will. If I don’t hold on tight, you’ll disappear,” he said, his voice firm. “So I have to keep you close.”
Lin Ran, seeing his seriousness, didn’t argue, letting him hold his hand. “Alright, then hold on tight, little one. So you don’t get lost,” he chuckled, crouching down, and An Xun hugged him.
Then, remembering something, he presented Lin Ran with a pile of gifts: a carefully chosen scarf, some clothes he thought A-Ran would look good in…
“Wait, the scarf is enough, Snowball! Where did you get all this?” Lin Ran asked, surprised by the sheer volume of gifts, half-expecting him to pull out a suitcase.
“I bought them for you. You don’t have many clothes,” An Xun explained. He regularly received clothes from brands and often went shopping with his mother, enjoying the attention and special treatment they received, the VIP rooms and the complimentary gifts, a boost to his mother’s ego. But while his mother was busy shopping for his brother and father, he had seen these clothes and thought A-Ran would look good in them. A-Ran only had a few outfits in “Demon World,” and even in the real world, he seemed to wear the same few clothes repeatedly. He could buy clothes for A-Ran too!
Lin Ran, hearing this, covered his face, embarrassed. His lack of fashionable clothes had been noticed.
“Snowball, most people only have a few outfits per season. Only celebrities wear different clothes every day,” he explained. He was doing better than Zhu Yao, who wore the same sweater all winter, turning it inside out when it got dirty. Only Luo Xiao had a decent wardrobe.
“But you look good in them. I want to see you wear them,” An Xun said, disappointed by A-Ran’s rejection. He hadn’t mentioned he had bought three sizes of the same outfit, unsure of A-Ran’s size. Custom-made would have been better, but he couldn’t take A-Ran for a fitting yet.
“Ee…” Little Feather, however, had burrowed into the soft scarf, peeking out at them, having claimed it as its nest.
An Xun: …? He grabbed Little Feather. This was for A-Ran, not for him! He was worried Little Feather would ask A-Ran for the scarf, and A-Ran, always so soft-hearted, would agree.
“Ee!” Little Feather struggled, its aura flaring.
“Stop fighting!” Lin Ran quickly separated them, relieved Sootball wasn’t here to add to the chaos.
Just then, the door opened. “An Xun, your…” Fu Yan stopped, her gaze fixed on the scarf, a new F brand design she had been eyeing, but the price had been too steep. She had planned to “borrow” it from An Xun, knowing he wouldn’t notice, then “forget” to return it. But it was a gift? She looked at Lin Ran with suspicion, convinced he was after An Xun’s resources.
Lin Ran noticed her hostility. Did she think he was manipulating An Xun?
“I’m going to work now. Don’t wander off, A-Ran. I’ll be back,” An Xun said, having learned from Lin Ran, and Lin Ran, about to lecture him about the reposting incident, was disarmed by his seriousness. He would be a convincing adult when he grew up. But now, it just looked cute.
“I’ll be here,” Lin Ran said, ruffling his hair.
“Could you… keep an eye on things? There are a lot of people backstage,” Fu Yan said to Lin Ran, implying he might steal something.
An Xun, however, sensed her insinuation and stopped, looking at her, his gaze cold.
“I meant… could you help? People might take things by mistake,” she quickly explained, looking at Lin Ran nervously.
“Go on. I’ll watch your things,” Lin Ran said, petting An Xun’s cheek, and An Xun, his expression softening, nodded and left.
Fu Yan sighed in relief, then hurried after him, realizing An Xun hadn’t called her “Sister Fu” in a while. He had been so affectionate when they first met. When had he changed? But he was too young to know about her… activities. And he didn’t seem to care about money anyway. He had never questioned his mother’s lavish spending.
But An Xun remained silent, as if she didn’t exist.
“Ee…” Little Feather, which had been hiding, flew to Lin Ran, staring at Fu Yan with suspicion. “Cheep! Cheep!” It tried to warn A-Ran about her, her aura foul.
“I need to warn Snowball about her. She seems… dangerous,” Lin Ran muttered, wondering how to approach the topic. He couldn’t just tell him his manager would betray him in the future.
“We need proof.” And his interventions, like healing Snowball’s ear, were only making things easier for them.
“Ee!” Little Feather chirped, wanting to explain that such creatures always caused trouble; they didn’t need proof. It even waited for them to become stronger, their negative energy more potent, before consuming them. It wanted to share its hunting wisdom with A-Ran.
“You want to help?” Lin Ran asked, misinterpreting its chirps, and Little Feather hesitated. It would help if Snowball gave it a scarf. Then, seeing Lin Ran’s thoughtful expression, it changed its mind. It would help first, then demand payment from Snowball.
The rehearsal ended, and Lin Ran, after a quick run-through, was greeted by An Xun with a thermos. “A-Ran, water,” he said.
“Thank you, Snowball,” Lin Ran said, touched. His cub was so thoughtful.
“Want to go back to the dorm? I’ll buy you some kao leng mian. Have you tried it?”
“Yes! I want some!” An Xun nodded eagerly.
Fu Yan, after a moment of hesitation, didn’t object, just giving them a long list of instructions.
“I know,” An Xun interrupted her, and she shut up, knowing he was surprisingly perceptive. But she had to maintain appearances in front of her superiors.
Back at the dorm, Lin Ran placed An Xun at his desk. “I’ll get you some food. Don’t want you to be surrounded by fans again,” he said, even a mask and hat not guaranteeing anonymity.
“Okay!” An Xun, looking around curiously, then made eye contact with the Maine Coon on the bookshelf.
“That’s a cat I’m looking after. Don’t bother him; he’s not very friendly,” Lin Ran warned.
An Xun nodded obediently.
Shao Mian, recognizing An Xun’s scent, wasn’t worried about him revealing anything. He was, however, curious about his progress and jumped down, his tail swishing playfully.
An Xun, startled, sensed the familiar lion aura, wondering if A-Ran knew him in the real world too… but he didn’t have enough information. Before he could react, a golden aura enveloped him, and he thought he was about to be attacked, perhaps for being near A-Ran.
But it was just a playful tap on the head, like a parent scolding a child for daydreaming, a familiar sensation… He was being taught how to use his newly awakened magic! He practiced eagerly, his icy blue aura clashing with the golden one, until Shao Mian, seemingly bored, jumped back onto the bed.
Just then, the door opened.
“What the—?!” Zhu Yao, the first to return, stared at the boy sitting at Lin-zai’s desk. He recognized him as An Xun, the celebrity his sister was obsessed with. He took a step back, checking the dorm number. He hadn’t entered the wrong room. Was he the protagonist of a novel now, about to embark on a magical adventure?
“What’s wrong, Yao-zi?” Luo Xiao and Lu Yi arrived, seeing him frozen by the door.
“Something strange is happening! Lin-zai’s…” he began dramatically.
“Lin-zai?! What happened?!” Luo Xiao, worried about another stalker incident, pushed the door open and also froze, seeing An Xun. Wasn’t that the celebrity his mother was obsessed with, the one their company had just signed an endorsement deal with? What was he doing here?
A few minutes later, Lin Ran returned with kao leng mian, finding the dorm unusually lively. He and Little Feather exchanged a look, then opened the door.
Zhu Yao was on a video call, excitedly talking to his sister.
“It’s really him! Stop screaming! Say what you always say at home!!” But his sister, on the other end, was screaming and hugging a pillow.
An Xun, however, was handling the situation calmly, making Zhu Yao seem like the starstruck fan.
Shao Mian, watching from the bed, was unimpressed. These humans were idiots.
“What’s going on?” Lin Ran asked.
“It’s An Xun! My sister’s a huge fan! She can’t even speak!” Zhu Yao exclaimed.
Lin Ran, worried about An Xun being forced to entertain them, stopped him. He had brought him back to relax. And seeing An Xun’s calm demeanor, he sensed the “Snow Mountain Mask” at work, a perfect facade.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asked. There was no need to indulge Zhu Yao’s request.
“Because they’re A-Ran’s friends,” An Xun said softly, rubbing against his hand. He wanted to be nice to them. He promised to send Zhu Yao’s sister a limited-edition gift, and Zhu Yao, satisfied, ended the call, then, along with his roommates, stared at Lin Ran, waiting for an explanation.
“The film crew was in our village this summer, and the director… gave me a small role,” Lin Ran explained, the only plausible explanation for outsiders.
“Lin-zai, you’re a movie star now?!”
“Makes sense! If I were a director, I’d cast you too! The handsome village boy!” They were easily convinced.
“So, you’re going to Hollywood now? No more Morson?”
“No, I’m still interning. The pay is too good to give up,” Lin Ran said, amused by their excitement.
“But Lin-zai, you only gave him kao leng mian? Shouldn’t you treat a celebrity to a fancy meal?”
Lin Ran: ?
“A-Ran gave it to me. I like it,” An Xun said quickly, not wanting A-Ran to stop buying it for him.
His roommates were stunned. They knew Lin-zai attracted animals, but humans too? This kid was willingly eating “peasant food” with him.
“See? He likes it too,” Lin Ran said, like a proud parent, and they fell silent. Lin-zai was amazing.
They were also surprised by An Xun’s down-to-earth personality, not at all arrogant or demanding, especially Luo Xiao, who had always been skeptical of child stars. He now understood his mother’s admiration. An Xun was different, mature and polite, almost too mature for his age, except for his obvious attachment to Lin Ran. He suspected there was more to their story than Lin Ran had let on.
Little Feather, however, watching from the ceiling fan, felt a pang of jealousy. It also wanted to be shown off and praised. Wasn’t it good enough? It reached for the scars on its face, wanting to scratch them, but the soft eye patch stopped it. It lowered its hand, its claws digging into the fan blade, bending it slightly. It didn’t want to bleed and dirty A-Ran’s gift. It curled into a ball, waiting for A-Ran to notice it. But what if he didn’t?
