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Chapter 49: The Prodigal Panther
From the first time he saw the photo of Archibald, Yang Yang had a good impression of him — Archibald was an excellent person, he was like a bright star, when he was standing in front of you it was hard to not be attracted to him.
But Yang Yang also knew that Archibald was a big pit, and once he jumped down, he might never be able to climb up again.
Therefore, Yang Yang had no plans to develop this favourable feeling.
However, plans couldn’t keep up with the changes.
Too close to the light, the attraction was invisible and pervasive. The moment Yang Yang noticed it, just like now, he was already doing warm-up exercises before falling into the pit.
But Yang Yang was a rational person, so before jumping into the pit, he planned to find out whether the bottom of the pit is cement or cotton — if it was a concrete floor with straight steel, then would be more realistic for him to go back and concentrate on his business.
And getting the answer was as simple as asking Archibald himself.
Don’t just feel moved, get moving*.
*心动不如行动 <- it’s a saying meaning to not just feel heartbeat but to take action. fellow translator helped with this one
Yang Yang walked to the newly installed crib and put his head through the light-shielding screen. He passed a hand through the light screen to Archibald’s side to show his presence, shouting: “Duke, are you there?”
Archibald, who was changing into his pyjamas by the bed: “…”
Archibald pressed Yang Yang’s hand back, then pressed the button on the wall, and the crib on this side folded and turned into a door, making the shielding light screen disappear.
Yang Yang looked at the change, smiled, and continued: “I’ll just ask a question, do you like men or women, or both?”
Archibald paused for a few seconds, and then asked back: “What do you want?”
His words were full of vigilance.
Yang Yang could almost see Archibald’s taut tail, and smiled even more: “Oh, I want to know if my cub will have a stepfather or a stepmother in the future.”
Archibald: “…”
Yang Yang: “Speak.”
Archibald hesitated for a while, and finally said calmly: “I don’t know, I’ve never been in a relationship.” Then he added, “We are in an agreement relationship, even if I get married in the future, it’s won’t be a ‘step-parent and step-mother’, don’t talk nonsense, the child can understand.”
Yang Yang ignored the words behind and only picked up the important information: never been in love.
Yang Yang was a little happy, but he still didn’t let go of this topic: “Then you always have youthful impulses, fantasy objects and so on. —Even Monta has his Youtu’s Qimei.”
Archibald: “…Why would I want to tell you?”
Yang Yang: “Because if you don’t tell me, I will go back to the space and tell the child that you are going to find a stepmother for him.”
Archibald: “…”
You only know how to threaten people like this, if you have the ability, you can change it!
Although he thought so, Archibald gave the answer, but the answer made Yang Yang feel distressed.
Archibald: “I’ve had soul power riots since I was five years old. Before the age of eight, it was only once a year, but later on the interval between attacks became shorter and shorter.
When I was young I didn’t have such strong self-control, and no suppression chamber was built at the bottom of the lake. After each attack, I needed to recover for nearly a month.
At the age of fourteen, in order to relieve the mania caused by the soul riots, I began to go to the battlefield and perform some grappling tasks to vent my mania. The way I fought was scary, so no one wanted to approach me except Monta and the others.”
“When I was sixteen, my uncle Ya Qing improved the inhibitor for me, and my situation was relieved, but I felt that the battlefield with the soul beasts suited me very well, so I joined the Special Forces Corps.
In addition to going to the battlefield, most of the rest of my time has been used to train myself, strengthen my physical strength and mental strength, as to resist the confusion of the soul during soul riots. The remaining free time, I just wanted to have a good rest.”
Archibald paused for a while, and concluded reluctantly: “So I don’t have so much time to think about other things, and I don’t know whether I like men or women.”
He didn’t have any youthful impulsive dreams. ——Archibald felt that this sentence was a little embarrassing, so he didn’t say it.
But Yang Yang’s mockery, which he thought he would hear, did not come.
After a while, Yang Yang’s voice came. It was quiet and serious. He said, “Duke, you will definitely find someone who loves you very much.”
Archibald was slightly stunned. He was not used to such seriousness from Yang Yang so he paused, and politely replied: “En, you too.”
Yang Yang chuckled and said, “Yes, I will find them. When I find the person I love, I will cook when he wants to eat, I will heal him when he is injured, never let him feel lonely, let him laugh often, and give him the best.”
Yang Yang’s voice was very gentle, in a way Archibald never heard before.
Following Yang Yang’s voice, Archibald couldn’t help but paint the picture in his head. He couldn’t outline the appearance of Yang Yang’s lover, but Yang Yang’s appearance was particularly clear in his head.
Then, he 'saw” Yang Yang’s bulging belly in his head.
Archibald: “…”
Archibald’s face suddenly turned dark, he turned his head close to the wall, and said, “Before the child is born, you are not allowed to fall in love. Otherwise, what if it recognizes someone else as a parent?”
Yang Yang: “…”
Yang Yang was still immersed in distress for Archibald, but when he heard Archibald’s words out of sudden, the brewing emotions suddenly collapsed.
Archibald: “Why don’t you talk?”
Yang Yang got back into the quilt and said lazily: “Don’t worry, I won’t let others touch my belly. But when it comes to love, who can say about love? Maybe tomorrow I’ll meet the man I love.—Well, good night, Duke.”
Yang Yang quickly fell asleep and went to develop a relationship with the fluorescent ball, but Archibald lost all sleepiness for a while.
Although Yang Yang said so, he also knew that Yang Yang would not let others touch his stomach. But Yang Yang said that his physique is special, and children could perceive the outside world through him.
If at this time, Yang Yang meets the person he liked and got close, the child would definitely feel it!
The more Archibald thought about it, the more he felt uneasy. Finally, he turned over and sat up, dug out a number from the address book, and called it.
Soon a man’s voice sounded from the terminal: “Huh, Byrd? Calling me so late, is that stinky boy Monta causing trouble again?”
That man was Wasserlen, Monta’s father and the commander of the Special Forces Corps.
Archibald glanced at the wall, reopened the sound blocking barrier on the door, and then said, “Uncle Hua, I have something to tell you. I want to lead the security patrol during the tourist season for half a month…”
At 6 o’clock the next morning, Yang Yang wrapped himself in a ball and went out the door — the temperature suddenly dropped today, and according to Roth’s weather forecast, it will snow at night.
Yang Yang put on the scarf, walked to Archibald’s door and knocked on the door: “Duke, touch your belly.”
No one responded.
Yang Yang looked down at Roth and asked, “He’s not here?”
Roth shared the manor’s monitoring system with He Shu and Amber’s permission as early as during the “confinement”—in Amber’s words, Roth’s would be faster to react.
Rotter quickly gave feedback: “En, I left the manor half an hour ago.”
Yang Yang responded, but didn’t care: “Probably something happened, okay, let’s go. —Rong Hui was right, a warm baby like you was indeed a bit tasteless, and you can’t be used when walking.”
Roth flicked his tail, his panther face having an expectant look: “Then will master buy me another body?”
Yang Yang; “…Your master’s savings are now only 12,000.”
Yesterday’s kitchen utensils and some small things he bought cost Yang Yang several thousand star coins.
Roth was a little disappointed: “Then master, you have to work hard to make money.”
Yang Yang: “…” Who was the master?
Today, Monta has something to stay at the base, and the one who sent Yang Yang to the convalescence area was a guard.
When Yang Yang arrived at the store, Mu Tou was already waiting.
Mu Tou was very enthusiastic, and handed him breakfast: “The butler Yang haven’t eaten it yet. This is a special snack here. You can try it.”
“Thank you.”
Yang Yang looked at it and found that it looked like shumai* but a lot bigger. He didn’t know what ingredients were added, but the taste was mouth-watering and mellow.
*烧麦 – Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling. In Cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. Pics will be added below or just google if curious!
Yang Yang ate two in one go, and then asked about Mu Tou about purchases record: “Show me the list of purchases.”
Wood handed over a paper list with everything handwritten on it. Yang Yang glanced at it, the corners of his mouth twitched.
“A whole piece of Gala animal leg? This one has to weigh more than a hundred kilograms.”
Mu Duo’s eyes glowed: “Yeah, roasting whole legs is the speciality of our shop, and we have it every year.”
Yang Yang: “… …”
He seemed to understand how the loss of nearly one million came.
But Yang Yang didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t his turn to point fingers.
Yang Yang leaned against the counter. After checking that everything he said yesterday was correct, he returned the list to Mu Tou and asked, “I’ll go after I finish eating, is it just the two of us?”
Mu Tou nodded: “Yeah. The others will stay here for the final cleaning, and the kitchen utensils we bought yesterday will also be cleaned, and when we come back after buying them, they will be ready for work.
“Let’s do it like this.” Yang Yang swallowed the last mouthful of shumai and stood up straight “Let’s go.”
Mu Tou went out to drive first, and when Yang Yang left, he didn’t notice that a branch “fell down” from the potted pot on one side, and then “latched” onto Yang Yang’s coat like glue.
Yang Yang’s coat was a popular style of the Old Emperor Star — the military standard camouflage color. So at first glance, it wasn’t visible.
The market was on the other side of the city, and Yang Yang and the others arrived before seven o’clock, but it was already crowded with people.
Mu Tou first took Yang Yang to buy the soul essence plant that Yang Yang needed — all he wanted was a beast leg, and he had already greeted the boss.
There were relatively fewer people in the soul essence plant area. The soul plants here were all food. Compared with the 'strange and unique” ones from the trade market, this place was much more normal.
Yang Yang arrived in front of the store recommended by Mu Tou, released his soul power, and began to choose.
Because after releasing the soul power, Yang Yang’s field of vision was a vast expanse of white, so Yang Yang was very careful when walking. But unexpectedly, Yang Yang did walk into anything, but Roth caused trouble.
Yang Yang was concentrating on picking plants, and then he heard a sudden “bang-crash” sound next to him, obviously something has been broken. At the same time, a man’s exclamation sounded: “My mandela grass!”
Yang Yang retracted his soul power and looked over.
He saw a thin man standing behind him, looking at the ground in horror. On the ground was a pot of mandela grass. The pot had been shattered, and the plant was lying in the scattered soil, with one of its leaves broken off.
As far as Yang Yang’s perception was concerned, this was a soul essence plant, and its grade is not bad.
Beside the potted plant, Roth stood innocently with a twig in his mouth.
Yang Yang: “…”
He had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next second, the thin man was angry: “Whose mechanical pet is this!”
Yang Yang: “…”
Is it too late to pretend that he didn’t know this panther?
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Author has something to say:
Yang Yang: How much would you be worth if I sold you?
Roth: It wasn’t me! well — not all of me! QVQ