Allergic To Furry Things But Can Pet Them Mentally – CH82

Chapter 82

By the age of four, a child’s teeth had all grown in. The little snow leopard could clearly feel two neat rows of tiny teeth gently clamp down on its little tail. The force was controlled perfectly—it did not hurt at all.

At the same time, an overwhelming sense of satisfaction rose in the little snow leopard’s heart for no reason at all.

It was as if… Xiao Rong had also turned into a little snow leopard like it, one that would hold tails in its mouth.

It loved it when Xiao Rong held its tail in his mouth!

After catching the snow leopard’s tail between his teeth, Tang Rong tried slowly opening his eyes all the way.

“Don’t look down. Just look straight ahead or upward,” Tang Zheng’en carefully guided him.

Tang Rong lifted his little face and looked at the sky.

Perhaps because they were higher up and closer to the heavens, a faint layer of mist had begun to drift around them too.

Large clouds seemed close enough to touch, soft and fluffy and sweet-looking…

Tang Rong could not help nibbling the little snow leopard’s tail a few more times.

“Mii?”

With the tail still in his mouth, Tang Rong mumbled, “Mm… I want cotton candy.”

Tang Zheng’en laughed softly. “Alright. I’ll buy you some after we go back down the mountain.”

At first, Tang Qiu’s attention had been entirely on her little brother. Only after seeing that he was fine did she gradually shift her focus to the extra person sitting beside her—then promptly move her gaze away again and turn to stare out the window.

Why was he folding those clothes so slowly? He had been folding them forever and still was not done.

And once he finished, would he sit back down again? Dad was already holding little brother and the little snow leopard and had taken the middle seat opposite them. Was this person really going to keep sitting right next to her?

When was this cable car going to arrive? Why had it only climbed such a short distance… Couldn’t it speed up a little?

Unfortunately, the cable car was meant for sightseeing to begin with, and for the safety of its passengers, it could not go very fast.

Tang Qiu felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

It was not that she disliked Shen Yuchun.

If she was being honest with herself, Shen Yuchun was cheerful, enthusiastic, and had a very good personality. He made delicious desserts, and even his optical-brain username used an insect she liked. If he were her family member or friend, she would be perfectly happy to get along with him.

But there were too many strange points of intersection between them, and it all felt deeply odd to her.

Earlier in the hovercar, during the later rounds of Truth or Dare, she had discovered that they had actually attended the same middle school and the same university.

And yet she truly did not know him. They had never had any interaction at all.

By nature, she was especially sensitive to these kinds of things. Everywhere felt filled with an indescribable wrongness, yet she did not dare take the initiative to test anything and only wanted to avoid it on instinct.

After all, he had taken the initiative to hit on her once.

Being hit on… meant that there had been some favorable impression, a desire to get to know her further, with the premise of possibly becoming lovers.

Tang Qiu, who had been single since birth for more than twenty years, felt her pupils quake.

She had never truly faced this problem before. Even back when Shen Yuchun had approached her in the mall while she was with Tang Hu, the reason she refused him had not been because of him as a person, but because of her own subconscious impulse to flee.

The truth was, she was a little insecure.

Though her family background was excellent, she had been born with a stutter, like a beautiful gemstone marred by one unsightly flaw.

When it came to choosing a partner, on one hand she was unwilling to settle, but on the other hand she feared that the other party would dislike the defect in her body. Since her family had always given her unconditional love, she was not someone deprived of affection. To her, romance was optional.

But it could not be denied that, having grown up in a family where her parents loved each other deeply, she too had harbored the same hopes and fantasies about love as any ordinary little girl.

Once in a while, the younger her had dreamed of meeting someone who fit her in every way—a partner who could cook, loved cleaning, was patient, had one skill they excelled at, one cute little flaw, would listen seriously when she spoke, would wear the clothes she made by hand every day, would raise a small animal together with her, would not want children, and would share a warm, fulfilling life with just the two of them.

But those were only dreams. In reality, she had never met anyone like the person in her fantasies, and probably never would.

At last Shen Yuchun finished folding his younger cousin’s clothes.

To be fair, they were folded perfectly neatly, almost like little tofu blocks, and somehow looking at them felt very satisfying.

Because his parents had not controlled him much from childhood, Shen Yuchun had long grown used to managing his own life.

In middle school, just so he could casually pass by Tang Qiu more often, he had simply moved into the dorms. He had mastered many life skills, and in university, his dorm room had even been awarded “Most Hygienic Dorm” for four years in a row.

But in truth, he resented his parents a little. They had chosen to have him, yet rarely accompanied him. If they did not like children and did not want to bother raising one, then they simply should not have had him at all. Living as a couple forever would have been perfectly fine too.

Especially yesterday at dinner—they had joined in pressuring him about marriage and even wanted to set him up on blind dates…

They had missed his childhood, so what right did they have to interfere with the rest of his life?

Still, they really had given him a great deal of resources. He was not some ungrateful wretch, so he could only smile and nod while letting their words pass in one ear and out the other, determined not to walk their same road.

“Um,” Shen Yuchun finally gathered his courage and spoke, “I saw the clothes you made for the little snow leopard. They’re all really beautiful.”

Tang Qiu’s back straightened at once. Nervously, she let out a soft ah, the tips of her ears beginning to heat up.

Shen Yuchun’s own ears were a little red too, but he quickly blurted out the rest: “Benben’s birthday is coming up soon, so I wanted to ask if you’re still taking custom orders. I’d like to have you make Benben a set of clothes that nice too.”

Tang Qiu knew Benben was a husky. She had seen him in her little brother’s optical-brain photos.

“Uh… yes. I can… take it.”

She swallowed unconsciously. She really did not like answering in such a stammering rhythm. If possible, it would be much better if they handled the rest through typed messages on the optical brain.

But he was looking at her so earnestly, waiting for her answer, and his eyes were focused like a dog’s.

Tang Qiu truly did not like canines all that much—especially not straight-man dog types like her eldest brother. She only liked cute puppies. As for a big goofy dog like Shen Yuchun, who seemed as silly as a husky… she could not quite describe it.

She could only say that she did not dislike him very much either.

Receiving a positive answer, Shen Yuchun was overjoyed inside. He quickly asked, “What do I need to provide?”

Tang Qiu said, “Measurements, a design sketch… or a style.”

Shen Yuchun scratched his head. “I’ll go home and take the measurements. As for the design and style, I don’t really have much taste. How about I leave it entirely up to you? I feel like anything you make looks good.”

Tang Qiu: “…Mm.”

Her ears turned even redder.

Lowering his head, Shen Yuchun opened his optical brain. “I’ll send you the deposit first.”

Tang Qiu hurriedly said, “No need… I won’t… take your money.”

Shen Yuchun paused, then closed his optical brain and smoothly changed course. “Then I’ll make some more desserts and have Xiao Han bring them to you later, just as a thank-you.”

Tang Qiu: “……”

Tang Qiu: “Mm.”

Tang Zheng’en, who had been busy soothing the little cub: “?”

…

The cable car finally arrived at the station at its leisurely pace. Tang Rong released the little snow leopard’s tail from his mouth, then carefully smoothed down the fur that had been ruffled from all the nibbling.

“Miiwu.” The little snow leopard happily rubbed its face against his, wishing he would keep holding its tail in his mouth a little longer.

The cable-car doors opened, and Tang Zheng’en stepped out carrying one cub and one leopard.

Shen Yuchun let Tang Qiu get off first, then followed behind holding his younger cousin’s folded clothes. Because he was in a good mood, even his footsteps felt lighter.

The two cable cars’ passengers gathered together there.

Having heard that Tang Rong was afraid of heights, everyone from the other car had been a bit worried. Seeing that he looked fine now, they all relaxed a little.

With the New Year approaching, there were quite a few visitors on the mountain, and most of them came in pairs.

The cable car did not go directly to the temple at the summit. To continue upward, one either had to walk on foot or ride a big fluffy creature.

The steps were broad, and the snow on them had already been cleared away by robots. A special anti-icing powder had also been scattered over them, so they were not as slippery as people might imagine.

It was only if someone stepped off the stairs and onto the snow at the sides that they were likely to slip and land on their backside.

Tang Rong instantly spotted the cluster of large fluffy animals not far from the cable-car station.

These were all people working part-time in their spirit-form bodies. It added to the fun, and compared with ordinary humans, they were stronger and had more stamina, while also costing less than robots.

A few of those spirit forms had, by sheer chance, become little internet celebrities. People often came here specifically to take pictures with them, bringing a good deal of income to the scenic area.

Seeing this, Tang Zheng’en carried the little cub over and let him choose his own “mountain-climbing mount,” so he could experience the fun of riding a fluffy creature up the mountain.

Tang Rong held the little snow leopard in his arms and looked all around with shining eyes—then finally fixed his gaze on one huge snow leopard.

“!”

Click here to download the full novel. (EPUB & PDF)