A Cry for Help and a Tail’s Embrace

“Name.”

“Qin Xiao.”

“Write it down yourself.” The officer handed a piece of paper to the white-haired Differentiated Being on the other side of the interrogation table. “How old are you this year?”

“Nineteen.” Qin Xiao sniffled, a jolt of pain in their fractured nasal cavity making them shiver.

“Only nineteen?” The officer was an elderly female sub-species. She had briefly been responsible for Zhuo’s education before being transferred out. For safety reasons, the officers assigned to Zhuo had to be rotated regularly.

The female officer had a deep impression of Zhuo. She had been shocked to learn there were other highly evolved Differentiated Beings out there in the world, but this Qin Xiao in front of her clearly wasn’t a high-level threat.

“Nineteen is still very young, child,” the officer remarked, a sigh in her voice. “You might think you’re an adult, capable of taking responsibility for your actions, but that’s just a legal definition… Are you alright?” Her words trailed off, mainly because Qin Xiao looked so utterly traumatized.

Upon hearing the question, Qin Xiao gasped for air but couldn’t quite draw it in. A choked sob escaped them, followed by heavy tears streaming down their bruised face.

“Hey, hey, why are you crying?” The officer was bewildered. “Are your wounds too painful?”

“I’m not crying!” Qin Xiao’s protest came out twisted and distorted by a thick sob.

The officer felt a headache coming on. “How about you drink some water to calm down first?”

“I don’t need it, hic… boo-hoo-hoo,” Qin Xiao continued to weep.

Truthfully, Qin Xiao wouldn’t have reacted so strongly to a simple beating. However, their mental ability had completely failed on Yuan Anqing. That incident had instilled a deep, primal fear in Qin Xiao—and then Yuan Anqing had proceeded to methodically beat them up.

To make matters worse, Yuan Anqing’s expression during the beating had been terrifying. Qin Xiao felt as though they had encountered one of those psychopathic killers from television—someone who could expertly dispose of bodies and kill without emotion, yet perfectly disguise themselves as an ordinary, boring corporate employee afterward.

Qin Xiao felt both deeply humiliated by the beating and deeply afraid. They never wanted to see that ‘Savior’ again.

“Why are you crying even harder now?!”

Meanwhile, Yuan Anqing, unaware that he had given a nineteen-year-old PTSD, was locked in a battle of wits with Zhuo.

Zhuo’s large, scaled tail swayed back and forth directly in front of Yuan Anqing’s face.

Yuan Anqing tried to ignore it, but wherever his gaze shifted, the tail followed. Even when Yuan Anqing looked down at his phone, the tail would insert itself between the screen and his eyes, its tip wiggling vigorously.

“What exactly do you want?” Yuan Anqing looked at Zhuo, who was beaming.

Zhuo propped his head on his hands, looking utterly delighted. “Want to touch it?”

“No,” Yuan Anqing replied, shifting backward slightly on the sofa.

“It’s very cool to the touch, you know.” Zhuo then shoved his entire massive tail directly into Yuan Anqing’s lap.

Zhuo’s tail was incredibly thick, almost completely filling Yuan Anqing’s arms, while its smooth, crystalline tip brushed against Yuan Anqing’s cheek.

“Sleep with me, and you can hug it,” Zhuo offered, patting Yuan Anqing’s face twice with the tip of the tail. “You’re the only one I allow to get close to it.”

“I’m honored,” Yuan Anqing said, grasping the tip of Zhuo’s tail to stop it from hitting his face. “But I don’t particularly need that privilege.”

Zhuo’s smile vanished. “I want you to sleep with me.” He dropped the pleasantries, opting for a direct demand.

“Why?” Yuan Anqing didn’t understand.

“I like holding people.” Zhuo enjoyed the feeling of having his arms full. Of course, this was a preference he had only recently discovered during Yuan’s fever.

“I can buy you a life-sized body pillow,” Yuan Anqing suggested.

“A life-sized body pillow doesn’t breathe!” Zhuo loved Yuan Anqing’s steady breathing and heartbeat; he found the sounds reassuring and sufficiently hypnotic. “You clearly like cuddling up with me to sleep too!”

“I had a fever; my mind wasn’t clear,” Yuan Anqing explained patiently.

“Impossible! You definitely like squeezing in with me! My body is very comfortable!” Zhuo declared confidently, uttering a rather ambiguous statement. He then reached out to pinch his own chest and arm, emphasizing, “Very comfortable!”

Zhuo’s physique was exceptional—robust and lean. When he wasn’t tensing his muscles, leaning against him felt like resting on a premium spring mattress. It had to be said, if Zhuo truly were a mattress, he would undoubtedly fetch a high price. After all, overly firm mattresses were uncomfortable, and overly soft ones offered no spinal support, making Zhuo’s firm-yet-soft nature perfectly ergonomic.

Zhuo leaned closer to Yuan Anqing. “Go on, feel it.”

“Thank you, no need.” Yuan Anqing tried to retreat further, but his back was already against the sofa cushions. He had nowhere left to go.

“Just touch it,” Zhuo insisted, grabbing Yuan Anqing’s wrist and attempting to guide the man’s hand toward his chest.

“I’ll sleep with you!” Yuan Anqing immediately declared, surrendering. “I understand what you mean! I’ll sleep with you!” Yuan Anqing truly had no fetish for touching other men’s chests.

“Eh~ Why are you so repulsed by me?” Zhuo brought his face uncomfortably close to Yuan Anqing’s. “Others would kill to touch me, you know.”

Yuan Anqing felt a pang of exhaustion in his soul.

Just as the two were at an impasse, the door opened.

Bai Tian walked in, carrying freshly laundered clothes and a new pair of glasses.

“Um…” Bai Tian, observing their tangled interaction, couldn’t help but interject. “You know there are surveillance cameras in here, right?”

Bai Tian felt their relationship was a bit unusual. Affectionate exchanges were fine, but he feared they might engage in something inappropriate on company property.

“What’s wrong? We’re not breaking any laws.” Zhuo released Yuan Anqing’s wrist. “You actually suspect your precious Savior of indecency?!”

“We absolutely believe the Savior wouldn’t do anything improper! But we’re worried you might do something strange when your emotions run high.” Bai Tian gestured back and forth between Yuan Anqing and Zhuo.

Zhuo’s expression darkened. “You think I’ll lead him astray?”

“My meaning is…”

“Mr. Bai Tian,” Yuan Anqing interrupted, finally escaping Zhuo’s tail and rising to meet the blue-skinned man. He took the clothes and put on the glasses. “You’ve misunderstood. Zhuo is just playing around with me.”

He knew what Bai Tian had misinterpreted, and Yuan Anqing was certain Zhuo had no romantic or sexual intentions. However, he couldn’t let Zhuo figure out why Bai Tian was concerned—not to protect Zhuo’s peculiar innocence, but purely because Yuan Anqing didn’t want to add more trouble to his own life.

Zhuo didn’t understand that there should be boundaries in intimate behavior; sometimes he acted just like a feral child. Yet, if Zhuo knew others misunderstood their relationship as sexual, he wouldn’t react with childish shyness or anger. He would definitely be fascinated! He would absolutely intensify his harassment of Yuan Anqing just to see the reactions!

So Yuan Anqing had to shut it down immediately. “Zhuo is just… enthusiastic.”

Bai Tian hummed in acknowledgment. He wasn’t entirely convinced, but since the two didn’t want to elaborate, he dropped it. “By the way, I’ve already arranged your new job.”

Yuan Anqing, who had just adjusted his new glasses, froze.

“Eh?” Zhuo tilted his head. “A job?”

“You won’t need an interview; we’ll handle the HR paperwork for you. You start tomorrow.” Bai Tian handed the empty laundry bag back to a guard.

“Tomorrow?” Yuan Anqing was bewildered by the speed. “What time?”

“Oh, nine in the morning. I’ll send you the location, and someone will pick you up.” Bai Tian then looked at Zhuo. “You’re coming too.”

“Huh? I don’t like working, you know.” Zhuo clasped his hands together and leaned back on the sofa. “Work is an anti-human activity.”

“I understand,” Yuan Anqing’s tone remained calm, though the light had completely left his eyes.

“Don’t worry, the workload isn’t heavy,” Bai Tian reassured Yuan Anqing.

Zhuo reached out and tugged at the collar of his casual shirt. “I need to buy work clothes.”

“Alright,” Yuan Anqing responded instinctively.

It was only after responding that he realized, Wait, what clothes is he buying?

An hour later.

Yuan Anqing sat on a leather sofa in a high-end boutique, contemplating the first thirty-five years of his life. All his grueling work experience had been erased; now he had to start the corporate grind anew.

“How do I look?” Zhuo’s voice pulled Yuan Anqing back to reality.

Yuan Anqing looked up. The boutique lighting behind Zhuo was somewhat dazzling, and Yuan Anqing instinctively squinted.

Zhuo, clad in a tailored black pinstripe suit, looked down at Yuan Anqing. The suit’s cut wasn’t particularly expensive, but Zhuo’s massive, imposing physique somehow made it look like a bespoke masterpiece.

In the suit, Zhuo resembled the ominous CEO from a trashy romance novel, or perhaps a brutal, refined mob enforcer from a video game.

“Very handsome,” Yuan Anqing said truthfully. He was indeed impressed by Zhuo in formal wear. He looked perfect, but there were still a few minor issues. “You know we’re going to be low-level employees, not bosses, right?”

“I know. The ‘Big Eyes’ guy said so.” ‘Big Eyes’ referred to Bai Tian.

“And we only need to work in a standard office; we won’t be dealing with high-end clients or raising investments,” Yuan Anqing added.

“My brain is very clever; I remember everything Big Eyes said.” Zhuo tapped his temple confidently.

At that, Yuan Anqing had nothing more to say.

Zhuo continued to examine himself in the full-length mirror, turning left and right, growing more satisfied with each glance.

“I’ll take this one. Could you please alter the pants for me?” Zhuo addressed the shop assistant. Zhuo hadn’t put on the suit pants, as his tail required special tailoring. This world had many peculiar sub-species, so virtually every clothing store offered immediate alteration services.

The shop assistant took the jacket, then praised sincerely, “Your physique is truly excellent, sir. I’ve never seen anyone quite like you in all my years of tailoring.”

“Really?” Zhuo raised an eyebrow.

“Absolutely!” the assistant affirmed.

Then Zhuo smiled. A genuine, heartfelt smile.

The store’s lighting was a warm yellow, and from Yuan Anqing’s perspective, the glow behind Zhuo seemed to frame him like a halo. The light enhanced Zhuo’s smile, making the terrifying monster radiate brilliantly, like a sun god, in that moment.

Yuan Anqing thought, Does my dull, lifeless existence really need such a sudden, jarring presence? He wanted to move to another seat, further from Zhuo’s overwhelming radiance.

However, before he could even rise, he heard Zhuo muttering to himself in the mirror, “If it weren’t for you holding the contract over me, Savior, I wouldn’t go to work.”

Yuan Anqing looked at the four heavy shopping bags beside him, all filled with the premium commuter wear Zhuo had eagerly chosen.

Zhuo continued his monologue, “The essence of work is merely being forced to be trapped in a small place, day after day, for survival resources.” He looked at Yuan Anqing. “My feelings on the matter are pretty much the exact same as yours, you know.”

Saying this, he reached excitedly for a fifth suit jacket.

My feelings are the same as yours, my ass! You’re clearly looking forward to it!