As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

Su Wenjin's home.

As soon as Li Xian reached the door, he saw Lingdang run out from inside.

"Old Deng!"

She buried her face in Li Xian's arms.

Li Xian caught her and patted her head.

Did you have fun today?

"Happy!" Bell looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"Wanwan taught me so many things! We even did an experiment this afternoon!"

"What experiment?"

"Look at the sun through a telescope!"

Li Xian: "...Aren't you afraid of going blind?"

"Wanwan said she covered it with something, it's fine." Lingdang waved her hand.

"We saw a sunspot! It's huge!"

Li Xian nodded.

All right, as long as you are happy.

The two walked home.

On the way, the bell chattered away, telling everyone about the day's events.

"Wanwan said she's going to write a 'Star Observation Diary' during winter break to record the celestial phenomena that occur throughout the holiday!"

"Um."

She also said that she would show this diary to the whole class when school starts!

"Um."

She also said that when I grow up, I can write a preface for her book!

"Um."

After talking for a while, Lingdang noticed that Li Xian kept saying "uh-huh" and seemed a little unhappy.

"Old Deng, are you thinking about something else?"

Li Xian looked down at her.

"Um."

"What are you thinking about?"

You'll find out when you get home.

The bell blinked, then became excited.

"What is it? What is it? Something delicious? Something fun? Or did the chubby orange cat have babies?"

Li Xian: "..."

"The fat orange cat is male."

Bell paused for a moment, then scratched her head.

"Oh...right."

She thought for a moment, then asked, "What is that?"

Li Xian paused for a second, then said, "You'll know when we get home."

The bell became even more curious.

But she didn't ask any more questions, she just skipped around, humming an unknown tune.

Twenty minutes later, they returned to the residential area.

The two went upstairs and opened the door.

As soon as she entered, Lingdang smelled an unfamiliar scent.

She sniffed and looked around.

Then I saw a white thing squatting on the coffee table.

She paused for a moment, then ran over.

What is this?

She crouched down and stared at the rabbit.

The rabbit was also staring at her.

Eyes facing each other.

The bell blinked.

"What an adorable bunny!"

She reached out to touch it.

The snowflake instinctively shrank back.

But it had nowhere to shrink.

Bell's hand landed on its head and rubbed it.

Soft and warm.

Snowflake paused for a moment.

This child, you're touching him so gently.

It secretly raised its head and looked at the bell.

Golden hair, golden eyes, rosy cheeks, and eyes that crinkle into crescents when she smiles.

It suddenly felt that this child seemed somewhat familiar.

Li Xian walked over and sat down on the sofa.

"Bell, I have something to tell you."

The bell looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"The snowflakes came from the other side of the crack," he said, "just like you."

The bell paused for a moment.

"Is it one too?"

"Um."

The bell looked down at the snowflakes, its eyes shining even brighter.

"So...we're from the same hometown?"

The snowflakes blinked.

"Fellow... fellow villager?"

"We're from the same place!" Bell exclaimed excitedly. "I also came from the other side of the rift! I was here before you!"

The snowflake was dumbfounded.

This human cub comes from the same world as me.

It suddenly felt that the world wasn't so unfamiliar anymore.

Bell hugged Snowflake and rolled around on the sofa twice.

"Great! Great! I have someone from my hometown! I have someone from my hometown!"

The snowflakes were so dizzy from being rolled around that both of their ears were spinning.

But it did not resist.

Because this cub's embrace is very warm.

Li Xian watched the man and the rabbit frolic for a while.

Then he reached out and gently stroked the top of the bell.

The spatial folds and energy illusions he had been maintaining vanished instantly.

A pair of golden cat ears peeked out.

The bell was stunned.

She subconsciously touched the top of her head.

The ears are still there.

Did Old Deng remove the disguise?

She looked up at Li Xian.

"Old Deng? What are you doing?"

Li Xian didn't speak, he just looked at the snowflakes.

Snowflake was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

It stared at the pair of golden ears on the top of the bell's head, its red eyes wide open, its little mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"Cat...cat-man..." it murmured.

Bell paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched her ear.

"Cat-people?" She blinked. "What do you mean?"

Xuehua finally came to her senses, her body trembling slightly with excitement.

"It's...it's an orc!" it stammered incoherently.

"Half human, half beast! We have them where I'm from! Foxes have them, wolves have them, tigers have them! But I've never seen a cat... They say the cats live far to the east..."

The bell looked completely bewildered.

"Orcs? What are those?"

Snowflake looked at her and suddenly realized something.

This child seems to have no idea who he is.

"You...you don't know?" it asked cautiously.

Bell shook her head and subconsciously touched her ear.

It was soft, furry, and trembling slightly.

She has had cat ears and a cat tail since she was a child.

In that world, she had never seen anyone look like that.

In that world, her only relative—the old man who adopted her—was an ordinary human being.

The old man never asked her why she looked like that, and she never asked the old man why she didn't look like that.

All she knew was that the old man was very kind to her.

They gave her food, provided her with shelter, and taught her how to survive.

The old man passed away later.

She hid away by herself until she encountered bad people, crawled into a crevice, and met Li Xian.

Li Xian never asked her why she looked like that.

She thought that everyone in the world was like that.

It wasn't until she went to school that she saw that none of her classmates had ears or tails.

She then realized that she was different from them.

But she didn't ask.

She was afraid that if she asked, the answer would make her feel bad.

Now, the rabbit calls her "Cat-person".

The snowflakes fell silent.

It suddenly began to understand the child a little.

Orcs without a clan, wandering into the human world, know nothing and understand nothing.

It's even worse than that.

At least it had its own people with it, and knew where its roots lay.

This child doesn't even know who he is.

"Well..." Snowflake carefully chose her words, "Do you want to know?"

Bell thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"I don't know. I used to want to know, but I stopped thinking about it."

Why?

Lingdang glanced at Li Xian.

"Because Old Deng said, 'As long as I'm the bell, it doesn't matter what I am.'"

Snowflakes were stunned.

It followed the bell's gaze and looked at the human who was lazily leaning back on the sofa.

The human was also looking at it, his expression indifferent, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Snowflake suddenly felt a little envious of the child.

It has its own family.

There are people willing to take it in.

There are people who don't care what it is.

It recalled its days of escape, the indifferent beastmen, and the humans who hunted it down.

It suddenly realized that this child was much luckier than it.

"Then..." Snowflake asked softly, "would you like to be my friend?"

The bell blinked, then grinned.

"Of course I'd like to!"

She reached out, picked up the snowflakes, and held them up to her eyes.

"From now on, we're friends!"

She held the snowflake up, its four little legs dangling in the air, looking a little flustered.

But when it saw the bell's bright, sparkling eyes, it suddenly stopped panicking.

It gave a soft "hmm".

Bell was even happier, hugging it tightly and rubbing it vigorously.

"Soft! Warm! Fluffy!"

The snowflakes were kneaded until they looked utterly lifeless, but their hearts were warmed.

This human cub seems to really like it.

Li Xian watched this scene from the side, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He only spoke after he had rubbed the bell enough.

"Lingdang, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

Bell looked up at him.

"What is it?"

Li Xian pointed to the snowflakes.

"I plan to give it to Wanwan as a gift."

The bell was stunned.

"Give...give it to Wanwan?"

"Hmm," Li Xian said, "A-grade alien beast, it can talk, and it's cute. Wanwan should like it."

Lingdang looked down at the rabbit in her arms and remained silent for three seconds.

Then she looked up.

"Old Deng."

"Um?"

"Snowflakes... could you stay?"

Li Xian looked at her without saying a word.

Bell continued, "It came from over there too, just like me. It has no home, no family. How pitiful it would be if we sent it away."

She paused, then whispered, "And... it was the first to know I was an orc. I don't feel strange being with it."

Li Xian remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke.

Are you sure?

The bell nodded vigorously.

"Sure."

Li Xian looked at the snowflakes.

Snowflake curled up on the sofa, her ears pressed tightly against her back, her red eyes full of anticipation.

Li Xian remained silent for a second.

"Alright," Li Xian said. "I originally just wanted to give it to Wanwan as a bodyguard. Since you want to keep it, then keep it."

Bell's eyes lit up.

Snowflakes were stunned.

It never expected that this terrifying human would agree so easily.

"Really...really?"

Li Xian glanced at it.

"Fake."

Snowflake's face fell.

Bell laughed out loud from the side.

"Old Deng was just kidding you." She patted Xuehua's head. "That's just how he talks, don't take it seriously."

Xuehua looked at Lingdang, then at Li Xian, unsure of whom to believe.

Li Xian stood up and stretched.

"Since we're staying, we need to make some arrangements."

He walked to the window and looked at the sky outside.

Where do you live?

The snowflakes blinked.

"I...I don't know..."

Li Xian thought for a moment.

"Let's share a room for now."

The bells cheered.

"Yay! Snowflake will sleep with me!"

Before Snowflake could react, Bell grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"Come on, let me show you my room!"

She hugged the snowflakes and ran into the bedroom.

Looking at the man and the rabbit, Li Xian suddenly remembered something.

What about the gift for Su Wenjin?

We can't just show up empty-handed, can we?

They let Lingdang play every day, and she eats and drinks their food, so she has to reciprocate.

The original plan was to give the snowflake to Su Wenjin.

Now that the snowflakes have stayed, we need to find something else.