Ark Simulator, I'm Not Without a Physical Body, Am I?

"So," he asked curiously, "'that'?"

Xi's expression tensed instantly. She released Su Rui's sleeve, turned around and left. "It's nothing. I should go back."

Su Rui followed her, her tail naturally intertwining with Xi's. "Is it related to the tattoo on your arm? Nian seems particularly concerned about it."

Xi paused for a moment. She didn't answer, but slowed down so that Su Rui could walk beside her.

"Next month..." Su Rui asked tentatively, "Are you really going to take me to meet your family?"

Xi's ear tips turned slightly red. "... It depends on your performance."

This answer made Su Rui laugh out loud. He deliberately nudged Xi with his horn. "Then I'd better 'perform' well~"

"Su Rui!"

The two figures walked further and further away, their tails still intertwined. At the end of the corridor, on the wall that had been restored years ago, a mischievous smiley face graffiti faintly appeared, then quickly disappeared.

PS: Year and Evening Order are both fragments of the Year Aspect. The Year Aspect is the dragon, and I think it's fine to call it a dragon. There's also the full-sleeve tattoo, which is a fan creation. Please refer to the original work. Of course, I know that the full-sleeve tattoo is just for aesthetics, but that doesn't stop me from extending it a bit.

Also, I feel my writing style is a bit dark, and I tried to write in a more cheerful way. I don't know if everyone will like it.

Volume 9, page 550A: I didn't get this tattoo on purpose.

"So, how many siblings do you have? Are you and Nian twins? Those Ink Mark— "

"Enough!" Xi suddenly stood up, her cheeks flushed, and accidentally knocked over the teacup beside her. The amber liquid spread across the table like an impromptu ink painting. "I... I'm going to find Nian to settle the score."

Su Rui blinked, watching Xi's almost hasty retreat. She even forgot to use her tail to open the door, instead pulling the doorknob open with her bare hands—a complete lapse in composure compared to Xi's usual self.

"Wait!" Su Rui chased after them to the door, only to catch a fleeting glimpse of a dark tail at the end of the corridor. He shook his head helplessly. "At least tell me where to find you..."

The only answer he received was a deafening explosion in the distance, accompanied by a slight tremor throughout the entire floor. Dust fell from the ceiling, accumulating in a thin layer on Su Rui's newly formed dragon horns.

"Looks like I've gone into the Painted World." He muttered to himself, patting his hair, then suddenly realized something, "Wait, how do I get in?"

Just as Su Rui was pondering how to track down the two fighting dragons, a voice he knew all too well came from behind him—calm, rational, and with a hint of barely perceptible gentleness.

"Judging from the energy fluctuations, they should be in Studio Three, and inside the painting; there's just a slight vibration coming from there. By the way, your horns are beautiful."

Su Rui's tail stiffened instantly. He slowly turned around, as if afraid the voice was just an illusion. "... Doctor?"

The woman standing in the middle of the corridor wore Rhodes Island's iconic uniform, her mask pushed up to her forehead, revealing eyes that seemed to see through everything. She held a laptop in her hand, the screen displaying a curve of intense energy fluctuations somewhere.

"Three months and seven days." The Doctor approached, gently touching Su Rui's dragon horns. "42% faster than I anticipated in terms of materialization time." Her fingertips traced the curve of the horns, stopping at the scales. "Was this Xi's doing?"

Su Rui nodded subconsciously, suddenly feeling the nervousness of introducing his girlfriend to his parents. "Uh, yes. And the tail and..."

The Doctor had already circled behind him and was professionally examining his tail joints. "Good mobility, scale arrangement consistent with higher Dragonkin races, and these dragons are rather special." She suddenly pinched the base of his tail, "Pain sensitivity?"

"Awooo!" Su Rui jumped back suddenly, her tail bristling, "Mom!"

The title made the Doctor's lips curl into a slight smile. She put away her terminal and crossed her arms. "Explain why my son became someone else's ' Dragonkin creation'? And—" She glanced meaningfully at the hickey on Su Rui's neck, "—the relationship seems to be more than just creator and created?"

Su Rui's scales all turned pink. He opened his mouth, but didn't know where to begin—how to explain those days in Xi's mind? How to describe the various adventures in the Painted World? How to confess the unspeakable intimacy between him and Xi?

"Aren't you just asking the obvious?" You can easily guess what I've done.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, the Doctor suddenly chuckled, "Relax, I'm not here to interrogate you." She reached out and straightened Su Rui's disheveled collar. "Actually, I'm glad you've found your place, even though you always seem to find one."

"Aren't you angry?" Su Rui asked cautiously.

"Why be angry?" the Doctor countered. "You now have a complete body, a clear emotional connection, and have even evolved advanced Dragonkin characteristics." She tapped her personal terminal. "From a medical perspective, this is the ideal growth path for a consciousness."

Su Rui suddenly hugged the Doctor, the dragon's tail unconsciously wrapping around her waist. "Thank you, but what's this about the growth path you mentioned? I've never heard of it before."

The hug lasted a few seconds before the Doctor gently pushed him away. "Control your strength, you have a physical form now." She pointed to her uniform, which was wrinkled from being pulled up. "So, Xi knows I'm your mother?" She was changing the subject again.

"She knows you took care of me like a mother, but..." Su Rui scratched her head, "... we didn't have time to go over the details. But she knows you're my mother."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. So, what about her now—"

Boom!

Another loud bang, this time even the emergency lights started flashing. Debris from the ceiling rained down, Su Rui instinctively spread her tail to shield the Doctor.

"--You're fighting with your sister right now." The Doctor calmly finished the sentence, dusting off his white coat. "Suggest we stop them? Otherwise, Rhodes Island's repair costs will be hard to explain."

"Didn't you say the battle in the painting wouldn't affect us?"

Su Rui was puzzled. Suddenly, the wall at the end of the corridor twisted and deformed, then cracked open as if torn apart by an invisible hand.

Two dragons tumbled out of the crack one after the other—Nian laughed and rolled several times on the ground, while Xi managed to land gracefully, if one ignored her shattered scales and the missing piece of her tail tip.

"Xiao Xi, you've improved!" Nian sat up, wiping the ink from his face. "Last time you only lasted seventeen minutes, this time you lasted a full—"

Her words trailed off. Xi's gaze had already passed over her, locking onto Su Rui at the other end of the corridor... and the Doctor beside him.

Time seemed to freeze. The three dragons formed an eerie standoff in the corridor. Xi's pupils shrank to slits, and its tail curled up involuntarily; Nian wore an expression of anticipation; Su Rui waved awkwardly; Doctor remained calm as always.

"Doctor," Xi finally broke the silence, her voice tense, "You... know Su Rui?"

The Doctor adjusted his mask. "Su Rui should have told you, I'm his mother."

This answer exploded like a bomb in the corridor. Xi's dragon scales all stood on end.

Su Rui cautiously approached Xi: "I told you Doctor took care of me like a mother..."

"You didn't say it was this kind of 'care'! I just heard it." Xi's voice rose eight octaves. "So you were designed from the beginning? Rhodes Island experiment?"

"Xi," the Doctor suddenly became serious, "Su Rui was never an experiment. He is my child; we are merely helping him stabilize his form of existence." She took a few steps closer, "Just as you helped him gain a physical form."

The year's end clapped happily on the ground. "Wow, a double parenting situation! Little Su, you're such a lucky one!"

Xi and the Doctor both glared at her. Nian made a pursed mouth gesture, but the smile in her eyes didn't diminish at all. Her eyes were darting around, and it was unclear what mischievous idea she was thinking.

Xi subconsciously moved closer to Su Rui, worried that Nian might do something bad.

Volume 9, Chapter 551: The Possessiveness of the Evening

Surprisingly, Xi suddenly calmed down. She walked towards Su Rui, her tail gently wrapping around his. "So... your consciousness form wasn't innate?"

Su Rui shook her head. "I only 'woke up' some time ago; even the Doctor couldn't explain my previous form of existence."

"Interesting." Xi's fingertips lightly touched his dragon horns. "Then these..."

"It's all your creation." Su Rui held her hand. "From the horns to the tail, every single scale was drawn by your own hand."

The Doctor cleared her throat at the opportune moment. "From a medical perspective, his basic consciousness framework was indeed constructed by us, but the formation of his physical body and abilities depends entirely on the Painted World." She paused, "In other words, we are his two creators."

This seemed to soothe Xi. Her scales gradually smoothed out, but her hand still gripped Su Rui's tightly.

Suddenly, Nian clapped her hands. "Perfect! How about next month? Both 'parents' need to attend!"

Xi was about to object when the Doctor nodded. "A reasonable request. I will prepare a complete medical report."

"Wait!" Xi finally found her voice, "Who agreed--"

"Xiao Xi," Nian interrupted her with a grin, "Can you bear to let our family not meet our new son-in-law?"

These words left Xi speechless. She smacked her tail irritably, unable to find a reason to refute. Taking advantage of the situation, Su Rui squeezed her hand. "Shall we go together? I want to know about your family."

Xi looked at Su Rui's expectant eyes, then at the Doctor's calm expression, and finally glared at Nian, who had a mischievous grin on his face. She took a deep breath. "... Whatever."

Nian cheered and wrapped her tail around the Doctor's waist. "Doctor! We need to discuss the procedures properly!"

"We definitely need to discuss Su Rui's physical condition." The Doctor obediently let Nian drag him away, giving Su Rui a communication gesture before leaving. "Tonight at eight o'clock, the Medical Department will conduct a full examination."

When the corridor finally fell silent, leaving only Xi and Su Rui, Xi suddenly sighed and rested her forehead on Su Rui's shoulder, "... So troublesome."

Su Rui chuckled and wrapped her arms around her, "Afraid to introduce me to your parents?"

"Shut up," Xi said sullenly, but her tail was wrapped around Su Rui's. "I'm just... not good at handling family gatherings."

"I'm here for you." Su Rui kissed her dragon horns. "Besides, your sister seems to like me quite a bit."

Xi raised her head, revealing a dangerous smile, "That's because she hasn't seen how talkative you can be yet."

Su Rui burst into laughter, the sound echoing down the hallway. Looking at his bright eyes and the dragon horns swaying with his laughter, Xi suddenly thought that perhaps having a noisy guy accompany her to the family gathering... wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Then, in the time leading up to the party, Nian planned to find something to do, such as making movies, and Su Rui would be a very good actress.

Xi wasn't interested in this, but Su Rui was quite keen to learn more, so Xi had no choice but to come along.

However, Xi had already stated beforehand. "I'm just watching you; I won't participate in the year's movies. They're all a bunch of huge pieces of garbage."

"Cut! Cut! Stop!" The loudspeaker slammed to the ground with a loud bang. She paced back and forth on set, her white hair twitching, the dragon's tail slapping the ground in frustration. "Little Su! This is 'Staring at the Demon King,' not 'Winking'! Your big eyes are blinking like a frightened fawn!"

Su Rui stood in front of the green screen, awkwardly clutching the prop sword. "But the script says this character is a 'kind-hearted Dragonkin prince,' I think he should..."

"Kindness doesn't equal naivety!" Nian lunged forward, grabbed Su Rui's shoulders, and shook her violently. "What I want is that complex feeling—a fierce exterior masking inner turmoil! Think about how you felt when Xi locked you in the painting and didn't feed you!"

"I've never done anything like that!" Xi's cold voice came from behind the monitor. She sat on a folding chair, her tail tapping impatiently on the ground, and no one dared to approach within three meters. "Also, don't touch him."

Nian rolled her eyes dramatically, released Su Rui, and turned to the entire room. "Twenty-minute break! Makeup artist! Add a scar to the corner of his eye! The more ferocious, the better!"

The set suddenly became busy. Su Rui took the opportunity to slip over to Xi's side and took the thermos cup that Xi handed her—it contained Xi's specially made herbal tea to relieve filming fatigue.

"How was it?" Su Rui asked expectantly, "Did I do a good job?"

Xi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. "It's better than that pile of script Nian wrote." She reached out and brushed the special effects powder off Su Rui's forehead. "But do you really want to continue? I don't think she knows what she wants at all."

"But it's very interesting!" Su Rui's eyes sparkled. "And Sister Nian said this part will describe the story of reconciliation between the Dragonkin and the human race in ' The Furnace Welcomes the Year '..."

"She completely revamped what was originally a passable script," Xi sneered. "Normal works don't have such a clichéd plot as 'a dragon prince falling in love with a human princess.'"

Just as Su Rui was about to retort, Nian's voice blared across the set again through the loudspeakers. "Attention everyone! We're about to shoot scene 37, the kiss that seals our love! Princess, take your positions!"

Xi's tail lashed out, leaving a crack in the ground. Su Rui quickly grabbed her arm. "It was just a trick! Sister Nian promised it was just a trick!"

As it turns out, "fake" has a unique definition in Nian's dictionary. When the actress playing the human princess—a petite Wolper actress—stood next to Su Rui, Nian's instructions became increasingly absurd:

"A little more! Let's touch noses!"

"Put your arms around her waist! No, a little lower!"

"Your eyes need to be drool-worthy! Imagine the world is ending tomorrow!"

Xi's scales all bristled. When the Wolper girl's lips were only 0.5 centimeters away from Su Rui, a dark dragon tail suddenly darted out and, like a seatbelt, violently pulled Su Rui away from the scene.

"Filming is on hold." Xi grabbed Su Rui by the back of her collar, her voice colder than Arctic ice. "I need to talk to the 'lead actor'."

Nian whistled. "Wow, this is the first time in my directing career that I've encountered family interference in my creative process!"

Xi dragged Su Rui into the dressing room, and the door slammed shut. The staff looked at each other, only hearing muffled arguing coming from inside:

"It's just acting..."

"... Try kissing him for real..."

"... Art needs..."

"... I'll draw you as a turtle..."

Ten minutes later, the two reappeared. Su Rui had a transparent protective film on her lips ("UV protection!" Xi explained stiffly), while the princess role was temporarily changed to a more subtle version of "gazing from afar, harboring affection."

Filming continued.

Su Rui gradually found his rhythm, combining Nian's exaggerated guidance with Xi Qiao's classical aesthetics to create a wonderful performance style—when the script required him to breathe fire to show off, he instead spat out a string of brilliant black runes; when he needed to show anger, he used his dragon tail to draw Yan characters on the ground.

Volume 9, Year 552: This is slander; my film isn't bad at all.

At first, she was shouting and yelling, but after seeing the effect on the monitor, she suddenly fell silent. She stroked her chin, watching the playback repeatedly, her eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Interesting... very interesting..."

Xi narrowed her eyes warily. "What are you up to now?"

Instead of answering, Nian suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Rewrite the script! Change the Dragon Prince's character to a 'fairy in a painting'! Su Rui, can you do ink wash dance?"

And so, the originally planned three-hour shoot was extended to a full day.

As the sun set, when Nian finally shouted "Filming wrapped," Su Rui was so exhausted that he transformed back into his dragon form and dozed off, coiled around Xi's lap. The tip of his tail was still unconsciously hooked around Xi's wrist, like a child clutching the hem of its mother's clothes.

"He's very talented," Nian said seriously, handing Xi a cup of hot tea. "That blend of innocence and antiquity... I've never seen it in any professional actor."

Xi gave a soft hum, but her fingers gently stroked Su Rui's mane. "Because he was only half-baked. He was neither a pure-blooded Dragonkin nor a true human."

"That's precisely what makes it precious." Nian lowered his voice, "Listen, I have a new project, <Legend of Ink Souls>, specially tailor-made for him..."

"Don't even think about it." Xi refused decisively. "Filming this one is enough—"

"The fee is for a VIP seat at the family gathering." Nian winked slyly. "My family definitely wants to meet this 'dragon who can make my sister's heart flutter'."