What exactly did ‘food’ refer to in that sentence??
It was Zhou Mu who reacted the fastest. The moment He Shi looked at You Qi, he immediately stepped in front of him defensively: “Don’t look, he’s not for you!” At the same time, he grabbed the fruit and tossed it into He Shi’s lap like he was distracting a beast.
He Shi caught the fruit and gave Zhou Mu a disdainful glance. “So school taught you to be unfilial now?”
Listening to this mother-son exchange, You Qi was speechless.
What kind of family is this?!
Among demons living in human cities, people actually didn’t care much about each other’s true forms anymore. With strict regulations in place, racial identity was becoming less and less relevant in daily life.
Even someone like You Qi, a ferocious beast by origin, could still attend school peacefully. Though not close to his parents, he was doing better than many others. At least his mom wouldn’t make him sign a visitor log when coming home…
You Qi had always just assumed Zhou Mu was a big eater. Given he was still growing and also a beast-type demon, an unusual appetite wasn’t surprising. But after hearing the security guard’s comments earlier, You Qi started to feel something was off. Now, after seeing Zhou Mu’s mother in person, her behavior only made him more curious—what exactly was Zhou Mu’s species?
Could it be…
Just as You Qi was caught in suspicion, Zhou Mu’s father appeared. He had been startled to hear from the guard that Zhou Mu had brought a classmate home. Was Zhou Mu lying to lure this kid back as food? He’d already warned him to behave in the new school!
But then the guard also mentioned that the two seemed really close, laughing and chatting. So Zhou Chen came down from his room on the second floor, just in time to see Zhou Mu shielding You Qi.
“Zhou Mu, is this your classmate?” Zhou Chen asked.
“Yeah, this is You Qi, my deskmate at the new school,” Zhou Mu replied, looking up. “He’s also a demon.”
You Qi greeted Zhou Chen politely. Compared to Zhou Mu’s mother, whose presence felt overbearing, his father, while still imposing, seemed much less dangerous. In fact, he was clearly trying to appear friendly.
But Zhou Chen wasn’t just being polite—he actually wanted to thank You Qi.
He never imagined Zhou Mu would one day have a harmonious relationship with a classmate. They even knew each other’s species and still got along well enough to hang out at home. This was unprecedented. For someone like Zhou Chen, who grew up in a human city, it was touching.
Zhou Mu had grown up.
Zhou Chen smiled slightly and leapt down from the second floor. “Looks like you two are really close. You brought this classmate back for the weekend?”
Zhou Mu nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Mainly, I wanted to tell you—the school asked parents to come in on Monday because they say the two of us are… dating.”
Dating…
It took Zhou Chen a moment to process Zhou Mu’s words. Then he blurted out: “…What??”
He Shi was slower on the uptake. She rested her face on her palm, blinking, “Oh?”
She actually looked kind of intrigued—maybe even a little surprised.
You Qi, hearing this, was stunned that Zhou Mu didn’t even try to clarify that it was a misunderstanding. Was this something you could just casually not explain?
He turned to look at Zhou Mu, who simply smiled sweetly, completely unreadable as to whether he’d said that intentionally or not.
You Qi’s expression became shifty…
Zhou Chen saw this and immediately felt like they were flirting right in front of him.
“You came just to tell me that the school’s calling us in because of early dating?” Zhou Chen tried to stay calm. Sure, he’d been thrilled a second ago to see Zhou Mu maturing, but this was too much growth all at once!
Moments ago, Zhou Chen had looked at You Qi with warmth and gratitude. Now, that feeling had vanished.
His sweet, clueless son had known nothing before starting school. How did he learn about dating the moment he sat next to You Qi?
Zhou Chen had always struggled to control Zhou Mu. Now he tugged on He Shi’s sleeve.
He Shi caught on and looked seriously at You Qi: “So early dating means… you’re not taking him home to live with you yet, right?”
Zhou Chen: “……”
Zhou Chen broke down: “That’s what you’re choosing to focus on??”
The whole ‘early dating’ concept was really only taken seriously in human culture. Zhou Chen, who strongly identified with his human side, naturally cared more.
But He Shi’s mindset was completely different—if Zhou Mu was really dating someone, she’d rather he just hurry up and go live with them.
You Qi also felt like he was about to lose it and tugged on Zhou Mu’s sleeve: “You might want to explain the full story now.”
“Oh, right, the dean said we were dating, but actually we were fighting. But apparently dating gets a lighter punishment than fighting, so we just went with dating.” Zhou Mu explained, as if he was clearing things up—but somehow his explanation still carried a hint of ambiguity.
After saying this, he looked at You Qi and asked innocently, “That’s right, isn’t it?”
You Qi: “…Right.”
“Oh, so it was a fight,” He Shi said, clearly losing interest.
Zhou Chen’s mood also changed again after hearing it was a fight. He patted Zhou Mu on the shoulder with renewed appreciation: “Looks like you’ve really grown, getting into fights with classmates now.”
You Qi: “???”
Seeing You Qi’s confusion, Zhou Chen explained: “Zhou Mu used to go to a demon school. The rules were different there. As long as you didn’t finish eating your classmate, it wasn’t against the rules.”
You Qi: “…”
You Qi: “Sorry, I was just wondering earlier… Would it be rude to ask—what species is Zhou Mu?”
“Mixed blood from several clans, but the Taotie bloodline is the most dominant,” Zhou Chen explained simply. Both Zhou Mu and He Shi had won the genetic lottery, inheriting all the best traits.
You Qi had already vaguely suspected it from Zhou Mu’s gluttonous nature. But Taotie were extremely rare—an ancient, top-tier beast species known since antiquity—so hearing his guess confirmed still left him a bit shaken.
“But he also inherited part of my human bloodline,” Zhou Chen added. “I don’t know why you two fought, but since you’re both unhurt and seem to get along well, I believe Zhou Mu still has the gentle and kind nature of humans in him. That’s why I’m telling you his true form directly. I hope this won’t create distance between you two, and I also hope you can help him live and study among humans.”
“I understand, sir… ma’am,” You Qi replied respectfully.
If nothing else, thinking back to how both of them reacted after their identities were exposed, he might’ve been surprised—but never distant.
“Mhm!” Zhou Mu chimed in and pulled something out. “Dad, You Qi even gave me his card!”
He Shi remained indifferent.
Zhou Chen felt it wasn’t quite right. “Oh? Why’d you take his card?” Friends don’t usually go that far—it’s not like they didn’t give Zhou Mu allowance at home.
“It’s a meal card. Mine wasn’t ready when school first started,” Zhou Mu explained.
Oh, a meal card. He Shi’s eyes immediately lit up with admiration.
Nice—a thoughtful child.
Zhou Chen nodded. “Not bad. A true friend.”
You Qi: “…”
At the time he gave Zhou Mu that card, he had no idea he was a Taotie. He even foolishly told him not to worry about going hungry. Thinking back now… that card was probably close to being devoured.
“Right?” Zhou Mu took the chance to complain again, “Mom, the teacher said we can’t sit together anymore because of that ‘early dating’ thing.”
“Alright, we got it,” He Shi glanced lazily at the two of them and leaned back on her recliner, saying casually, “Whether it’s dating or fighting, I’ll talk to the school.”
……
Since You Qi was already here, Zhou Mu insisted he stay over as a guest—his parents weren’t home much anyway.
Zhou Mu hadn’t been to this house many times himself. He took You Qi for a stroll around the mountain area they owned, pointing things out. “Look, those cows and sheep are all raised by my mom. I’ll steal one for you to eat later.”
You Qi: “…Thanks.”
He didn’t know whether to be touched that Zhou Mu wanted to feed him, or feel bad that Zhou Mu had to steal food in his own home. Thinking like that… maybe he should just leave his meal card with Zhou Mu indefinitely.
“Once it’s Monday, we’ll be deskmates again.” Zhou Mu had complete faith that his mother would make it happen.
“That’s good,” You Qi said softly. From his angle, he could see the side of Zhou Mu’s soft cheek and his hair. They hadn’t sat together that long, but he’d already gotten used to having Zhou Mu next to him in class.
And with the director, teachers, classmates—even Zhou Mu himself—talking nonstop about ‘early dating,’ You Qi found that the thoughts he’d tried to keep vague before were now multiplying, becoming clearer.
He snuck a look at Zhou Mu.
Was Zhou Mu doing this on purpose… or not?
Just then, Zhou Mu’s phone rang. It was a video call from Xu Tianyi.
“What do you want?” Zhou Mu hadn’t switched from his clunky old-man phone. The font and speaker volume were massive. The call auto-answered on speaker as soon as it connected. He leaned into the camera and asked.
“Just checking in—what’s up with you and You Qi? You guys ran off right after school. Did you notify your parents yet? The school called them over that whole dating thing, right? What’d they say? Did they beat you?” Xu Tianyi’s gossipy face filled the screen dramatically.
“You’re definitely the nosiest in our class,” Zhou Mu scrunched his nose. “Beat me? Please. My mom supports us. She said she’ll even talk the teacher into putting us back together as deskmates.”
That line…
You Qi was already numb, and even felt like laughing—before he could react—
“Whaaa—!”
A chorus of gasps came from the other side of the screen.
Xu Tianyi zoomed the camera out, and only then did Zhou Mu realize there were at least twenty classmates behind him. All of them had heard what he just said. The background looked like a buffet restaurant—whether they were casually eating and gossiping, or had gathered specifically to gossip, was unclear.
Zhou Mu: “…”
He let his guard down—his entire class was full of nosy people.
Xu Tianyi grinned mischievously. “Bet you didn’t expect that—I’ve got a whole crew behind me!”
Zhou Mu’s competitive streak kicked in. He zoomed his own camera out a bit. “Well, I’ve got someone behind me too!”
As he panned the camera, it revealed—You Qi.
“Whaaa—!” Another synchronized gasp from the other side.
“You two are together?!”
“You actually brought You Qi home to meet your parents?!”
“Oh my god, this is true love…”
“Let’s not talk about it now,” Zhou Mu waved his hand. “You’ll see on Monday what my so-called ‘early dating’ looks like.”
You Qi: “…”
“Legend!”
“Brother Mu, you’re seriously awesome!”
“LMAO I can’t wait~”
After Zhou Mu put his phone down, You Qi couldn’t help it. He lowered his head, leaned close to Zhou Mu’s cheek, and asked quietly, “Are you doing this on purpose?”
Zhou Mu: “Hm?”
He looked at You Qi, seemingly not understanding the question—completely calm, but a little unused to You Qi being this close.
The mountain wind whistled past. At this distance, You Qi could practically count Zhou Mu’s eyelashes. All this time, the way Zhou Mu would intentionally or unintentionally flirt had stirred something soft and feathery deep in his heart.
You Qi slowly leaned in even closer. “Don’t dodge.”
Of course, being told not to dodge made Zhou Mu want to dodge. He lifted a foot to step back—
But the mountain wind wrapped right around his waist, pushing him forward instead. He stumbled a step ahead—right into You Qi’s arms—and was caught at the waist, just as You Qi leaned down and kissed his cheek.
Zhou Mu’s round almond eyes widened as he stared at You Qi. Maybe he hadn’t actually expected You Qi to go through with it.
You Qi, tall and broad, had Zhou Mu wrapped up in his arms, their shadows overlapping on the ground.
Even though it was just a kiss on the cheek, the soft touch made You Qi’s heart pound. Every sensation was amplified—skin, wind, the faint scent on Zhou Mu, the flutter of his shirt collar…
This rush of emotion made him feel more alive than ever. Copying Zhou Mu’s usual teasing tone, he said smugly, “Why are you looking at me like that? Wasn’t it you who said we were ‘early dating’?”
From this angle, Zhou Mu’s upturned face looked even more disarming—like he was helpless. In a low voice, he said, “But…”
But what?
Was it possible Zhou Mu had just been joking around, with no other intentions at all?
That hesitant “but” made You Qi’s heart plummet. His mood tanked in an instant. His hand around Zhou Mu’s waist froze stiff.
“But,” Zhou Mu suddenly raised his phone, “I never hung up the video call. I accidentally hit ‘turn off speaker’ instead.”
You Qi glanced down—and saw the screen still full of faces. Since the speaker was off, the old-man phone wasn’t blaring loudly anymore, but faint voices still leaked out.
“Hold it higher, we can’t see anything!”
“Are they still kissing?!”
“Quick, turn on the TV in the private room, maybe we can cast the screen…”
You Qi: “…………”
