Chapter 231
“Plop—”
Just as Lang Ze finished speaking, there was a soft sound of something falling to the floor. Although faint, his keen ears caught it immediately. Instinctively, he looked over and saw a cushion lying on the ground.
Then…
He noticed a slender, black tail dangling from the edge of the sofa. He didn’t need to guess who it belonged to.
“Xing Xing, you’re here too!”
He dashed over, standing on his tiptoes and leaning over the back of the sofa. Sure enough, he spotted the little boy curled up in the corner of the couch.
Zheng Xing hadn’t intentionally been hiding. Hearing Lang Ze call him, he climbed out from the pile of cushions and turned his face toward him. In his soft, milky voice, he greeted, “Lang Ze.”
“When did you sneak over here?” Lang Ze scratched his head. After breakfast, he had escorted Zheng Xing to the greenfield before heading off to practice body-tempering techniques with Lu Li.
When their training was done, he’d come straight to Su Su’s room without checking if Zheng Xing was still in the greenfield. Who would’ve thought he’d come here on his own?
Thinking of something, he asked, “So, have you made your decision?”
Though Lang Ze could guess Zheng Xing’s choice, he wanted to hear it directly from him. Perhaps… he was wrong?
Zheng Xing couldn’t see, but his senses were sharp—especially when it came to Lang Ze, standing right before him.
He could feel Lang Ze’s anticipation, but in the end, he lowered his head and softly said, “I… I won’t do it now.”
“Alright then,” Lang Ze replied, not disappointed. He had expected this answer. He turned back to Su Ci to get a response to his earlier question, only to see Zheng Xing suddenly dart off the sofa.
Despite his usual slow movements, the little cat sped across the room to Su Ci with surprising agility. His blindness didn’t seem to hinder him at all.
“Su Su,” he called out, stopping in front of Su Ci.
Su Ci leisurely looked at the two cubs, acknowledging him with a soft hum.
Zheng Xing no longer acted as timid and reserved around Su Ci as he had at the beginning. Clutching his small hands together, he spoke in his clear, soft voice, “Can I… can I come back later to ask you to heal me?”
Lang Ze was right—they were still young. Who knew what the future held? Zheng Xing realized he didn’t need to make such a big decision right now.
The thought lifted the cloud of sadness that had hung over him from declining the treatment. His mood brightened significantly.
Lang Ze was so clever; he always thought of things he didn’t!
But whether it was feasible or not depended on Su Su. If he refused, Zheng Xing might lose his chance to regain his sight forever.
“I… I can give snacks… farm… and… and let you touch my ears and tail…”
Zheng Xing, who had been shyly showing only his tail, now revealed a pair of small ears as he continued offering his terms.
Su Ci, amused by the little one’s earnest and clumsy negotiation, couldn’t help but smile faintly. Without making it difficult for the pitiful child, he readily agreed, “Alright.”
Zheng Xing’s little face immediately lit up.
“R-really?” Zheng Xing asked softly. “Su Su, will you always be here?”
Hearing this question, Su Ci paused briefly before replying, “As long as I am on this planet, on this land, if you call for me, I will come.”
He didn’t answer the boy’s question directly but offered a promise instead. For Zheng Xing, that promise was enough.
The little boy’s lips curled into a small smile, his pale blue eyes—shaped like crescent moons—seeming to gleam with newfound light.
“Thank you,” he said with a sweet smile directed at Su Ci.
Then, turning to Lang Ze, he added softly, “Thank you, Brother.”
Zheng Xing hadn’t forgotten that this opportunity was made possible by Lang Ze. Without him, Zheng Xing might never have found the courage to make such a request to Su Su.
Lang Ze, however, looked annoyed by Zheng Xing’s earlier question. Will Su Su always stay at the nursery? Of course, he would! Was there even a need to ask?
To Lang Ze, Su Su leaving the nursery—or leaving them—was a deeply sensitive topic. It was his reverse scale, something that would instantly provoke him.
But… Zheng Xing was his little brother, and he was smiling at him so adorably!
Lang Ze’s irritation only lasted a moment before he decided to let it go. Alright, alright. Xing Xing’s still young. I’ll teach him later that if Su Su promised to stay, he definitely won’t leave.
Zheng Xing, sensitive as always, noticed Lang Ze’s shift in mood and tilted his head in confusion. But before he could speak, Lang Ze stepped forward and ruffled his hair.
“What’s with thanking your big brother?” Lang Ze said with a grin.
Then, turning to Su Ci, he asked, “Su Su, you’re not leaving the nursery, right?”
Though Lang Ze was smiling, the faint unease hidden beneath that smile wasn’t lost on Su Ci. He sighed inwardly.
After some thought, Su Ci decided that Lang Ze wouldn’t let this go without a proper answer. So he said, “I won’t leave—at least, not until you’re all grown up.”
Then he turned to Zheng Xing and added, “My promise to you has no time limit.”
Lang Ze’s eyes instantly reddened at Su Ci’s response. Angry and heartbroken, he said, “But you promised you wouldn’t leave us!”
He stared at Su Ci, his gaze filled with betrayal, as if looking at someone who had broken his trust.
Su Ci calmly countered, “And will you all stay in the nursery forever?”
Lang Ze was about to say “Of course!” when he caught onto the key phrase in Su Ci’s words: until you’re grown up…
He suddenly recalled overhearing the adults’ conversations. Once they were grown, they would have to leave the nursery—because the nursery was for cubs, and they wouldn’t be cubs anymore.
“Does that mean I’ll have no home again?” Lang Ze murmured.
Suddenly, Lang Ze found himself dreading—fearing, even—the idea of growing up. If growing up meant leaving the nursery… If growing up meant losing Su Su…
“I don’t want this!” Lang Ze shouted, then turned and bolted out of Su Ci’s room.
“Lang Ze—”
Zheng Xing hadn’t expected things to escalate like this. Sensing Lang Ze’s sadness, he forgot everything else and hurried after him.
As the two cubs ran off, A-Yan, who had been silently working on the training uniforms, stood up and walked over to Su Ci. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Su Ci from behind.
Su Ci, seemingly lost in thought, placed a hand on A-Yan’s and pressed his lips together, remaining silent.
Meanwhile, Lang Ze ran out of Su Ci’s room without paying attention to where he was going. He didn’t know where he wanted to go—he just kept running, head down.
His heart ached terribly.
Lang Ze, always carefree and full of energy, had never given much thought to what would happen when he grew up. Life as it was now felt perfect. Every day was filled with endless joy, so why would he need to look ahead to the future?
To him, the nursery was home, the most important place in the world. But now he’d been forced to realize that once he grew up, he wouldn’t belong there anymore.
And the person he cherished most—Su Su—would leave after they all grew up.
How could Lang Ze possibly accept this?
He ran to the rooftop, intending to vent his feelings by jumping across the buildings. But when he saw Pulu standing on the teleportation array, he changed his mind and dashed straight into the glowing platform.
The water orb shot a jet of water at Lang Ze with a soft plop.
Lang Ze didn’t dodge and took the spray directly to the face. He merely wiped it off with his hand and glared at the orb menacingly, warning, “I’m in a bad mood right now. Don’t mess with me!”
The water orb looked at him curiously but refrained from provoking him further.
When the teleportation array activated again, a small black cat leapt gracefully into the glowing light, joining Lang Ze as they arrived at the riverbank.
“Pulu-pulu—”
The water orb bounced in place, making incomprehensible noises, before hopping back into the river and vanishing beneath the surface.
The black cat turned toward Lang Ze, but the wolf cub ignored it, silently walking away from the riverbank toward the edge of the purification barrier.
“Lang Ze…”
Zheng Xing followed closely behind him. When they reached the boundary formed by the barrier, Lang Ze finally stopped and sat down, leaning against a large rock.
The black cat tilted its head upward, unable to see but keenly sensing Lang Ze’s emotions.
At that moment, the cheerful, energetic face of the wolf cub was streaked with tears.
Lang Ze wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, but the more he wiped, the more tears came. Eventually, he gave up and let them fall.
After sitting quietly for a while, he felt the black cat nudge his leg gently with its head. Lang Ze looked down and realized Zheng Xing had followed him here at some point.
Scooping up the little cat, Lang Ze held it close. Zheng Xing didn’t resist and remained still in his arms.
“Xing Xing, did you always know that Su Su would leave the nursery?” Lang Ze sniffled, his voice heavy with sorrow. “Of course, Su Su’s so amazing. He could go anywhere he wanted…”
Zheng Xing didn’t know how to comfort him, so he nuzzled Lang Ze’s palm gently, offering silent companionship.
“Xing Xing, when we grow up, we won’t have a home anymore…” Lang Ze murmured again.
“Why would you think that?”
Before Lang Ze could spiral further into despair, a cool, confident voice interrupted. Lang Ze looked up in surprise to see Ran Lie stepping through the purification barrier from outside.
“Ran Ran, you…”
Lang Ze was startled to see Ran Lie had snuck outside the safe zone, but the next words from the red-haired boy diverted his attention completely.
“Lang Ze, why do you think that growing up means losing your home?” Ran Lie asked, crouching down in front of him. His crimson hair caught the light as he fixed Lang Ze with a calm, steady gaze. There was a newfound sense of composure about him that commanded respect.
Unable to hide his feelings, Lang Ze explained everything that had happened. “If we leave the nursery… if we leave Su Su… doesn’t that mean we won’t have a home anymore?” he said, his voice trembling with sadness.
Ran Lie didn’t laugh or dismiss him. Instead, he said, “That’s not true. As long as we’re on Earth Star, Su Su will always be with us. And as long as we’re here, we’ll always have a home.”
Lang Ze looked at him in confusion. “Why?”
What Ran Lie said next left Lang Ze wide-eyed in disbelief.
“Because, just like the water spirit, Su Su… is the spirit of Earth Star,” Ran Lie explained. “So, Earth Star is our home.”
