Chapter 68

A thick, rough-textured pad gently touched the back of Xiaoyu’s hand. The unexpected warmth startled him, making him flinch, but Xiaoyu quickly realized its origin.

“I'm sorry, Yuanyuan, I...”

Xiaoyu released his grip on his arm, realizing he was embraced by the black leopard. Instinctively, he raised his arms to hug the leopard's head, nuzzling affectionately against its face. In a raspy voice, he cooed, “I got a bit scared.”

However, the leopard, usually responsive, went rigid, becoming completely unresponsive.

Sensing something was off, Xiaoyu sat up, extricating himself from the blanket, and turned his attention to Yuanyuan.

The next moment, anxious blue eyes met hesitant violet ones.

Xiaoyu: “?!”

Lu Yinghuai: “...”

Xiaoyu's initial reaction was one of joy—Lu Yinghuai's awakening was a source of comfort to him. But it quickly dawned on him: the intimate posture of their... well, not exactly two humans, but rather a man and a leopard.

Xia You quickly withdrew her arm, scrambling two steps back to maintain a comfortable social distance. But as she left the warmth of the blanket and the leopard, she shivered instinctively and sneezed involuntarily.

A powerful leopard paw pulled Xia You back into the cozy cocoon of the blanket, clumsily tucking her in with its sharp claws. To ensure she wouldn't get cold again, the leopard placed its hefty forelimb over her.

Restrained and stiff.

Initially, Xia You felt very rigid, but sensing Lu Yinghuai's stiffness, she gradually relaxed.

He was used to using Yuan Yuan as a pillow. The leopard's belly fur was the softest and warmest. Normally, Yuan Yuan wouldn't let him touch it, only occasionally when he playfully pinned the leopard could he feel it.

It was rare for the leopard to lie on its side like this, allowing him to snuggle up.

Beneath Xia You was the soft fur of the leopard's belly, blanketed by the duvet, with the heavy weight of the leopard's paw pressing down. She tried to look into the leopard's eyes and whispered, "Your Highness?"

Lu Yinghuai didn't want to speak, but after hesitating for a few seconds, he let out a soft growl.

Xia You, her eyebrows knitted, shifted forward slightly and discreetly grasped the leopard's fur, "Your Highness?"

Exasperated, Lu Yinghuai responded with another growl.

Recognizing her spoiled behavior as the patient, Xia You slid her fingers to grasp the leopard's only available paw, looking up with a smile, "Your Highness!"

Lu Yinghuai remained silent, pressing down with the paw that was on top of the blanket, restraining the fidgety young man beneath.

With her eyes closed, enveloped in comforting warmth, Xia You felt a pull towards sleep.

A pointed leopard tail peeked out from the edge of the blanket, moving as if to coil around something but restrained itself with grace.

Lu Yinghuai closed his eyes, sifting through the memories of his beast companion while closely monitoring Xia You's breathing.

Suddenly, Xia You turned over, changing from using the leopard as a pillow to curling up entirely in its embrace.

Lu Yinghuai opened his eyes and, after hesitating for two seconds, gently nudged the top of Xia You's head with his snout, growling softly with concern.

With only half her face showing, Xia You muffledly responded, "Your Highness, I'm alright."

Lu Yinghuai waited quietly for a moment. Seeing Xia You continue to bury herself, he lifted his paw and began to playfully tug at the corner of the blanket.

Xia You, having two hands, teased the disadvantaged Lu Yinghuai, who only had one front paw to fend her off, certain that the dignified prince would never use his hind paw to snatch the blanket.

Indeed, Lu Yinghuai wouldn't, but Xia You seemingly forgot one thing—she was in the leopard's embrace.

Lu Yinghuai turned over, smoothly lifting the stunned Xia You—who had abruptly lost the comfort of the leopard's belly—and pulled the blanket over her. He then used half his body weight to hold down the blanket for her.

In the process, he also pinned down the restless Xia You.

Xia You was not only robbed of the leopard's embrace but was also forced to obediently lie down under the covers.

The two, human and leopard, lay side by side, their heads facing the same direction.

Xia You buried her face in the sheets, taking a while before she spoke, "Your Highness, both Commander Cheng and Commander Fan came looking for me."

"Growl."

"Also, Medical Officer Meng... I was a bit hesitant, but the snack bars mentioned merging the guards. Your oversight permissions are higher than mine."

Lu Yinghuai gave another low acknowledgment, then patted the wrist that Xia You was trying to stretch out from under the blanket.

Xia You activated the control screen of her holographic computer.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at his own leopard paw—great for attack but not much for finesse. Carefully controlling his movement, he extended a sharp claw and touched the holographic interface.

Xia You looked at the permissions portal that Lu Yinghuai brought up, surprised by a line of text that silently appeared next to the shared permissions option.

[Spousal permissions have been activated]

When did this happen?

Xia You turned her gaze to Lu Yinghuai.

Yet, Lu Yinghuai withdrew his leopard paw, tucking it under his body, and looked away.

In reality, he had granted Xia You spousal permissions quite a while ago. But given the intricacies linked to such access, he hadn't found a natural opportunity to discuss it with her.

Eventually, Lu Yinghuai thought that if Xia You ever really needed the shared permissions, she would discover it upon checking, without the need for a face-to-face explanation.

Xia You intently watched the side profile of the leopard. Suddenly, a smile formed at the corner of her lips, and she cheerfully activated the option to grant Lu Yinghuai spousal permissions.

Such permissions were one-way. Since His Highness never mentioned it, Xia You had long held the right to access Lu Yinghuai's personal data, financial transactions, and income details. She naturally also possessed shared guard permissions, but Lu Yinghuai did not have corresponding access to Xia You's spousal permissions.

Felines have excellent night vision. Even with the dim warm light illuminating the bedroom, it didn't prevent Lu Yinghuai from catching Xia You's actions with a sidelong glance.

Consequently, the tip of the leopard's tail stealthily peeked out from the edge of the blanket, curling in delight.

Xia You began to whisper about recent events. However, since the red panda was still in the room, she spoke softly, choosing her words ambiguously.

She attempted to shuffle out, but Lu Yinghuai gently, yet firmly, tucked her back under the covers.

Resigned, she nestled her head against the blanket, pulling the holographic screen down with her, projecting it onto the surface of the bedsheet.

However, this position made it challenging for Lu Yinghuai to see the screen.

Using some effort, Xia You nudged the leopard to the side, propping up her blanket and gazing at the black leopard that was previously outside the covers.

Lu Yinghuai remained silent for a moment.

Xia You sneezed.

Lu Yinghuai, with the tip of his tail curled, silently laid next to the young man, both of them under the same blanket.

Once again, Xia You felt the warmth of the leopard. Although there was no leopard embrace, there was furry comfort to lean on.

She murmured on, tapping records on the screen and taking out the paper mental strength data that Meng Wenxuan had previously given her.

Yuan Yuan was always by Xia You's side, never straying. Hence, Lu Yinghuai easily grasped what Xia You was saying, tacitly expressing his thoughts by typing on the screen.

Xia You would pose questions, share her perspectives and thoughts, and voice her concerns without hesitation. Lu Yinghuai listened intently, not voicing his own opinions but guiding Xia You to realize what she hadn't considered, filling in her knowledge gaps.

Lu Yinghuai would then praise the rapid growth and excellence of the young gentleman, and Xia You would beam with unwavering confidence, her eyes twinkling like stars.

The glow from the screen cast gentle illumination on the faces of the young man and the leopard, radiating ease and warmth.

It was their most familiar mode of communication.

After discussing the various events of recent days, Xia You, still engrossed, lay on the bed, gazing at Lu Yinghuai, who mirrored the same posture as Yuan Yuan.

She found herself bursting into laughter after some time.

A gleam of amusement shimmered in Lu Yinghuai's purple eyes.

"Your Highness," Xia You called out once more, reaching out to playfully grab and shake the leopard's paw, chuckling, "Welcome back."

Lu Yinghuai had long noticed that Xia You, usually so reserved in front of him, became noticeably more playful and unrestrained when he was in his companion beast form.

For Lu Yinghuai, interacting with Xia You in this manner was novel, and he even found... delight in her affection.

Lu Yinghuai allowed Xia You to hold his leopard's paw and murmured an acknowledgment.

The two, human and leopard, lay in silence for a moment. Xia You idly tapped on the computer interface repeatedly, before suddenly inquiring, "Your Highness, if a person's soul has undergone changes, would the altered spiritual attributes accompany their soul or remain fixed within their physical vessel?"

Xia You's demeanor seemed casual, like light chatter, but her palms betrayed her anxiety with sweat.

Lu Yinghuai has always been attuned to emotional shifts, especially when it concerned Xia You, who was always under his watchful gaze.

He had always recognized Xia You's unique distinction from others, yet he never pried into this matter.

Now, the typically radiant sapphire was finally lifting a corner of its veil, peering out with tentative and anxious eyes.

Holding her breath, Xia You awaited Lu Yinghuai's response. He promptly typed a message on the screen.

[Changes in the soul represent fundamental shifts.]

[Isn't the distinction and connection between us and our companion beasts an example of the soul's transformation yet unchanging nature?]

[Xia You, after a companion beast materializes, it should have two separate forms. However, after you healed the companion beast, the spiritually connected entity also received healing, answering your question.]

Not only did Lu Yinghuai provide a clear response, but he also reassured Xia You that such changes were not anomalies. The vast universe held countless similar examples.

[Xia You, we are alike.]

Xia You suppressed the sting in her eyes, then defiantly met Lu Yinghuai's gaze.

"Then, Your Highness, do you believe in resurrection after death?"

His deep purple eyes momentarily contracted.

After a significant pause, Lu Yinghuai typed:

[I choose to believe.]

Biting her lip, Xia You muttered, "Such a ridiculous thought... absurd and outrageous... Shouldn't you be reprimanding me?"

A hint of amusement sparkled in Lu Yinghuai's eyes.

[It is precisely because of their absurdity and improbability that, when they truly happen, we consider them miracles.]

Xia You opened her mouth, and though she thought she had grown much stronger, tears threatened to form in her eyes again.

[By the way, there's something I feel the need to clarify.]

Clarify?

Xia You tilted her head in confusion.

The leopard's paw that reached out in front of Xia You was still typing away.

[I will never reprimand you for anything.]

[I never did before, and I never will in the future.]

Xia You stared at the two lines, then glanced at Lu Yinghuai, quickly taking a screenshot and encrypting the image in her optical computer storage.

Lu Yinghuai withdrew his leopard paw and tucked it beneath him.

In truth, Lu Yinghuai didn’t have such a habit, but it seemed as if this motion was already ingrained in the leopard’s body.

Lu Yinghuai probably knew the reason but didn’t really want to reminisce.

Xia You sneaked closer to Lu Yinghuai and whispered, "Your Highness?"

Lu Yinghuai turned to look at her.

The leopard inside the blanket emanated an aura of innocence.

A restless urge started to stir within Xia You.

She took out a familiar deep purple button from her spatial knot and slowly pushed it towards Lu Yinghuai.

"Would Your Highness please press this?"

Lu Yinghuai recognized the object and was very resistant to it.

It was evident from the way his leopard ears angled backward.

Xia You kept gazing at Lu Yinghuai with teary eyes, full of hope.

After a tense standoff of several seconds, Lu Yinghuai couldn't hold back and sighed internally.

Fine, it's just a button press.

It's only a continuation of the overbearing jealousy shown by his previous companion beast.

But that was Yuan Yuan's doing; it had nothing to do with Lu Yinghuai...

Slowly, Lu Yinghuai extended his leopard paw and pressed the deep purple button.

Xia You held her breath, watching the paw with anticipation.

“Hug.”

A voice, eerily similar to Lu Yinghuai’s, came from the system, startling a previously sleeping panda, which instantly sat up.

Lu Yinghuai froze beneath the blanket, looking slightly dazed.

Suppressing her laughter, Xia You repeatedly pressed the furry leopard paw chanting, "hug, hug, hug" and generously gave the rigid leopard a big embrace.

Just then, Uncle Zhou appeared at the door with a tray. The battle-hardened old butler hesitated upon seeing the scene in the bedroom.

Inside the dimly lit room, a bulging blanket resembled a small tent on the bed, with strands of golden hair and the edge of a black leopard's head peeking out.

The old butler stepped back, bowing slightly in a polite manner, "I apologize for the interruption."

Now, Xia You also became rigid beneath the blanket.

Ironically, as Uncle Zhou had already stepped out, he retraced a few steps, cleared his throat, and gently suggested, “Perhaps... turning on the lights while looking at the screen would be better for your eyes?”

To be honest, it had been a very long time since Uncle Zhou had seen anyone hiding under blankets to sneakily use a device in the Marshal's mansion.

It's endearing, but not a healthy habit.

Xia You guiltily closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, and also pulled down the blanket slightly.

Lu Yinghuai, now forced to emerge from the blanket, met the old butler's gaze head-on.

Uncle Zhou smiled, “Sir?”

Lu Yinghuai: "..."