Chapter 87
Huo Ranchuan had not yet managed to get rid of the little white tiger when he noticed Teng Snake lurking sneakily at the doorway. Teng Snake didn’t dare come out, but at that moment, the little lion woke up…
The bedroom door was left open, and the food smelled too good. Moreover, the little lion was used to sleeping while holding a fluffy toy. Tonight, when it went to sleep, it had let go of its fluffy toy and was hugging the white tiger’s tail instead.
Then, the little white tiger left.
The little lion rolled over twice, finding nothing to hold on to, and groggily woke up. It realized that neither Teacher Bai nor any of its companions were there, and even the snake cub was missing.
Squinting its eyes, the little lion made a small plop as it tumbled off the bed, then, like a drunk, stumbled and crawled to the door, where it saw Teng Snake crouched. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the little lion finally asked loudly, “What are you doing?”
It was the middle of the night—why wasn’t it sleeping?
Teng Snake: “…”
At that moment, the little lion’s nose twitched. Hmm? Something smelled delicious. What had Teacher Bai made this time?
The little lion immediately pushed the door open, scampered off with its short legs, and ran out.
Teng Snake: “…”
Huo Ranchuan glared at Teng Snake, his eyes full of hostility. How come Teng Snake didn’t stop the little lion?
Teng Snake felt wronged too. Why wasn’t its main body taking it along on a date with Teacher Bai?
After all, it was Huo Ranchuan’s spiritual companion!
Huo Ranchuan’s spouse was its spouse too. How could they go on a date without it?
Teng Snake was upset. It was going to cause trouble!
The little lion rushed into the dining room, immediately spotting the table full of delicious food. It saw the little white tiger sitting properly at the table, with Huo Ranchuan even politely serving it food!
The little lion was instantly dumbfounded!
Why was Huo Ranchuan giving the little white tiger special treatment?
Why was it being done secretly in the middle of the night? Was it because it, the little lion, wasn’t good enough?
Was it because its S-class wasn’t as good as the little white tiger’s?
With a loud roar, the little lion charged forward, quickly leaping onto the table and blocking the little white tiger. Its eyes widened as it glared at Huo Ranchuan. “Why?!”
Huo Ranchuan: “…”
Huo Ranchuan rubbed his temples, feeling defeated. He sighed helplessly, “Why what?”
The little lion was furious—this was a serious issue!
The little lion said, “If Hanye gets to eat, then Xing Xing wants to eat too!”
Why was there a special treat for the little white tiger in the middle of the night? Huo Ranchuan was being biased!
Huo Ranchuan was exasperated. Just as he was about to explain, Bai Nuosi, who had just finished watering the rose, returned.
Bai Nuosi was wearing soft, light blue pajamas, his slightly damp hair draped over his forehead. He heard the little lion’s voice and curiously walked in, only to see the little white tiger sitting steadily on a chair and the little lion standing in front of it.
Bai Nuosi was surprised; weren’t the cubs already asleep?
Why had they all come out, one after another?
Bai Nuosi approached them. “Xing Xing and Hanye, weren’t you two already asleep? Why are you out here?”
Upon hearing Teacher Bai’s voice, the little lion’s eyes instantly reddened. It whined, hopping down from the table and running to cling to Bai Nuosi’s leg.
The little lion looked up tearfully at Teacher Bai, asking, “Bai Bai, is Xing Xing not cute?”
Bai Nuosi immediately picked up the little lion, surprised. “How could that be? Xing Xing is super cute! Star is the cutest little lion in the world!”
The little lion pouted. “Then why didn’t Xing Xing get any food?”
It was given to Hanye in the middle of the night, but Xing Xing wasn’t allowed to eat. They had tricked it into sleeping!
If it hadn’t woken up, it would have never known how biased Huo Ranchuan was!
It was furious!
Bai Nuosi looked at the food on the table and then at Huo Ranchuan.
Huo Ranchuan: “…”
At that moment, Huo Ranchuan felt completely at a loss. He explained, “The little white tiger woke up earlier and came out, so I gave it a small plate of food. Then the little lion woke up and thought I was giving special treatment to the white tiger, so it started making a fuss.”
Bai Nuosi chuckled softly. He placed the little lion next to the white tiger and also brought out the sneaky Teng Snake from the doorway. Then, he grabbed three small bowls and said to the cubs, “These are for Teacher Bai and Director Uncle’s dinner. You cubs already had milk and dinner before bedtime, right?”
The little white tiger nodded properly, but its eyes remained glued to the food, not moving.
The little lion scratched its paw, feeling a bit guilty. So, it had misunderstood? Ah, had it made a fuss for nothing?
It reached out a paw, scratching the little white tiger’s back twice, glaring at it angrily: Why didn’t you say something earlier? You made me look foolish!
The little white tiger glanced at it blankly, then quickly turned back to stare at the crispy chicken on the table, swallowing.
Bai Nuosi used chopsticks to fill half a bowl of seafood porridge for each cub, placing it in front of them. He also added some vegetables and a tiny bit of chicken. “You’ve already eaten tonight, so you can only have a little. Otherwise, if you overeat, your tummy will hurt in the middle of the night, okay?”
The little lion nodded guiltily.
The little white tiger was already digging in.
Seeing the three cubs finally calm down and obediently eat, Huo Ranchuan let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated. It seemed he never got a moment alone with Teacher Bai; even Teng Snake was jealous and sneaked out. He didn’t know what to say anymore.
The dinner was rich and delicious; Bai Nuosi hadn’t had such authentic home-cooked food in a long time. While he usually cooked himself, he only made simple meals to accommodate the cubs and wouldn’t prepare such a variety at once.
This was the joy of dining out.
He thought he should go out more often. He had been here for so long and still hadn’t explored the city. He wondered what the main city on Beastman Planet was like; it must be expensive.
Thinking of this, Bai Nuosi asked, “Director, how long do we need to work before we can get a travel permit?”
When he joined, Rose Nursery required staff to work within the nursery and to apply for permission before going out. If their superior approved, they could leave.
Bai Nuosi didn’t know if the other caretakers had ever applied to go out. If they did, they probably went together. But since Bai Nuosi arrived, he only knew Yali and hadn’t met any other caretakers.
When Huo Ranchuan heard Bai Nuosi’s question, he immediately put down his utensils and asked, “Do you want to go out, Xiao Bai?”
Bai Nuosi, a bit embarrassed, replied, “I’ve been here for so long but haven’t explored the city yet. I don’t even know what it looks like.”
He wasn’t sure how long he would be working here, so he wanted to go out and familiarize himself with the city. This way, when it was time to leave Rose Nursery, he would know what other options he had.
Of course, if Rose Nursery didn’t let him go, he would stay.
Huo Ranchuan nodded. “You can apply directly with Mons. When would you like to go?”
Bai Nuosi looked at the three cubs eating. “Let’s wait until the little lion and little white tiger go home.”
With three cubs around, he didn’t dare leave the house. What if one of them got lost?
Huo Ranchuan glanced at the little lion and white tiger. The lion would be leaving soon, but the white tiger was uncertain. However, when the time came, he could personally accompany Bai Nuosi, which would be a rare opportunity for them to spend time together.
After dinner, Huo Ranchuan took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Bai Nuosi led the cubs back to bed.
When it was time for bed, Bai Nuosi placed Teng Snake on his bed while the little white tiger and the little lion were put in the cub bed. The little white tiger was quite annoyed with the little lion, who liked to hold its tail while sleeping. It found this habit clingy and annoying.
Seeing the little lion clinging to it, the little white tiger tried to sneak out of the bed and head for the sofa.
The little lion, holding its fluffy toy, saw the white tiger attempting to “escape” at the crib’s railing. It whispered, “Hanye, sleep in the crib. Do you hear me?”
Hanye, standing at the railing, didn’t look back. It replied coldly, “No, I don’t.”
The little lion: “…”
The little lion was getting angry. The little white tiger was being too much. How much did it dislike sleeping with it?
The little lion was upset. As a young master, when had it ever been so rejected? Outrageous. It decided never to invite Song Hengye as a teammate again!
Bai Nuosi covered the pretending-to-sleep snake cub with a small blanket, quietly walking over and whispering, “What are you two doing?”
The little lion immediately flopped down, shut its eyes, and splayed out its paws—an expert at pretending to sleep.
The little white tiger froze.
Teacher Bai approached, holding the small nightlight, and gently rubbed the little white tiger’s head. He whispered, “Hanye, time to sleep, okay? Look, Xing Xing is being so good.”
The little white tiger, with a stern expression, replied, “Not being good.”
Xing Xing wasn’t good at all. It only knew how to act cute and whine, but only Teacher Bai fell for it. Nobody else would.
Bai Nuosi gently said, “Then can Hanye be good, okay?”
The little white tiger paused for two seconds, then nodded. It lay down at the farthest corner of the crib, keeping the most distance from the little lion.
Bai Nuosi placed the nightlight on their bedside, adjusting it to the dimmest setting. He covered the little white tiger and the little lion with small blankets before leaving the room.
Huo Ranchuan had already cleaned the table and washed the dishes. He was sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking at the movie he had selected on his device with a sigh.
Since this was a dormitory, the space wasn’t large, and there was no separate viewing room. He had just set up the projector!
Just as Huo Ranchuan was about to turn off the projector, he heard Bai Nuosi softly say, “Why are you turning it off? Aren’t you watching, Director?”
Huo Ranchuan immediately turned, seeing Bai Nuosi coming out of the room, holding a plush dinosaur toy and looking at him a bit shyly. “I saw the projector on and thought there was a movie to watch.”
He had almost never gone to the movies in his life.
Back on his home planet, he was lonely and had no friends. Many alphas pursued him, but for an omega, being alone with an alpha was dangerous, so he never dared to go out at night.
Huo Ranchuan had thought Bai Nuosi was already asleep, so he was pleasantly surprised. “I thought you were sleeping… Let me turn it back on; it’ll be quick.”
He reactivated the projector and connected it to his device, looking at Bai Nuosi expectantly.
Bai Nuosi walked over and sat on the sofa. Huo Ranchuan cautiously sat beside him, not too close, maintaining a distance of 20-30 centimeters. He flipped through the films on his device—he had prepared a selection of interstellar films of various genres.
He asked Bai Nuosi, “Teacher Bai, what kind of movie do you feel like watching?”
Bai Nuosi thought for a moment, feeling a bit shy. “What’s trending lately? Anything is fine, just not a horror movie.”
He wasn’t brave enough for horror; anything else was okay. He wasn’t picky.
So, Huo Ranchuan chose a romantic movie with a personal touch. The story was about two lovers separated by galaxies, overcoming family opposition and distance to finally be together.
He pulled out the headphones he had prepared and handed them to Bai Nuosi, to prevent the movie’s sound from waking the cubs. Otherwise, they would make a fuss because they didn’t get to watch the movie.
Bai Nuosi focused on the film while Huo Ranchuan poured him a glass of warm water and set out some fresh fruits. Since getting to know Teacher Bai, he had become increasingly attentive.
As Bai Nuosi watched the film, he suddenly remarked, “The female lead is also an omega!”
Huo Ranchuan, feeling a bit guilty, nodded. Of course she was; he had searched meticulously for a film where an omega and a beastman fell in love. It hadn’t been easy.
However, the male lead was indeed a beastman whose beast form was a grizzly bear. It would have been perfect if it had been a snake.
Huo Ranchuan felt a slight regret.
Watching the film, Bai Nuosi was amazed. “So beastmen’s beast forms are this ferocious? Will the little lion and the others grow up to be like this too? Their beast forms are huge!”
Huo Ranchuan nodded. “Yes, beast forms are usually much larger than their humanoid forms, typically five to ten times bigger. Their ferocity also correlates with their mental strength level.”
Bai Nuosi, hearing this, refrained from asking further. Information about the Beastman Star System was classified; as someone from another star system, it wasn’t appropriate for him to know too much.
The romantic movie was rather cliché, portraying a bear beastman who, during his travels through various interstellar systems, visited a planet in the Blackbird Star System and met a lively omega girl. She was charmed by his tall and handsome appearance and gentle demeanor, while he was smitten by her energetic and bubbly personality.
After falling in love, they faced opposition from the girl’s family. They believed an omega must marry an alpha to produce high-quality offspring. At that time, the girl received a notification from the main system, informing her that an alpha with an 80% match in pheromones had been found.
Huo Ranchuan frowned at this point and asked Bai Nuosi, “Teacher Bai, do you have a fiancé assigned by the main system?”
Bai Nuosi, a bit embarrassed, shook his head. “Not yet. I left for work before reaching the age for the main system’s matchmaking, so I avoided it for now.”
Huo Ranchuan continued, “So if you go back, you’ll be assigned one?”
Bai Nuosi fell silent and nodded.
The main brain matching pheromones was an inevitable fate for everyone in the Blackbird Star System.
Some prominent families sought high-matching partners for their children early on, usually finding compatible partners from reputable and similar backgrounds.
Even if they didn’t plan on marriage alliances, they would form groups with other families that had children, allowing their kids to grow up and learn together. This gave children some freedom to choose a partner they liked within their circle.
For those who couldn’t rely on families or parents, there was still the chance to find a partner during school or everyday life.
Only those without family support and no one to rely on—like Bai Nuosi—had to rely on the main system for matchmaking.
Thinking about the future, Bai Nuosi frowned. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes. Maybe I won’t go back.”
Huo Ranchuan’s eyes lit up. “Teacher Bai doesn’t want to go back?”
Bai Nuosi fell silent, hesitating. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to return. If he found a partner and settled down, he might want to visit his home planet—after all, it was where he grew up.
But if he didn’t find a partner, he might not return. He didn’t want to entrust the rest of his life to the main system and marry someone he barely knew, just because they had compatible pheromones.
Huo Ranchuan, seeing the look on Bai Nuosi’s face, inched closer, closing the gap from thirty centimeters to twenty. He gently patted Bai Nuosi’s shoulder and said softly, “If you don’t want to go back, then don’t. You can always stay at Rose Nursery; the cubs need you.”
Bai Nuosi looked at Huo Ranchuan in surprise. “Director, can I really stay here forever?”
This was important to him because he genuinely liked Rose Nursery and the cubs here.
Huo Ranchuan nodded. “Of course. You have a good chance of becoming this year’s Person of the Year. If you do, every top nursery and kindergarten in the empire will want you. I’m afraid you’ll transfer to another place instead. Rose Nursery can’t lose you.”
Hearing this, Bai Nuosi felt touched. Anyone else saying this might not have meant much to him, but Huo Ranchuan was the director of Rose Nursery.
The two watched the movie with their headphones on while the three cubs peeked from the door.
The little lion, holding a stuffed bunny, asked, “Why aren’t we going out?”
Teng Snake signaled for silence with its tail, glaring at the little lion.
The little white tiger, seeing Huo Ranchuan and Teacher Bai sitting together watching a romance movie, shook its head and turned back to go to sleep.
The little lion glanced at the living room, then at the little white tiger, following it while holding its toy, whispering nonstop, “Hanye, why?”
“Why?”
“Why aren’t we going out?”
The little white tiger: “…”
The little white tiger climbed into bed, annoyed, and said, “We’re not going out.”
The little lion flinched at its harsh tone, glancing once more at Teng Snake, who was still crouching at the door, before pitifully climbing back into bed.
It whimpered, “Hanye’s a big meanie!”
Hanye: “…”
The movie wasn’t long, just under two hours, but the love story was quite touching.
In romantic movies, there are inevitably some intimate scenes, which made Bai Nuosi a bit embarrassed. His ears turned red, and he didn’t dare look at Huo Ranchuan.
Huo Ranchuan thought of fast-forwarding but hesitated, suddenly asking, “Beastmen can mark omegas too?”
Bai Nuosi was taken aback. “Huh?”
Huo Ranchuan turned, meeting Bai Nuosi’s eyes. Bai Nuosi’s face was flushed, and his ears were bright red.
Talking about marking omegas—wasn’t that downright inappropriate?
Reputed as a thug, Huo Ranchuan suddenly felt embarrassed. He cleared his throat and quickly fast-forwarded, apologizing, “Sorry.”
He genuinely hadn’t meant anything by it. He was just so surprised.
He had always thought it wasn’t possible, so when he decided to pursue Teacher Bai, he had worried about this issue.
If marking wasn’t possible, would Teacher Bai dislike him or even reject him for it?
After all, an omega’s situation was different. They needed a full mark to alleviate their heat; otherwise, they had to rely on inhibitors every month. Overuse of inhibitors was harmful to their bodies.
These inhibitors were quite similar to the mental inhibitors Huo Ranchuan used himself. He needed to suppress his mental strength to prevent outbursts.
After misspeaking, Huo Ranchuan couldn’t help but keep glancing at Bai Nuosi, feeling shaken by the revelation that “omegas could be fully marked by beastmen” while also worrying that he might have offended Teacher Bai, making him think he was a frivolous and rude person.
Huo Ranchuan regretted his words deeply.
He even felt like giving himself a slap. How could he bring up marking like that?
Marking—could you really say that in front of an omega?
As the movie concluded with the lovers happily embracing on another planet, Bai Nuosi removed his headphones, his ears still red. He avoided looking at Huo Ranchuan and stared at the floor instead. “Director, it’s getting late. I’ll head to bed now.”
Huo Ranchuan stood up, cautiously watching Bai Nuosi’s expression, feeling just as awkward. “Oh, okay, Teacher Bai. Goodnight.”
Bai Nuosi nodded, sneaking a glance at Huo Ranchuan before quickly turning and walking back to his room.
Huo Ranchuan followed a few steps behind, worried about Teacher Bai. He felt like tonight’s movie might not have been the best choice.
What if Teacher Bai felt offended?
