Chapter 194

Chapter 194

The one who reacted most strongly to Hui Xue's tears was Wu Bai.

His leopard eyes blinked foolishly a couple of times as he recoiled in fright: "Hey, this has nothing to do with me! There’s no way you, this wolf cub, are crying because of me. I’m leaving now—we’ll fight another time!"

Wu Bai bolted, fearing that if he lingered even a moment longer, he’d be blamed.

That would be so unfair.

Chen Zui and Hui Xue paid him no mind. Hui Xue wondered why he was crying—his headache wasn’t severe enough to make him cry. In fact, even when he had suffered worse injuries, he had never cried from pain before.

Chen Zui gazed at the tear stains on Hui Xue’s face and felt a pang of inexplicable heartache.

He lifted the small Hui Xue onto his lap and patted him gently. "What happened?"

He had never seen Hui Xue look so distressed before.

Hui Xue couldn’t quite explain it—it was too complicated for a wolf like him. After much hemming and hawing, all he managed to articulate was, "I like your name."

That wasn't what Chen Zui expected. He had no idea what was going on in this wolf cub’s head.

But fortunately, it seemed like everything was fine now.

The welcoming feast was both lavish and simple—lavish because there was an abundance of meat, simple because there was only meat.

The leopards gathered together.

The old leopard king, feeling unwell, did not attend. The event was hosted by Chen Zui’s second uncle.

His second uncle raised a deer leg: "Our Xiao Zui has returned!"

The leopards roared in unison, celebrating his return. It seemed everyone was very friendly toward this leopard scion. Chen Zui learned that the leopard group had been formed back in his ancestor’s generation. Over the years, these leopards had never been separated, except by death, passing down through generations.

Their bonds were incredibly deep.

The feast officially began, but Chen Zui just couldn’t bring himself to eat the raw, bloody meat.

"Everyone—" he spoke up, and all eyes turned to him.

Chen Zui: "During my time away, I learned a skill that can make our food taste better. Let me show you. It involves something called fire. Don’t be scared, but don’t touch it either, because fire is very hot."

Everyone waited curiously.

Then they saw Chen Zui, in his beastman form, snap his fingers. A flame appeared like magic at his fingertips, glowing brightly in the night.

For a moment, the leopard group broke into chatter. The brave ones stepped forward, while the timid ones backed away.

Hui Xue watched Chen Zui. With that flame, he shone like a star fallen to earth. In fact, Hui Xue had always thought Chen Zui’s fire-making gesture was really cool.

He didn’t know it was called snapping fingers.

He secretly tried to imitate Chen Zui by rubbing his fingers together, but of course, nothing happened.

Chen Zui oversaw the roasting process. Even though he repeatedly warned them, some curious leopards still touched the fire. However, after one got burned, the others became much more cautious—though some, like Wu Bai, had a weirder way of thinking. He insisted on testing how hot the fire was, resulting in a patch of his beautiful white fur getting singed.

He yowled in pain, and everyone had a good laugh.

When the smell of roasting meat began to spread, everyone quieted down.

Chen Zui taught them how to roast the meat and how to tell when it was cooked. But many leopards used tasting as an excuse to eat from start to finish. By the time the meat was fully cooked, only a piece the size of a palm was left.

Thanks to the fire Chen Zui brought, their gathering place was especially lively that night.

"Burp—"

Hui Xue, lying inside, couldn’t stop burping. The leopards had been feeding him all evening. Too polite to refuse their kindness, he ended up eating so much that you could barely see his abs.

Now he lay spread out on the ground, his belly sticking way out.

Chen Zui placed his hand on it and rubbed in circles. "Why did you eat so much?"

Hui Xue: "Tonight’s meat, burp—was especially delicious, burp—"

Chen Zui laughed. Closing his eyes and just listening to the sound, the wolf beside him had turned into a giggling fool.

—

Chen Zui woke up early. The first thing he did was visit his seriously ill father. After all, since he had taken over this body, he felt he should take on this responsibility.

As he rounded the hillside, he saw his "seriously ill" father sitting cross-legged on a rock, eating with great relish. He looked completely different from the leopard who had seemed at death's door the day before.

After eating, the old leopard even stretched and flexed, his claws swift and powerful.

Chen Zui retreated. After a moment’s thought, he understood what was happening. He glanced at the still-sleeping leopards and decided to pretend he didn't know. He went into the woods and soon returned with many really big leaves.

The leopards who were awake greeted him.

Hui Xue had been looking for him since waking up. The unease in his eyes faded when he saw Chen Zui, and he ran over. "Where did you go? What are you going to do with these leaves?"

"Make a curtain."

Another thing Hui Xue didn’t understand. What was a curtain?

"Is there anything I can do?" He hung around Chen Zui, never straying more than a step away since Chen Zui’s return—he was even clingier than Chen Zui’s own tail.

Chen Zui handed him the leaves. "Clean these."

Hui Xue accepted the task.

Chen Zui began sticking tree trunks into the ground near his dwelling. From time to time, leopards came over to ask what he was doing and if he needed help. Even though Chen Zui declined their assistance, several stayed to watch what he was up to.

As Chen Zui inserted the last trunk and stepped back, he bumped into something. Turning, he saw Hui Xue holding the leaves, looking up at him. "The leaves are all clean. What should I do next?"

His tail wagged back and forth.

Chen Zui thought it was cute. He took the leaves. "Go find some flowers."

"Okay!"

Hui Xue happily went off to search for flowers, glancing at the idle leopards, looking pretty proud—he had work to do and they didn't.

Although Chen Zui didn’t want to lump Hui Xue together with A Ye, Hui Xue was becoming more and more like A Ye.

Could it be that wolves become more naive, lively, and clingy the longer you raise them?

He hung the leaves from the wooden frame.

Hui Xue was looking for flowers in the forest, where there were lots of flowers. He was looking for the most beautiful ones to pick and bring back to Chen Zui. He ducked into a patch of grass to pick the wildflowers growing on the ground.

"I wonder how long it’ll take for Xiao Zui to find out?"

"Your father had no choice but to fake an illness to lure him back."

Completely hidden by the grass, Hui Xue paused and peered through the gaps ahead. He saw a leopard and a peacock—he remembered they were a couple.

"Yeah, who would want their own child wandering outside, not knowing if they’re alive or dead? It seems like Xiao Zui has gotten a bit more steady since coming back; he should understand."

"Your father seems to think that since Xiao Zui is back, his good mood will slowly cure his 'illness.'"

The two walked away as they spoke.

Hui Xue never expected to stumble upon such a big secret.

By the time Hui Xue returned with an armful of flowers, Chen Zui had already hung up all the leaves. Hui Xue was much less excited than before, and he worked quietly.

After a full day of effort, the leopards' gathering spot now had a separate area sectioned off with leaves and flowers, completely hidden from outside view.

The others were pretty confused by it, but some leopards thought what Chen Zui made looked pretty cool and began imitating it.

"You can put your treasures here," Chen Zui said, pointing to the niche he had carved into the cliff wall.

Hui Xue had been curious about its purpose. Hearing Chen Zui’s words, he looked at Chen Zui, his eyes full of awe and disbelief—how could he be so clever!

"Can I use all of this?"

"Mm, it’s all for you."

Hui Xue was so overjoyed he pounced on Chen Zui, transforming back into a wolf mid-leap and knocking him over. He licked Chen Zui’s face and rubbed his furry head against him.

Chen Zui was really confused. Do all wolves act like this? Or is Hui Xue just unusually similar to A Ye?

For a second, it was like he was back living with A Ye.

That wolf cub who loved nothing more than pouncing on him was still alive.

Hui Xue licked Chen Zui’s face once more before he realized what he was doing. The wolf cub, Hui Xue, leaped away from Chen Zui in a flash, turning his back as he picked up the gifts everyone had given him and arranged them one by one in the niche.

Pretending nothing had just happened, he mumbled to himself, "This goes here, this goes here…"

Chen Zui looked a little troubled. If this continued, he’d start questioning his feelings for A Ye.

He admitted he was a little messed up in some ways, but definitely not in this regard.

Hui Xue was Hui Xue, and A Ye was A Ye.

Hui Xue couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about the secret he’d learned, unsure if he should tell Chen Zui.

His father and the others meant well—living with family meant safety and companionship.

As a pack animal, he understood that.

He also hoped Chen Zui would stay, but he feared Chen Zui might leave if he learned the truth.

Hui Xue thought about it so much his head hurt and decided to put the problem aside for now.

He glanced at the niche, carefully got up, and rearranged one of the items.

Then he lay down again.

A moment later, he rose once more and returned the item to its original place.

Hui Xue rearranged things over and over—these were precious things, and he wanted them arranged perfectly.

His emerald eyes shone brightly in the dark as he stared.

After getting up yet again, a leopard tail wrapped around his waist, pulling him back into Chen Zui’s embrace.

Chen Zui, eyes still closed, lazily asked, "Not sleeping? What are you fussing about?"

Hui Xue: "Did I wake you?"

Chen Zui finally opened his eyes. "You’ve messed with those things eight hundred times today. Any more and they’ll break."

Hui Xue pouted. Fine, he wouldn’t touch them again.

As he looked at Chen Zui, he remembered the issue he’d temporarily set aside. Though unsure whether telling him was right, he was certain he didn’t want to keep secrets from Chen Zui.

"I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Chen Zui’s hand rested on Hui Xue’s ear, idly playing with it.

"Actually… your father isn’t sick." Worried Chen Zui might rush off, Hui Xue hugged him tightly.

"But he lied because he wanted you back. He was worried about you living outside and missed you."

Chen Zui: "How do you know?"

Hui Xue told him what happened while he was picking flowers. "Everyone missed you a lot. Even though being tricked feels bad, it’s better than your father actually being on the verge of death, right?"

Chen Zui fell silent, his expression serious. Hui Xue held him tighter.

After a long while, Chen Zui sighed. "You’re right. It is better than him actually being sick."

Only then did Hui Xue dare to loosen his grip slightly.

Chen Zui cupped Hui Xue’s face with his hand. "Thank you for telling me."

Hui Xue’s tail wagged again—it seemed he’d done the right thing this time.

He tried to suppress a smile, biting his lip.

It was adorable.

Without thinking, Chen Zui leaned in and kissed him, nibbling on his pursed lips.

Hui Xue froze. "Why did you bite me?"

He looked totally wronged.