Chapter 26
Tang Rong had actually seen lions before on his optical brain, but his impression of them was not very deep. In his subconscious, lions ought to be very large and fierce animals. This little lion, however, was just too small, and orange besides, so it was very easy to mistake it for an orange cat with a trimmed coat.
The moment it let out that meow, the little lion regretted it a little. Too impulsive. How was it supposed to explain to little Rong later that it was not actually a cat, but a lion?
But on second thought—whatever. Was this really the only thing they were hiding from little Rong? Right now, cheering little Rong up was more important than anything else.
Besides, lions and cats both belonged to the feline family, so if one really got technical about it, there was not much wrong with it.
Whatever his son said it was, that was what it was.
From today onward, its spirit form was a cat.
The little snow leopard was shocked. The little snow leopard did not understand. Holding the flower in its mouth, it quickly ran over to Tang Rong’s legs.
Tang Rong lowered his gaze and naturally noticed the flower in the little snow leopard’s mouth. With a hint of surprise, he bent down. “Is this for me?”
The little snow leopard immediately handed the flower over to him, let out a little “mi,” and swished its tiny tail.
If not for that little lion suddenly jumping out, it had originally wanted to pick even more flowers for little Rong.
This little lion was about the same size as it, so it was definitely also a spirit form. Just like the little bird carrying flowers this morning, it should be little Rong’s family member or friend.
“Thank you, baby.” Tang Rong quickly rubbed the little snow leopard on the head.
While Tang Rong was bent down receiving the flower, the butler swiftly exchanged a whole series of looks with the little lion standing not far away.
At last, once Tang Rong had straightened up again, the butler slowly said, “Rongrong, this should be a little cat living nearby. It drops by from time to time.”
Having received its brand-new “cat identity,” the little lion lightly flicked its tiny tail.
Tang Rong blinked, and his gaze once again fell on the “little cat” in the distance.
Back on the garbage planet, he had often seen stray cats too, but most strays were very afraid of people. The moment they heard any sound or saw someone approaching, they would dart far away at once. They were extremely wary.
Unlike this little cat, which did not seem afraid of people at all. It sat there properly on the grass and did not run away even when they came near.
The little cat was also very pretty. It had a lovely mane-like ruff around its neck, super fluffy, the kind that looked especially perfect for petting.
The system, which could hear what its host was thinking: […]
It really wanted to tell its host that this was not a cat, but a lion—but it was afraid of giving itself away and exposing its own existence, so in the end it chose to remain silent.
If its host had not been a little cub, but an adult, it would not have had to worry like this all day long.
The system sighed.
It knew that the host’s father’s spirit form was a lion, so this little lion was undoubtedly him. There was no mistake. Since he had already cooperatively let out a “meowu” and gone along with the act… they should at least give him a little face.
Let’s just wait and see how they planned to wrap this up.
For some reason, the system had already begun looking forward a little to the family “battlefield.”
Thinking of that, the system suddenly said: [Host, you can try petting this little cat.]
Originally, it had wanted the host to pet that little nine-tailed fox, but since this little lion had shown up first, petting the little lion would work just the same. After all, both were fluffy spirit forms.
Tang Rong froze for a moment after hearing that, then reacted quickly, delighted.
The system had only told him that after using that card, it would tell him when he ran into fluffy creatures he could touch.
So soon he could pet one already?!
Seeing Tang Rong’s gaze settle on it, the little lion cautiously took a few steps forward, deliberately keeping its pace controlled, approaching him at an unhurried speed, afraid that moving too fast might scare him.
Tang Rong stood where he was and did not dodge.
At last, under the watch of those pale green eyes, the little lion came up to him.
Since it could sense no danger from the other party at all, the little snow leopard rubbed against Tang Rong’s feet, its little tail curling around his calf as it quietly but suspiciously sized the lion up.
“Meowu.” The little lion let out another crisp, proper cry.
Tang Rong swallowed a little nervously. Because of his allergies, he instinctively still shrank back a bit around fluffy creatures. But then he remembered that he had already used that card, and that the system was the one telling him to touch it, so it would not be dangerous. He quickly steadied himself, bent down, and cautiously stretched out his little hand to gently pat the little lion on the head.
[Ding~ Points +20]
System: [!!!]
Afraid that suddenly shouting in excitement might frighten the host who was currently petting the little lion, the system forcibly held it in.
Its guess had been correct. The host truly was not allergic to fluffy spirit forms.
—Not only had he gained points, but that defense card had not even activated, and the host had not had an allergic reaction.
That was wonderful!
Tang Rong also heard the sound indicating he had gained points, and his hand paused slightly.
Seeing that, the little lion took the initiative to lift its head and rub against his palm.
At last, it got to cuddle with its cub!
Wuwuwu, its cub—its cub that had been lost for four whole years.
The cub’s hand was so small, the cub smelled so nice, the cub was so adorable.
Its cub!
[Ding~ Points +3]
The softness rubbing against his palm, together with the new point notification, pulled Tang Rong’s attention back. Delighted, he met the animal’s eyes at close range.
He had gotten so many points!
He had been petting it for this long, yet there was still no itching anywhere on his body, and no sign of an allergic reaction.
That was wonderful!
When the little lion met those pale green eyes, something suddenly turned sour and tender inside it. It thought of another pair of similarly pale green eyes.
Their little cub really looked so much like her.
A thin sheen of moisture appeared in its beast eyes before it knew it, sparkling in the gentle morning sunlight.
Because he was holding the flower the little snow leopard had given him, and because he was not familiar with the personality of this “stray little cat,” Tang Rong did not scoop it up into his arms for a proper cuddle. He only used his little hand to stroke the soft fur on its body, especially favoring the fluffy mane around its neck.
As he petted it, Tang Rong asked the system in his mind, [Why don’t the little cat and the little snow leopard make me allergic?]
Hearing this question, the system’s head began to ache again.
Clearly, the host’s family still had no intention of telling him their true identities, and yet they were already impatient to cuddle with him. That was why one after another, they kept approaching the host in their spirit forms to be close to him.
It had no idea exactly what they were worried about. It could only guess that it had something to do with their unstable spiritual power.
It could feel that they treated the host extremely well. Their temporary secrecy was clearly something they had no choice about—otherwise they would not be here with watery eyes, using their spirit forms just to cuddle with the host.
And then there was this “strange” little snow leopard that had suddenly appeared and stayed behind…
They were definitely plotting something.
If it revealed the truth to the host now, it would absolutely throw everything into chaos.
Better to keep observing and wait for the right moment.
At the very least, right now, inside this fairy-tale world made up of fluffy spirit forms, the little cub was very happy, wasn’t he?
As the host grew older, he would surely discover the truth little by little. Perhaps there was no need to tell him everything right this moment.
The system gritted its teeth and decided to keep their secret for them after all. [Because they’re a bit special, I still don’t know how to explain it to you for now. Maybe you’ll understand later. If you run into other little animals you can pet, I’ll let you know. The buff from that card is still active, so it’s very safe.]
Tang Rong blinked and replied in his mind, “Okay.”
He was curious, but he was not the kind of cub who absolutely had to get to the bottom of everything. Especially after being bound to the system, he had learned that many things were very hard to explain. He was still too young and understood very little. Not digging too deeply actually made things easier.
Anyway, from now on, he could pet fluffy creatures without getting allergic.
After watching the little cub pet the little lion for a while, the butler checked the time. After struggling with himself several times, he finally opened his mouth. “Rongrong, it’s time to go to class.”
The moment those words fell, the little cub, the little snow leopard, and the little lion all lifted their heads at the same time.
The little cub and the little snow leopard had very similar looks in their eyes.
As for the little lion, its beast eyes narrowed into slits, and it gave the butler an annoyed swish of its tiny tail.
Butler: “…”
He had known it.
But there was nothing to be done. Going to school was important too—especially since this was only the second day after school had just started.
Somewhat reluctant, Tang Rong gave the little lion another gentle stroke and said to it, “I’m going to school now. Bye-bye, kitty.”
The little lion affectionately rubbed against him again and let out several “meowu meowu” sounds in a row.
Tang Rong gave it another cuddle-pat before finally standing up.
Seeing that, the butler touched his little head and said, “This little cat often wanders around nearby. If Rongrong wants to see it in the future, Uncle can go catch it for you.”
“Okay.” Tang Rong kept looking back as he walked, until he could no longer see the little lion.
Patter.
Once it could no longer see its cub, the little lion could not hold back its tears any longer either, and they fell onto the grass.
…
Tang Rong placed the flower the little snow leopard had given him into a cup filled with water, then pulled the little snow leopard back into his arms and kissed it.
“Baby, I’m going to school now. Be good and wait for me at home, okay?”
“Mi.” The little snow leopard curled its tiny tail.
No need to wait at home. In a little while, they would meet again at virtual kindergarten.
The butler specially brought over a little nest and placed it in the room where Tang Rong’s learning pod was. Only after seeing the little snow leopard obediently curled up inside the nest did Tang Rong climb into the learning pod and close his eyes.
Once he saw the learning pod start up, the butler stood, picked up the little snow leopard together with the nest, and carried it into a hidden compartment, where he placed it into another learning pod.
To make sure the little snow leopard logged out of the learning pod earlier than Tang Rong, the butler took full control permissions over both little cubs. If either of them wanted to leave class, they had to send him a request. Only after he approved could they leave. He would approve the little snow leopard first and Tang Rong after, so nothing would be exposed.
Just after settling the little snow leopard in place, the butler turned around and saw a familiar little lion appear at the doorway.
“Sir.” The butler strode over quickly.
The little lion had already gotten its tears under control. It had deliberately jumped into the washing-and-drying equipment in the courtyard to dry the fur on its face that had been dampened by tears, and to wash the little paws that had picked up a bit of dust.
Once their eyes met, a virtual screen appeared above its head.
[After cuddling with little Rong, I really do feel a bit better.]
If little Rong truly possessed some kind of special healing ability, then their spiritual power could be soothed. In that case, they would no longer need to worry about always turning into “monsters” and frightening him. They would also be able to meet him openly and properly.
…
After a brief moment of darkness, Tang Rong appeared once again at the “entrance” to the virtual classroom.
The first time was unfamiliar, the second time already felt easy. Coming here for the second time, Tang Rong no longer felt nervous.
Subconsciously, he looked around the classroom.
There were still two minutes left before class began, and three children had already arrived: Luo Yue, Luo Xing, and Qi Fu.
Shen Muhan and Bai Tu had not arrived yet.
Teacher Tangyuan was busy sorting things out at the podium. Seeing Tang Rong arrive, she smiled and greeted him.
“Hello, Teacher.” Tang Rong obediently greeted her back.
There were now only six sets of desks and chairs left in the classroom, arranged in a single row. The seats not chosen by the children had already been removed.
Tang Rong strode toward his own seat.
Just as he sat down, another child appeared at the entrance.
It was Shen Muhan.
As usual, Teacher Tangyuan greeted him too. He merely gave her a small nod and said nothing.
Tangyuan was already used to the little crown prince’s precocious, mini-grown-up manner. She only found it very cute and amusing, especially in those occasional moments when he revealed a childish innocence.
Every cub had a different personality and different traits. It was precisely those differences that made things interesting. If everyone were exactly the same, that would be far too boring. Every cub was unique.
The moment Tang Rong heard Teacher Tangyuan’s voice, his eyes lit up. He spun around quickly and met a pair of beautiful blue eyes directly. At once, he stood up and took the initiative to help Shen Muhan over to his seat.
Once Shen Muhan had sat down, Tang Rong eagerly said, “Little Han-brother, I want to show you something super super super cute.”
Shen Muhan’s eyes filled with confusion.
Tang Rong opened his optical brain and quickly started fiddling with it.
In no time at all, one little snow leopard photo after another was displayed in front of Shen Muhan.
Shen Muhan: “…”
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