Chapter 23
To give the other side enough time to finish their discussion, the butler deliberately slowed down his movements.
At last, once the cold, wet towel had finished soothing Tang Rong’s eyes, Tang Rong impatiently hurried back toward the room where the little snow leopard was, his short little legs moving as fast as they could.
The butler followed behind him and had to quicken his pace a little just to barely keep up. Looking at the fluffy little back of the child’s head, a helpless yet indulgent smile appeared on his face.
The moment the door opened, a pair of round sapphire-like eyes looked over.
“Miaowu.”
As soon as their gazes met, the little snow leopard lightly jumped down from the sofa, ran up to Tang Rong, rubbed affectionately against his leg, and even loosely curled its little tail around him.
Tang Rong immediately bent down and scooped it back into his arms, as though afraid it might be taken away from him. He rubbed his little face against its fur, treating it like a precious treasure he could not bear to put down.
That auntie was still there too, sitting on the sofa where the little snow leopard had been curled up earlier. As for that uncle, he had no idea where he had gone—he was not in the room.
While cuddling with the little snow leopard, Tang Rong glanced nervously toward the auntie not far away, unsure whether, after discussing it, they would be willing to let him keep the little snow leopard.
Their eyes met, and Han Zhi smiled and beckoned to him.
“The little thing is quite heavy. Come sit over here and hold him, so you won’t get tired.”
Tang Rong froze for a moment, then obediently carried the little snow leopard over and, under her guidance, sat down beside her.
This was the very spot where the little snow leopard had been curled up earlier, and it still held a trace of warmth.
Once he sat down, the little snow leopard naturally curled up on his lap, resting its head against his arm while Tang Rong’s little hand gently stroked its fur now and then. It felt wonderful.
Tang Rong kept his head slightly lowered as he petted the leopard, not daring to say anything first, afraid that talking too much would make him seem rude.
The little snow leopard smelled nice, and its fur was especially clean—soft and fluffy. It was obvious it had been very well cared for. It was clearly Uncle and Auntie’s treasured little darling.
Tang Rong felt that the chance of them actually letting him keep the little snow leopard was probably not very high.
As the little child stroked the little snow leopard’s fur, Han Zhi raised a hand too and gently smoothed his soft hair.
The feeling of being petted was very strange in a good way. Little animals liked being petted, and little children did too.
Even though this was the first time he had met this auntie, for some reason Tang Rong had an extremely good impression of her.
Her voice was gentle, and her movements were gentle too. Though she wore a hat and sunglasses so that her face could not be seen clearly, he could somehow still imagine a gentle face hidden underneath.
Before long, the room door was pushed open, and that uncle from earlier walked in.
Because of the sunglasses, Han Zhi had no way to exchange glances with her husband, so she could only wait for him to announce the final decision.
Shen Chuanqiong strode over to the sofa and finally stopped in front of Tang Rong, who was hugging the little snow leopard.
“Xiao Rong.”
Tang Rong instantly straightened up, tense as he waited for what came next.
“Uncle and Auntie are both very busy with work most of the time, and it’s true that we don’t have enough time to keep the little snow leopard company. If Xiao Rong really likes him, then the little snow leopard can stay here and keep you company.”
Tang Rong’s heart pounded wildly, and joy burst open inside him in an instant.
“However, Uncle and Auntie like the little snow leopard very much too, so when we happen to have some free time from work, we may take him back to stay with us for a few days now and then. Would that be alright with Xiao Rong?”
After all, he was their biological son—they could not really just give him away to Tang Rong as a pet. They still had to leave themselves a little “way back.”
“That’s okay!” Tang Rong nodded so hard he looked like a chick pecking rice. His arms tightened around the little snow leopard, deepening the hug, and his eyes curved into little crescents as he smiled.
This was wonderful! The little snow leopard could stay!
He was going to have his very own little snow leopard!
A super, super adorable little snow leopard that would not make him allergic and that he could pet all he wanted!
Tang Rong could not help burying himself in the little snow leopard again, rubbing his little face against it and kissing it, among other things.
The little snow leopard shyly pressed its ears down, but secretly tightened its tail around Tang Rong’s wrist.
The emotions of little children were always utterly undisguised. They showed everything openly, and they were especially easy to infect the people around them with those feelings.
Everyone in the room and everyone watching through the monitor could not help lifting the corners of their mouths a little at the sight.
After letting the child cuddle the snow leopard for a while, Han Zhi and Shen Chuanqiong also said they should be going.
Before leaving, they each touched the head of the little snow leopard curled in Tang Rong’s arms, saying nothing.
Shen Chuanqiong had not lied in what he told Tang Rong just now. They truly did not have much time to keep their son company in person, and they did not come to Eden very often either. One reason was that Eden was not close to the castle, and the other was that they worried coming here too frequently would arouse the suspicion of certain eyes that were always watching them.
More often, their meetings happened through virtual space as a medium.
They had done their best to fulfill their duties as parents, but they still could not accompany their son the way an ordinary family could. They often felt they owed him something.
The little snow leopard had gradually become used to a life in which they could not stay by his side often, becoming unusually independent. Their departure no longer caused him any negative emotions.
For the little one to be able to live with and accompany a child he liked was actually a good thing too.
At the very least, when they were not there, he would no longer have to wait all alone with eager eyes.
…
Once they got into the hovercar, the two of them opened their optical brains and carefully looked through the little snow leopard’s test report once again.
There were two reports in total. One had been taken when they first arrived, and the other had been taken while Tang Rong was away with the butler cooling his eyes.
Comparing the two, all the figures on the new report were more stable and improved than those on the old one.
The reason the little snow leopard felt that cuddling with Tang Rong was comfortable was not some psychological illusion. Tang Rong really did possess some sort of miraculous healing gift.
That was also why they had chosen to leave the little snow leopard behind.
Tang Rong was Teacher Yun Jian’s child, so there truly was a chance that he had inherited her healing gift. But according to the Tang family, Tang Rong was just an ordinary person. It was clear they were not lying, and they too were deeply shocked by these two reports.
Then there was only one possibility left.
—Tang Rong’s talent was unprecedented, something that could not be measured through conventional means.
Just like Shen Muhan’s SSS-rank spiritual power, which had directly destroyed a testing device the moment it was measured.
No one yet knew what Tang Rong’s exact situation was. Further examination would be needed.
His father, Tang Zheng’en, was already on his way back.
It was said that there had been a small new lead in the ambush from four years ago, and Tang Zheng’en had immediately rushed over to personally interrogate those involved. He had not said whether there had been any progress, though all the focus of his words had fallen on Tang Rong instead.
They would arrange a time as soon as possible to take Tang Rong to the best hospital for the relevant examinations.
That night, they would probably all be too excited to sleep well.
If Tang Rong truly possessed a unique healing gift unlike anything seen before, then the royal family, the Tang family, and even the entire star system would undergo earthshaking changes.
…
Afraid that holding the little snow leopard too long would tire Tang Rong out, on the way back, the butler simply picked up Tang Rong as well, carrying both little ones in his arms at once.
On the way back, Tang Rong suddenly thought of something and asked, “Uncle, what is the little snow leopard called?”
Though he had never kept a small animal before, he knew that when you raised one, you had to give it a name, just like Big Brother Xiao Hu and Big Sister Xiao Qiu.
That question stumped the butler a little. Not knowing how to answer, he said, “Uncle doesn’t know either. Uncle will call Uncle and Auntie later and ask.”
“Okay.”
After returning home, the butler immediately made a call to the private contact he had only just added.
A little while later, he returned to the living room and said to Tang Rong, who was still sitting on the sofa holding the little snow leopard, “Uncle and Auntie said they still haven’t had time to give the little snow leopard a name, so they want Xiao Rong to help choose one.”
To be honest, when he heard that reply, the butler had gone a little silent. Even if the little crown prince didn’t have a suitable nickname that could be used, they could at least have improvised some reduplicated pet name. Why hand the right to choose a name to a four-year-old child who still did not know many words…? Still, since the parents did not mind, there was not much he could say.
At the very least, from the perspective of raising a little pet, being able to name it yourself really did bring a greater sense of satisfaction.
Though he still could not help worrying that Little Young Master might come up with something a little bizarre.
When Eldest Young Master was little, he had once picked up a tiny black stray puppy that had only just been born and gotten lost. Afraid it would die outside, he brought it home and adopted it. Since Eldest Young Master had brought it back, the naming rights naturally fell to him as well. Without hesitation, Eldest Young Master gave it a two-character name—“Da Hei,” Big Black.
At that time, Da Hei had only been about the size of a booger. Calling it Xiao Hei, Little Black, would actually have fit much better. But Eldest Young Master had said it would grow up eventually, so he might as well go straight for the final version.
Later, the puppy slowly grew a little, but after a few months its size stopped changing at all. Only after tests did they discover that it was a failed teacup dog from some laboratory experiment. It would only ever be that big. Because of genetic defects, it died after just a few years and never got the chance to grow into its name.
After that, Eldest Young Master never kept another pet again.
Ahem, that was going off track.
If Little Young Master named things the same way his elder brother did… the butler would offer some timely guidance.
Tang Rong fell into deep thought after hearing this, the tips of his little tiger slippers nudging together so that the two tiger heads touched.
For someone as young as him, who had not received much education, naming something truly was a bit difficult.
The system, which had originally been talking with him in his mind about the points he had just earned, also said: [Think about it first. We can talk about allergies and points later. No rush.]
A name… a name…
Tang Rong lowered his head, lifted the little snow leopard in his arms so they were face to face, and stared into those beautiful beast eyes at close range, his little brain working quickly.
A name… a snow leopard name…
Snow leopard… leopard… leopardy…
Suddenly, Tang Rong had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, “Baby.”
“Mii?” The tip of the little snow leopard’s tail curled once.
Mother really did occasionally call him “baby” when she was cuddling him.
When he had been very little, Father and Mother had also often used that endearing term. But as he got older, he had started to feel that he was no longer a little snow leopard baby, but a big snow leopard who could devour several little chicken drumsticks in one meal. So he had become unwilling to let Father and Mother keep calling him “baby,” a name that felt a little too childish.
“Baby… Baby! Uncle, can we call him Baby? Leopardy, Baby—it sounds nice, doesn’t it?” Tang Rong was very pleased with the name and immediately looked to the butler for agreement.
The butler smiled and nodded. “Yes, that works. It’s a very cute name.”
It seemed Little Young Master actually had a decent talent for naming things—at the very least, much “better” than Eldest Young Master.
“Baby, Baby.” Tang Rong called the new name over and over as he rubbed the little snow leopard again.
The little snow leopard pressed its little ears down and gave a light flick of its tail, silently accepting the new nickname.
After all… this was the special name Xiao Rong had given only to him.
No other child had one.
Soon, Tang Rong suddenly noticed something and said to the butler, “Uncle, could you get me a comb? I want to brush Baby’s fur.”
Several little tufts of the little snow leopard’s fur were sticking together, probably because of the tears he had rubbed onto it earlier. He wanted to comb them apart for him.
The butler immediately brought him a brand-new comb.
It was a comb specially made for animals. After all, with so many fluffy spirit forms in the household, they were certainly not short on pet supplies.
Taking the comb, Tang Rong carefully began grooming the little snow leopard’s fur in his arms.
The little snow leopard was brushed so comfortably that he melted into a limp little snow leopard pancake.
Though the brushing was the same, and Xiao Rong’s technique was clearly much clumsier, he simply felt that Xiao Rong brushed more comfortably.
It felt as though his entire spirit form were being soothed, and the powerful spiritual energy inside him that was so difficult to control also became calmer.
At last, once every last tuft of fur had been brushed smooth, Tang Rong put down the comb and gave the little snow leopard a loud smack of a kiss on the head, flattening both his ears with the force of it.
For something you liked, a kiss was the most direct expression of love.
Just as Tang Rong finished kissing him and was about to put the little snow leopard back onto his lap, something suddenly licked him lightly beneath the chin with a little pink tongue.
Animals could not express kisses the way humans could, so licking was one of the ways they expressed affection.
A snow leopard’s tongue had tiny barbs on it, so when it brushed the skin, it left a faintly tingling numb sensation.
Tang Rong froze for a moment at being licked, then his eyes curved into a smile as he rubbed his cheek against the little snow leopard’s.
At the same time, on the other side, Tang Rong’s house surveillance was suddenly shared with two new members—the little snow leopard’s father and mother.
Current number of viewers online: 6.
Watching the cuddling interaction between the two little children on the screen, everyone felt something different.
Han Zhi leaned against Shen Chuanqiong, smiling with narrowed eyes. The two of them were thoroughly infected by the warmth of the scene and felt wonderful.
Tang Zheng’en was hurrying back to Eden. Watching the little snow leopard cuddling with his youngest son on the surveillance screen, his heart itched unbearably. He almost wanted to immediately turn back into his little lion form and take the little snow leopard’s place himself.
Tang Yinsheng was currently being nagged at by his private doctor, who insisted he absolutely had to rest and could no longer look at his optical brain. In order to watch his little grandson, he was doing his best to outwit the doctor.
Tang Hu, meanwhile, was so jealous his face was practically twisted. He had already turned back into his little fox form and was venting his feelings on several newly bought scratching boards. Because his spirit form was too strong, he had already scratched several of them to pieces.
Tang Qiu was continuing to make the little fox doll while waiting for Tang Hu to ask her to come along and go cuddle with little brother.
On the surveillance screen, after petting the little snow leopard for a while longer, the little child suddenly stopped and, as though thinking of something, turned the little snow leopard over in his arms so his belly faced upward.
In an absolutely safe environment, and in the hands of someone he absolutely trusted, the little snow leopard would not resist being turned over like this.
And besides, he liked having his belly rubbed.
Under everyone’s gaze, a little hand reached with perfect accuracy and touched the two soft, springy little balls at the base end of the little snow leopard’s tail.
Then the little child’s soft voice rang out:
“Baby is a boy.”
Everyone: “…”
Only then did the little snow leopard realize what had just happened. He shot up like a spring, and half the fur on his body puffed up.
[Ding~ Points +10]
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