Chapter 135: The Weight of ‘Baby’

Back in Xiao Moyuan’s apartment, the warm, yellow light chased away the evening chill.

Su Mian kicked off her shoes, her bare feet sinking into the soft carpet. She curled into the corner of the sofa, hugging a throw pillow close.

She turned her head, watching Xiao Moyuan as he shed his trench coat and hung it neatly.

The man’s profile was sharply defined in the lamplight, his movements as unhurried as ever.

Yet, Su Mian’s mind replayed, over and over, the two words he had uttered before they left the activity room.

*Baby*.

Su Mian pressed her lips together, her earlobes beginning to burn once more.

She clutched the pillow in her arms, unable to restrain herself any longer. Finally, she looked up and mumbled to Xiao Moyuan, who was heading towards the kitchen:

“Xiao Moyuan.”

“Hmm?”

Xiao Moyuan paused, turning to look at her.

“Why did you… say that about me in front of Qin Xuan and Lu Yang just now?”

Su Mian’s voice grew softer with each word, her face already a faint crimson.

“And… and you said it so naturally…”

Xiao Moyuan’s lips curved upward. He walked back into the living room and settled onto the other end of the sofa.

He turned sideways, resting his elbow on the armrest and propping his chin in his hand. He watched the little fox, who had started to blush again, with a leisurely air.

“If I don’t call you ‘baby’,” he said, a playful smile spreading in his eyes, “what should I call you then?”

He deliberately paused, lowering his voice slightly, a hint of ambiguous teasing in his tone:

“Wife?”

“—!”

Su Mian’s ears *popped* out from her hair, their snowy fur puffing out slightly in an instant of indignant embarrassment.

The three tails behind her unfurled uncontrollably with a *swish*, sweeping back and forth across the sofa cushion in frustration.

“How dare you?!”

She glared, her eyes wide and round, her cheeks flushed scarlet.

“Now, now my roommates, and Miyuki-maru and Hua Liang, they all know!”

“They all know our relationship… isn’t ordinary!”

Her voice grew more frantic with each word, and her tails slapped the sofa with increasing speed:

“Do you know how embarrassing this is for me?”

“Lu Yang was looking at me so strangely just now! Even though Qin Xuan didn’t say anything, he definitely made a mental note!”

“And Miyuki-maru… she already suspected something between us. Aren’t you just confirming it now?”

Xiao Moyuan watched her bristling, but instead of holding back, he chuckled softly.

The sound of his laughter was light, yet it resonated in Su Mian’s ears with an alluring warmth.

She grew even angrier, her tails standing straight up like three fluffy conductor’s batons.

“You’re still laughing!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh.”

Though Xiao Moyuan said this, the amusement in his eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest.

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. His voice was steady, carrying the certainty of a factual statement:

“However, Su Mian, haven’t you misunderstood something?”

“What?”

Su Mian eyed him warily.

“Your roommates,”

Xiao Moyuan said unhurriedly,

“Qin Xuan and Lu Yang—they’ve known our relationship wasn’t ordinary for a long time.”

Su Mian froze.

“They… already knew?”

She blinked, her face full of bewilderment.

“How is that possible? I never told them!”

“Some things don’t need to be said.”

Xiao Moyuan leaned back into the sofa, his posture relaxed, and began to list his points one by one.

“Remember that KTV gathering not long after school started?”

“You were a little dizzy from drinking and later fell asleep leaning on me.”

“Qin Xuan already figured out our relationship then.”

Su Mian tried hard to recall. She had indeed drunk too much that day without realizing it.

Her memory of what happened afterward was hazy; she only remembered waking up leaning on Xiao Moyuan’s shoulder, which instantly sobered her.

“A-and what else?” Her voice was a little weak.

“Even earlier than that.”

Xiao Moyuan continued,

“The first time you got drunk and called me to pick you up.”

“When I arrived, I carried you away in a princess carry right in front of them.”

Su Mian was completely dumbfounded.

“As for Lu Yang…”

Xiao Moyuan smiled.

“He might be a bit thick-headed, but he’s not an idiot.”

“That day during the school festival, you were wearing a dress and I carried you away—he and Qin Xuan were not far off, and they saw everything clearly.”

Su Mian’s face flushed crimson, slowly spreading to her neck until it was tinged pink.

“So, they already knew…”

She murmured to herself, a strong sense of ‘social death’ washing over her. She wished she could bury her face in the pillow and never emerge.

So, during this time, all her careful concealment and feigned normalcy in front of Lu Yang and Qin Xuan… did it all look like clumsy acting to them?

Xiao Moyuan watched her mortified expression. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the soft base of her fox ear.

Su Mian trembled all over, her ears instinctively twitching, yet she didn’t pull away.

“They didn’t expose it, likely out of consideration for your feelings.”

Xiao Moyuan’s voice softened.

“After all, in their eyes at the time, you were a male, and I was your rival for Shen Zhixia—at least on the surface. Such a complicated situation would only become more awkward if directly exposed.”

Su Mian gave a muffled “Mm.”

Indeed, if she were Lu Yang and Qin Xuan, seeing her ‘brother’ entangled with a love rival, she would probably choose to remain silent and observe rather than rashly tear through that veil of pretense.

This was out of a friend’s thoughtfulness.

However, knowing the truth only made her more embarrassed. It was like thinking you were perfectly disguised, only to discover the audience had seen through your act all along and played along—the shame this realization brought was simply doubled.

“Alright, don’t dwell on it.”

Xiao Moyuan withdrew his hand, his tone returning to its usual steady calm.

“The situation is different now.”

He looked at her, his gaze lingering on her exquisitely beautiful face, which, even with her fox ears retracted, was hard to conceal. His words carried a hidden meaning:

“You are now genuinely a woman, both physiologically and legally—the new identity document I helped you apply for should be arriving soon.”

“What’s wrong with being closer to me?”

“But, but we were once rivals!”

Su Mian looked up, trying to grasp at a last straw.

“With that as a premise, suddenly becoming so… so intimate, it’s really strange, isn’t it?”

This was a hurdle she had never been able to overcome in her heart. Even though her body had changed, the inertia of her memories and perceptions remained.

Just a few months ago, she had viewed Xiao Moyuan as the ‘enemy’ who stole Shen Zhixia, painstakingly plotting to get revenge on him. Now, she was his Shikigami, living in his apartment, and even developing an increasingly undeniable dependence and affection for him.

This drastic turn felt absurd and unreal to her at times.

“That was in the past,”

Xiao Moyuan corrected, his voice carrying an undeniable clarity.

His voice dropped, tinged with a meaningful tease:

“That point, however, is quite cute. It really attracts me.”

“—!”

Su Mian felt a rush of heat surge straight to her head.

She recoiled sharply, hugging the pillow to her chest, glaring at Xiao Moyuan with a mix of shame and anger.

“Fine! So you knew it was me all along, and you deliberately chatted with me for so long?”

“And… and you made me send photos? You pervert! You and Zhixia acted intimately just to see me send those photos, didn’t you?!”

She grew more convinced with each thought, her tails slapping the sofa in fury.

Xiao Moyuan, however, simply smiled.

That smile wasn’t his usual detached or playful one; it held a genuine hint of pleasure.

He leaned back, his arm draped over the sofa’s back, watching her fume with a relaxed posture.

“Who exactly is the pervert here?” he asked leisurely.

Su Mian froze.

“…” She opened her mouth, but suddenly fell silent. Thinking it over carefully… it seemed, it seemed she was indeed a better fit for the definition of ‘pervert’?

When she was still a boy, she wore women’s clothes, learned to mimic female voices, and took those kinds of photos to send to another boy. Although her initial intention was ‘revenge,’ the act itself was indeed difficult to explain with common sense.

Later, not only did her gender change, but her species did too—from human male to fox demon female. The word ‘pervert’ seemed tailor-made for her.

Su Mian’s face alternated between red and pale, before she ultimately deflated, her tails drooping listlessly.

She buried her face in the pillow, letting out muffled, self-deprecating whimpers. It was too humiliating… her dark past dragged out for public execution, and she couldn’t even refute it…

Xiao Moyuan watched her, the smile in his eyes deepening.

But he didn’t press the attack. Instead, he gave her a few seconds of reprieve before speaking again, bringing the conversation back to its original point:

“Alright, back to the main topic.”

Su Mian lifted half her face from the pillow, one eye peeking out warily at him.

Xiao Moyuan regarded her.

“During the time we were in that online relationship, my investment was genuine.”

Su Mian’s heart fluttered slightly.

“And you?”

Xiao Moyuan asked, his tone calm, yet subtly guiding.

“Were you truly ‘acting’ the entire time? All those fake voices, the makeup, learning how girls dress and their mannerisms… was it merely to deceive me?”

Su Mian pressed her lips together. She remembered those days—practicing her gaze and smile repeatedly in the mirror, poring over fashion magazines for outfit ideas, even secretly observing Shen Zhixia’s behavior.

At first, it was indeed to make the ‘Sweet Marshmallow’ character more convincing. But she couldn’t pinpoint when she started looking forward to every chat with ‘Yuan’, feeling happy for half a day over a single compliment from him, and overthinking when he seemed distant.

If it was only to deceive him, would she have needed to go to such lengths?

“Also,”

Xiao Moyuan’s voice broke her train of thought,

“If you had no feelings for me at all, why did your body… ultimately solidify its transformation direction because of my gender?”

Su Mian’s head shot up.

Her face instantly turned so red it looked like it might drip blood.

“I…” Su Mian opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. Should she admit it? Too embarrassing. Should she deny it? But the facts were undeniable.

Xiao Moyuan watched her flustered state, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes.

He reached out, this time not to touch her hair, but to curl a finger and lightly flick her smooth forehead.

*Thump*.

It wasn’t hard, carrying a hint of affectionate discipline.

“Little fox,”

His voice held a smile, and a barely perceptible indulgence. *Aren’t you quite capable of realizing what your feelings for me are?*

Su Mian covered her flicked forehead, her ears drooping, but her tail wagged gently and honestly behind her.

Xiao Moyuan withdrew his hand, leaning back into the sofa and posing his initial question once more:

“So, since you truly developed feelings for me, what’s wrong with me calling you ‘baby’?”

Su Mian: “…”

She was speechless. The logical chain was perfectly closed—she developed genuine feelings for him, her body changed because of it, their relationship was now intimate, and he used a term of endearment… it was all reasonable, without a single flaw.

Su Mian suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Every argument with Xiao Moyuan seemed to end in her complete defeat.

Not only was she tricked into revealing a heap of genuine feelings, but she also solidified her dual identity as a ‘pervert’ and ‘having fallen for him early’.

The most crucial thing was that she found herself… not disliking him calling her ‘baby’. In fact, when he said it in that low, gentle voice, a secret sweetness would even blossom in her heart.

This realization made her even more ashamed.

Xiao Moyuan observed her changing expressions, from initial shame and speechlessness to her current struggle and resignation.

The smile in his eyes deepened. He suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them once more.

This time, his expression held a subtle shift. Those eyes, usually deep and calm, lowered slightly, and the smile on his lips receded, replaced by an almost… aggrieved look.

He furrowed his brow slightly, looking at Su Mian, his voice also dropping, with a hint of cautious probing:

“Or is it…”

He paused, a touch of disappointment coloring his tone:

“You don’t want to be my baby?”

“—”

Su Mian was instantly stunned. She had seen Xiao Moyuan in all sorts of ways—cold, aloof, dominant, playful, gentle… but she had never imagined he would show such an almost ‘pitiful’ expression.

Those eyes, which always seemed to see everything, were now slightly downcast, long lashes casting small shadows beneath them. His lips were subtly pressed together, carrying a hint of resignation after a rejection.

Despite still being that excessively handsome face, it somehow conveyed the image of… a large, abandoned dog.

Su Mian’s heart instantly softened into a complete mess.

“N-no!”

She blurted out almost instantly, waving her hands frantically.

“I don’t not want to! You, you don’t look like that…”

She looked at his still ‘disappointed’ expression, feeling both anxious and tender, her voice softening.

“Alright, alright, I don’t mind you calling me baby, okay…?”

*Don’t look like that, it makes it seem like I bullied you…*

As soon as the words left her lips, Xiao Moyuan looked up. The pitiful expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a smile of unconcealed pleasure at having achieved his goal.

His eyes sparkled with mischief; where was the slightest hint of grievance from moments before?

“Then it’s settled.”

He stood up, his movements swift and decisive.

“Baby, I’ll make you dinner. You didn’t eat tonight, did you?”

Su Mian: “…”

She watched Xiao Moyuan’s tall figure turn and walk towards the kitchen, realizing belatedly—she had been tricked again!

This man was completely intentional!

Feigning pity to gain sympathy!

And she had actually fallen for it!

“Xiao Moyuan, you—”

Su Mian angrily grabbed the throw pillow, intending to throw it, but her hand stopped midway and she lowered it.

*Forget it… anyway, anyway, she really didn’t dislike him calling her that.*

And… seeing him smile so happily just now, the small annoyance she felt about being tricked inexplicably dissipated for the most part.

Su Mian hugged the pillow and curled back into the sofa, her tails unconsciously wagging gently again.

Her ears twitched, but ultimately didn’t retract, remaining fluffy and upright in her hair.

The sound of running water and the faint clatter of pots came from the kitchen. Before long, the aroma of food gradually drifted out.

Su Mian sniffed—it was the slightly burnt scent of fried eggs, and the smell of her favorite soy products. Her stomach gave a very timely *rumble*.

She was indeed hungry. She had rushed to the old teaching building that evening and hadn’t eaten dinner at all. Afterward, she had gone through so much, expending a great deal of energy. Now that she was relaxed, the hunger immediately surged.

Approximately forty minutes later, Xiao Moyuan emerged, carrying a tray. The simple fried egg was cooked to perfection, slightly crispy at the edges with a runny yolk inside. On a plate beside it was pan-fried tofu, golden brown on the surface, sprinkled with finely chopped green onions. There was also her favorite yogurt.

All her favorite foods.

Su Mian’s eyes lit up, and the wagging of her tails noticeably quickened. She took the chopsticks, eagerly picked up a piece of tofu, and put it in her mouth—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, the savory umami of the soy mixed with the sauce melted in her mouth.

“Delicious…”

She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, her ears twitching contentedly, and the three tails behind her unconsciously fanned out.

Xiao Moyuan sat opposite her, with only a glass of water in front of him. He watched the little fox eat with relish, the tenderness in his eyes growing more evident.

“Eat slowly,” he reminded her.

Su Mian nodded. She held the yogurt, sipping it in small mouthfuls, her face showing complete relaxation and pleasure.

Xiao Moyuan watched her silently for a moment before speaking.

“You did very well today.”

Su Mian looked up from her food, blinking. “Huh?”

“I said, you found the location of the seal’s eye today, which was a great help to me.”

Xiao Moyuan’s voice was steady, but the approval in his tone was clear.

“If you hadn’t confirmed Chen Wan’s bone’s exact location and the seal’s status in time, it would have been troublesome once that special-grade evil spirit completely broke free and formed a large-scale ghost domain.”

He paused, then continued:

“N City is densely populated. Once a ghost domain forms, the casualties would be far from a small number. As the person fully in charge of this matter, the responsibility I would have to bear would not be light. You effectively eliminated a major hidden danger for me in advance.”

Su Mian felt a little embarrassed by his praise, her ears pressing down slightly.

“It wasn’t just my credit… it was thanks to Hua Liang holding them off outside, Miyuki-maru constantly protecting us, and Lu Yang and Qin Xuan. Without their help, I wouldn’t have pinpointed the location so quickly.”

As she spoke, her tails swayed gently:

“And if you hadn’t arrived in time at the end to stabilize the seal with those talismans, we might all have been in danger.”

Xiao Moyuan didn’t refute, merely nodding slightly.

“Teamwork is also part of ability. It’s good that you realize that.”

Su Mian pursed her lips, feeling a little happy—being acknowledged by him wasn’t bad.

She ate the last bite of fried egg, then suddenly remembered something and looked up at Xiao Moyuan:

“Oh, right, after Chen Wan’s matter is resolved… will you really recommend Lu Yang and Qin Xuan to the Demon Exorcism Academy?”

Xiao Moyuan took a sip from his water glass, his tone even.

“Recommending them is one thing; whether they can pass the Demon Exorcism Academy’s assessment is another.”

He looked at Su Mian.

“Qin Xuan’s observational skills, analytical ability, and psychological resilience are all excellent, and his stability after awakening his spiritual sense is also good. I’m optimistic about him passing the assessment.”

“As for Lu Yang…”

He pondered for a moment.

“He’s bold and driven, and his spiritual sense awakening is sufficient, but his personality needs refinement. Whether he passes depends on his own fortune.”

Su Mian nodded. Indeed, the Demon Exorcism Academy didn’t sound like a place just anyone could enter.

“Then…”

She hesitated.

“If they really pass, will we still be classmates… in the future?”

Xiao Moyuan saw the faint anticipation in her eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.

“If you’re referring to training and studying at the Demon Exorcism Academy—yes. As my Shikigami, you also need to receive systematic training and guidance. You’ll very likely be in the same preparatory academy then.”

Su Mian’s eyes brightened. That wasn’t bad at all.

At least in a new environment, there would still be familiar faces to look out for each other. She put down her chopsticks and took small sips of yogurt.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally made up her mind. She looked up at Xiao Moyuan and asked the question that had been weighing on her mind for a long time:

“Xiao Moyuan… what exactly is our contract?”

Xiao Moyuan’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Su Mian continued, her voice softer:

“Earlier, underground, Miyuki-maru and Hua Liang mentioned… that our contract doesn’t seem to be a ‘master-servant contract’?”

Xiao Moyuan put down his water glass and leaned back into his chair.

“They’re right.”

“The contract I signed with you is indeed not a master-servant contract.”

Su Mian gripped the yogurt carton in her hand.

“Why?”

“You’re clearly so much stronger than me; you could have easily signed a master-servant contract…”

Wouldn’t that ensure more control over her?

Xiao Moyuan looked at her confused, slightly nervous face, and slowly began.

“Su Mian, from the very beginning, I never intended to treat you as a ‘tool’ or ‘possession’ that could be arbitrarily ordered around.”

His voice was calm, yet it carried a heavy weight:

“I transformed you because the situation was critical; it was the fastest way to protect you.”

“And signing the contract, on one hand, was to stabilize your demon body, and on the other hand…”

He paused, his deep brown eyes looking directly at her:

“It was to establish a bidirectional connection. I can sense your state and arrive in time when you’re in danger; and you, through the contract, can slowly learn to perceive my existence, and even, in the future, borrow some of my power.”

Su Mian stared at him blankly.

“As for why it’s this kind of contract,”

Xiao Moyuan continued,

“It’s because I hope our relationship is built on mutual respect. You have your free will, and you can choose the path you want to take—whether it’s living as a human or exploring your potential as a demon…”

He curved his lips slightly:

“Of course, as your contractor, I also have the responsibility to guide you and protect you until you are strong enough to face this world independently.”

Su Mian’s heart beat a little faster. An equal contract… mutual respect… free will…

These words combined to describe a relationship model she had never considered. Not master and servant, not control and being controlled, but… equal?

“Then, what specific restrictions does the contract have?” she asked softly.

Xiao Moyuan listed them.

“First, neither party shall intentionally harm the contractor—which is me. Of course, the reverse is also true.”

“Second, if the contractor faces a life-threatening danger, the other party is obligated to assist with all their might.”

“Third,” he looked at Su Mian, “neither party shall use the abilities or identity granted by the contract to cause large-scale harm or disrupt order in the human world.”

Su Mian carefully noted them down. It sounded… not harsh at all. In fact, it was quite lenient.

“That’s all?” she confirmed.

“That’s all.”

Xiao Moyuan nodded.

“Other things, like whether you’re willing to follow my guidance, or accept the learning and training I arrange—these are not compulsory terms of the contract; they depend on your own choice.”

Su Mian fell silent. She suddenly understood why Miyuki-maru and Hua Liang had said Xiao Moyuan was ‘really good’ to her.

In a situation where their strengths were completely unequal, actively choosing an equal contract and granting her the maximum degree of freedom and respect—this was indeed not something an ordinary demon master would do.

“Then…” she hesitated, “what if I… want to terminate the contract in the future?”

When she asked this, she felt inexplicably nervous.

Xiao Moyuan’s expression remained unchanged, and he simply replied calmly:

“The conditions for terminating an equal contract are more complex than for a master-servant contract; it requires mutual consent and a specific ritual. But theoretically, it can be terminated.”

He looked at her and added:

“However, before that, you must at least possess the ability to live independently and protect yourself.”

“Otherwise, after the contract is terminated, the demon aura on you will be like a lighthouse in the dark night, attracting countless troubles—including Xia.”

Su Mian nodded. This was very reasonable.

She looked down at the yogurt carton in her hands, her fingertips unconsciously tracing its surface. Many emotions surged within her—surprise, confusion, gratitude, and a hint of an indescribable… flutter.

Xiao Moyuan had given her a way out. A way to leave safely, even if she wanted to in the future. This, ironically, made her even more… unwilling to leave.

“I understand,” she finally said softly.

Xiao Moyuan didn’t press or say anything more. He stood up and began clearing the table.

Su Mian quickly helped, taking the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen. They stood side by side at the sink, one rinsing, one drying, their movements naturally synchronized.

The sound of running water filled the air.

Su Mian secretly turned her head, glancing at Xiao Moyuan’s profile. In the lamplight, his eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyes, his nose was straight, and his jawline was sharp. Water flowed down his long fingers, splashing tiny droplets.

This man… powerful, calm, sometimes stern and fond of teasing her, but in crucial moments, he always gave her the utmost tenderness and respect.

Su Mian’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly averted her gaze, focusing on wiping the plate in her hands, but her ears involuntarily grew warm, and her tails gently swayed behind her.

By the time they finished cleaning the kitchen, it was almost midnight. Xiao Moyuan glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s late. Go take a shower and rest. You still have school tomorrow.”

Su Mian nodded.

She reached the bathroom door, then suddenly paused and turned around. Xiao Moyuan was standing by the living room window, his back to her, gazing out at the night.

The lamplight outlined his tall figure, making him seem a little solitary, yet inexplicably reassuring.

Su Mian opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment, she didn’t know how to begin. Finally, she simply whispered:

“Goodnight… Xiao Moyuan.”

Xiao Moyuan turned around and looked at her. In the warm yellow light, his eyes seemed to soften slightly.

“Goodnight,”

He paused, the corner of his mouth curving into a faint smile,

“Baby.”

Su Mian’s face instantly flared red. She scurried into the bathroom as if fleeing, closing the door with a bang.

Leaning against the cool door, she covered her burning cheeks, hearing a low chuckle from outside the door. The laughter was soft, yet it brushed against her heart like a feather.

Su Mian bit her lower lip, the corners of her mouth curving upward in a quiet, uncontrollable smile. Life like this, it seemed, was quite nice after all.

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