ARIWLBBC Chapter 87

Faced with such an answer, Bo Ge pressed his lips together, lowered his brows, and tried his best to maintain a serious expression, holding back laughter.

The big cat snapped the book shut, leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, trying to steady his breathing.

Seeing his leopard sulking, Bo Ge decided to lighten the mood.

“How could they write that? Humans make mistakes too. Why would punishing someone be illegal?”

Lie Beishuang turned his head, giving the boy a calm glance.

Bo Ge swore he only wanted to ease the atmosphere, but as soon as those words left his mouth, it felt like adding fuel to the fire.

It was as if he were provoking the big cat—hands on hips, full of smug defiance.

Go on, punish me if you dare.

The room fell eerily silent. Lie Beishuang stared ahead without a word, the air growing so heavy it made Bo Ge feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Was he angry?

Then… maybe a pat would help?

Carefully, Bo Ge extended his hand, straightened up, and patted Lie Beishuang’s head, gently smoothing his hair a few times.

Suddenly, the man moved. Bo Ge, startled like a frightened rabbit, instantly pulled his hand back and retreated two steps, blurting out his thoughts:

“You can’t break the law just because you know it!”

But Lie Beishuang only leaned down slightly, seemingly accommodating Bo Ge’s height.

As soon as those words escaped, Bo Ge noticed the man’s deep gaze. His eyes seemed even redder than they had been a few days ago.

What now?

It felt like he had provoked the leopard again.

Could the leopard hold back?

Bo Ge anxiously observed the man, even devising strategies in his mind for dealing with an angry leopard.

But as it turned out, the leopard could hold back!

It was just that Lie Beishuang tossed and turned a bit more that night. As Bo Ge lay with his back to him, he couldn’t shake the feeling of a cold stare on the back of his head.

—–

The next morning, the big cat left early. After washing up, Bo Ge was greeted by the sleepy-eyed Rabbit Teacher.

“Morning, Bo Ge,” Hai Tu yawned. “Let’s start early today.”

“Is it to make up for yesterday?” Bo Ge sat at his desk, looking up obediently.

“No,” Hai Tu replied with a mournful expression. “It’s because your dad—or, well, that person—added an extra study package for you. There are 100 practice sets, and you have to finish them within a month. That means three to four sets every day.”

Bo Ge silently stared at the virtual learning device.

The leopard brooded all night, only to come up with this idea.

How clever!

Hai Tu sighed in frustration. “This is way too much. You’ll need at least eight hours a day, which exceeds the Ministry of Education’s regulations. I’ve tried to politely remind the Chief, but he hasn’t responded to me.”

“Thank you for trying,” Bo Ge sighed and reached under the desk, pulling out a delicate paper box.

“What’s this?” Hai Tu blinked in surprise.

“This is the dress you said yesterday you couldn’t bring yourself to buy,” Bo Ge said, handing the box to Hai Tu.

“Yesterday, I got you involved. This is a small token of apology.”

Hai Tu dumbfoundedly accepted the paper box, looking at Bo Ge with a touch of emotion.

“And,” Bo Ge added with a sigh, “you saw it yesterday. I’m not his biological child. I told you before, but you didn’t believe me. Actually, I’m his spouse, assigned by the Marriage Matching System.”

“Spouse?” Hai Tu’s jaw almost dropped. “The Marriage Matching System is so biased! Assigning you to an orc so much older than you.”

“But he’s very exceptional,” Bo Ge replied with a soft smile.

“I know the Chief is exceptional,” Hai Tu muttered, scratching his head. “But marriage matching is supposed to be based on compatibility—factors like genetics and age, not just wealth and status.”

“Our compatibility is a whopping 99%,” Bo Ge said, resting his chin on his hand. “I guess this is what they call destiny through technology.”

—-

After an intense morning of studying, Yinyue was delivered back at noon, freshly repaired.

This time, Bo Ge wasn’t about to repeat his past mistake. He assigned Yinyue to a room separate from Heijin’s, giving each their own space.

“Master,” Yinyue said in a much more subdued tone, with a hint of guilt lingering in its voice. “Is Heijin okay?”

“He hasn’t returned yet,” Bo Ge replied regretfully. “He was pretty badly injured.”

Yinyue fell silent, even the lights on its frame dimming.

“Master, could you please pass along an apology to him for me?” Yinyue asked earnestly, its tone full of remorse.

“He’ll be fine,” Bo Ge reassured, patting Yinyue gently. For Heijin’s pride, however, he didn’t reveal that the “severe injuries” were all a bluff.

After all, it’s wise to leave some room for reconciliation.

Just as Bo Ge stepped out of the room, he saw staff carrying Heijin in. In the few days apart, Heijin had received a complete overhaul, with a shiny new outer shell and a flashier design that leaned more toward ostentatious coolness than its former understated luxury.

“This one goes into this room,” Bo Ge instructed as he settled Heijin. After scanning the room, Heijin couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Yinyue?”

“Next door,” Bo Ge replied, signing the delivery form. “He asked me to tell you he’s sorry.”

“Young people these days, no sense of honor,” Heijin sighed. “Let’s hope he learns his lesson.”

Bo Ge suppressed a laugh, pretending not to know about Heijin’s feigned injuries. With a nod, he added, “I’ll pass it along.”

—–

Once the two gaming pods were situated, Bo Ge opened the study door only to hear Hai Tu let out a sharp scream.

“What’s wrong, Teacher Rabbit?” Bo Ge hurried over, only to find Hai Tu gesturing wildly at a holographic screen, too excited to form coherent words.

Curious, Bo Ge glanced at the screen. He couldn’t fathom what could elicit such a reaction.

“Marriage Matching Reform Regulations?” Bo Ge froze in place, swiping through the page in disbelief. “Is this real?”

“It’s real! It’s from the official account!” Hai Tu clutched his chest, still catching his breath. “They collected public opinions before, and I even left a comment. The new reforms passed through Parliament all at once this morning. Oh my god, in my lifetime!”

“What’s changed?” Bo Ge asked instinctively, biting his lip.

“In summary,” Hai Tu began excitedly, “first, participation in the system has shifted from mandatory to semi-mandatory. Vulnerable groups in marriage matches—like those with mental health issues, victims of past relationships, or people who just want to pursue free love—can now opt out of the matchmaking list.

“And for rare species like you, there’s a new clause: within three months of being matched, either party can unilaterally dissolve the match, eliminating the previous enforcement policy.

“My goodness, these reforms are groundbreaking! It’s not the usual superficial tweaks—it’s serious this time!”

Hai Tu started hopping in place, overwhelmed with excitement, but after a while, he suddenly calmed down.

“Wait a minute. I’m still single. I can’t even get matched, so how am I supposed to pursue free love?”

As Hai Tu descended into his own spiral of despair, Bo Ge sat back in the smart chair, nervously chewing on the end of a sensory pen.

This reform seemed to confirm the theory: when robots go on strike, human problems get solved. But this time, the mastermind behind the robot rebellion was clearly Laplace. Her ultimate goal remained unclear, but she had undoubtedly noticed this pattern and even sought answers from the human leader, discovering that what humanity desired most was the reform of the Marriage Matching System.

So, was the reform exactly what Laplace had hoped for?

Why implement it so quickly, though? Wasn’t this playing right into Laplace’s hands?

What exactly was the big cat planning?

Bo Ge couldn’t quite figure it out, but he knew that Lie Beishuang’s strategic abilities far surpassed his own. Whatever he did, there had to be a reason behind it.

“I’m doomed. I just realized I don’t understand a single thing about love. At this rate, I’m destined to be single forever,” Hai Tu sighed, shutting down the holographic screen and slumping dejectedly in a chair.

Bo Ge cast a sympathetic glance his way.

Finding the right person… how easy was that, really?

After a moment of contemplation, Hai Tu suddenly perked up and clapped his hands excitedly. “Wait, I almost forgot—I’m androgynous!”

Bo Ge gave him a shocked look.

What was she planning now?

“Ahem.” Hai Tu noticed the teenager’s gaze and quickly composed herself, knowing she couldn’t lead the child astray. “Uh, right. Let’s keep studying. Studying makes you happy!”

While watching online lectures, Bo Ge couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander to the marriage-matching reform. Before he could make sense of it, his light-brain device pinged with a series of notifications.

When he checked, two were from people expressing sudden concern for him, three were invitations to dinner, and one even included a selfie.

“Wow, people move fast!” Hai Tu exclaimed in shock. “Do you want to block messages from strangers? I have a feeling you’re going to get a lot more soon.”

With the reform granting rare species unilateral veto power and the removal of forced compliance, the competition was bound to heat up.

Bo Ge sighed and went ahead to block messages from strangers.

“Whoa!” Hai Tu caught a glimpse of one of the selfies from a stranger before it disappeared. “He’s actually trying to seduce you! And he’s pretty handsome too. Look at how his shirt’s all deliberately loose—and those abs aren’t bad either.”

Bo Ge was dismissive.

This was all just leftover play from the big cat.

“Wait a minute, the annual popular character voting results just came out!” Hai Tu’s eyes widened.

Bo Ge vaguely remembered this—he had entered the contest for the bonus and entertainment star prize, but in the end, the big cat gave him a sum of pocket money that was even more than the bonus. So, Bo Ge had been corrupted by money and completely forgotten about it.

“Let me check… First place, as expected, is the Chief! Second place is Luo Qi, and third place—oh my god, it’s you!” Hai Tu screamed in excitement.

“Luo Qi? Who’s that?”

Someone was in between him and the big cat. Bo Ge couldn’t help but ask.

“You don’t know Luo Qi?” Hai Tu’s eyes widened, and he brought up a picture, “Do you remember the Khaki Lohan Perfume shop from before? Its spokesperson is Princess Luo Mo’er.”

“Yes, I remember,” Bo Ge replied flatly, recalling how he had forgotten to ask her for a gift.

“Luo Qi is Princess Luo Mo’er’s younger brother. He was once voted the most beautiful face in the galaxy by humans!” Hai Tu enlarged the image of Luo Qi so Bo Ge could see better.

Bo Ge squinted, staring at the angelic elf in the picture. Those teal-colored eyes seemed strangely familiar.

“I remember now. I’ve seen him,” Bo Ge said, touching his chin and recalling a bizarre dream.

“You’ve seen him where?” Hai Tu tilted his head.

“In my dream,” Bo Ge said seriously. “It was this elf. He wove a dream for me, where my sister Luo Mo’er and the big cat were dancing. He was standing there, wearing a blue noblewoman’s dress, holding a feather fan, and I found him in the crowd.”

At the time, he didn’t know why, but he thought the elf looked familiar.

“I get it, your dream lover,” Hai Tu teased with a silly expression. “It’s okay to be a fan, just don’t let the Chief find out.”

“In my dream, he was a noblewoman,” Bo Ge said seriously. “The kind wearing a big dress.”

“You might have seen him in a movie,” Hai Tu mused. “Luo Qi has starred in a lot of films. I think there’s one where he wears something that looks a lot like a big dress.”

Bo Ge furrowed his brows, finally understanding.

When he ordered takeout before, he liked to watch shows. He had probably watched one of Luo Qi’s films, which was why he recognized him in the dream.

“You all made the top three. At this year’s Alliance celebration, you’ll definitely meet him,” Hai Tu winked. “Make sure to take a picture together.”

Just as Bo Ge was about to say something, there was a knock on the study door. Nais entered with fresh fruit and leaned down to speak into Bo Ge’s ear.

“Please come with me.”

“You go ahead and eat, Teacher Tu.” Bo Ge followed Nais out. After entering another room, his light-brain pinged again.

It was the big cat’s ID!

When he answered the call, the projection showed a large black leopard in the office, jumping around.

“It’s bad, Little Master!” The staff’s voice sounded pitiful. “The Master was just looking at your projection and accidentally went into full heat again!”

Through the projection, Bo Ge saw the leopard jumping around, suddenly turning to look at the staff, lowering its body, and assuming an attacking posture.

“Watch out, Staff!” Bo Ge called out, but before he could finish, the projection turned completely red, and he could see the leopard’s throat, which appeared very healthy.

“Little Master, help me…”

Bo Ge saw the leopard’s throat and then the projection went dark.

Nais and Bo Ge fell into silence, already starting to mourn for the staff.

Thinking back to the big cat’s almost red eyes last night, Bo Ge hesitated and glanced at Nais. “If this time I’ve pushed him into full heat, should I step back? I don’t want to personally experience what it’s like to be in the leopard’s throat.”

[mfn]You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad [/mfn]