Chapter 58: Why did he invite you to dinner?

Chapter 58: Why did he invite you to dinner?

Being called waste is a compliment!

Le Yan learned a new word that sounded like a derogative but was actually a term of endearment!

As the evening brought rain, the two didn't stay long at the zoo. After dinner, Yi Yang had to return to the police station, and Le Yan naturally stuck by his side, even preparing an excuse for himself – assisting with the case.

"It's going to be very late, might even be an all-nighter."

Yi Yang didn't follow Le Yan's hint and continued driving towards Yuhua Mansion. This rabbit's biological clock was particularly fixed when not 'communicating'; around 10 pm, if not in bed, he would yawn incessantly. It was tough not being able to sleep, and Yi Yang couldn't bear to see him suffer.

Le Yan leaned limply against the seatback, turning his face to look at Yi Yang, "Is the case getting busy again?" It was a rhetorical question, and he added, "Although I passed the interview, the training doesn’t start for another two days."

The message was clear, but Officer Yi, not wanting him to be reckless, reestablished their rules and sent him home. Once busy, it would be two or three days of nonstop work.

The first time Le Yan went to the zoo for training, he took the subway alone. Yi Yang, having only slept for an hour or two and worried, secretly followed the rabbit, maintaining a distance, all the way to the zoo entrance. Only then did he finally acknowledge that Le Yan could independently use basic transportation.

The work at the zoo looked easy but was as demanding as manual labor on a construction site. Sometimes Yi Yang felt like both a father and mother, his own work being straightforward but not wanting to burden Le Yan.

Thus, the rabbit's job had a bit of a privileged air; he worked from ten to four, deliberately avoiding rush hours to prevent being crowded. He also had weekends off and holidays, even during the zoo's busiest times, in accordance with national legal holidays...

Officer Yi even considered hiring a driver for pick-up and drop-off, but seeing how much Le Yan enjoyed the subway, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.

After about a month and a half, Le Yan adjusted well. The first few weeks he contacted Yi Yang frequently, but in the later weeks, he was having so much fun that he even stopped calling.

Officer Yi didn't have much time to look after him anymore, as his case was in the final stages, involving tracking and capturing a suspect, which required traveling out of town for several days. Le Yan, lying beside the bed watching him pack, asked when he would return and if there would be any danger, then mentioned, "The New Year is coming, the company is planning a mountain climbing trip."

"When is it?" Yi Yang asked.

"Maybe next Monday," Le Yan replied, then asked, "Guess what my daily job is?"

"Hmm..." Yi Yang knew, as he had arranged it, but pretended to be unaware, "Cleaning the panda enclosure?"

Le Yan shook his head: "Feeding with a bottle, holding the bottle to feed, then wiping their mouths one by one after feeding, and then putting the pandas to bed at noon." He gestured with his hands, "The cubs are only this small, but they’re heavier than I expected!"

Yi Yang said, "They are pandas, did you think they'd be as small as the palm of your hand like you?"

For Le Yan, this was his first time interacting with new colleagues and being able to hold his own. He was observant, discovering something new every day. If Yi Yang had enough time to listen every day, Le Yan would have endless stories to share!

Le Yan shared, "I've noticed that a male colleague in my pavilion likes a female colleague from the sloth pavilion next door."

Yi Yang asked, "Is this what you listen to at work every day?"

Le Yan shook his head, "He often buys flowers for that female colleague, but she always refuses them. So, he ends up giving the flowers to me."

Since Yi Yang brought flowers for him every day after work, regardless of how busy he was, Le Yan already understood the specific meaning behind giving flowers. That's why sometimes he was reluctant to accept flowers from his colleague.

"He gave them to you?" Yi Yang paused his packing, asking intently, "He gives you the flowers every time?"

"Yes," Le Yan got off the bed, knelt in front of Yi Yang, and helped fold clothes, continuing, "I wanted to pass his message to the female colleague, but he refused and said if he gave them to me, I should keep them."

Yi Yang felt something was off, frowning, "Besides giving flowers, has he done anything else?"

"Does asking me out for a meal count?"

Le Yan had never agreed, and going out for meals was impossible anyway. Yi Yang personally selected Le Yan's diet to ensure it was safe before having it delivered to the zoo. To avoid making Le Yan's different diet obvious to others, he arranged it as the staff meal, so everyone got the same thing.

Unaware of this arrangement, Le Yan just thought the canteen's food was surprisingly to his taste. He would start salivating just from the smell before mealtime, leaving his plate as clean as the pandas' milk bowls.

Yi Yang asked, "Why does he want to take you out for a meal?"

Le Yan continued shaking his head, "Later, he invited me to hang out on the weekend and then have a meal." After thinking a bit, he added, "Others were invited too, including female colleagues from our pavilion and the sloth pavilion."

Hearing this, Yi Yang's furrowed brows slowly relaxed. A group gathering was fine. It was the one-on-one invitations that needed careful consideration.

"It's good for you to make more friends," Yi Yang pulled the rabbit into his embrace, continuing to pack his toiletries, "But remember, when making new friends, you must learn to say no. Reject anything you're uncomfortable with, like flowers. If you don't want them, just say no. Same goes for meals. If you don't want to eat, tell them you can't, say you're allergic, understand?"

"I understand. I was actually thinking of inviting you along," Le Yan sighed, "But you have to travel." He turned his head, looked at Yi Yang for a few seconds, then quickly reached his hand inside Yi Yang’s shirt, "Tomorrow's the weekend..."

They had agreed that weekends were for being intimate.

"You were quite willing just now," Yi Yang pulled his hand out, controlling it to keep still.

He had noticed that this rabbit was really enthusiastic about intimate activities. Yi Yang would indulge him a bit during special times, fulfilling his requests. But even after Le Yan returned to normal a week later, he still clung on, pretending to be unwell. Officer Yi enjoyed it, yet felt it was a bit too unrestrained and unhealthy...

Thinking about the weekend and how he wouldn't be there for Le Yan due to his trip, he thought it might be good to be intimate tonight. But just a few minutes into kissing in bed, the doorbell rang.

Yi Yang propped himself up, pulled a blanket over Le Yan, and went to answer the door in a bathrobe.

The courier delivered a package, which Yi Yang thought was mistakenly addressed to his home instead of the police station. As he opened it on his way back to the bedroom, he found an envelope inside. He recognized the paper – it was the same kind as the one Uncle Shen had given Le Yan to carry.

Le Yan couldn't wait for him and called out. As Yi Yang entered with the envelope, Le Yan's first reaction was that Yi Yang had taken his letter again!

Tense, the rabbit sat up abruptly, "You can't look at it!"

"It's addressed to me," Yi Yang sat on the bed and tore open the envelope, while Le Yan lay behind him, repeating like a mantra, "This letter is meant for a girl named Shen Yu. I haven't found her yet. You can't open it without permission; it's disrespectful to Teacher Shen."

The envelope was already open. It started with Yi Yang's name, but the content was intended for Le Yan. The message was short, aside from greetings, it asked him to pass the letter he'd been carrying to Yi Yang. Yi Yang realized that after reading the letter, everything would become clear.

Yi Yang suddenly understood. Shen Qing's intention in sending this letter after several months was to give the rabbit enough time to navigate society, a sort of experiment. If Le Yan could survive in society successfully, it would be deemed a successful experiment.

Now, handing over the letter originally intended for Yi Yang at this time minimized any inconvenience to Yi Yang, or rather, required no trouble at all, as the rabbit had already acquired most of the skills needed for survival...

Somehow, it still felt a bit cruel...

Le Yan didn't doubt the authenticity of the letter; the handwriting and the signature were unmistakably Teacher Shen's. He slowly got dressed, slipped on his slippers, and ran back to his place. Rummaging through his wardrobe, he found the envelope he had wrapped in several layers at the very bottom. Taking it, he returned to give it to Yi Yang.

He was actually curious to read it, but Teacher Shen's letter didn't specify whether he could or not... The rabbit climbed back into the bed, only half an ear peeking out to listen.

Yi Yang didn't open the letter but placed it on the bedside table. After a while, the bed dipped beside him as Yi Yang lay down. Le Yan, clutching the blanket, moved closer and asked, "Have you finished reading it?"

"Yes."

Le Yan frowned, noting the letter's thickness seemed to be at least three pages, "You didn't really read it, did you? It's impossible to finish that quickly, even if you read twenty lines at a glance."

"I did read it, a while ago," Yi Yang said, moving aside Le Yan's clothing to gently touch the faint pink on his neck, then leaned in for a kiss.

Le Yan huffed, slightly annoyed, "You clearly didn't read it. Even if you opened it, you didn't pay attention. That's disrespectful to Teacher Shen!"

"I did read it. The letter said to take good care of you," Yi Yang replied, turning off the lamp on the bedside table and half-leaning over Le Yan, "Let's continue."

"Then..." Le Yan's mind still lingered on Teacher Shen's mention of Shen Yu, a person who seemed never to have appeared in his life. Teacher Shen wouldn't mention someone nonexistent, so the rabbit asked, "What about Shen Yu?"

"She was Teacher Shen's daughter," Yi Yang paused briefly, carefully observing Le Yan's reaction, and said in as relaxed a tone as possible, "She was ill and passed away a long time ago."

"Gone..." Le Yan fell silent, his fingers moved to gently twirl a lock of Yi Yang's hair, "If she's gone, why did Teacher Shen specifically instruct me not to read it and ensure it was delivered to her?"

"He was worried you wouldn't have the motivation to survive."

Shen Yu was a commitment, a motivation.

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The rabbit carefully repackaged the envelope and meticulously hid it again: Protecting my motivation!

Yi Yang, accustomed to his whimsical actions, thought to himself: I should visit the panda pavilion sometime, see how he interacts with people...