Chapter 24: Arrogance
“Is the phoenix in heat?”
“…”
Su Muluo, who was in a daze, heard this and his scattered thoughts started to gather. His head didn’t feel as foggy anymore.
In short, he was woken up by anger.
He then raised his hand and gave Long Ling a smack on the head.
Long Ling: “?”
He didn’t expect his phoenix to react this way, showing a bit of surprise on his face, which was soon followed by another smack from Su Muluo.
Even though his phoenix’s hits were light, Long Ling moved closer, gently holding Su Muluo’s wrist, and said, “Phoenix, you’re awake? How are you feeling? Any better?”
Su Muluo hugged the blanket, feeling slightly relieved from the unbearable heat but still somewhat uncomfortable, not wanting to speak much.
However, he remembered the nonsense this dragon just spouted and weakly retorted, “You’re the one in heat… I don’t have a heat period.”
Long Ling remained silent, thinking that Su Muluo had previously claimed not to have a molting period either, but it turned out he did.
Of course, he wouldn’t say such a thing out loud, fearing he might get hit again. Instead, he gently soothed, “Alright, no heat period then. If Phoenix says no, then there’s none. I must have been mistaken.”
For now, there’s none… But will there really never be?
Long Ling still had a bit of expectation in his heart. Su Muluo, hearing this, snorted softly and buried his face into the pillow.
Even though his phoenix was awake, he still looked listless. Seeing this, Long Ling poured him a cup of warm water, saying, “Have some water, it’ll help a bit.”
Su Muluo didn’t want to move and said, “I want something cold.”
Long Ling refused, “No, it’s cold weather now, drinking cold water could make you sick.”
“I won’t get sick,” Su Muluo mumbled, feeling the persistent heat and dizziness. “I just want something cold.”
His voice, soft due to discomfort, sounded like he was whining. Long Ling felt a string in his heart being lightly plucked, making him want to hug his phoenix and kiss him.
But since his phoenix was feeling unwell, he restrained himself, applying slight force with his fingertips to coat the cup with a thin layer of frost.
“Just a bit cold,” Long Ling brought the cup to Su Muluo’s lips. “Can’t drink too cold.”
Su Muluo glanced at the cup, then at him, his eyes brightening. “What kind of dragon are you?”
Long Ling replied, “A black dragon.”
Honestly, he wasn’t very clear about his own identity or what a black dragon represented among the dragon tribe.
Su Muluo gave a simple “oh” and didn’t ask further, taking the cup of cold water and drinking it in one go. He squinted his eyes in delight. “So good.”
The slightly cold liquid alleviated some of the heat, and without that unbearable warmth, he felt a bit better. He finished the entire cup of cold water and snuggled back into the blanket.
Long Ling thought his phoenix now resembled a well-fed kitten, all soft and cuddly, enjoying the comfort of the bed.
If only he could snuggle into my arms.
This thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he asked, “Feeling better now?”
Su Muluo nodded.
Long Ling touched his forehead, finding it not as hot as before, and asked, “If it’s not a heat period, could it be a fever?”
“I’m not in heat,” Su Muluo refuted again, then said, “And I don’t get fevers.”
After all, as a phoenix, he wouldn’t get sick easily.
But this time was indeed strange. From initially feeling sleepy and shedding feathers to now being feverish in the middle of the night… It was worrying no matter how you looked at it.
Su Muluo furrowed his brows slightly and glanced at Long Ling.
Long Ling, understanding what he wanted to say, took the blame naturally, “Maybe it’s related to me.”
“I think so too,” Su Muluo said, “I started feeling strange when you were about to transform.”
He sounded a bit aggrieved but didn’t really mean to blame him, just stating a fact.
Long Ling thought for a moment and said, “I should have hatched earlier, or before the phoenix, so that the phoenix wouldn’t have to suffer.”
Clearly, there was some connection between them. Maybe their souls were tied together, so when he underwent a change, his phoenix would be affected too.
If he had hatched earlier than the phoenix, the situation might have reversed, and he would have been the one affected, sparing his phoenix the discomfort.
Su Muluo shook his head after hearing this, “We only discovered this today; we didn’t know before. And also…”
And also, he liked this bond, like an unbreakable tie binding him to his dragon.
He didn’t say the latter part, just keeping it as a small thought in his heart. Long Ling stared at him for a few seconds, seeing his phoenix not continue, and asked, “And also what?”
Su Muluo glanced at him, pulled the blanket over his head.
Long Ling shook the blanket, “And also what? Phoenix hasn’t finished talking.”
The blanket shook, and Su Muluo slowly turned his back to him.
Long Ling’s dark golden eyes showed a hint of amusement. After a few seconds, he said, “Phoenix, I can’t sleep.”
Su Muluo stayed silent.
Long Ling continued, “The sofa is hard.”
Su Muluo stayed silent.
Long Ling added, “It’s cold outside.”
Su Muluo stayed silent.
After a pause, Long Ling pitifully said, “Phoenix is so mean, coaxing Phoenix just now, but now Phoenix doesn’t want me anymore.”
“…”
Su Muluo poked his head out of the blanket, revealing only his eyes, “You just said you weren’t afraid of the cold.”
Long Ling was slightly choked by this. The next second, he decisively transformed into a small black dragon.
The little black dragon nestled by the pillow, raising its head and looking pitifully at his phoenix.
Su Muluo stayed silent.
Then he pulled the blanket open a bit.
The little black dragon happily made a soft sound and burrowed into the blanket, curling up next to his phoenix.
Su Muluo looked at the soft little dragon and gently poked it.
The little black dragon immediately hugged his finger, rubbing its small horns against it.
Su Muluo’s lips curled up slightly. The discomfort of sleeping alone finally disappeared. He closed his eyes and fell asleep next to his dragon.
The next morning, Su Muluo took Long Ling shopping, buying clothes.
The mall was bustling with people everywhere. Standing together, Su Muluo and Long Ling’s looks attracted quite a bit of attention.
This made Long Ling very dissatisfied, “If I had known, we should have worn masks before going out.”
Su Muluo thought for a moment, “That would only draw more attention.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Long Ling said, “At least this way, they wouldn’t see Phoenix’s face. Phoenix is so good-looking, I don’t want them to see.”
This was his first time accompanying his phoenix out in human form. Without the perspective of a small dragon, he could now clearly feel the gazes directed at his phoenix.
He didn’t like those admiring gazes, feeling like the treasure he wanted to hide was exposed to the daylight, attracting greedy looks… This stirred his possessiveness and made him very unhappy. He just wanted to take his phoenix back home, hide him in a place only he knew, and stroke his feathers.
Su Muluo saw through his thoughts instantly, “You wish. I’m not letting you stroke my feathers.”
Then he walked ahead quickly.
The mall was large, and they strolled slowly. A few minutes later, Su Muluo spotted a piece of clothing, “Do you like it?”
Long Ling glanced at it, “If Phoenix likes it, I like it.”
Su Muluo asked the sales clerk to bring over the clothing and compared it against Long Ling.
“Hmm, it seems nice,” Su Muluo said, “Do you want to try it on?”
Long Ling nodded, “How do I try it on?”
“There’s a fitting room over there. You just change into this and come out for me to see,” Su Muluo explained.
Long Ling made a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t move.
Su Muluo: “What’s wrong?”
Long Ling: “I don’t know how.”
Su Muluo: “?”
“I don’t know how to wear such clothes,” Long Ling said matter-of-factly, “The clothes I’m wearing now are transformed from my scales, so I’ve never worn human clothes before.”
Su Muluo paused for a moment, “You don’t expect me to help you dress, do you?”
Long Ling looked innocent, “But if Phoenix doesn’t teach me, I really don’t know how to wear them.”
This argument seemed quite reasonable and convincing. Su Muluo looked at Long Ling, whose face clearly said, “I’m not lying, I’m telling the truth, I’m very obedient,” and remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he clicked his tongue, turned around, and headed for the fitting room.
Long Ling obediently followed him, so the sales clerk watched in astonishment as the two men entered the same fitting room.
Sales clerk: “…”
She lowered her head and started posting on social media.
In the dressing room, Su Muluo bowed his head as he buttoned up Long Ling’s shirt.
The space was small, just enough to fit one adult man. If there were two people, it would be cramped—so even though Su Muluo tried to keep his distance, he was still very close to Long Ling.
Too close, he could even smell Long Ling’s scent… It was familiar, comforting, and pleasant to him.
Su Muluo stayed silent, and Long Ling also did not speak. When Su Muluo finished fastening the second to last button and looked up, he found Long Ling watching him intently, his dark golden eyes unblinking.
Before they went out, Long Ling had concealed his eyes to look like ordinary black ones. But here, he reverted to his original eye color.
Those dark golden eyes were profoundly deep, the eyes of a dragon. Cold as snowy mountains when distant, yet now they were a vast, gentle ocean, quietly and intently focused on Su Muluo, as if he was the only person in the world.
Su Muluo met Long Ling’s gaze for a few seconds before abruptly looking away, saying, “All done.”
He tried to step back immediately but forgot about the cramped space and almost bumped into the door behind him—
Long Ling swiftly raised his hand, his long, strong fingers pressing against the back of Su Muluo’s head, saying, “Be careful.”
Now they were even closer. Su Muluo suddenly realized that his little black dragon, usually small and delicate, was taller than him by half a head when in human form. At this moment, with his hand protecting the back of his head, Long Ling almost enveloped him completely in his embrace.
“…”
Without hesitation, Su Muluo opened the dressing room door and walked out.
Long Ling watched his retreating figure without looking back, a slight smile on his lips, thinking that his phoenix had just been shy.
And he had let him hold him.
So, does that mean he could hold his phoenix in bed tonight?
The little black dragon’s thoughts were very pleasant as he followed Su Muluo’s steps.
However, despite his beautiful thoughts, reality was harsh. Long Ling soon realized that his excuse of not knowing how to dress didn’t work because his phoenix didn’t give him a chance to try on clothes.
“These few, let’s buy them all.”
Long Ling watched as Su Muluo efficiently picked out several pieces of clothing, trying to remind him, “I haven’t tried them on yet.”
Su Muluo replied, “No need to try.”
Long Ling said, “But if I don’t try them on, what if they don’t fit?”
Su Muluo gave him a glance, his tone indifferent, “Then we’ll buy more. I have money.”
Long Ling: “…”
The penniless black dragon silently followed the wealthy phoenix without a word.
After leaving that store, Su Muluo planned to continue looking in another store. But after just a few steps, a feather floated down from him.
Su Muluo: “?”
Another one fell???
Long Ling quickly caught the feather.
Su Muluo looked at him and said, “Give it to me.”
Long Ling curved his lips, saying, “No, phoenix feathers are so soft, I want it.”
Su Muluo: “I already gave you three feathers to make a bracelet last time, you can’t have this one.”
Even fallen feathers were precious to him. If it weren’t for the fact that this was his dragon, he wouldn’t give even one. Giving three at once was already very generous! No more!
After thinking for a moment, Long Ling said, “Then let me kiss you once and I’ll give it to you.”
Su Muluo: “?”
Long Ling’s eyes sparkled as he said, “Just one kiss, a small one.”
Su Muluo: “??”
That’s his feather! Why should he kiss for it!
With a blank expression, he said, “No kiss, give it to me now.”
Long Ling said, “No kiss, no feather. I’ve kissed the phoenix several times, but the phoenix doesn’t even kiss me once, so stingy.”
After saying this, he hid the feather away.
Very arrogant.
Su Muluo: “…”
Moments later, a small black dragon was tied into a very pretty knot, hanging from Su Muluo’s finger like a keychain, swinging back and forth, back and forth.
His eyes were filled with deep resentment.
But he still stubbornly clutched the feather tightly with his little paws, refusing to let go.
T/N: Hello hello! 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~
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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
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