4: Chapter 4 Will You Be My Family?

"Mmm~ Ah~ That feels so good~"

Xing Yaoyan climbed up dazed and instinctively rubbed her eyes.

The fluffy sensation instantly cleared her mind quite a bit.

"I changed back again?! Wait, never mind that for now—where am I this time?"

Xing Yaoyan discovered she had turned back into that little wolf cub from before. There wasn't a single wound on her body, and her white fur remained soft and clean.

She quickly scanned her surroundings. A wolf's innate night vision allowed her to see things clearly even in the dark.

Soon, she realized she was in a room filled with the Aura of a teenage boy.

As for why she called it a teenage boy's Aura—aside from the anime girl posters on the walls and the incredibly flashy computer and keyboard on the desk—one could tell just by looking at the balls of crumpled tissues by the head of the bed.

She was currently lying in a small nest made of old clothes and a bamboo basket next to the bed.

*Click, click*—the sound of a doorknob turning.

"Eek!"

Startled, Xing Yaoyan quickly flopped back into the nest. Squinting her eyes with a hint of curiosity, she secretly observed the person who had picked her up and brought her home.

*Snap!*

As the door opened, a youthful figure slowly appeared.

"I don't sense any malice; he probably isn't a bad person..."

She watched as he casually switched on the room's light.

The sudden bright light made Xing Yaoyan frown slightly and simultaneously caused a brief blind spot in her vision.

*Clack.* The sound of metal clashing rang out at her neck, followed by the cold sensation of metal pressing against her skin.

"Am I being..."

Xing Yaoyan couldn't keep up the act anymore. She lunged up from her "nest," frantically pawing at the object around her neck.

"Damned human, actually putting a collar on me... Damn! If only my power hadn't yet recovered..."

The boy standing nearby was clearly startled by her sudden, violent movements and was staring in surprise at the "pet dog" he had picked up.

Seeing that she didn't seem to like the collar, he slowly leaned forward.

"Um, sorry about that, little puppy. If you don't like wearing it, I'll take it off for you. Let's agree first, though—no biting me..."

The boy's voice was gentle and pleasant, soothing Xing Yaoyan's agitated heart. For some reason, she inexplicably lowered her guard against the boy and sat quietly in place.

The boy quickly moved closer and removed the collar. Taking advantage of the moment, Xing Yaoyan carefully observed his appearance.

His features were soft, and he was full of youthful, sunny energy. But combined with that somewhat delicate voice, he looked like someone who would be easy to bully. Therefore...

He would make a decent Puppet...

With a thought, Xing Yaoyan decided to "show weakness to the enemy" first. She planned to use this human to lay low for a while and learn about the basic situation of this world.

Seeing the "puppy" remain motionless, the boy was also somewhat puzzled.

He slowly reached out and gently rubbed Xing Yaoyan's wolf head.

"Ugh... Ow~ Ow~" The sudden stimulation caused Xing Yaoyan to cry out in surprise, but she quickly adjusted. She didn't speak, only letting out a soft whimper.

Based on her previous experience, she didn't dare speak. If she were treated as some kind of so-called demon again, it would be a huge problem.

"Endure it, endure it. If I'm touched, I'm touched. I'm currently a pet... But, it feels so good~"

Xing Yaoyan squinted her eyes comfortably, her body slowly relaxing as she lay sideways in the boy's arms, a satisfied purr vibrating in her throat.

Seeing the white fluffball under his hand looking so blissful, the boy's other hand began to wander.

First, he scratched the little wolf cub's chin, then he started reaching further down...

A warm sensation came from her belly. Xing Yaoyan was suddenly jolted awake from her enjoyment. Noticing the boy's actions, her fur immediately stood on end.

She opened her mouth and lunged, biting hard toward the boy's wandering, perverted hand.

She missed?

"Whoa! Little guy, you're so fierce. Don't worry, I'm not going to snip your balls... Oh, wait, you're female..."

An imperceptible blush appeared on Xing Yaoyan's face.

She realized how indecent her current posture was.

"It's over, he saw everything... My purity..."

Xing Yaoyan jumped out of the boy's arms in a panic, scrambled into the nest of old clothes, and curled into a ball.

"You understand human speech and know shame... Could it be... you're a Spirit Beast?!"

Hearing his words, Xing Yaoyan remained motionless, her mind filled with the words "reputation ruined."

After a long time, there was no movement from the boy. Xing Yaoyan poked her head out in confusion, looking for the familiar figure.

She soon found that the boy had turned on the computer. She could clearly see the bold "symbols" in the search bar on the monitor. She didn't have time to wonder why she could understand this unknown script, because the meaning of the text was:

How much is a Spirit Beast worth?

Looking at the boy's enthusiastic expression and then at her own almost completely dimmed sea of Qi, Xing Yaoyan steeled her heart: I'm going all in!

She quickly ran to the boy's feet and gently rubbed against his calf. Then, mimicking the pets she had seen in cute videos in her past life, she began to walk in circles around his legs.

Feeling the movement, the boy quickly looked down. Upon seeing it was Xing Yaoyan, a "just as I expected" smile appeared on his face.

"Dammit! I fell for it!"

Without giving her a chance to escape, the boy scooped her up, belly-up, and placed her gently on his lap. Then, he began to pet her with inhuman intensity.

The pleasure coming from her belly and chin, mixed with the shame of being at someone's mercy, constantly bombarded the nerves in Xing Yaoyan's mind.

"Curse it... This boy looks honest, but he's actually a wolf in sheep's clothing... Ha~ Too fast~ Are you guys always this crazy when petting cats and dogs? Can you let me rest for a second... Mmm~"

After an unknown amount of time, a somewhat dazed Xing Yaoyan felt herself being lifted by her front legs and placed onto the desk.

"Don't worry, I won't sell you. But I have a request—"

The boy's words instantly cleared Xing Yaoyan's head.

She looked up and stared blankly into the boy's eyes. Only then did she notice that the boy's eyes were a bright, gem-like dark gold, which was quite beautiful.

"I know you Spirit Beasts can understand me, so—can you be my family?"

"These words are like a confession..."

The blush beneath the thick fur on Xing Yaoyan's face hadn't faded, and hearing the boy's solemn request, that blush made her even more flustered.

"Awoo~"

Looking into the boy's sincere eyes, Xing Yaoyan nodded as if possessed.

"Great! Hahaha! Let me introduce myself, my name is Qian Mo! It's perfect timing, let me give you a name too..."

Please don't call me something like Snowy, I beg you...

"I'll call you Xing Yaoyan!"

Eh?

The boy scooped up the still-dazed Xing Yaoyan.

She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Xing Yaoyan thought she saw a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes.

"Even though we only met by chance, since you agreed to my request to be family, I swear I will do my best to protect you."

The boy's originally soft features suddenly hardened, and an Aura like a mountain of blades and a sea of blood manifested, causing Xing Yaoyan to instinctively shrink her neck.

"What a terrifying Aura... Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover..."

"But what's with these confession-like words..."

"Also, how is the name he gave me so similar to my original one? It must just be a coincidence in pronunciation..."

"Beep beep! Master, get up! Beep beep! Master, get up!"

The sound of the alarm clock by the bed broke the strange atmosphere.

"Xiao Yan, I have to go to class. Stay home and be good, I'll bring you a surprise when I get back later! Oh no! I set the alarm too late, I'm going to be late!"

She watched as the boy frantically grabbed the backpack from the nightstand, pulled open the curtains, turned off the light, and then rushed out the door in a hurry...

Slowly calming down, Xing Yaoyan looked out through the floor-to-ceiling window behind the curtains.

The horizon was just beginning to turn the color of a fish's belly, looking inconspicuous amidst the colorful steel skyscrapers.

"The students in this world are quite diligent..."

Xing Yaoyan muttered, turning her head to climb onto the computer desk. Perhaps because the boy left in such a hurry, the computer screen was still on the search page.

"Baidu? What a crappy name?"

Xing Yaoyan grabbed the mouse with her two paws and began to scroll rapidly...