Deviant: No Longer Human

November 14th — Twin Towers, Imperial Capital!

"Ahh...nooo!~"

"Dad, stop it!"

"Mom, say something!" Wenxi groaned, her eyes darting desperately toward her mom, Anran, who was too busy shoveling food into her mouth to care.

She barely looked up, watching with lazy amusement as Wang Xiao tortured Wenxi with his "fashion sense."

Wenxi stood in front of the vanity mirror, looking like she was ready to explode. Her lips were stuck in a pout, her expression was halfway between annoyed and embarrassed, and her bare feet tapped impatiently on the floor.

Wang Xiao was holding up one dress after another, each one more flamboyant than the last.

And, of course, 'not a single one' was white.

Wenxi, the princess of pristine whites, glared at her dad like he'd just suggested she wear a garbage bag.

"Dad, seriously? This is harassment!" she huffed, her face flushed with equal parts rage and humiliation.

He wasn't just picking dresses—he was making her try every single one of them. Her dignity was practically in shreds by this point.

On the bed, Anran snickered between bites, perfectly content to watch the beautiful chaos.

'Honestly', she thought, 'if he ever did this for me, I'd frame the damn dress.'

But her "little princess" here? Wenxi wouldn't know gratitude if it bit her.

Wenxi turned to her, eyes pleading. Anran raised an eyebrow, biting back a smirk.

"Yeah...nope," she muttered, taking another bite.

Suffer alone, sweetheart.

"Ahhh... you're both demons!" Wenxi groaned dramatically as Wang Xiao held up a striking red dress embroidered with golden threads. "Try this," he said, casually.

Wenxi's eyes widened as she took in the dress—a one-piece with exposed shoulders, full sleeves, and a slit that ran daringly up the side.

"I... I can't wear this outside," she stammered, cheeks aflame.

The red was so intense it felt like she'd be wearing fire itself.

If he wasn't the one holding it, she'd have set it ablaze on the spot.

Wang Xiao gave her a pat on the back. "Then wear it and just kill anyone who stares. Problem solved."

"Eh?" Wenxi blinked, torn between horror and disbelief. What kind of twisted logic is that?

With a frustrated huff, she stomped off to try it on anyway, Wang Xiao following along.

Just then, a smooth, mocking voice chimed in from the doorway. Leaning against the wall was a woman in a scandalously cut black outfit—a sleeveless top that barely covered her chest, and loose black shorts that hung just below her knees. She wore sheer, see-through sleeves, giving her an otherworldly charm.

She was none other than Hei Lian, Wang Xiao's former enemy from the hollow Earth, now forced to live among them.

"Do you guys do this every day?" she drawled, biting into an apple. After her defeat, Wang Xiao had taught her their language, freed her with a few "conditions," and even gave her a name to blend in.

Anran shrugged, unbothered by the ongoing chaos. Wenxi's muffled screams echoed from the dressing room. "If you mean putting Wenxi through hell? Yeah, that's pretty much daily. But him playing fashion show host? Nah, that's rare—you probably won't see it again in your lifetime."

Anran thought back—she couldn't remember the last time he bothered picking out clothes for anyone except his little daughters, who seemed to tolerate his fashion whims with a lot more grace than others.

Hei Lian snorted, shaking her head. "Aren't you supposed to be training and getting stronger? Not putting on… this."

Anran's eyes sharpened as she looked Hei Lian up and down, her tone casual but mocking. "Funny talk, coming from someone who got her ass handed to her by him."

"..."

Hei Lian scowled, speechless.

The apple suddenly tasted bitter in Hei Lian's mouth.

She watched Wang Xiao return with Wenxi trailing behind him, head down and cheeks blazing red. She hid behind his back as if she'd just been through some unspeakable harrasment inside alone with him.

"Why are you hiding? It looks good on you," he teased, grinning.

Wenxi shook her head furiously, her entire face practically glowing.

Didn't she wear way more revealing stuff just to impress him before? Wang Xiao thought, stifling a laugh.

"Ahem," Hei Lian interrupted with an annoyed cough. "Do I need to remind you I'm here to find the strongest warrior of this realm?"

Wang Xiao glanced at her with mild amusement. "Oh, right. You mean that whole speech about coming from some underworld realm, how it's on a collision course with our universe, and how only the 'strongest warrior' here can help? And yet, you've given 'zero' specifics."

Hei Lian's face darkened. If they wouldn't take her to this realm's most powerful figure, how was she supposed to share the rest?

"Listen, if you don't get serious, everyone in both worlds will die!" she snapped, only to watch Wang Xiao ignore her completely, turning his attention back to Wenxi with yet another smile. "Daddy~!" He was poking and prodding her like she was his personal cotton-ball doll.

Hei Lian's eye twitched. 'How was he this blasé about a crisis?'

"..."

"..."

Silence fell as Wenxi and Anran exchanged glances, then looked back at Hei Lian, struggling to hold back their laughter.

'How long was she going to keep asking to see the strongest warrior when he is right in front of her?' they thought, trying not to laugh.

'Did she really not have eyes?'

"Ugh…" Hei Lian groaned, throwing open the door to leave. Anran, noticing her retreat, grinned and waved cheerfully. "Don't go flashing your strength around out there!"

Bang!

Hei Lian slammed the door in response, fuming. 'Why does no one here just focus on getting stronger?' she thought, frustrated.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiao looked thoroughly unbothered by her departure. His real interest lay in how she'd crossed realms with her physical body intact. But no matter how many times he asked, she'd refused to spill her secrets. Reading her mind? Tried it—she was strong enough to block him, annoyingly. So he'd slapped a few restrictions on her and handed her over to Anran.

When in a problem, give it to Anran.

Problem solved!

Anran: Problem count, +1!

She shot Wang Xiao a rueful look, thinking, 'I really regret that whole 'I can handle all your problems if you marry me' speech.'

Sighing, she left the room, leaving just Wang Xiao and Wenxi.

Now alone, Wenxi got bold, flopping back onto the bed, her legs swinging playfully as she gave him her biggest, most innocent eyes. "Daddy~" she cooed, "once you're done with aunt Rui, will you come back and see me?"

Wang Xiao gave a distracted nod, barely glancing at her. But Wenxi, seizing her chance, leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. He froze, arching a brow at her cheekiness.

In one swift move, he tossed her back onto the bed, leaning over her with a mischievous grin. If she thought one kiss was enough, she had another thing coming.

"No, no, no—ahhh! Stop, not there!" she shrieked as his hands roamed to her waist, his touch sending heat straight through her thin dress. "Your hands are too hot! Don't touch my legs!"

"Oh? Here?" he teased, moving his hand higher as she squirmed, trying to wiggle free.

"Ahhh! No! Not my waist, either! Daddy you are so bad~!" she squealed, her face flushing as his hands wandered up to her back, pressing just hard enough to make her skin tingle. "Stop it, don't harrass me again—ahh, not even there!~"

Wang Xiao chuckled, his grin turning devilish as he pulled her deeper into the sheets, giving her no chance of escape.

"… nooo~!" Her cries echoed through the room as he mercilessly slaughtered her, making sure his little cotton ball knew the consequences of playing with him.

____

A Few Minutes Later

Bang!

Wang Xiao strolled out of the room with a smug grin, stretching his arms. The scent of soft white roses lingered around him, and the kiss marks scattered across his face were undeniable proof of his recent "victory."

Just as he relaxed, his gaze landed on a familiar figure.

"Yue?" he murmured, blinking. There she was, Yue, standing before him with a faintly puzzled look. She wore a snug, full-sleeved, skin-colored sweater that clung to her frame. Without a word, she stepped closer, stood on her tiptoes, and took her scarf to start wiping his face, brushing off the evidence of Wenxi's enthusiastic kisses.

A moment later, she gave a small, satisfied nod and walked off without a word.

Wang Xiao stood there, bewildered, watching her retreating form. 'This girl… wiping lipstick off my face?' The idea of Yue even glancing at another man seemed absurd to him, but he knew better than to trust his own biases entirely.

With a sigh, he decided to leave this sort of thing to Anran. She'd dig up anything he missed.

His own instincts might be sharp—but his relationship with her, it seemed, made even him a little blind.

____

Room Number — 124

This was the designated spot for Wang Xiao's meeting with Qian Ruixin. Outside the door, a young woman in a red, knee-length tunic and modest trousers stood with a scarf draped around her neck, fidgeting nervously as she stared at the door.

Qian Ruixin, who couldn't usually step outside without an entourage, had spun a web of lies to sneak out for this meeting.

It had taken every trick in the book to dodge her guards and make it here alone. Now, just a few feet from Wang Xiao, she hesitated, wondering how to confront him.