Chapter 6: The Coffee Shop
In the memories left to him by the Phoenix clan, touching feathers was a very intimate act, something done only with someone you liked.
So touching feathers was out of the question. He definitely wasn’t going to let this person touch his feathers!
Su Muluo stared expressionlessly at the man for a few seconds, just about to speak—
And then the man vanished again.
Su Muluo: Again?
He looked left and right, but couldn’t find the man’s shadow. This time, like the last, he had disappeared so quickly. Su Muluo guessed that either the man was afraid of being beaten by him, or that he simply couldn’t stay in his dream for too long.
Whatever the reason, it was infuriating.
With that thought, Su Muluo woke up from his dream.
Bright sunlight shone through the window, and something soft was nestled against his face. Without needing to look, he knew it was his little black dragon.
The little black dragon clung affectionately to his Phoenix, unaware that last night his Phoenix had already planned to kick him to the couch once he turned human.
Su Muluo sat up, and the little black dragon raised its head, looking at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Su Muluo said, “I had a dream.”
The little black dragon: “Aow.”
“I dreamed of a rogue.”
The little black dragon stopped making noises.
“If I see him again,” Su Muluo said word by word, “I’ll beat him up.” Then he looked down at the little black dragon and asked, “So, when will you turn human?”
The little black dragon: “…”
The little black dragon curled up and made an innocent, compliant squeak, indicating that it was very well-behaved and knew nothing.
Su Muluo knew it wouldn’t admit anything. It wouldn’t acknowledge anything until it turned human, and he seemed to have no way to deal with it before then. So he clicked his tongue, poked the little black dragon, and pulled the quilt over it.
The little black dragon obediently stayed under the quilt for a while. Only when its Phoenix had dressed and was heading to the bathroom did it crawl out, huffing and puffing, and hugged his leg.
While washing up, the little black dragon coiled around Su Muluo’s wrist, a thin, tiny ring. Su Muluo didn’t pay much attention at first, but after a few times raising his hand and seeing it, he suddenly couldn’t help but laugh.
And once he started laughing, he couldn’t stop.
“Aow?”
The little black dragon looked up at him in confusion.
“You’re really small,” Su Muluo said, inexplicably tickled, “so thin, feels like I could tie you in a knot.”
The little black dragon: “??”
“Or use you to tie my hair.”
The little black dragon: “???”
Su Muluo started to act on this idea, looking very much like he wanted to tie the little black dragon into a heart-shaped knot. The little black dragon refused to comply, clinging to him tightly, chirping in protest.
In the memories left by the dragon clan, dragons and their Phoenixes were always sweet and affectionate. Only his Phoenix not only found him small but also wanted to tie him in a knot and even use him to tie his hair!
It was too much!
The little black dragon, feeling wronged, clung to Su Muluo’s fingers with its claws, refusing to let go. After several failed attempts to force it, Su Muluo had to regretfully withdraw his hand, poking its little horns with his fingertip. “Alright, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.” Maybe he could secretly tie it into a knot while it was asleep.
Sensing the danger had passed, the little black dragon coiled back around Su Muluo’s wrist. Its tail tip flicked unhappily, watching its Phoenix with great vigilance.
But after a while, it started to feel that no other Phoenix could compare to its own. Its Phoenix was still the best.
So it snuggled into Su Muluo’s palm, rubbing against it lazily.
Su Muluo smiled and patted its head. “What do you want for breakfast? How about I make you some egg custard?”
Last night, he had looked up many recipes online and learned quite a few new dishes that he could make for the little black dragon in the future.
The little black dragon chirped happily, so Su Muluo went to the kitchen and made a bowl of egg custard, just like yesterday. He also ate a little, calling it breakfast.
The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs had said they would deliver his ID today, and sure enough, after nine o’clock, there was a knock on his door.
“Mr. Su.” This time, it was still Zheng Hechun who came. He now knew Su Muluo’s name and personally delivered a human ID card to him. “This is your ID. From now on, you can live here like a normal human.”
“Thank you,” Su Muluo said, accepting the ID card. Remembering what the snake demon had said about newly issued IDs needing to be replaced every year, he asked, “Is this only valid for one year?”
Zheng Hechun smiled. “Of course not. The ID is valid for ten years. After ten years, the Bureau will issue you a new one.”
Su Muluo nodded. Zheng Hechun’s gaze shifted slightly to the little black dragon on his wrist. The little dragon’s dark golden eyes stared back at him coldly, making him cough and quickly look away.
“Now that you’ve received your ID, I’ll take my leave,” he said. “If you want to open a coffee shop, don’t worry. There won’t be any problems with the approval process.”
Su Muluo knew that for a demon to open a shop in a human city, the approval process could take several months. The Bureau had indeed made things much easier for him. He thanked Zheng Hechun, and in the afternoon, went out to meet with the coffee shop owner.
The coffee shop owner’s surname was Huang, and his name was Huang Gaigai. His hairline seemed to have receded a bit more since they last met. When Su Muluo arrived, he saw Huang Gaigai lamenting over his hair while looking at his phone.
“You’re here. Have a seat.”
Huang Gaigai placed a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of Su Muluo, glanced at his smooth black hair, and sighed again.
“What’s wrong?” Su Muluo asked.
“Nothing,” Huang Gaigai clearly didn’t want to talk about his troubles. “Have you decided to take over my coffee shop?”
Su Muluo nodded. Huang Gaigai took out a prepared contract and handed it to him. “Then take a look at the contract. If there are no issues, just sign it.”
The terms in the contract had already been agreed upon. From today, the coffee shop would officially be transferred to Su Muluo. He would pay Huang Gaigai a modest monthly rent and a share of the profits. Su Muluo quickly skimmed the contract and signed his name.
He could tell that Huang Gaigai wasn’t a bad person and wouldn’t deceive him in the contract. Since he had also opened a bank account before coming, he transferred the first month’s rent to Huang Gaigai through his phone after signing the contract.
Huang Gaigai then gave him detailed advice on running the coffee shop, which Su Muluo noted down carefully.
“Choosing coffee beans and brewing coffee are both very important. By the way, do you know how to brew coffee?”
This question hit the mark. Su Muluo calmly nodded. “I know the process.”
In the past few days, he had looked up a lot of information and watched many related videos. He could say that he was well-versed in the knowledge of making a perfect cup of coffee.
He had no practical experience whatsoever.
Huang Gaigai laughed and said, “No worries, I’ll teach you. I’m quite skilled at making coffee.”
From his experience, beginners usually need a lot of practice, just as he did when he took lessons for half a month. To his surprise, Su Muluo grasped it quickly and made a perfect cup of coffee after just one lesson.
It was even better than his own.
“…” Huang Gaigai looked at the cup of coffee, then at Su Muluo, then at the coffee again, and back at Su Muluo. After a few seconds, he asked in shock, “Didn’t you say you had no training?”
“Yes, I haven’t,” Su Muluo smiled slightly, “but I’ve watched a lot of tutorials.”
Being a phoenix, he was naturally highly intelligent and quick to grasp new things.
Huang Gaigai was silent for a moment, likely struggling to digest this fact. Finally, he said painfully and a bit sourly, “Alright, I guess there’s nothing more I can teach you… I’ll be leaving now. From this day forward, I’ll entrust my dream to you.”
He picked up the backpack he had placed beside him, looked around the coffee shop he had built with his own hands, sighed, and said, “Qiansui, it’s time to go home.”
No one responded.
Huang Gaigai turned around and saw his orange cat sitting motionlessly on the counter. He said, “Qiansui? Let’s go, time to go home.”
“…”
Qiansui turned his head silently, jumped off the counter, and walked away.
Huang Gaigai found it strange and was about to speak again when Su Muluo said calmly, “Even if you take him now, you’ll have to bring him back in a few days. What’s the difference?” After all, Huang Gaigai had mentioned before that once he returned to live with his parents, he wouldn’t be able to keep his cat.
Huang Gaigai was stunned for a moment and said, “So… he doesn’t plan on going back with me?”
Su Muluo didn’t say “yes” but instead remarked, “Cats are very smart.”
Huang Gaigai’s expression changed instantly, standing there somewhat at a loss.
The coffee shop fell silent for a while. Looking at Huang Gaigai’s disappointed face, Su Muluo thought for a moment and said, “Let him stay here. I’ll take good care of him.”
“…”
Huang Gaigai didn’t speak for a long time, then slowly lowered his head and said quietly, “…Alright… I’ll come to see him in a few days.”
He then raised his head, seemingly wanting to smile at Su Muluo but couldn’t. He awkwardly put on his backpack and slowly walked out of the coffee shop.
His figure disappeared outside the coffee shop, never looking back. Meanwhile, Qiansui, who had been hiding under the counter, silently emerged, gazing in the direction his owner had left.
Su Muluo picked up the coffee he had just brewed and said, “Want to try it?”
This was directed at Qiansui, but Qiansui ignored him completely.
Su Muluo thought, fine, given your bad mood, and then looked down at his pocket, saying, “Come out and have some coffee.”
The next second, a small black dragon poked its head out from his pocket.
Upon seeing the little black dragon, Qiansui’s emerald-green eyes contracted into slits, and his fur stood on end. In a flash, he darted to the corner of the coffee shop.
But neither Su Muluo nor the black dragon paid any attention to him. The black dragon perched on the edge of the coffee cup, happily took a big sip of coffee, and then immediately spat it out, collapsing limply in Su Muluo’s palm.
Su Muluo was surprised, “Is it that bad?” He had tasted it just now and found it strange but acceptable.
The little black dragon weakly flicked its tail.
Su Muluo: Tsk.
He didn’t think there was anything wrong with his coffee; instead, he figured his dragon just had bad taste and couldn’t appreciate it. He pinched the little black dragon and looked toward the corner of the coffee shop.
Then he smiled slightly, “I know you’re a cat demon.”
Qiansui: “…”
“But it’s okay, I’m a demon too,” Su Muluo said gently, “As long as you don’t reveal my identity, we can get along just fine, okay?”
Qiansui: “…”
Qiansui slowly squeezed out from the corner, cautiously eyeing him while gradually moving to another corner of the coffee shop—then he suddenly darted into the employee lounge.
Su Muluo didn’t mind, knowing they would have plenty of time to get to know each other.
Night fell.
It was already late, and the usually bustling street was nearly empty. Under the streetlights, a young couple walked hand in hand, playfully bantering.
The early autumn night was cool, and a chilly breeze occasionally blew. The girl, who was lightly dressed, shivered, and the boy immediately took off his jacket and dr4p3d it over her shoulders.
Ahead, just past the next intersection, was a bus stop where they could catch the last bus. They quickened their pace but then saw someone standing under a streetlight, blocking their path.
It was a woman, her back to them, with long black hair falling to her waist, wearing a flowing white dress. She also held a red umbrella, the surface bright red like slowly flowing blood.
The couple stopped in their tracks, staring. At that moment, they noticed the streetlights on either side remained bright, but the one above the woman flickered ominously.
Sensing something was wrong, the boy immediately grabbed the girl’s hand and started to lead her back—but when they turned around, they saw the same woman with the red umbrella and black hair standing closer than before.
This time, she was just a few meters away, and the streetlight above her was even dimmer, casting only a faint light.
“…Haozhi, do you think we’ve encountered something bad?” The girl’s body trembled slightly as she clutched the boy’s hand, whispering, “Should we run?”
The boy named “Haozhi” was silent for a few seconds, then comfortingly patted the girl’s shoulder and said, “It’s okay, I’ll go check.”
As he spoke, his eyes, which were originally normal, suddenly transformed into beast-like vertical pupils, and some yellow fur appeared on his cheeks, making him look completely inhuman.
The girl watched the boy nervously as he slowly approached the woman under the red umbrella by the streetlight. He placed a hand on her shoulder and coldly said, “Hey.”
“……”
The red umbrella moved slightly, and the woman under it slowly turned her head—
On her silky smooth skin was a faceless visage.
T/N: Hello hello! I’m back with another dragon series, and let me tell you, this one is adorable!! Hold on to your cute hats, because it’s about to get even more cuter~~
There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
Thank you for all your support <3 Leave a comment if you like 🙂 I love reading them!
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