Stop Eyeing My Pretty Caretaker - chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jian Chen squinted his eyes.

A beam of light pierced through his lazy eyelids, forcibly waking him from a dazed sleepiness.

It was completely different from what he had imagined—there were no desolate ruins, no encroaching seawater, and he wasn’t in a hospital!

There was no Dunden, and no Yesting.

The first thing that entered his sight was bright light.

It was like the morning sun leaning over a valley, warm yet dazzling.

“Passenger? Passenger?”

“Please wake up.”

An impatient, urging voice sounded in his ear.

…Passenger?

Someone was calling him?

Jian Chen’s fingers could move now.

Discovering that he wasn’t dead, and that the previous weakness and pain in his body had miraculously vanished, Jian Chen’s mind cleared completely. He forced his eyes open, and everything around him slowly came into focus.

“!”

Jian Chen’s vision froze.

Rather than surprise, it would be better to say he was awestruck.

Before him was a vast, boundless sea of stars.

Beneath his feet was a pure white, high-tech floor platform. Looking up, he saw a giant vacuum dome enclosing the area, providing a steady stream of oxygen.

Countless giant spaceships were docked here or departing, flashing with dazzling lights.

Jian Chen was dumbfounded.

This was a completely unexpected scene. Wasn’t he dead?

Where was this?

One thing was clear: he was definitely not on Earth!

Moreover, this level of technology didn’t look like it belonged to his era.

“Sir, did you oversleep? This is the Interstellar Transfer Station.”

“I must remind you that as a human, due to physical limitations, you are required to board the ship early.”

The man next to him frowned, continuing to prompt him.

Jian Chen realized he had accidentally blurted out his inner shock.

Regaining his composure, Jian Chen finally turned his attention to the man speaking to him.

The man wore a uniform and had a tall, sturdy build.

The buttons of the uniform were slightly strained against his broad chest, clearly making it an ill fit.

But what truly startled Jian Chen was that this man was clearly a staff member of the transfer station. Logically, in this setting, he should have been a relatively ordinary human, but the man stood nearly two meters tall. When Jian Chen spoke to him, he had to look up.

Casting his gaze around, Jian Chen’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just this staff member—even the hurried passersby were much taller and broader than him.

This staff member’s name was Li Zhun.

As a chief steward of the interstellar transfer station, Li Zhun had always been an authoritative leader across various stations. However, he harbored a secret: he actually…

Had always disliked humans.

He had heard that tens of millions of years ago, ancient humans specifically placed animals in a research institute, captive and raised for the Academy of Sciences and the military to conduct animal research for war.

It was not only a cruel act but a desecration of life. They didn’t treat animals weaker than themselves as living beings. In the eyes of humans… their ancestors were slaves, combat machines, and experimental subjects.

No wonder a comet hit the Earth later, causing the extinction of the majority of humanity.

Li Zhun thought that if it hadn’t been for that turning point, other species wouldn’t have evolved so wildly. After tens of millions of years of smoke and war, the fluffy creatures and endangered species once dominated by humans had flipped the script, becoming the masters of the interstellar era.

Li Zhun’s professional ethics told him to treat all passengers equally, even the one before him…

Who looked frail and was more than a head shorter than him—a tiny human.

Li Zhun couldn’t help but let his gaze fall on the human.

Soft short hair, long eyelashes, gentle and beautiful cheeks, carrying a backpack. Looking closely…

He actually looked quite nice?

The little beauty seemed anxious to confirm something. He stood up from his seat, searching the time board of the transfer station. Finally, his gaze froze.

—Interstellar Year 3497.

Using an interstellar calendar?

Jian Chen’s lips trembled. No matter how he calculated it, this was far removed from the era he lived in. If that were the case, even if Yesting had successfully survived the comet, by now he would have long since…

And Dunden.

Jian Chen had never asked Yesting about the shelf life of the sleep capsule, but according to common sense, that capsule couldn’t possibly have lasted until now.

Now, Jian Chen couldn’t even be sure if this era was real, or if those twenty-odd years in his memory shared the same world.

Or rather…

Did Yesting and Dunden ever truly exist?

Under the weight of the massive shock, Jian Chen squatted down and slowly, dazedly, covered his eyes.

“!”

Li Zhun was startled.

He had heard that ancient Earthlings had very fragile bodies—a bit of wind could give them a cold or fever, and in serious cases, pneumonia. It seemed the rumors of humans being frail were true!

Like this little guy in front of him.

He was so uncomfortable he couldn’t even straighten his back. Looking closely, was he crying?

Even though he disliked humans, Li Zhun couldn’t bring himself to leave someone in distress.

The man leaned down, bent over, and without a word, scooped Jian Chen up in his arms.

He intended to take the human to the emergency medical room as quickly as possible.

However, without warning, the moment his hand passed under Jian Chen’s knees to hold him, that long, well-defined hand…

Suddenly turned into a snow-white paw.

Then, as if out of control, two floppy black ears sprouted from his head.

In the next second, from behind the man’s uniform, a half-black, half-white tail popped out, wagging joyfully.

Li Zhun: “?”

“???”

He realized that he had actually reverted to his original form?

And it happened unconsciously!

This had never happened before.

As a Border Collie with extremely high self-control and intelligence, Li Zhun had always perfectly maintained his human form, never once exposing his ears, tail, or paws while on duty.

Because exposing one’s original form was an involuntary expression animals showed only when they were extremely happy, comfortable, and relaxed.

In today’s high-pressure, fast-paced era, animals hadn’t uncontrollably shown their true forms outside of sleep for a long time.

Li Zhun looked at his paw and his occasionally sweeping tail in astonishment.

No matter how he looked at it, his current situation shouldn’t belong to that category!?

Jian Chen: “!!!”

The human in the Border Collie’s arms was also scared silly.

Wh—what is this??

Jian Chen felt he must be going crazy. He watched as a perfectly normal human, right before his eyes, grew paws, sprouted ears, and had a tail from who-knows-where wagging back and forth.

Just a moment ago, Jian Chen went from confusion and disorientation to completely questioning his life.

Was he really alive right now? Was everything before him real?

Just what kind of world had he come to?

Meanwhile, Li Zhun looked at the pale little beauty and silently fell into deep thought.

This was different from the humans he knew.

For example…

Do humans always smell this good?

And their bodies are so soft, like a little kitten?

They even get startled very easily—seeing him change form, the little face turned white with fear?

…This was a completely different image from the humans in his impressions.

Li Zhun’s brow furrowed as he began to doubt his own knowledge, while simultaneously forgetting to tuck away his tail and ears.

“Can you put me down?” the human spoke first.

“Hmm? …Ah, yes.” Li Zhun blinked, quickly regaining his senses, and placed Jian Chen back on the ground, saying, “Sorry.”

The human, once put down, didn’t run away. Instead, he stood there.

He held a small suitcase in his hand and a backpack on his shoulders. A spaceship ticket was tucked into his pocket, but he didn’t seem to notice it, nor did he show any intention of boarding.

Instead, he looked utterly helpless and lost.

Li Zhun checked his watch. He couldn’t bear to leave this human alone, so he pulled out Jian Chen’s ticket, looked down at the destination and platform, and suddenly frowned.

“Going to Moli Star?” Li Zhun pondered for a moment, then looked at Jian Chen and said seriously, “That is a notorious ‘black zone.’ Illegal transactions are frequent there. Mr. Jian Chen…”

Li Zhun read the name on the ticket and continued, “If I may be blunt, if you go there, you’ll be cheated out of everything you own. You might not even make it back safely.”

Jian Chen caught one word: “Moli Star?”

“Yes.” Li Zhun paused and asked, “What do you want to sell?”

Penniless · Just woke up · Lost his husband and cub · Pitiful Jian Chen: “…”

He couldn’t even answer that question himself.

But regardless, a steward had no right to change a passenger’s route without permission. He could only educate Jian Chen on the darkness of Moli Star before worriedly escorting the little guy to the spaceship.

The spaceship’s ramp was quite high. Li Zhun looked at Jian Chen’s thin arms and legs and couldn’t help himself, extending a paw.

“I can do it.”

Jian Chen’s body stiffened, holding back the eager Border Collie steward as if he had guessed his intentions. “Thank you, but really, you don’t need to carry me.”

“…”

Li Zhun nodded, feeling quite regretful, and waved goodbye to Jian Chen.

Carrying his meager luggage, Jian Chen followed the crowd into the spaceship.

As Jian Chen walked, he thought and confirmed it.

So, he had transmigrated.

Although it was hard to believe, everything before him couldn’t be explained by natural science. It seemed that in this era, animals could turn into human forms and coexist with humans?

At the same time, Jian Chen felt he wasn’t reborn or reincarnated; after all, who is reborn with their memories intact?

But this… was simply too cruel.

Before, death was just death; one didn’t have to remember anything. But now, he had to live on alone with the memories of a family of three.

If that were the case, why let him wake up at all?

Jian Chen pursed his lips. Right now, he was like a lonely ghost stranded in the world, with nowhere to call home.

He didn’t even know why he was boarding this ship, where he was going, what he was going to do, or what he should do next.

He was completely clueless.

The interior of the spaceship was very spacious, just as grand and beautiful as it appeared from the outside.

Jian Chen followed the seat number on his ticket, found a corner of the ship, and sat down. A light-colored scarf covered his thin lips, revealing a small section of his nose. Above that were a pair of lost, dark brown eyes.

He hadn’t seemed to recover from the emotions before his coma; his mind was filled with Earth, the little villa, Dunden, and Yesting.

Jian Chen dazed for a while before he couldn’t help but open the suitcase he had brought with him.

There was nothing special inside, just some daily necessities: a toothbrush, towel, shoes, and a few changes of clothes. In a hidden layer, there was some cash that looked like banknotes.

These things were completely different from his usual style and habits.

It was like looking at someone else’s suitcase.

Jian Chen closed the suitcase and took out the backpack.

Opening it this time, Jian Chen found something different.

Inside was a hard folder, and within the clip was a single, lonely sheet of white paper.

Jian Chen hesitated for a moment, pulled out the paper, and let his gaze fall upon it. He discovered it was a physical contract.

His eyes moved down to the bright, printed line of text:

—“Stardust Zoo Transfer Document.”

It was a gilded, very formal contract. Flipping to the back, he found it hadn’t been signed yet.

Jian Chen stared at the words “Stardust,” and couldn’t help reaching out to touch the gold leaf of the font.

In the next second, as if something tangible was boring into his body, a segment of memory that didn’t belong to him rushed into his mind like flint sparks.

“!!”

Jian Chen’s pupils shrank, and his fingertips turned cold.

A massive amount of information occupied his brain. Jian Chen took a breath. The body he had transmigrated into was also named Jian Chen, 19 years old.

He was the director of a zoo.

In this interstellar era, the status of humans had plummeted. Former pets, wild animals, and humans had switched identities. After the natural disaster of the comet hitting Earth, only a small portion of humans survived, and by now, they had become an extremely precious species.

To put it simply, the fluffies ruled the world.

The animals currently ruling the galaxy had a polarized attitude toward humans.

One pole was a hatred buried in their bloodlines, believing humans were cunning, brutal, and unworthy of respect.

The other pole was like the attitude of ancient Earthlings toward giant pandas: love and obsession. Because humans were an endangered species, rare and precious, and at the same time were all considered “cubs,” they felt this small, fragile, and cute species deserved to be cherished and protected.

Jian Chen thought that as a human, the original owner of this body actually ran a zoo; he must have some financial strength.

However, the species in “Stardust Zoo” had failed to awaken spiritual power and failed to evolve, making them no different from ancient Earth animals. Thus, they weren’t even considered “orphans”; they were all taken into the zoo for the evolved high-level animals to visit and admire.

Regrettably—

Now, the zoo was on the verge of bankruptcy.

On this spaceship journey today, the original owner was specifically traveling to Moli Star to meet a buyer and officially sign the “Zoo Transfer Contract.”

Jian Chen fell into a mental storm and sat in that posture for a long time.

After a while, a piece of candy was placed on his small table.

“?”

Jian Chen’s train of thought was interrupted, and he looked toward the source of the candy with slight surprise.

“Tsk.”

“Are you stupid? Humans don’t like eating this…”

“Why wouldn’t they? That’s what the records say—milk candy and fruit candy, they love them the most.”

Not far away, the whispers of several passengers could be heard.

While whispering, they would occasionally turn their heads to see if Jian Chen liked eating it.

Jian Chen: “…”

As if it wasn’t an illusion, those passengers seemed to be looking at him with eyes full of pity and affection.

The spaceship slowly started.

A flight attendant walked slowly through the aisle, handing out food and drinks to the passengers.

When she reached Jian Chen, the flight attendant’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The manifest was correct—he was the only human among the passengers on this ship!

Stay calm, stay calm.

The flight attendant leaned down and kindly asked Jian Chen if he wanted any drinks, and if he wanted to eat, she could also provide pastries and snacks.

Jian Chen was slightly taken down; he saw the flight attendant’s ID badge. She was a graceful White Peacock.

According to the rushing memories, this represented the identity of her original form.

By now, Jian Chen seemed to be slowly accepting the reality that the fluffies of the past could turn into humans.

White peacocks were rare protected animals on ancient Earth, symbolizing passion and beauty. Jian Chen was silent for a moment. These were the first words he had spoken since boarding the ship:

“Your original form is very beautiful.”

The surroundings suddenly fell silent for an instant.

The flight attendant was a bit surprised and slowly covered her lips he finally spoke!

At the same time, she felt it was very rare. As a flight attendant, she had been praised for her figure by countless people, but Jian Chen was the first to praise her original form.

The flight attendant had a built-in translator, but to the other passengers, Jian Chen’s voice, under their built-in “human filters,” sounded as clear and gentle as flowing water, soft and sweet. Jian Chen looked up like a kitten speaking seriously.

“So cute… it’s like he’s acting spoiled with the flight attendant!”

A lady in the neighboring seat turned red with envy, regretfully stomping her foot and causing the floor to tremble slightly. “When I successfully lost weight back then, I should have chosen the flight attendant major… otherwise, the one interacting with the human now would be me.”

The Yak doctor with round-rimmed glasses next to her put down his newspaper and couldn’t help saying, “Madam, as a hippopotamus, there is no such thing as a successful weight loss…”

“…”

The flight attendant wanted to laugh, but at the same time, for the first time in her life, she actually felt the urge to fan out her peacock tail.

And it was in front of a human.

This youth was unlike any human she had ever seen.

Before the spaceship docked at the next transfer station, the flight attendant walked up to Jian Chen with a coat in her hand and said softly:

“The spaceship is about to enter a cryogenic zone, and the hatch will be open for two minutes. This is a smart cold-protection coat; you will feel more comfortable wearing it.”

Jian Chen took the coat, which was almost larger than his own height, and said with some effort, “Thank you.”

The flight attendant couldn’t help but smile and said, “Let me help you put it on.”

A gloom like dark clouds spread through the surroundings.

The flight attendant, feeling the envious and somber gazes coming from behind: “…”

The spaceship officially docked at the next transfer station.

A moment later, an excited voice suddenly came from the entrance of the ship: “I heard there’s a human on your ship?”

“I will absolutely not ride on the same ship as a smelly human, not even if I die!”

“Please lower your voice; a passenger is sleeping.”

The flight attendant lowered her voice.

“Sleeping?” The person laughed and said loudly, “We adult animals who have awakened spiritual power don’t need sleep at all. Could the human be the one you’re talking about?!”

The flight attendant had a headache; occasionally she would encounter such extremely difficult passengers who hated traveling with weak and vulnerable species.

At the same time, because of the hatred from tens of thousands of years ago, he believed humans weren’t worthy of sharing a ship with them, and even complained to the management department, strongly demanding that humans should be placed in the pet cargo hold…

“Even if I die today! Even if I jump off this ship, I will never share a ride with a human…”

The voice stopped abruptly, and a strange silence fell.

The smart thermal clothing was still too big for Jian Chen; after all, it was sized for an adult beast-form. The cold air still seeped through the gaps. Jian Chen had to wrap the coat tighter, his nose slightly reddened by the low chill, and he subconsciously lowered his eyelashes.

Thus, the passenger who had just stepped into the cabin saw this scene—

A youth huddled inside a coat, looking like a round ball, with only his head showing. His cheeks were excessively fair, and his soft short hair was slightly puffed up from static electricity.

Hearing the noise, the human looked up and sniffled, his eyelashes fluttering, clearly startled.

In the next second,

The passenger’s polar bear ears popped out.

Flight Attendant: “…”

While the “it’s so good” moment came late, it still arrived. But could you not show your beast form? At least show some restraint?

Suddenly, a voice sounded in the cabin not far away: “My beast form is very warm. Little sir, you can huddle into my fur so you won’t shiver.”

“…”

“Actually, my beast form is also fluffy.”

“Me too.”

“Uh, I’m also very warm.”

“Actually, I also…”

Then, a fifth and sixth voice popped up…

Subsequently, everyone on the entire spaceship raised their hands.

Flight Attendant: “…”

The spaceship traveled rapidly.

But inside the ship, it gave an illusion of time passing exceptionally slowly. As they passed Sky Sea Star, Jian Chen closed his eyes slightly, feeling a bit sleepy.

His old habit had returned.

Whenever he encountered a violent change he couldn’t bear, his first reaction wasn’t to face the challenge, but to… use sleep to escape reality.

Just like that night when he mistakenly thought Yesting had cheated on him.

Yesting.

That name suddenly felt like an illusion from a past life.

A passenger across the aisle from Jian Chen finished all the pastries and snacks. He asked the flight attendant for an electronic newspaper, unfolded it, put on his glasses, and read it carefully.

“His Majesty won the war?”

He suddenly exclaimed.

“He won!”

The person in the neighboring seat laughed. “That’s news from this morning; you’re just seeing it now?”

“Yeah.”

The person said, “I heard His Majesty is returning to the Empire.”

“If all goes as expected, he’ll arrive in two days.”