“Are you kidding me? Is my daily careful attentiveness to you really just for show? Do you think I’m hiding my name from you out of fear that you might dislike me?” A tear streamed down Yaolin’s cheek, “Xiacuo, do you even have a heart?”
“Wait a minute,” Xiacuo said, realizing there seemed to be a misunderstanding between them. “Yaolin, let’s not talk about anything else. Do you still love me?”
Without hesitation, Yaolin replied, “Of course I do! Why else would I be trying to win over someone who dumped me a year ago?”
Xiacuo threw away the flower he was holding and stepped forward to hug Yaolin. “Yaolin, I love you too.”
Yaolin was stunned; he never expected Xiacuo would love him back. He thought Xiacuo only saw him as a friend.
“What did you say? You love me?”
Xiacuo nodded, his light brown eyes shining like glass under the sunlight. “Yaolin, I’ve always loved you; that has never changed.”
Yaolin was overwhelmed with joy, a whirlwind of happiness filled his chest. Xiacuo loved him, and Xiacuo had said he always loved him.
Yaolin couldn’t help but break into a silly grin. He suddenly lifted Xiacuo and started spinning in circles. After a surprised shout, Xiacuo began to laugh, “Yaolin, you remember!”
He had once said that after meeting Yaolin, the first thing he wanted was for Yaolin to embrace him and spin around.
As Yaolin slowly stopped, he leaned down and sealed Xiacuo’s soft lips with his own. “Of course I remember. I remember everything you’ve said to me, Xiacuo,” he replied, leading to a heated kiss.
When the kiss ended, Xiacuo’s legs felt weak and he couldn’t stand anymore. Yaolin gently lowered him to the ground, sitting on the fallen leaves, with Xiacuo on his lap.
Although Xiacuo appeared slender, there was a softness to him that Yaolin couldn’t resist. He unconsciously shifted his legs, feeling a delightful sensation.
They had both confirmed their feelings, and Yaolin realized that there had definitely been a misunderstanding in the past that was quite significant.
“Xiacuo, why did you initially say your name was Xiaen?”
Xiacuo explained, “I’ve always been called Xiaen at home; my ID says Xiacuo, and close friends call me Xiaen.”
The misunderstanding was cleared up.
“You said I broke up with you and then blocked you. I’m sure I never did that,” it was Xiacuo’s turn to ask.
Yaolin replied, “Did someone log into your account? I remember it was the morning of July 15th. After you came online, I texted you ‘Wife’, and about ten minutes later, I got a reply saying ‘Let’s break up.’ I was blocked before I could reply again.”
Xiacuo recalled, “I remember now! That day, my parents unexpectedly said they wanted to take me out for two days. I didn’t have time to tell you and just got in the car. Later I asked my brother to help me find some materials on the computer…”
“Your brother?!”
“Your brother?!”
They both exclaimed simultaneously.
“Yes! It’s very likely my brother did it. He has always been protective, not allowing any male beastmen to get close to me,” Xiacuo lamented while patting his forehead. “It’s all my fault. Why did I let him help me? If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have missed each other for a year.”
Yaolin pinched Xiacuo’s side, “Even if it means I might punch your brother, I’d still want to. But I’m grateful for the breakup a year ago; that helped me lose weight. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare imagine marrying you.”
Xiacuo instead expressed regret, “I still think a chubby panda is cuter.”
After losing weight, Yaolin had become less endearing and more handsome; anyone would choose the new him over the old one.
Thanks to Xiacuo’s unique taste, they had the possibility of starting anew.
Yaolin and Xiacuo had barely paid attention to the royal affairs at school. They thought the couple, Adonis and his partner, were still in the military.
The night before, the new head teacher announced that the envoys appointed by the Emperor would come for a surprise inspection at the school, advising students to be cautious when speaking with strangers and to praise the school no matter what question was asked.
Schools on the beastman planet faced various issues; some had outdated educational resources, others had lazy and irresponsible teachers, and some principals led by example in corruption. The new principal of the Beastman Academy had initiated sweeping reforms upon taking office, and the school’s atmosphere had improved greatly since. The head teacher believed the school had little to critique and wasn’t particularly worried about the unexpected inspection.
Yaolin privately complained to Xiacuo, “If the envoy asks me, I will definitely mention that the school prohibits sixth graders from dating. No school has ever had such a rule in history.”
Yaolin understood that the new principal was afraid of another incident occurring, but acting overly restrictive wouldn’t solve anything. He felt especially resentful; he was now in the sixth grade, while Xiacuo had just entered the fifth grade. The rules stated they couldn’t speak for more than five minutes in public, and if reported, they would lose ten points. Each time they reached a grade exam, having less than 150 points would lead to demotion. Yaolin didn’t want to stick his neck out, so their meetings felt like secretive rendezvous in the lush palm grove.
Having not seen Xiacuo for a whole night and both of them free during the morning, Yaolin arrived early to wait for Xiacuo in the palm grove.
He sat back against a tree trunk, one leg bent, left arm resting on his knee, with a mischievous grin plastered on his face, looking like a little delinquent.
“What grade are you in, and what are you doing here?” A cold voice suddenly broke the quiet from behind Yaolin.
Yaolin was startled; he pushed himself up off the ground. The beastman who spoke stepped closer and scrutinized Yaolin with piercing eyes.
Yaolin locked eyes with the beastman, noticing he was also a male beastman, but Yaolin didn’t recognize him, confirming he wasn’t from the school.
If he wasn’t from the school, he must be the envoy here for the inspection!
Excited, Yaolin clapped his hands together. “Hello, I’m Yaolin, a sixth-grade student. If you have any questions, feel free to ask; I know the school’s rules very well.”
“Oh? Your name is Yaolin?” The cold-faced male beastman raised an eyebrow. “I heard your school doesn’t allow sixth graders to date; is that true?”