The Pitiful Little Succubus Decides to Keep the Baby and Ditch the Father

(Coming soon: Daddy, I Really Can't Eat Another Bite!!, starting in mid-October. Add it to your collection!) Clueless little sweetheart x world-weary, all-attitude guy 1. When the underground fighting ring closed, Yu Zhi was forced to change careers and become a succubus. His true form was a dull gray chinchilla. He punched fast and bit hard, beating all kinds of ferocious beasts until they were picking their teeth up off the floor. But changing fields was easier said than done. With his sewer-rat natural look, he consistently ranked at the bottom of succubus school. After half a year of wandering the streets, he finally found someone willing to take him home. The man didn't seem to like him much. He was fierce, left Yu Zhi in the manor to be terrorized by a huge fat cat, and even forced a nocturnal creature like him to sunbathe. The man was awful, but he was also the only person Yu Zhi had. Yu Zhi knew he was starting from a disadvantage, so he worked hard to learn from the other succubi in their group chat. He knew the theory inside and out, but always messed up when it came to practice. He put on a trendy lace nightgown, and the man tossed it into the fireplace. “Are you only happy when you've caught a cold?” He tried to cut sugar and give up sweets, eating nothing but greens, and the man took him to a psychiatrist to treat his eating disorder. Then the group chat switched to sharing parenting tips. Yu Zhi couldn't learn from them anymore. His baby was still learning to swim. Rumors spread around the manor that the man was transferring his assets and about to get married. Yu Zhi understood. Soon, he'd be a homeless wild demon nobody wanted. Being abandoned was a succubus's greatest humiliation. Before he could be kicked out, he would leave on his own. But before he went, Yu Zhi secretly did one thing. Three months after leaving the manor, he cherished the slight swell of his belly. If the man didn't want a demon, then the demon would raise the man himself! 2. The first time Li Zheng saw Yu Zhi, the frail young man clutched his coat, his voice trembling like a leaf. “Honey, can you be my husband...?” After Li Zheng coldly shook him off, the young man turned around and grabbed someone else. He'll go with anyone, Li Zheng thought scornfully. But when a greasy hand was about to touch the pale face, drained of color by fear, Li Zheng couldn't stop himself from pulling the young man behind him. “He was calling me. What are you answering for?” The young man was more trouble than Li Zheng had expected: jumbled speech, an eating disorder, and a fear of sunlight. Li Zheng took him to the best therapist and got him a cat for company, but watched as his condition only got worse. It wasn't until after that night, when he'd spent half an hour under a cold shower, that Li Zheng finally admitted his feelings for the young man had long since changed into something else. He transferred all his assets into the young man's name, cleared away the obstacles posed by his family, and prepared a heartfelt confession. He pushed open the manor gates. Empty. Yu Zhi had run away. 3. That run lasted seven years. When Li Zheng found Yu Zhi again, the boy who had once clung to him and called him “Honey” had gone back to his old line of work, boxing. “I'm fine.” The young man's gaze was fierce, and he looked at Li Zheng like a piece of trash. His voice was cold and distant. “...And the baby doesn't need you either.” Li Zheng seized on a glimmer of hope: He still called himself the baby? Maybe he still had a chance. He worked up his courage and walked toward Yu Zhi. Before he could say a word, a heavy punch came flying at him. In the last moment before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw a pretty little boy holding a clean bandage and coming over to Yu Zhi. “Mommy, who's this useless uncle?” Reader's guide: 1. Monogamous couple, both faithful, happy ending. Sweet with a touch of angst. 2. An unconventional groveling romance. The succubus tries hard to please his keeper, who thinks he's mentally ill. In fact, he really is mentally ill. Coming soon: Daddy, I Really Can't Eat Another Bite Fiery, fussy brat x nurturing Daddy-type lover 1. Qiao Man could have made a living off his looks, but instead he chose the bizarre competitive-eating livestream scene. One day, he came across a fitness streamer calling him out by name: “Keep eating like this and you'll pay for it sooner or later.” The man's name was Qin Wenchu. He was Chinese American, broad-shouldered and long-legged, with a body full of muscle. His account was nothing but weightlifting and chewing on boiled chicken breast, while viewers spammed the comments with “Daddy” over his biceps. Qiao Man sneered. “What Daddy? He's just a poser using me to get his account off the ground.” As it happened, his roommate was complaining about gaining thirty pounds after falling in love. Qiao Man got an idea: he'd trick Qin Wenchu into dating him, drag him out for huge meals, and cling to him twenty-four hours a day so he wouldn't have time to work out. He refused to believe anyone could resist the curse of happy relationship weight! So he swallowed his disgust at the thought of being with a man and confessed to Qin Wenchu. He looked bashful on the outside, but was laughing wildly inside. Say goodbye to your abs, you poser Daddy! 2. The plan went smoothly, until Qin Wenchu announced their relationship during a livestream watched by a hundred thousand people. His career went up in flames overnight, and he was saddled with a huge breach-of-contract penalty. Qiao Man had only wanted to ruin his abs, not his life. While he was consumed with guilt, Qin Wenchu told him there were two ways to switch careers, and he'd need Qiao Man's help. First: film videos about their life as a couple. Qiao Man's scalp prickled. No way! He was homophobic! So he decisively chose the second option: film a beginner's fitness series. Working out was exhausting, but it had to be better than kissing and cuddling with a man... right? One day, Qin Wenchu lifted him by the waist off the pillow. Tears had soaked half his face. “Your core strength still isn't good enough,” the man said in a businesslike tone, his lips close to Qiao Man's ear. “Rest for ten seconds, then we'll go again, Manman.” With his back pressed against Qin Wenchu's solid chest, Qiao Man finally realized something was wrong. How were these two options the same thing?! 3. Qin Wenchu had someone he had loved for years. On the first day back in China, he heard that person say gay men were disgusting, so he decided to bury his feelings. But then that person came to him, ears red, and said, “I-I really like you...” “...I want to go eat mochi, turkey noodles, extra sauce, and an oozing thousand-layer cake with you.” Of course, he knew Qiao Man was lying to him. But seeing the young man's pale, undernourished face and obviously untrained body, he still answered, “Okay.” The person he loved had taken such poor care of himself. From now on, Qin Wenchu would have to look after him himself. Bonus scene Years later, the “Abs-Be-Gone Plan” accidentally ended up in Qin Wenchu's hands. “Didn't you say you were going to tear off my facade of self-discipline?” His palm stroked the lean muscle on the young man's stomach, every inch of it built by his own hands. “Manman, you did a great job.” “I can't eat anymore...” Qiao Man's voice caught as his fingers curled around Qin Wenchu's wrist, begging for mercy. “I really can't eat another bite, Daddy.” Theme: Hard work brings hope.