Chapter 8: Not Biting Her

“Fugui, stop it,” Nian Tu mumbled as she turned over and pushed the fluffy creature aside.

Fugui was the cat owned by the boss of the company where she worked. It was a large, plump orange tabby, proud and aloof, looking down on everyone in the company—whether leader or employee—even its owner—with equal disdain, treating them all like younger siblings.

The only one it liked was Nian Tu. Every day, it would camp out at her workstation, rolling around and rubbing against her, trying to lure her into petting its soft belly, which seriously disrupted her work efficiency.

Fortunately, since it was the boss’s cat, Nian Tu didn’t get penalized. On the contrary, winning the favor of this “little prince” had earned her a raise.

The boss had asked her privately more than once how to get Fugui to be so attached to her.

Nian Tu was helpless; it seemed she was just naturally good with animals.

It wasn’t just Fugui who loved her. When she was a child in the countryside, her cousin led the other kids in excluding her, so she spent her days with various animals instead of playing with children.

From domestic chickens, ducks, and dogs to squirrels and foxes in the woods, they all took a liking to her. The most terrifying encounter was when she met a wolf in the mountains. But surprisingly, these fierce creatures behaved like little puppies around her, and she even touched a chubby little wolf cub.

Wolf fur was not soft; it was a bit rough and prickly—just like Fugui’s now...

But wait, Fugui was a cat—cats had soft fur. Why had it suddenly become so rough?

And Fugui was heavy! Even for an orange tabby, it was unusually solid today. What had it been sneaking lately?

Suddenly, a large, fluffy weight pressed down on her chest, nearly making her cough up blood.

Even with her mind in a fog, she snapped fully awake at this moment, opening her eyes to meet a pair of glowing beastly eyes in the darkness, her heart nearly stopping.

It wasn’t Fugui!

Of course, she had crossed worlds and was no longer on Earth; there was no way she could see Fugui again...

Nian Tu stared in shock at the creature before her.

Its massive body rippled with solid muscles, and its neck bore a long, thick mane that stood out clearly even in the dark. This was a young, strong, powerful male lion.

It rested its head on Nian Tu’s chest, quietly gazing at her.

Back on Earth, Nian Tu had never even been to a zoo; her impression of lions came only from TV shows. But she was certain this lion that had broken into her bedroom was not the same size as those she had seen on Earth.

It was far larger.

It probably wouldn’t even need its sharp fangs—just one swipe of its paw could half-kill her.

Overwhelmed with tension, Nian Tu’s face went pale and her body chilled.

They stared at each other motionless for a long time, and she gradually calmed down, realizing the lion didn’t seem to intend to attack her.

She tentatively reached out and moved the lion’s head off her chest. Good—no bite.

Summoning her courage, she got out of bed.

The lion immediately followed, its glowing eyes fixed on her every step.

Though it didn’t bite, having a lion tailing you relentlessly was terrifying enough. Nian Tu went to look for Xian and Lu Zhan, only to find neither of them was home.

In the huge villa, it was just her and this lion. Was heaven conspiring against her?

“Are you a beastman? Xian? Lu Zhan?” she suddenly realized this was a possibility.

The lion didn’t respond but let out a big yawn.

Nian Tu: “...”

She waved her hand in front of the lion: “Hey, can you understand me?”

This time the lion reacted strongly, but not as she hoped—it stared intently at her hand and let out an excited low growl from its throat. Frightened, Nian Tu quickly withdrew her hand.

Forget it, it really was just an animal, not a beastman.

Nian Tu went to the kitchen and grabbed a piece of fresh-looking meat, deciding to start by satisfying the lion’s hunger. If she fed the one who had broken into her home in the middle of the night, her own safety would be much more assured.

But when she put the meat on the floor, the lion didn’t even look at it.

With no other choice, she carefully held it out. The lion sniffed but still didn’t eat.

It was interested in something else—

“Ah!!”

The lion licked her hand. Nian Tu shuddered, fearing her hand might be gone, but the lion only gave a curious tilt of its head as if puzzled by her scream.

After a few more scares, Nian Tu’s nerves snapped, and suddenly she grew bold enough to boldly touch the lion’s belly.

It wasn’t sunken—she confirmed it was a full lion. No wonder it ignored the meat.

The belly was a vulnerable spot for animals; usually, no one dared touch a lion’s belly unless they wanted to die.

But this lion had an unusually gentle temperament. Not only did it let Nian Tu touch its belly, it even rubbed its mane against her shoulder, purring softly.

The more she petted it, the more exhilarated she felt, regaining the confidence she once had in her village, taming cats, dogs, snakes, and even wolves.

It was just a lion—nothing to be afraid of!

The meat in her hand was now wasted, so she washed it, cut off the outer layer, and put it back in the fridge.

She tried to contact Xian and Lu Zhan but the lion’s big head suddenly nudged her, preventing her from sending messages.

“Stop it, stop it!” she dodged around until she was chased back to her bedroom and knocked down, rolling around with the lion.

Unable to send her message, she was forced to play a game of chase with the lion for a while until she was exhausted and closed her eyes, gasping for breath.

Exhausted, she soon fell asleep, one arm draped over the lion, which lay quietly beside her, guarding her.

Dawn came.

Nian Tu opened her eyes and regained consciousness.

She reached out to feel beside her but touched nothing.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked around—no sign of the lion.

Could it have been a dream?

After some thought, Nian Tu concluded it must have been.

Who would have a lion break in in the middle of the night? It was too absurd.

She finished washing up and came out to see Lu Zhan cooking porridge and breakfast in the kitchen, but no sign of Xian.

“Good morning. Where’s Xian?”

“Good morning, Nian,” Lu Zhan said gently. “Major Xian had a mission and left for the base early this morning. It’s not dangerous, don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.”

They preferred to keep Xian’s recent outburst hidden to avoid worrying the young female.

Lu Zhan had spent the entire previous night searching for the lion, Xian, without success.

This lion was truly difficult to handle, constantly evading the searchers. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left Nian Tu to help look for it.

He had just returned this morning, dusty and tired, and found the broken window unrepaired. He dutifully fixed it, grateful that Nian Tu had been asleep at the time or else he would have had no good explanation.

Nian Tu didn’t suspect a thing and approached to teach Lu Zhan how to add ingredients to plain porridge, making a steaming pot of vegetable and lean pork congee, along with two fragrant fried eggs.

As they ate, Lu Zhan’s holographic communicator beeped, alerting him to a suspected lion sighting nearby. Being the closest, he was ordered to investigate immediately.

He had to make an excuse to Nian Tu. “Sorry, I have an urgent mission...”

“Are you going to save someone? Emergency? That’s okay, you should go,” Nian Tu said, imagining the scenario.

Doctors often had urgent work—it was normal.

Lu Zhan had never met such a considerate and easygoing woman. He was deeply grateful.

He solemnly thanked and praised Nian Tu repeatedly, lowering his tall frame to kiss her fingertips.

Nian Tu blushed, wishing she could disappear into the floor.

These male beastmen were simply too much!

They treated her like fragile porcelain, praising her to the skies for the slightest effort. Even though they cooked the food themselves, she only provided the recipes, yet both Xian and Lu Zhan practically worshiped her as a culinary goddess.

Like now—she had only agreed to let Lu Zhan handle his business, but he looked so grateful it was overwhelming.

Once Lu Zhan left, Nian Tu sighed in relief.

She continued eating breakfast, scrolling through her holographic communicator, when a loud crash came from Xian’s room.

!! She was startled.

No way—was there someone breaking in on this starship? Choosing the exact moment when she was home alone?

Before she could call for help, footsteps rapidly approached the dining area.

Instinctively, Nian Tu gripped her fork and held her breath.

They were here!

A familiar lion’s head poked into the dining room!