Allergic To Furry Things But Can Pet Them Mentally – CH22

Chapter 22

After class ended, the very first thing Tang Rong did upon leaving the learning pod was place a video call to his family and excitedly share everything he had seen and experienced on his first day of kindergarten.

He was especially eager to tell Third Brother that two children in his class were his fans.

Tang Hu suddenly felt a little embarrassed instead, scratching his head and then his face, unable to stop making small fidgety movements.

Because of the family’s circumstances, he really had received a lot of very good opportunities back then. He had never thought of himself as especially amazing. On the contrary, he had always felt that those achievements had come from his family background. Precisely because of that, four years ago, he had deleted his account and left without the slightest attachment.

Recently, because they had found his younger brother and he had decided to stay on the capital planet and live there, he had tidied up his music room again and paid some attention to current developments in StarNet’s music scene, as well as tags related to himself.

To his surprise, he discovered that the songs he had sung back then were still quite popular. Thanks to the release of the new season of the animated series The Fluffy Big Family, even more children had come to love the opening and ending songs he had sung. Some adults and children had even choreographed dances to his songs—full of energy and very adorable.

Although he had disappeared from public view for four years, it was obvious that his father and grandfather had continued controlling the public discourse. There was practically nothing to be found on StarNet discussing him. Besides, when he had left the entertainment circle, he had still been young and had simply loved music. He had never attended any public events, so there really was not much for netizens to talk about. At most, they would connect him to his mother.

Who would have thought… that children in his little brother’s class would actually treat him as an idol.

To say he was not happy would have been a lie. No one would be unhappy about being liked by others.

If Tang Hu were in his little fox form right now, all nine of his tails would definitely be wagging so hard they practically flew.

He was going to keep making music! He would not let down the people who liked him! He would make his little brother proud!

For the past two days, Second Sister had been working overtime to finish the little fox plush. Since it was meant to be the first formal gift for little brother, she was being especially picky, which naturally made the whole process take longer.

As for Tang Hu, he had also been hurrying to record songs.

Today was little brother’s first day of kindergarten. Taking advantage of that, he had dragged Second Sister out to the mall again and personally chosen a whole basket of snacks for little brother as a celebratory gift for his first day of school.

The second time going out, Tang Qiu felt slightly more at ease. She was not nearly as stiff and nervous as she had been the first time.

It was just bad luck that she happened to run into that same boy who had tried to strike up a conversation with her the first time and been rejected. The moment their eyes met, Tang Qiu felt so awkward all over that she quickly grabbed Tang Hu and fled as though oil had been smeared on the soles of their feet.

What kind of situation even was this… The mall was so huge, so why did they have to run into each other again in the supermarket?

Maybe the feng shui of that mall was bad.

Next time, they absolutely had to go to a different one.

When they got home, the two of them packed up the snacks they had bought and handed them over to a servant, asking them to deliver everything to Tang Rong’s place and leave it at the door for Tang Rong to open himself.

After the video call ended, Tang Rong learned that there was a surprise gift waiting for him and immediately slipped into his little tiger slippers and hurried to the foyer. The moment he opened the door, his eyes lit up.

Wow!

A gift box even bigger than he was!

The butler, who had followed behind him, also saw the enormous gift box and smiled helplessly.

So many snacks… Young Master would not know what year or month he would finish eating all of that.

Still, the sense of ceremony was definitely there. The little one was pleasantly surprised and overjoyed.

When Tang Rong opened the gift box, he did not let butler Uncle help. Like a little hamster hoarding food, he personally huffed and puffed while carrying every snack over to the snack shelf. He sorted them by packaging type and arranged them neatly in rows, which looked very satisfying.

Before long, several spare snack shelves and even the little refrigerator had all been filled to the brim.

Tang Rong was so tired that he flopped down onto the sofa and did not want to move anymore.

Smiling, the butler said, “Take a good rest for a while. Once you’ve rested enough, we’ll have dinner.”

Tang Rong nodded, then suddenly thought of something. He opened his optical brain, found an account on his contact list, and sent out a voice message: “Little Han-brother, have you eaten dinner yet?”

This was the very first time, aside from his family, that he had contacted someone else using his optical brain.

Once the message was sent, he stared nervously at the screen, waiting.

Very quickly, the other side replied: [I’m eating right now. What about you?]

It was not a voice message, but text.

Tang Rong could not really read. He only recognized a few very common, simple characters. Usually, when communicating with his family, he did it entirely through voice messages. But the optical brain had an AI reading function, which butler Uncle had taught him before. Soon enough, he listened as the AI read the message aloud once and understood what the other person had replied.

Although the system could directly translate it for its host, it still felt that it was better for the host to rely on himself where possible. First, that made it less likely that the system’s existence would be exposed. Second, it allowed the host to learn more and improve little by little.

Like right now—after hearing the AI read it once, Tang Rong’s mind automatically retained some impression of the characters. With repeated exposure, he would more or less master them eventually.

“I haven’t eaten yet, but I’m going to eat soon.”

“Then Little Han-brother, eat your meal well, okay? See you tomorrow.”

Whoosh, whoosh—two more soft little voice messages were sent out by the little cub.

At the side, the butler silently opened another Tang family group chat, the one Tang Rong was not in.

[This Little Han-brother is… ?] That was Tang Hu, sounding somewhat jealous after hearing his little brother call someone else brother.

[Probably the little crown prince. Shen Muhan. He bullied you when you were little.] That was Tang Qiu.

[???] Tang Hu was utterly baffled. How could he have been bullied by a child around the same age as his little brother?

[That little snow leopard from more than four years ago—before little Rong was born—the one who kept trying to bite your tail. It chased you for ages. You thought it wanted to bully you, but biting tails is simply a snow leopard’s instinct. It had only been born not long before that and couldn’t tell the difference between its own tail and someone else’s. Since you had nine tails, you were especially attractive to it. It really wasn’t trying to bully you.] That was Tang Zheng’en.

[…] Tang Hu fell silent. Dead memories suddenly launched a sneak attack on him.

[Who would have thought that little Rong would become friends with him on the very first day of school.] Tang Yinsheng sounded a little emotional.

The butler did not speak in the group, but his thoughts drifted back to many years ago.

Back then, the Empress and Madam had gotten pregnant one after the other. They often had afternoon tea together and chatted, even joking that if the two children got along well after they were born, they would arrange a child betrothal for them.

Who could have expected that later, such enormous changes would happen.

The butler sighed softly in his heart.

…

“I haven’t eaten yet, but I’m going to eat soon.”

“Then Little Han-brother, eat your meal well, okay? See you tomorrow.”

At the dining table, the little snow leopard’s optical brain rang several times in a row with the soft and adorable voice messages from a child. The little snow leopard immediately stopped gnawing on the small chicken drumstick in its bowl and focused intently on listening. Once it had heard them all, it quickly replied with a “See you tomorrow,” its long tail swaying happily behind it.

Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Having a friend really did make a difference.

Sending their son to kindergarten had truly been an especially correct decision.

Because he was going to see Tang Rong, and had received messages from Tang Rong too, the little snow leopard happily ate an extra half bowl of rice.

After dinner, it trotted and bounced into the bathroom with a little comb in its mouth, asking Daddy and Mommy to help bathe and brush it.

Every bit of fur on its body had to be lathered up, washed, dried, and brushed through—so that it could go see little Rong in its very best state.

Although the bathroom had a special wash-and-dry device made for small animals, the two of them still chose to bathe the little snow leopard themselves.

Artificial intelligence had indeed brought a great deal of convenience, but love was something unique to living beings that artificial intelligence could never replace. Just like how one could buy a scarf directly with money, but one could also knit it by hand, personally bathing one’s child held a very different kind of meaning.

Especially when the child was in fluffy spirit form—it was extremely fun to wash them.

The little snow leopard lay comfortably in its little bath basin, getting lathered up and scrubbed carefully by Daddy and Mommy.

“Lift your paw-paws.”

“Flatten your little ears a bit.”

“Raise your tail… very good, you can put it down now.”

The little snow leopard cooperated obediently, and very soon it was all washed up, becoming a clean and fragrant little leopard.

Once blow-dried, its fur was fluffy and soft again, with an excellent feel to it.

Just as Han Zhi, out of habit, was about to shower the little snow leopard with a few affectionate kisses, the little snow leopard darted away lightly and put a bit of distance between itself and its mother.

“Meowu.”

The little snow leopard gave its tail a quick swish.

Every time, Mommy would kiss it for ages, and every time, she would kiss its fur all flat. It had only just finished bathing and needed to keep itself at peak fluffiness and softness to go see little Rong, so for the moment, it could not let Mommy kiss it.

How could Han Zhi fail to see through its little thoughts? She only found it childish and adorable, but deliberately put on a wounded expression.

That made the little snow leopard hurry back toward her, making soft little ying-ying spoiled sounds as it rubbed lightly against her leg.

“Mii.”

After it came back from seeing little Rong, then Mommy could kiss it.

At the other side, Shen Chuanqiong finished his call with Old Master Tang and brought over the travel cage, setting it down on the floor.

The cage was not large, and it was not used often. A soft cushion had already been laid inside, etched with calming runes left behind by a healer, serving as a precautionary protective measure just in case.

The little snow leopard immediately picked up its long tail in its mouth and obediently climbed inside.

Shen Chuanqiong shut the cage door, and together with his wife, brought the little snow leopard onto the hovercar heading toward the Tang residence.

In autumn, the days were short and the nights long. After all that fussing around, it was nearly dark already.

The Tang family villa was located quite far away. By the time the hovercar arrived smoothly, a full moon had already risen high into the sky, looking especially bright against the black curtain of night.

The moment the car stopped, the little snow leopard excitedly picked up its own tail again, and both little ears stood straight up.

The butler had already been waiting at the entrance to the villa district ahead of time.

When he first heard that the little crown prince intended to meet the young master in snow leopard form, he had been shocked for a long while. After all, the two children had only known each other for a single day—wasn’t this a little too fast? What was more, the young master did not know that the little crown prince’s spirit form was a snow leopard, and they had no plans to reveal that tonight either.

But when he heard that the young master liked snow leopards very much, he, sir, and old master all arrived at the same thought—because of the psychological shadow left by life on the garbage planet, the young master had always been too afraid to touch small animals. This little snow leopard might become an excellent opportunity for him to lower his guard around animals.

If things improved, the family members would then be able to use their spirit forms to cuddle up to him and deepen their bond, paving the way for revealing their identities later on.

So, after the call ended, Tang Yinsheng and Tang Zheng’en discussed things for a bit and agreed to this meeting.

Tang Yinsheng was still in the hospital, while Tang Zheng’en’s spiritual power had only just completely stabilized over the past two days, and he had gone off to handle some matters, too late to return to Eden Garden in time. So tonight, the butler alone would host the three of them.

After all, the focus of the evening was the little snow leopard and Tang Rong.

Because of the little snow leopard’s special identity, they could not meet in the normal way. After discussion between both sets of parents, they had decided to design a “chance encounter.”

They would place the little snow leopard near Tang Rong’s house so that when Tang Rong went out for an evening walk, he would happen upon it. A little later, the “owners” would appear to claim it, saying it was a domesticated snow leopard with a home, and they would leave contact information so that future visits and cuddles could be arranged.

Of course, that was only the most ideal possible outcome. None of them could guarantee that just because Tang Rong liked snow leopards a lot, he would definitely be willing to cuddle the little snow leopard.

After all, the little nine-tailed fox had already set a precedent. It was obvious that Tang Rong liked nine-tailed foxes very much and had spent quite a lot of time around it, yet he still refused to get too close to it.

Some psychological wounds were very hard to heal easily.

Recently, they had already consulted some child psychologists, though they had not yet begun making a concrete plan or letting Tang Rong meet one.

Still, trying this would not hurt.

Once the people in the car came down, the butler respectfully led them to the reception room.

There was an instrument there used to test values related to spiritual power.

For Tang Rong’s safety, they absolutely had to make sure the little snow leopard passed the test first.

Although the little crown prince had difficulty maintaining human form because of his overwhelming talent, there was technically nothing wrong with his spiritual power itself, and in daily life he normally did not need to wear restraining gear. But it was like a container holding water—the container was too small, while the liquid inside rose too quickly. If one was not careful, it would overflow. Once it overflowed, it would contaminate the surrounding environment. Applied to him, that meant he would easily lose control, vent destructively, and damage everything around him.

And if the overflow became too much and too fast, the container itself might not be able to bear the pressure and would shatter completely. That was what they feared most.

Fortunately, he was still young, and his spiritual power was not yet too strong, so it was still relatively manageable.

If the test showed that all of the little snow leopard’s spiritual-power-related values were normal, then he could go see Tang Rong.

Placed into the instrument, the little snow leopard obediently sat there in a ball and waited for the test to finish.

…

Because of all the snacks his older siblings had bought him, the butler had specifically instructed the cook to reduce the amount of dinner prepared for Tang Rong tonight.

Although eating too many snacks was not good, it was not as though this happened every day. Occasionally eating a little less of a proper meal and having some snacks instead would not do any harm to health, and would probably make him even happier.

Following an absolutely perfect health regimen every single day would be far too boring.

After finishing dinner, Tang Rong went over to the snack cart and excitedly picked out some packaged snacks whose wrappers caught his interest.

Most of the snacks were portioned in small servings, very considerate of a little cub’s appetite, letting him sample more different varieties.

Among them, Tang Rong liked one particular kind of chocolate candy with a filling the best, and could not help eating several extra pieces.

The outside of the chocolate candy was slightly firm, but when he bit into it, the filling inside turned out to be a liquid with a completely different flavor from the outer shell. Not only was it interesting, but the texture was especially rich too.

After several pieces, Tang Rong felt so overwhelmed with sweetness that he was practically about to faint from bliss.

The system suddenly spoke up: [Host… Host… there seems to be something wrong with this candy.]

Tang Rong’s head felt a little light and fuzzy. This fuzzy feeling was not mental, but physical. His cheeks had also turned slightly red. He instinctively lowered his head and looked at the still-wrapped candy in his hand, not understanding what could possibly be wrong with it.

The candy was small, and the wrapper was not big either. There were some abstract design patterns printed on the bag, along with very tiny writing too small to see clearly. Tang Rong could not read, and he had not paid special attention to it.

The system said again: [I think the center is liquor-filled.]

Most likely, because his older brother and sister had bought too many snacks, they had not noticed that among them was a kind of candy with an alcoholic filling. Still, the alcohol content in a liquor-filled candy like this was probably very, very low. One could tell from its host’s reaction that he had not been greatly affected.

Tang Rong blinked.

Liquor filling… alcohol…

He knew what alcohol was, even though he had never tasted it.

He knew alcohol could make people drunk and lose their reason.

On the garbage planet, there were often people wandering outside at night after getting drunk. Once, Tang Rong had even been cut by shards from a bottle deliberately smashed by a drunkard. Thankfully, Tang Rong had run fast enough and had not become an outlet for that man’s already numbed mind.

After that, every time Tang Rong heard that sort of disturbance, he would stay far away to avoid being dragged into it.

Because of those experiences, although he had never tasted alcohol, deep in his subconscious he had never liked the stuff.

He had not expected that the candies he had eaten would turn out to be liquor-filled.

The system explained: [Alcohol has both good and bad sides. Drinking too much is bad, but drinking a moderate amount is fine. It can even strengthen the body. Look, didn’t the liquor filling taste pretty good?]

Tang Rong smacked his lips a little, unconsciously savoring the taste of the candies he had just eaten.

They really had tasted very good.

It was just that his body really did feel a little dizzy.

Still, it had not reached the point of actually making him “drunk.”

The system suggested: [Drink some water, then go out for a walk and get some air. You should sober up.]

Tang Rong obediently did as it said. He put the candy still in his hand back into the bag, gulped down half a cup of warm water, zipped up his little jacket, changed his shoes, and went outside.

Every evening after eating, Tang Rong would go out for a little walk to digest his food. At the beginning, he only moved around inside his own courtyard, but later, once he got used to it, he started walking outside the courtyard too.

In any case, this whole area belonged to his family’s territory, so it was very safe. The scenery was also beautiful. Once night came, all the retro old-fashioned street lamps would light up, making everywhere bright and clear.

Butler Uncle had gone off to meet a friend about something, so only the little housekeeping robot followed behind Tang Rong at a leisurely pace.

The autumn night breeze felt wonderfully comfortable. Tang Rong wandered aimlessly along the path. Around him there was only the sound of tiny insects, quiet and peaceful.

He really liked it here. He no longer had to be too afraid to go out once the sky darkened, no longer had to stay on edge worrying about danger around every corner. He could walk while looking at the moon and stars.

The only problem was that his head felt a little fuzzy tonight, and the liquor-filled candy had made his body feel a little strange too.

Before long, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes fixed directly on something about two meters away, and he quickly rubbed his eyes.

After rubbing them, the little snow leopard was still there, standing in the same spot, without disappearing.

It seemed… it was not an illusion.

Naturally, the system also saw the little snow leopard in the distance and immediately said: [Host, I think it’s alive. You sh—] stay away from it.

Before the system could finish, Tang Rong—slightly affected by the alcohol—had already taken eager strides toward it, impatient to get closer.

It was a little snow leopard!

His little snow leopard!

The system screamed in collapse: [Host, don’t go over there! It’s alive!! Run!!!]

The good news was that the system’s panicked shout snapped some of Tang Rong’s reason back into place, and he managed to stop just in time.

The bad news was that the little snow leopard did not continue standing still where it was. Instead, it took a few steps forward, pushed off with its hind legs, and leapt straight into Tang Rong’s arms.

Tang Rong staggered from the impact and instinctively lifted his arms to catch it, nearly falling over.

Luckily, the little snow leopard was small, and luckily, the housekeeping robot sensed danger and came up from behind to steady him.

The warm and soft touch, the wrist wrapped by the long tail, the little ears rubbing against his chin… Tang Rong’s mind exploded with a bang.

The slight tipsiness from the liquor-filled candy vanished completely.

Tang Rong suddenly realized with full clarity—what he was holding in his arms was a real snow leopard, a fluffy snow leopard, a snow leopard that should make him break out in allergies.

The terrible memory of the time he had touched a puppy and become so allergic he could barely breathe erupted into enormous panic inside him. His mind went completely blank, unable to process any more information. Even the system’s voice was automatically filtered out.

His eyes became hot and wet. Tears rolled down quickly, and after being chilled by the night wind, they soon turned cold and sticky, only to be washed over again by new, warm tears, falling from his thin chin.

“Wuu…”

Tang Rong finally lost control and burst into loud sobs.

The system had said it only had one chance to save him, and it had already used that chance the last time, when he touched the puppy. If he had another allergic reaction now, the system would not be able to save him again.

He was about to die from allergies.

The little snow leopard that had been rubbing itself all over him froze when it heard the sudden crying. Completely confused, it lifted its little head, not understanding what had happened.

What it did not expect was that the next second, the little cub holding it would press his tear-damp face right into its fur and, while sobbing, start taking huge huffing breaths of it.

Little snow leopard: “…?!”

The system, after reading what was in its host’s mind: […]

What it had read was this: Tang Rong felt that since he was going to die of allergies either way and had no way out, he might as well take the chance to pet and cuddle enough fluff to his heart’s content and leave this world in happiness.

After all, he loved fluffy things so much, and loved little snow leopards so, so much. In this moment, setting everything else aside, he had gotten to pet fluffy things and a little snow leopard. He really did feel especially, especially happy.

The system fell silent. The system was impressed.

Its host’s thought process was truly… far too straightforward and grounded.

Because of this sudden turn, the system abruptly noticed something and hesitantly said: [Host… are you… not having an allergic reaction?]

But Tang Rong was currently too immersed in crying and inhaling little snow leopard fur to notice. His brain automatically filtered out the system’s voice.

Before the system could say anything else, a system sound exactly like its own suddenly rang out—

[Ding~ Points +20]

System: [!!!]

This time, even the system was too shocked to speak.

After crying for about three minutes, the butler—who had been keeping an eye on the surveillance—hurried over in great haste.

They had imagined many possible outcomes. Some involved Tang Rong getting along very well with the little snow leopard. Some involved Tang Rong not daring to touch it. There were even scenarios where Tang Rong might get frightened by the little snow leopard approaching him, run away, or even cry… but not a single one of them had expected anything like this.

By the time the butler arrived, several patches of the little snow leopard’s clean, fluffy fur had already been soaked by the little cub’s tears. And under the little cub’s kisses and vigorous rubbing, its sapphire-like eyes had gradually turned dazed. Its whole body had gone limp and soft, and it had fully become a little snow leopard plushie to be kneaded at will.

The butler’s arrival slowly pulled one little cub, who had been immersed in despair at the thought of imminent death, back into reality.

“Uncle…” Tang Rong clutched the little snow leopard in his arms tightly, his voice thick with the nasal sound of crying, and looked up at the suddenly appeared person beside him through tear-filled eyes, utterly aggrieved.

He was about to die. He would never see Butler Uncle again.

And he would never see Grandpa, never see Dad, never see Sister, never see Brother, never see the little fox, never see the little bird again…

The system seized the chance to shout: [Host!!!]

This time Tang Rong actually heard the system. He hiccuped a little from crying and blinked his eyes, still blurred by tears, waiting for what it had to say next.

The system quickly went on: [Did you notice? You didn’t have an allergic reaction this time!]

Tang Rong blinked again and lowered his head to look at his hands, half-covered by the little snow leopard’s fur.

There really were no red spots at all.

And he could feel it too—there was nowhere on his body that felt itchy.

Just like the system said, he had not had an allergic reaction.

Since he was not allergic, then he certainly was not reliving that last terrifying experience of nearly suffocating to death after touching the puppy either.

He was still perfectly alive.

…Why?

The system said: [Don’t worry about that first. We’ll discuss it later. Deal with the butler first—he must have rushed over the moment he saw something was wrong here, and you need to explain why you suddenly hugged the snow leopard and cried like this.]

[Tell him about the snow leopard doll Grandma made for you before. Say that seeing the little snow leopard made you think of that doll and of Grandma.]

The system rattled all of this off in one breath without the slightest hesitation.

Not being allergic and even gaining points was fantastic news. That could be discussed later. The most urgent matter now was handling the butler.

And the best explanation was Grandma and the snow leopard doll. First, it would help smooth things over. Second, they still did not know why this little snow leopard of unknown origin did not trigger Tang Rong’s allergy. Ideally, it should be kept around for further observation. Using this excuse would then naturally lead to asking to keep the snow leopard.

By now Tang Rong’s mind had fully cleared up. He had always been a clever little cub, and he reacted quickly.

While the butler pulled soft tissues from his pocket and wiped away his tears, Tang Rong obediently said nothing, only unable to stop himself from glancing down again at the little snow leopard in his arms.

What an adorable little snow leopard.

Alive.

Its fur was incredibly soft.

It did not make him allergic.

He liked it so much.

Once his tears had been wiped clean, Tang Rong finally heard butler Uncle tentatively ask why he had suddenly started crying.

Tang Rong’s eyes felt swollen and uncomfortable from all the crying, so he instinctively closed them and rubbed his little face lightly against the fluffy head of the snow leopard. Then, following the system’s earlier prompt, he obediently told him about Grandma and the little snow leopard doll Grandma had made for him.

The more the butler listened, the more his heart ached.

His eyes even grew a little wet too, though the lenses of his glasses covered it up and he forced it back down. He absolutely could not start crying in front of the young master at a time like this.

Ever since they had brought Tang Rong back, they had not dared ask too much about his past life on the garbage planet. It sounded too bitter, and they were afraid of stirring up painful memories. Besides, he was still so young—he might not even remember everything clearly. If they asked, he would only have to relive it all again, further deepening those miserable days in his heart. Better to keep looking forward and fill his future here with more happy memories.

As for the “Grandma” Tang Rong had mentioned—they had actually investigated her. They had worried she might have had some connection to the people who had abducted Tang Rong back then. The good news was that Grandma had simply been a kind elderly woman with absolutely nothing to do with the events of four years ago. Sadly, after her death, there was not even a grave left. Her ashes could not be found either, and she had no relatives still alive. The Tang family had no avenue left to repay her.

Perhaps her greatest wish had simply been for the child she had taken in—little Rong—to grow up safely and well.

And that, the Tang family would certainly fulfill far beyond what was required.

After haltingly telling the story of himself, Grandma, and the little snow leopard doll, Tang Rong finally freed himself completely from the emotion that had overwhelmed him earlier. Hugging the little snow leopard in his arms even tighter, he eagerly asked, “Uncle, can I keep this little snow leopard?”

That sentence brought the butler back to himself as well. Gently, he refused: “Probably not. This snow leopard belongs to a friend of Uncle’s. He brought it over tonight, but we didn’t expect it to run over here to Rongrong.”

After all, this little snow leopard’s real identity was the little crown prince. There was no way it could actually be left behind as a pet.

Rejected, Tang Rong pressed his lips together and looked down at the fluffy body in his arms, still unwilling to let go.

In his mind, the system was also urging him to keep trying and see if he could meet the snow leopard’s owner.

They badly needed to keep this snow leopard that did not trigger its host’s allergies. And even if they could not keep it, they at least needed to stay in contact with the owner. After all, it gave so many points. If they could arrange for Tang Rong to pet it once a week on a regular basis, that would be a stable source of points.

So Tang Rong asked again, “Then can I meet the little snow leopard’s owner?”

The butler froze for a moment, then readily agreed. “Of course. Uncle will take you to meet them. We can return the little snow leopard while we’re at it.”

…

Meanwhile, over in the reception room, Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong, who had been watching the surveillance feed, hurriedly put on sunglasses and masks and quickly tidied themselves up, waiting for the arrival of the little cub.

Their identities were sensitive, and they were directly tied to Shen Muhan, so if they were going to pose as the little snow leopard’s owners, they naturally had to cover up their appearances.

For that very reason, before leaving home, after bathing the little snow leopard, they had also changed into casual clothes. The outfits were even a matching couple’s set they had bought back in university.

With the way they looked now, they resembled a young couple who had only recently graduated. There was no way anyone would guess their son was already four years old.

Watching on the surveillance feed as the little cub was clearly getting tired from holding the little snow leopard for so long but still absolutely refused to put it down and let anyone else carry it, both of them could not help smiling.

What an adorable little child.

And clearly very fated with their son.

In the end, the butler really could not bear watching anymore, so he simply picked Tang Rong up together with the little snow leopard in his arms and carried them toward the reception room.

Arriving ahead of them was a bottle of eye drops and a small towel, clearly arranged by Old Master Tang and Mr. Tang after seeing Tang Rong’s swollen crying eyes on the surveillance feed.

The pair waited patiently for a while longer, and at last, the sound of a knock came from the reception room door.

Han Zhi cleared her throat lightly. “Please come in.”

The door opened, and the little cub holding the little snow leopard walked in together with the butler.

Seeing the way the two people in the room were dressed, the system launched into analysis with great confidence: [Their identities should be public figures, like celebrities or something, so they have to cover themselves tightly so passersby won’t see their faces or track where they’re going. Otherwise they could get photographed and posted online, which would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble.]

Tang Rong listened in a haze. He was not interested in the identities of the two people at all. The only thing he cared about was the little snow leopard in his arms.

Although the system said that being able to pet the little snow leopard regularly would also be very good, he still wanted even more to keep the little snow leopard himself, hard as that would be, since it belonged to someone else.

It was rare for Tang Rong to want something so badly. The little snow leopard in his arms was the very first.

The butler took the initiative to introduce them. “Uncle and Auntie are the owners of the little snow leopard.”

Tang Rong obediently greeted them. “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie.”

Looking at his slightly swollen eyes, Han Zhi said with concern, “Oh dear, why are your eyes swollen? Let’s put in some eye drops and give them a cool compress first, otherwise they’ll feel very uncomfortable.”

Auntie’s voice was very gentle, and Tang Rong instantly had a good impression of her.

The butler also noticed the eye drops and small towel on the nearby table. He went into the bathroom, wet the towel, wrung it out, and gently wiped Tang Rong’s face again. Then he put a drop of eye medicine into each eye.

Even while having the eye drops put in, Tang Rong still refused to let go of the little snow leopard in his arms. He treasured it far too much.

At the side, Shen Chuanqiong and Han Zhi both felt a little embarrassed about asking for their son back.

Still, their son was still their son. They could not possibly really let him become someone else’s pet.

“It’s getting late.” Han Zhi gave another light cough, trying to pave the way for taking the little snow leopard back.

Shen Chuanqiong was just about to continue from that point when a soft “meowu” sounded from not far away.

It came from the little snow leopard.

The little snow leopard was staring straight at them, its long tail firmly looped around the wrist of the little cub holding it.

For a moment, the two of them could not quite tell what the meaning behind that cry was supposed to be.

Tang Rong also heard the adorable sound coming from the snow leopard in his arms and lowered his gaze in delight.

This was the first time he had ever heard a snow leopard’s cry from so close.

It really did sound like a kitten.

So cute!

Now Tang Rong was even more unwilling to let the little snow leopard leave.

Then, the next second, the little snow leopard suddenly turned around in his arms, wrapped its paws around him, and hugged him like an embrace.

Only Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong understood that this meant it did not want to leave.

The two of them thought it over for a moment and suspected their son might simply be too overwhelmed. After all, it was his first time making a friend and his first time meeting that friend offline. He probably did not want to leave and that was why he had interrupted them.

So Shen Chuanqiong said, “It’s actually not that late. We can chat with Old Ji a little longer. The little one seems to really like this child. We can let them play together a bit more. We usually don’t have much time to play with it ourselves anyway.”

This extra time should satisfy their son.

That last sentence was also laying the groundwork for bringing the little snow leopard here more often in the future so it could play with Tang Rong.

Who would have expected that the little snow leopard would anxiously cry out twice more in succession: “Meowu, meowu.”

Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong froze completely.

That still wasn’t enough? Could it be that it actually wanted to stay the night?

The two little ones had not even done much yet. Tang Rong had only cried while holding it, and they had not properly played together at all.

Listening to the soft little cries from the little snow leopard in his arms, Tang Rong finally gathered up his courage and said, “Uncle, Auntie, if you usually don’t have time to play with the little snow leopard, could you give it to me? I’ll take good care of it. I can also trade something with you. I really like it.”

He knew that asking for something that belonged to someone else was not good behavior, but he had tried his best to sound as polite and sincere as possible.

The moment Tang Rong finished speaking, the little snow leopard let out another “meowu,” as though echoing him.

Through their sunglasses, Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong exchanged a somewhat troubled glance and then both looked over at the butler.

Adjusting his glasses, the butler could tell that something about the situation was not quite right. After thinking for two seconds, he bent down and said gently to Tang Rong, “Rongrong, can you give Uncle and Auntie a little time to decide? First, put down the little snow leopard, and let Uncle take you to the bathroom to cool your eyes with a compress for a while. Otherwise your eyes will hurt even more tomorrow. By the time your eyes are done, Uncle and Auntie should have made a decision. And even if they can’t bear to let Rongrong keep the little snow leopard, Uncle can still bring it over often to play with you. They live nearby.”

There was nothing wrong with any part of what he said, so Tang Rong had no choice but to agree.

Butler Uncle would not lie to him. If he said he could bring the little snow leopard over often, then he would absolutely do it.

The worst possible outcome would simply be that he could not keep the little snow leopard, but would still be able to see it often.

Seeing Tang Rong’s expression loosen, the butler reached out and took the little snow leopard from his arms.

The little snow leopard also cooperated very well, releasing both its paws and the tail wrapped around Tang Rong’s wrist.

The butler immediately set the little snow leopard steadily on the floor, then took Tang Rong by the hand and led him out of the room.

Tang Rong kept turning back every few steps, looking at the little snow leopard standing obediently in place and watching him, until the door finally blocked his view.

As it watched Tang Rong leave, the little snow leopard licked at the fur that had been soaked by his tears.

Salty. Several patches had gotten wet, too many for it to lick all at once.

Once Tang Rong had left, the little snow leopard stopped grooming itself. It quickly turned around, leapt onto the sofa in one bound, pawed open a neatly folded blanket lying there, and wriggled its whole body underneath it.

Before Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong could ask what it was doing, the bulging shape under the blanket transformed from a little snow leopard into a human child.

Shen Muhan poked his head out from under the blanket, clutching one edge of it with his little hands to cover his body, and quickly called out, “Dad, Mom.”

This time Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong were truly and thoroughly stunned.

They remembered every single date on which their son had turned back from snow leopard form. At first, he could change back once a month. Later, it became once every three or four months. Most recently, the gap had already stretched to seven and a half months.

According to that pattern, the next time he should have transformed back would have been next year.

So how could this suddenly…

Shen Muhan continued, “Being near little Rong feels really comfortable, and being held by him and petted by him felt really comfortable too. Just now, when he was holding me and crying, I could feel that I was able to change back, and the spiritual power inside me was flowing much more smoothly too.”

He was not foolish. He already loved reading books, especially those about spiritual power and spirit forms. Compared to other children his age, he was far more mature and intelligent—he could tell that this feeling of comfort around little Rong was very unusual.

After saying that, the human child turned back into a little snow leopard again.

It crawled out from under the blanket and resumed using its optical brain to communicate with them.

[But the effect doesn’t seem to last very long. As soon as he left, everything went back to how it usually is.]

[Can I stay by his side and live with him?]

Thinking back to the way the little child had said earlier, I really like it, the little snow leopard’s ears shyly flattened a little.

Then another sentence appeared on the optical brain—

[I really like him too.]

…

Meanwhile, Tang Rong was obediently led into the bathroom by butler Uncle, who wet a small towel with cold water, wrung it out, and prepared to place it over the little cub’s eyes.

A cold compress first would help reduce swelling, and later a warm compress could promote circulation and remove the swelling completely.

While the butler was busy preparing the towel, Tang Rong rolled up his sleeves and washed his little hands beneath the faucet, then took the chance to glance at the skin from his wrist to his forearm.

There really were no red spots at all.

He really had not had an allergic reaction.

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