Chapter 172
Since the air was cleared, Su Ci no longer kept them.
Li Sinian and Yan Ya personally walked the two children back to their room. They wanted to follow them inside, but Rong Heng refused.
“Sweetheart, are you still upset with us?” Yan Ya crouched down in front of her son, gazing at him with tearful eyes.
Rong Heng found her gaze difficult to endure.
He said, “Your health isn’t great; you should rest early.”
Hearing his words, Yan Ya could only agree—at least he was showing concern for her.
Before leaving, she removed a necklace from her neck and handed it to him. “Sweetheart, this is a spatial pendant. Do you know how to use it?”
Rong Heng pressed his lips together and replied, “Please call me Rong Heng.”
The word “sweetheart” was far too embarrassing. If Ran Lie heard it, he would definitely tease him about it.
Yan Ya paused for a moment but finally relented. “Alright.”
“I know how to use it.” Rong Heng’s gaze fell on the pendant. Its intricate and classic design made it look more like a decorative piece than a spatial device.
“Inside are gifts your mom prepared for you and your sister.” Yan Ya tried to hold his hand, but the boy evaded her touch.
“Don’t you like it?” she asked softly.
Rong Heng shook his head. He didn’t know what was inside, so he couldn’t say if he liked it or not.
Yan Ya hesitated. “Then…”
Rong Heng thought for a moment before saying, “We don’t have spatial pendants, but we do have pouches.”
He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a star-chain fruit. He handed one to Yan Ya and another to Li Sinian, who looked at it with surprise.
The couple hadn’t expected that despite the harsh conditions of the orphanage, Rong Heng and Little Li Hua owned such rare spatial equipment.
Wait… Didn’t every child in the orphanage have such pouches? Could those all be spatial devices too?
“I misunderstood you before. I’m sorry,” Rong Heng said, looking at the couple. Now that the misunderstanding was resolved, his mental burden had lightened, but his feelings hadn’t completely changed.
“I don’t know how normal parents and children interact, but…” Rong Heng continued, “My sister and I are doing well now, and I don’t want things to change too much.”
Hearing this, Yan Ya and Li Sinian felt uncertain. They glanced at Little Li Hua, who rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Brother, I’m sleepy…”
Rong Heng nodded and turned to the couple. “Thank you for bringing my sister and me into this world. Once I’m older and more capable, I’ll find a way to repay you.”
“No, we don’t need your repayment!” Yan Ya exclaimed anxiously. “As long as you’re safe, healthy, and happy, that’s all we need!”
Rong Heng blinked. Wasn’t that exactly how he felt about his sister? He realized he might have gained a small understanding of what it meant to be parents.
“Thank you. I’ll take my sister to bed now,” he said as he bade them goodnight.
Little Li Hua waved her hand cheerfully. “Goodnight, Mom and Dad. See you tomorrow!”
Then, she followed her brother into the room.
As the metal door closed behind them, Yan Ya’s eyes filled with a hint of bitterness. She realized she didn’t even know how to interact with her children.
“Xiao Ya, cheer up.”
Li Sinian, who had been silent, handed her one of the star-chain fruits. “At least we’ve found them, and we can see them every day now, right?”
“But…”
“Relationships are built over time. Don’t rush,” Li Sinian said gently. “We’ve missed five years of their lives, but we can’t afford to miss the rest.”
Yan Ya looked at the two star-chain fruits in her hands. After a moment, she nodded. “You’re right.”
After all, they had already decided to stay on Prison Star. It didn’t matter if they didn’t know how to get along yet. They had plenty of time to figure it out.
Li Sinian took his wife’s hand and led her to the seventh floor.
“I’ve already decided to submit my resignation to His Majesty,” Li Sinian said as they walked.
Yan Ya was slightly surprised but felt it was only right.
“Will His Majesty agree?”
“He will. After all, over the years, I’ve already built a strong army for him. I’ve even selected someone to take over my position…”
The couple’s voices gradually faded into the distance.
Around the corner of the hallway, a fluffy tail tip withdrew out of sight. After a moment, a boy’s figure emerged from the shadows—it was the young wolf cub, Lang Ze.
He walked up to the lion siblings’ door, stood there for a while, and then pursed his lips.
The tail that had been high in the air now drooped dejectedly to the ground. Dragging it along, Lang Ze left the door and headed to the adjacent room, 403.
Standing before the closed door, the wolf cub hesitated for a moment before raising his hand to knock lightly.
Knock, knock.
The sound wasn’t loud.
Inside the pitch-black room, a small boy lying on the bed pulled the blanket down from over his head, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.
With that soft sigh, the tightly shut metal door of Room 403 opened soundlessly.
The hallway light spilled into the room, casting the boy’s shadow at an angle across the floor.
The furry ears atop the wolf cub’s head twitched slightly.
Lang Ze, who had only intended to knock and leave, widened his eyes in surprise when the door opened. Realizing he was welcome, he instantly lit up, bouncing happily into the room.
As soon as he entered, the metal door closed again, returning the room to darkness.
“Xing Xing!”
The wolf cub navigated the dark effortlessly, rushing to the bed. He leaned against the edge, kicked off his shoes, and lifted a corner of the blanket. Twisting and turning, he burrowed into Zheng Xing’s warm cocoon of blankets.
The cozy bed carried Zheng Xing’s faintly sweet scent, a floral fragrance reminiscent of star-chain fruit blossoms.
The star-chain fruit trees, now lush and thriving under the vine canopy, had become Zheng Xing’s favorite hideout. Spending so much time among the leaves and tendrils had left him imbued with the delicate aroma. Even daily baths couldn’t entirely wash it away.
Surrounded by this refreshing fragrance, Lang Ze felt his spirits lift. He wriggled around, seeking the most comfortable position.
Zheng Xing sighed softly and scooted closer to the wall to make space for him.
Finally, Lang Ze popped his head out from under the blanket, lying side by side with Zheng Xing. In the quiet room, his voice came, deliberately lowered to a whisper.
“Xing Xing, I thought you were already asleep! I just knocked softly, but you still heard me?”
“Mm.”
The soft, milky voice carried a hint of helplessness.
Zheng Xing knew that if he didn’t respond, Lang Ze might just keep talking to himself endlessly.
Of course, even if he did respond, it wouldn’t entirely stop the wolf cub from talking—especially on a night like tonight.
“Can I sleep here with you tonight?”
The usually carefree wolf cub’s voice carried an unexpectedly low and pitiful tone.
Zheng Xing couldn’t help but turn his small face toward Lang Ze.
Though he couldn’t see, his heightened senses made him far more perceptive than most. Even without using his mental powers, he could tell from Lang Ze’s voice that something was off.
After thinking for a moment, Zheng Xing gave a small nod of agreement.
After all, he’d slept in Lang Ze’s room before. Now it was Lang Ze’s turn—it evened things out.
“You’re so nice, Xing Xing.”
With Zheng Xing’s approval, the wolf cub suddenly became emotional, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy and affectionately rubbing his head against him.
Zheng Xing froze.
Despite all the time they’d spent together, he still found it hard to adapt to Lang Ze’s sudden physical affection, especially when it was this close.
Fortunately, Lang Ze released him after a brief moment.
The wolf cub stretched his arms out of the blanket, laying them flat on top of it, and stared blankly at the ceiling with his bright green eyes.
Just as Zheng Xing thought Lang Ze had fallen asleep, the wolf cub’s voice rang out again.
“Xing Xing, do you think I have family out there somewhere? Maybe I just don’t know about them, and they haven’t found me yet?”
His voice, usually clear and carefree, sounded unusually lonely in the cold, quiet night.
Instinctively, Zheng Xing shuffled closer to Lang Ze.
He didn’t know how to answer that question, but sensing Lang Ze’s sadness made Zheng Xing’s usually placid heart ache a little.
“Lang… Ze…” he called out softly, his voice like a gentle puff of air.
Hearing Zheng Xing’s voice, Lang Ze snapped out of his thoughts. He ruffled his hair awkwardly and let out a laugh. “I’m just rambling, haha! Let’s sleep!”
Turning away from Zheng Xing, he curled up into a ball and closed his eyes. For the first time, the normally confident wolf cub adopted a posture that radiated vulnerability and insecurity.
Zheng Xing lay facing Lang Ze’s back. Through his mental sense, he could see Lang Ze’s green aura, usually so vibrant and clear, now dimmed with a touch of melancholy.
He frowned slightly in distress.
Family…
Zheng Xing thought of the lion siblings, hesitating for a moment as he observed Lang Ze. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind and spoke in a tiny, hesitant voice.
“B-brother…”
His soft, milk-sweet voice carried an unusual clarity in the silent night, piercing straight to the heart.
Lang Ze, who had been pretending to sleep, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“Xing Xing, did you… did you just call me?” Lang Ze turned around, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminating his face.
His bright green eyes, sparkling under the cold moonlight, seemed to regain their usual cheer and vitality.
But Zheng Xing didn’t want to talk anymore.
He slowly turned his back to Lang Ze, mimicking his earlier movement, and wedged himself into the corner of the bed, pretending that nothing had happened.
However, how could Lang Ze possibly let this go?
“That’s right! I just heard it!” he said excitedly. “You just called me ‘brother,’ didn’t you?”
He grabbed Zheng Xing’s small shoulders, leaning into the younger boy’s neck and shoulder as if he were begging Su Ci for chips. Squeezing his voice into a whine, he pleaded, “I want to hear it again. Xing Xing, can you call me ‘brother’ one more time?”
He shook Zheng Xing’s shoulders gently, but despite his coaxing, Zheng Xing kept his eyes tightly shut, stubbornly pretending to be asleep.
Seeing that Zheng Xing remained unmoved, Lang Ze pouted.
He had always envied Rong Heng for having such a sweet little sister who called him “brother” so adorably and shared everything good with him.
But now, Lang Ze had an idea.
That’s right! He didn’t have a sister, but he could have a little brother, couldn’t he? And Zheng Xing was so cute—if he could be his brother, Lang Ze would absolutely love it!
So what if they didn’t share any blood relation?
Who said you had to be related by blood to be family? And even if such a rule existed, so what? Was it going to stop him?
If Lang Ze decided to be someone’s big brother, then that’s who he’d be!
Of course, Rong Heng’s fists were bigger, so being Little Li Hua’s brother was off the table.
“You clearly called me ‘brother’ just now. I heard it! How can you go back on your word?” Lang Ze grumbled, sounding extremely wronged.
Zheng Xing’s ears twitched slightly.
Honestly, calling him “brother” again wasn’t a big deal, but he’d only done it earlier to cheer Lang Ze up. Now that his goal was achieved, why would he need to say it again?
Zheng Xing hadn’t forgotten that the lion siblings shared a room.
If he continued to call Lang Ze “brother,” it would be an open invitation. Lang Ze already showed up at his room every day without being called “brother.” If he officially accepted Lang Ze as his “brother,” wouldn’t that mean Lang Ze would come over every single night?
Zheng Xing imagined the scenario briefly and decided that it wouldn’t work. He might be used to Lang Ze’s presence, but at night…
He still preferred to sleep alone. QAQ
But Lang Ze wasn’t the type to give up easily. There was no way he’d back down without a fight.
So, when Zheng Xing continued to remain silent, Lang Ze pulled out his trump card—
He leaned closer to Zheng Xing and whispered into his ear, “If you call me ‘brother,’ I’ll let you touch my ears. As long as you want, even every day if you like…”
The wolf cub, who had been observing Zheng Xing carefully, noticed the younger boy’s furry ears twitch slightly, confirming that he was listening.
Lang Ze’s grin widened smugly. Encouraged, he decided to up the stakes.
“Not just my ears—you can touch my tail too!” Lang Ze declared shamelessly, looking rather proud of himself. “Even Su Su loves my tail!”
He might as well have added, “Everyone who’s touched it says it’s great.”
Zheng Xing’s little hands unconsciously tightened. He had touched Lang Ze’s tail before—back when Lang Ze had come to his room in his beast form.
Not only had he touched it, but he’d hugged it and used it as a pillow.
Soft, fluffy, and incredibly cozy—burying his face in the dense fur had been especially comforting and warm. Honestly… Zheng Xing did miss that feeling.
If he could hug such a tail every night while sleeping, then calling Lang Ze “brother” seemed…
Maybe not so bad.
Seeing that even his ultimate trump card hadn’t stirred much reaction, Lang Ze pouted again, his sharp ears atop his head drooping halfway down in disappointment.
Fine.
At least… at least he had been called “brother” once, hadn’t he?
Lang Ze tried to console himself, though he couldn’t shake off the feeling of defeat. Just as he was about to lie back down and accept his fate, he finally heard the boy stir.
Zheng Xing spoke slowly: “Brother.”
The soft, sweet voice sounded like it had been dipped in magical honey—so gentle, so adorable.
Lang Ze, who had been ready to sulk himself to sleep, instantly revived at full strength!
“Xing Xing, you agreed!” he exclaimed, full of excitement.
Zheng Xing immediately brought a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
Realizing it was already late at night, Lang Ze hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling his excitement. Still brimming with joy, he lay back down, then tugged Zheng Xing closer to him and shoved his large, fluffy tail into the boy’s arms.
“Go ahead, touch it as much as you want!”
