After fainting, Tang Feiliu felt something touching him in a hazy state. He opened his eyes dazedly and saw the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy staring at him with rapt attention. When the boy noticed Tang Feiliu’s eyes open, he asked in a soft, strained voice: "...Are you an angel?"
His voice sounded strange at first, likely from years of silence, but it grew clearer and more practiced. His hands continued to caress Tang Feiliu's body. Unwashed for so long, he carried an unpleasant odor. Yet he stroked the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy with an almost religious devotion, like a pilgrim before a sacred relic. Lowering his voice deliberately, he whispered, "... Don't be afraid. Though they call me a demon, I won't harm you."
Seeing Tang Feiliu was dazed but at least not crying, he continued, "Do all angels smell as sweet as you?"
Tang Feiliu couldn't smell his own scent, but he remembered how his father would gently wash him with soft cloths at the estate. He loved the comforting smell of his skin drying after being toweled off. Born frail, he was often indulged by his family, so Tang Feiliu truly carried no strange odors. Instead, he had a sweet, milky scent reminiscent of cookies and milk—completely different from ordinary children.
Now he dared not move, only blinking his blue eyes pleadingly as he gazed imploringly at the dark-haired, dark-eyed demon before him. After a long moment, his voice trembling, he spoke in a childishly soft tone: "I'm not tasty. Please don't eat me..."
He was terrified by the prince's words outside—"Let's see if the demon eats this child"—and now his voice trembled faintly with every syllable. If the demon said "no," he'd likely burst into tears instantly.
Fortunately, the demon had no such intention. Instead, he spoke softly, comforting the child: "Don't be afraid. I won't eat you... Do you like cookies?"
Seeing the child on the verge of tears, the demon quickly retrieved a tin box from the bedside cabinet. As soon as it opened, a mouthwateringly sweet aroma wafted out. A child's attention was so easily distracted. The little one, who had been terrified moments ago, instantly forgot where he was upon catching the scent of sweet biscuits. His wet blue eyes widened, saliva gathering in his mouth as he mumbled, "Biscuits..."
"Here, have some." Though the demon hadn't bothered to clean up much and looked rather frightening, aside from his rambling, he seemed to be managing reasonably well atop this tower. His arms were strong, and his body didn't appear malnourished—only his living conditions were truly wretched, and his mental state was equally dire. He watched Tang Feiliu eat the cookies with rapt attention, gently stroking his golden hair as he murmured, "This is the first time I've seen such a beautiful color."
He played games with the little Tang Feiliu, patiently joining him in hide-and-seek. The tiny room made it easy for the child to spot the demon every time, but when it was the demon's turn to seek, it took him ages to find the boy. This became Tang Feiliu's most satisfying game ever. When he grew tired, his little face flushed rosy, like two crimson clouds painted across his cheeks.
The prince being struck was clearly no trivial matter. The castle staff were too preoccupied to come looking for them anytime soon. Little Tang Feiliu knew nothing of what had transpired. In his dreams, the young demon in the tower kept playing with him, patting his back to lull him to sleep. By the time Tang Feiliu yawned and drifted off, he no longer feared the demon at all. He heard the demon softly humming an incomprehensible song, gently rocking him with the utmost care, moving as if afraid to startle this little angel into flapping his wings and flying away.
They stayed together for a day and a night. Yet every time the food delivery person arrived, the demon grew tense, covering Tang Feiliu's mouth to silence him completely.
The child in the dream didn't understand why the demon acted this way. He obediently complied, and each time, the demon would first offer him delicious food before asking over and over, "Can you stay here?"
"Sure!" replied the child in his dream, his innocent words revealing he'd already begun to see the demon as a friend. He smiled sweetly and nodded, then pouted with a troubled expression, counting on his stubby, chubby fingers as he said, "But Papa said we're only here for the banquet for five days, so I can only play with you for five days."
"What I mean is, could you stay here forever? I... I could give you everything." The demon glanced around, suddenly realizing he seemed to possess nothing, and felt a pang of disappointment. He murmured softly, "Alright, I know you must have better things back in heaven."
Clearly shaken by this realization, the demon sulked for a moment before being coaxed by the little boy to lift him up again. Together, they strained to peer through the ventilation shaft high in the dome, trying to see what lay beyond.
When people came looking, Tang Feiliu was playing a counting game with the demon. Tang Feiliu was getting dizzy counting from one to twenty, while the demon patiently and gently taught him over and over.
"Edward, retreat to the corner." When this unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded outside the door, Tang Feiliu saw the demon's body tense abruptly. Then, the demon suddenly scooped him up, frantically circling the tower as if searching for a place to hide him.
He was carefully placed inside the only cabinet. The demon whispered, "Don't make a sound."
The blond child blinked his blue eyes in confusion, dressed in layers of lace and silk in a little formal gown. Seated inside the cabinet like the finest doll, he nodded earnestly and promised solemnly, "Mm-hmm!"
He thought the demon was playing some new game with him.
Then the cabinet door closed. Inside, the young Tang Feiliu heard adults entering, stern shouts, angry curses, and the crack of a whip cutting through the air.
Next, the cabinet door swung open. Tang Feiliu was pulled out in one swift motion. He gazed blankly as his father and brother called his name softly, their voices filled with relief. His brother's forehead bore a massive bump, already crusted over with dried blood—clear evidence that the past few days hadn't gone smoothly.
"No, don't take him..." Tang Feiliu turned toward the voice and saw the demon kneeling on the floor. The old duke held a soft whip studded with silver spikes. The demon's body was already torn and bleeding from the lashes, yet he seemed accustomed to it. He only stared stubbornly at Tang Feiliu, pleading softly, "Don't..."
Tang Feiliu stirred, only to be swept into his father’s arms the next moment. They were both overcome with emotion, clearly believing he’d been severely traumatized. Then everything blurred—Tang Feiliu could barely see what was happening. He thought he heard the demon roaring something, followed by the crack of the whip cutting through the air and the Old Duke’s stern, furious rebuke.
Held in his father's arms, Tang Feiliu was carried down from the tower. That very night, they set out immediately, leaving the duke's castle behind.
When Tang Feiliu awoke, he found himself no longer in the carriage but standing in his own room—a modern one.
He saw a familiar figure baking. The room was filled with the soft, rich aroma of milk. "Tang Feiliu" placed a full tray of perfectly shaped cranberry cookies into the oven, then turned to nod at Tang Feiliu. "Lance, you're here. Please sit down," she said softly and politely.
Tang Feiliu stared wide-eyed at the person who looked exactly like her modern self. "...Tang Feiliu?!"
"Tang Feiliu" smiled gently and said, "Yes, it's me."
"Wh-what's going on?" Tang Feiliu looked at himself in confusion, then back at the person before him. He was feeling a bit dazed, but what "Tang Feiliu" said next left him even more astonished.
It turned out that when Tang Feiliu opened his eyes in the Middle Ages, the modern Tang Feiliu had also been rescued from the river and regained consciousness. The difference was that when Lance arrived in the modern era, he had also fully recovered his memories.
"When we were six, after you left the tower, the shock and cold caused you to develop a high fever... At the exact same time, I also fell ill with a high fever in the modern era... For some reason, we switched identities." Lance explained the origins of it all earnestly, gazing at Tang Feiliu as he softly revealed what the latter had never known. "We both forgot these events back then. But unlike Mom and Dad, Mr. Doug and your brother believed I was a demon—that I’d devoured your soul and taken up residence in your body... They wanted their son and brother back. Afraid to report it to the church, they secretly locked me away and hired exorcists in private..."
Those memories were clearly painful. Though Lance spoke with detached calm, tears welled in his eyes. Even in the modern world, his delicate soul remained unchanged. As Tang Feiliu listened to young Lance's ordeal, his own memories slowly began to resurface.
Flashbacks flooded his mind. Eyes wide, he stared at Lance before stammering, "So... I didn't time-travel? We just coincidentally switched back?"
Lance nodded, his voice soft. "You are Lance, and I am Tang Feiliu... Though these years may not have been the happiest for me... ...I'm truly grateful for everything you did before I returned. It made my arrival in this world less painful. I cherish our friends—even though I caused quite a few embarrassing moments before, they've always cared deeply for us... And I'm so sorry for everything I messed up. Father passed away, and my brother hasn't smiled since..."
"No, no, no—I'm the one who owes you an apology." Tang Feiliu murmured blankly. "I've always felt like this isn't real... like everything's just a dream... My God, so this is my life? So I am Lance?"
"Yes, you are Lance Doug. You were born in York. Your family loves you dearly—both your York family and our parents. They all love us." Lance gazed at Tang Feiliu and whispered, "I don't know if this is my dream, but I'm so glad to see you. If you're really here... Lance, even though I've gone through some unhappy things, I'm still glad for this extraordinary adventure. I hope you're doing well in York. "
"I... I am too... My goodness, I actually am Lance..." Tang Feiliu was so stunned he couldn't find words. Suddenly flustered, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a golden cufflink. Handing it to Lance, he said, "I'm sorry, and... thank you for telling me all this. Thank you..."
Lance froze for a moment, fumbling frantically in his own pocket before pulling out only a one-yuan coin. He held out his hand awkwardly. "...Sorry, this is all I have."
Tang Feiliu took the coin, glancing around at the familiar house and home. Suddenly, a man's drowsy voice drifted in—a tall figure in pajamas emerged from the living room, swept "Tang Feiliu" into a fierce kiss, and mumbled, "Baby, why are you baking cookies in the middle of the night?"
The man appeared to be mixed-race, tall and muscular. Lance felt a bit embarrassed. Then the man simply picked him up in one swift motion, murmuring in a flirtatious, sleepy voice, "My bad. Come on, let me give my sweetheart a good workout. You'll fall asleep in no time."
"...You look very happy," Tang Feiliu said awkwardly. Then he saw everything around him fading. Tang Feiliu quickly waved his hand and said, "Goodbye, Tang Feiliu. I wish you happiness."
"You too, little Lance." Tang Feiliu waved back as he was carried away.
The surrounding illusion faded away. Tang Feiliu opened his eyes, raised his hand, and spread his palm. There, resting quietly, was a one-yuan coin—the familiar chrysanthemum pattern, everything so familiar.
Familiar yet strange.
Tang Feiliu sighed, his mind in utter disarray.
Author's Note:
Xiao Tangtang's origins are finally explained—he can't escape now.