“What the hell are you?”

The cold, gloomy voice asked once again. On that dark and cold winter’s night, that voice was far more terrifying to Bai Wu than the icy laughter that came from the void.

He gently raised his head, calling Xu Lan softly.

Xu Lan lifted the covers and switched on the light. Bai Wu’s white scales and tail had yet to disappear. The boy’s conspicuous shine caused the man’s eyes to feel sore.

Smack!

Xu Lan slapped himself across the face in disbelief. Bai Wu ran over to him immediately and hugged his other arm.

“Papa, I’m sorry,” Bai Wu did not know where to start. His lips quivered yet he could not bring himself to say anything. In the end, he just plopped himself onto Xu Lan’s chest and cried.

“A monster?” Xu Lan did not notice the tremble in his own voice. Those two words were spoken as if it took him a great deal of energy.

“NO! PAPA, I’M NOT! I’M NOT A MONSTER!”

The boy instantly lost his mind. ‘Monster’ was a word that had been used on him by countless people, but since this was the first time that it came from Xu Lan’s mouth, Bai Wu was immediately sent into a frenzy.

“No? Then what’s all this? Who were you talking to just now?” Xu Lan hoisted the boy up by the tail.

“NO, I’M NOT A MONSTER! PAPA, I’M NOT A MONSTER! PAPA… Hic…”

Still in an inverted position, the boy cried and shouted. He wanted to hug Xu Lan. The boy’s continuous hiccupping was a result of the energy that could not revert back in him.

Seeing the child in a complete crying mess, Xu Lan took a deep breath and set the boy on the bed. He went to get a stool, for he had too many questions to ask.

Thinking that Xu Lan wanted to leave, Bai Wu jumped off the bed and hugged the man’s thigh.

“PAPA, I’M NOT A MONSTER, DON’T LEAVE ME. I’M REALLY NOT A MONSTER! PAPA…”

The word ‘Papa’ sent Xu Lan’s heart into turmoil. He picked Bai Wu up and placed the boy back on the bed, then poured himself a glass of water and sat on the stool.

“Then tell me. What’s all this? Hm?”

Bai Wu sat on the bed with tearful eyes and looked at the man. Xu Lan was sitting on the stool, frowning and staring at the kid.

“My true form is a dragon,” Bai Wu said while hugging his tail. He mustered the courage and said what he thought was most important. He knew that this explanation was inevitable, otherwise who knows what would happen?

As soon as he thought about Xu Lan leaving him, his tears flowed uncontrollably out of his eyes. Tears used to be a tool for him get sympathy, but after meeting Xu Lan, most of his tears were shed because of unrestrained emotions.

“I used to be a big, big dragon,” Bai Wu said as he extended both his chubby arms to the side and gestured. “But my subordinates framed me, and I lost my commanding position. So they sent me down to earth.

Due to my injuries, my body shrank to be what Papa is seeing now. Also, because I’m not from this world, it created cracks in space and time. This is why Papa ended up in this world.

But I’m not a monster. This is how I look like when I’m small. Back in our place, every dragon would look the same.”

Bai Wu finished his sentence guiltily, without looking at Xu Lan. He gazed down and played with his tail. Some of his scales left indentations on his skin as a result of Xu Lan’s rather forceful grip. It was slightly painful.

“That’s all? What about the murder here? Does it have anything to do with you?” Xu Lan asked coldly with a poker face.

“NO! I had nothing to do with it! I didn’t know that we’d end up here. It’s because of the other night when I was too comfortable with Papa and accidentally fell asleep. I didn’t know. I’m sorry Papa, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

Bai Wu let go of his tail and crawled over to Xu Lan, wanting to be held in the man’s embrace.

“Papa, please don’t leave me, I’ll be a good boy, I can protect you, Papa. Papa’s the only one who knows I’m trouble but is still willing to accept me. Papa, can you…” The sentences were interspersed with bouts of hiccupping.

The boy’s tears felt as though they flowed out from a boiling hot pair of eyes. Xu Lan could feel its burn even through his shirt.

Having received no response from Xu Lan, Bai Wu’s body immediately became cold, much colder than the night he fell into the ice-cold river. Back then, Xu Lan was constantly worried about the boy’s safety, but tonight, he seemed unwilling to even stretch out his hand and hug the kid.

Bai Wu knew such a thing would happen from the start! That was why he dared not tell everything to Xu Lan! He had experienced it before too many times, and this time was no different. Was Xu Lan’s acceptance all a delusion for Bai Wu?

No one would accept a monster and a bane so willingly!

The boy slowly backed away from Xu Lan’s grasp, then sat on the bed and looked at the man. Bai Wu wanted to etch every detail of Xu Lan’s expressions in his mind, fearing that he might never get to see Xu Lan again or even get to meet someone like him.

“Papa, I’m sorry.”

Wiping his tears away, Bai Wu made his way down from the warm bed and very solemnly knelt down in front of Xu Lan.

Bang, bang, bang!

The boy kowtowed, three times in total – no more, no less. Each kowtow was like a stone that weighed a ton, striking Xu Lan’s body, eyes, and heart.

After that, he stood up, opened his tender arms wide and asked, “Papa, can I hug you again?”

No longer able to keep a straight face, Xu Lan abruptly picked the boy up from the cold hard floor and hugged him, rubbing the stubbles on his chin against the boy’s head.

“Fine. Show me how you look like as a dragon. I didn’t manage to see it when it was dark just now.”

Xu Lan carried Bai Wu by the boy’s icy pair of thighs and went into the bathroom. Those tear-soaked clothes were sticking uncomfortably to his body, so a shower was in order.

“Papa?” Bai Wu’s big round eyes stared at the man, complete with a look of inconceivability.

“Mm?”

“Papa, does this mean you still want me?” Bai Wu’s trembling voice sounded simultaneously excited and scared.

“Since when did say that I didn’t want you? I only wanted you to scare you and make you feel insecure for a while.” Xu Lan turned on the shower head, fogging up the whole bathroom in an instant. Not only did Bai Wu’s body become warm, but the glacier within his heart also melted.

“You don’t have to hide anything from me and carry your burdens on your own next time, understand?” warned Xu Lan.

“Mm! I understand!”

Bai Wu’s eyes became as misty as the bathroom. He nodded repeatedly and hugged Xu Lan tightly.

If Xu Lan knew what Bai Wu had been through, he would surely be unable to bring himself to scare the boy. At that moment, Bai Wu finally believed that Xu Lan meant every word when the man said he will not abandon Bai Wu. Therefore, the boy chose to forgive Xu Lan’s act of frightening him.

“Stand up properly! Why are you such a crybaby, always bawling your eyes out?”

Despite saying such words, Xu Lan did not remove Bai Wu from the embrace. He waited until the boy’s emotions stabilized, and could stand up by himself.

“Turn into a dragon for me. My whole life, I’ve never seen a real dragon.”

There was clearly a hint of excitement in Xu Lan’s voice.