TCPUAAV Chapter 96

 

The two of them remained alone in the room for nearly an hour.

 

Everything Ruan Shiqing wanted to know, Rong Heng answered without reservation, holding nothing back.

 

Perhaps his complete honesty pleased Ruan Shiqing, for when Rong Heng carefully observed his expression, he noticed that the tightly furrowed brows had already relaxed.

 

It seemed like… he wasn’t that angry anymore.

 

Rong Heng felt a slight sense of relief, though he dared not be too optimistic. Instead, he cautiously asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”

 

The tall man stood before him with his head slightly lowered, his voice soft as he carefully inquired, looking increasingly like Snowball whenever he tried to appease him after making him angry.

 

Ruan Shiqing rubbed his fingertips together as he gazed at the cascade of snow-white hair behind Rong Heng, wondering if its texture was the same as Snowball’s fur.

 

Realizing that his thoughts were drifting, Ruan Shiqing quickly corrected his expression and gave a light cough. “No.”

 

Rong Heng let out a long breath before hesitantly testing the waters again. “Then… are you still angry?”

 

His dark golden eyes locked onto Ruan Shiqing, his lips pressing together nervously.

 

Ruan Shiqing cast him a sidelong glance. If he had that pair of white furry ears on his head right now, they would probably be twitching non-stop.

 

It was probably because he was so familiar with Snowball’s personality that, now that the two identities had merged, he couldn’t help but match all of Snowball’s little habits to the person before him.

 

And somehow, they all fit.

 

Ruan Shiqing felt both amused and exasperated, but he didn’t continue to keep a stern face. He knew Rong Heng was anxious.

 

Just as he cared about Snowball and was emotionally attached to him, Rong Heng must have felt the same way.

 

Otherwise, a normally silent and serious soldier wouldn’t have obediently submitted to his questioning, even behaving in a manner that could almost be described as well-behaved.

 

“I’m not that angry anymore,” Ruan Shiqing said softly.

 

Sure enough, he immediately saw Rong Heng’s eyes snap up to him, disbelief and joy overflowing in his gaze.

 

Rong Heng pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Thank you.”

 

Thank you for not holding my deception against me.

 

But Ruan Shiqing had already moved past the issue and was thinking about something else. “Given your current identity, isn’t it risky for you to appear in Sikkim?”

 

Since he was the former crown prince of the empire, there had to be many people here who recognized him. Thinking about how he had just taken him out earlier, Ruan Shiqing frowned again. “Could this be dangerous?”

 

Rong Heng shook his head before hesitantly saying, “Not many people have seen my juvenile form.”

 

Aside from his parents and a small number of attendants at Palka Palace who had taken care of his daily needs, almost no one had ever seen Ymir’s childhood appearance.

 

Hearing this, Ruan Shiqing felt somewhat reassured, but he still couldn’t completely suppress his worry. “Those wanted posters are still a hidden threat. Once I finish attending the exchange meeting, we should return to Planet B3024 as soon as possible.”

 

Before coming here, he had been confident that he could protect the precious cubs. But now, after seeing the wanted posters and learning Rong Heng’s true identity, he regretted being too complacent—he should have made better preparations.

 

Meanwhile, the temporarily pardoned little cubs had pushed 09 to the door, pitifully begging him to eavesdrop for them.

 

The hotel’s soundproofing was too good; the cubs couldn’t hear anything at all. But 09 definitely had a way.

 

09 looked troubled, but in the end, he couldn’t resist their pleading and pressed his ear against the door.

 

Of course, a robot’s “ear” wasn’t an ordinary ear—its audio range was incredibly broad, allowing it to hear the conversation inside the room with perfect clarity.

 

His mouth fell open in shock, and it only grew wider and wider.

 

The cubs gathered around him felt their hearts sink.

 

The little dragon cub clenched his tiny claws, his expression full of sorrow. “Did Dad… hit him?”

 

That didn’t seem right, though. They hadn’t been punished—why would Dad hit Snowball?

 

The little fox also looked stricken, hesitating before suggesting, “Should we go beg Dad for mercy on Snowball’s behalf?”

 

One person taking the blame alone was just too pitiful—it was enough to bring tears to anyone who heard about it.

 

Beside them, Ruan Jiao raised a hand, signaling that he was willing to step up.

 

The little cubs gathered their courage and prepared to knock on the door, but the little mermaid frowned and stopped them, turning to look at 09 instead.

 

09 still hadn’t spoken. He had a gut feeling that things weren’t as they imagined.

 

Just as he was about to speak up and persuade them otherwise, he saw 09 suddenly grab them and urgently pull them back. But clearly, the people inside the room were faster—the door was pulled open first, and Ruan Shiqing and Rong Heng stepped out together.

 

The little robot and the cubs, who hadn’t had time to retreat, froze awkwardly on the spot.

 

“What are you all doing?” Ruan Shiqing glanced over the dejected young ones.

 

“We all got into trouble together…” The little dragon cub didn’t even dare to lift his head, but he mustered up his courage and muttered, “Good brothers should… should share blessings and bear hardships together!”

 

Ruan Shiqing’s brow twitched. He didn’t know who exactly he was speaking to, but he commented, “You all have a pretty strong brotherhood.”

 

After speaking, he cast Rong Heng a sidelong glance, his gaze carrying an unspoken meaning.

 

Rong Heng cleared his throat and stepped forward.

 

His tall frame, so much larger than the cubs, finally drew their attention.

 

The little mermaid was the first to raise his head to look at him. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly understood—there was no need for him to keep the secret anymore.

 

The other cubs, however, widened their eyes in confusion.

 

The little dragon cub even stretched his neck to peer into the room behind them. “Where’s Snowball?”

 

He looked worried, suspecting that Snowball had been locked up as punishment.

 

The little fox, quicker on the uptake than the dragon cub, glanced at the room behind them, then at Rong Heng, then back at the room. As if realizing something, her mouth slowly fell open.

 

The little dragon cub was still mumbling about Snowball when Ruan Jiao tugged at his bat-like wings and then sluggishly pointed at Rong Heng.

 

The little dragon cub: ?????

 

His golden eyes stared unblinkingly at Ruan Jiao.

 

What are you saying?

 

His forehead tendrils twitched. Ruan Jiao pointed at Rong Heng again and then slowly spoke: “Snow… ball.”

 

The little dragon cub: ?

 

Even Rong Heng couldn’t stand watching his clueless expression anymore. He bent down and scooped him up. “Snowball is fine.”

 

The little dragon cub wiggled in his arms and tilted his head. “Then why isn’t Snowball coming out?”

 

“Because he is Snowball.”

 

The little fox, who had finally caught up, immediately sneered at the little dragon cub. “You didn’t realize that? You’re so dumb!”

 

The little dragon cub was about to argue back when he suddenly latched onto the key point and blurted out in confusion, “But isn’t Big Brother Rong Snowball’s older brother?”

 

A vein twitched on Rong Heng’s forehead. He had no desire to go through another round of explaining to the clueless cub. Instead, he clamped the little dragon cub under his arm and headed for the side bedroom with a gruff command: “It’s late. Time for bed.”

 

The little dragon cub squirmed restlessly in his grasp.

 

Ruan Shiqing watched the scene unfold but didn’t interfere. Instead, he tossed Rong Heng a “You deal with the mess you made” look and strolled off to the bathroom with his hands behind his back.

 

It was indeed getting late. Time to wash up and rest.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Heng hauled the cubs back into the side bedroom.

 

The little dragon cub was still chattering non-stop, making the vein on Rong Heng’s forehead twitch. Finally, he simply transformed back into his juvenile form and pinned the wriggling dragon cub down.

 

The little dragon cub lay on his back, eyes wide in a daze.

 

Rong Heng let out a snort before shifting back to his Ymir form, this time deliberately shrinking his size to match that of an average lion or tiger.

 

“Stunned?”

 

Leisurely crouching down, he extended a claw and poked the dazed little cub.

 

The little dragon cub wobbled from the poke but finally snapped out of his trance.

 

He flipped himself over, grumbling, “You tricked us for so long!”

 

But then his eyes lingered on Rong Heng’s fur with a hint of envy. He still remembered being carried out of the Lost Marshes on that plush, sleek fur.

 

Back then, he had been covered in dirt and wasn’t familiar with him yet, so he could only sneak a quick rub.

 

But now that he knew Rong Heng was Snowball, he felt emboldened.

 

With a few scrapes of his hind paws against the floor, he flapped his wings and leaped onto Rong Heng’s chest. Then, he skillfully climbed up his fur in one go, perching onto his back before rolling around with glee.

 

The little fox immediately followed suit, scrambling up his back as well.

 

The once-majestic Ymir was forced to lower himself slightly to keep the cubs from slipping off his back.

 

Ruan Jiao and the little mermaid watched with eager eyes.

 

But compared to the fox and dragon cub, they were much larger—rolling around on Ymir’s back wasn’t really an option.

 

Rong Heng gave a reluctant snort and turned his head away, pretending not to see them.

 

The two cubs immediately drooped their heads in disappointment.

 

Rong Heng turned his head and saw the disappointed expressions on the cubs’ faces. He frowned, then stood up with the little dragon cub and the little fox still clinging to his back. After glancing at the dejected little mermaid and Ruan Jiao, he said coldly, “Come here.”

 

Once in the living room, Rong Heng controlled his transformation, enlarging his form slightly.

 

Then, he sprawled out on the thick, plush carpet.

 

At this size, he now took up nearly a quarter of the living room. Lying down lazily, he resembled a massive snow-white rug.

 

The once-disheartened cubs instantly lit up with excitement and pounced onto his back, rolling around with the little dragon cub and the little fox in a tangle of limbs and fur.

 

By the time Ruan Shiqing finished washing up and stepped out of the bathroom, a new snow-colored presence had appeared in the living room.

 

The majestic beast was sprawled in the corner of the room, with four little cubs sprawled atop him. Perhaps they had tired themselves out—each of them lay in a haphazard sprawl, their eyes fluttering between open and closed.

 

Meanwhile, the beast’s once-sleek, pristine white fur—marked with streaks of black—was now completely disheveled, tufts sticking up in every direction, clearly the handiwork of the cubs.

 

Ruan Shiqing stood there for a long moment, then slowly curved his lips into a smile.

 

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the beast cracked open a golden eye and looked at him, its dark-gold irises filled with silent suffering.

 

Ruan Shiqing wanted to laugh even more. He had to struggle to hold it in as he shuffled forward in his slippers, crouched down, and tentatively reached out to pinch one of his ears.

 

The warm sensation on his ear made Rong Heng instinctively lean into the touch, nuzzling against it.

 

The subconscious act of affection startled them both.

 

Rong Heng, feeling guilty, stole a glance at him, worried that he had given something away.

 

But instead of reacting suspiciously, Ruan Shiqing simply smiled, his fingers brushing lightly over the horns on Rong Heng’s forehead as he teased, “Snowball has grown up.”

 

The Crown Prince, still feeling disgruntled, dared not provoke his beloved. He could only flick his tail in frustration and watch helplessly as Ruan Shiqing, still wearing an amused smile, returned to his room.

 

Turning back, Rong Heng shot a glare at the troublemaking cubs on his back, just in time to see the little dragon cub, having failed to find a stable position, slide down his smooth fur and tumble onto the floor with a thud.

 

The cub sat there, dazed, rubbing his head before clambering up again and stubbornly crawling back onto Rong Heng’s back.

 

In that instant, all of Rong Heng’s pent-up frustration dissipated.

 

The corners of his lips lifted, and he huffed, “Little idiot.”

 

 

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I AM GOING TO DIE FROM THE FLUFF! GOODBYE WORLD!

 

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