Chapter 406 Cute Pet Tea Party

Chapter 406: Adorable Pet Gathering

Major General Lanen of the Zerg noticed that Lin You was always quietly observing him, as if expecting something.

After some subtle probing and a few furtive glances at Lin You’s holographic terminal, Lanen realized that Lin You was hoping he would turn into a cat.

Lanen steeled himself.

Was it really this easy to earn his mate’s favor? Piece of cake—he had this!

Since the previous hosts and their spouses had all turned into cats, surely he would too!

Imagining how he could boldly monopolize his mate’s lap, get chin scratches and tail pets, and even ask for head pats and belly rubs, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

So, when Lanen woke up the next morning and noticed changes in his body, he was thrilled.

Eager to show off his new form to his mate, Lanen wanted to dab at Lin You with a paw, then coyly smile—hoping to convey "innocent cuteness" and "alluring charm."

But then, he saw a massive paw the size of Lin You’s entire face.

Lanen: “???”

The General stiffly turned his head toward the mirror on the bedside table, and the entire leopard froze in place.

He hadn’t turned into a cat—he’d turned into a silver-white snow leopard, with paws as big as his mate’s face.

“……”

Sure, they were both felines, but this difference…

Lanen was mortified.

Two cold drops of sweat slid down his temples. His first thought was—"He can’t let Lin You see him like this!"

It was common knowledge among the Zerg that male Zerg typically preferred soft, docile things. Though his own mate was exceptionally unique—fond of firearms and combat games—Lin You had openly expressed envy toward hosts whose partners had turned into cats, meaning he was also looking forward to Lanen becoming a kitten.

But why had he turned into something so majestic, agile, and utterly devoid of cuteness?!

The snow leopard angrily gnawed on his own tail, biting off a mouthful of fur. After scanning the room and finding nowhere to hide in the hotel suite, he slunk to the balcony and used his tail to pull the door shut behind him.

The snow leopard fretted, "Will Lin You be disappointed?"

Why hadn’t he turned into a cat?! His personality was totally cat-like! The universe clearly had it out for him!

On the bed, Lin You slowly woke up.

He blinked blearily and looked around. “Lanen?”

Ever since their marriage, Lanen had never let him wake up alone. The General would always be reclining against the headboard, artfully loosening his collar to reveal just a hint of his notoriously pale chest—positioned perfectly in Lin You’s line of sight. Then, with practiced grace, he’d greet his newly awakened mate with a smile and a theatrical, “Good morning, my beloved. You are as radiant as the dawn. Shall we rise for breakfast?”

But today, Lanen was missing. Lanen’s notoriously pale, broad chest was nowhere to be seen.

“Lanen?” Lin You abruptly sat up.

Only then did he notice a dark silhouette on the balcony—a large, shadowy figure with two round ears on its head, like some kind of oddly adorable giant creature.

The snow leopard clenched his tail between his teeth.

Anxiously pacing in circles, he tried to figure out how to explain that his mate’s partner hadn’t turned into a cat like the others—but into a snow leopard. Then, he heard the balcony door creak open, followed by Lin You’s voice as he gasped excitedly: “Wow, Lanen! Is that you?”

Lanen turned around, trying his best to appear adorable. He took a very reserved step toward Lin You, tilting his head innocently: "Mrrow?"

A low growl rumbled from the snow leopard's throat.

—"Awoo!"

"......"

Lanen shut down again.

He turned his back to Lin You, his tail curling in frustration, as if to say, "Forget me, go enjoy yourself today." But suddenly, his tail was caught and gently squeezed.

Lin You couldn't help grabbing the tail: "God, Lanen, your tail is adorable!"

He stroked all the way to the tip of the cheetah's tail, then sneaked a little pat on the snow leopard’s butt. Made for running, the snow leopard's hips were firm and beautifully sculpted—just like Lanen himself.

The snow leopard went rigid.

Lin You coaxed him: "Commander, turn around and let me pet your big cat head, okay?"

The snow leopard's round head and two semicircular ears were insanely cute!

Thanks to the snow leopard's exceptionally long tail, even as Lanen turned and offered his head, the tip of his tail remained in Lin You's grasp.

With one hand stroking the tail and the other pampering the big cat's head, Lin You then moved to scratch under the snow leopard's chin. Lanen lifted his head, allowing the touch, his throat vibrating with a happy rumble, eyes narrowing in pleasure, his big cat mouth curling into a smile.

When he’d petted his fill, Lin You eyeing his wife’s size, he spread his arms: "Can I hug you?"

The snow leopard considered for a moment, then braced one paw against the balcony door to support most of his weight before carefully pressing his fluffy bulk against Lin You. He rubbed his big cat head against Lin You's cheek repeatedly, leaving no doubt he wanted cuddles.

Lin You: "!"

A giant fluffy body pillow!

This beats the other hosts’ perks any day!

His Majesty the Insect Emperor let loose, planting several kisses on the big cat's head, getting his fill.

Then, he shared the news in the group chat.

"My wife turned into a snow leopard! The perfect body-pillow kind!"

*

In the resort, Shi Lv shot a meaningful glance toward the bathroom.

Behind the frosted glass, a slender, lean frame moved faintly in the mist.

They had just finished their morning workout, and Liang Xu was showering before heading to the hotel gym for his daily routine—he was a disciplined man, stuck to a strict routine even after achieving fame and success.

"Shi Lv?" Liang Xu stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. "Not joining me for a gym walk?"

"No." Shi Lv worked out too, but only when he felt like it, with no set plan.

Liang Xu: "Come with me? You should get some exercise too."

"I just finished exercising—you were the one lying there motionless!" Shi Lv pulled the blanket over his ears. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Alright." Liang Xu was a bit bummed but let it go.

He went downstairs for breakfast, ran on the treadmill, showered again at the gym, then brought breakfast back to the room—only to find the blanket forming a weird, lumpy mound.

He couldn't quite tell what it was, but it certainly wasn't human.

Liang Xu set down the breakfast and slowly pulled back the blanket.

"He gasped!"

It was a pure white Samoyed.

The Samoyed had been happily sleeping in the pillow when the blanket was suddenly yanked away, shooting Liang Xu a grumpy look.

—Unfortunately, as a "Smiling Angel," the Samoyed's lips naturally curled into a friendly grin, so Liang Xu completely missed the annoyance!

At that moment, Liang Xu was totally fixated on its ears.

As everyone knows, a Samoyed's ears are incredibly soft and bouncy, with a ring of white fluff on the outside—like coconut-dusted jelly. Unable to resist, Liang Xu reached out and gave it a playful flick.

The ear wobbled back and forth with a *boing-boing* bounce before settling back into place.

Liang Xu couldn't help but flick it again.

Shi Lv was wide awake now.

So, the Samoyed sprang up, pouncing on CEO Liang onto the bed, then tapped its paw against Liang Xu's clothes with a warning glare.

Unfortunately, the Samoyed's warning wasn’t intimidating at all.

Liang Xu gently stroked its fur. "Still sleepy? Want to nap on me?"

Shi Lv promptly sprawled across him, flattening into a sleepy pancake.

By the time he woke up again, the tables had turned.

Shi Lv's shift only lasted a few hours, and beneath him now lay a flattened white fox puddle.

Shi Lv: "!!!"

He hurriedly scooped up his wife.

"N-no, I'm fine, really," the fox slurred groggily, struggling to push itself up on all fours. "I'm perfectly okay."

He began staggering around across the bed, swaying left and right, his big tail wagging like a drunkard.

Just before he nearly tumbled off the bed, Shi Lv caught him.

After safely settling the fox back on the bed, Shi Lv threw up his hands. "With you like this, what do we do today?"

They had originally planned to go shopping.

The fox sighed. "Guess we’re reading at home today."

In the Interstellar Era, after years of development, many new economic concepts have emerged, and Liang Xu was currently studying them.

The fox's tail swung toward the nightstand, curling around a book and pulling it over.

"Oh," he grumbled and rubbed his temples. "Shi Lv, hand me my glasses."

Shi Lv: "..."

A white fox wearing glasses and reading looked downright ridiculous.

He secretly snapped a photo to save and also replied in the group chat.

"Hello, we both got hit. I'm a Samoyed, and my wife is a fox."

*

At the same time, Xiao Shao gently brushed Qi Yan's feathers with his fingertips and chuckled, "Yan Yan, so you're a little swallow."

The little bird tilted its head, examining itself in the mirror.

Swallows, known as "mystical birds" or "auspicious birds" in ancient times, were believed to bring peace and protection. They symbolized integrity and noble character as auspicious birds. Qi Yan's was particularly beautiful—a golden-rumped swallow.

It was a small bird perched on Xiao Shao's fingertip, its back feathers slate-gray with a bluish sheen, resembling the imperial-grade lapis lazuli beads adorning court attire. The dignified and elegant color scheme made the bird appear exceptionally upright, like a court official holding a memorial tablet to advise the throne.

Yet, its belly was covered in soft white down, and Xiao Shao kept fussing with it with his thumb.

This tickled Qi Yan, making him fidget until he finally lowered his head slightly and pecked Xiao Shao's hand lightly.

—"Your Majesty, must you tease me so?"

Xiao Shao watched him hop around on his fingertip, pecking halfheartedly, and adored it so much that he couldn't help saying, "If we go back, I wish you could stay like this. I'd build you a solid gold cage, carry you out to play every day, and place you in the imperial study during court sessions so those stuffy ministers could memorialize you daily."

Xiao Shao's favoritism was far too obvious, and impeachment memorials against Qi Yan often piled up before the throne. Qi Yan never handled them himself, always deferring respectfully to Xiao Shao and even requesting recusal. No matter how many times Xiao Shao scolded him, he never changed.

The little bird glanced at him.

Though Xiao Shao didn't notice anything, he felt like Qi Yan had given him the side-eye.

Xiao Shao: "So, you don’t want to stay with me all the time?"

The bird seemed to give him the side-eye again, pecking at him to signal him to open the holo-screen.

To make things easier for everyone, Lu Liu had provided each of them with a holo-screen and taught them how to use it.

A keyboard projected onto the table, and the bird tapped at the keys one by one with his beak, typing out a line: "Can swallows be kept in cages?"

He pecked the search button.

"Golden-rumped swallows currently cannot be domesticated. They fly extremely fast and feed on flying insects mid-air, making artificial feeding impossible."

"Is that so?" Xiao Shao pouted slightly and casually scrolled through the interface.

When he spotted a certain line, his disappointment vanished, and his eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Golden-rumped swallows are monogamous birds, upholding monogamy. Once they choose a mate, they never change."

Xiao Shao stroked the fine down on Qi Yan's head. "Yan Yan, so you're like that too?"

Principled, loyal, and proper—his little Tanhu was just that wonderful.

The bird gave him the side-eye again, tapping insistently.

*"Of course."*

So, His Majesty picked up the little bird and smacked a loud kiss on its soft head feathers.

—*Mwah!*