MRSG Chapter 34

Happy Hari Raya Haji~

You Qi gave a slight tug, pulling Zhou Mu back and lifting him away from the cake. Now that he was at a safe distance, it didn’t seem quite so dangerous. Seeing Zhou Mu’s puzzled and slightly disgruntled expression, You Qi chuckled and said, “How hungry are you? Were you planning to eat the whole thing yourself?”

Only then did the others relax and laugh a bit. Though still slightly baffled—Zhou Mu had moved so fast. Maybe it was a joke, but it really had startled them.

People joke about shoving the birthday person’s face into the cake, sure—but who tries to dive into it themselves?

Zhou Mu’s eyes darted around, and only then did it dawn on him that the cake wasn’t just for him to eat alone… That didn’t seem very reasonable to him?!

Teacher Lin patted her chest and said, “You scared me to death. It really looked like you were about to shove your whole head in there. I only bought the one cake!”

Zhou Mu shut up after that.

He knew that many humans lived on fixed wages, unlike before, when they could grow their own food. Since Teacher Lin said she had bought the cake herself, Zhou Mu suddenly understood why it was so small and why it had to be shared among everyone.

It must be because Teacher Lin didn’t have much money.

Sigh…

Zhou Mu picked up the cake knife and precisely sliced the cake into small, equal pieces. Neat and tidy, evenly distributed, with perfectly smooth edges. If someone had weighed them, they would’ve found each piece to be within one gram of the others.

“Alright, let’s all eat the cake together,” Zhou Mu said.

Neither the teacher nor the students suspected anything. The cake was passed around the class, and everyone got a small slice.

There were two pieces left. You Qi picked them up, gave one to Zhou Mu, and kept one for himself. He took a bite, and the rich flavor of the cream filled his mouth. When he looked at Zhou Mu, he saw he had already scarfed down his piece in two bites, smacked his lips like he barely tasted it—and was now staring intently at You Qi’s piece of cake.

You Qi: “……”

He really did love food, huh.

You Qi hesitantly extended his piece toward Zhou Mu. He hadn’t even gotten to ask “Do you want it?” before Zhou Mu had already opened his mouth and quickly ate it—so fast that he even got a little cream on the tip of his nose, which he wiped off with a finger and licked clean with his tongue.

“Thanks!”

You Qi averted his gaze, eyes slightly flustered.

A classmate nearby had seen the whole thing—and snapped a photo with their phone.

Zhou Mu had an old flip phone, and aside from scrolling through social media a bit when he first arrived in the human city, he barely used it. He wasn’t into photography either. Beasts like him had incredible memory—able to recall favorite sights, sounds, smells, especially flavors—with such clarity.

They could even pass them down through DNA.

So Zhou Mu had never felt the need for tools like cameras.

But now, seeing how his classmates captured joyful moments, Zhou Mu started to think— maybe taking pictures wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Humans’ memories fade with time, and these tools helped them preserve their moments forever.

Standing at the front of the classroom, Zhou Mu took a group photo with his classmates for the first time, smiling with his eyes curved in joy.

That constant feeling of hunger—he was used to it. But receiving this many birthday wishes? That was a first. More importantly, this was the first time in his life that he’d ever truly shared something.

None of the others realized what an incredible feat it was for Zhou Mu to be smiling after sharing food.

And this brief but satisfying happiness lasted only ten minutes. Ten minutes is short, but in school, even tiny chunks of time seem enough for people to do a lot.

……

The bell for third period rang. Everyone reluctantly returned to their desks, collected themselves, and resumed class.

By the end of the school day, Zhou Mu had already forgotten about not getting enough cake—not because he’d learned to let things go… but because physics class was so confusing!

How do you expect a taotie (a mythological beast known for its endless appetite) that could eat food many times its own weight in one bite to understand the laws of physics?

So, tangled in physics problems, Zhou Mu had no brainpower left to dwell on anything else.

That was, until the school bell rang for dismissal—and while Zhou Mu was still staring blankly at a physics question—You Qi said to him: “You didn’t get enough to eat earlier, did you?”

Eat? What? Eat what?

Zhou Mu instantly looked up: “?”

“You only got a tiny piece of that cake,” You Qi said, showing him his phone. “I ordered another one. Let’s go eat it after school. This time, the whole thing is just for you.”

A blessing in disguise!!!

Zhou Mu hadn’t expected a whole cake just for him. He immediately leapt over and hugged You Qi, generously saying, “Don’t say that—I’ll let you have a bite!”

You Qi froze for a moment.

Zhou Mu had only offered him one bite. Of an entire cake. That he had bought. And even then, it was only a verbal promise—he hadn’t actually gotten a bite yet—but somehow, he already felt like his mouth was just a little… sweet.

You Qi had ordered the cake online, but the bakery wasn’t far from school—they could walk there. The area nearby was a bustling commercial street, full of pedestrians, including many students like themselves who stopped by for food and fun after class.

Zhou Mu saw the crowded street lined with snack stalls, arcade machines, and all kinds of little trinkets. He had trouble tearing his eyes away.

“We’ll come back and play after we eat,” You Qi said, pulling him along toward the cake shop. Zhou Mu had grown up abroad, probably in quieter cities with fewer people—no wonder he was fascinated by all the lively scenes.

The two of them arrived at the cake shop and queued up to pick up the cake according to their order number. Standing in front of them was a student couple—it looked like it was the girl’s birthday. The staff brought out a 16-inch, three-tier cake, topped with a crown and decorated with custom designs. It was so extravagant that everyone in the shop let out a gasp of amazement.

The couple looked at each other bashfully but sweetly. The girl couldn’t help but lift the cake and look at it over and over. The decorations clearly had special meaning to her. “Thank you, sweetheart!”

Then it was You Qi and Zhou Mu’s turn. You Qi handed the order slip to the staff.

Zhou Mu leaned eagerly on the counter and asked, “Thank you, sweetheart. So what design did you order for my cake?!”

You Qi: “……”

Pfft.

The people nearby snickered.

The couple in front blushed even more, feeling slightly teased by this cheeky student.

Just then, the cake You Qi had ordered was brought out. He explained, “I placed the order in a hurry, so I just asked them to draw a parallel circuit on it—hoping you won’t fail physics.”

Zhou Mu, who had just been tormented by physics class all afternoon: “………………”

The shop assistant smiled as she watched Zhou Mu take the cake with a mix of joy and despair on his face. She didn’t know if the two of them were a couple, but ever since the baker made this particular cake, she had been dying to see the recipient’s reaction. Now she’d finally seen it—hilarious.

They sat at a window-side table in the store to enjoy the cake.

This was Zhou Mu’s second time cutting cake today. Unlike the first time, where each slice was perfectly even, this time he confidently carved out a sharp slice of about 15° and served it to You Qi on a small plate. Then, starting from the circuit diagram, he dug in—fiercely, impatiently, and in huge bites, devouring the ice cream cake.

Anyone passing by the window couldn’t help but glance over—and then do a double take.

Not just because the two teens sitting there were exceptionally good-looking, but because one had only a small slice of cake in front of him, while the other had nearly the entire 18-inch, two-layer cake to himself…

Many passersby looked around curiously, trying to spot a livestream camera—it really looked like one of those competitive eating broadcasts.

Even the staff had been secretly watching them since they picked up the cake.

“There’s no way he’s really going to eat all of that, right? I thought they’d have a bunch of classmates sharing it.”

“…Do teenage boys have black holes in their stomachs?”

“Maybe he’s a taotie or something.”

As they were chatting, a loud boom suddenly echoed from upstairs, like something heavy had fallen. Everyone froze for a second—what the heck was that? Did something collapse?

The employees panicked a little, one of them calling the mall’s management. Once they learned it was just a large decorative statue that had tipped over and no one was hurt, they relaxed. “Jeez, how careless.”

“Right? I thought it was something serious.”

But modern people are hard to keep distracted for long—no one paid it much mind after a few moments.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mu continued eating his cake at a steady pace, completely unbothered by the noise around him. Nothing could distract him when he was focused on food. After all, public safety these days wasn’t too bad.

Just when You Qi thought he was really going to eat the entire cake, Zhou Mu finally stopped. “Ahh, I’m so full. I’m gonna use the bathroom.”

He rubbed his belly dramatically and waddled out like he was stuffed. After a few steps, he turned back. “Don’t let them take the rest. I’m packing it to go… I’ll finish it tomorrow!”

You Qi laughed, “Got it.”

Once Zhou Mu was out of sight, You Qi pulled out his phone and made a call. “Chun Shijiu, are you at the Lingxiu Mall?”

Chun Shijiu… was more or less his classmate. An 18-year-old first-year high school student who had repeated two years. He used to be a grade above You Qi, but after repeating, they were classmates for a year. Now that You Qi was in second year, Chun Shijiu was still in first.

That loud noise from earlier—You Qi had instantly caught a whiff of Chun Shijiu’s demon aura. Under current regulations, most demon clan students hadn’t yet obtained the 404 Permit, which meant they weren’t allowed to release their aura freely or cause disturbances that could arouse suspicion among humans.

On the other end, Chun Shijiu cursed, “How the hell did you know I was here? I just ran into Lord Cong and got into a fight. That damn guy mocked me! I’m hiding in the bathroom now, but I swear I’m getting revenge—where the hell did that scallion-head run off to…”

Lord Cong had been Chun Shijiu’s old deskmate—he was now in third year.

You Qi said coldly, “You’d better get out of there. If you make another scene, I will call Office 404 and beat you up myself.”

With Chun Shijiu’s recklessness, if he really got into another fight, the chaos would be so bad You Qi wouldn’t be able to take Zhou Mu anywhere else that evening. He figured a little intimidation would work better.

Sure enough, Chun Shijiu hesitated. “Tch… Then whatever happens next is on him for starting it!”

……

Zhou Mu walked out and turned into the corridor that led to the bathrooms—but instead of going in, he followed the long hallway and opened the door to a utility closet. Inside, he found Lord Cong.

“Knew it. I could smell you. It is you,” Zhou Mu said, cracking his knuckles.

Lord Cong had been sitting with his eyes closed, meditating to recover after the scuffle with Chun Shijiu, wary of a follow-up attack. When he suddenly saw Zhou Mu, he nearly had a heart attack.

“W-W-Why is it you?!” Lord Cong stammered, pale-faced, watching Zhou Mu roll his shoulders like he was about to eat him.

Zhou Mu stepped forward.

Lord Cong backed up. The cramped space quickly cornered him against the wall. Even though Zhou Mu wasn’t particularly tall, the angle of the light cast a huge shadow over Lord Cong, engulfing him completely.

Caught off guard by the encounter, Lord Cong slowly closed his eyes in despair. ‘Today, I really might lose a chunk of myself’

“No matter what you were doing just now, stop making that kind of noise. You interrupted my eating,” Zhou Mu said. “If you can’t manage that, then come over and give me more food. It’s my birthday today, after all.”

What Lord Cong didn’t expect was that Zhou Mu merely cornered him and left him with that intimidating line.

“…Huh?” Lord Cong opened his eyes and saw Zhou Mu squint at him dangerously, as if dissatisfied with how slow he was to react. He immediately said, “Sorry! I didn’t know I was disturbing you! I’ll leave right away!”

Lord Cong and Zhou Mu walked out of the corridor one after the other. Lord Cong headed toward the main exit and cautiously said, “So… goodbye, then?” ‘Hopefully forever’, he thought.

Zhou Mu gave a nonchalant “hmph.”

Lord Cong’s heart jumped at the sound, and even his steps slowed with anxiety.

You Qi had just finished packing up the cake. As he stepped out of the shop, he spotted Zhou Mu talking to someone—and upon closer look, it turned out to be Lord Cong.

They were both wearing the same school uniform.

Come to think of it, Lord Cong was quite well-known at school too—famous for his good looks and ethereal aura. Since both he and You Qi had rather aloof personalities, and both looked good in white, people often compared them and debated who was better.

But what You Qi really cared about was the fact that Lord Cong was also part of the demon clan—and had just gotten into a fight with Chun Shijiu. Zhou Mu had no idea and was standing next to him. You Qi was worried for Zhou Mu’s safety. No matter how otherworldly Lord Cong looked, he was still a demon.

You Qi hurried a couple of steps forward. “Senior Jiang?”

Lord Cong froze for a second when he saw him, but still managed to maintain his senior-like demeanor. “…Hello, you’re You Qi from second year, right?”

They had both been classmates with Chun Shijiu at different times, but had never directly interacted with each other. Lord Cong also didn’t realize quiet You Qi was part of the demon clan as well. Still, since both were somewhat well-known on campus, their faces were at least familiar.

“You Qi, Senior still has stuff to do—we can chat next time,” Zhou Mu cut in quickly, clearly eager to say goodbye to Lord Cong and get back to hanging out and eating his leftover cake.

“You guys already knew each other?” You Qi had initially just been worried, but now realized they were familiar. Ever since Zhou Mu transferred schools, he’d been spending most of his time with You Qi—he didn’t know when he had even met Lord Cong.

“Heh, not really—only got to know each other recently.” Lord Cong forced a smile, equally eager to escape. He had no interest in this underclassman’s situation. “Well then, enjoy your cake. Happy birthday. I’ll send a proper gift later.”

“Thanks, Senior.” Zhou Mu perked up at his promise to make up for the gift, his mood clearly improved. He even patted Lord Cong’s arm. “I knew you were a good guy!”

Lord Cong: “……”

He didn’t want to know whether Zhou Mu valued him or was just being sarcastic. He just wanted to disappear.

You Qi hadn’t expected them to not only know each other but seem this close. Zhou Mu was cracking jokes with Lorc Cong and even touched him. You Qi frowned slightly.

Seeing someone of his own kind being treated almost the same as himself by Zhou Mu… didn’t sit well with him.

“You said you haven’t known him long, but you seem pretty close,” You Qi commented. Only after saying it did he realize his tone was a bit… off. It even startled him a little. And the more he thought about it, the more it annoyed him—because that sentence could apply to him and Zhou Mu too.

Zhou Mu immediately denied it. “No! We only just made up!”

He glanced at Lord Cong, who hadn’t walked far yet, and said in an aggrieved tone, “You don’t even know—when we first met, he tried to trick me into eating gross stuff just ‘cause he was older than me! QAQ”

Lord Cong: “………………”