Chapter 31: Because I’m a Taotie

Upon receiving Taotie Delicacies’ reply, Wind Rabbit immediately set off.

Bai Wangfei said, “I’ll go with you.”

Wind Rabbit said, “Nah, I’m afraid you’ll turn into braised goose in an iron pot.”

Bai Wangfei said, “To be honest, I’m afraid you’ll turn into spicy rabbit head.”

Wind Rabbit: “…” So we’re on the same wavelength?

So they decided to go together.

It wasn’t far from Taotie Delicacies, just a few subway stops.

Seeing the bluebird mailbox at the entrance, Bai Wangfei whispered, “Did you feel that? That mailbox has a strong yin energy!”

Wind Rabbit: “Felt it.”

“It might be a mailbox leading to the underworld.” Bai Wangfei glanced at the glass house, lowering his voice even more, “To casually put a magic item of this level at the door, there really must be a Taotie here!”

Wind Rabbit: “So you don’t need to whisper. A big demon like Taotie can hear us even if we speak through a barrier.”

Bai Wangfei: “.”

Wind Rabbit was right. Yun Tao could indeed hear them, and he was enjoying their conversation!

So Wind Rabbit was a little demon, no wonder he suddenly changed his mind and agreed to collaborate.

Wind Rabbit pushed open the glass door, and a refreshing coolness washed over him, taking away his anxiety and unease. Wind Rabbit knew why; this was Feifei’s Bakery, probably with Feifei in charge.

“Wind Rabbit-gege, finally we meet~” Yun Tao waved at him friendly.

He was wearing the cool summer outfit Ruan Ruan gave him, all in light green, with his soft curly hair, looking like a bamboo shoot baby that had just turned into a spirit.

Wind Rabbit was charmed, his lips curling into a smile.

This beautiful curly-haired kid must be Feifei, so healing!

“You must be Taotao, so well-behaved.” Wind Rabbit treated Yun Tao as a harmless Feifei, rubbing his head without hesitation, then looked at the others in the shop, greeting them as naturally as possible, “Hello everyone.”

Bai Wangfei also greeted them, “I’m Wind Rabbit’s friend, you can call me Xiao Fei.”

Tai Sui raised his chin, “Sit.”

Wind Rabbit immediately tensed up: this red-haired cool guy was exuding a dangerous aura, he must be Taotie!

Bai Wangfei agreed, and they sat stiffly at the bar.

Feifei took out Sand Pear juice from the fridge and mixed a few drinks, lining them up on the bar, “We’ve already voted, the results are very close, your choices are crucial.”

Feifei’s tone was calm and gentle, like a spring breeze, and he smelled like a fresh forest.

Wind Rabbit: This must be the Earth God who made the Earth Toast!

The other staff were working in the kitchen, and only Yun Tao, Tai Sui, and Feifei were in the bakery. Wind Rabbit guessed everyone’s identity wrong, perfectly avoiding the correct answers.

He smiled at Feifei, “Thank you, I’ll taste them carefully.”

Wind Rabbit looked at the Sand Pear drinks on the bar, his eyes serious.

He picked up an iced coffee, smelling it, “It has hibiscus, preserved plum, and tangerine peel, with a sweet and sour fruity aroma, is that the Sand Pear pulp?”

Yun Tao smiled mischievously, “Wind Rabbit-gege, do you believe we’re using real Sand Pears now?”

“Yeah.” Wind Rabbit nodded, taking a sip of the iced coffee. Rabbits shouldn’t drink tea or coffee, but he was a demon, so it didn’t matter.

“The fruit acidity is strong, the coffee aroma is rich, very flavorful.” Wind Rabbit licked the water stains on his lips, “The Sand Pear is very prominent, very delicious.”

Even more prominent was the spiritual energy in the Sand Pear, one sip and you felt refreshed, something no demon could refuse.

He rinsed his mouth with water and tasted the other drinks, finally voting for the Sand Pear Peach, “This one is perfect for summer, Sand Pear and peach go well together, and the color is beautiful, it’ll be popular.”

Bai Wangfei voted for the Sand Pear Dragon Well tea, “Fragrant and sweet, refreshing.”

“Okay, then we’ll launch the Sand Pear Peach and Sand Pear Dragon Well tea, and turn the iced coffee into a dark version.” Yun Tao asked, “When can you come to shoot the review video?”

“Anytime.”

Yun Tao opened He Xiaoying’s homepage, “Do you mind shooting on the same day as this blogger?”

Wind Rabbit recognized He Xiaoying, “Sure, whatever you arrange.”

“Great, I’ll make a group chat, we can discuss it there.” Yun Tao smiled, revealing his little tiger teeth, “Thanks, you can try swimming now.”

Before leaving, Yun Tao gave Wind Rabbit a bag of Sand Pears, “If you’re still afraid to get in the water, eat some more, remember to give me feedback after swimming!”

The collaboration went too smoothly, just like dealing with humans.

After leaving Taotie Delicacies, Bai Wangfei grabbed a Sand Pear and ate it, “We were too dramatic, Taotie wasn’t interested in braised goose or spicy rabbit head at all.”

Wind Rabbit: “Who do you think is Taotie?”

Bai Wangfei: “Definitely the red-haired cool guy, he looked at me, and I wanted to tremble.”

Wind Rabbit: “I thought so too, so Taotie is so quiet.”

Bai Wangfei: “The tough ones are all like that, tough demons don’t talk much.”

Wind Rabbit: “Feifei is so cute, and the Earth God is so friendly.”

Bai Wangfei: “+1.”

Wind Rabbit: “I’m going swimming, wanna come?”

“Okay, you can get in the water, I’ll catch you.”

They went to Wind Rabbit’s usual swimming club. It was a membership club, usually not crowded, and at this time, there were only a dozen regulars.

These regulars all knew Wind Rabbit.

Wind Rabbit came to check in every day, but he still hadn’t overcome his fear of water, so it was hard not to notice him. Some regulars had even followed his account, wanting to see how long he could keep going.

“Hi, Wind Rabbit.” A girl greeted him, “Brought a friend?”

Wind Rabbit nodded.

The girl’s male friend scoffed, saying in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Don’t hang out with people like that. Is it even possible to be afraid of water for two months? If it’s not a show to get attention, then his learning ability is really terrible. He should just give up and stop wasting time.”

The girl frowned, “Chen Cong-ge, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know. Wind Rabbit is really working hard, we’ve all seen it.”

The people nearby heard and were also unhappy, speaking up for Wind Rabbit.

“Wind Rabbit didn’t just never get in the water, he tried many times with the coach. At first, he could only last a few seconds, and he was shaking all over when he got out, but he never gave up, trying again and again.”

“You can’t fake fear, we’ve known him for so long, we know he’s really afraid of water. Do you even know him? Stop talking nonsense.”

The girl didn’t side with Chen Cong either, “You’ve gone too far, apologize to Wind Rabbit.”

Chen Cong lost face, feeling awkward, but he wouldn’t apologize, stubbornly saying, “I’ll teach you to swim, I used to win competitions, I can definitely teach you.”

Wind Rabbit looked at him, saying calmly, “No need, I’m not afraid anymore.”

The moment he saw the pool, he knew the Sand Pear drink had worked, his fear of water was gone.

The coach rolled his eyes at Chen Cong, thinking, does he need you to teach him? Am I invisible here?

Wind Rabbit put on his floaties and got in the water, and the moment he was surrounded by water, he didn’t feel scared or shake. Instead, he felt comfortable, like… he was meant to live in the water, he was born to swim.

The coach saw he wasn’t shaking and didn’t ask him to get out, he was almost crying with emotion, “Wind Rabbit, you did it!”

The regulars cheered, some even whistled, genuinely happy for him.

Wind Rabbit was embarrassed, smiling to thank everyone for their encouragement.

Chen Cong couldn’t stand Wind Rabbit being the center of attention, competing with him in secret, showing off his swimming skills, trying to get everyone’s attention. He was out of breath, but no one was watching him, everyone was intentionally or unintentionally watching Wind Rabbit practice.

Chen Cong was so angry he splashed the water, what was there to see in this sissy guy?

Then he saw Wind Rabbit take off his floaties, treading water skillfully, like a beautiful and agile orca, swimming far away in one go, reaching the other end at an astonishing speed, earning another round of cheers.

Wind Rabbit climbed out of the pool, leaving him a long and straight back, his muscles beautifully defined.

A complete knockout.

The coach glanced at Chen Cong, a mocking grin on his face.

Chen Cong slunk away, never to show his face at the swimming club again.

Bai Wangfei swam happily, excitedly telling Wind Rabbit, “Turns out Sand Pear works for people who already know how to swim too. I feel more connected to the water, and…”

He lowered his voice, holding out his palm to Wind Rabbit, “My water magic has improved.”

A water ball, the size of a glass bead, floated above his palm. Bai Wangfei snapped his fingers, and the water ball vanished.

“Ouch!” Chen Cong felt something hit his back, wincing. He turned around, but no one was behind him. He patted his back, only finding a handful of water droplets.

Another water droplet appeared out of thin air, hitting his arm. Chen Cong panicked, “A ghost!”

He screamed and ran to the locker room, almost tripping.

Wind Rabbit watched the whole thing, unable to hold back a laugh, “A petty ghost, aren’t you?”

Bai Wangfei shrugged, “Turns out it wasn’t an improvement, just a slip of the hand.”

The “Sand Pear Review Team” discussed the plan online and set a shooting date.

He Xiaoying and Wind Rabbit were both professionals, with strong execution skills. They brought their equipment to Taotie Delicacies and finished shooting all the necessary footage in one afternoon.

After Taotie Delicacies launched the Sand Pear drinks, they also released their review videos on their platforms.

Yun Tao made appearances in their videos, personally preparing the drinks for them.

He Xiaoying’s review video was well-produced, up to standard, and received a good response. Her recommended dark Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea looked cool, and many fans liked it.

Wind Rabbit’s review video, like his usual style, didn’t look like an advertisement at all, more like a daily vlog.

He edited his swimming vlogs together, adding a voiceover, “I kept learning to swim, kept failing, kept learning to swim, kept failing… One day, someone offered me a Sand Pear concept drink, wishing me luck in learning to swim.”

“I didn’t believe it, but I wanted to try.”

“Then—”

The video’s style changed, Wind Rabbit in a swimsuit jumped into the pool, swimming back and forth like a fish.

“Day 60 of learning to swim, challenge completed!”

The contrast was so strong, the dramatic effect was off the charts.

Wind Rabbit’s fans were excited.

“You did it, kid! You finally learned to swim!”

“I’ve been following your swimming vlogs for two months, finally got the ending!”

“Congrats~ I’m learning to swim too, hoping to get some of your luck.”

Taotie Delicacies and the Sand Pear drinks weren’t shown much in the video, but they were prominent, and fans didn’t miss them.

“My favorite food blogger is collaborating with my favorite restaurant!”

“The little boss of Taotie Delicacies is so cute, I want to pinch his cheeks.”

“It looks so refreshing, the Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea’s color is so beautiful!”

Most people didn’t believe Wind Rabbit learned to swim because of the Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea, but they liked the feeling of wishes coming true, they liked seeing such a happy ending.

Either way, they remembered Taotie Delicacies and the Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea, and they were willing to buy a cup to try—it looked good and was creative, and it looked delicious!

The Sand Pear drinks became wildly popular as soon as they launched. Because they were limited, people who bought them couldn’t resist posting about it.

“Going swimming with my bestie tomorrow, starting with Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea today~”

“Our school’s swimming class is mandatory, I’ve never learned to swim, so nervous, buying a Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea to calm my nerves.”

“The taste is amazing! I declare Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea the best fruit tea I’ve ever had!”

The Water Control Sand Pear’s reputation kept growing, becoming the most talked-about fruit drink of the summer, making a splash in Xi’nan City.

One day, in Wind Rabbit’s pinned post’s comment section, a fan’s comment was pushed to the top.

“By the way, why was Wind Rabbit so determined to learn to swim?”

Wind Rabbit replied: To chase love.

That sentence blew up the comment section.

“Who would’ve thought, you’re a romantic!”

“You learned to swim, did you get the girl?”

Wind Rabbit didn’t reply. He was at Feifei’s Bakery, buying “Worry-Free Tiramisu.”

Feifei’s Bakery was closed, and no one else was in the shop. Wind Rabbit hugged Yun Tao, his eyes red, “Taotao, you know, I confessed, she said she’s a demon, we have no future. I said I’m a demon too, she asked what kind, I said a rabbit.”

Yun Tao: “Then?”

Wind Rabbit: “She said dolphins and rabbits have no future either, waaaah…”

Yun Tao: “.” The adult world is so complicated.

Wind Rabbit held back tears, “Taotao, aren’t you little Feifei? Why do I still feel so sad when I’m with you? Can’t your worry-relieving power help me?”

Yun Tao: “Oh, because I’m Taotie. Feifei-jie went to the kitchen, should I call her?”

Wind Rabbit: !

He was not only scared out of his demon form, but also petrified.

Yun Tao poked his ear, “You’re a lop-eared rabbit.”