When Mao Rongrong regained consciousness and opened his eyes, his vision was pitch black. He panicked for a moment, wondering if he had turned blind.

The last thing he remembered was playing with his phone, scrolling, and laughing at all the cute fluffy cats and dogs. Maybe he was too sleepy, but his hand slipped and the phone directly hit his face with a loud smack. 

Was he knocked out by his phone?...

Mao Rongrong tried to feel his surroundings to see if he could find the said phone. But when he stretched out his hand, he felt something smooth enclosing him in a small space. Weirdly he did not feel that it was very cramped. 

Was he kidnapped or did someone stuff him into a coffin or something? 

Knocking on the surface, he tried to call for help, and just as he hit the surface, cracks formed, letting streaks of light enter. Puzzled at how easy it was to get out, Mao Rongrong continued to hit the “wall” until the hole was big enough for him to stick his head out. 

Mao Rongrong blinked and blinked again. This… this is a snow field?... 

A cold blast of wind blew in his direction as Mao Rongrong stuffed his head back into the hole. It’s so cold!! Just as he wondered if he should just stay inside, his stomach let out a loud growl. 

So… remaining here will not do. It would be bad if he froze or starved to death.

Determined to fill his stomach with all the delicious food he could find later to compensate for this grueling situation, Mao Rongrong steeled himself with a grave expression and stuck his head back out. He tried wiggling to get his whole body through, swaying left and right, back and forth and he finally popped out, rolling a few rounds into the snow. 

Standing up and shaking the snow off him, Mao Rongrong froze. 

Something was wrong. 

Who can tell him why his vision was so low, and looking down, he saw furry legs. Lifting his front paw, he stepped on another spot in the snow, creating cute plum blossoms. 

It’s… it’s a cute pink paw pad!!! 

Rubbing his head with his paw, he felt fluffy ears on his head. Stunned, he sat down on the snow like a human and saw his equally fluffy tail. 

!!!!!! Did I turn into a fluffy plush??!!

!!!!

!!....

………

….

After sitting for a while in a daze and trying to calm himself down, Mao Rongrong tried to accept the fact that he had turned into a beloved fluffy cub which he always liked to watch on his phone. 

I guess… At least I’m adorable?... 

Mao Rongrong then noticed the eggshell that he popped out from. Curious, he tried to walk back to the eggshell but found himself getting stuck in the deep snow.

Kicking his rear legs backward while trying to leap forward, Mao Rongrong hopped through the snow and reached the white eggshell. It is pure white like the snow, almost blending into the surroundings, making it hard to spot. Pawing at the eggshell, it swayed back and forth. 

Tilting his furry head, Mao Rongrong wondered if he should eat the eggshell. After all, that’s what he always saw on those animal channels. Still, it was weird that he emerged from an egg, especially when he did not have feathers. Judging by what he could see of himself, he thinks he should be a fluffy cat at least. But turning into a cub itself was on the top of his weird list, and in comparison, it was not that important. So Mao Rongrong decided to put this fact away.

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His stomach growled again, urging him to chomp down on the eggshell. Mao Rongrong approached and sniffed it, before opening his mouth to take a tentative bite. 

Ohh!! Oh, this tastes like those milk sweets! 

Mao Rongrong first took small bites, then started gulping down the shell enthusiastically. 

Well, if only it was softer… the texture could use some work… But the crunchiness in itself is quite unique…

When he finished everything, he came to his senses. 

Ah… I should have saved some of the eggshells for later… What if I can’t find any food…

Mao Rongrong wilted as his ears flopped down. With a bulging stomach, he plopped back to his sitting position, instinctively licked his front paw, and started washing his face. After all, Mao Rongrong is still a clean Rongrong despite turning into a fluffy cub.

After he was done washing himself, he turned to look at his surroundings. He assumed he was in the woods, with lots of piling snow. It looked quite desolated, especially with the thick snow covering the landscape, muting the surroundings into a calm silence. Maybe there won’t be any civilization near here. What if he ran into a predator?!

Shaking his whole body to get rid of the piling snow and with not much of a choice, Mao Rongrong picked a random direction and tentatively started to hop through the snow. The white fluffy creature moved, appearing and disappearing amidst the pure white landscape, leaving little pits. 

When Mao Rongrong turned back to check how far he had progressed, he turned back to the front and decided not to think about it. After all, he was now just a cute cub with only short fluffy legs. =.=

~ *** ~

A few hundred meters away from Mao Rongrong, there was a black figure floating in the sky, being pelted by the wind and snow. Dressed in all black, his combat boots shined, with his black military coat flying backward with the wind. 

Lin Qi squinted his eyes to determine the direction of where the spiritual energy came from, but he could not see any potential troublemakers. He had personally come to check when he felt a blast of significant spiritual energy. Usually, his subordinates will be enough to do a primary scout, but as it was the New Years, everyone was not in the office, leaving only him to stand by.

He scoffed at the situation. The Chief was just too strict about punctuality. He was only late a few times and now he had to make up by being on duty during the holidays. 

Lin Qi surveyed the surroundings again, starting to feel puzzled. Usually, that amount of spiritual energy would signify that someone was fighting or up to something. But right after that one blast, now everything was quiet. Maybe the perpetrator had run away, afraid to face the penalty. 

Now in the age of modern socialism, where the number of monsters are low and humanity has flourished, monsters have to keep a low profile. Most of the monsters living in the city have integrated into society, with proper education and jobs. 

It was the job of the Mythical Management Bureau to help and manage these monsters and other mythical persons, to make sure that they do not pose any harm to humans, and suppress any conflict. Lin Qi was the leader of the subjugation department and due to that he was now in the middle of nowhere and getting blasted with cold snow, instead of his comfy and warm home. 

With a last survey, Qi Lin was ready to head back when he suddenly saw something move in the corner of his eyes. It was a tiny movement, but in this still landscape, it managed to capture his attention. 

Looking closer, the little creature was hopping through the snow slowly, with its white fur blending into the snow, if not for the little holes that it left behind. It looked like a little cub and he could feel a small amount of spiritual energy emitting from the fluffy creature, identifying him as a monster.

Swooping down, he reached for the white fluff, capturing it in the air as it was in the middle of his hops. Holding him by his neck, Qi Lin managed to successfully control the fluff as the fluff’s legs hung downwards loosely. 

“Nuwooo!!!”

Mao Rongrong was shocked and started to panic, trying to get away by moving his short legs, failing about. He was concentrating on getting through the woods, trying to make his hops reach further. To curb the boring journey, he started to make a game out of it and was starting to have fun when he was suddenly picked up which almost gave him a heart attack. 

What’s… what’s happening??!!!

Lin Qi looked at the monster cub dangling in the air, sniffing at him a little. When his face came close to the little fluff, the fluff put his paws forward to block Lin Qi’s face from coming any closer. With this strength, the fluff cannot pose any danger to him and the paws were actually so soft against his face. Unaware of himself, Lin Qi’s eyes softened and his cold aura retreated. 

When Mao Rongrong saw a face approaching him, he put up his four paws, trying to push himself away. Although the face that appeared before him was actually very handsome, with a beautiful chiseled jaw, perfectly aligned facial features, and that soft black hair… No, no, this man might be dangerous!!

“Wuu!! Ooo!!! Nuuwuuu!!!!”

Mao Rongrong tried to let out a huge roar to scare the man, but what came out was milky meows with a delicate lingering sound. Mao Rongrong saw the corners of the man’s lips tilting up as if mocking him. 

No!! This… this is just because I’m still small!!

Lin Qi moved backward, laughing silently at the little cub. It was actually trying to put up a brave front. He wondered if it was a monster that transformed into his cub form as a disguise, but this milky scent proved that he was a genuine cub. He suspected that the blast of spiritual energy was caused by this fluffy creature, but looking at how it was weakly struggling in his hands, unable to get away, Lin Qi changed his mind. 

Still, it was strange that such a small cub was here alone. Although monsters are generally cold-hearted by nature and rarely raise their children, besides pack monsters, they would not leave a cub this young alone. 

“Okay, okay, calm down, I’m not going to eat you.”

Mao Rongrong, who was getting tired of all the struggling he was doing, froze.

Eat?? Eating me was an option??!!!!

Looking at the white fluff who suddenly stopped moving, Lin Qi let out a little laugh and stuffed it into its black coat. He should bring this little cub back first and see if it was lost. Mao Rongrong suddenly felt warmth envelop him. Despite the stiff look of the cloak, the uniform was quite soft. Mao Rongrong nuzzled into the warmth and popped its head out of the coat to see where they were going.

His eyes widened and his pupils dilated into cute round saucers. 

Wha… Why are we flying??!!! We can fly now???

“Wuuuuuuu!!!”

Listening to the little fluff’s soft whines improved Lin Qi’s mood. With the small ball of heat against his chest, this snow landscape doesn’t feel as cold as before.