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At two o'clock in the morning, Dongfang Qingcang was surprised to find Meilin awake as she exited her bedroom, groaning and yawning with her hand covering her plump lips. The jaw-dropper was not because she had stopped being lazy; rather, she had slept the entire day before when he was forced to read a book about treating human illnesses.
"Hmm?" Meilin thought, 'Why is he here at two A.M.? Shouldn't he get some sleep?'
Qingcang remained silent as he sat on the couch in the living room, even though he saw Meilin from the corner of his eyes.
'What's his problem?' Meilin thought as she joined Qingcang on the couch, watching him pretending she was not there, or so she perceived it to be. "Ah, I wonder if a new episode of Love Between Human and Demon came out on Interflix," she said to break the awkward silence between them as her hand moved toward the coffee table to reach for the TV remote.
"Forty-seven thousand, one hundred and twenty-one," Qingcang muttered as he rotated his head and glared at Meilin, his voice hoarse and his eyes sleepy from the lack of rest.
Meilin, turning her attention from her smart TV to the Moon Supreme beside her, raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked, "What do you mean?"
Qingcang looked away from Meilin, and his sneer turned into a scowl as he responded, "That book. It has forty-seven thousand, one hundred and twenty-one words."
Meilin's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Did you actually count the words?"
Qingcang silently nodded, looking down with exhaustion, still not facing Meilin, and only looking before him, watching a black screen light up. He could finally read human scripture of this world and saw that it said Interflix on the colorful screen. He had yet to understand television but was too tired to bother.
Meilin was taken aback by Qingcang's dedication to reading the entire book, let alone counting its words. She thought to herself, 'This guy... He might lose his mind if I tell him the book is not about female-specific issues but just illnesses and treatments with traditional medicine. But I shouldn't say that; he looks too tired.'
Qingcang glanced sideways at Meilin as he spoke, "I read the whole book three times." His bitterness was evident, but he was too exhausted to argue with her about her cruelty from the previous day. He had read each page once to decipher the text, then returned to the deciphered page to read them properly. After eight hours of transcription and reading, he had even counted the words in that cursed book.
"You stayed up all night counting the words to impress me?" Meilin asked, teasing Qingcang as she could not help but snicker, thinking, 'He's so gullible. This is too amusing, wow.' Her mouth curled into a playful smile. "I never thought you'd take my words seriously. Are all fairies so naive?" she asked, her tone amused, and she gradually began to laugh harder at his unconditional obedience.
Qingcang's tired eyes shot open, murderously staring at Meilin. He felt she was not done tormenting him as her snickering turned into uncontrolled laughter. "Enough!" he exclaimed, his tone domineering.
Meilin was taken aback by Qingcang's bloodthirsty look and thought, 'Geez, how the heck should I know that fairies take words too seriously?' She had never seen him so lethal before and stammered, "H-hey, are you hungry? Want a snack?"
Qingcang quickly picked up on Meilin's remark about fairies, and he gave her an even harsher glare than before. Despite his anger, he was too tired to argue. "I'd rather eat you," he replied maliciously, catching her off guard, looking at her with piercing eyes. Yet, she did not take him too literally.
'He's so... childish. How can I cheer him up?' Meilin thought, utterly oblivious to Dongfang Qingcang's dark thoughts.
Qingcang clenched his jaw and warned Meilin sternly, "Remember, your words are very important to me. Don't say anything so casually to me again." He would have snapped at her had he not been exhausted.
'Important?' Meilin thought as she could not help feeling flattered by Qingcang's words, and she was surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. She looked deeply into his bloodshot eyes, trying to read his expressions as she nodded and replied, "Oh... I just thought you were like the rest; who knows what to take seriously and what not." However, he did not seem amused, and she slowly stated, "I know, I know. I won't say things casually again."
Dongfang Qingcang had never been so humbled as now. He had always expected excellence from his workers, and he usually had them do all the dirty work for him, yet he had to go through being overpowered by a weak human. He relaxed his fierce stare, took a deep breath, and thought, 'I should never underestimate her again.'
"Oh yeah, I'm about to watch this new drama on Interflix. The story is about a human and demon falling in love, and they go through hardships to end up with each other," Meilin explained.
However, Qingcang abruptly interrupted and scoffed, "Nonsense."
"Huh? Why?" Meilin asked, clearly confused.
"Humans and demons don't fall in love with each other, let alone go through hardships for something disgusting as ending up together," Qingcang replied bluntly and snappy.
Meilin was confused and did not expect Qingcang to take even a story so seriously. "Well... I totally agree, but this is just a story that should be taken with a grain of salt. Besides, unlike the demons I've seen, these demons are pretty good-looking, so that alone says all about not taking this concept seriously," she said, secretly wishing it was not true, even though he told the truth.
Qingcang remembered the day Meilin had told him about her low opinion of demons, viewing them as ugly and dirty creatures. However, he did not anticipate that she had seen one before. He inquired, "You, Silly Little Human, are short-sighted. Have you really seen a demon before?"
"Yes, and you did, too, remember?" Meilin said, eyeing Qingcang as he tilted his head to wait for her, indicating that she should clear it up. "Remember that portal and my room when you came into my world? They were demons," she disclosed.
Qingcang averted his gaze from Meilin and pondered over what she had revealed. He mused, 'Those creatures are what she calls demons? No wonder she despises us; she's ignorant.' He expressed his disapproval with a "Hmph." All this time, he believed that she harbored hatred towards his tribe, but she was merely misinformed. After discovering that she did not mean to insult the Moon Tribe, but instead referred to the creatures who wished to harm her, he scrutinized her.
"Hmm? What is it?" Meilin asked, blinking, looking back into Qingcang's medium-brown irises and taking in every slight movement in his gaze, wondering why he was looking at her like that. "You're tired, aren't you? That's right; you've been studying your brains off. Shouldn't you rest? You can have my bed tonight," she said as she noticed his tired gaze and felt guilty for making him go through all that pain and boredom.
Qingcang did not reply, only staring at Meilin and thinking, 'If those creatures are, in fact, demons, then why are they so different from the demons in my world?' This world's demons were inferior creatures that even he found repulsive to look at, and he wondered how many kinds of demons existed. He only knew that they were not part of the Moon Tribe.
Meilin, as kind as she was, wished to make amends and demanded his attention. "Dongfang Qingcang, you have to listen to me now," she ordered with a grave expression, dead serious with no intention of being casual.
Qingcang's eyes widened in alarm, anticipating what was coming next. 'This girl!' he thought, panicking that he was about to be forced to do something against his will again.
Meilin commanded Qingcang kindly, smiling, "You had better go to sleep right now until you feel one hundred percent well. No buts and no ifs. You're not allowed to wake up sooner than that, and I'll make you something delicious to apologize for making you go through that."
Anyone else would have appreciated Meilin's thoughtfulness, but not Dongfang Qingcang. He stared at her with wide eyes, realizing her potential danger settling heavily in his chest. He teleported away and appeared in her bedroom with a soft thud. The room was illuminated by a soft glow from the moon outside, casting a silvery light over her king-sized bed.
Qingcang thought as he scanned Meilin's room, 'She... she has no idea that she's putting herself in danger.' Despite his best efforts, his body was compelled to rest on her bed, the exhaustion of his recent boredom catching up. He closed his eyes, and his mind drifted into a deep slumber as he fell into a peaceful sleep.
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Meilin, on the other hand, was full of excitement and enthusiasm. "Now that the Moon Fairy is asleep, I can be useful to him," she chirped, a smile spreading. She glanced around her kitchen, surveying the ingredients she had on hand. A plan began to form in her mind, and a smile crept across her face as she envisioned the perfect dessert - a chocolate mousse cake in the shape of a crescent moon. "I'll make it to represent his Moon Tribe. I'll call it Moonlight Cakes," she continued, her voice filled with determination. "And then, we'll figure out how to open the portal to his world." She hummed to herself as she gathered the necessary ingredients, her movements swift and sure.
Meilin's heart raced excitedly as she contemplated her plan to surprise Qingcang. She could not wait to show him her culinary prowess and, hopefully, impress him with her creativity. As she stood in her kitchen, her eyes roamed over the various ingredients scattered around her. Her gaze fell upon a bag of flour, a block of butter, and a jar of cocoa powder.
Meilin's mind raced with ideas as she considered how to make it even more special. She decided to top it with a sprinkle of edible silver glitter, adding a touch of beauty to the already dreamy dessert.
Meilin quickly got to work, deftly mixing the ingredients and whipping the cream to make a luscious chocolate mousse. "Hopefully, he'll forgive me for earlier," she said and sighed.
As Meilin surveyed her handiwork, she realized she needed more milk to complete the cake, so she put the raw cake parts in the fridge to keep them fresh and quickly pulled out her phone to search for the nearest night shop that was still open where she could purchase it.
"I hope Dongfang Qingcang doesn't mind if I leave the house for half an hour," Meilin said to herself, a mischievous smile on her lips. "I need to stock up on milk and surprise him with that cake when he wakes up," she said as she grabbed her keys and left the house while he was still fast asleep.
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At the stroke of midnight, the dark and evil energies began to surge, saturating the night air with an ominous presence. The veil between the physical and non-physical worlds grew thin, and amidst all this, they had a singular target - Meilin.
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Meilin knew she could not waste any time, so she rushed in the chilly night, her heart pounding excitedly and eager to finish the cake. The night air was cool and crisp against her skin as she hurried along the streets, her footsteps echoing loudly in the empty streets.
The night sky above Meilin was a vast expanse of twinkling stars, casting a soft glow on the surroundings. Her mouth watered at the thought of the sweet, fluffy dessert, and she quickened her pace with a mischievous grin spread across her face. The cool air sent shivers down her spine, but she pushed on, determined to reach the store before it closed.
When Meilin finally arrived at the store, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. 'Finally, I'm here,' she thought as she entered quickly. As she opened the refrigerator, a blast of icy air hit her face, and she shuddered. She grabbed the carton of milk and rushed to the checkout counter. She paid for the milk and stepped out into the night once again.
As Meilin walked away from the crowds, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. At first, she thought it was just the cold air, but then she heard a faint whisper in her ear. "You're dead," the voice hissed, sending a jolt of fear through her body. She froze in place, her grip loosening, and dropped the milk. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to locate the source of the voice.
But there was no one around.
Suddenly, the voice grew louder, and a deafening screech filled the air. "DEAD!" it screamed, and Meilin let out a blood-curdling scream. She looked around frantically, but the streets were deserted. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she sensed the dark and evil energies coalescing around her.
Meilin's heart hammered against her chest so hard that she could feel it in her throat. She felt a surge of panic rising within her, and she had never felt so scared.
"Dead..." the voice whispered again, and Meilin let out a whimper of extreme fear. "DEAD!" the voice roared.
"DONGFANG QINGCANG, HELP ME!" Meilin cried out before breaking into a hysterical run, desperate to escape the unseen terror that haunted her.
Oooooh, angst. Dongfang Qingcang is now forced to not save Meilin, and she's all on her own. How will she survive? Tell me what you think in the comments! I'd love to read your feedback! And give this story a vote for helping me out; I always appreciate your kindness.
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"The Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qingcang" is in the public domain. All original additions are copyright © 2022 by Aurora Luxi.