Chapter 249
Hearing Lu Li’s words, the other children—except for Xue Wei and Qian Qian, who had joined later—were stunned.
The little monkey was another version of Lu Li, and he had named it Liu Liu…
When Su Su had given everyone their new nicknames, most of them accepted the change. However, Lu Li had insisted on keeping his original name, Liu Liu.
That was because he used to be Number Six. Before Su Su came, every time he introduced himself, he would always say, “You can call me Liu Liu!”
Thinking back, they had almost forgotten the moody, self-centered Number Six who used to ignore everyone else’s feelings.
After being healed by Su Su, Number Six had become Lu Li.
He was emotionally stable, quiet most of the time, reliable in critical moments, and kind to everyone. Not only did the cubs at the care center like him, but even the adults at Base 24 got along well with him.
Apart from Lang Ze, who was naturally sociable, Lu Li had the best relationship with the adults among all the cubs at the center.
Xue Wei and Qian Qian, who had arrived later, didn’t know how unpleasant Number Six used to be; they only knew the well-behaved and likable Lu Li of today.
But now Lu Li was saying that the little monkey was Liu Liu, and his new nickname was Lu Lu. Could this mean—
“Ah!” Lang Ze couldn’t hold back a shout. He quickly moved closer to Lu Li, scrutinizing the little monkey in his hand. After a few moments of observation, he exclaimed in disbelief:
“The annoying monkey that kept picking fights with me—could it be this one?”
The little monkey, who had been sulking in Lu Li’s palm, immediately bared its teeth at Lang Ze, screeching angrily and hopping up and down in frustration.
“It is you, you stinky monkey!”
In an instant, Lang Ze recognized it completely.
He and Number Six used to get along terribly; among all the cubs, Lang Ze had the worst relationship with him.
If it weren’t for Lu Li’s transformation after Su Su’s influence—when he started being friendly, offering Lang Ze candies, and later teaching him body-tempering techniques, training together daily—the two of them might never have become friends.
Otherwise, with all the animosity from before, Lang Ze would never have considered him a companion.
“Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!”
The little monkey jumped around in Lu Li’s hand, clearly wanting to fight Lang Ze, but it was restrained by Lu Li’s spirit-controlling ability. Unable to act, it resorted to screeching its frustration.
Lu Li sighed. Liu Liu’s reaction wasn’t because of lingering grudges; it was simply upset at being called a “stinky monkey.”
He tried to mediate, saying, “Lang Ze, Liu Liu isn’t stinky.”
Lang Ze pouted. “But its temper stinks!”
That much was true.
“Chirp chirp!” The little monkey’s behavior made that abundantly clear.
At this moment, Ran Lie spoke up, his voice puzzled. “Lu… Lu Lu, what’s going on? Is this monkey… really your past self?”
“Yes.”
Lu Li didn’t hide the truth. Although this was a secret of his bloodline power, these were his closest companions. If he couldn’t trust them, there would be few people in the world worth trusting.
“This is the innate ability of the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey,” Lu Li explained. “But something went wrong before. Liu Liu took control of my body, and I became the little monkey.”
Ran Lie recalled the obedient little monkey they had encountered while visiting Su Su.
At the time, he had found it odd. The monkey’s personality seemed so different from Number Six’s usual behavior. He had assumed it was a result of complete beastification. Who would have thought—
“So that’s what happened!” Realization dawned on him.
“Mm. Su Su appeared when I needed it most and helped merge us back into one.”
Lu Li continued, “But recently, after another eruption of my bloodline power, Liu Liu separated from my body again. Initially, it couldn’t manifest physically, which is why you couldn’t see it.”
Lang Ze guessed, “Was that when you got sick?”
“Yes.”
Lu Li looked at the little monkey in his palm. After throwing a tantrum and realizing it couldn’t do anything to Lang Ze, it sulkily turned its back on him and sat down, fuming.
Seeing this behavior, Lu Li felt a small sense of relief.
Thankfully, there was some progress.
If this had been the old Liu Liu, it wouldn’t have backed down unless confronted by Su Su or Brother A-Yan—individuals it felt threatened by. Otherwise, it would have stubbornly fought to the end, showing no restraint at all.
Lu Li glanced at Lang Ze, giving him a grateful look.
The young wolf cub scratched his head, feeling puzzled by Lu Li’s expression. Still, he didn’t press on with their past grievances. After all…
That troublesome Liu Liu had now become a small monkey, completely restrained in Lu Li’s palm and unable to cause any mischief. Just thinking about it was satisfying enough!
“Liu Liu is another version of me, but it’s essentially like a three- or four-year-old cub and probably won’t grow any older,” Lu Li explained. “It still struggles to control its temper, but I’m working on teaching it.”
“If it does something wrong in the future, I… I want to apologize in advance. Please don’t hold it against me…”
His voice trailed off.
He still couldn’t fully control Liu Liu and had no way of predicting what trouble it might cause. However, he didn’t want Liu Liu to affect his bond with everyone else.
“It’s okay!”
Lu Jiao was the first to step forward. Curiously examining the little monkey, he said, “Honestly, it’s pretty cute like this.”
He extended a finger toward it.
Clearly, while Lu Li could keep the monkey from leaving, he couldn’t stop Lu Jiao from approaching.
Lu Li initially intended to stop him, but to his surprise, Liu Liu didn’t attack.
The sulking little monkey glanced at Lu Jiao with disdain but didn’t bite him. Instead, it stretched out a tiny hand and gently pushed his finger away.
Its expression and actions seemed to say: I’m in a bad mood right now, don’t bother me!
The girls, naturally drawn to cute, fluffy animals, couldn’t resist the charm of the tiny golden monkey. Xue Wei and Qian Qian stared at it with starry-eyed admiration.
Even Little Li Hua, who hadn’t gotten along well with Number Six in the past, couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so cute! Can I have one, too?”
Rong Heng glanced at Lu Li upon hearing this.
“…”
Lu Li gave an awkward laugh, avoiding the question. Still, it was clear that everyone seemed to be warming up to Liu Liu.
After playing with the little monkey for a while, Lu Jiao turned to Lu Li and said, “See? Liu Liu is so cute—everyone likes it.”
The previously grumpy little monkey paused upon hearing Lu Jiao’s words. Its big, round eyes turned to him, filled with skepticism: You’re not trying to trick me, are you?
Even Lu Li suspected Lu Jiao was just saying nice things to appease Liu Liu.
In truth, Lu Jiao had spent more time with Liu Liu than anyone else. In some ways, he might even understand this part of Lu Li’s soul better than Lu Li himself.
Lu Jiao curved his lips into a faint smile and continued, “I’m not lying. Liu Liu is truly adorable.”
He then turned to Little Li Hua. “Don’t you think so?”
Little Li Hua glanced at his smile, then at the undeniably cute miniature monkey. Almost reflexively, she nodded.
Of course, she thought to herself, it would be even cuter if it didn’t steal her paintbrushes.
Lu Jiao looked back at the little monkey and said, “See? I wasn’t lying.”
This time, the expression on the little monkey’s face softened. Its wariness gave way to gradual acceptance. Then, with a proud look, it placed its hands on its hips and puffed out its chest.
That’s right—it was the cutest monkey in the entire universe, and everyone loved it!
The little monkey Liu Liu, with the intelligence of a three-year-old and a self-centered personality, clearly responded well to Lu Jiao’s approach.
“Adorable Liu Liu, may I pat your head?” Lu Jiao mimicked Wen Yan’s gentle tone when she spoke to them, his voice light and sweet.
To everyone’s amazement, the previously bad-tempered little monkey glanced at Lu Jiao, sighed as if saying “I just can’t say no to you”, and then tilted its head toward him, granting permission.
Lu Jiao extended his finger and lightly patted the fluffy head of the little monkey before withdrawing his hand.
The monkey tilted its head in confusion and let out a chirp, as if asking:
Just one pat? Don’t you want to pat me a couple more times?
Lu Li: “…”
Hearing Liu Liu’s inner thoughts, Lu Li realized for the first time that he might not have fully understood his “brother’s” temperament before.
Liu Liu didn’t just inherit his bad temper. It had both good and bad qualities, but they existed in extremes.
When it was bad, it was insufferable, impossible to like. But when it was good, it was like a little angel.
This realization made Lu Li understand that Liu Liu desperately needed proper guidance.
With this clarity, Lu Li felt a sense of relief and quickly formulated a plan for managing this part of his soul.
He looked over at Lu Jiao, the silver-haired boy who exuded a quiet, scholarly demeanor from being immersed in books and knowledge. His composed and intelligent aura made him seem like the perfect problem solver.
“Youyou, thank you!” Lu Li said gratefully.
Lu Jiao gave him a curious glance but continued patting the little monkey’s head. The other girls couldn’t resist and gathered around as well.
When Liu Liu wasn’t throwing tantrums, it was utterly adorable! Who could resist such a tiny, fluffy creature?
“Liu Liu, can I pat you too?” Qian Qian, being straightforward, leaned in and mimicked Lu Jiao’s tone and demeanor when addressing the monkey.
Being a creature that could switch between physical and spiritual forms, Liu Liu was highly attuned to emotions. It could sense that Qian Qian genuinely liked it.
This, in turn, validated Lu Jiao’s earlier statement.
Yes, Liu Liu was that popular!
With great generosity, the little monkey allowed Qian Qian to pat its head. Then it was Xue Wei’s and Little Li Hua’s turn.
When Little Li Hua asked if she could paint its portrait, Liu Liu even nodded happily in agreement.
Outside the dining hall, A-Yan, who had initially come over to check on the situation, silently observed the scene.
The little monkey Liu Liu could be seen as a miniature version of a golden snub-nosed monkey. Lu Li seemed to have finally realized this, which meant he would likely manage his fragment soul more effectively in the future.
A-Yan smiled with satisfaction before quietly returning to his dormitory.
