On the third day of the event, the morning was supposedly for a “craft exchange” between authors—but in reality, it was more like an art showdown and autograph hunt.
Ti Xiao had brought along two sketchbooks, and by now both were crammed with doodles and signatures from all sorts of big-name creators. One was for himself, and the other was a favor for Ti Nanyi.
The afternoon was reserved for the signing event—and today, it was Ti Xiao’s turn.
The signing venue was set up at the city’s Book Tower, not far from the company office. The first floor was for the signing, and the second floor doubled as a bookstore. Even if you were just some random passerby, you could buy a book on the spot and jump in line to get it signed.
Ti Xiao and a few of the female authors arrived at the venue early. The organizers had arranged a desk for each of them, complete with a bottle of water, a mini fan, and a pen for signing.
The venue itself was still pretty quiet, with only a handful of staff inside, but outside it was already packed—shoulder to shoulder—waiting for the doors to open.
Ti Xiao held a sketchbook he’d prepared at home and stood on tiptoe to peek outside. Seeing that sea of bobbing heads, his nerves instantly kicked in.
Unlike the other authors—many of whom were veterans at this—this was his first-ever signing event.
“Relax,” said Author #1, already seated and spinning her pen. “Just follow the steps I told you: handshake, say hi, draw if they ask, sign where they want. Simple as that.”
Ti Xiao nodded, repeating the process in his head a few more times. He unscrewed a bottle of water for Author #2 and then took several gulps himself.
Still nervous.
After all, this was the kind of moment where your work actually meets the readers—and might finally be recognized.
Fifteen minutes before go-time, the staff was doing final checks. Gua Pi, wearing a little blue cap, was bustling around like mad. When he got to Ti Xiao’s table, he pulled a few books out of his bag.
“These are still in proofreading and not officially printed yet,” said Li Yi, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “I grabbed some from the editorial department just for you. Take a look.”
It was the first printed volume of Ti Xiao’s ongoing comic.
“Still a tight deadline,” Li Yi added. “It won’t make this signing round, but I’m betting ‘Little Wolf Pup’ sales are about to double.”
Ti Xiao ran his hands lovingly over the book’s cover, as if it were a baby he’d just birthed after months of labor. Then he carefully tucked the still-warm copies into his bag. “Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t mention it. All in the name of the people,” Li Yi quipped, before darting off to help elsewhere.
There were over a dozen authors at the signing. Outside, the lines had already been divided by creator—fans just had to find their author’s line and queue up.
Ti Xiao stood up again to glance outside. Even with his less-than-perfect eyesight, he could clearly make out fans holding copies of Little Wolf Pup in hand, faces lit up with excitement or flushed with nerves.
Every one of those expressions only made his own anxiety spike.
He had just finished gulping down his water and was now fanning himself with the mini fan. Unconsciously, his thoughts drifted to Xiao Yao.
Magic Conch: I’m so nervous right now.
Magic Conch Shell: What’s wrong?
Magic Conch: I ran out of water. I want a Coke. It’s so hot in here.
When he was nervous, he tended to just blurt things out. The venue had big open doors, and even though the AC was on, the cool air was quickly overpowered by the early summer heat wafting in.
Xiao Yao replied once and then went quiet. Ti Xiao fanned himself a bit more, glanced at the crowd again, then sat back down and clutched his rapidly-thumping heart.
Ten minutes flew by, and then the security guards removed the barriers. The crowd outside burst in, buzzing with excitement. Most of the fans were girls—understandably, given the genre—though a few guys were scattered in.
Ti Xiao’s first fan was a bespectacled young girl, probably about the same age as Ti Nanyi. She looked absolutely giddy as she approached.
“A-Achoo-sensei, hello!” she stammered, clutching her copy of the manga. “I-I really love your work, Little Wolf Pup! Could you please sign it for me?” Then she bowed deeply.
Ti Xiao reminded himself of the steps Author #1 had taught him: handshake, greet, draw if asked, sign where needed.
But this girl had skipped straight to the last step.
He awkwardly held his hand out for a handshake, leaving it hanging in the air. Guess we’re throwing the script out the window already.
Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, he signed his pen name on the title page. The girl bolted off just as quickly as she’d come—she didn’t even take the sketch he’d prepared.
Looks like the fans are just as nervous as I am.
Ti Xiao took a deep breath and took the initiative this time, reaching out to shake hands with the second fan. Gradually, the whole process started to feel smoother and more natural.
With a few signings under his belt, he began to loosen up, and the fans started to get creative too.
Some asked for selfies, others offered snacks, a few wanted him to sign their clothes—there was all sorts of stuff. Ti Xiao did his best to accommodate everyone, and to his own surprise, he was actually having fun.
Most of the fans came bearing snacks, and before long, a pile of little boxes had formed beside him. He peeked inside one—chips, candy, cookies… everything except drinks.
After talking nonstop all afternoon, his mouth was bone dry. He smacked his lips, glanced at the time, and figured he could tough it out for one more hour.
“Hello,” came the voice of a new fan.
Without looking up, Ti Xiao replied automatically, “You want a signature?”
“Yes,” came the reply—a low, rich voice, slightly muffled, like the speaker’s mouth was partially covered. And… oddly familiar.
Ti Xiao looked up—and locked eyes with a pair of deep, ink-black irises.
They curved just slightly with a smile.
Then, three volumes of Little Wolf Pup landed on the table, along with an ice-cold can of Coke, still beaded with condensation. The Coke slid toward him slightly, nudged in his direction.
“All three volumes—top, middle, and bottom. Sign them all, and I want a sketch with each,” said Xiao Yao through his face mask, expression totally calm as he opened the first volume and pushed it over.
Back home, Ti Xiao had always banned Xiao Yao from reading his comics—he wasn’t even allowed to touch them.
Now, Xiao Yao had clearly bought all three volumes at the venue, probably flipping through them the second he got his hands on them.
Under the table, Ti Xiao gently nudged the tip of Xiao Yao’s shoe with his own.
“You’re so dead,” Ti Xiao muttered through gritted teeth, sighing as he signed the first book. “What are you doing here?”
“For this one, draw a little topknot. Next one, a cat and a mouse,” Xiao Yao said, shamelessly stacking up his demands. “Didn’t you say you wanted a Coke? I brought it just for you.”
He leaned down, bracing a hand on the table, and let his fingers gently tap against Ti Xiao’s where they rested on the surface. His shadow spilled across the desk, casting a quiet shade over Ti Xiao.
“You’re unbelievable,” Ti Xiao grumbled, but still did as asked—drawing the little doodles on the title pages and signing his name with care.
“Will there be anything after the signing event?” Xiao Yao asked, eyes fixed on Ti Xiao’s pale fingertips.
“Nope,” Ti Xiao replied.
As he closed the book, he heard Xiao Yao say, “The Coke’s a little cold—don’t drink it too fast. I’ll wait for you at the café on the second floor. Come find me when you’re done—I’ve got somewhere I want to take you.”
“Where?” Ti Xiao tilted his head up to meet his gaze.
“Not telling yet,” Xiao Yao said with a grin. Then, while no one was paying attention, he gave Ti Xiao’s fingertips a quick squeeze, took the signed books, and walked off.
Ti Xiao cracked open the Coke and took a long swig.
The carbonation and sugar reacted instantly—little fizzy pops exploded in his throat, bringing both coolness and sweetness down in one go.
Where was Xiao Yao planning to take him that needed to be so mysterious?
The next fan in line was a young girl who’d been close enough behind Xiao Yao to overhear bits of the conversation—especially since photos of Xiao Yao had already made the rounds online. Ti Xiao’s fans all knew who her “big author’s” boyfriend was.
“Ah-Choo Da-da,” the girl beamed, still grinning like a doting auntie, “was that your boyfriend just now?”
Ti Xiao paused, lowering the Coke. His eyes flicked briefly to the ring on his fourth finger before he smiled, took her book, flipped open the cover, and signed his name smoothly. “Yeah.”
“Kyaaah, I knew it! I actually got to see a real-life interaction! This is the best!” the girl said, clearly over the moon. She rummaged through her bag and handed him a little sketchbook. “I drew this—hope you don’t mind me giving it to you!”
Ti Xiao looked down. On the first page was a drawing of a chubby hamster and a Siamese cat.
The lines were a bit rough, the style still immature, but something about it made him light up. “Thank you.”
As she turned to leave, the girl added with a grin, “You two better get married soon! Seriously. Consider this your official fanbase pressure.”
Ti Xiao chuckled and nodded.
After Xiao Yao’s appearance, many fans had recognized him, and Ti Xiao received wave after wave of warm-hearted “friendly reminders” from fans urging him to tie the knot.
Single? You get hounded to find someone. In a relationship? Now they want a wedding.
Shaking his head, Ti Xiao signed the last fan’s book, clicked the cap back onto his pen, and wrapped up the afternoon’s signing event.
He turned down an invitation from some of the girls to go bar-hopping, packed up all the snacks and gifts fans had given him, and headed straight to the café on the second floor.
Xiao Yao looked like he’d been waiting a while—he was already halfway through a book. When he saw his “little topknot” arrive, he closed the book and stood up.
One hand grabbed Ti Xiao’s bag; the other found his hand.
They strolled leisurely downstairs.
“Tired?” Xiao Yao asked. “Wanna head straight there, or back to the hotel first?”
“I’m exhausted,” Ti Xiao said, rolling his neck until it popped, “but nah—let’s just go.”
He was pretty curious about this mystery destination.
He’d been expecting some local historic site or maybe some romantic surprise spot. But when they got out of the car, they were standing in front of… a flower and pet market.
“…We’re here for this?” Ti Xiao took off his jacket as Xiao Yao led him through rows of colorful blooms and into the adjacent pet section.
The sounds of baby animals—puppies yipping, kittens meowing—filled the air. They finally stopped in front of a small shop.
“You’ll see. Just go in,” Xiao Yao said, gently nudging him inside.
It was a small pet store that specialized in hamsters—though they also had guinea pigs, bunnies, and chinchillas.
Ti Xiao’s eyes immediately locked onto a glass enclosure full of round, fuzzy hamster balls. He pressed up against the glass like a total hamster fanboy.
Last night, while working on Xiao Yao’s birthday gift, he’d been looking for reference material and had shown Xiao Yao a photo of a hamster—offhandedly saying, “Hamsters are so cute. I kinda wanna get one.”
He hadn’t expected Xiao Yao to actually remember that offhand comment.
“Do you really want one?” Xiao Yao crouched beside him, watching the hamsters tumble around with him.
“But we already have Xiao Hulu at home,” Ti Xiao said, still playing through the glass with a milk-tea-colored hamster.
He traced his finger along the glass, and the little hamster followed eagerly—scampering this way and that, even tripping over a companion mid-chase but quickly getting back up, still following the motion of Ti Xiao’s fingertip.
Its tiny ears, pink twitching nose, and quivering whiskers all moved with such delicate liveliness.
“Oh my gosh, look at this one, Xiao Yao—it’s so cute,” Ti Xiao practically melted on the spot.
Xiao Yao, watching him from the side, smiled.
If you asked him, his hamster was the cutest one here.
“Thinking of getting one?” The shop owner, a kindly older gentleman with smile lines etched into his face, approached to introduce the different hamster breeds.
Ti Xiao pointed at the milk-tea-colored one that wouldn’t stop playing with him. “What kind is this?”
The old man adjusted his glasses and leaned in for a better look. “That one? It’s called a milk tea hamster. Looks pretty energetic too—would make a great pet.”
Ti Xiao nodded, clearly tempted, but still trying to rationalize the decision to himself.
Yes, they already had a cat, but he knew Xiao Hulu was a scaredy-cat and a lazybones—she’d even freaked out once over a parrot.
Besides, he’d been sketching hamsters recently—it could double as a life model.
And imagine getting to cuddle a little hamster ball at home… just thinking about it made him feel all warm and fuzzy.
While he was still torn, the old man had already gently scooped up the one Ti Xiao had picked. “Yup, it’s a male—no wonder he’s so hyper.”
Maybe it was the indignity of being checked “down there,” but the hamster squeaked and flailed in the old man’s hands like a cartoon character, all flailing paws and tiny shrieks. It was both ridiculous and adorable. Once he was set back down, he quickly returned to his dopey, sniffly self.
Ti Xiao reached out to stroke its twitchy little whiskers—the feeling tickled his fingers. He turned to Xiao Yao. “Let’s get him? We can hide him at the hotel for now, then bring him home after the event’s over.”
His eyes were shining—just like a kid begging their parent to buy a new toy.
Xiao Yao chuckled and nodded. He’d brought Ti Xiao here for this exact reason—of course they were getting the hamster.
In the end, Ti Xiao bought the little guy who seemed to be so in sync with him, plus a cage, wood shavings, hamster food, and some chew stones. They headed back to the hotel with everything in tow.
Because the cage was too big and filling it with shavings would risk spills on the road, the shop owner kindly gave them a temporary small transparent hamster box, perfect for keeping the little guy safe while they stayed in the provincial city.
“What should we name him?” Ti Xiao held the box up to eye level, staring into the big round eyes of the milk-tea hamster.
Xiao Yao was driving and waved off the decision. “Up to you.”
The hamster pawed around inside the little container, poking and sniffing at every corner, his shiny eyes curious and full of life.
Ti Xiao couldn’t resist—he opened the lid, reached in, and gave him a gentle scratch.
The fluffy little body under his fingertips felt soft and warm—comforting.
Maybe I’ll call him Xiao Huhu? he thought. Their cat at home was Xiao Hulu—a female. This one’s male. They couldn’t have babies or anything, but the names matched perfectly.
Back at the hotel, Ti Xiao opened the box, turned off the flash, and snapped a few photos to send to the family group chat.
Back home, Ti Nanyi was holding Xiao Hulu while watching a video. She switched apps when she got the notification and opened the hamster photos.
The moment she did, the quiet, curled-up Xiao Hulu suddenly started yowling, meowing in distress, and buried her head in Ti Nanyi’s armpit like she couldn’t bear to look at the screen.
Ti Nanyi laughed and filmed a short clip to send back.
In the video, she held up the photo of the hamster, and as soon as it got near, Xiao Hulu started crying again, full on drama-cat mode.
Ti Xiao burst out laughing when he saw it. He gently scooped Xiao Huhu out of the box, held him in his palm, and opened a pack of hamster food to reward him.
Xiao Yao had just finished drying his hair when he walked out and saw both the big and little hamsters (well, one cat and one actual hamster) playing happily together. Curious, he wandered over to join in the fun.
He was wearing a white bathrobe, slightly open at the chest, revealing sharp collarbones and a firm, well-defined torso. But no matter how much testosterone he radiated, Ti Xiao didn’t spare him a single glance—his entire being was focused on the fluffy hamster in his hands.
“Look! He knows how to crack sunflower seeds,” Ti Xiao said, holding Xiao Huhu up to Xiao Yao’s face so he could get a closer look.
The tiny hamster was clutching a seed with its front paws, gnawing through the shell with its sharp little teeth—crack, crack, crunch—and skillfully pulling out the kernel to munch on.
Ti Xiao held the soft little furball in his palm, tempted to press his face against it for a snuggle.
He leaned in close.
But before he could, the twitching whiskers poked him right in the nose.
He sneezed.
The sudden jolt made him flinch, and the hamster slipped right out of his hands.
And fell—straight into Xiao Yao’s bathrobe.
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