I Was Scammed By A Snow Leopard cub - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – “I Agree To Your Proposal.”

Luo Yu found himself confused.

“What do you mean?”

Xie Yingcheng explained: “What I mean is that if you marry me, you will become Tuan Tuan’s parent in the legal sense.”

Luo Yu’s face turned red from his neck to his ears.

His voice was full of stutter and a little dry: “You…I…why, why suddenly…”

Seeing his unexpected and panicked reaction, Xie Yingcheng’s expression also turned unnatural, but he was far away from the light and Luo Yu couldn’t see clearly.

“As my partner, you will have a certain right to know about the investigation. In addition, my married status can help me conduct investigations better. We can sign a contract. It will just be a superficial relationship, and it won’t…”

In the end, Xie Yingcheng himself couldn’t continue.

“Sorry, I was rude. Please forget what I just said.” His voice was a little stiff, and he turned, leaving without looking back.

The sound of the door closing gently had a hint of fleeing, but Luo Yu had no time to pay attention to it.

He was still panicking, his heart beating against his chest.

Was it just a joke?

He must have just been joking… not seriously, right?

Although it was hard for Luo Yu to imagine Xie Yingcheng being humorous, suddenly proposing to become partners or something like that…

It’s totally illogical!

The events originally arranged in his mind seemed to have been disrupted by a pair of hands. Pushing one would bring down another, and before they could calm down, new ones would appear, stirring up his thoughts and making it impossible to calm down.

Luo Yu patted his burning face and rushed into the bathroom before everything went haywire. The cold water slowly cooled the heat on his face, and Luo Yu calmed down, regaining his senses.

He looked up at the mirror, not bothering to wipe his dripping hair, and stared at himself in the mirror in a daze.

There was no way he didn’t want to know the truth about his master back then.

But sacrificing oneself for the investigation…isn’t this price a bit too high?

But…

His first reaction after calming down was not to refuse the idea, but to weigh the costs and pros and cons?

Luo Yu completely gave himself away to panic. Heat began to rise up uncontrollably. He hurriedly turned on the faucet again, and this time poured the water directly from the top of his head.

•|•

On the other side, Xie Yingcheng closed the door with a frustrated look on his face.

That’s so rude.

It’s like he’s possessed by a ghost.

He suspected that it was the aftereffect of the recent powerful inhibitors that made him speak without careful thinking, which was completely unlike his usual style.

Simply resigning would be abrupt, so he needed a reasonable excuse to divert attention from himself, so he thought of getting married, starting a family, and resting his body as an excuse to withdraw from the spotlight. But he had been single for nearly 30 years, so where could he find a partner?

Although he and Luo Yu had an employment contract, for him it was equivalent to continuing the contract in a different form, which he could accept, but Luo Yu might not.

Thinking of the human’s flushed cheeks and frightened eyes, Xie Yingcheng felt very regretful.

To make matters worse, he didn’t know how to explain to the cub who was waiting eagerly in the study.

Not only did he fail to keep Luo Yu, he might even have pushed him further away. If he asked to leave early tomorrow morning, Xie Yingcheng would not be surprised at all.

He stood in the living room with mixed feelings, thinking about countermeasures. A while passed, but there was no progress. The cub, who had been waiting in the study for a long time, finally couldn’t sit still anymore, quietly opened the door, and ran downstairs with small steps.

When Xie Yingcheng heard the noise, he looked up and met the cub’s expectant gaze. But his slightly frowned and slightly heavy expression revealed everything. The cub’s mouth drooped and tears began to well up in his eyes again.

The high stairs were too troublesome, and the cub turned back into a snow leopard in the blink of an eye. It jumped down one step at a time, stumbled to Xie Yingcheng’s feet, and turned back to its original form. However, due to his unstable emotions, his two small ears were still exposed, shaking with the cub’s breathing.

“Wow…Luo Luo, didn’t he agree?”

The crying voice made Xie Yingcheng’s scalp tingle. He suddenly realized helplessly that he was no match for Luo Yu in comforting the cub. As long as Tuan Tuan cried, he was helpless.

At this moment, a savior descended from the sky.

Luo Yu seemed to have heard some noise outside and pushed the door open a crack: “Admiral? Tuan Tuan?”

The tiny figure of the cub ran towards Luo Yu, but before he could see what was happening outside, Tuan Tuan pounced on him.

“Woo…Luo Luo!” Luo Yu squatted down in a daze and hugged the cub, looking at Xie Yingcheng with confusion and questioning in his eyes.

“This is……?”

Xie Yingcheng: “…”

It was too difficult to explain, so he gave up.

“Tuan Tuan, don’t cry. Tell me what happened?” Luo Yu was much more skilled at comforting than Xie Yingcheng. The cub, who was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, miraculously stabilized his emotions in his hands. Tuan Tuan sniffed and his voice was trembling.

“Why will Luo Luo leave? Don’t you want Tuan Tuan anymore?”

The cub seemed to have misunderstood something, and Luo Yu quickly clarified for himself: “Tuan Tuan is so well-behaved and cute, how could I not want Tuan Tuan?”

Tuan Tuan immediately grabbed the corner of his clothes and raised his voice again.

“Then Luo Luo, can you stay here? Don’t leave Tuan Tuan, stay with me forever.”

The tear marks on the cub’s face had not yet dried, but his eyes were filled with cautious expectation.

Luo Yu looked at the similar outlines of Tuan Tuan and Xie Yingcheng, and somehow remembered Xie Yingcheng’s proposal just now – to become Tuan Tuan’s other father in the legal sense.

Holding the cub’s soft body, this proposal suddenly became more tempting than ever before, and he wanted to agree on impulse, but when he calmed down, he couldn’t do it.

That is also subject to another condition, which is to become Xie Yingcheng’s legal partner.

In desperation, Luo Yu could only explain to the cub tactfully: “Just because I don’t stay at home doesn’t mean I’m leaving Tuan Tuan. I can call Tuan Tuan to tell him stories, and I can also meet with Tuan Tuan often and play with him…”

Luo Yu felt a little guilty when he talked about the latter part, because he had not obtained Xie Yingcheng’s consent in advance.

The cub didn’t quite understand: “You can take care of Tuan Tuan without staying at home?”

Luo Yu nodded: “Yes.”

The cub asked again: “What is the relationship between Luo Luo and Tuan Tuan?”

This question made Luo Yu embarrassed, and he subconsciously raised his head and asked for help from another person present. Xie Yingcheng said, “Godfather, it’s all fine.”

His answer made Luo Yu flattered. Suddenly upgraded from a nanny to a Godfather, does that count as having established a relationship with the admiral?

Tuan Tuan continued to ask: “Godfather? Is he the same as father?”

Luo Yu touched the cub’s head and said, “Yes.”

The cub lowered his head, as if trying to understand the logic. Just when Luo Yu and Xie Yingcheng were relieved and thought the matter was resolved, the cub suddenly raised his head and asked an unexpected question.

“You mean Luo Luo will take care of Tuan Tuan like a father?”

Both adults were stunned.

Luo Yu hesitated for a while and nodded: This understanding seems to be okay? Although Xie Yingcheng is quite bad at taking care of cubs.

Xie Yingcheng hesitated for a moment and then confirmed: There is nothing wrong with this understanding, although Luo Yu is much better than him in taking care of cubs.

After receiving affirmative responses from the two people, the cub suddenly burst into laughter, hugged Luo Yu’s neck, and threw himself into his arms affectionately.

“Then Luo Luo can marry father! This way Luo Luo and father can take care of Tuan Tuan together!”

The clear and crisp sound of the baby’s voice rang out in the living room, and the cub couldn’t hide his happiness.

The temperature on Luo Yu’s cheek had just dropped, but he started to burn up because of the cub’s careless words. Xie Yingcheng unnaturally turned his gaze away, while the cub was completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place between the two adults, and was still counting on his fingers and muttering to himself.

“The castle is very big! There are one, two, three… so many rooms! Luo Luo can live here with Tuan Tuan and father.”

Luo Yu swallowed and spoke with difficulty: “Tuan Tuan…”

The cub tilted his head: “What’s the matter?”

He tried to explain the logic to the cub: “Godfather and father… are still different. Marrying your father, well, is not as simple as you think. Both parties need to get along for a long time and have a certain emotional foundation before they feel it is appropriate.”

However, he didn’t expect that this was not a problem at all in the eyes of the cub: “Then Luo Luo can live here together, right? He can get along with father and Tuan Tuan as well!”

Luo Yu was speechless, and Xie Yingcheng remained silent, no one knew what he was thinking.

The atmosphere cooled and became awkward. The sensitive cub began to feel uneasy again because he had not received a definite answer. “No, no? Is Tuan Tuan’s request too much?”

How could Luo Yu bear to let the cub blame himself? He blurted out without thinking carefully: “It has nothing to do with Tuan Tuan. Let me think about this matter, okay?”

This sentence was like a reassurance, and the cub immediately smiled again and put his little hand into Luo Yu’s palm.

“Luo Luo, think about it carefully!” The cub did not forget to seriously recommend his father to Luo Yu: “Father is very good! Many people like him!”

Luo Yu wiped away the remaining tears from Tuan Tuan’s eyes with a wry smile, feeling mixed emotions.

The cub was finally coaxed into calmness. Luo Yu sent him back to his room. After the cub fell asleep peacefully, he gently closed the door of the room.

He turned and leaned his back against the corridor wall, sighing deeply.

Too many things happened today, things related to his Master, Tuan Tuan, and himself. He thought he needed to sort them out carefully and seriously before he could make the right choice.

Xie Yingcheng, who had been waiting for a long time not far away, watched this scene silently, his heart sinking slightly.

He seemed to have unintentionally imposed too much pressure on Luo Yu that should not have been borne by him.

Although the cub was difficult to coax, separation was something he would have to learn to face sooner or later. It only required someone to be able to put down their face and be ruthless. And in this regard, Xie Yingcheng, who was in the military, was the best at it.

The words that were prepared turned around several times on his lips, but he finally chose to take them back and said: “If it is difficult, just refuse directly.”

Luo Yu was startled by the sudden sound. When he looked up, he found Xie Yingcheng standing not far away, looking at him with an expression that did not reveal his joy or anger.

Luo Yu’s heart skipped a beat

Did his reaction hurt Xie Yingcheng’s self-esteem?

He subconsciously explained his behavior: “That’s not what I meant, Admiral. You are a very good person…”

As if he had not expected him to say this, Xie Yingcheng looked surprised.

Realizing the unclear meaning in his words, Luo Yu quickly tried to make amends: “No, what I mean is that I don’t think it’s difficult to be your partner…”

As soon as he said this, Luo Yu felt desperate. He found that the more he explained, the worse it got. “… Anyway, that’s it.” In the end, Luo Yu didn’t care whether he understood what he really wanted to say or not, and simply gave up.

Xie Yingcheng smiled and raised his tone slightly: “I mean that if you feel uncomfortable, you can just reject Xie Anxing. What were you thinking?”

Luo Yu was stunned, biting his lip, not knowing how to explain, and the temperature on his face began to rise again.

‘Strange, why is it so hot today?’

Xie Yingcheng’s eyes lingered on the top of his head. The human seemed to have taken a bath after he left the room, with wet hair and flushed cheeks. A few wisps of iris fragrance drifted in the air, refreshing the heart.

He took back the words he had intended to tease him with, leaving only one sentence: “Follow your heart, Luo Yu.”

From then on until falling asleep, Luo Yu was thinking about the words the admiral left behind.

He leaned against the window, picked up the shell on the bedside table, and rubbed it unconsciously in his palm.

It was given to him by the cub.

His thoughts drifted away with his gaze, falling on the lawn outside the window, on the treetops, and finally looking up at the crescent moon in the night sky.

The stars were shining around him like the facets of a cut diamond. Luo Yu thought of the cubs’s sapphire eyes, the watch Xie Yingcheng had given him, and the brooch on the drawing. He questioned himself, what he was thinking, and finally came to a conclusion.

He wanted to know the truth about what happened that year.

He loves the cub, he loves him very much.

At the moment, he… didn’t really hate getting along with Xie Yingcheng. Especially tonight, when the other party was facing the cub, he inadvertently showed his consideration.

It turns out that he was not inconsiderate, but it was too little and too unnoticeable.

So what should he do… Luo Yu was a little confused and fell asleep with mixed feelings.

•|•

The sun rose as usual, and the chessboard reappeared on the low table next to the sofa, but the black and white pieces were clearly separated and stacked neatly. Luo Yu prepared breakfast as usual and called the cub to get up. No one mentioned what happened yesterday at the table, only the sound of the cub licking milk.

Yes, licking. After a night, the cub returned to his original form. After being looked at by his father, Tuan Tuan shook his tail guiltily.

By today, he could actually control his form quite easily. Today, he deliberately transformed back into a little snow leopard, simply because he wanted to stay in Luo Yu’s arms and stick to him as a matter of course.

The little cub, who almost experienced separation yesterday, felt very insecure, so Luo Yu indulged his rare willfulness and carried the little cub out together. Xie Yingcheng changed into a military uniform and went to the military headquarters to go through the final resignation procedures.

There was no flower shop near the small castle, so they took a passenger hovercraft and drove a long way before they found a flower shop. As soon as they got out of the car, the cub in their arms sneezed.

The pollen floated in the air, mixing into a special fragrance unique to plants. Luo Yu smelled it with a little nostalgia. Next to the studio was a flower shop run by an old lady. Luo Yu would bring a flower with him every day when he went to the studio, cut the branches and put them in the vase in the entrance hall.

Later, the old lady was taken away by her daughter to live on another planet. The flower shop closed down and the vase remained empty. Everything had changed.

“Tuan Tuan, is this flower shop okay?” Luo Yu lowered his head and asked the cub in his arms.

“Meow!” Tuan Tuan responded, resting his paws and head on Luo Yu’s arms folded on his chest, blinking and looking out.

There are so many flowers here! You can definitely buy the ones that grandma likes!

The cub was full of energy, but he overlooked one thing, that is, he was still in the form of a snow leopard. His short little paws couldn’t do anything, so the picture turned into…

Luo Yu walked to the flower stand, pinched the cub’s chubby paw and pointed at a flower: “Tuan Tuan, do you want this?”

“Meow!” No, no! This flower has thorns! Tuan Tuan doesn’t like it!

So Luo Yu turned to another plant next to it: “What about this one?”

“Meow meow!” This flower looks delicious, Tuan Tuan likes it!

The cub likes brightly colored ones. The cub also likes the ones with layers of petals. Luo Yu suppressed his laughter, and after the cub picked a bunch of colorful flowers with large flower petals, he finally reminded him: “These flowers are what Tuan Tuan likes, but Grandma Yi may not like them. Are you sure you want to give these to Tuan Tuan?”

The cub’s eyes were blank, and he stepped on his paws guiltily.

Luo Yu signaled the florist to lay out the flowers chosen by the cub one by one, and gently placed the cub on the table: “Tuan Tuan, do you know which color Grandma Yi likes?”

The cub’s ears twitched, and he immediately pulled out a few yellow and light green flowers. Luo Yu received the signal, and carried the cub around the store again. After selecting the main flowers and supporting flowers, he found a few suitable ones from the flowers that the cub had selected at the beginning and tied them into a bouquet.

He had a great eye and was familiar with color matching. It didn’t take him long to finish the bouquet. The owner of the flower shop couldn’t help but exclaim, “Sir, you have a great sense of taste! It’s hard for me to make such a beautiful bouquet.”

Luo Yu smiled, looked at the remaining flowers on the table, and said to the owner: “I want the rest too. Can I borrow some tools from your shop?”

After getting permission, he used scissors to remove the leaves from the branches and selected several flowers of different colors to tie together. The grandmother who worked in the flower shop next door had a beloved granddaughter who always brought flowers to Luo Yu to make a small wreath when he was free.

Luo Yu placed the colorful wreath he had just made on Tuan Tuan’s head. It was just the right size.

He was very satisfied with his results and asked the shop owner, “Can you help me pick some edible flowers?”

He was going to take it back and make it into jam or flower cakes, so that the cub, who had been eager to try it, could get what he wanted. But when he turned around, he found that the cub was still squatting on the spot with the small wreath on his head, like a still little sculpture, motionless.

“……Tuan tuan?”

The little guy subconsciously tilted his head, but the wreath fell to the side with the movement. The cub widened his eyes and quickly returned to his original position.

The cub didn’t even dare to cry too loudly, for fear of scaring off the delicate little wreath on its head.

“Woo… meow!” Luo Luo! Save me! Tuan Tuan is sealed by the wreath!

Luo Yu puffed, picked up a plate of leftover ribbon from decoration and wrapped it around it twice. The wreath was immediately firmly placed on the cub’s head, just below the ears. As long as the movement was not too violent, it would not be easily shaken off.

“Now it won’t fall off. Try moving it around a bit?”

The cub carefully stretched out its paw and touched it, its eyes lit up – it really won’t fall off!

The cub, freed from the seal, immediately jumped happily into Luo Yu’s arms, with its little head raised high, as if to show off: “Look, Luo Luo! Tuan Tuan is so cute with the garland on!”

The bright flowers and the cub’s silver-white fur contrast perfectly, as if a little elf from the snow field suddenly fell into the spring flowers.

The flower shop provided greeting cards. Luo Yu originally wanted to take them back and fill them in after the cub turned back into human form. Unexpectedly, the naughty cub took advantage of the situation and pressed its little paws covered with flower juice on the greeting card when no one was paying attention. A small pink plum blossom took shape immediately. The cub, whose body was covered with flower juice, not only did not feel the slightest bit of guilt, but also took the greeting card to Luo Yu to take credit.

Luo Yu was both angry and helpless. He could only temporarily borrow the shop owner’s watering tool and simply wiped the cub. The sun was shining brightly outside, and it would dry quickly after a quick walk.

The bouquet was too big for Luo Yu to carry with the baby, so he simply asked the owner to send it home. He simply wrapped up a few edible flowers and held them in his arms together with the cub.

The cub wearing the wreath immediately attracted the attention of passers-by on the street, and several people even came forward to ask where to buy the wreath. When they learned that it was made by Luo Yu himself, they all praised it.

They also praised the little one.

“Is this a snow leopard? So cute!”

“It’s so cute wearing a wreath. It looks so cute.”

The cub listened with great delight, wagging its tail with joy.

Luo Yu took the cub to a small park and sat on a bench, waiting for the cub’s wet fur to dry. A young father holding a little girl came forward shyly. It turned out that the little girl couldn’t walk when she saw Tuan Tuan, so she insisted on coming over to take a look.

The little girl with pigtails politely greeted Luo Yu, then hid behind her father, staring at Tuan Tuan timidly. The young father said to Luo Yu helplessly: “I’m sorry, my daughter is a little shy and doesn’t dare to say hello to her peers in kindergarten.”

Luo Yu waved his hand: “It’s okay, this one in our family is a little shy too.” As soon as Tuan Tuan saw the little girl, he hid in Luo Yu’s arms, with only his little head sticking out.

The young father talked to Luo Yu: “How old is yours? My daughter is five years old, and her beast form is about this size.”

After some small talk, Luo Yu found out that the frail little girl was actually a leopard. So Luo Yu talked a lot with the young father about raising cubs. When they were about to leave, the young father asked, “Which kindergarten is your child in? Maybe we can meet again.”

Luo Yu was stunned and said, “We don’t live nearby. We just came here to do something today.”

The young father expressed regret: “That’s such a pity. No wonder this is the first time I meet you after living nearby for so many years.” After saying hello, the father and daughter left.

Tuan Tuan’s fur was almost dry. On the return journey in the hovercraft, Luo Yu held the cub and fell into deep thought.

According to his age, Tuan Tuan should go to kindergarten, but he had been bullied before and was afraid to stay with his peers.

But the little guy can’t stay away from people of his own age forever, and Tuan Tuan can now transform stably. Maybe there is a way to gradually untie the cub’s knot and allow him to adapt to the environment of his peers again.

“Kindergarten…” Luo Yu pinched the cub’s paw, thoughtfully.

•|•

Military headquarters, archives room.

Xie Yingcheng signed the final confirmation document, removed the command badge on his chest, and returned it to the staff of the archives room. The moment it was sealed, it symbolized that all his former honors and hard work had returned to silence, leaving only a vacant military rank.

The Imperial Admiral, retired commander, is left for review.

Xie Yingcheng’s expression was surprisingly calm. He walked out of the military headquarters, and the sunlight fell on the black military uniform, dispelling the darkness. The shoulder insignias that symbolized the Frontier Star Corps were replaced with ordinary military insignias. The weight on his shoulders was much lighter, but the pressure on his heart seemed to be heavier than before.

Wen Yan came with him. The difference was that Xie Yingcheng resigned from the post of commander, but he was promoted to lieutenant general.

Xie Yingcheng glanced at his service badge and said jokingly, “Congratulations, Lieutenant General Wen.”

Wen Yan smiled bitterly: “Don’t embarrass me. This rank was given to me purely to appease you. I can’t bear it and would rather not have it.” The senior military officials felt guilty about Xie Yingcheng’s resignation. Knowing that the Xie and Wen families had a close relationship, they chose this way of compensation.

Xie Yingcheng said calmly: “You can handle it. The military department will be handed over to you from now on. Be careful of everything.”

Wen Yan’s expression became serious. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he suddenly thought of something. He looked around calmly and said to Xie Yingcheng, “Get in the car. I’ll take you home.”

It was not until the hovercraft left the gate of the military headquarters far behind that Wen Yan spoke up: “The military is in great danger right now. If you are not careful, you will be caught. Bradley wants to take this opportunity to exchange blood and send his youngest son up there.”

Xie Yingcheng looked out the window nonchalantly: “Let him send his son, it won’t amount to anything.” Who in the main star military region didn’t know that Bradley’s youngest son was a useless young man? He relied on his father, the Duke, to get a rank that was neither high nor low.

Wen Yan didn’t really take him seriously. A man who had to use a backdoor to graduate from the military academy was not worthy of replacing Xie Yingcheng. However, he had other concerns: “What are your plans for the future? The Bradley family has been making small moves recently. You just completed the resignation procedures today. If they are determined to make a big deal out of it, it will be troublesome for you to be reinstated later.”

Xie Yingcheng: “Zhuxing Military Academy invited me to be a visiting professor, and I am ready to accept it.”

Wen Yan was surprised and asked, “Have you decided? Are you really not going to take the position of commander anymore?”

Xie Yingcheng leaned back in his chair casually, his face expressionless and his tone lazy: “Why rush? I’m just treating it as a vacation.”

The commander of the border star does not look at the transfer order or the military rank, but only recognizes Xie Yingcheng’s face. The prestige he has built up over more than ten years cannot be replaced by anyone. Among the younger generation of the main star, the only one who can be called the top commander is Xie Yingcheng.

The best commander, the youngest admiral, no one could replace him. He had the capital to be arrogant, and even more reasons to be invincible.

Wen Yan laughed quietly and punched his shoulder. “That’s too much. I still have military duties to attend to. Be careful that I might get jealous and quit too.”

“However, I still wish you a happy vacation and a speedy return to the battlefield.”

It was indeed a rare rest time for Xie Yingcheng, as he did not need to bear the huge pressure of leading troops on the front line. Wen Yan believed that after a short rest, Xie Yingcheng would return again with triumphant momentum.

The hovercraft was speeding on the road, while on the other side, Luo Yu was also on his way back with his cub.

The flower shop was closer than the military headquarters, so they reached home earlier. The hovercraft stopped at the entrance of the small castle, and Luo Yu got out of the car holding the cub in his left hand and the flowers in his right hand.

The passenger hovercraft drove away, and Luo Yu opened the door while discussing today’s arrangements with the cub: “Make mung bean soup for Tuan Tuan in the afternoon. Tuan Tuan can finish his class…”

Before he finished speaking, several unfamiliar voices suddenly came from afar, along with hurried and chaotic footsteps, and instantly surrounded Luo Yu.

“Sir, is that Admiral Bourne Copeland’s cub you are holding? What is your relationship with the cub?”

“Are you an omega? It is rumored that Admiral Bourne-Copeland’s pheromones are disordered due to long-term combat. Are you aware of this?”

“Excuse me, is it true that Admiral Bourne-Copeland violated the regulations and was dismissed?”

The cub in his arms seemed to be frightened by the sudden appearance of the team and almost slipped out of his arms. Luo Yu subconsciously hugged the cub tighter to protect Tuan Tuan’s head.

Luo Yu looked blankly at the crowd that suddenly surrounded him, his brain going blank for a moment.

His relationship with the cub?

Xie Yingcheng, dismissed from his post?

He couldn’t answer any of these questions, and when the journalists suddenly appeared and saw his silence, someone took the lead and raised their cameras to start filming.

The aerial camera that was originally parked on the side also flew up and circled above the castle. For a while, the sound of shutter buttons was endless, and the microphone was constantly handed to Luo Yu, almost poking the cub in his arms several times.

The small wreath that Luo Yu had made for the cub fell off and was crushed in the chaos. The cub huddled in his arms, trembling, without making a sound.

Luo Yu’s eyes instantly turned cold, and his voice was filled with anger. He pushed the crowd away with his shoulder: “Sorry, please move aside.”

The iron gate of the small castle was finally opened with difficulty. Luo Yu wanted to carry the cub in, but someone grabbed the railing of the iron gate and even stuck the door axis with a tripod, trapping him at the door, unable to move forward or backward. The reporters who were eager to find the truth did not care whether someone was taking advantage of the situation.

Xie Yingcheng’s resignation is big news. Whoever can grab it will be one step ahead and attract public attention.

Just when Luo Yu was so angry that he was about to lose his temper on the spot, two sharp “beep” sounds suddenly rang out around the small castle. Two seconds later, an aerial camera closest to the castle was shot down, and fell on the street with flames and a loud bang.

When everyone was stunned, a hovercraft came speeding over, and Xie Yingcheng got out of the car with a cold face, his eyes as cold as a falcon.

The alpha was so imposing that the people gathered at the door unconsciously made way for him.

Xie Yingcheng walked to Luo Yu’s side in two or three steps, picked up the cub, raised his leg, and kicked the man who took advantage of the chaos to block the door with a tripod. The kick was so strong that the tall young man staggered and rolled twice, curling up on the ground in pain.

“Don’t just stand there, go in first.” His voice was cold, which suddenly woke up Luo Yu from his daze, and he quickly ran into the small castle. The door was slammed shut with a loud “bang”, isolating the chaotic environment.

Wen Yan, who was in charge of driving, arrived a step slower. He glanced at the work badges hanging on the chests of several of the people. Having just taken over the propaganda work in the military not long ago, he resigned himself to helping clean up the mess.

“Reporter for the Star and Military News? I’m Wen Yan. Admiral Bourne-Copeland resigned due to illness. The military will issue a statement soon. Please do not report without formal notification. Carrying offensive weapons? No, your equipment broke into the protection range of the building and triggered the anti-reconnaissance device…”

•|•

The crowd dispersed quickly, and the troublemakers hiding in the crowd were taken away for questioning. Inside the small castle, the frightened cub was trembling, and Luo Yu held it in his arms lovingly, stroking it gently one after another.

“Tuan Tuan, be good. It’s okay, it’s okay now…” The gentle bass voice echoed in the living room, easing the originally stagnant and heavy atmosphere.

After a long while, Tuan Tuan poked his little head out of Luo Yu’s arms with tears in his eyes, meowed miserably twice, and turned back into human form.

“The wreath fell off…” The cub wiped his tears with his hands and sobbed, “Luo Luo made it with great difficulty…”

Luo Yu quickly comforted the little kid: “It’s okay, I’ll do it for Tuan Tuan later. Is Tuan Tuan injured anywhere?”

The cub shook his head, and Xie Yingcheng’s voice was extremely cold: “Did they take action?”

The cub, whose mood had just improved a little, heard the anger in his tone, and shrank back into Luo Yu’s arms tremblingly, looking at Xie Yingcheng in a daze.

Luo Yu sighed and said cautiously: “Admiral… you scared Tuan Tuan.” The man realized this and silently restrained his outward emotions, pursed his lips, and his expression was ambiguous.

Luo Yu tried his best to ease the atmosphere: “Tuan Tuan, you picked so many flowers this morning, are you tired? Do you want to take a break?” The little boy, with tear marks on his face, nodded pitifully, and when the flowers were mentioned, he couldn’t help sniffing.

The edible flowers that Luo Yu was holding in his arms were also damaged. The only one or two remaining branches placed on the table were not in much better condition, with broken branches and many petals falling off.

Luo Yu followed the cub’s gaze and comforted him, “It’s okay, we can buy more later.” The cub reluctantly agreed and obediently followed Luo Yu back to the room to rest and take a nap.

After comforting the cub, Luo Yu was finally able to take time to sort out the sudden situation. He looked at Xie Yingcheng with a determined look: “Admiral, what is going on?”

Xie Yingcheng did not hide it: “I resigned from the military today, and it will take some time for the news to be officially announced. Maybe someone is anxious to see me fall, so they called the reporters.”

When he thought of someone taking the opportunity to hurt the cub, Xie Yingcheng’s eyes turned completely cold: “I will take care of this matter. Are you hurt?”

Luo Yu shook his head. He didn’t suffer any substantial harm, but was more concerned about another thing.

“Admiral, you have been letting Tuan Tuan take classes at home… Is this also the reason?”

Xie Yingcheng acquiesced.

As a high-ranking military official, he is always in danger, and the cub is his exposed weakness. Ever since Xie Yingcheng decided to adopt Tuan Tuan, there have always been people who want to use the cub to hurt him in various ways, so Xie Yingcheng has to always bring the cub with him and protect it under his wings.

Assassination, abduction… Such things happened countless times, which is why Xie Yingcheng was so disgusted when he first met Luo Yu.

And now, in addition to the cub, Luo Yu would also be seen as a breakthrough point for hurting him, an omega, who was even more vulnerable than the cub in some cases.

“I am resigning in the hope of withdrawing from the power struggle and facilitating the follow-up investigation. This period will be very dangerous. I will send someone to secretly protect you and Xie Anxing.”

He paused for a moment and apologized: “I’m sorry that you have been implicated.”

Luo Yu didn’t speak for a while. His eyes drifted away and fell on the chessboard in front of him. Then he moved to the side and looked at the flowers on the table.

“Is this matter also related to… the Bradley family?”

“Yes.”

“Is this also the reason why you proposed for us to marry?”

“……yes.”

The cause and effect of the matter finally became clear bit by bit. Luo Yu remembered the chess games every night before and suddenly said, “Admiral, let’s finish that game.”

The sudden proposal surprised Xie Yingcheng, but he still agreed, sat down opposite him, and finished the unfinished chess game.

The result was just as Luo Yu had thought before. He was forced into a corner by the white pieces played by Xie Yingcheng, and was completely defeated. Luo Yu stroked the lines on the chess pieces, and suddenly became curious whether there would be a completely different outcome if Xie Yingcheng played the black pieces.

He looked up at the man sitting opposite him. He was wearing a neat military uniform and had a straight back. The man was looking down at the chessboard with a calm gaze.

He is cold, decisive, and powerful, but he is also gentle, kind, and considerate when facing his family.

Especially when it comes to loving her cubs, she is no less than me.

Having made up his mind, Luo Yu asked him, “If I leave the main planet later, will the admiral send someone to protect me?”

Xie Yingcheng nodded: “Yes, until the matter is completely resolved.”

“There’s no need to go through so much trouble, Admiral.” Luo Yu raised his head and curled the corners of his lips.

“I agree to your proposal.”