Touching Porcelain1
After leaving the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Lu Congxing returned to his office. It was eerily quiet, with no signs of life. Even his only employee, Di Jiang, was nowhere to be found.
He hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone and dialing a number—one that Di Jiang had previously given him.
The call connected.
“Hello?”
The voice on the other end sounded exhausted, but the moment the person realized who was calling, they quickly perked up.
Lu Congxing pressed his lips together. “I wanted to ask if you remember who recommended that filming location in the mountains?”
He wasn’t expecting much from this question—after all, even the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs hadn’t been able to uncover anything.
Surprisingly, after a brief pause, the director responded.
“It was a fortune teller,” he said. “At the time, I was struggling to find a good location, and I just happened to run into him on the road. He told me about a small village that would be perfect for my film, so I had someone check it out.”
A fortune teller?
That term sent a wave of unease through Lu Congxing. His voice grew urgent. “Do you remember what he looked like?”
There was a long silence.
The director seemed troubled, furrowing his brows as he tried to recall. But he could only manage a fragmented response.
“I just remember… that day… his clothes had the word ‘Tian’ written on them…”
Even he found it strange. Why had he blindly trusted a complete stranger’s words? That decision had brought a huge disaster upon his crew.
And how had that man known he was searching for a filming location? He hadn’t told anyone about it.
Cold sweat formed on the director’s forehead. His voice trembled. “Is there something wrong with that person?”
“It’s nothing,” Lu Congxing reassured him.
After hanging up, he remained silent for a moment. He tapped his pen twice against a blank sheet of paper, leaving two small ink dots.
Then, he wrote a single character: “Tian2“.
Next, he jotted down a string of numbers.
He had a habit of keeping contact information for every case he worked on, and this particular number belonged to Madam Xiang.
When he called, a gentle voice answered. However, when she heard his reason for calling, she fell silent.
“I’m sorry,” Madam Xiang said softly. “I don’t remember. I never saw that fortune teller again after that day.”
In the background, her husband’s voice could be heard asking who was on the phone.
It seemed the couple had resolved their issues and were moving forward with their lives.
Lu Congxing hung up, but his suspicions only deepened.
The moment the director mentioned a fortune teller, his first thought had been of Madam Xiang—she had once told him that her rattle drum had been given to her by a fortune teller.
Could it really be the same person? And if so, what was his goal?
Lu Congxing stood up and gazed at the rattle drum, which was sealed inside a glass display case.
The painted child on the drum’s surface twisted its lips into a sinister, sharp smile.
A second later, it returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
He tried to trace the lingering spiritual energy on the rattle drum, but each time he activated it, the energy would suddenly cut off and disappear into thin air.
Whoever had made this rattle drum had left no traces behind.
It was as if they had expected someone like him to investigate—like an unseen pair of eyes was watching him from the shadows.
Annoyed, Lu Congxing felt the spiritual energy within him stir in response to his frustration.
Then—
Pop!
One second, he was standing there as a full-grown man.
The next, he had vanished—replaced by a little, round creature on the floor.
A little hedgehog.
Lu Congxing waddled out from the pile of clothes, looking down at his tiny two-centimeter-long paws, and let out a deep sigh.
If only he could leech some spiritual energy from Bai Ze, he wouldn’t have to stay in this form for half a day.
After thinking for a moment, he pulled out his phone and searched for the location of He Group.
He remembered Hu Jiujiu once telling him that He Zhouyan spent his days working at the company—a powerful CEO in the human world.
His agency was near the city center, and unexpectedly, it was quite close to the He Group.
He hesitated for barely two seconds before pressing his small nose against the door, pushing it open.
He was on his way to borrow some spiritual energy.
After all—
How much trouble could a little hedgehog possibly cause?
All he wanted was a little rub. That’s all.
Although the four little short legs took small steps, they moved incredibly fast. Lu Congxing carefully avoided pedestrians and used various city structures as cover while heading toward his destination.
People with no sense of direction tend to overestimate themselves. Not even twenty minutes had passed since he set out, and the map he had glanced at just a few times was already forgotten.
The little hedgehog hid under a cardboard box, staring at the stream of traffic ahead, lost in thought.
Where… was he supposed to go next?
As if things weren’t bad enough, before he could figure out the direction, a sudden chill ran down his back—he had the eerie feeling that a pair of eyes were locked onto him.
The once-soft quills on his back instantly bristled upright.
When he turned around, he met a pair of wide, curious eyes.
“Mommy, look! A hedgehog!” A child lay on the ground, shouting in excitement.
His mother quickly rushed over and scooped him up, scolding him as she did, “Where would a hedgehog come from in the city? And why are you lying on the dirty ground?”
But the child, quick and nimble, reached out just before being pulled away and grabbed at the little hedgehog—only to burst into tears the next second.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Congxing turned his back, quills raised in full defense, and watched as the crying child was carried away by his mother. In his heart, he muttered a silent apology.
At least the kid had reminded him—wandering aimlessly through the streets as an animal cub was incredibly dangerous.
The towering buildings around him felt even more overwhelming. Feeling deflated, the little hedgehog scanned his surroundings, searching for something familiar that could guide him home.
. . . . .
“President He, here are the documents for today’s meeting.”
The secretary gently placed the files on the desk, then shyly stole a glance at him.
The man’s tailored suit fit him perfectly, and even the high-end watch he inadvertently revealed while working exuded the charm of a mature adult.
Sensing her lingering gaze, He Zhouyan frowned. “Is there something else?”
The new intern secretary hadn’t expected such a blunt dismissal. Her face turned a little pale as she stammered, “N-no, nothing.”
She hurriedly left the office, fuming inside at how cold this man was.
Once the office returned to silence, an unharmonious voice rang out from the couch.
Qu Xiu’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “Why don’t you know how to be gentle with a beauty at all?”
He Zhouyan shot him a glance, “Don’t you have your own office?”
Qu Xiu shifted positions and said, “I’m a Pi Xiu, you know. Staying in your office a little longer might bring you more wealth.”
“I don’t need it.”
His rejection was swift and absolute.
Already accustomed to his friend’s bad temper, Qu Xiu remained unfazed.
“I seriously wonder how long you’re planning to stay single.” Checking the time on his phone, he added, “I’ve got a date with Xiaoli—”
Just as he stood up, an overwhelming pressure forced him back down onto the couch.
“What the hell?!”
He Zhouyan’s response was brief. “You’re staying to work overtime.”
With that, he grabbed his coat and walked out.
He had been unsettled the entire day. When he left home that morning, he hadn’t seen the cub. He had no idea where he was now.
What if he ends up in another dangerous place again?
He Zhouyan furrowed his brows tightly. Ignoring the furious shouts from Pi Xiu behind him, he stepped into the elevator and headed straight home.
Lu Congxing could hardly believe his eyes. Even from a distance, he could sense a familiar spiritual energy.
Following the source of the energy, he unexpectedly found the very person he had been looking for.
He had already given up on searching for He Zhouyan and was about to go home when he ran into him by chance. From the man’s expression, it seemed like he was searching for something.
Even though Lu Congxing was reluctant to admit it, the Star Disk’s prediction of their high compatibility was proving to be true.
Taking advantage of the fact that he was currently just a little hedgehog with no trace of demonic power, Lu Congxing strutted right in front of He Zhouyan.
Stretching out a tiny paw, he placed it directly on the man’s expensive shoe and let out a cry with all his might:
“Squeak!”
The man lowered his head, his eyes flashing with surprise when he saw the little creature at his feet.
A hedgehog… touching porcelain?
Seeing that he had caught the man’s attention, Lu Congxing dramatically flopped onto his back, as if he had been knocked over.
However, he had overestimated his short little legs—after flipping onto his back, he couldn’t roll back over. He could only flail helplessly, waving all four stubby limbs in the air.
Realizing how embarrassing he looked, the little hedgehog gave up struggling and instead pretended nothing had happened, tilting his head up to look at the man.
He Zhouyan’s gaze darkened for a moment. Lately, it seemed like animal cubs were getting bolder.
He glanced casually at a bird perched on a nearby tree. Startled, the bird nearly fell off its branch before hurriedly flapping its wings and flying away.
Yet the clumsy little hedgehog at his feet remained, staring up at him with its round black eyes.
He Zhouyan crouched down and reached out a finger, poking the little hedgehog’s soft belly. With a hint of curiosity, he asked,
“What’s your connection to that little puppy?”
He was referring to the puppy from the time they met at the Boss Xiang’s house. Lu Congxing hadn’t expected the man to still remember.
Feeling guilty, he curled himself into a tight ball, wrapping his tiny paws around the finger that had reached out to him.
Spiritual energy surged into his dantian like it was free, and Lu Congxing was reluctant to let go—holding on for just a little longer would help him return to human form sooner.
But He Zhouyan suddenly stood up, lifting his hand and leaving the little hedgehog dangling in midair like a baited fish.
“Squeak!”
Lu Congxing protested loudly, scrambling up the man’s finger and onto the back of his hand.
A hedgehog’s spines weren’t sharp when they weren’t raised, so they didn’t hurt. He Zhouyan raised an eyebrow slightly, indulging this audacious little creature.
“You want to come home with me?”
Lu Congxing blinked innocently, his round black eyes pretending not to understand.
“But I still have someone to find,” He Zhouyan murmured, tapping the hedgehog’s nose with his free hand.
His expression showed an unusual amount of patience—if anyone at the company saw it, they’d be talking about it for a whole year.
But the only witness was this little hedgehog, who had already grown accustomed to such special treatment.
Unbothered, he lazily shifted into a more comfortable position and continued gazing up at the man with his small, curious black eyes.
Disguise himself to the end.
I’m just a little hedgehog. I don’t understand anything.
He Zhouyan’s dark eyes deepened. “Do you really want to come with me?”
Lu Congxing reached out a tiny paw and tapped his hand, looking completely dependent.
In reality, he was secretly absorbing spiritual energy like crazy, planning to run away as soon as he had enough.
Feeling a faint tickle in his palm, He Zhouyan instinctively cupped his hand, careful not to hurt the little hedgehog.
He slipped the hedgehog into his pocket and kept walking. It was his first time willingly bringing an animal home.
Something about this little hedgehog felt too familiar, like he was missing an important clue.
Lu Congxing stretched as much as he could from the not-so-deep pocket, propping his tiny paws on the edge to peek outside.
Hedgehogs didn’t have great eyesight, but when he transformed into an animal cub, those limitations didn’t seem to apply. One glance was enough to tell—He Zhouyan was heading home.
Weren’t we supposed to be looking for someone?
Lu Congxing tilted his head in confusion inside the pocket.
Then, He Zhouyan lightly tapped his nose, sending him tumbling back to the bottom.
The man chuckled. “Careful, or you’ll fall out.”
The little hedgehog huffed, puffing out his cheeks in frustration. His small black nose twitched.
He was sure of it now—this Bai Ze was just messing with him. A bad Bai Ze who loved to tease others!
Author’s Note:
Today’s dose of adorable Xing Cub ✅
A few more close calls, and he’ll be exposed!
- “碰瓷” (pèng cí) originally referred to a scam in which someone intentionally staged an accident—often involving porcelain (瓷, “cí”)—to extort compensation. ↩︎
- 天 (Tiān) ↩︎