United Federation of Humans and Demihumans.
Milky Way, Blue Star, Pingshan District.
Buzz, buzz.
Putting down the fitness guide, Bai Xiaodu pulled out his phone and squinted at his messages.
He was about to head to the gym to fleece some pretty older sisters into buying membership cards.
Why was someone messaging him now?
The profile picture was a quite cute white-feathered duck wearing a beanie. It belonged to a female college student tourist he had met two days ago while working as a mascot at an event.
She was pretty warm and friendly, or maybe she was just interested in a silver fox-kin demihuman like Bai Xiaodu.
[Chunchun Tree Duck (Glasses, Suspected Wild Side)]: You there?
So classic. Bai Xiaodu thought about how to reply.
But seeing that the message was read, she immediately followed up.
[Chunchun Tree Duck (Glasses, Suspected Wild Side)]: Did you go help out at someone else's venue late last night again? I saw a video my friend posted, and you have dark circles under your eyes. [Angry Cat Emoji]
...What nonsense. If I don't make money, are you going to support me? Does this girl have any idea how expensive a Warlock's spell manual is?
[Xiubaixiubai]: They're all acquaintances, so they just asked me to help out. [Fox Playing Dead on a Log Emoji]
He hit send, and her replies came firing back like a machine gun.
[Chunchun Tree Duck (Glasses, Suspected Wild Side)]: They all know you're good-looking, so they're just using you as a tool to draw a crowd. You're the reason so many people go there. Like my classmate who sent me the video—she only went because she heard “a super cute little fox-kin hottie often sings at the Tulip Night Lounge.” They make so much money, yet they won't even share a bit more with you. With all that extra alcohol sales, they only threw you a thousand credits or so to get rid of you.
Bai Xiaodu mentally sweat-dropped.
A thousand credits without having to drink with clients is impossible to get otherwise, okay?
[Xiubaixiubai]: The boss is actually really nice. I'm someone who's easily satisfied.
[Chunchun Tree Duck (Glasses, Suspected Wild Side)]: I watched the video my friend sent very carefully, and my heart really aches for you. When you're not singing on stage, you're doing chores, handing out bottles, carrying things, and even having to dodge people trying to touch you. At the end, there was some greasy female elf of god-knows-what age who kept touching your hand whenever you handed her a drink. You just frowned and kept smiling through it. It made me feel so bad watching it. I have a lot of unhappy things in my own life and run into unpleasant people too, so I understand your pain. But sensitive boys like you are really rare nowadays, holding back your temper even when facing problems just so you don't make things awkward for the boss. I think you should work fewer night shifts and protect yourself. Your health comes first. I know you must be really sad about being bullied and don't want to talk about it with anyone. Maybe you're drinking alone in secret right now? I once heard a saying that before you were born, your soul had already read the script of your life. The things you've gone through, or what has yet to happen, must have something worth choosing. Have a little more hope for tomorrow, okay? You dummy.
Reading this massive wall of text left him a bit exhausted.
The only one Bai Xiaodu actually remembered was that elven big sister. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears, and she had insistently clung to him, wanting to teach him Elvish.
She had even patted her chest, making them bounce as she guaranteed that she had a Treant at home who could do backflips.
Elvish was great. He definitely had to learn Elvish.
But...
Since elves didn't show their age, she might look good, but Bai Xiaodu was honestly a little afraid she might be a thousand-year-old grandma.
Though he really did want to see what a backflipping Treant looked like.
Staring at his screen, Bai Xiaodu was full of question marks.
Yet, he felt a bit touched by this random show of concern.
After all, in his usual line of work, he was always the one caring for others.
When he first transmigrated into this United Federation of Humans and Demihumans, he had ended up in an orphanage.
It was a miracle from heaven that he hadn't been secretly sold off with looks like his.
The orphanage director, Grandma, had lung disease, the rent in the safe residential area wasn't cheap, and extraordinary knowledge was incredibly expensive.
He had been working extremely hard to make money, but these things were like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
No dad, no mom, a gravely ill grandma, and a broken him.
After a moment of thought, he played along and replied.
[Xiubaixiubai]: Yeah, thank you. Knowing someone understands me makes me feel a lot better. Thank you for being there for me. I want to think over what you said and have some quiet time.
A few brief seconds passed. The other party seemed to be thinking.
Then, a new message popped up.
[Chunchun Tree Duck (Glasses, Suspected Wild Side)]: Can mommy see Xiaobai's baji?
?
Bai Xiaodu was puzzled.
Bai Xiaodu pulled his phone back and squinted.
Bai Xiaodu suddenly let out a knowing smile.
He deleted the words “Glasses, Suspected” from her contact name, replaced them with “Bitch,” and promptly blocked her.
Tossing his phone onto the desk with the screen still lit, Bai Xiaodu stretched his body, turning his head to look at the full-length mirror nearby.
Silver hair, fox ears, a soft tail, and a youthful, boyish face—he was a textbook silver fox-kin, perfect enough to be on a poster.
The United Federation was governed by a tripartite council. Based on human skull standards, anyone below seventy percent was classified as a mutant.
Some gorilla highly praised by bleeding hearts shouldn't even think about associating with them; in the Federation, such creatures were only fit to be raw materials for cheap, low-quality pet food.
Bai Xiaodu already had an exceptionally handsome foundation, and with his natural cosplay-like features, he was incredibly popular in the Federation. Naturally, his ability to attract unwanted romantic attention was off the charts.
The person in the mirror also turned his head.
His eyes, resembling the dark red hues of aged wine, held an indescribable, gentle hope.
His fluffy tail, shimmering with a faint silver light, was lazily curled and dragged halfway on the floor.
He wore no makeup, nor did he cast any spells to boost his Charm.
He gave off the impression of the cleanest, most pure youth.
When those eyes looked at you with such warmth and hope, it felt as if the entire world had fallen completely silent, only for your heart to suddenly thud violently, as if struck by a wooden mallet.
If one absolutely had to break his charm, they would have to watch him while he was out walking on the street.
Because he looked at stray dogs on the side of the road exactly the same way.
Closing his book, he patted the dust off his tail and prepared to call a cab.
His phone rang.
Looking at the name on the screen, his eyebrows twitched, and he almost instinctively swiped to decline the call.
The caller was a client.
A very rich client.
A very, very, very rich client.
Rate on N.U.
