Chapter 96 – The Abandoned Panda Cub..

After seeing the guests off, Xie Hui returned and happened to spot the little glutinous rice ball lying in the rocking chair. He curved his lips slightly and walked over to gently rock the chair.

“Living the good life, aren’t you?”

“Ying ying~”

Seeing the little pride flickering in his eyes, Xie Hui’s smile deepened.

“See how round the moon is? Let me tell you the story of Chang’e flying to the moon tonight.”

The cub nodded and scooted to the side, thinking he had made a big space for his dad. But Xie Hui simply scooped him up and held him in his arms. Lying back in the rocking chair on this quiet early summer night, he began to tell him a mythological tale.

Whether the cub understood or whether he would remember when he grew up, Xie Hui didn’t know.

Moments like this—telling stories—were less about the cub listening and more about Xie Hui enjoying the process himself.

Enjoying early summer before the real heat set in, with a soft, plump cub nestled in his arms, listening to his babyish little hums, while recounting the legends of mythology.

With one hand, Xie Hui rubbed the cub’s ears; with the other, he pinched his soft paw pads. The rocking chair creaked softly and clearly in the still of night.

When the story ended, the cub pulled his paw out of Xie Hui’s hand, covered his mouth, and let out a yawn.

“Alright, story’s over. Let’s go to bed.”

“Ying…”

As Xie Hui carried him upstairs, the cub was already fast asleep in his arms. Xie Hui tried to gently lay him in his own room, but the moment he did, the cub blearily opened his eyes.

Squinting, he wobbled like a drunk person toward Xie Hui, grabbing onto his clothes and trying to climb back up.

Helpless, Xie Hui had to bring him back to his own bedroom, giving his little paw pad a not-so-gentle squeeze.

From Xie Hui’s guess, the cub likely determined “home” by scent, just like some animals.

Last time all the bedding in the master bedroom had been washed, the cub had rolled around restlessly on the familiar big bed until Xie Hui finished work and returned. Only then did he finally settle down to sleep.

After tucking him in and turning off the light, Xie Hui also lay down. He reached out, pulled the glutinous rice ball back into his arms, and buried his face in the cub’s back to take a deep whiff.

Raising a panda… really is a boring and repetitive affair.

…

At first, Xie Hui had simply wanted the cub to have some playmates, so he often arranged for him to play with the two secretary families’ cubs. Who knew that when the three were together, they’d get along so well they became the company’s three little tyrants.

Employees at Xie Hui’s company frequently saw a white parrot carrying a dainty, adorable Pomeranian, with a big glutinous rice ball trying to clamber onto the parrot’s back—only to fall off every single time.

Though they were mischievous, none of them ever did anything seriously wrong, so Xie Hui let them be and didn’t try to suppress the natural liveliness of their youth.

As the cub grew, he got used to walking on his own outside in little shoes. Though Xie Hui figured it was mostly vanity—he thought his paw pads looked good and didn’t want to scuff them on the ground.

Xie Hui had once happily carried the little rice ball everywhere. But as the cub grew too big, he simply couldn’t carry him anymore.

That’s when he truly understood why Old Li always grumbled when his son perched on his shoulder.

His own cub had no idea he was already a mature, giant glutinous rice ball, still going “ying ying ying” like he was a baby.

A single flying pounce was enough to knock Xie Hui flat.

His company was doing well, and occasionally he’d take his son along to business meetings, where he’d also notice more and more partners had non-human cubs of their own.

Non-human cubs were no longer as rare as before. The most obvious sign of this was in shopping malls.

New parents seemed to have discovered quirky ways to raise their cubs—like dressing a kitten cub in a dog onesie or braiding the long fur of cat cubs.

More and more evidence showed that non-human cubs in their juvenile phase did not actively attack their parents.

While they couldn’t communicate like human children, the subtle and intimate cues shared between parent and child often made up for that lack.

The king had even formally proposed in public that cub schools were being considered for reopening.

When Xie Hui saw this news, he glanced at the cub beside him, who was diligently peeling bamboo shoots as usual. Pity that his son was born too early. Teaching this kid to read and write had nearly driven Xie Hui to lay hands on him in frustration.

The cub, not watching cartoons but quietly peeling shoots while watching the news with his dad, noticed Xie Hui looking at him and tilted his head curiously.

“Ang?”

Xie Hui reached out and ruffled his fur, a slight smile at his lips.

The cub’s coat still looked about eighty percent new—very clean, with a faint scent of bamboo when close.

When the cub was little, Xie Hui bought him sweet-smelling shampoos like milk or strawberry. Later, the cub chose for himself and settled on the light, elegant scent of bamboo.

Xie Hui wasn’t controlling and respected all his cub’s preferences. Even a bamboo-scented glutinous rice ball was just as huggable to him.

After the cub turned five, even when he clung to Xie Hui’s doorframe refusing to let go, Xie Hui firmly sent him back to his own room.

At first, the cub cried “ying ying” on the carpet outside Xie Hui’s room every night, but eventually he got used to it—though he still liked to nuzzle his dad before bed.

Just as Xie Hui turned off the TV and was about to rest, a thought crossed his mind.

“Jiajia, the day after tomorrow we’ll take a trip to the hospital for your physical checkup.”

The older the cub got, the easier it became to communicate. Xie Hui no longer had to guess what he meant like before.

“Ang.”

After peeling the skin off a bamboo shoot and placing it aside, the cub picked up another one, peeled it clean, and handed it to Xie Hui.

“Yah.”

Xie Hui smiled as he accepted it and clinked shoots with the cub.

He hadn’t liked bamboo shoots much at first—they had an apple-like crispness, but even crisper. But over time, spending so long with the cub and seeing how he shared his favorite food, Xie Hui couldn’t bear to refuse.

Gradually, he got used to the taste too.

Once he did, the cub developed a habit—always peeling one shoot for himself, then peeling another for Xie Hui.

That night, as he lay down to sleep, Xie Hui was still anxious about the cub’s upcoming routine checkup. The secretary’s little Pomeranian had stolen a bunch of grapes and had been hospitalized since last month.

Though not seriously ill, recovery had been slow.

Non-human cubs might be physically strong, but their diet had to be strictly monitored. Even the tiniest thing could upset their digestion.

Although his own little rascal seemed quite well-behaved on the surface and only liked eating bamboo shoots, Xie Hui wasn’t sure whether he might have snuck food behind his back.

Secretary Qi’s little Pomeranian also seemed obedient whenever he was in sight. If it hadn’t been for a full check-up at the hospital, no one would’ve known she’d eaten grapes at some point.

Xie Hui tossed and turned on the big bed, unable to sleep. Just as he decided to get up and go downstairs for a glass of water, he heard a strange sound coming from the courtyard.

Instinctively, Xie Hui put down his glass without turning on the lights and walked over.

Bathed in moonlight, some white tufts of fur on the little rascal were especially visible. He was sitting next to the bamboo grove, gnawing fiercely at a stalk of bamboo, making crisp cracking sounds as he chewed.

Seeing the scene before him, Xie Hui suddenly recalled noticing strange marks on the bamboo before. At the time, he had been puzzled but brushed it aside due to other matters that needed handling.

Now, standing in the corridor watching quietly, he saw the rascal sitting in the bamboo grove, mouth wide open, biting hard into the stalk as if trying to break it—gnawing for quite a while.

Xie Hui’s legs were starting to go numb from standing, but the rascal hadn’t given up. The big panda seemed a bit tired now, lying on the grass with his paws covering his mouth.

It was only then that Xie Hui turned on the corridor light. The sudden brightness startled the rascal into sitting up immediately. When he saw it was Xie Hui, he looked guilty and nervous, his little tail wagging like it used to when he was a cub.

“Whimper, whimper…”

Xie Hui walked over, turned on the flashlight on his phone, and examined the clearly visible teeth marks on the bamboo. Then he looked at the rascal sitting on the ground with his head down and squatted down to meet his gaze.

“Why are you gnawing on bamboo all of a sudden? Hungry?”

Last night the rascal ate about the same amount as usual. The chef had even come up with a new dish, and he ate an extra bowl compared to normal.

“Groan…”

The rascal scratched his head and cautiously peeked up at Xie Hui.

“Just craving it?”

“Whimper.”

Seeing him nod, Xie Hui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Whose panda gets hungry in the middle of the night, sneaks into the bamboo grove, and tries gnawing on bamboo—without even managing to bite through it?

Thinking back, Xie Hui realized he had indeed never let the rascal taste bamboo. After all, the bamboo they planted in the backyard was mainly for producing shoots.

The shoots tasted great, but the bamboo was extremely tough.

Out of concern for the rascal’s teeth, Xie Hui had never asked the chef to prepare any bamboo for him. A panda’s teeth were harder than a human’s, but if anything happened, it could take a long time to treat at the hospital—if it could even be fixed.

In the Empire, young non-human cubs with dental issues usually had to endure them until they matured into human form and could properly visit the dentist.

Xie Hui walked over and looked at the bamboo with the most teeth marks. Then he turned to the rascal sitting on the lawn, looking pitiful like a giant sticky rice ball, and rubbed his temples helplessly.

“Just a little taste, okay?”

“Hmm?”

Under the moonlight, the rascal’s eyes sparkled like they were glowing.

Xie Hui went to another room, brought out a machete, and chopped down the bamboo stalk with the most bite marks. After splitting it, he handed a small piece to the rascal.

As he chopped, Xie Hui could smell a faint, peculiar fragrance coming from the bamboo. No wonder it was covered in that sticky rice ball’s teeth marks.

If it hadn’t been for Xie Hui being restless tonight over tomorrow’s medical check-up, who knows how many more nights the rascal would’ve secretly spent chewing bamboo behind his back.

The rascal happily took the bamboo with his paws and took a bite. But even with a hard chomp, he only managed to leave a shallow mark—worse than the ones from earlier.

Unconvinced, he gave it another serious bite. After gnawing for a long time without breaking it, he finally threw it aside in frustration.

If Xie Hui hadn’t chopped the bamboo right in front of him, the rascal would’ve definitely suspected he was given a fake.

Standing to the side, Xie Hui clearly saw the rascal, after venting his frustration, pick up the discarded bamboo again and sniff it carefully.

After sniffing for a long while and confirming the scent hadn’t changed, he dragged his dejected self over to Xie Hui and rubbed his big head against him, clearly wronged.

“Groan…”

Xie Hui patted the rascal’s head, bent down seriously, and explained:

“I don’t let you eat it because it’s not tasty. Do you believe me now?”

“Groan…”

Some things, if the rascal didn’t try for himself, he’d always think others were tricking him.

This kind of attitude isn’t bad in most things. But sneaking into the courtyard every night to chew bamboo out of sheer persistence—now that’s a bit of a headache.

After gnawing for so long, he finally got a piece in his mouth, only to find it tasted terrible. The rascal looked so wronged he seemed to have no energy left to walk.

Every step Xie Hui took, the rascal followed with a sluggish shuffle. Once in the living room, he flopped onto the floor and wouldn’t budge. When Xie Hui tried to walk away, he whimpered pathetically to catch his attention.

Xie Hui coaxed him onto the sofa, turned on the chandelier, and under the bright light from the crystal fixture, he could faintly see a hint of moisture at the corner of the rascal’s eye.

“Already sulking? Jiajia, do you even remember how old you are now?”

After Xie Hui said that, the rascal, just like when he was a cub, covered his ears with his paws, buried his head in Xie Hui’s arms, and pushed the fluffy back of his neck toward him. Xie Hui leaned down and took a deep sniff.

“Groan…”

The rascal was still sulking, too downcast to even react when his dad sniffed him.

Back in the courtyard, when Xie Hui used his phone light to examine the bamboo, he saw that some of the bite marks had already turned black—clearly made a long time ago.

The rascal had secretly gnawed bamboo for such a long time, only to realize it tasted awful. His heartbreak was understandable.

Xie Hui turned on the TV, which was broadcasting the news at this hour. One hand gently patted the rascal’s back as he patiently soothed him.

Ever since Xie Hui had banned him from sneaking into his bed with his little pillow, this was the first time he was allowed to sleep with him again.

Coaxing the sulky sticky rice ball, even after he’d fallen asleep he was still mumbling in his dreams. Only then did Xie Hui finally crack a smile.

The rascal was pitiful, but he just couldn’t help laughing.

Because they stayed up late, they missed their appointment the next morning and had to reschedule the check-up with the doctor.

Nowadays, more and more young non-human cubs were appearing, and hospitals weren’t like they were when Xie Hui first arrived. Back then, whenever Xie Hui visited, practically all the doctors would attend to their household.

But now, if they missed an appointment—even for a simple check-up—they couldn’t get in at all.

While they were eating, the butler hurried over to tell Xie Hui that he suspected a thief had broken into their home last night, because someone had chopped down one of the courtyard’s perfectly healthy bamboo stalks.

Holding his chopsticks, Xie Hui turned his head and looked at the “thief” sitting right there.

Xie Jia guiltily took a big bite of bamboo, not daring to glance at his dad, afraid that even one look would expose everything.

“I chopped it last night,” Xie Hui proactively explained to the butler. Seeing the cub’s wagging tail drop down behind him, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Most animals have the little habit of expressing their emotions through their tails—something they’re not even aware of themselves.

Before reaching adulthood, all young animals must undergo a standard medical checkup. If the parents don’t bring their cubs in, hospital staff will even come to the house to perform the exam—just to ensure that when they turn eighteen, the cubs can successfully transform into humans.

After rescheduling the appointment, Xie Hui brought his now-too-big-to-carry glutinous rice ball cub to the hospital. Coincidentally, the doctor assigned to Xie Jia’s exam was the same one who had cared for him during early childhood.

Compared to back then, the doctor now had far more wrinkles, making him seem much more reliable.

The full checkup would last from morning until late afternoon, and the test results would take a few days to come out.

By the time they finally squeezed their way out of the overcrowded hospital, the glutinous rice ball, already losing his patience, plopped down on a bench by the roadside, clutching his dad’s clothes with his paws, refusing to let Xie Hui leave.

“What’s wrong? Hungry?”

“Mm.”

“Want to eat out or eat at home?”

In response, a paw pointed toward a restaurant not far away.

That restaurant specialized in meals for young non-human cubs. It was dinnertime, and the delicious aroma was already drifting through the air.

At lunch, they had been waiting on a test, so the cub had only had a quick bite. Normally, by this hour, he’d have already finished dinner and would be ready to peel his post-meal bamboo shoot—no wonder this big ol’ panda was now sulking on a bench with his dad.

“All right, let’s go.”

The restaurant had a nice environment, and Xie Jia was clearly starving. Not only did he polish off every dish Xie Hui ordered, but he also scooped every last dessert into his mouth with his paws.

After dinner, the two of them strolled home. The golden glow of sunset fell across their bodies, casting long shadows behind them.

A few days later, people began arriving at the villa to decorate. They hung up streamers, balloons, and more. When a certain cub saw that even his beloved bamboo shoots had balloons tied to them, he covered his face with his paws.

The cub had no idea that all this was being prepared because…

Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday.