Stop Eyeing My Pretty Caretaker - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It wasn’t surprising that Yesting brought up the subject of a gift.

After all, today was Christmas, which also happened to be the man’s birthday. Now that Jian Chen knew, he felt he ought to prepare something for his partner. The most embarrassing situation, however, is when the other person speaks up but you have prepared absolutely nothing.

Items like candy, chocolate, scarves, or plushies might make a cub happy, but they certainly wouldn’t work for a man like him.

Jian Chen sat down on the sofa, leaving a one-person gap between them. After a moment of thought, he asked tentatively, “What kind of gift do you want?”

Yesting fell silent and didn’t answer.

While feeling slightly awkward, Jian Chen was also bewildered. What could Yesting possibly like? He had never seen the man express a desire for anything. Ball games? Cigarettes? Watches? Or something profession-related… weapons? Jian Chen suddenly realized he knew next to nothing about Yesting.

This was getting tricky.

Jian Chen thought for a moment and asked, “Does the gift you want need to be bought outside? If it’s nearby, I can go before midnight…”

“It’s right here at home,” the man’s voice interrupted.

Jian Chen was stunned. “Eh?”

Yesting looked at him and said, “The gift I want is right here in this house.”

Jian Chen suddenly understood. Among the gift boxes he had just given to Javier, there must be something the man liked. Or perhaps it was the little robot’s red knitted scarf, or the little merman’s Santa hat? But none of those really suited Yesting. Still, no one said Yesting couldn’t like cute things.

Jian Chen lowered his eyes, thinking very seriously about which item the man could have picked from that pile of gifts.

Yesting leaned in, closing the distance between them. That one-person gap was quickly filled.

“Ye— mmph!”

Jian Chen was kissed. Completely caught off guard.

Memory seemed to overlap with the present. As the man kissed him, the sensation of their lips touching felt like an electric current, making Jian Chen’s head feel tingly and numb. His heart was out of control, thumping wildly.

The elbow Jian Chen was using to prop himself up buckled uncontrollably, and his back fell against the sofa. His field of vision suddenly opened up as the night poured in silently. Outside the window was a warm, rich Christmas Eve, and here they were in the living room.

Before long, the little robot rushed over at the sound.

Though it was in standby mode, it performed real-time monitoring of its owners’ vital signs. Clearly, the state of the two individuals was “not quite right” compared to their usual patterns. Furthermore, the sound of Mr. Jian’s voice could be heard leaking out. This made the little robot instinctively nervous; it had automatically adjusted the danger level. Mr. Jian’s safety had been silently set to the highest priority by Bennett.

However, when the little robot reached the living room, it realized it might have misinterpreted the situation. It froze for a long time before asking, “Mr. Jian, do you need me to clear the clothing from the floor?”

Jian Chen covered his face, which was already completely flushed.

Yesting looked up, his eyes harboring a trace of suppressed frustration and intensity.

After a long pause, the youth finally told the little robot, “…No need… Bennett, go rest.”

The little robot nodded. Its program whirred slowly as it turned and returned to the standby room.

The Next Day

Jian Chen was woken up by the alarm he had set. But he wasn’t the only one woken up; there was also the man behind him, holding him.

Jian Chen found himself covered by a blanket, but the scenery in his vision was wrong. They weren’t in the bedroom; they were on the sofa in the first-floor living room. When he had asked Yesting about the gift last night, they had been sitting on the leftmost sofa, where the cushions were clean and orderly.

Now, the square cushions were scattered messily across the sofa, with some having fallen to the floor. They themselves had moved from the far left to the far right, near the kitchen.

From the initial one-person gap, Yesting now had him tucked in his arms, with only a single layer of blanket over them. Jian Chen looked down at his watch: 7:02 AM.

His face instantly burned fiercely. They had only slept for a total of three hours…

Who fulfills “obligations” like this? Even a wild beast has to sleep, right?

Jian Chen’s exhausted body and brain struggled for a moment before he finally sat up and poured himself a glass of water. The little robot seemed to have been waiting for a long time; it slowly moved out of the standby room, lowered its head, and began tidying the clothes around the sofa.

Recalling last night’s events, Jian Chen said awkwardly, “Um… Bennett, let me do that.”

The little robot shook its head, displaying a smiling electronic expression. “I can handle it, Mr. Jian Chen.”

Jian Chen let out a long sigh. Thank goodness Bennett was just a small robot without human emotions or cognition; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare face the robot ever again.

Jian Chen reached for a shirt to drape over himself. Just as he put one sleeve on, the other was suddenly grabbed.

Jian Chen: “?”

“Going to work?”

It was Yesting’s voice. Even though he had just woken up, there was no raspiness or morning congestion; it was still magnetic and pleasant. Though, perhaps it was Jian Chen’s imagination, but the voice sounded somewhat… tender in the early morning. Especially while his waist was still being held.

Jian Chen looked away, trying his best to steady his mind, though his voice was tinged with bashfulness. “Yes… I’m running out of time.”

Although he didn’t mean it as a request for the man to let go, Yesting seemed to interpret it that way. After a few seconds, the man released his grip, and Jian Chen was finally liberated from the sofa.

After his hard night’s work, Jian Chen rushed to the research institute.

Since taking his wedding leave, what Jian Chen had been most worried about was the New Species Area. Although many changes had occurred there, the little merman had been transferred, and Reiga was too small to be utilized by the military for now.

News of the dismissal of the Commander and Chief Executive of Military Sector 2 quickly hit the headlines. Contrary to Jian Chen’s fears, the official report released by Military Sector 1 contained ample evidence of Sector 2’s collusion with the Academy of Sciences to strengthen military power through animal research. It wasn’t just the arbitrary display seen at the merman area that day.

Some of the animals from failed experiments had been sent to abandoned bases for regular disposal. Others, new species with potential for special abilities, were sent to the research institute. Under the guise of “expanding species knowledge,” they would actually be reclaimed once the cubs reached a certain age and, after being enhanced by the Academy, deployed into war.

It was only when Jian Chen saw the news that night that he realized what a sophisticated and dangerous industry chain he had been pulled into.

After reading the news, Jian Chen looked at Yesting with some surprise. At the time, the man was sitting at the other end of the sofa working, the faint blue light of the terminal illuminating his profile. Jian Chen realized that when Yesting had claimed ownership of him in front of everyone at the institute, it wasn’t… just to show off their relationship. It was to prevent him from being targeted for revenge later.

In the follow-up the next day, Vice Executive Yu released the illegal acts of the Sector 2 officials with such clear logic and evidence that it didn’t look like a last-minute decision made in a single day.

“…”

He suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed by his husband’s decisiveness.

Jian Chen took out his key card and swiped into the New Species Area. So far, excluding the little ones who were doing fine, there were still the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Little Phoenix. The reason Jian Chen had left them for last was that he had raised both of them personally; they were usually very well-behaved and wouldn’t tear the roof down just because he was gone for a while.

Then, he was slapped in the face by reality.

“…”

“Teacher Jian,” Chen Qiu called out.

Jian Chen: “Yes, go ahead.”

Chen Qiu opened the halfway-unlocked iron gate, closed it, then opened it again. “So, just like the little dragon, those two have both escaped.”

“Reiga flew back on his own later, but those two haven’t returned yet. They went missing last night.”

Jian Chen lightly pressed his forehead, slowly squeezing out a sentence: “Are our doors really that flimsy?”

Chen Qiu shook his head. “No, I’ve tried. Without a key card or key, if you locked me in there, I wouldn’t get out until the day I turned into bones.”

“…”

Jian Chen felt a massive headache coming on. Putting aside how the Little Phoenix got out since it could fly for the little Nine Tailed Fox, Xuetuán (Snowball), it was just an ordinary fox cub.

When Jian Chen first received Snowball, the cub was even smaller than Dundun; he could hold it in the palms of two hands. The little fox was snowy white with round eyes and a curled tail, making soft, weak cries—obedient and cute. However, its tail area had been surgically modified; the stitches were still faintly visible. The Academy had used this modification to turn it into a so-called “Nine-Tailed Fox.”

It was like a cruel and ridiculous farce. The “ridiculous” part was aimed at the Academy, while the “cruel” side was borne by the little fox alone. Anyone could see that Snowball was like a failed experimental subject, yet it hadn’t been immediately destroyed, but sent to the institute to be raised. Consequently, almost all the staff at the institute treated this little fox with extra care.

Because the little guy had zero combat capability, Jian Chen had initially placed it in Area B with other harmless species. On the day after making this decision, the Academy quickly sent someone over. The visitor, in a white coat with a flat expression, pushed up his glasses:

“Mr. Jian, I believe it is necessary for you to reassign the habitat of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The reason we didn’t destroy it is because it still has its uses. The Academy’s research results are not a joke. Why not move it to the New Species Area? Record its growth and changes. I believe once this fox grows up, you will be glad you made this decision.”

Those words were quite rude, which made Chen Qiu very angry, but Jian Chen eventually cleared out a compartment in the New Species Area to house Snowball.

However, the little Nine-Tailed Fox loved to wander. The staff often let it out for walks. Because Snowball was so small and the institute was so vast, the little fox often got lost, causing the staff great worry. Especially with the beastmen, who might accidentally step on the little guy while transporting timber.

Thus, combined with Teacher Jian’s absence these past few days, the staff agreed to lock Snowball back in the New Species Area. Snowball’s compartment was actually quite large—complete with trees, grass, a small river, and rocks—like a rich little eco-zone.

Unexpectedly, the little Nine-Tailed Fox chose Christmas Eve to break out No one knew how it had managed to do it.

Jian Chen got on the tour cart and searched the routes the little fox usually loved to walk, but found nothing. He then followed the routes for Areas A through F, searching carefully. Still no sign of the fox.

Jian Chen’s watch suddenly rang. Upon answering, a staff member’s voice sounded excited: “Snowball has been found!”

Jian Chen immediately turned the cart around.

It was only when he returned to the New Species Area that he learned Snowball had been quite ambitious yesterday. He hadn’t followed his usual walking route but had groped his way all the way to the institute’s main entrance! Again, no one knew how the little fox had done it!

Snowball hadn’t slipped out of the institute immediately. Instead, he had jumped onto the sculpture in the lobby, blending in perfectly with the pure white statue. It was as if he were waiting for someone to return. He stared at the staff and pedestrians coming and going, his eyes wide and round. To avoid exposing himself, he remained motionless, not even daring to wag his nine soft tails. He waited there for a day and a night.

When the staff found him, Snowball was curled up in the palm of the sculpture’s hand, fast asleep.

After hearing the story, everyone’s eyes fell simultaneously on Teacher Jian.

Jian Chen: “…”

Those looks seemed to say: We all know who the heartbreaker is here. Right, Teacher Jian?

While feeling relieved, a sense of guilt welled up in Jian Chen.

He walked through the crowd to find Snowball sitting on the reception desk in front of the New Species Area, posture upright, head held high and proud. Jian Chen peeked his head out and called softly: “Snowball~”

The little Nine-Tailed Fox’s ears twitched. His round eyes squinted into slits, looking somewhat elongated. Hearing Jian Chen call him and smelling the youth’s familiar scent approaching, the little fox sniffed, stepped on the table with his paw, and let out a huff from his nose.

Because he was still a cub, the sound was quite childish, yet it was full of attitude. Then, Snowball turned his head in the opposite direction of Jian Chen, refusing to look at the youth. The meaning was clear:

“Don’t touch me. I am beautiful alone.”

The physique and color of the Nine-Tailed Fox were much more beautiful than an ordinary little fox. Perhaps the Academy truly followed the mythological image when creating Snowball, or perhaps Snowball’s natural appearance was simply close to the myth. He was snowy white, with faint light-pink inner ears. Between his brows were two intersecting red marks, and the same vibrant red appeared on the tips of each of his nine tails.

Being a cub, and because the little fox loved to be clean, the white and red complemented each other perfectly—exquisite and beautiful, making it impossible to look away. This incredibly high-looking fox cub had already become the darling of the entire research institute staff.

He was just a bit “tsundere.” Like right now.

Snowball turned his back to Jian Chen, a huffing ball of fluff. He neither spoke nor whimpered, and wouldn’t even give the youth a single glance. However, the nine tails behind him began to wag slowly.

From a slow speed, they gradually reached top speed.

The crowd: “…”

He looks like a white “Wind and Fire Wheel.”