Chapter 17: This Is Not the Bus to Kindergarten!

Carrying Nian Tu back home, Lu Zhan was still pondering how to answer her question.

Upon entering, he was surprised to find Xi Ang standing right at the door, his tall figure planted there like he was being punished.

Why hadn’t this man been locked up by the Regulatory Bureau?

Lu Zhan coldly scrutinized Xi Ang, his tone laced with sarcasm as he said to Nian Tu, "Looking for the lion? He’s right in front of you."

Nian Tu’s first reaction was that Lu Zhan’s words sounded strange, almost jealous; her second was shock.

Xi Ang?

That uncontrollable lion was Xi Ang?

Anger surged within her, bitterness rising to her throat. With two slender fingers, she grasped the wolf ears. "So you two were in cahoots, lying to me all along?"

They had told her Xi Ang had a mission and had returned to base, so he wasn’t home.

Wolf ears were extremely sensitive. Startled, Lu Zhan shuddered violently. "Sorry..."

Nian Tu wasn’t sure why she’d impulsively grabbed them, but seeing his strong reaction, she quickly let go.

Nervously stammering, she added, "You... don’t lie to me anymore."

The snow wolf gave a short, affirmative whine, as if promising.

The image of a small female riding intimately atop a giant wolf pierced Xi Ang’s nerves.

Normally, after losing control, male beasts are taken into custody by the Regulatory Bureau, but his loss-of-control index had dropped to 70, so the bureau didn’t restrict his freedom and let him go.

Thinking he might have forced himself on Nian Tu during his uncontrolled state, committing a grave wrong, he had panicked and run home as fast as he could.

But the house was empty.

His restless mind lost all rational thought; he stood frozen there, waiting for Nian Tu for hours.

In fact, if he had glanced at his neural interface during that time, he’d have seen the viral headline on the StarNet — a video someone took of the Black Snake Beast man losing control, and Nian Tu calming the Black Mamba on the street—clearly showing it was a misunderstanding and that he hadn’t done anything untoward to her.

Unfortunately, he didn’t look.

With his head bowed and voice hoarse, Xi Ang asked Nian Tu, "May I speak with you alone?"

Nian Tu was stunned.

Since they first met, Xi Ang had always appeared confident and towering in her eyes; she had never seen him so dejected.

Could it be guilt for lying to her?

But that wasn’t a grave offense; she could understand.

The image of the lion merged in her mind with Xi Ang, deepening her pity for him.

Just as she nodded to agree, the snow wolf tugged at her clothes.

Lu Zhan’s gray-blue beast eyes fixed intently on Nian Tu.

Knowing he couldn’t monopolize her, he tried to gain a little more.

Nian Tu subtly caught his hint, hesitated a moment, then opened her arms and embraced the furry form tightly.

If Lu Zhan were in human form, she might hesitate to hug him, but as a beast, she had no qualms.

Satisfied with the female’s consolation, Lu Zhan greedily drew warmth from her body, closing his eyes to savor the brief happiness before reluctantly releasing her.

Nian Tu and Xi Ang ascended to the attic.

The attic had a window facing a peach tree. Nian Tu opened it slightly, and a gentle breeze swept in, scattering pink petals through the air, brushing against her face.

She quickly shut the window, frowning as she plucked a few petals. Turning, she realized Xi Ang had vanished, replaced by a familiar lion.

The dazzling golden mane and amber eyes belonged unmistakably to that clingy big lion.

In an instant, Nian Tu recalled the joy of tumbling and playing with the lion.

Her lips were about to curve into a delighted smile when she suddenly realized it was Xi Ang.

In the memory, the lion’s face—whom she had fondled and kissed eagerly—was replaced by Xi Ang’s.

A shiver ran through her, her body stiffening.

This was a matter best not dwelled upon; the more she thought, the more she wished to disappear.

Noticing her drifting gaze and evasive eyes, Xi Ang’s heart sank further.

Sure enough, it was his fault for bullying her, making her so afraid, and her fondness for him must have turned negative—she probably wouldn’t even glance twice at his beast form.

The lion’s eyes dimmed, and he shifted back to human form.

Interstellar technology allowed an instant change of clothes, sparing male beasts the trouble of changing after transformation.

Though this tech had existed for thousands of years and was nothing new, Nian Tu, a rustic from Earth, was captivated, watching the lion transform into a handsome, neatly dressed man with astonishment.

But what shocked her even more was—

Xi Ang knelt before her!

The man knelt straight and decisively; the sound of his knee touching the ground was solid.

Nian Tu gasped, thinking he was unwell and had lost his balance, rushing forward to help him up.

Yet when her hands rested on his well-defined forearms and she tried with all her strength, she couldn’t pull him up.

Bewildered, she let go and saw him still kneeling, his voice hoarse as he begged forgiveness: "I’m sorry."

"Please punish me as you see fit."

Even if she killed him, he would harbor no resentment.

Nian Tu stammered, "No, it’s not that serious!"

He was only lying; from his repentant tone, one might think he had committed a heinous crime.

"I forgive you," she waved her hand, absolving him.

Forgive him?

Xi Ang stared at her in disbelief, unable to believe he could be forgiven, and so easily.

Grateful for her mercy, yet overwhelmed with guilt, he softly asked, "Are you badly hurt?"

Though the medical pod could heal most injuries quickly, the pain felt at the moment of injury was undiminished.

He feared he had left a shadow on Nian Tu.

"I’m not hurt. You didn’t bite me," Nian Tu’s logic was on a different wavelength; she chuckled, "You wanted to attack Lu Zhan, but luckily you couldn’t through the video."

"Even if you had bitten me, I wouldn’t blame you—you weren’t in control, it wasn’t intentional," she comforted, stroking Xi Ang’s hair, which felt much like the lion’s.

This world was truly a paradise, filled with the little creatures she loved.

She had boundless tolerance for animals, and by extension, felt warmer toward their human forms.

Moved in her heart, Xi Ang still couldn’t help but worry: "But my beast form is so large... and rough... and that... structure’s special... Are you really not hurt?"

Nian Tu finally realized something was off.

No, no, no... stop! Stop right there!

She was still in the car on the way to kindergarten—how had Xi Ang already hit top speed?

Looking at Xi Ang’s flushed handsome face, she opened her mouth, and after a long moment, managed to say, "That’s not..."

Blushing deeply and utterly confused, she asked, "Why do you think that I—especially with your beast form—you’d do something like that?"

She wasn’t a pervert; she had no such bizarre tastes!