Luo Ye was like a lit firecracker; everything above his neck was flushed so red it seemed ready to explode. The fine fur on the cat ears hidden beneath his hair puffed up completely, sticking straight up.

Fortunately, he reigned in his focus just in time to keep his tail from springing out.

Damn it! He just pointed at random—how did he hit the bullseye like that?!

Why open an adult store around here anyway? Isn’t this neighborhood mostly inhabited by old folks? Fine, seniors need a nightlife too…

Wait, no, why was he dragging old grandpas into this?

While Luo Ye was muttering chaotically in his head, Chi Zhiyue tilted his head slightly, propped his cheek on one hand, and drawled lazily, “Actually, I could do today as well…”

Luo Ye: “You cannot!”

Chi Zhiyue: “If you want to…”

Luo Ye: “I don’t want to!”

Luo Ye was frantic enough to jump out of his skin. Terrified that this guy would utter more bizarre things, he reached out with both hands and slapped them firmly over Chi Zhiyue’s eyes.

“What are you doing?! I pointed at the wrong place! I never said I wanted to go in there!” Luo Ye was so panicky his accent slipped.

He could feel Chi Zhiyue’s eyelashes gently brushing against his palms. Chi Zhiyue’s voice remained soft, laced with unmistakable teasing: “Actually, we could just browse first. Who’s to say we won’t need it in the future?”

Luo Ye’s defenses crumbled entirely again as he interrupted loudly, “We won’t need it!”

Need what, exactly?!

He had to do an entire mountain of mental preparation just to hold hands, trying his best to ignore Chi Zhiyue’s gender. And now he was supposed to do that kind of thing??

Absolutely impossible. Never mind right now—it wouldn’t happen in the future either.

Luo Ye’s gaze landed on Chi Zhiyue’s broad shoulders and the firm muscles subtly visible beneath his clothes. He took a deep breath.

Forcing himself to calm down, he softened his tone slightly: “We’re not going there. We’re going somewhere else.”

“Are you really not going?” Chi Zhiyue asked once more.

“Really,” Luo Ye nodded firmly.

“Alright,” Chi Zhiyue tilted his head slightly. “Then can you take your hands down now?”

Only then did Luo Ye reluctantly lower his hands. The moment he pulled them away, he caught the unrestrained curve of a smile at the corner of Chi Zhiyue’s lips.

Realizing instantly that he had been played, Luo Ye furrowed his brows and said, “You sure are secretly amused, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I just find the way you look right now quite entertaining,” Chi Zhiyue made no attempt to hide it, smiling gently and openly.

“You’re messing with me?” Luo Ye raised an eyebrow. He looked a bit fierce, but he wasn’t genuinely angry.

Chi Zhiyue took his hand again, his fingertips gently rubbing the spaces between Luo Ye’s fingers as he said with a smile, “It’s not really messing with you. I genuinely wanted to do that, but you seemed pretty unwilling.”

Luo Ye wanted to break free from the handhold, but Chi Zhiyue’s grip was too tight; two attempts to shake it off failed completely.

He could only let Chi Zhiyue hold his hand and walk forward alongside him.

When it came to physical strength, Luo Ye had never lost before. Experiencing defeat for the first time put him in a foul mood.

Averting his gaze toward the greenery lining the street, he deliberately let out a huff: “Sounds like you’re pretty experienced.”

“I have no experience, but I’m a fast learner,” Chi Zhiyue turned his head to look at him.

Luo Ye paused, turning to stare at Chi Zhiyue in sheer disbelief: “With your looks, you’ve never dated before?”

Chi Zhiyue cast a sideways glance at him instead, tossing the question right back: “With your looks, you don’t look like someone who hasn’t either, do you?”

“In the past, I had no money and no time. Who had the leisure for that stuff?” Luo Ye curled his lip. “A few years ago, I couldn’t even guarantee my own survival. Where would I find the time to date? Wouldn’t that just be making life miserable for myself and the other person?”

What was the date supposed to be—doing Pinduoduo group bargains together to slash prices?

The two walked to an intersection and stopped to wait for the green light. Chi Zhiyue suddenly asked, “Then how do you get through your heat cycle? Take medication?”

“Most people nowadays rely on medicine to get through it. You can’t just hook up with random people; it’s not like I’m a player,” Luo Ye didn’t find the topic awkward. “Usually taking one or two pills does the trick. Fast-acting.”

“I heard from the marketing department that the more effective the drug is, the higher the chances of developing a tolerance in the future,” Chi Zhiyue frowned.

“I’ve been taking them until now without a single issue,” Luo Ye raised his chin with a hint of pride, radiating confidence.

Chi Zhiyue’s brow furrowed, seemingly displeased by Luo Ye’s nonchalant attitude.

He leaned down slightly, closing the distance between them, though his voice remained gentle: “I’m just worried about you.”

“I know, that’s why I answered you,” Luo Ye felt a bit self-conscious under his gaze and glanced at him. “If someone else lectured me like this, I would’ve walked off pretending I didn’t hear them.”

Hearing that, Chi Zhiyue’s furrowed brows relaxed a bit.

Seizing the opportunity, Luo Ye changed the subject: “Don’t you take medication during your heats?”

“The doctor said my gland is damaged. I don’t have heat cycles,” Chi Zhiyue said in a flat tone, as if talking about an inconsequential triviality.

“…” Luo Ye froze, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Born that way? Or did someone ruin it?”

“Probably born that way? Anyway, during my first medical evaluation at eighteen, the doctor told me this part was broken,” Chi Zhiyue said.

Luo Ye was completely stunned, his mind reeling with shock.

Chi Zhiyue looked so healthy and physically fit; who could have guessed he suffered from this kind of condition?

For beastkin, a gland was like a normal person’s pinky finger—it looked ordinary, and one didn’t actively use it much day-to-day, but missing it counted as a disability.

Gland damage was a catastrophic issue for beastkin. Not only could they not perceive emotions or release pheromones like normal beastkin, but it could also be accompanied by chronic physical discomfort.

Yet Chi Zhiyue could drop such a massive bombshell in such an unruffled tone.

What kind of mental fortitude did he have?

Even Luo Ye, who had been dubbed an emotional freak by Lan Ju for his rock-solid mental strength, actually found himself admiring someone else today.

“So you’re just like an ordinary person now?” Luo Ye tugged down lightly on their intertwined hands, pressing for more details.

“Not entirely the same,” Chi Zhiyue shook his head, his tone still even. “It still hurts for a while, but it passes once I endure it.”

Luo Ye couldn’t read Chi Zhiyue’s expression clearly, unable to tell what was going through the man’s mind when he said “endure it.”

Unable to truly empathize, all he could do when the traffic light turned green was adopt as gentle a tone as possible to offer comfort: “The fact that you grew up this tall and strong shows that the damage to your body was relatively minimal. That’s very fortunate.”

“True enough.”

“Didn’t we say this was a date? Dates are supposed to be happy,” Luo Ye tugged Chi Zhiyue’s hand, tilted his head slightly, and smiled. This was the only way he knew how to comfort him.

Even though deep down he still felt going on a date with a guy was a bit strange, they were “dating” after all.

He had to take responsibility for Chi Zhiyue’s mood; he couldn’t let his “partner” stay downcast the whole time.

Chi Zhiyue’s gaze rested on his face, lingering for a few seconds. The gloom in his eyes gradually dissolved, finally giving way to a faint smile.

“I didn’t care that much about it in the first place,” Chi Zhiyue tightened his grip on his hand, his tone becoming noticeably lighter. “Let’s go.”

The two crossed the road and walked a bit further, passing a post office. Luo Ye gradually felt the street ahead looked somewhat familiar.

It was the street where he had once brought Luo Peng to buy stationery.

He instinctively glanced back, only then realizing that the path Chi Zhiyue had brought him along was just around the corner.

It really was quite a coincidence.

Afterward, they strolled around casually for a while before Chi Zhiyue led Luo Ye into a shooting range.

Luo Ye had seen this place featured in a variety show he edited before. It was said to be a popular stress-relief activity among young people nowadays, and many couples came here on dates.

Mainly because one person could wrap around the other from behind to hold the firearm together—an undeniably romantic visual.

Reality, however, proved much harsher.

Nearby, a couple tried to replicate the scene from the variety show. The moment they leaned in close, the instructor scared them with a stern lecture on firearm safety, sending them scuttling back to stand obediently at their respective stations.

Sitting in the waiting area, Luo Ye watched the entire interaction unfold and couldn’t help but roast it in his head: TV is all lies.

After waiting just a few minutes, their turn came.

Putting on safety goggles and earmuffs, the two stood at separate shooting booths, with an instructor standing behind each of them to prevent misfires.

Chi Zhiyue’s initial movements were slightly awkward, but under the instructor’s guidance, his form gradually grew standardized, his stance crisp and sharp.

Holding the small-caliber rifle with both hands, he raised his arms. His movements were precise and fluid. Aligning his sights with the target, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Multiple shots fired in rapid succession.

The instructor leaned over to check the electronic monitor and nodded in approval: “One 6-ring, seven 8-rings, and one grazing the 9-ring.”

Not wanting to be outdone, Luo Ye picked up his rifle, adjusted his stance, and squeezed the trigger, firing ten shots as well.

“Impressive!” The instructor stared at the monitor, eyes full of surprise. “Seven 9-rings and three 10-rings—and all three 10-rings hit the exact same spot!”

“Really impressive,” Chi Zhiyue turned his head toward Luo Ye, his eyes brimming with amusement. “Have you practiced before?”

“Nope, I just have good aim,” Luo Ye raised his chin smugly, re-aiming down range. “I was even more accurate with a slingshot as a kid. My hands are a bit rusty now.”

In the final round, after firing a few shots, Luo Ye felt shooting alone was getting boring. As he adjusted his goggles out of sheer boredom, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him. He proposed to Chi Zhiyue:

“What do you say? Want to have a match between us?”

Chi Zhiyue pondered for a moment: “Whoever loses has to listen to the other for an hour next time we meet?”

“Deal,” Luo Ye said.

Both readjusted their stances, raised their rifles, and took aim. Following a crisp series of gunshots, the final round came to an end.

Of course, the result was naturally…

Chi Zhiyue won.

Luo Ye: “?”

Luo Ye stared at the scoreboard, looking at Chi Zhiyue’s last four consecutive 10-rings in sheer disbelief: “How did your last few shots suddenly get so accurate?!”

Taking off his goggles, Chi Zhiyue casually glanced at the screen, his tone nonchalant: “Maybe I just found the right feel for it.”

“…” Luo Ye crossed his arms with deep suspicion, raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t know how to shoot all along and were playing dumb just to bait me into a bet, were you?”

“I really didn’t know how to handle it at first,” Chi Zhiyue let his shoulders slump, picking up his coat draped nearby with his head lowered, speaking softly: “If you don’t want to honor the bet, it’s fine. Just act like I never said it.”

The two instructors watching the drama swung their heads toward Luo Ye like a game of hot potato.

Luo Ye felt his world collapse. Damn it! If he refused right now, what kind of person would that make him look like?!

Luo Ye instinctively stepped in front of Chi Zhiyue, stiffening his neck as he said, “I never said the bet didn’t count! I’m a good sport, of course. Next time we meet, I’ll listen to you.”

He was already mentally prepared. Since he dared to initiate the wager, he had never planned on welshing if he lost.

Besides, from spending the day together, he could tell that Chi Zhiyue was gentle and kind-natured; he wouldn’t make any unreasonable demands.

By the time they walked out of the shooting range, it was dinner time. Not wanting to waste time queuing, they picked a nearby Cantonese restaurant with no waitlist.

The restaurant was located on the third floor. While the view wasn’t particularly remarkable, the interior decor was steeped in authentic Guangdong flavor.

Traditional Cantonese slogans adorned the walls, and the aroma of Cantonese dim sum wafted through the air, instantly whetting one’s appetite.

Looking at the sliced poached chicken on the menu, Luo Ye instinctively blurted out in Cantonese: “White cut chicken, delicious! Once you eat it, the flavor keeps you coming back for more.”

“You speak Cantonese too?” Chi Zhiyue looked up at him.

Luo Ye explained with a grin, “In college, my roommate was from Guangdong. After being around him for four years, I could speak it by graduation.”

“Oh… that’s nice.” Chi Zhiyue looked down and continued flipping through the menu, saying nothing more.

Once the dishes were served, Luo Ye snapped a photo of the food and sent it to Luo Peng to check in.

[Luo Ye]: Having dinner now. Make sure you eat properly too!

[Luo Peng]: Mm-hmm. [Image]

Luo Peng sent back a photo of a simple meal with three dishes and a soup.

Luo Ye’s heart softened slightly.

Without him at home, Luo Peng’s cooking for himself was always exceptionally simple, without putting in much effort.

[Luo Ye]: Eat more meat! I’ll check if you’ve lost weight when I get back.

[Luo Peng]: …Got it.

Just as Luo Ye finished looking at the photo, Chi Zhiyue across from him asked, “Are you free after dinner on the 3rd?”

“The 3rd?” Luo Ye pulled out his phone to check the calendar, calculating in his head.

That morning, he had to edit video promo copy, but his afternoon was completely clear with plenty of free time.

He looked up and answered, “I’m free. What’s up?”

“I want to take you somewhere,” Chi Zhiyue picked up a translucent shrimp dumpling and popped it into his mouth. “Should I pick you up then?”

The word “Sure” was about to leave his mouth when Luo Ye suddenly remembered he was currently staying in a hotel.

If Chi Zhiyue waited for him outside the hotel, he would have to explain why he was living there, which would inevitably spawn a whole mess of troublesome questions.

Luo Ye paused, quickly coming up with an excuse: “You’re probably working that day, right? I’ll just head over to your company instead.”

Chi Zhiyue didn’t think much of it and nodded: “Alright, that works too.”

“So our date today… is considered over?” This was the first time Luo Ye had ever uttered the word “date,” and saying it aloud still felt rather awkward.

“If you’re reluctant to part, we can head back to Unleash Love for a stroll,” Chi Zhiyue remarked.

Luo Ye: “?”

Luo Ye nearly choked on his mouthful of tea, coughing violently a couple of times: “You’re still bringing that up?!”

“Haha, that reaction of yours,” Chi Zhiyue couldn’t help but chuckle out loud, grabbing a napkin and handing it to Luo Ye. “Looks like you haven’t forgotten about it yet.”

“That’s the only thing I haven’t forgotten,” Luo Ye grumbled, wiping his mouth.

Overall, today’s date had been quite pleasant. Approaching it with the mindset of hanging out with a friend, it hadn’t turned out nearly as strange as he had imagined.

The only blemish was that adult store he had pointed at.

Luo Ye felt that was definitely the most embarrassing incident of his entire day; surely nothing more humiliating could happen in the future.

I really want to cast a memory-wipe spell on myself, Luo Ye thought. Like bashing myself on the head with a block of tofu to induce amnesia.

Then again, the tofu would go to waste.

Can’t waste food, Luo Ye reasoned, finishing every last grain of rice.

After dinner, as prearranged, Luo Ye was supposed to pay.

Yet when it was time to settle the bill, Chi Zhiyue still followed along, clearly intending to pay as well.

The cashier asked, “How would you like to pay?”

Luo Ye blocked Chi Zhiyue’s phone, looking at him with justified confidence: “You made all the plans today, so this one’s on me.”

Before Chi Zhiyue could say a word, Luo Ye’s quick hands had already completed the transaction.

Caught up in his triumphant mood, he didn’t realize he was still gripping Chi Zhiyue’s hand tightly. Chi Zhiyue said nothing, standing there quietly and compliantly.

By the time they stepped out of the Cantonese restaurant, night had fallen completely, and warm yellow lights lit up the shops along the street.

With today’s date concluding here, the two said their goodbyes at the intersection, getting into separate taxis and heading off in different directions.

Inside the cab, Luo Ye leaned against the window, watching the streetscape rapidly recede.

As the car merged onto the main avenue, brilliant city lights filtered through the window and bathed over him. The silver necklace around his collar shifted softly, the ring reflecting a clean silver sheen.

Luo Ye held the ring, the little puppy facing toward him, as he murmured under his breath: “I’ll just treat it like hanging out with a friend. Hanging out once in a while is pretty nice too.”

Half an hour later, the taxi pulled up beneath Lan Ju’s apartment building.

Luo Ye went up to Lan Ju’s place to retrieve his luggage first before heading to the hotel he had booked in advance.

He had reserved a king-bed room on the twelfth floor, around forty square meters in size. It featured a huge floor-to-ceiling window with an expansive view and fully equipped amenities; the overall setup looked quite nice.

Luo Ye booked it for seven days total. He would check out on the 8th to return home, right in time for the parent-teacher conference on the 9th. Claiming he resolved his business earlier than expected after seven days away ought to sound reasonable enough.

After unpacking his suitcase and tossing it into a corner, Luo Ye collapsed onto the bed, sinking completely into the soft bedding.

His tail brushed against the unfamiliar mattress, gradually relaxing.

He took out his phone. Just as he unlocked the screen, a message from Chi Zhiyue popped up.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Are you home yet?

[Luo Ye]: Yeah, just got back.

[Chi Zhiyue]: I suddenly remembered—after our last dinner party, I asked you to text me when you got home, but you never replied.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Did you deliberately ignore my message back then because you thought I was badmouthing you?

[Luo Ye]: …Yeah.

[Luo Ye]: Sorry about that T_T

[Chi Zhiyue]: It’s fine.

[Chi Zhiyue]: I’m just glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.

[Luo Ye]: Mm-hmm.

Staring at the chat history, Luo Ye slowly sat up in bed, furrowing his brows in thought: “…Isn’t this guy way too easy to fool? Doesn’t he suspect at all why I’d confess my feelings to him if I thought he disliked me?”

When Luo Ye was talking in the cafe earlier, he had actually been sweating bullets.

He was terrified Chi Zhiyue would notice something amiss, causing the misunderstanding to fester and making Chi Zhiyue angry.

Yet Chi Zhiyue hadn’t noticed a thing and even proposed going on a date today.

Although this was completely different from what he had envisioned early this morning, things seemed pretty good right now. Chi Zhiyue wasn’t hurt, and the two of them had shared an unexpectedly relaxed time together.

[Chi Zhiyue]: Sleep early. Don’t forget about our plans on the 3rd! [Smile emoji]

[Luo Ye]: Got it.

Chi Zhiyue didn’t send any more messages after that.

Just as Luo Ye was about to put his phone down, a message from Lan Ju popped up.

[Lan Ju]: How was your day? Still need me to go hang out with Pengpeng? OuO

[Luo Ye]: If you can accompany him for a bit, please do.

[Luo Ye]: OuO Thanks a ton, Brother Ju!

[Luo Ye]: I’ll carry you in ranked matches with Pengpeng later!

[Lan Ju]: OK.

[Lan Ju]: Say no more, bro.

[Lan Ju]: Leave it all to me!

Luo Ye exited the chat and set to work editing his video. This time, he was compiling behind-the-scenes footage; he had already planned the sequence earlier, so now it was just hands-on execution.

Gradually, the night faded as the orange glow of dawn pierced the darkness. The entire ocean surface rippled with golden-orange reflections, gentle shimmering waves softly lapping against the reefs.

A drone rose slowly into the air, gradually capturing the entire ocean view and the figures on the beach.

The reason this take was discarded footage was that some noticeable litter was scattered across the sand; although he had picked up quite a bit earlier, it still couldn’t stop some people from littering.

The camera transitioned.

The morning glow gradually dissolved into the gentle sunlight of early morning, spilling unreservedly across the sky—a vast expanse for sparrows to soar through.

Chi Zhiyue looked up at the sky, exhaling a puff of white mist. Hearing a sound behind him, he slowly turned around.

“Xiao Chi,” Wan Qing called out, holding two cups of coffee and handing one over.

Chi Zhiyue reached out to take the cup, nodding slightly in polite acknowledgment: “Thank you.”

The two stood together before the sky garden’s railing, Chi Zhiyue sipping his coffee.

Wan Qing leaned against the railing, his eyes catching on Chi Zhiyue’s collar as he teased with a chuckle: “Is that a pair ring? Are you in a relationship?”

Chi Zhiyue looked down, gently pinching the ring engraved with the little cat. A tender smile broke across his face as he replied softly:

“Yeah. We went on a date yesterday.”

__

[Author’s Note]

Chi: Puffed-up fur is ridiculously cute.

So when they do it later:

Chi: (Grabs Luo’s tail)

Luo, whole body trembling: “L-Let go…”

Chi: (Loves it to death, pushes in deeper)

——

That’s right! Our Little Wolf Chi didn’t tell a soul! Everyone was fooled by him! Hehehehe, our Little Cat Luo keeps falling for it over and over. He’s even worrying whether the other guy will get scammed, when in reality, this man is having the absolute time of his life.