Becoming a Kindergarten Teacher for S-Class Spirit Beasts – CH22

Chapter 22

His connection with Teng Snake was so close that even without shared sensation, he could still vividly feel the pressure on Teng Snake’s body as if it were his own. His ears turned red as his whole body went slightly weak, overwhelmed by the professional, relaxing massage.

No wonder Teng Snake clung to Teacher Xiao Bai—this was a dream life!

Huo Ranchuan froze, standing there for a few moments in shock. The lifelong bachelor had never experienced anything like this before, so it was both awkward and oddly new. The sensitive spots on his neck and lower back felt particularly strange, making him uncomfortable.

Bending slightly, Huo Ranchuan stood there stunned for several seconds before finally heading back to his bedroom. He opened his smart device and logged into the StarNet livestream. Watching Bai Nuosi gently and expertly massaging his spirit beast, Huo Ranchuan’s face alternated between red and black.

Looking at the obviously contented spirit beast, practically melting with pleasure on the screen, Huo Ranchuan cursed it in the mental realm, It’s already embarrassing enough to pretend to be a cub. But now, you’re using that identity to enjoy the perks? Don’t you think you’re going too far? Drinking milk, swallowing a whole bear sandwich!

People always said that a spirit beast’s behavior reflected its owner’s personality, but Huo Ranchuan would never admit to being the kind of person who would steal a bear sandwich!

The big black snake was getting out of control, and Huo Ranchuan felt like he was losing his grip.

While enjoying the massage and even starting to doze off, Teng Snake suddenly jolted awake, its golden eyes darting around in a panic. For a moment, it thought its master had appeared in the room.

But once it saw Bai Nuosi behind it, gently massaging, Teng Snake sighed in relief and stuck out its tongue.

It had been terrified for a second, thinking its master had somehow shown up in person.

Seeing the little black snake lift its head, Bai Nuosi placed a gentle hand on its neck and coaxed it back down. “Be good, baby. Don’t move around during the massage.”

The little black snake nodded and immediately flopped down onto the table with a soft “thud.”

Teng Snake: Whew~ I’m not lying here willingly; Teacher Xiao Bai made me do it. Even though I didn’t really want to obey, he told me not to move!

Huo Ranchuan: “…”

His golden eyes stared wordlessly at the Teng Snake on the livestream.

It was so comfortable that it sighed, yet it still had the nerve to claim it wasn’t doing this voluntarily!

Did Teacher Xiao Bai know how thick-skinned this snake was?

On a side note, Teacher Xiao Bai’s massage skills were surprisingly good. Even though Huo Ranchuan wasn’t sharing sensations with his spirit beast, he could still feel his whole body softening and relaxing. It was an indescribably pleasant feeling.

Teng Snake, with its tongue flicking lazily and its body limp, perfectly mirrored what Huo Ranchuan was feeling inside.

Each cub’s massage session didn’t last long, about 20 minutes on average. If done slowly or if the baby particularly enjoyed it, the massage could extend to 30 minutes. Sometimes, they’d add in a few developmental games to encourage the cub’s motor skills.

But since Bai Nuosi had two cubs to care for, he sped things up a bit, giving each one a 15-minute massage before feeding them milk and putting them to sleep.

Gently massaging the black snake’s back, Bai Nuosi applied moisturizing oil all over its body. Snakes generally liked humid environments, so keeping their skin moisturized was essential. Starting from the head, Bai Nuosi massaged the snake’s neck, back, belly, and even its limbs—he didn’t neglect any part, not even its tail.

With a smile, Bai Nuosi playfully tapped the little black snake’s head and softly sang a nursery rhyme:

“Eyebrows curved like crescent moons, 

A wide forehead filled with wisdom… 

A soft little tummy, the baby smiles so sweetly…

Teacher rubs your back, so you won’t get tired… 

A gentle rub of the hips, so baby grows healthy and plump…”

Huo Ranchuan: “…”

Huo Ranchuan suddenly shivered, shocked.

He had never known that a baby massage would include rubbing their hips and buttocks!

For the first time, he thought that being so closely connected to his spirit beast wasn’t entirely a good thing.

Thankfully, this was just a standard massage, similar to visiting a massage parlor—just with softer touches from Teacher Xiao Bai. Although Huo Ranchuan felt a bit embarrassed, it was still tolerable overall.

He definitely needed to get his spirit beast back soon, though. If this massage became a nightly routine, Teng Snake might enjoy it, but Huo Ranchuan wouldn’t survive it.

After finishing the massage, Bai Nuosi applied a moisturizing oil to Teng Snake’s scales, as part of its skin care routine. Once done, he wrapped the little snake in a soft blanket and gently placed it on the nearby sofa. The black snake was now so comfortable from the massage that it was practically falling asleep.

It lay there, completely straight and soft, nestled in the blanket. The livestream viewers were half-convinced that it had passed out from sheer bliss.

Livestream comments:

[Look at the black snake! I bet its owner is feeling exactly the same right now. Not jealous, I swear.]

[Teacher Xiao Bai’s massage skills are amazing! I learned baby massage for my own cubs but never thought about using it on adults. I’ll try it out and report back!]

[Ahhh, Teacher Xiao Bai! There’s a big baby here, 250 months old, who would love to experience that massage too! Pick me, pick me!]

[Seriously, someone as talented as this shouldn’t be confined to a nursery! He should be taking care of adult ‘babies’ at university!]

Bai Nuosi’s gentle personality and impressive skills started attracting a lot of attention. Initially, viewers had tuned in to see the S-rank spirit beast cub, but many soon became focused on him. Due to his charm, they even tried to find his contact information. However, as an interstellar spirit beast caregiver, all of Bai Nuosi’s personal details were confidential, and the only public information they could find was a collective account registered by the nursery on StarNet.

Meanwhile, Bai Nuosi’s massage video had already hit the trending list, and in just one day, his account had gained tens of millions of followers. People were no longer paying attention to celebrity gossip—they were all obsessed with his livestream.

As the massage session ended, Huo Ranchuan sighed. Ever since his spirit beast had gone to Bai Nuosi’s care, he’d experienced one embarrassing situation after another.

Wiping his face, he looked at the display on his smart device. The massage sensation had disappeared, and he saw that Bai Nuosi had finished with the black snake and moved on to the black panther cub.

On the screen, Bai Nuosi lifted the little black panther onto the table, his expression soft and smiling as he gently massaged its ears.

Huo Ranchuan: “!!!”

He pounded the wall. How unfair! Why didn’t Teacher Xiao Bai massage his snake’s ears?

Oh right, Teng Snake didn’t have ears.

After taking a cold shower, Huo Ranchuan came out of the bathroom and thought it over. He decided he needed to check on Han Baiyi’s condition.

So, he hurried out, boarded his airship, and headed to the medical room at the First Military Academy.

His adjutant was surprised to see him. “Commander, what brings you here so late?”

Huo Ranchuan, walking quickly and looking serious, had his adjutant thinking something big had happened. After all, lately, Huo Ranchuan had spent most of his time at Rose Nursery and delegated everything else to his adjutant.

With a stern face and narrowed eyes, Huo Ranchuan asked, “What’s Han Baiyi up to?”

The adjutant was confused. Wasn’t Han Baiyi sent to the medical room for overexerting himself during mental power training at the Han family?

He was obviously resting there. What else could he be doing?

The adjutant immediately replied, “Commander, Han Baiyi has been lying in bed resting all day. He hasn’t used his smart device or contacted anyone from the Han family.”

The Han family did try to contact him several times, but the military intercepted all their attempts.

Before Han Baiyi had awakened his spirit beast, the Han family could do whatever they wanted, and the military couldn’t intervene. After all, back then, Han Baiyi was still a minor and hadn’t entered the military academy. But now that he was an adult, enrolled in the academy, and had an S-rank spirit beast, the military took responsibility for him, ensuring his safety after confirming the Han family had treated him poorly.

Huo Ranchuan showed no expression as he approached the door to Han Baiyi’s hospital room. “I’ll go see him.”

The guard at the door opened it immediately, and Huo Ranchuan strode inside.

After the door closed, the guard whispered to the adjutant, “It seems the commander really values Han Baiyi, coming to visit him this late.”

The adjutant found the situation odd. After all, the commander wasn’t the type to visit subordinates like this.

He hesitated before saying, “Han Baiyi is a precious S-rank. Where he’ll be stationed in the future is still undecided.”

Such an outstanding talent—Huo Ranchuan must be trying to recruit him for his own unit.

Inside the room, Huo Ranchuan found Han Baiyi sitting up in bed, wearing a hospital gown, his face pale and hair messy. In front of him, a glowing screen displayed Bai Nuosi’s StarNet livestream.

Huo Ranchuan was speechless.

This is what they meant by ‘not even using his smart device’?

Han Baiyi’s eyes were practically glued to the livestream!

Huo Ranchuan walked to the bedside.

Han Baiyi looked up at him, surprised. “Instructor? Why are you here?”

In the past, Han Baiyi would have been nervous and deeply respectful upon seeing Huo Ranchuan. But now, after being bullied a few times by Teng Snake, his feelings had changed. His gaze toward Huo Ranchuan had become… a little odd.

He even smiled slightly.

Huo Ranchuan squinted, noticing that Bai Nuosi was now massaging the little black panther in the livestream, kneading its front and back paws, legs, chest, and belly.

Suddenly, Huo Ranchuan asked, “Did you just synchronize with your spirit beast?”

Han Baiyi’s ears instantly turned red at the question, and a suspicious blush appeared on his face. He glanced quickly at Bai Nuosi on the livestream, a bit embarrassed. “I—I disconnected pretty quickly.”

When Bai Nuosi gently began massaging the black panther’s ears and head, Han Baiyi had hastily cut off the connection with his spirit beast. 

Even though he knew Teacher Xiao Bai was just massaging cubs, experiencing it firsthand through synchronization with his spirit beast still felt awkward to him, so he had tried to avoid it as much as possible.

Huo Ranchuan studied Han Baiyi’s odd expressions and body language. He pulled up a chair and sat down forcefully, his eyes scanning Han Baiyi’s face before shifting down, inspecting him up and down with a strange look.

Feeling Huo Ranchuan’s gaze, Han Baiyi became uncomfortable, instinctively sitting up straighter and nervously pulling the blanket over his lower body. Suddenly, he remembered the school rumor that Instructor Huo had a preference for men…

Han Baiyi stammered, “In-Instructor? What are you looking at?”

Despite having gone through a lot, Han Baiyi was still pretty innocent when it came to certain things. Right now, he had no idea what that meaningful look in Huo Ranchuan’s eyes was supposed to mean, and he mistakenly thought the instructor was interested in him.

Huo Ranchuan asked, “Han Baiyi, have you seen your medical report?”

Han Baiyi lowered his head and fell silent. “Yes, I’ve seen it.”

At that moment, Han Baiyi felt a bit lost. He looked down at the livestream, where Bai Nuosi was gently massaging his spirit beast’s back. His eyes reddened slightly. “I thought that was normal training.”

If it hadn’t been for Huo Ranchuan’s help this time, Han Baiyi didn’t know how much longer the Han family would have exploited him.

Huo Ranchuan handed him the report. The reason he had come in person was to check on Han Baiyi’s condition and give him the report. Originally, he had planned to talk to Han Baiyi about severing ties with the Han family, but now he wasn’t so sure.

A person can only save themselves if they truly want to be saved. 

Han Baiyi, being a top military academy student, should be able to make his own decisions.

Meanwhile, on the livestream, Bai Nuosi was still gently massaging the black panther, even doing simple baby exercises with it. Huo Ranchuan stayed only a few minutes longer before leaving.

As he left, he asked the guards outside to ensure no suspicious people entered the room. The Han family wouldn’t let go of Han Baiyi easily and might try to stir up trouble.

Han Baiyi appreciated the instructor’s concern, but when he glanced back at the livestream, he felt a twinge of regret. Bai Nuosi had just finished the massage, and Han Baiyi had wanted to learn more about his massage techniques.

All because of Instructor Huo suddenly showing up!

Bai Nuosi’s massage of the black panther had gone much smoother than with the black snake, as the fluffy little panther was much easier to handle. Plus, it had four paws and two ears, unlike the snake.

While kneading the black panther’s soft, furry legs, Bai Nuosi softly said, “Teacher rubs your arms, so you’ll grow up strong; Teacher rubs your back, so you’ll never get tired…”

Han Baiyi’s connection with his spirit beast was still weak, nowhere near as close as Huo Ranchuan’s with Teng Snake. Once he disconnected from the synchronization, the sensations of Bai Nuosi’s massage faded.

However, he could still sense his black panther’s emotions—it was incredibly happy and relaxed.

After Bai Nuosi finished massaging the two little cubs, he said to the livestream audience, “The massage is done! I’m going to put the babies on the bed now. There’s a guardrail to prevent them from falling, and I need to free my hands to make their milk.”

Once the two cubs, now as soft as puddles after the massage, were placed on the bed, they immediately spread out flat like pancakes. Usually noisy and playful, they were now dozing off, eyes barely open.

The livestream audience was filled with envy:

[Oh no, my spirit beast is acting up, everyone! What do I do? Where can I find a Teacher Xiao Bai?]

[Thankfully, I memorized Teacher Xiao Bai’s massage routine. Otherwise, how am I going to calm my dog?]

[I want to experience Teacher Xiao Bai’s exclusive massage! Is it too late for a 300-month-old baby to drop out and retake the military academy exam? Urgent! Sobbing emoji.]

[You’re all admiring this, but isn’t anyone going to ask about the black panther’s outburst this morning? It’s been a whole day, and the Rose Garden hasn’t given any explanation. Now they’re just trying to distract us with a livestream?]

Many viewers still suspected the Rose Nursery of conducting illegal research on spirit beast cubs. They were concerned that rare S-rank spirit beasts were being kept inside without visitors allowed, with even families only able to see them through surveillance or livestreams.

It wasn’t just the Han family raising concerns—other families with new military school students were worried as well. Online discussions were getting more intense, even reaching the royal family.

Just as Huo Ranchuan left Han Baiyi’s hospital room, he was summoned for an emergency meeting with the royal family.

Meanwhile, Bai Nuosi placed the two cubs on the bed, one on each side of him, and pulled out a paper storybook he had brought from his home planet. The cubs each held a bottle, snuggling against Bai Nuosi’s warm body as they drank, while also curiously eyeing the picture book.

The floating livestream camera quietly captured this heartwarming scene. On the cover of Bai Nuosi’s book was a beautiful green peacock.

Pointing to the title, Bai Nuosi read it aloud, one word at a time, for the two cubs: “Little ones, tonight’s bedtime story is called Where Is the One Who Loves Me? The main character is this beautiful green peacock.”

Upon hearing the title, the black panther cub froze, its mouth slightly open, even forgetting to drink its milk. Its wide, round eyes stared intently at the peacock on the book cover.

Bai Nuosi noticed the black panther’s reaction. He had brought many storybooks with him, but he specifically chose this one because he felt sympathy for the black panther cub.

These cubs were only one or two years old, barely able to speak, yet their parents had left them at the nursery without a second thought. Over the past few days, no one had come to check on them. While it was understandable if both parents had special jobs, when the black panther cub had been in pain and distress, not a single family member had shown up.

Bai Nuosi suspected that the black panther’s reluctance to connect with others stemmed from family neglect, or possibly from harm he wasn’t yet aware of.

The livestream audience was excited:

[Teacher Xiao Bai, reporting in! I’ve already showered, brushed my teeth, and changed into my pajamas! Please start the story!]

[Teacher Xiao Bai! I’m already in bed and tucked in! Let’s begin the story!]

[Waaah! I also want to snuggle into Teacher Xiao Bai’s arms, drink milk, and listen to a bedtime story!]

[Ugh! How lucky are that black snake and black panther? Have such a gentle and loving teacher! Crying emoji.]

[Hmm? I haven’t heard this story before. I need to remember it to tell my cub later.]

Bai Nuosi pointed to the cover again, “Alright, little ones, next we’ll read about this little peacock. Who’s going to lie down first?”

As soon as Bai Nuosi finished speaking, Teng Snake quickly placed its empty milk bottle on the bedside table and crawled into Bai Nuosi’s arms, wrapping its tail around Bai Nuosi’s waist, looking up with a proud expression: Praise me!

The black panther cub: “…”

Bai Nuosi couldn’t help but chuckle as he patted the little black snake on the head. “Good job, snake baby! You finished your milk and were the first to lie down. How about you, panther baby? Have you finished your milk?”

The black panther cub quickly gulped down the last bit of milk, then rolled into Bai Nuosi’s arms, using all four paws to smack the smug Teng Snake. But because Teng Snake was shamelessly coiled around Teacher Xiao Bai’s waist, the black panther didn’t dare hit too hard for fear of accidentally hurting the teacher.

Bai Nuosi thought they were just playing around, so he raised his right hand high: “Alright! Who’s going to calm down first?”

Without arms to help, Teng Snake lost the upper hand. The black panther cub immediately shot up, raising both front paws high while standing on its hind legs, leaving Bai Nuosi stunned.

The livestream audience was equally shocked:

[The black panther won! It defeated the snake!]

[Wow! Han’s deputy is learning from cat’s posture just to win first place! Screenshotting this!]

[Can anyone explain? I also want to treat an S-rank spirit beast like a pet cat!]

[Ahhh! You can have the S-rank spirit beasts! I just want Teacher Xiao Bai! I want to snuggle under his blanket and have my tail wrap around his waist! Don’t think I didn’t see your sneaky moves, you naughty little snake!]

Bai Nuosi was overjoyed as he hugged the black panther cub. He hadn’t expected the usually withdrawn black panther, who resisted contact with others, to go to such lengths just for his approval.

This was truly a pleasant surprise.

This shows that the black panther cub’s condition is fairly optimistic—he has social needs, wants to communicate, and even craves approval and praise from others.

This was a good sign. Bai Nuosi held the black panther cub in his arms, stroking its head, “You’re amazing! You were the first to calm down. Now, you and your snake brother can listen to the story about the little peacock.”

Bai Nuosi, holding both cubs, opened the storybook. His voice, already soft and low, became even gentler, encouraging the cubs to slow their breathing. They quietly watched the book and listened attentively to Bai Nuosi’s bedtime story.

Bai Nuosi began, “Where Is the One Who Loves Me? One day, the little peacock, Bobbi, got separated from his family. He lived alone in the vast jungle, but his world felt very small. In search of his family, he walked tirelessly every day.”

“He went out alone, ate alone, and when it rained, he didn’t seek shelter. Even when he fell and got hurt, he didn’t rest. He wandered aimlessly through the jungle. One day, he saw a rabbit in the rain being carried home by her mother. Curious, he asked the tree beside him, ‘Tree, why is the big rabbit carrying the little rabbit?'”

“The little peacock was also soaked by the rain, but no one was there to carry him.”

Bai Nuosi paused and asked the black panther cub, who could speak, “Why do you think that is?”

Caught off guard by the question, the black panther cub tensed up, his round face blank as his eyes darted around. He made a confused sound, “Rawr?”

Bai Nuosi was speechless for a moment.

Watching the livestream, Han Baiyi, the black panther cub’s human companion, cringed in embarrassment and covered his face. Maybe it was time to sync with his spirit beast—anything to avoid looking foolish in front of the patient and gentle Teacher Xiao Bai.

Since the black panther didn’t answer and the little snake couldn’t speak yet, Bai Nuosi hugged them both and gently continued, “The tree replied to the little peacock, ‘Because the big rabbit loves the little rabbit.'”

“This was the first time the little peacock had heard the word ‘love.’ He thought, ‘So love means not letting someone get wet in the rain.'”

“The little peacock didn’t take shelter. He kept walking and walking. Then he saw a duckling who had fallen and hurt her leg. The mother duck was crying beside her.”

“Again, the little peacock curiously asked the tree, ‘Tree, why is the big duck crying?’ The tree answered, ‘Because the big duck loves the little duck. Seeing the duckling hurt makes her sad.'”

“The little peacock realized, ‘So love is feeling sad when someone else is hurt.'”

At this point, Bai Nuosi glanced at the black panther cub. His earlier excitement had suddenly faded. The cub’s expression became downcast as he stared at the storybook, seeing in the little peacock—wandering the jungle alone, not seeking shelter from the rain, and not resting when hurt—a reflection of himself.

Han Baiyi, now synced with his spirit beast, regretted it a little. He was afraid he might start crying.

Bai Nuosi thought to himself that even very young children, who might not speak or express themselves well, still understood what adults said and did. The black panther cub likely understood the story, even if he couldn’t yet express it.

Bai Nuosi let the little snake snuggle in his lap, one hand flipping the pages while the other gently stroked the black panther’s back, continuing the story in a soft tone: “The little peacock was very envious of the loved rabbit and duckling. As he walked, he muttered to himself, ‘Why does everyone else have someone who loves them? Where is the one who loves me?'”

“So he searched and searched, walking for a long, long time until he couldn’t walk anymore. He didn’t know he was tired, only that he was very thirsty. He stopped to rest by a small stream, and a frog sitting on a lily pad asked him, ‘It’s raining, little peacock, why aren’t you taking shelter?'”

Bai Nuosi softly said, “The little peacock replied, ‘I can’t stop yet—I haven’t found the one who loves me.'”

Once he found that person, they would carry him home through the rain.

Bai Nuosi continued, “The frog was surprised, ‘Even if no one loves you, you can still take shelter from the rain.'”

“The fish in the river said, ‘Little peacock, you’re so beautiful. You can love yourself.'”

At the end of the story, Bai Nuosi turned to the last page. The little peacock had learned that even before finding someone who truly loved him, he could love himself. He found a cave to shelter from the rain and healed his own injured leg with herbs.

When the storm had passed and the sun came out, the now-grown peacock spread his magnificent tail feathers, and standing before him was another beautiful peacock.

Pointing to the picture of the two peacocks smiling at each other, Bai Nuosi gently whispered into the ears of the two cubs, “See? Once the little peacock learned to love himself, the one who loved him was already on their way.”

Finally, Bai Nuosi softly closed the book, signaling that the bedtime story session had come to an end.

The audience in the livestream had not expected such an emotional punch in a bedtime story:

[Who else is crying? That story got me! Sobbing emoji.]

[Is this story teaching little ones that even when they’re alone, they need to learn to take care of themselves?]

[No, Teacher Xiao Bai is telling us that no matter where we are, we must love ourselves first, and not place our hopes on others. Frog blowing a smoke ring seriously.jpg]

[The only thing I remember is: “Love is when you feel sad and cry because someone else is hurt.]

[Whoa, whoa! Is the black panther spirit beast crying? What’s going on, everyone? I heard Han Baiyi is an adopted son of the Han family, trained harshly from a young age. Was his life really that miserable?]

[It must be true. Didn’t you see how, back in military school, Han Baiyi would avoid Han Dasha whenever he saw him? Maybe staying in the Rose Garden is actually good for him. Who knows what kind of training he would have faced if he was stuck at the Han household!]

…

As the livestream chat took a sudden turn, some people started to panic.

Bai Nuosi, however, remained unaware. He gently held the emotionally drained black panther cub, whose eyes had turned red. His right hand softly patted the cub’s back. Glancing at the time, he realized he had been streaming for an hour already!

Although Monse had told him to keep it casual, Bai Nuosi really enjoyed his job and hoped to stay on even after his one-year contract ended. So, he always aimed to go above and beyond in any task assigned by the Rose Garden.

He picked up the livestream orb and opened the screen to check his stream. To his delight, the comments, which had started with just two or three, had grown to five or six, most praising his storytelling.

The number of viewers had also risen from a few dozen to over two hundred.

Curious, he clicked on the IDs, only to see a string of numbers and strange letters. Little did he know that the Star Network had hidden the more recognizable names due to his account permissions.

He thought to himself, Beastman planet’s users have such unique naming conventions.

Smiling, Bai Nuosi waved to his audience, “That’s all for today, my little ones need to go to sleep. Goodnight, everyone!”

The grown-up “babies” in the chat immediately started to fuss:

[Ahhh no, no, no! Teacher Xiao Bai, I haven’t fallen asleep yet, you need to help me! Ahhh!]

[Teacher Xiao Bai hasn’t sung a lullaby yet, why are you ending the stream so soon? Crying emoji.]

[Argh, can someone please steal Teacher Xiao Bai from the Rose Garden? My spirit beast has been acting up all day!]

…

After finishing his goodbyes, Bai Nuosi closed the livestream. Both cubs, after listening to the story, had serious expressions, especially the black panther cub, whose eyes were red as if he was about to cry.

Bai Nuosi didn’t say much. Some things require a teacher’s guidance, while others need the cubs to experience for themselves. Besides the storybook, the black panther cub would also need guidance from everyday life.

Bai Nuosi turned on the soft little duck nightlight and then some gentle white noise. He lay down with a cub on each side. On the left, he planted a soft kiss on the little black snake; on the right, he gave the black panther a tender peck.

Finally, Bai Nuosi comfortably hugged the two of them and closed his eyes. “Goodnight, my little babies.”

The black panther cub quietly mumbled, “Goodnight, Teacher Xiao Bai.”

The little black snake snuggled closer, giving Bai Nuosi a kiss on the cheek and warmly breathing on his face.

Bai Nuosi stroked one side and then the other, saying several more goodnights before the cubs were fully soothed.

Half an hour later, once both cubs had fallen soundly asleep, Bai Nuosi carefully got up, covered them with their blankets, and lowered the volume of the white noise. He quietly returned to his own room next door.

He still hadn’t showered or eaten dinner yet, but taking care of the cubs first had become routine. Since the cubs were active and required long periods of sleep, they usually ate small, frequent meals and went to bed early.

Bai Nuosi had long since gotten used to putting the cubs to bed before doing anything for himself.

However, today had been particularly nerve-wracking due to the black panther cub’s sudden health issue. Even though he told Huo Ranchuan earlier that everything was fine, he was still deeply worried and anxious inside.

The cubs were so fragile—if something were to truly happen, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.

After all, these cubs were personally cared for by him.

Bai Nuosi took a shower, then went to the kitchen to boil some water, planning to make a quick bowl of instant noodles before bed.

Once the water boiled, he added the noodles, a few leafy greens, and cracked an egg. While the pot simmered, he filled a small watering can in the bathroom and went to his windowsill.

There, two small potted plants sat—rose seedlings he and the little black snake had planted together. The black panther’s seedling had been replanted in the garden.

He had planned to take the potted plants to his classroom, but the black panther cub’s illness had made him forget.

As he watered the seedlings, he muttered softly, “Sorry, little roses. I’ve been so busy today I forgot to water you. Drink up, grow strong, and one day, bloom bigger than all the other roses…”

After finishing, Bai Nuosi was about to close the window when he looked up and noticed a figure approaching from the garden side.

His heart skipped a beat in fear, but as he looked closer, the figure seemed oddly familiar.

A few seconds later, Huo Ranchuan emerged from the shadows, dressed in a formal military uniform and even wearing his cap.

He slowly walked up to the window, first glancing at Bai Nuosi, who was dressed in cream-colored pajamas and gray casual pants, then down at the two rose seedlings on the windowsill.

One of the seedlings had been planted by Bai Nuosi, and the other by his spirit beast, Teng Snake.

In a way, they had planted them together.

The sight of the roses planted by both of them, side by side, was oddly pleasing to the eye.

Looking at the upright and dashing Huo Ranchuan in his formal military attire, Bai Nuosi couldn’t help but steal a few more glances. He no longer felt as scared of him as before.

Bai Nuosi lowered his voice and asked, “Director, why are you here so late? Are you worried about the little panther?”

Huo Ranchuan glanced at Bai Nuosi with an unclear expression and nodded.

In reality, that wasn’t the reason. Even when he was meeting the royal family and the crown prince earlier, his mind was elsewhere—he had been listening to Bai Nuosi tell the bedtime story. 

After the story ended, through his spirit beast, Teng Snake, he watched Bai Nuosi’s gentle demeanor and suddenly felt the urge to come see him. He wasn’t sure why, but much like how the spirit beasts were drawn to Bai Nuosi, Huo Ranchuan’s feelings for him weren’t purely platonic either.

At that moment, Huo Ranchuan sniffed the air and looked inside. “What’s that smell?”

Bai Nuosi slapped his forehead. “Ah, my instant noodles!”

He hurriedly turned and ran to the small open kitchen to turn off the stove.

Huo Ranchuan stood outside the window, his deep gaze fixed on Bai Nuosi. Bai Nuosi’s clothes were always in light or warm colors, perhaps chosen because the babies liked them, but there was no denying that these colors suited him well. 

His fair skin and soft hair made him look gentle, homely, and dependable in those clothes.

After turning off the stove, Bai Nuosi turned around and locked eyes with Huo Ranchuan, who stood by the window. In the dim light, Huo Ranchuan’s golden pupils glowed beneath the brim of his hat, reminiscent of a predator eyeing its prey in the dark. Bai Nuosi’s heart skipped a beat—those fierce eyes looked oddly similar to the little snake cub’s.

However, Bai Nuosi quickly remembered that people on Beastman Star System were all part-beast, so their eyes glowing was likely due to their beast genes. The resemblance to the snake cub’s eyes must have been due to that.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Bai Nuosi asked, “Would you like some instant noodles, Director?”

Seeing Huo Ranchuan in his military uniform, Bai Nuosi thought he might have just finished working late and could be hungry too.

Huo Ranchuan frowned. “Do you normally just eat instant noodles?”