Bai Tang casually read through the contents of the notebook and has been grappling with the issue of choosing a gift since stepping down from the stage.
Because if Bai Tang doesn’t intentionally block the system, then whatever he speaks in his heart, the system can hear.
— What does Su Siyuan like?
— What gift should I give?
— Should I make a handmade gift?
…
The system: “…”
The system, like a monkey with a tight spell, squats beside Bai Tang with a face full of vicissitudes.
“It’s still eight days until Qixi, why are you in such a hurry?” The system sternly advises, “Now your focus should be on the exam for the Spirit Certification.”
Seeing Bai Tang’s troubled expression, the system has a sudden inspiration, “Once you have the Spirit Certification, you can log into the Demon Network. By then, you can ask questions on the Demon Network, where there are all kinds of monsters, pooling wisdom. It’s much better than you randomly thinking alone.”
With the system’s insightful words, Bai Tang no longer agonizes over the gift issue. He flips through the materials, absorbing them at a glance. With Bai Tang’s photographic memory, he can memorize a thick stack of documents in a day.
Moreover, Bai Tang discovers that it’s not just him; even Zhen Aichi, who seems the most unreliable in the class, can memorize information in a short time.
The hamster spirit puffs up its cheeks, looking somewhat melancholic as it glances at the materials in front of it. Then, using its tiny paws, it picks up the papers and swiftly stuffs them into its mouth. With a few crunching sounds, the stack of papers is devoured completely. Except for a few paper crumbs scattered on the desk, there’s no trace left to prove the existence of the materials.
“All the ink in my stomach, all the knowledge in my head,” Zhen Aichi points to his own head, muttering, “Dry paper is really hard to swallow. If it weren’t for tomorrow’s exam, I wouldn’t eat it.”
Tang Jinlang, on the side, pours a cup of sugar water from the thermos and places it next to Zhen Aichi, saying, “Have some water.”
“The training class Su Siyuan found for you is not simple,” the system explains. “All the monsters here, except for you, have Demon Network accounts.”
The system can enter any network domain in this world, naturally including the Demon Network.
Having a Demon Network account without a Spirit Certification is not something ordinary monsters can achieve.
Bai Tang turns his face to look at the side where Qing Dai is seated.
The young man in black closes his eyes, placing his palm on the paper. The black characters on the paper seem to come to life, floating up as if weightless, gently drifting into the palm.
Qing Dai opens his eyes, glancing at Bai Tang as if he has found something. No matter how many times he looks at Bai Tang, Qing Dai still slightly pauses and asks, “What’s wrong?”
Seeing Bai Tang smile, he leans on his chin and says, “Nothing, good luck with the exam.”
Qing Dai lowered his head, moving his palm, which was covering the white paper. On the previously blank surface, the silhouette of a person appears.
It is the profile of a young man, with sharp lines resembling plum bones, and the raised eyelashes are like the blossoming fragrance of flowers.
Since Qing Dai posted photos on the Demon Network, many monsters have been urging for updates, hoping for the “Stone-Painting Demon” to once again reveal the portrait of that mysterious young man.
However, there is no movement on the official website of the Stone-Painting Demon.
Because Qing Dai has organized all the portraits in his room, cherishes them, and is unwilling to share them with anyone.
It’s the kind of beauty that desires exclusive possession but fears desecration.
When Qing Dai sees the well-dressed man appear, he knows that he can only watch from afar in the end.
＊
Bai Tang organizes the materials, puts on a veil, and walks out of the classroom. He sees Su Siyuan’s figure in front of the door, and his pace quickens involuntarily.
Su Siyuan is on a call, and Bai Tang takes a few steps forward. He hears the voices of the Snail Babies coming from the other end of the phone. The voices of the Snail Babies are tender and soft, but when they get excited, they become sharp like orioles. If a bunch of Snail Babies are screaming, it’s like arguing sparrows.
Su Siyuan moves the phone slightly away, frowning without speaking. He opens his mouth to say “not allowed”, but then he sees Bai Tang standing in front of him.
The young man wears a veil, making his exposed eyes particularly striking. His emerald green eyes are filled with curiosity. Under such gaze, Su Siyuan’s reaction is slightly delayed. Thus, the voices from the phone become clear:
“Let Tang Tang play Snow White, okay?!”
…Oh, this is really bad.
Sighing inwardly, Su Siyuan responds, “What Snow White?” The young man asks curiously.
“Chi Yan and the others in kindergarten have an assignment. It requires students and parents to interpret classic fairy tales and record a short video to share in the parent group,” Su Siyuan explains. “They want to play the seven dwarfs and want you to play Snow White.”
The Snail Babies, upon hearing Bai Tang’s voice, become ecstatic. They chirp excitedly, “Tang Tang, Tang Tang, will you play the princess?!” “Love Tang Tang the most~” “Tang Tang is so pretty, of course, he should be Snow White!”
Bai Tang leans closer to Su Siyuan, tiptoes, and presses his ear against the phone screen that Su Siyuan is holding. Hearing the Snail Babies’ words, he can’t help but suppress a chuckle, saying, “I’m not a girl, how can I play the princess?”
Su Siyuan lowers his hand, allowing Bai Tang to chat with the Snail Babies. His mood is not very good. Their time together is already limited, and now the Snail Babies want to share even that small amount of free time with Bai Tang.
Su Siyuan has already prepared a script on how to convince Bai Tang to refuse. He plans to suggest that he’s about to start preparing for exams, or perhaps let Chi Cainan and the others take on the roles to strengthen father-son bonding. In just a moment, Su Siyuan has crafted several impeccable and reasonable rebuttals. But—
The Snail Baby on the other end said something and a smile appeared in the young man’s emerald green eyes. “I want to be the prince.”
“No, the prince is for Uncle Su!” “Yeah, yeah, Uncle Su isn’t pretty, he can only be the prince.”
Su Siyuan, with a furrowed brow, looks momentarily stunned. He tightens his grip on the phone, but he conceals this lapse well. Not even Bai Tang, who is close by, notices anything amiss.
After chatting with the Snail Babies for a while, Bai Tang looks up at Su Siyuan with inquisitive eyes and silently asks, “Should we go?”
Without hesitation, the man nods and sincerely says, “Let’s go. Chi Yan and the others really like you. If you play Snow White, they’ll be enthusiastic about the assignment. If someone else does it, the kids might be less cooperative.”
“And shooting a video is quick. Chi Cainan has prepared all the props, and with a five-minute video, we can finish recording in at most half an hour. We can also have a meal at Chi Cainan’s place.” Su Siyuan says gently, “You haven’t been to Chi Cainan’s place as a guest.”
Bai Tang finds Su Siyuan’s reasoning very convincing, so the two of them head to Chi’s house.
Chi Cainan’s home is elegantly decorated with an antique and luxurious style. Surrounded by trees, the mansion is located in a green space—the perfect spot for shooting the short video.
Xiong Liliang carries a crystal coffin and places it in the green space. The Snail Babies reach out their little hands to touch the crystal cover, praising the props prepared by Dad Chi.
Chi Cainan massages his temples with a slight headache, complaining to Su Siyuan, “I went through a lot of trouble to find this prop. And those costume props, Snow White and the prince’s outfits, I borrowed from a friend who acts in plays. The clothes for the seven dwarfs were even more troublesome…”
“Hey, I’ve had such a hard time, and why are you still laughing?!” Chi Cainan expresses dissatisfaction with Su Siyuan, who is bowing his head.
Su Siyuan suppresses his laughter, adopting an attentive expression, but his thoughts are entirely on the rough and hastily written script in his hand.
The scene chosen by the Snail Babies is when Snow White mistakenly eats the poisoned apple, falls into a coma, and the dwarfs place her in the crystal coffin. They sorrowfully carry the crystal coffin and then encounter the prince.
It’s this classic moment—
The prince kisses the princess awake.
Chi Cainan continues to wear a distressed expression, cracklingly narrating the challenges of being a new dad. As he speaks, he suddenly falls silent, staring blankly at the “Snow White” coming out of the door.
Once upon a time, there was a princess. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips as red as blood, and her hair as black as the window frame made of ebony.
There was no one more beautiful in the world than her.
＊
Snow White’s attire is excessively ornate and intricate. Bai Tang is almost breathless under the constriction of the high-waisted dress. The top is a mix of red and blue, adorned with round pearls at the chest, and the sleeves are lantern-shaped at the wrists.
Without the system’s guidance, Bai Tang would never wear such clothes.
Bai Tang carries the gorgeous chiffon, diamond-patterned, embroidered skirt carefully, paying close attention to his steps. He wears bright red high heels on his feet. Due to the first-time experience with high heels, Bai Tang walks somewhat unsteadily. The fringes on the skirt sway with each step, the compelling beauty trembling and rippling, causing everyone present to hold their breath, afraid to disturb the magnificence.
“What’s wrong with you all?” Bai Tang asks, even suspecting that they are enacting the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, where everything is engulfed in slumber.
This sentence breaks the spell, and everyone suddenly snaps out of their trance, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Tang Tang! You, you, you’re too beautiful!” Chi Yan rushes toward Bai Tang, excitedly expressing his amazement in a stuttering manner.
Bai Tang squats down, the gorgeous dress spreading across the lawn, with its long train trailing on the ground. Upon hearing Chi Yan’s words, Bai Tang, with lips painted in bright red lipstick, curves them into a smile, revealing neat, white teeth.
Red lips and white teeth.
Bai Tang only applied lipstick to adhere to Snow White’s character, “lips as red as blood.” However, this touch of red enhances the beauty of his features to an almost arrogant level.
Just looking at it from a distance, Su Siyuan is already captivated, his mind in a whirl.
＊
“In the evening, the dwarfs return home and find Snow White lying on the ground as if dead. They immediately carry her to bed, trying their best to revive her, but Snow White still doesn’t wake up,” Chi Cainan recites.
“The dwarfs tearfully place Snow White in a glass coffin filled with flowers, preparing for a grand funeral.”
The Snail Babies surround the crystal coffin, wiping their noses and shedding tears.
“At this moment, a prince from a neighboring country happens to pass through the forest. He sees the beautiful princess inside the glass coffin, with dwarfs and little animals mourning beside her.
After learning the story, the prince, with tears in his eyes, sadly says—”
Su Siyuan places a bouquet on the crystal coffin, and gazes down at the princess, “Her skin is snowy white, her cheeks rosy, as if she’s peacefully sleeping. She doesn’t look like someone who has passed away. My princess, how wonderful it would be if you could wake up.”
“In the end, unable to control his emotions, the prince bends down and kisses her.”
Su Siyuan kneels on one knee, hands covering the crystal lid. He lowers his head and leaves a kiss on the crystal coffin.
