It was 8 a.m. at the Starlight Amusement Park, with exactly one hour left before it opened. Yet, the entire park was already decorated with all kinds of colorful chibi-style Alien plushies, balloons, statues, and paintings.

Today was the annual Alien Birthday, and the staff members of Starlight Amusement Park were busy at their respective posts, preparing for this beloved cartoon festival that children adored.

Behind the stage theater, a long queue had formed, and without exception, everyone in the line had black hair and black eyes. However, their appearances varied greatly—some looked as young as 15, while others were as old as 40. Some had sharp and pointed chins, while others were round and plump. There were also others who had scruffy beards and wore thick glasses.

Against this contrasting backdrop, the person standing third from the last in line stood out completely. He was a delicate-looking youth, happily whispering into his wrist-mounted smart brain while making a call. His black eyes sparkled brilliantly, a stark contrast to the other black-haired individuals around him, who either appeared exhausted or slouched lazily as they waited.

"Don't worry! I'm sure I'll get selected." Xiao Yi glanced at the greasy, middle-aged man standing in front of him, then at the young man behind him with a square face and bulging frog-like eyes. Full of confidence, he assured Huo Li on the other end of the call, "I'm auditioning for the Alien role! Who could possibly do it better than me? I've already experienced 63 different professions, but I've never been an actor!"

Hearing this, Huo Li couldn't help but smile before replying warmly, "Yi Yi, happy 18th birthday! I've already reserved a cosmic limited-edition Frosted Birthday Cake from Lantis Restaurant. I'll pick you up later."

"Mm!" Xiao Yi replied, then covered his mouth and whispered proudly, "I discovered my acting talent when I was 2 years and 11 months old. Unfortunately, I've only been performing in everyday life—I’ve never set foot on an actual stage..."

The only two people who could clearly hear him, the greasy middle-aged man and the frog-faced young man, both secretly rolled their eyes. They were all so broke that they had to audition for an Alien role at a children's amusement park—how could this guy still be lost in his delusions of grandeur?

The line was long, but the auditions moved quickly, with each person getting only about a minute. About a third of those before Xiao Yi were shortlisted as candidates. After 20 minutes, it was finally his turn. Brimming with excitement, he followed a chestnut-haired middle-aged female assistant into the backstage area of the small theater.

Once inside, Xiao Yi stepped behind the curtains and saw a bearded director sitting in front of him.

Just as the youth adjusted his expression and was about to say his first line—

The bearded director impatiently said, "Rejected. Next."

"Why?!" the black-haired youth blurted out.

The bearded director, however, erupted like a firecracker. "We need someone ugly, unconventional, and reclusive—someone who can evoke sympathy!"

He whipped his head around and yelled at the chestnut-haired middle-aged woman, "How many times do I have to say this? Even though we're just a children's stage production, we can't mess around! We have to take every role seriously! And we're casting for the Alien—the kind that sacrifices itself to save all of humanity! Maggie, has water gone into your brain? Why would you bring in this pretty porcelain-doll boy for the audition?!"

Black-haired youth: ……

The chestnut-haired woman panicked and hurriedly replied, "I'm sorry, Lake! I'll bring in the next candidate right away."

But the director’s anger hadn’t subsided. "Maggie, get out and reflect on your mistake! Tom, bring in the next candidate!"

Seeing that the black-haired youth still wanted to argue, Maggie quickly grabbed Xiao Yi and pulled him outside. As they walked, she whispered, "Enough, just go! Don’t get on the director’s bad side. If you're really short on money, you can still try for other children's theater roles."

Even after they stepped out from behind the orange-red curtain, they could still hear the director's passionate monologue:

"Ugly, bullied, yet so kind… The heart of a tragic hero! How could this world, so obsessed with beauty and materialism, ever understand?"

Maggie led Xiao Yi to the entrance and stayed there herself to catch her breath. Seeing the dazed expression on the youth's face, she assumed he was crushed by the rejection and tried to console him.

"Kid, you're still young. Even if you're struggling in society, you can't just pin all your hopes on playing the Alien! Sure, every Alien production is funded by the Union, and poor actors who land the role get a huge subsidy. But this isn’t a long-term solution—you still need to find steady work..."

Xiao Yi muttered in a daze, "I'm not upset about being rejected. It's just... the way people envision the Alien is completely wrong. How could the Alien possibly be ugly?"

"That's him!"

Before Maggie could continue her lecture, the director’s excited voice suddenly roared from inside. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

A moment later, the frog-faced young man strutted out triumphantly.

Xiao Yi took a deep breath, turned around, and walked away.

"What's with that expression?!" The frog-faced youngster was displeased and shouted at the black-haired youth.

Maggie quickly caught up and tried to comfort him. "Kid, don’t be discouraged! Try for another role… The pay isn’t great, but at least it’s something."

The black-haired youth turned his head, feeling a little helpless, and explained to Aunt Maggie, "I’m not short on money. I just wanted to play the Alien today, that’s all."

But Maggie, along with the other candidates, the stagehands, and even the popcorn vendor nearby, all dismissed this as the youth’s stubborn pride—just an excuse to save face.

The chubby popcorn vendor kindly called out, "Hey, young man, if you’re looking for work, why not help me out here? I pay daily wa—wait, that… that’s a Hein 7th gen hover car!"

He pointed toward the distant main road, where a streak of blue light flashed past.

"It’s real! Look, everyone!"

"Whoa! I actually got to see it with my own eyes today…"

Everyone instantly forgot about the petty dispute between the black-haired youth and the frog-faced youngster. Their faces lit up with excitement as they gossiped about which elite aristocrat or corporate tycoon could possibly afford a top-tier luxury vehicle worth eight figures—and what business they had in this amusement park.

A few seconds later, the blue streak came to a smooth stop—right in front of the black-haired youth.

'No way… It couldn’t be what they were thinking… right?' The entire crowd paused with bated breath.

Then, a handsome man in a suit stepped out of the car, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers arranged from various exotic species. He strode toward the black-haired youth, then gracefully knelt on one knee.

With deep affection in his voice, he asked:

"Xiao Yi, will you marry me?"

The candidates who had failed to secure the Alien role cried out in their hearts—'Why is he so lucky?! Forget playing an ugly Alien—I want to be a pretty boy too!'

The youth looked at Huo Li, who was gazing at him with the eagerness of an oversized puppy. Seeing that unwavering focus, he happily accepted the bouquet. Then, suppressing a laugh, he reached out and ruffled Huo Li’s hair, teasing:

“If I remember correctly, we’ve already been married for 14 years, aren’t we?”

After having his hair ruffled, Huo Li stood up, looking smug and content. He leaned in close to the youth’s ear and whispered, “Back then, you weren’t an adult yet. Xiao Yi, you finally turned 18 today… I just wanted to confirm it once more.”

The youth laughed softly and whispered back in Huo Li’s ear, “And what if your confirmation fails? Are we getting a divorce?”

“Not a chance!” Huo Li turned his head and captured the youth’s lips in a kiss.

Just as the pink bubbles between them were about to overflow and drown the entire small theater in their sweetness, a sudden beep shattered the moment. The wristwatch smart brain, hidden beneath the youth’s sleeve, had issued an emergency priority alert!

The youth had no choice but to push Huo Li away and roll up his sleeve to check the sender. The moment he saw the name, he nearly jumped like a startled bird.

“It's Xu Yun Cheng again! I swear, he’s got some serious pregnancy syndrome. Xiao Mao is already carrying their third baby… What problem could possibly happen!” With a wary expression, the youth tapped open the message. “What do you mean ‘the daughter is missing’?! Isn’t she still inside Xiao Mao’s belly? How could she be missing?!”

Huo Li, stifling his frustration at yet another intrusion into their alone time, accepted his fate and activated his Hein brand smart brain's specialized telepathic communication. He connected mentally, using his psychic ability to inquire about the situation.

Meanwhile, the black-haired youth quickly walked over to Maggie and handed her a business card. “If you ever want a career change, Starlight Entertainment under Hein will always welcome you.”

Without waiting for a response, the youth swiftly activated his smart brain and joined Huo Li and Xu Yun Cheng’s telepathic group chat to understand the situation.

“Starlight Entertainment! Did he really mean that Star Entertainment?” Tom, who had been assigned to replace Maggie, exclaimed in shock. “No way! Even if he’s a top executive at Hein, he can’t just assign people to Star Entertainment at will! He’s totally bluffing, right?”

Still holding the semi-transparent contact card made of astral stone, Maggie felt like she was standing on clouds. She stared blankly at the name printed on it and murmured, “Chairman… Ethan Hein.”

Meanwhile, the youth—who had long since integrated into human society under the identity of Ethan Hein—wore a grave expression. “We’re heading over immediately!”

With a wave of his hand, Huo Li stored the hover car in his spatial storage. The black-haired youth then grabbed Huo Li’s arm, and in an instant, they vanished into thin air.

“An—An Ability User?”

“I actually saw a real-life Ability User…”

“That black-haired youth was the chairman of the Hein Financial Group! And he’s an Ability User?!”

But Xiao Yi and Huo Li had no time to care about the shocked, statue-like onlookers in the amusement park. The two had already teleported several small star systems away, arriving at Xu Yun Cheng’s home.

As soon as they appeared, Xiao Yi immediately released his spiritual power, scanning Xiao Mao, who was sitting on the living room sofa.

“Uh… the baby came back just now.” Xu Yun Cheng’s voice came from behind them.

Within a single second, the black-haired youth confirmed that the fetus was safe and that Xiao Mao was unharmed. Then, he abruptly turned around:

“Xu Yun Cheng, are you messing with me?! I already paid off my debt for shooting Xiao Mao four times—why am I still stuck as your personal babysitter?!”

However, Xu Yun Cheng remained anxious. “But just now, my daughter really disappeared for 5 minutes and 27 seconds! Xiao Mao, she—”

“She’s fine.” The black-haired youth cut him off impatiently.

Huo Li, standing to the side, immediately pulled the agitated youth into an embrace. He placed a reassuring kiss on the back of Xiao Yi’s neck and murmured soothingly, “Yi Yi, don’t be angry. I scanned their memories—they weren’t lying to you.”

Xu Yun Cheng choked for a moment before squeezing out a response, “Wow, how very considerate of you.”

Under the persistent pleas of Xu Yun Cheng, who was deep in the throes of pregnancy anxiety, Xiao Yi and Huo Li had no choice but to stay at his home for the time being.

The black-haired youth still grumbled angrily, “Here, I’ll give you a gun right now. You can aim it at my head and fire four shots—hell, make it forty! Then we’ll be even, how about that, Xu Yun Cheng?”

“No way he’d do that!” Xiao Mao, still lounging on the sofa, teased with a grin. “Yun Cheng’s planning to hold onto those four bullets until the next century.”

Xiao Yi glanced at Xiao Mao, who was rubbing her belly with a blissful expression, and then at Xu Yun Cheng, who was sternly guiding his two young sons—ages four and six—through fun math exercises, determined to get them into the top interstellar elementary school for the best elite education.

He couldn’t help but think that the 'cloud-raising' cat was turning out to be more and more fitting.

Meanwhile, Huo Li, whose carefully planned proposal had been interrupted and then drowned in a display of marital affection, refused to be outdone. He gently wrapped an arm around the black-haired youth and began passionately introducing the 99 flowers he had personally cultivated…

Half an hour later, Xiao Mao’s belly suddenly shrank slightly.

Xiao Yi and Huo Li, who had been on high alert, instantly spread a web of black threads throughout the entire room.

At the same time, Xu Yun Cheng used his space-time ability to teleport his two sons upstairs.

“An Ability User—your daughter is actually an Ability User?!” Xiao Yi exclaimed in shock as he scanned the situation.

“Her ability seems to allow her to transform into all things… even spiritual power can’t detect her,” Huo Li added, relaying the results of the black threads’ search.

For once, Xu Yun Cheng’s voice held an unusual tension and uncertainty. “But abilities aren’t hereditary…”

Xiao Yi scoffed, “Who told you that? It’s just that most Ability Users in the past never married or had children. Your daughter is an Ability User—a very powerful one, too.”

Just then, Xiao Mao’s belly swelled back to its original size. The baby had returned. Only then did Xiao Mao and Xu Yun Cheng let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hang in there, Xu Yun Cheng! Looks like until your daughter grows up and learns to control her abilities, you'll have one thing to worry about daily—‘Where did my daughter go today?'" Huo Li said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Well, she's your daughter. No matter how exhausting it gets, you’ve got to raise her, right?" The black-haired youth added with an air of detached amusement, "I mean, she’s only six months old and can already scatter herself across the room. Who knows? By the time she’s six, she might end up on the moon."

With that, Huo Li and Xiao Yi waved at the utterly stunned Cloud-Raising Cat ("雲養貓" yún yǎng māo) couple before vanishing—finally off to resume their long-interrupted birthday date.