Stop Eyeing My Pretty Caretaker - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Mr. Jian, this is the last agreement. Once you’ve signed it, you can take the panda with you.”

“Thank you.”

A surprisingly pleasant voice. Taking the paper, he neatly wrote down his name in balanced strokes Jian Chen.

The female receptionist quickly finished her review. She gently brought over an incubator; although the size of the creature inside wasn’t clear, the box was just large enough to hold a juvenile panda.

Jian Chen swallowed hard. His slight nervousness gradually gave way to a heart drumming like thunder.

Inside this box was his future cub.

Just one week ago, the government had issued a policy:

Starting November 1, 2269, citizens may adopt a panda, one per household. Adoption condition: Enter into a dynamic marriage agreement with a state-matched partner.

A week later, Jian Chen took his ID card and household register and came to this solemn and majestic National Matching Center.

Unnoticed, more and more passersby began to linger inside the building.

It was because they had spotted the panda insignia on the box. This was a novelty that happened once in a century; their gazes all snapped toward Jian Chen.

After seeing Jian Chen’s face, their curious stares were involuntarily dyed with a layer of subtle, ambiguous intrigue.

Whispers began to rise:

“Hey, I don’t get it. With looks like that, does he really need to get married just for a panda?”

The person next to him said sourly: “Exactly. Damn, if he were willing to marry me, I’d steal a panda for him.”

“Steal? Just having a panda isn’t enough; you’d need a high enough compatibility with him! So even if you rot in jail, you’ve got no shot.”

The whispering didn’t affect the process at hand. Jian Chen, seemingly without any self-awareness of being at the center of the storm, carefully took the incubator. Holding it steady, he listened intently as the staff member began to brief him on the requirements point by point, nodding from time to time.

Mr. Jian, the last and most important point: after the panda’s residency is registered, you must go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with your matched partner within three months to complete the marriage registration.”

She reminded him: “Otherwise, the panda will be reclaimed!”

It wasn’t that she was being unreasonable, but in the year 2269, with technology advancing at lightning speed, adopting a panda was still an extremely rare occurrence.

In recent years, due to a severe imbalance in the male-to-female ratio, the domestic marriage rate was dismal, and the number of single citizens grew daily. Thus, to solve the “singles problem,” the state introduced the “System Matching” policy in the same year.

To put it simply.

In this world, partners were allocated by the state.

Every pair of lovers had a compatibility score. 60 was the passing line, but due to various uncontrollable real-world factors, if compatibility exceeded 70%, they were hailed as “soulmates.”

Moreover, not just anyone could adopt a panda through a matched marriage.

Only internal personnel at the Matching Center knew that the new policy enacted a week ago the higher the compatibility score, the higher the probability of adopting a panda.

Unexpectedly, Jian Chen answered quickly, without a hint of hesitation:

“Thank you for the reminder. I will complete the marriage as soon as possible!”

So decisive.

Unable to discern the emotions behind it, the receptionist couldn’t help but quietly look up to observe him.

The panda’s owner had a tall, slender build and soft hair; his entire vibe was gentle and harmless. As the temperature on Planet Blue plummeted after the start of winter, he wore a long, light-white down coat with a warm, dark scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, one end dangling down, practically bundling himself up completely.

Looking further up her heart skipped a beat as she averted her eyes. That was a face that would make anyone, man or woman, feel a flutter.

Truly a beauty.

She couldn’t help but wonder: what kind of matched partner would be lucky enough to marry such a person and raise a cub together?

By the time she snapped out of it, Jian Chen had already opened the box.

A faint whimper came from thin air as the creature inside the box was gently lifted out.

That’s right… lifted, not lugged.

The previous chatter stopped abruptly. Everyone fell silent in a shared understanding.

To their astonishment, what Jian Chen had been allocated was actually a panda cub!

Although pandas were no longer an endangered species, as national treasures, panda cubs were still highly protected by the state.

A few days ago, news of a couple adopting an elderly panda and weeping with joy had been on the front page. Citizens looking at the sturdy, round giant panda on their light screens were filled with envy.

And now, someone had actually randomly adopted a panda cub from a “blind box”?

What kind of “koi” luck (divine luck) was this!

From a distance, the little guy in Jian Chen’s arms was only about a month old, looking like a glutinous rice ball, letting itself be handled.

Everyone clicked their tongues, feeling a secret wave of jealousy.

Especially that unknown matched partner not only did they get the beauty, they picked up a national treasure cub in the process. This peak life they must have saved the galaxy in their past life.

Jian Chen’s warm, clean fingers supported the panda’s bottom as he somewhat awkwardly cradled the cub in his palms.

Perhaps the movement was too great, as the panda cub startled awake from its dream.

At that moment, everyone involuntarily held their breath.

For their first meeting, the panda let out a soft cry, a milky voice still in a cub’s register. It struggled to prop up its paws, looking at Jian Chen with sleepy eyes.

Jian Chen met its gaze, his heart thumping.

So, so cute.

On the surface, he remained calm, but a massive storm was raging in Jian Chen’s heart. This marriage was so worth it!

If nothing else, being in such close contact with a panda was a first in his life.

Based on this alone, he would be willing to get married another hundred times.

His panda had blurry, heart-shaped outlines for its dark eye circles, and its black fur was still a bit light. Jian Chen felt the heavy sensation of the paw pads in his palm. Relying on professional instinct, he reached out and wiped the milk stains off the cub’s nose.

It felt a bit nice.

The panda cub rubbed its nose, kicked its little round legs, let out a yawn, and showed a pink tongue tip.

Its paws could no longer support its body, so it flopped down on the spot, its eyes becoming misty.

At this moment, not just the staff, but even the passersby who were gossiping earlier, couldn’t help but have a thought sprout in their hearts:

Simply, can’t look away!!

Is this something they can watch without paying?

Because it was so pleasing to the eye, for a moment, they didn’t know whether to envy the person or the panda.

In fact, the stern-faced receptionist was clutching her chest, her heart trembling from the cuteness. This was the country’s largest authoritative matching center; her professional ethics had undergone rigorous training. In such a rare moment, she couldn’t scream, nor could she take photos.

In truth, the young man didn’t give them a chance to linger. The time for admiring the little panda was very brief; in the blink of an eye, it was sent back into the incubator.

After handling all the procedures, Jian Chen left the building, leaving behind a crowd of people wanting more.

The onlookers gradually dispersed.

Not long after Jian Chen stepped out, his wristwatch suddenly chimed. It was a text from his roommate.

Jian Chen didn’t dare waste time. He opened the light screen to let the message display automatically while simultaneously reaching out to hail a car. It was currently the evening rush hour, and hovering taxis were hard to catch; he didn’t have much time left.

The light screen began to pop with “boop boop” message notifications. Jian Chen glanced at it with his peripheral vision and found it wasn’t just one sentence, but a continuous bombardment:

Chenchen, are you crazy?!

Marrying a total stranger for a panda? Are you sober?

A marriage without any emotional foundation you guys are bound to divorce sooner or later!

Jian Chen finally hailed a taxi. After getting in, he felt his hands and feet warm up a bit. He settled the little panda to the side, sat down, and replied to the messages character by character: Don’t worry. Once we’re married, we can’t divorce. The state said so.

Clearly, the other person was fuming. Jian Chen knew that every time this person got angry, the messages would start coming in groups of three:

Is that what I’m worried about?

The key is, your matched partner is a freaking man!!!

Otherwise, why on earth would the state give you a panda?

That was correct.

In this era, same-sex marriage was already legal and protected by law. To balance the male-to-female ratio, the state had specially opened up a policy: if a citizen wanted to adopt a panda… they had to accept the fact that their lover would be of the same sex.

This point alone made many people hesitate.

But someone as proactive in responding to the policy as Jian Chen was quite rare.

Let’s set aside gender for a moment.

Chenchen, do you know anything about this guy’s background? What does he look like? What’s his personality, profession, family background? Have you figured any of this out?

You’re getting married without even meeting face-to-face?

Jian Chen looked at the last line. His hovering finger moved, slowly typing on the screen:

We spoke once on the phone.

Thinking of that matched lover, Jian Chen’s ears felt a bit itchy. He rubbed his earlobe with his fingertip, which turned a thin shade of red.

In fact, before today, the two had spoken once on the phone. The duration hadn’t even exceeded a minute. The whole process lacked pleasantries or self-introductions; it was extremely efficient and high-quality, simply arranging the time and place for their meeting.

And what Jian Chen found hardest to ignore wasn’t the content of the conversation, but the other’s voice.

If there was anything “wrong” with it, Jian Chen found it a bit hard to talk about.

Nothing else, just.

The voice was too beautiful.

Jian Chen, who didn’t usually pay much attention to voices, had listened to stage plays and radio dramas in his spare time, and had witnessed the heavenly voices of AI idols in this era. But adding them all together, none of them compared to this one…

Though it might be an exaggeration, it was the kind of voice that, when spoken right against the ear, could make one’s knees go weak.

It was a good thing he was also a man; otherwise, it would be hard not to give in easily.

Jian Chen couldn’t help but speculate with technology so advanced, had the man used a voice enhancer? But he thought about it and realized there was likely no reason to do so, since they were about to meet in person anyway.

But regardless, even if it was enhanced to that degree, the base itself was..

His thoughts returned. Jian Chen’s mind wandered slightly as he forced his attention back to the screen.

What he hadn’t told his roommate was that the first meeting with his matched partner was set for 4:00 PM.

The restaurant was located in the city center. The journey wasn’t long, but there were only thirty minutes left until the appointed time.

So, Jian Chen simply brought the cub to the “blind date.”

Besides, the cub was so cute; the other father had a right to know.

To meet a stranger he was about to marry without even knowing their name it would be a lie to say he wasn’t apprehensive.

Jian Chen was a zoologist.

He had never been in love. To be precise, he grew up in a research institute, living with various endangered animals since childhood; he spent more time with animals than with humans.

Studying animal habits since he was young while also taking on the duties of a breeder feeding, grooming, provisioning since his earliest memories, these caretaking skills seemed to be carved into his instincts.

Later, he majored in animal science and became the youngest professor at the research institute. Jian Chen seemed to possess a special constitution.

Not only did the animals he raised personally adore him, but even in areas managed by his colleagues, animals would often climb the walls to “jailbreak” and find him. Even the most dangerous creatures picked up from remote rainforests in harsh climates, which wouldn’t let anyone near them, would squint their eyes and let Jian Chen hold their paws to give them injections.

Fortunately, because of this, the condition of endangered species improved daily, and they thrived.

Yet, Jian Chen’s dream had never changed, which was

To raise a panda.

To open a zoo.

As it looked now, the first wish was about to come true, while simultaneously solving his twenty-plus years of being single.

Was there any reason to refuse?

None at all!

There was warm air inside the car. Jian Chen looked out the window as the street scenery slid by.

Though he knew the other party was likely also in a marriage of convenience for the sake of a panda a marriage certificate where each took what they needed.

He couldn’t think too deeply about things like “feelings.”

Having now obtained a panda, Jian Chen’s mindset suddenly became “Zen.” Heh, it’s no big deal!

The car traveled quickly, weaving through leafy street corners, finally stopping in front of a restaurant. The leaves of the French plane trees nearby were dusted with early snow and swayed in the wind. The twilight fell, making the atmosphere pleasant and moving.

Jian Chen’s train of thought stopped.

The panda cub also woke up.

Jian Chen got out of the car holding the cub. Standing before this building and looking up, he suddenly felt a mountain of pressure.

Despite never having been to this restaurant, Jian Chen had heard of it.

A Western-style restaurant in the most prosperous part of the city center, with a cafe and independent Western-cuisine private rooms; the consumption levels were outrageously high.

It was the kind of money-burning holy land where even if billionaires booked two months in advance, they couldn’t get a seat.

It wasn’t necessary.

It really wasn’t necessary.

Granted, the first meeting before a wedding should be taken seriously, but wasn’t this a bit too much?

Secretly, Jian Chen felt his heart ache for his fiancé’s wallet for three seconds.

Checking his watch, there were still 20 minutes left until the appointment; there was no rush. Jian Chen pushed the door open at a leisurely pace, only to find several waiters already standing to the side.

Their uniforms were high-end and neat. They stood straight and bowed respectfully to Jian Chen:

“Mr. Jian.”

Jian Chen completely didn’t expect this kind of reception upon entering.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and nodded politely.

He followed the waiter through a long corridor. The further in they went, the more the view opened up.

This restaurant had very few private rooms, and the decor of each was extremely elegant suitable for gatherings, but also for business negotiations. He had heard that the owner was a retired chef from a famous private kitchen abroad; the sense of luxury was just right, without falling into vulgarity.

Strangely, in a restaurant of this caliber at this time, the entire floor was empty of everyone except for the staff.

Jian Chen’s gaze curiously swept here and there, finding that there truly wasn’t a single customer.

It couldn’t be a private booking, could it Jian Chen quickly shook his head, feeling this guess was unlikely.

The lead waiter, seeing the large box in Jian Chen’s hands, said respectfully: “Please take a seat here first. I will go and inform Mr. Kerr.”

Oh? So the other party had already arrived?

Wait, Kerr… a foreigner? Is that his surname??

Jian Chen was stunned. The state clearly stipulated that citizens in the matching database were limited to those within the country, and in that phone call, the other party had spoken perfect Mandarin. So, an ethnic Chinese person of foreign descent? Mixed race?

The whole affair was indeed more absurd than it looked to marry someone without even being clear on their nationality for Jian Chen, who had been well-behaved and obedient since childhood, this was a significant shock.

Although he didn’t regret it.

The waiter didn’t notice Jian Chen falling into a mental storm and turned to leave, his footsteps fading away.

Jian Chen found a private room by the window and sat down, opening the incubator just a crack. The little panda inside couldn’t wait to poke its head out, only to have its paw held by Jian Chen, who gave the pad a kiss: “You’re about to meet Daddy.”

Half a minute later, a voice came from outside the room.

At this moment, Jian Chen, who was inevitably a bit sensitive to voices, pricked up his ears to listen.

There was a man’s voice outside, sounding slightly displeased, seemingly talking to the waiter: “Someone booked the whole place? You’ve always maintained that private bookings aren’t allowed here. What is the person’s name?”

“It’s not convenient for us to disclose. To avoid disturbing other guests’ dining, please leave first.”

The sounds of the conversation grew closer. When passing the room, the man’s gaze suddenly froze.

This glimpse left him stunned.

Jian Chen was sitting at the wooden table, holding the panda incubator.

He had his head down, his hair falling softly. The lines of his neck were slender and beautiful under the falling twilight, and his pale fingertips held the panda’s little paw pads. The sunset spilled in like a frozen painting.

He barely managed to snap out of it.

Stopping the conversation with the waiter, the man actually walked straight toward Jian Chen and gave a polite greeting: “Are you waiting for someone?”

Jian Chen met his eyes, his face showing hesitation. Is this the matched partner?

The voice was wrong. It wasn’t the same as that day. So he really did use an enhancer? Although he didn’t have any prejudice against such things, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment.

But it didn’t matter. Jian Chen was very open-minded; he wasn’t getting married to his matched lover just for a voice.

The man reached out his hand. Jian Chen thought he wanted to shake hands, but instead, the other person popped up the light screen on his wrist.

“May I take a measurement?”

Jian Chen’s face showed hesitation as he looked at the man’s hand.

Measure compatibility?

Didn’t we already know the compatibility before adopting the panda?

In a brief moment of surprise, Jian Chen blinked. Oh, I get it. To confirm identity, right? This was likely a default rule for everyone meeting their matched partner for the first time.

The two tapped their watches together. Numbers rolled on the light screen, finally stopping at:

86%.

This compatibility was outrageously high.

In standard statistics, once compatibility passed 85%, they were considered a perfect match for each other. The database showed that the divorce rate for this group didn’t even exceed 0.7%.

The problem was…

He and Kerr didn’t have this number!!

And looking closely at the watch in the other’s hand, it seemed different from Jian Chen’s. It appeared to be… a rare watch that could measure compatibility with strangers.

Jian Chen suddenly realized, and his face instantly turned blood-red.

That is to say… this person was not his matched lover.

In this society, asking a stranger to test compatibility was no different from proposing to them.

Although before a marriage was registered, people always had the right to choose a partner with higher compatibility—like the implied meaning of the gentleman before him. In slang, he was trying to “intercept” the match!

Jian Chen involuntarily leaned back slightly. His fingers holding the panda’s paw pad curled a bit, and even his ears turned pink.

This was a huge misunderstanding.

He’d mistaken the cub’s father.

Was there anything more embarrassing than this? No.

On the contrary, the man looked at the compatibility with surprise.

To happen upon a perfect marriage match with such high compatibility in a restaurant the odds were probably slimmer than winning a multi-million dollar lottery.

The corners of his mouth pressed down, unable to hide his pleased expression: “It seems if we were together, we would be very compatible?”

Jian Chen pursed his lips: “Um! it’s too low.”

The man: “??”

“Your lover’s compatibility is even higher than ours?” The stranger frowned slightly in disbelief. He pressed further with conviction: “Impossible! Did the system make a mistake?”

“There was no mistake.”

A voice cut through the silence. That familiar voice had appeared.

Jian Chen’s pupils trembled, and his heart skipped a beat.

The voice was magnetic and cold, just as pleasant as it had been on the phone, but this time it wasn’t through a receiver it was truly in reality.

Moving from far to near, it was like a tall wine glass filled with ice; cold condensation dripped down, slicing through their conversation.

A tall, upright figure came into view.

Not far away, the man’s clothing was tailored with precision; he had broad shoulders and long legs. Even separated by dense, round stone potted plants, that bone-chilling aura couldn’t be ignored. Like a cold mist entering the room, it made people involuntarily hold their breath.

That previous sense of unknown apprehension now surged up bit by bit.

Tall, handsome, with an aura of cold, fierce intimidation.

That was Jian Chen’s first impression.

The panda cub also seemed to sense something. It opened its eyes slightly, poked its head out of the incubator, and let out a cry.

Jian Chen silently pushed the panda’s little head back in.

As the figure approached the dining table and his gaze collided with the one being cast toward him, Jian Chen finally saw clearly.

The man with whom he had a 100% compatibility.