Living together
After sending Jiang Yan away, Qiu Shuhuai looked at Jing Dan with a mixture of emotions and the urge to laugh. In the end, she showed a meaningful expression towards Jing Dan and left as well.
Jing Dan: “…” What does this person mean? Could it be that she knows my identity?
However, the sudden situation of Jing Dan reverting to her true form has brought a series of follow-up issues.
As a panda cub on loan, how they should take care of her is an important issue.
At the very least, where she would stay.
“I’ll take her away. She can stay at my place; it’s spacious, she can wreak havoc however she likes,” Hu Tu said with a sheepish grin, having come up with a good excuse at the time but now facing a lot of compensation issues.
“But do you know how to take care of a panda?” He Ying asked, knowing that Hu Tu was basically only capable of taking care of herself. Expecting her to take care of someone else… that would require that person to be extremely lucky to survive.
Hu Tu: “…I can learn, you know. Besides, she’s big enough to eat on her own; there won’t be any problems.”
He Ying shook her head, decisively unwilling to hand the cub over to her, harboring deep skepticism, “Forget it. Someone who can blow up the kitchen just by boiling noodles? I don’t trust you. I’ll take her back and look after her. At least the stuff I make is pretty tasty, right?”
Hu Tu: “…” Being a kitchen novice is really a sore point!
“But, how about we ask for her opinion?” Hu Tu, with a troubled expression, suggested deferring the decision to Jing Dan. She should know what to choose, right?
However, Jing Dan, the very individual whose opinion Hu Tu had pinned her hopes on, had already latched onto He Ying’s collar at the mention of her cooking being pretty tasty, clearly showing she had made her choice a long time ago.
Hu Tu: “…”
Damn, while she was here worrying about this and that, this guy just runs off with someone for a bit of food. Haven’t you eaten enough of her food these past days? Aren’t you sick of it?!
He Ying chuckled lightly, her beautiful eyes brimming with mirth as she teasingly said, “Alright, now you can rest easy, right? I promise to take good care of her and return her to you in one piece.”
Watching Jing Dan, who didn’t give a glance in her direction, what could she do? She was powerless! Angrily flicking her sleeve, she stormed off, thinking: This guy truly believes ‘whoever provides the milk becomes the mother’!
After Hu Tu left, she couldn’t just walk out holding a panda cub—obviously that would cause a huge commotion. She found a secluded spot, and with a single teleport, appeared directly in her room.
Back at home, He Ying carefully placed the little one on the sofa and said, “Okay, now you can relax a bit, but don’t run around, or else it’ll be a pain to look for you again.”
Jing Dan: “…”
Having been here a few times, Jing Dan was quite familiar with the surroundings and settled comfortably on the sofa. However, she was pondering whether she should take this opportunity to run away. Previously, the promise of tasty food had clouded her judgment, but now that she had come to her senses, she realized that if she followed Hu Tu, she could transform back into her human form and wouldn’t have to participate in any damn show!
He Ying walked toward the kitchen, talking over her shoulder: “Don’t even think about running off. I’ve placed restrictions around this house. Apart from me, no spirit can come and go as they please, so just stay put.”
Jing Dan: “…”
She tried it, and indeed, she really couldn’t get out…
Sensing the disturbance, He Ying glanced back at her, looking at her like at a mischievous, disobedient child, and said somewhat helplessly, “Do you believe it now? It’s fortunate that the restriction I placed wasn’t lethal, or else you’d be coughing up blood by now.”
Jing Dan: You’re the one who’s gonna cough up blood!
Coughing up blood, that’s totally not in line with her image!
He Ying took out some milk, then, as if suddenly remembering something, she glanced back at the kiddo and with a flash of white light, she had vanished from the spot.
Jing Dan, having witnessed the entire scene: “…”
So she doesn’t allow herself to leave, but can just drop her and go as she pleases?!
Ten minutes later, He Ying reappeared at the same spot, now holding a transparent baby bottle adorned with several round, chubby pandas.
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Jing Dan tilted her head.
He Ying didn’t concern herself with any noises from the living room but went ahead to disinfect the bottle. She then poured the milk she had prepared into it, and just like mixing baby formula, even tested the temperature with a few drops.
After testing, she was satisfied.
Jing Dan watched He Ying approaching with the baby bottle, looking somewhat bewildered, her gaze fixed on the bottle.
If she hadn’t misunderstood, that bottle was meant for her use?
“…”
“Here, drink up, and then brush your teeth and get ready for bed,” He Ying offered the bottle to the little one.
Jing Dan: “…”
She, a spirit, was expected to use a baby bottle?! She hadn’t used one in decades!
Seeing her motionless, He Ying, barely holding back a laugh, asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to drink?”
Remembering the videos she had scrolled through online, the sight of baby pandas clutching milk bottles and drinking was absolutely heart-melting. Now that she had such a little one by her side, how could she not take advantage of this perfect opportunity?
She lifted her head and silently regarded the woman before her, not missing the sly smile at the corner of her lips.
In her mind, she silently deducted five points from her.
Her total positive score was now six.
If He Ying knew that right at this moment, she was quietly tallying some score, she would surely be shocked into silence. After eating so many food from her, it was this hard to earn a single point, yet deducting points was done so boldly and ruthlessly?!
After a bit of a struggle, Jing Dan impassively began to drink from the baby bottle, showing a trend of drinking faster and faster.
The milk prepared by He Ying was indeed tastier.
Watching her guzzle down the milk, front paws clutching the body of the bottle and hind paws propping up the base, while lying there with her eyes half-closed, He Ying felt a sudden strike to her heart.
How could there be a creature as adorable as a panda! It made her, He Ying, a crane, want to cuddle it!
As Jing Dan drank the milk, perhaps due to her true form, no one could read her expression. At this moment, her sense of shame had sunk so low it was as if she was taking liberties under the guise that nobody knew her.
However, while drinking, Jing Dan’s gaze flickered towards He Ying, causing her brows to furrow tightly. She felt that He Ying was a weirdo—what was with that expression? It was almost to the point where a child would want to call the police upon seeing it.
Feeling somewhat disgusted, Jing Dan kicked at the bottle to change direction, no longer wanting to look at He Ying.
As she turned away, the little one’s head was now facing He Ying. He Ying reached out to flick the tuft of hair on top of Jing Dan’s head and asked, “Do you want more to drink?”
The bottle was almost empty.
Jing Dan loosened her grip on the bottle and returned it to He Ying with a couple of affirming grunts.
He Ying smiled as she took the finished bottle from Jing Dan, rubbing her head before leaving with a sense of emotion in her heart.
She felt like she was now acting like one of those strange aunties who lure kids.
He Ying then prepared another half-bottle of milk and placed it by Jing Dan’s mouth, saying, “You can only have half a bottle more. Having a bloated stomach at night isn’t good.”
Jing Dan gave her a sidelong glance. Since she hadn’t finished drinking yet, she didn’t really care about what was being said.
Leaving her to drink slowly on her own, He Ying went to tidy up the room, and afterward, she went to take a shower. When she came out, the panda cub was no longer on the sofa. Hearing noises from the kitchen, she walked over to find Jing Dan had opened the fridge and perched atop it, looking down at her from her high vantage point.
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He Ying: “…”
What to do? Even if she’s just a panda cub, her behavior really gives one the urge to spank her – she’s just like those naughty, unruly kids!
She closed the refrigerator door expressionlessly and said mercilessly, “I’ve already said it, only half a bottle, you can’t have any more.”
While saying this, she felt an odd sense of déjà vu, as if she had said these words to Jing Dan before.
It has to be said, Jing Dan herself is somewhat like a little cub, with a particular fondness for milk.
Without her agreement, Jing Dan just sat on top of the refrigerator with a sulky face, unwilling to budge, as if to say she wouldn’t move until she got her way.
He Ying: “…Then just stay up there, and it’s probably best you don’t come down.”
After speaking, she turned and left, leaving the cub there, dumbfounded.
Jing Dan watched incredulously as He Ying left without a backward glance, her eyes widening. Was this person really going to just leave her here?!
Perhaps it was because He Ying had been too indulgent with her before, and now that she faced even a slight refusal, Jing Dan couldn’t handle it.
With a flash of white light, she appeared right in front of He Ying, hooking her paws around He Ying’s neck and hanging there, her body suspended in mid-air, letting out two dissatisfied cries.
Feeling a sudden weight on her neck, He Ying: “…”
This cub is trying to kill her! Fortunately, she’s a spirit; if it were an ordinary human, they’d probably have their neck twisted from such hanging!
“It’s no use crying about it.” He Ying, resigned, cradled the cub in her arms and then carried her to the washroom. She took out a new toothbrush and toothpaste and, through the mirror, looked at the sulking little one in her arms. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “Will you do it yourself, or shall I?”
Her gaze then fell on Jing Dan’s thick paws, which seemed utterly unsuitable for holding a toothbrush to brush her teeth.
Jing Dan: “…”
How was she supposed to do it herself? She couldn’t transform into her human form right now!
Seeing her silence, He Ying understood the predicament. She squeezed out some toothpaste and reached out to pry open Jing Dan’s mouth.
Jing Dan: “!!!”
Jing Dan’s fur nearly exploded in protest, especially the tuft on her head, which appeared particularly spirited at that moment. She struggled desperately to evade He Ying’s hand.
“Stay still!” He Ying placed a restriction on her, saying earnestly and with emphasis: “You need to brush your teeth before bed. Be good, it’ll be over quickly.”
Jing Dan, unable to move: “…”
As she watched He Ying pry open her mouth, then carefully brush her teeth with the toothbrush, taking great care not to hurt her, Jing Dan’s feelings of resistance diminished slightly. However, she still felt some annoyance; being manipulated like this was truly unpleasant!
With a grim face, she resolved to cultivate diligently, to become even stronger than He Ying, then to trap her!
After much effort, He Ying finally finished brushing Jing Dan’s teeth, then looked at her fuzzy face, barely holding back a laugh, and said, “I suppose there’s no need to wash your face, right?”
She could hardly imagine how to wash such a face.
With a taut face, Jing Dan felt her body could move again and immediately hopped down from the washbasin, then leisurely headed toward the bedroom.
He Ying followed behind her, saying as they walked, “I’ve never had anyone stay over before, so I haven’t prepared a guest room. I’ve made up a little nest for you on the sofa in my room; you’ll just have to make do with that.”
In He Ying’s mind, such a little thing wouldn’t need much space, and sleeping on the sofa would be more than adequate.
Jing Dan paused mid-step, turned her head incredulously towards He Ying, and began to wonder if she was hearing things. He Ying was telling her to sleep on the sofa? Making a guest sleep on the sofa?!
This time, He Ying could see deep shock and discontent in Jing Dan’s shiny, dewy eyes, and opened her hands in a somewhat helpless gesture, saying, “There’s no other choice; my place only has one bed.”
She couldn’t possibly share a bed with this little rascal, could she? She was also afraid that she might get clawed in the middle of the night.
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There was no way she could sleep on the sofa; how could a sofa ever be as comfortable as a bed?
Jing Dan ignored her, quickening her pace with her four paws and running forward, then with a leap, she jumped onto the bed and burrowed into the covers.
He Ying: “…”
She looked at the lump under the blanket that wriggled from the foot of the bed to the head, and then at the head of the bed, a fuzzy head appeared, with two little black ears pressed against the soft, white pillow, standing out starkly.
He Ying: “…”
She walked to the bedside and looked down at the little rascal who had taken over her nest, almost laughing out of exasperation. At this moment, she was completely at a loss for words, even unsure of what facial expression to make.
Should she acknowledge that this little one was pretty good at taking care of itself? Sleeping on a pillow, covering itself with a blanket, each action as fluid as the flowing clouds and streaming water.
She watched for a long time, but the cub, with its eyes closed, buried half its head into the pillow seemingly oblivious to her gaze.
He Ying: “…Think carefully now, I can’t sleep on that sofa, so if you’re going to stay in the bed, later on, you’ll have to sleep with me.”
Jing Dan ignored her, even attempting to hog all the blanket for herself. However, given her tiny stature in comparison to the large duvet, it was most likely she would end up wrapped up in the middle like a filling.
LP: Getting bribed by food, same Jing Dan, same!