Yan Yu’an frowned. What did Granny mean—what did she mean there were none “here”?
“To tell you the truth, little white fox cub.” The old lady squinted, her voice extremely slow. “If you want to find this thing, you can only go to the deepest part of the forest. But that place—you can go in, though whether you can come out is another matter.”
Yan Yu’an lowered his eyes. He gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment, then filled the old lady’s water cup to the brim. “Thank you.”
The old lady just smiled and didn’t respond.
Yan Yu’an frowned and returned to the house, a little helpless.
He had to find a way to go to the deepest part of the forest and take a look.
A few days later, while Yan Yu’an was eating roast rabbit meat, Xie Ji swished his tail and walked over to his side.
He glanced somewhat disdainfully at the rabbit meat in Yan Yu’an’s hand and huffed at him.
Yan Yu’an: “?”
He looked at Xie Ji, baffled. His eyes darted around, and he shifted over a little.
Only then did Xie Ji nod in satisfaction and sit down beside Yan Yu’an. His tail lifted a little, and he stared fixedly at Yan Yu’an, but still didn’t speak to him.
Yan Yu’an was creeped out by his stare. He looked at the rabbit meat in his hand, thought for a moment, and handed it over.
“…” Xie Ji pressed his lips together, his gaze growing even colder.
Now Yan Yu’an truly had no idea what he wanted. He quietly called Xie Ji’s name, then cautiously reached out and patted Xie Ji’s hair.
“Hmph.” Xie Ji finally spoke. “Why are you afraid of me?” He sounded both aggrieved and resentful.
Yan Yu’an was baffled. He looked at Xie Ji in confusion, not knowing where this conclusion had come from.
“I’m not afraid of you.” Yan Yu’an tilted his head, his eyes looking straight at the thoroughly displeased man. He raised his hand and wiped the sweat from the man’s forehead. “If I were afraid of you, would I still sit with you?”
Xie Ji scowled and turned his head away unhappily. “You’re scared every night.” Xie Ji didn’t know what a nightmare was. Even though Yan Yu’an had explained it to him countless times, in the lion’s understanding, the fact was simply that Yan Yu’an felt afraid sleeping beside him.
Yan Yu’an knew Xie Ji was talking about the nightmares, but he really didn’t know how to explain it to him anymore. He thought for a moment and suddenly said: “I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of that snake.”
“Snake?” Xie Ji bared his teeth and let out low growls.
Yan Yu’an nodded at once. He figured saying this didn’t count as lying to the lion—at least he really was scared awake by the snake.
Xie Ji patted his chest, and his tail wrapped around Yan Yu’an’s waist, making Yan Yu’an shiver. “Don’t worry, with me here, he absolutely won’t break in.” He paused, as if thinking of something, and his eyes suddenly turned fierce. “That last matter—I still haven’t settled the score with him.”
Actually, to him, being bitten by that stupid snake didn’t matter. Even if he’d been poisoned by the snake’s venom, he wouldn’t die—at most he’d feel unwell for a few days.
But because he’d been bitten, Yan Yu’an hadn’t rested well for days and had nearly fainted—this made Xie Ji very, very displeased.
Yan Yu’an shivered and could only silently pray for that snake in his heart.
Xie Ji wrinkled his nose, then leaned close to Yan Yu’an and licked his face hard.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let that snake hurt you,” Xie Ji said.
Yan Yu’an wiped the saliva off his face. He knew that among lions, it was very common for the chief to groom other lions by licking, so he didn’t take it to heart.
Xie Ji was very satisfied that Yan Yu’an was covered entirely in his scent. He sat leaning against Yan Yu’an, wrapping his tail around him. He sniffed the rabbit meat, then took a bite right from Yan Yu’an’s hand.
“So…” Yan Yu’an seemed to think of something. He blinked his eyes and looked at Xie Ji with a smile. “These past few days you’ve been ignoring me because of this?”
Xie Ji shot to his feet. He gritted his teeth and said stubbornly: “No, it’s not!” Then he turned and went back into the house. Yan Yu’an couldn’t help laughing.
He watched the lion practically beat a retreat and secretly laughed.
“Tomorrow I’ll take you hunting—how about that?” Yan Yu’an chased Xie Ji into the house and heard him say.
“Hunting?” Yan Yu’an froze. His pretty eyes blinked, and he tilted his head, pointing at himself in some confusion. “You’re taking me hunting?” He seemed a little unable to believe it.
Xie Ji nodded, his tail lifting slightly, his blue eyes full of slyness. “Yeah. Hunting is really fun, and every little lion, when they come of age, hunts a tiger on their own.” As he spoke, he looked Yan Yu’an up and down. “So? Want to come with us tomorrow?”
Yan Yu’an quickly shook his head. He was completely unsuited to this sort of thing—sending him to fight wild beasts to the death was no different from taking his life.
Xie Ji apparently hadn’t expected Yan Yu’an to refuse, and his smile froze on his face at once. His eyes went wide, his blue eyes full of disbelief, and he couldn’t help raising his voice: “I said I’m taking you hunting!”
Yan Yu’an nodded in confusion, not knowing why he was reacting so strongly. “I know. You’re taking me hunting.” He paused and shook his head. “But forget it. I’d better just stay here.”
Xie Ji gritted his teeth, somewhat beside himself with anger. “Do you know how many lions want to hunt with me?” Seeing Yan Yu’an’s confused look, he angrily put his hand on Yan Yu’an’s head and roughly messed up his hair.
Yan Yu’an raised an eyebrow, not knowing why Xie Ji was so angry. “What, do you really want me to go with you that badly?” Felines are all tsundere—even lions were no exception. He looked at Xie Ji’s bristling tail and secretly smiled.
“No, I don’t.”
Xie Ji huffed. “Fine, don’t go then.”
Yan Yu’an secretly smiled again. He always felt Xie Ji was a lot like the little cat he’d saved before the apocalypse. That cat, like Xie Ji, had clear, ocean-blue eyes.
And their personalities were the same too—both tsundere.
Yan Yu’an didn’t know what going hunting with Xie Ji meant, but seeing Xie Ji like this, he couldn’t help saying: “If I go hunting with you, I’ll only drag you down.”
In Yan Yu’an’s heart, apart from research, he knew nothing else. Hunting with them would only hold them back.
“Drag us down?” Xie Ji frowned. “You’re the most capable white fox I’ve ever seen. How could you drag us down?”
Yan Yu’an pressed his lips together, a little helpless.
Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, and asked: “Hunting—does it mean going into the forest?”
Xie Ji nodded. “What else would it mean?” He leaned close to Yan Yu’an, put his hand on his shoulder, and pulled him a little into his embrace. “Hunting is really fun. Let’s go.”
Yan Yu’an pondered for a moment, then nodded.
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