Chapter 8  

You Mi’s brain was completely overwhelmed.  

His thoughts were still in turmoil when a deafening roar erupted from above, making his ears ache. He quickly covered them and looked up.  

…Another starship!  

As the starship approached, the previously quiet monster seemed agitated. It let out a furious roar, its face twisting grotesquely. Those oppressive golden eyes appeared tainted with blood… and its gaze remained fixed on You Mi.  

A moment later, the monster tilted its head slightly, its face shrouded in shadow. Suddenly, a scorching, flame-like aura radiated from it as it reached out with its claws to grab him!  

It wanted to seize You Mi to protect him from the impending chaos.  

But to the tiny You Mi, its massive body, its aura—everything about it—was nothing but an unbearable threat and attack…  

Panicked, You Mi stumbled backward and hid beneath a nearby cart.  

……  

Inside the starship, Carl was giving orders—first to evacuate the surrounding civilians, then to have soldiers with invisibility skills conceal Anshus’ true form. Finally, he commanded the preparation of a massive iron cage… If Anshus descended into an uncontrollable frenzy, this would be the only way to retrieve him. It was the worst-case scenario.  

Gods knew how terrified Carl had been when he discovered the Crown Prince’s true form had escaped to find that little guy.  

As for why His Highness Anshus hadn’t worn his humanoid skin suit…  

That had to do with yesterday’s incident in the black market. Just thinking about it made Carl feel sorry for Anshus.  

He never would’ve guessed that the person Anshus had been searching for was working in a doll shop in the black market…  

At the time, overwhelmed by rare excitement, Anshus had failed to control his transformation and accidentally tore through his newly worn humanoid skin suit.  

A new one would take at least three days to make.  

This created a vicious cycle—Anshus’ true form grew increasingly frantic, triggering an immediate frenzy… It had taken tremendous effort to bring him back.  

Yet, Anshus had escaped again that very night. Fortunately, after quietly observing the little one, he had returned to the palace with his sanity intact.  

And now, today, he was out stalking the boy again!  

Carl was panting and drenched in sweat! He stared at the monster’s condition below, about to signal his men—when his hand froze mid-air.  

Beside him, a soldier muttered in disbelief, “What is His Highness doing…?”  

On the ground…  

Within the space isolated by a veil of mist, the ferocious monster suddenly stilled upon seeing the trembling legs of the small figure beneath the cart.  

A gentle breeze brushed past as the enormous creature retracted its wings and claws once more. It crouched low, its massive body nearly pressed against the ground, tilting its head to peer at the boy under the cart.  

You Mi slowly lifted his gaze—the monster’s fearsome face was now inches away.  

He didn’t dare make a sound.  

After an unbearable silence, the monster rasped out two hoarse syllables:  

“You… Mi…”  

“……”  

A collective gasp echoed from the starship.  

Carl watched in awe.  

His Highness Anshus had voluntarily pulled himself out of his frenzied state.  

…This was the first time he had done so since his severe injury.  

Instantly, Carl recalled the long-lost purification ability of the Sina Star People. His eyes widened in realization.  

Could it be… Could this tiny, wild-born Sina Starling possess the purification skill?!

Staring at the tiny figure below that was almost invisible, Carl’s expression grew solemn.

At that moment, a scout wearing Detection Skill glasses nearby said, “Mr. Carl, His Highness Anshus has already withdrawn his Combat Skill. There’s no need to worry.”

Carl nodded, his face grave as he asked, “What about the small one?”

“Huh?”

“That tiny little… Is he still releasing purification skills?”

The scout looked utterly baffled. “That little one doesn’t have any skills.”

“…None?”

“Right. Not now, and probably never will be.”

Silence.

Carl straightened up awkwardly, rubbing his nose with a sigh. “Then let’s quickly ask His Highness Anshus to leave.”

…

You Mi had never experienced anything like this before.

His mind went completely blank when that monster softly called his name and sent a friend request to his Optical Brain. Perhaps it was because he was too stunned, too unable to comprehend… In his confusion, he somehow ended up clicking “accept.”

Moments later, the monster flew into the Silver Starship in the sky. With a thunderous roar, the starship quickly disappeared without a trace.

Dazed, You Mi stood up and stared blankly at the piles of new clothes before him. After a long pause, he finally hailed a ride.

The driver stuffed both the cart and You Mi inside, delivering them smoothly all the way home.

In short, nothing that happened today made any sense to You Mi.

After struggling to make sense of it for a while, he simply gave up and hung the new clothes neatly in his closet.

That evening, Lily’s parents invited him over for dinner.

You Mi was surprised. “Is that really okay?”

Lily’s mom said, “In a way, we’re neighbors, aren’t we? You often play with Lily, and we haven’t even thanked you properly yet.”

You Mi agreed. That night, he even bought a basket of fruits and wheeled it in with his cart.

Lily was overjoyed, running over to push it with him as if it were a toy. “So fun! So fun! So cute!”

After playing with her for a while, You Mi heard dinner was ready and took Lily to wash their hands before heading to the dining room.

A variety show was playing on the screen. When You Mi saw the host, his eyes widened. “*Exchange Life*?”

“Yes, you used to work at that restaurant too, right? If it weren’t for chatting with my colleague today, I wouldn’t have known how hard you’ve been working outside.”

You Mi paused, then shook his head. “That job wasn’t hard.”

Lily’s dad chimed in, “Standing there all day, having to move whenever someone winds the music box—how could that not be hard? And it’s just a temporary job, isn’t it? If you had a stable job, you wouldn’t have time for it. After finishing, you’d have to look for another… You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”

You Mi replied, “It’s alright.”

Lily’s mom added, “But you seem really popular! One of my female coworkers watched this episode and kept saying how adorable you are. The show protects civilians’ privacy, so the audience doesn’t even know your name. Those who like you gave you a nickname—Music Box Sweetheart!”

Lily’s dad raised his glass. “You work so hard. Things will only get better for you.”

Lily clapped her hands. “Mi-mi will become super rich!”

The whole family laughed.

Blushing from their words, You Mi smiled and lowered his head to eat.

Returning to the wooden cabin at night, You Mi turned on his Optical Brain and began searching for information about the latest episode of *Exchange Life*.

Amid the flood of comments praising or criticizing various guests, there were indeed a few mentioning him.

[“That little staff member looks so hardworking!”]

[“Hehe… I can already imagine how pretty he must be without the mask!!!”]

[“Give it up. If he’s wearing a mask, he must have flaws. Don’t get your hopes up.”]

[“How dare you say that about someone so adorable? Buzzkill, go away!”]

…

You Mi shyly read through the comments, feeling both happy and slightly worried.

He wasn’t a Sina Star People, and excessive attention wasn’t good for him.

A new day arrived quickly.

In the morning, while still combing his hair, You Mi received a call from his boss, Vera: “Quick, check the trending topics!”

He hurriedly opened the social media app on his Optical Brain and clicked into the trending page.

Vera: “See it yet?”

You Mi fell silent.

…He was trending.

At fifth place: *#Music Box Doll#*

Clicking in, he found screenshots of himself from the show, videos of him changing poses along with the music box, and behind-the-scenes clips of guests deliberately trying to make him laugh or even scare him—yet he remained perfectly still…

The most popular clip, however, was a small outtake outside a restaurant.

The moment You Mi shared half his cake with a friend had been captured.

Soon, discussions about him multiplied, with someone even creating a dedicated fan account: *Music Box Baby Observation Diary*.

The account’s latest post was the clip of him saving the cake.

The comments were lively.

[“I’m crying!!”]

[“So adorable and pitiful… I’m buying out that restaurant’s entire stock of cakes for our baby!”]

[“Is that guy the baby’s boyfriend? Noooo, I won’t allow you to date so soon!”]

Under this comment, an account with an octopus avatar replied: [“No, just a friend!”]

[“Wait, is that the real deal??”]

The account didn’t respond further.

You Mi recognized it as Lin En’s account. He called Lin En on video: “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

Lin En shook his head, visibly excited: “Mimi, you’re amazing! I’d never seen you perform as a Music Box Doll before—I had no idea you could act so convincingly!”

You Mi’s ears turned red: “I didn’t expect it either.”

Lin En: “Do you have another shoot today?”

You Mi nodded: “The boss already called me.”

“Then you should go. We’ll celebrate later!”

“Okay.”

After locking the door, You Mi walked to the shop with a spring in his step.

Pushing the door open, he found Vera and the photographer looking at him awkwardly.

You Mi said, “I’m in great shape today! I came up with a few new poses on the way!”

Vera: “You Mi…”

You Mi: “Boss, that hat from yesterday was a bit tight. Should we adjust it?”

Vera stood up: “We’ll talk about that later. You Mi, come with me first.”

Obediently, You Mi followed her into the inner office.

A small bouquet of fresh flowers sat on the desk. You Mi remarked, “So pretty. Are these props for today’s shoot?”

Vera picked up the bouquet and gently placed it in his arms: “You Mi… I can’t employ you anymore.”

You Mi’s smile froze on his face.

Vera turned her head away, unable to look at him, her voice hoarse: “You’ve gained some online popularity recently… Many people are searching for your information. As you know, every shop owner and employee here must follow one rule—never draw attention. But you’re being watched… It’s not your fault, but there’s really no other way.”

You Mi quietly gazed at the bouquet of flowers in his arms. After a long while, he finally untangled the complicated situation and nodded: “I understand.”

With reddened eyes, Vera settled his wages. As she saw You Mi off, her voice trembled with barely restrained tears: “You Mi, I really like you… I’ll contact more friends outside during this time to see if there are any suitable jobs for you.”

You Mi smiled and said, “Thank you, I’ll find work.”

Holding the flowers, You Mi headed home.

On the way back, he thought deeply. He felt his situation had already improved significantly compared to the beginning. Before finding another stable job, he could continue taking odd jobs. He also had some savings now and didn’t need to be so tense.

As he pondered, Lin En called: “Mi Mi, a new fast-food restaurant opened near the furniture factory and they’re running promotions. I’ll pick you up after work, and we’ll go eat together!”

You Mi: “Okay.”

After hanging up, You Mi blinked slowly, his eyes gradually turning red.

That delicate, vulnerable face was finally covered in tears.

Yet soon, the tears were wiped away completely. Holding the bouquet, You Mi walked to a nearby job board.

There were many listings, but almost every one specified a minimum height requirement—conditions that weren’t harsh for the Sina Star People, but were an insurmountable barrier for You Mi.

Rubbing his eyes, You Mi continued scanning until he finally spotted a flyer without height restrictions:

【Cave Diving Competition in Full Swing! Small-statured individuals warmly invited to participate!】

Reading carefully, he learned the competition involved navigating bizarre rock caves. Successful challengers could earn prizes based on the cave’s size, with the top reward being 100,000 Star Coins!

You Mi laughed through his tears.

After copying the details from the digital flyer, You Mi hurried home to draft an application email.

The moment the email was sent, his Optical Brain chimed—an incoming video call from an unknown number.

…Were they really this efficient?

You Mi hastily smoothed his hair, cleared his throat, and answered the call.

The projected image revealed a bespectacled man in a suit, around thirty years old: “Hello, You Mi! I’m Carl! Um… would you allow Crown Prince Anshus to take care of you for a while? Please consider it carefully—we’ll pay you accordingly!”

You Mi exhaled softly, hung up immediately, and promptly selected the “report scam call” option.