Why Did You Stop Pretending?

A phoenix demon lord went to the mortal realm to undergo a trial and happened to pick up a young demon who had yet to gain any sense of reason. The boy seemed obedient and well-behaved, but he was a little too clingy, hugging the phoenix and snuggling up to him every day.

The phoenix thought he was no different from those simple-minded little demons, unaware that whenever the boy looked at him, he seemed like a starving male beast, always plotting how to take the person before him apart inch by inch and devour him.

Until one day, the phoenix unexpectedly entered his mating season.

The boy finally bared his fangs and pinned him beneath a parasol tree...

Afterward, furious at being deceived, the phoenix beat him until he was nearly destroyed in body and spirit, then threw him out of the house. The boy thought, He only likes obedient ones, not wild ones.

So, before long, all kinds of little demons began appearing around the phoenix every few days:

A little cat who loved rubbing against his palm, a little snake who liked coiling around him, a little sea monster who loved gently touching him with its tentacles...

Feeling the familiar demonic aura winding around him, the phoenix sneered inwardly: This venerable one would like to see how long you can keep up the act.

Top's POV:

After returning to the phoenix's side, the boy realized that he had changed.

The beauty who had once been cool and self-possessed now moved with an alluring charm. One day, he took the boy to bathe with him; the next, he brought him to share a bed. He kept the boy teetering on the brink of losing control every day.

At last, when the phoenix's mating season arrived, the boy couldn't resist revealing his true form.

The phoenix slowly raised a foot and planted it on his shoulder, asking coldly, "Why did you stop pretending?"

The boy knelt at the phoenix's feet, his gaze burning with devotion and madness. "Please, let me help you!"

Later, when the phoenix left the mortal realm and returned to the demon realm, he discovered a strange demonic aura inside his belly...

Bonus scene:

The phoenix, who didn't want to lay an egg, shut himself in his room and sulked.

The culprit came over and coaxed him: "If you don't want to lay it, I can help you lay it."

The phoenix glanced at him coldly. "How?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a little sea monster with antennae appeared beside the phoenix.

Looking at its flexible tentacles, the phoenix remembered certain scenes, and his face instantly turned red...

Character setup: Tsundere, cool beauty bottom X younger loyal-dog top who seems obedient but is actually wild

Reader's guide: Mpreg (laying eggs), 1v1. The bottom is a phoenix with a very bad temper. The top is very scheming and also very devoted. If that's not your thing, please click away. Respect others' preferences, and please don't bring real-world arguments into the story. XOXO.

[Blurb archived on 2022.7.20]

Cover artist: Er Gou

Theme: Live diligently and keep a positive outlook