Chapter 2614: Magical Creatures in the Garden 21

The boy in his sleep muttered discontentedly; a lion tail with a tuft of hair at the tip skillfully wrapped around his waist, even rubbing under his pajamas.

Bai Rendong's ears turned completely red.

He grabbed the mischievous tail and whispered, "Bao Bao… you're awake?"

Jin Chen had actually been awake for a while, but he pretended to sleep, reluctant to leave the warm embrace.

Now exposed, he opened his eyes and, with full justification, pulled Bai Rendong back into his arms.

"It's not my fault; you came over yourself. You're cold, I'm keeping you warm."

Bai Rendong was momentarily speechless.

What else could he say? Quibble with a little lion who had just learned to shift and knows nothing of human society's rules?

He sighed helplessly, ruffling the boy's soft white hair and twitching lion ears, and indulged, "Alright."

What could the little lion possibly do wrong? He's just too clingy.

But…

Bai Rendong's gaze swept past Jin Chen's shoulder to the neat pile of clean clothes beside the bedside cabinet, then dropped to the boy in his arms, wholly covered by the blanket, and his cheeks grew hotter.

"Bao Bao, didn't I tell you yesterday that after shifting into human form you need to remember to put on clothes?"

"... This body is indeed perfect, but being stark naked all the time really makes it hard to stay calm."

Jin Chen lightly brushed Bai Rendong's wrist with his tail tip, furrowed his brows, and said firmly, "I won't; human clothing is too bothersome with all its strings and buttons."

Bai Rendong felt a mix of amusement and doubt—really, he can't? This little guy picks up other things astonishingly fast.

But he didn't press further; perhaps monsters truly aren't used to wearing human clothes after shifting, so he asked, "Then what should we do?"

Jin Chen immediately lifted his eyes, "You teach me."

How to teach putting on clothes.

Obviously it requires hands‑on guidance, demonstrating each piece a few times.

Bai Rendong's uneasy feeling intensified, his cheeks and ears burning hot.

He hesitated a few seconds, until he saw Jin Chen also sit up imitating him, the blanket slipping to his waist, those innocent gold eyes staring unblinkingly.

Bai Rendong averted his gaze, ears flaming red, and whispered, "Alright, I'll teach you."

He almost tumbled out of bed, grabbing the stack of clothes.

Bai Rendong picked up the soft cotton undershirt, trying not to glance sideways.

Jin Chen's eyes held a smile as he looked at him, cooperatively raising his arms.

In the process, Bai Rendong's fingertips inevitably touched the boy's smooth, warm skin; he jerked his hand back as if scalded, his heart racing wildly.

Next came the pants…

This process was even more torment for Bai Rendong.

He closed his eyes, relying on feel to pull up Jin Chen's pants, fasten the buttons, and dared not lower his head to look for even a second.

By the time a presentable outfit was on, Bai Rendong's redness had spread from his ears to the back of his neck.

He let out a slight sigh, straightened up, and said, "All right, next time you try on your own…"

The next instant, the fully clothed Jin Chen pounced and knocked him back onto the soft bed.

Jin Chen buried himself in Bai Rendong's neck just as Bai Rendong used to nuzzle the little lion, rubbing fiercely and affectionately pressing his cheeks and nose together.

Bai Rendong was made extremely itchy by the rubbing, helplessly yet amusedly dodging.

"Haha… Bao Bao, don't mess around… so itchy…"

All this tussling left Jin Chen's freshly donned clothes in disarray, and Bai Rendong's pajamas were wrinkled from the rubbing.

Jin Chen propped himself up on his arms, looking down at Bai Rendong laughing beneath him, eyes glistening with tears.

Their noses touched, breaths mingling.

Bai Rendong's smile hadn't faded when he saw Jin Chen's gaze slowly drift down to rest on his lips.

Jin Chen extended a finger and gently pressed Bai Rendong's soft lower lip.

Bai Rendong hadn't expected such a move; his smile froze, his heart skipped a beat, he instinctively swallowed, and his voice turned dry.

"Bao Bao, you first…"

He wanted to say, "Stop messing around, let's get up."

But before he could finish, Jin Chen had already withdrawn his finger.

Instead, he slowly lowered his head, his gleaming gold eyes half‑closed as he leaned toward Bai Rendong's lips.

Bai Rendong's pupils twitched, his mind went blank, and he instinctively turned his head aside.

This tentative kiss ended up landing lightly on Bai Rendong's cool strands of hair.

The missed kiss left the air filled with a subtle awkwardness.

But Jin Chen was neither discouraged nor embarrassed; he seized the moment to bury his face in Bai Rendong's neck, affectionately rubbing the sensitive skin there, then sat up again, looking at Bai Rendong's still‑somewhat‑astonished eyes, gazing at him with a hurt expression.

Bai Rendong pressed his hand against Jin Chen's chest, feeling the firm, warm torso beneath the fabric, his ear tips red enough to seem like they were dripping blood.

"Bao Bao, this… isn't allowed."

"Why?" Jin Chen pressed, his hurt look more obvious, "Don't you like me?"

Bai Rendong: "……"

He was caught off guard by the blunt question, his heart pounding like a drum.

Bai Rendong steadied himself, avoided the overly frank clear eyes, and gently stroked the boy's soft white hair and his slightly drooping lion ears, his voice extremely soft.

"I do like you, but… in the human world, liking comes in many kinds."

"This… kind of liking that involves kissing is very special, very serious, and can't be taken lightly…"

He paused, unsure how to explain to this naive little monster, unfamiliar with human social nuances, the complex boundaries of human feelings.

Jin Chen listened silently, then let out a low "oh."

He seemed to have accepted the explanation, but he was a little upset.

Alright.

He released Bai Rongdong, sat cross-legged on the bed, and the clothes he had just managed to put on became a mess after all that tossing and turning.

Bai Rongdong saw him acting a little sulky yet obedient, his heart went soft, and he almost laughed.

He sat up, carefully smoothed Jin Chen's collar, and asked, "Are you angry?"

Jin Chen lifted his head, suddenly smiled at him, and said, "No."

He leaned in, affectionately pressing his cheek against Bai Rongdong's flushed cheek, and said, "I like you."

No rush; we need to give my wife time to adjust.

Bai Rongdong's heart raced again from his confession, and the temperature of his cheeks, which had just dropped, rose once more.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +8, total 49!】

After breakfast with Bai Rongdong, Jin Chen could still maintain his human form, but he clearly felt his mental fatigue worsening; maintaining human form consumed far more Monster Power than his lion form.

He simply found an empty corner, turned back into his Xiao Bai Lion form, shook his fluffy fur, and felt much more at ease.

The Xiao Bai Lion crouched at the door, saw Bai Rongdong off to his work, then flicked its tail and went off to find some fun.

The Xiao Bai Lion trotted to the tour vehicle stop in the park and happened to see the keeper, Amu.

Amu had just finished feeding the animals, was about to make his final morning patrol, and would soon be switching shifts with the intern, Qiao Mai.

As soon as the tour vehicle started, he felt a white flash beside him.

The fluffy ball lightly leapt onto the passenger seat.

"Xiao Baiyu!" Amu exclaimed in surprise, "Good morning! Where are you headed?"

He skillfully reached out and lightly clasped the paw that the Xiao Bai Lion extended.

The little lion wagged its tail, extended its paw to pat the full‑park tour map stuck on the vehicle, and let out a low growl.

Amu was even more delighted, "You want to join me on the patrol?"

The Xiao Bai Lion nodded firmly, then lifted its paw and tapped Amu's arm neither lightly nor heavily, and pointed ahead.

Charge!

Amu instantly felt energized, grinning wide‑eyed, "All right! Hold on tight, Xiao Baiyu! The Amu Tour Vehicle, setting off!"