Chapter 80: The Abandoned Panda Cub..

The cub had grown strong enough after being born for a while, and it was now safe to take him outside. Coincidentally, the weather was nice today, so Xie Hui decided to take the cub on a trip to the mall.

The client hadn’t prepared anything for this child—not even the slightest anticipation for his arrival.

The reason this task was entrusted to Xie Hui was because, deep down, the client knew very well that even if he were given another chance, even if he knew in advance what would happen in the future, he still wouldn’t be able to accept a panda as his son—let alone give him a father’s love.

Xie Hui was thoroughly tired of the house being devoid of everything he needed. He pushed the stroller with Xie Jia in it, personally drove to the mall, and headed inside after parking.

As they entered the mall, people began to take notice. Upon seeing that the cub in his stroller was a panda, complete with a wristband identifying him, the looks they gave Xie Hui shifted noticeably.

Inside a maternity and baby store, Xie Hui browsed the shelves of infant formula. A store clerk quickly approached and, upon noticing the adorable panda cub in his stroller, gave him a polite smile and gently reminded him:

“Sir, the formula over here isn’t really suitable for your child. Perhaps take a look over there—there’s a variety of snacks designed for young beast cubs.”

“Alright.”

Xie Hui pushed the stroller into another section of the store, where the items on the shelves began to look increasingly unusual.

There were cookies shaped like bamboo shoots, snacks crafted to resemble bamboo segments—so lifelike it was uncanny.

It was obvious the cub was already smitten.

Previously lying lazily in the stroller, Xie Jia had now wriggled over to the side, straining to push his chubby little paws through the shaded curtain.

First went a paw. Then, as if not satisfied, he tried to squeeze his whole head through the narrow gap.

Xie Hui crouched down, pulled the curtain open, and picked him up. But before he could get a firm hold, he was startled—this cub seemed like he’d already lined up his shot inside the stroller, ready to launch the moment he was lifted.

Thankfully, Xie Hui’s reflexes were sharp. He caught the cub securely, gave his head a gentle pat, and scolded:

“If you fall, I won’t pick you up again.”

The cub, head just tapped, obediently snuggled into Xie Hui’s arms, clutching at his clothes with his little paws and letting out a pitiful whimper.

This fresh-from-the-oven sesame rice ball of a cub was acting so soft and clingy in his arms, Xie Hui couldn’t even manage a stern expression before his heart melted.

He was convinced this cub was much smarter than average—like he could understand every word. Maybe it was a fatherly bias, but in his eyes, his son was the cutest and cleverest of them all.

“See anything you want? Snacks? Toys?”

Initially nestled in Xie Hui’s arms, the little mochi ball found his vision obstructed and began climbing up to perch on Xie Hui’s shoulder for a better view.

“If you fall, there won’t be a next time.”

“Wuuu, yaa yaa~”

A soft childish coo, almost like a response. Seeing he was clinging on well, Xie Hui didn’t pull him back down, just slowed his pace as he walked.

He asked the clerk for a shopping cart and started letting the cub point things out. Whatever that little paw pointed to, Xie Hui put it in the cart.

The more they bought, the more enthusiastic the cub became. Luckily, he remembered Xie Hui’s earlier warning—other than the one paw pointing at items, the other three held on tightly to Xie Hui to keep himself steady.

The store clerks treated Xie Hui with great enthusiasm. Initially, there was only one, but soon two more joined in, eager to help.

These stores typically had good sales with human children, but under the king’s policy, at least half of their shelves had to stock snacks and toys for beast cubs.

Unfortunately, the abandonment rate for non-human cubs was extremely high. Even if not abandoned, few families were willing to spend money on them.

So when they encountered someone like Xie Hui—generous and willing—they spared no effort in talking up their products.

Whether or not Xie Hui was convinced by their pitch, it was obvious the cub on his shoulder was completely dazzled by the pretty ladies.

His tiny paw pointed left, then right, even letting out excited yelps, totally in the zone.

At this stage in the world’s timeline, the client wasn’t short on money, so Xie Hui didn’t hesitate. Whenever the little paw pointed, he had the clerk grab the item.

Because of the large haul, the store even offered a home delivery service. Xie Hui left them an address and decided to go buy a few clothes for Xie Jia.

Even though Xie Jia was a panda cub and didn’t need clothes, it didn’t stop Xie Hui from wanting to buy him some.

After all, the rare opportunity to dress up a panda? Xie Hui had no intention of letting it slip by.

After checking out, he tried to put the cub back into the stroller, but the little guy clung to him tightly with all four paws. Whenever Xie Hui so much as touched him, he whimpered.

He seemed to have claimed Xie Hui’s shoulder as prime real estate and refused to give it up.

“Then hold on tight. Don’t fall.”

Xie Hui tilted his head and gave a warning. The cub’s soft whimper was taken as a yes.

In the children’s clothing store, there weren’t any outfits specifically for panda cubs. When the clerk learned of Xie Hui’s intention, she looked a little stunned.

“Do baby non-human cubs even need clothes? I don’t think I’ve seen that before…”

“Do you have anything for small children that he could wear?”

Perched on Xie Hui’s shoulder, the cub tilted his fluffy head curiously, his big dewy eyes fixed on the clerk.

When she looked over, he even tilted his head farther and let out a small cry.

A customer practically begging to be served—of course the clerk wouldn’t refuse. Plus, the cub was downright adorable. She nodded and quickly set off to find some options.

Based on her experience, she picked out a few sizes and laid them out for Xie Hui to try.

Xie Hui was already a pro at dressing children, and there wasn’t much difference between dressing a beast cub and a child. He effortlessly slipped a hoodie onto Xie Jia.

At first, Xie Jia was very cooperative—if you said “lift your paw,” he lifted his paw; “tilt your head,” and he tilted his head.

But once the clothes were on, he suddenly felt uncomfortable and started trying to paw them off.

Xie Hui glanced at the fit—it was perfect—then helped him take the hoodie off.

“Give me the others in this size too.”

Holding the cub, Xie Hui walked over to the display, pointed out the ones he liked, and asked the clerk to grab the right sizes.

Freshly dressed, Xie Jia seemed stunned by the sensation and didn’t bounce back with the same energy as when they were shopping for snacks and toys. He didn’t even insist on climbing back onto Xie Hui’s shoulder.

Instead, he let Xie Hui hold him, tucking his head into his chest—looking for all the world like a sorrowful, heavy little rice dumpling.

After buying the clothes, Xie Hui took the little one to the shoe store and slipped some tiny shoes onto the cub’s paws.

Xie Jia still looked a little wronged. He let out a couple of soft whimpers before obediently offering his paws, making it easier for Xie Hui to help him put the shoes on.

“Want to crawl around and try them out?”

Xie Hui placed him down on a clean mat and asked, holding back a smile.

The cub was quite obedient and crawled a few steps just like Xie Hui said. Unfortunately, all four paws seemed to be moving in their own directions.

Once Xie Hui was sure the size was just right—not too big or too small—he took the shoes off.

Other people only needed to buy one pair, but for his cub, he had to get two.

Just as they were about to leave, Xie Hui turned and spotted a rack full of hats in the corner. He walked over and picked one up, placing it on Xie Jia’s head.

It was a cartoon-style hat, with a pair of bunny ears on top. Perched on a panda’s head, it was both funny and incredibly cute.

This time, Xie Jia didn’t resist like he had when trying on clothes or shoes. He even stretched out a paw to point at another hat.

Xie Hui picked it up and placed it on his head too—also looked great.

A brand-new little rice ball—whatever he wore, he looked adorable.

By the time they were done shopping and ready to head back, it was already getting a bit late. Xie Hui’s phone rang—it was time to feed the cub.

Fortunately, Xie Hui had anticipated they might not return home early. He had heated the milk in advance and put it in a thermos. Finding a seat, he fed it to the cub.

After drinking, they finally got ready to head home.

The little cub was actually full of energy, but after all the walking around, he was a bit tired. Even while drinking milk, he had his eyes half-shut. Once he was done, all four paws latched onto Xie Hui’s arm, and he fell asleep just like that.

Xie Hui gently placed him back into the stroller, pushed it to the parking lot, and got in the car to drive home.

The place where the client lived was quite spacious when it was just him alone, but now with everything Xie Hui had bought being delivered and stacked up in the living room, it felt a bit cramped.

The client was too focused on work and didn’t have high expectations for his own quality of life. Although he had always thought about moving to a new place, he never found the time to do it due to his busy schedule.

It wasn’t until Xie Hui began unpacking all the things they had bought that he suddenly felt—it really was time to move. He called the original owner’s assistant and handed the matter over to be dealt with.

Before he could even finish sorting through everything, he heard the cub’s tender little voice calling from outside.

Listening carefully, there was a clear sense of urgency in his voice. Xie Hui quickly dropped what he was doing and rushed out.