Bai Jiao turned to look at Le Zhuo and as expected, saw the guy guiltily scratching at his carpet again, turning it into something resembling a mop.
“This is…” Le Shan began, hesitating.
Spirit forms were something only the closest individuals could see and Le Shan had always looked down on Le Zhuo, so it was normal that he couldn’t recognize him at first.
“My pet. His name is A’Yue,” Bai Jiao said calmly, rubbing Le Zhuo’s head.
As for the “Le Zhuo” standing behind Le Shan, his eyes were vacant, completely devoid of life, only fools like Le Shan and Bai Feng would fail to realize it was just an intelligent robot.
“Jiao Jiao, why would you suddenly think of raising a leopard? And a… snow leopard at that,” Bai Feng said, somewhat frightened of such a fierce animal, shrinking slightly behind Le Shan.
Raising a snow leopard wasn’t illegal but shouldn’t snow leopards live in snowy regions? What was it doing being kept on a temperate capital planet where it felt like spring all year round?
“It’s cute. I like it. Is there a problem?”
Bai Jiao’s icy gaze swept over the two of them, making them too intimidated to utter a single word.
“Of course not, whatever you like, you can raise,” Le Shan quickly recovered from his shock, smiling in a flattering, ingratiating manner. “But my spirit form is far more imposing than his. Would you like to take a look?”
At those words, Bai Feng shot Le Shan a glare and tugged at his sleeve.
Le Shan paid no attention to him at all, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything.
“No.” Bai Jiao’s reply was immediate and decisive.
This answer didn’t surprise Le Shan. In his eyes, Bai Jiao was someone rather traditional, any form of intimacy should only take place after marriage; otherwise, it would be irresponsible.
“So what exactly did you come here for?” Bai Jiao’s expression remained calm yet there was an unmistakable impatience in his tone.
Naturally, Le Shan couldn’t say that he had come simply because he wanted to see Bai Jiao, nor that Bai Feng had insisted on tagging along, even bringing “Le Zhuo” with him.
He vaguely replied, “We just came to see how you’ve been doing. Your brother is very concerned about you.”
“That’s right, Jiao Jiao. You haven’t fully recovered yet, have you? Starting work already, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?” Bai Feng’s concern for Bai Jiao was genuine.
He still had feelings for this younger brother. Back when he heard that the original Bai Jiao had died, he had been deeply saddened and dispirited for quite some time.
These past few days, perhaps out of guilt for taking Bai Jiao’s fiance or perhaps also out of lingering concern, he had continuously sent a stream of expensive gifts to Bai Jiao. However, Bai Jiao hadn’t even glanced at them; they had all been piled into storage along with everyone else’s presents.
“I’ve fully recovered. There’s no need to worry,” Bai Jiao said coldly, issuing a clear dismissal. “Now that you’ve seen me, if there’s nothing else, you may leave. I’m very busy and don’t have time to entertain you.”
Seeing that Bai Jiao showed no courtesy even toward his own robot, Le Zhuo felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment, his head drooping.
“Jiao Jiao, I think we need to…” Le Shan began, only to be cut off.
“Alright, then we won’t disturb you any longer. If anything comes up, remember to contact me anytime!” Bai Feng had no intention of letting Le Shan interact too much with Bai Jiao. He forcefully dragged him away yet somehow forgot to take “Le Zhuo” with them.
With a loud bang, the door shut, leaving the dull, unresponsive “Le Zhuo” standing alone by the dining room entrance.
Bai Jiao raised an eyebrow. “Are you staying because you expect me to invite you?”
“Le Zhuo” clearly didn’t grasp the sarcasm in Bai Jiao’s words and actually nodded.
Bai Jiao smiled.
It was a faintly mocking smile.
The real Le Zhuo panicked. He ran over, biting onto “Le Zhuo’s” pant leg and tugging him toward the door.
But the robot’s programming was far too simple. What had once made Le Zhuo proud of his creation now made him want to smash it apart with his tail.
Stupid robot!
“A’Yue, your main body seems even dumber than before.”
Bai Jiao straightened his tie and headed out to work, no longer bothering with Le Zhuo or his robot.
“Aowu…” Le Zhuo could only fret helplessly, watching Bai Jiao leave.
……..
“Report, Major General! Squad Three has completed the running exercise and is awaiting your next instructions!”
The twelve sentinels, along with the subordinates standing nearby, had only undergone a day of training yet they were already far more disciplined, at the very least, none of them were trying to ingratiate themselves like yesterday.
“Sparring drills. Huiyue versus Squad Three.”
Huiyue was the name of Bai Jiao’s unit. The subordinates who served under him were, at the very least, seasoned A rank sentinels.
The moment they heard the Major General wanted them to spar with the new recruits, they nearly couldn’t suppress their laughter.
They had long been irritated by this group of greenhorns who spent all day staring at the Major General!
“Yes, sir!”
Bai Jiao sat off to the side in the shade, watching them train under the blazing sun. From time to time, he would use his mental power, enhancing a weaker sentinel or strengthening one who was already formidable, pushing every single one of them to the brink of doubting their own existence.
“Aowu…”
A familiar fluctuation of mental energy and a familiar sound reached him. Bai Jiao lifted his head and spotted a small figure perched on a tree, a white body marked with black spots. It was much smaller this time, about the size of a cat.
“A’Yue, jump down.” Bai Jiao extended his hand, signaling for him to leap into his arms.
“Aowu!”
This time, it was the real A’Yue.
He quickly jumped down and burrowed into Bai Jiao’s embrace. A single day apart felt like three autumns, let alone the several days they hadn’t seen each other.
A’Yue whined pitifully, accusing his main body of heartlessness as he rubbed himself all over Bai Jiao, as if trying to make up for all the affection he had missed these past few days.
The real A’Yue was far more enthusiastic, clinging to Bai Jiao without restraint, unconcerned with any so called human reserve, simply following his heart.
“He’s bad, A’Yue is good,” Bai Jiao said, holding the soft little snow leopard in his arms, his heart melting. “Why have you become so small? What if you ran into danger on the way here?”
“Aowu!”
Receiving such concern, A’Yue happily rolled around in Bai Jiao’s arms.
Being small was wonderful, he could be held like this, rub against him however he pleased, even lick Bai Jiao’s hand without worrying about hurting him!
A’Yue: lick, lick, lick.
“Baby, you’re so cute.” Bai Jiao lowered his head, burying his face into A’Yue’s belly.
A soft, fragrant, plush little bundle.
A’Yue, delighted by the praise, licked even more enthusiastically.
As a spirit form, he wouldn’t leave behind saliva when licking, nor would he shed fur, he was simply the perfect “cat.”
Their interaction naturally caught the attention of the sentinels sparring nearby.
Seeing their usually aloof, untouchable Major General doting on a “cat” like this, they all felt a pang of regret for never having bought a cat themselves.
Who would have thought their Major General liked cats this much?
“Major General, stray cats carry a lot of bacteria. If it scratches you, it could be troublesome. If you like, I can get you one,” an oblivious sentinel said as he approached.
“This is my own pet,” Bai Jiao replied, holding A’Yue close as he stood up. “For the rest of today, continue sparring. Huiyue, train them well.”
“Yes, sir!”
Bai Jiao left directly, carrying A’Yue in his arms.
After all, even though A’Yue had shrunk in size, he was still a leopard, not a cat. It wouldn’t take much for someone to notice something was off and that would only lead to unnecessary trouble.
“Baby, you’re so small, do you want some milk?”
Bai Jiao scratched under A’Yue’s chin and just like an ordinary cat, A’Yue purred in contentment.
“Aowu!”
A’Yue indicated that anything was fine, whatever Bai Jiao wanted to do to him was fine.
“You’re much more well behaved than your main body.” Bai Jiao decided to experience what it felt like to be a “new dad” and went to the supermarket to buy some milk powder meant for animals.
Le Zhuo, who was remotely perceiving everything through A’Yue’s senses: “……”
Had this guy noticed something?
Had he realized that the leopard from before was him?
How was he not well behaved? He had clearly let Bai Jiao do whatever he wanted, how was his spirit form more obedient than him?
Le Zhuo fumed inwardly. Watching Bai Jiao get along so harmoniously with his spirit form made his heart feel sour with jealousy.
Why did Bai Jiao like his spirit form so much? He had never shown this level of fondness toward him!
Le Zhuo grew so annoyed that he started poking the little bird on the table frantically, even kicking his own robot nearby.
Meanwhile, Bai Jiao was holding little A’Yue, kissing him again and again, feeding him milk powder, playing with a teaser wand and even ordering a pile of tiny outfits to play dress up with him.
A’Yue’s entire approach was simply to cooperate and cling to Bai Jiao endlessly.
“Aowu!” A’Yue held Bai Jiao’s finger in his mouth, licking and licking.
Because their senses were connected, Le Zhuo could clearly feel the sensation of Bai Jiao’s finger playing against A’Yue’s tongue.
“Mm…”
Le Zhuo’s cheeks flushed red as he hurriedly tried to withdraw his spirit form, only to feel Bai Jiao’s finger slip away the next moment.
“Are you hungry? Want some milk?” Bai Jiao tested the temperature, making sure it was just right before placing the bottle’s nipple into A’Yue’s mouth.
886 fell into silence.
If it remembered correctly, its host hated playing house the most!
So what exactly was going on here?!
Bai Jiao was doing it on purpose.
Of course he knew that Le Zhuo’s senses were connected to his spirit form, which was why he kept kissing and holding him.
But A’Yue was indeed far more honest than Le Zhuo. His most genuine instinct was simply to cling to Bai Jiao, unlike Le Zhuo, who needed to mentally prepare himself every time before revealing his true feelings.
After taking a few sips of milk, A’Yue decided it wasn’t as good as Bai Jiao’s hand and went back to nibbling on his fingers.
He didn’t bite hard, he was mostly licking, trying to make up for all the licking he hadn’t done before.
“Baby, the clothes have arrived.”
Seeing that the delivery had reached the door, Bai Jiao instructed, “Go fetch the packages outside.”
“Aowu!”
Receiving the command, A’Yue wagged his tail happily and ran out.
When he saw the mountain like pile of packages, he froze. “Aowu?”
He had no choice but to enlarge himself, stacking the parcels one by one onto his back and carefully carrying them inside, only to get stuck at the doorway.
“Aowu…”
Once he grew bigger, he couldn’t fit through the door!
“Just shrink a little.”
Bai Jiao stepped outside and upon seeing a snow leopard whose head was larger than the doorframe, couldn’t help but curve his lips. He walked over, hugging him and rubbing against him.
A’Yue instinctively wanted to stick out his tongue to lick Bai Jiao but forcibly held himself back.
“Aowu!” He obediently shrank down. The packages on his back wobbled precariously as he slowly made his way inside.
“Good boy.” Bai Jiao praised him like one would a child, then gave him another affectionate pat.
Encouraged by the praise, A’Yue shook off the packages and plunged straight into Bai Jiao’s arms.
“Let’s take a look at the clothes.” Holding him in one arm, Bai Jiao used the other to control a small blade and open the boxes.
Inside were all sorts of pet supplies, along with various cute outfits.
The first thing he opened was a tiny dress, coincidentally, a maid outfit.
“Baby, come here. Put your paw through.”
A’Yue was very obedient, walking over and extending his paw, letting Bai Jiao fuss over him.
Before long, a round headed little leopard dressed in a black and white maid outfit appeared, looking almost like a tiny robotic vacuum.
“So cute. Do you like it, A’Yue?”
“Aowu!” Like it!
“Come here, turn around for me to see.”
“Aowu!” Okay!
A’Yue obediently spun around for Bai Jiao to admire.
On the other side, Le Zhuo simply couldn’t watch any longer. He felt his spirit form was far too spineless and directly withdrew it.
With a “bang,” all that remained in front of Bai Jiao was the tiny pet maid outfit, A’Yue had vanished without a trace.
【Wuwuwuwuwu, where’s my adorable little snow leopard? Where did my little snow leopard go?】 886 wailed, having been snapping photos nonstop just moments ago.
Bai Jiao replied expressionlessly, “Gone. Your little one took him back.”
【Alright then, I guess that’s fine】 886 said dejectedly. 【But I’m still very sad.】
“Then be sad.”
Bai Jiao stood up and began tidying the mess of packages.
【Host, aren’t you sad at all?!】
“What’s the point? Will he release him for me to see?”
【If he won’t, don’t you have your own? Can’t you just look at that?!】
“Put away your little schemes.”
Bai Jiao ignored it.
He opened his social app and as expected, there was a flood of messages.
He ignored all of them, his gaze landing instead on a notification from a shopping app.
“Yueyue Shop: Massive robot sale! Huge discounts! No need for 999,999! Not even 99,999! Now only 9,999 to customize your very own robot! Come to Yueyue for your custom order!”
This advertisement…
Bai Jiao tapped into it without hesitation.
The shop’s avatar was a bright moon hanging in the sky, cool, radiant moonlight that dazzled the heart.
A beautiful moon.
So beautiful that Bai Jiao recognized the shop owner at a glance.
Opening the shop’s listings, as expected, the top selling item was a small surveillance bird, identical to the one Bai Jiao had previously caught for Le Zhuo.
It seemed Le Zhuo wasn’t foolish at all, quite the opposite, he was clever enough to know that the Le family wouldn’t give much money to a “fool” so he had started developing a side business of his own.
However, the robots Le Zhuo made were rather crude, good enough to fool ordinary people but completely unable to escape Bai Jiao’s discerning eye.
Bai Jiao entered the customer service chat and sent a request for a custom robot.
.: 【Can any kind of robot be customized?】
The reply came quickly and the tone was highly professional.
Yueyue Shop: 【Dear customer, hello! Our shop can create fully customized robots tailored just for you. You can tell us any requirements you have~】
.: 【I want to customize a robot for adult use.】
There was a brief pause on the other end this time.
Yueyue Shop: 【That’s absolutely fine~ Whatever requirements you have, we will do our best to meet them~】
.: 【No price increase?】
Yueyue Shop: 【No price increase at all~ A fixed price of 9,999! Honest business for all ages!】
.: 【Mm. I’ll buy ten.】
After saying that, Bai Jiao directly placed an order for ten customized robots.
The shop owner of Yueyue Shop was clearly so excited that they were almost speechless, what a big spender! A true big spender! They had to hold on tightly to this wealthy customer!
Yueyue Shop:【 Alrighty! May I ask what requirements you have? [heart.jpg]】
Yueyue Shop: 【You have been upgraded to our shop’s exclusive VIP membership~】
Yueyue Shop: 【Dear, we will do our utmost to fulfill your needs and provide you with the best shopping experience~】
Even the tone of their messages had changed, this was the difference between having money and not having money.
A faint, cold smile curved at Bai Jiao’s lips. “886, send me a photo of Le Zhuo.”
[Got it, sent!] 886 acted quickly.
It perched on Bai Jiao’s shoulder, watching intently as he chatted with the person from Yueyue Shop.
[Host, are you planning to customize a Le Zhuo robot? Why so many?]
“Don’t worry about it.”
Bai Jiao sent the photo over. The other side seemed to be momentarily speechless, taking quite a while before replying.
Yueyue Shop: 【Dear, what is your relationship with the person in this image? Using someone’s likeness to customize a robot without their consent would violate portrait rights.】
.: 【He agreed.】
.: 【That falls under customer privacy. Don’t meddle in things that aren’t your concern. Just fulfill my request.】
Yueyue Shop fell silent.
This shop was secretly run by Le Zhuo himself, he absolutely couldn’t expose his identity.
But when had he ever agreed to have himself turned into a robot? Why didn’t he, the person involved, know anything about it?!
Yueyue Shop: 【Dear, could you please send a video of this handsome person in the image agreeing to the customization?】
For Bai Jiao, this was hardly a challenge.
He quickly fabricated a convincing video and sent it over.
Le Zhuo stared at the lifelike version of himself in the video, watching as “he” agreed to authorize his likeness for robot customization, completely stunned.
What was going on?
When had he ever said something like that?!
.: 【Are you taking the order or not? If not, I’m leaving.】
Bai Jiao’s tone was utterly indifferent.
Yueyue Shop: 【Yes! I’ll take it!】
There was no way they were passing up that amount of money.
It was just a robot modeled after himself, if he made a few subtle modifications, it probably wouldn’t be noticed, right?
.: 【I want it identical and certain functions will also need specific adjustments.】
Le Zhuo was shocked. “What?!”
What kind of functions?!
What exactly was this pervert planning to do with his robot?!
Yueyue Shop: 【Alright, dear, I’ll do my best~】
Yueyue Shop: 【Production will begin tomorrow. Please keep your contact available.】
.: 【Mm.】
Thus, their “pleasant” conversation came to an end.
Le Zhuo couldn’t figure out the identity of the person on the other side no matter how much he thought about it.
Who on earth would harbor improper intentions toward a fool?
A strikingly handsome face flashed through Le Zhuo’s mind but he quickly shook his head.
How could it be Bai Jiao? Although Bai Jiao could be a little strange at times, he shouldn’t be that perverse!
Could it be Bai Feng or Le Shan, planning to use his robot to do something bad or just to vent their anger on it?
Le Zhuo’s small head filled with big confusion, unable to make sense of what the other party intended.
Bai Jiao left his contact number and instructed that he be notified once production began. The delivery of the finished product was scheduled for one month later.
That very night, Le Zhuo transformed into his usual beast form and arrived punctually at Bai Jiao’s villa.
Bai Jiao didn’t pay him any attention, showing none of the enthusiasm he had displayed toward A’Yue. This made Le Zhuo both dissatisfied and aggrieved.
Hmph. Playing favorites!
Wait, had Bai Jiao already discovered something?
Le Zhuo guiltily started scratching at Bai Jiao’s carpet again.
The carpets in this villa had been worn down by Le Zhuo countless times but Bai Jiao had long since gotten used to it. Not only did he not stop him, he had even bought a large number of identical replacements.
Scratch all you want, after all, it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford new ones.
“Aowu?”
When he saw that Bai Jiao didn’t bring him into the bathroom, Le Zhuo pawed at the door in confusion.
Wasn’t it agreed that one had to bathe before being allowed to sleep together? Why wasn’t he being brought along to bathe? Was Bai Jiao not planning to sleep with him tonight?
“You didn’t come in earlier yourself. Sleep on the sofa tonight.”
Bai Jiao’s voice drifted out from the bathroom, carrying an almost ethereal quality that startled Le Zhuo.
But what startled him wasn’t the voice, it was the thought of not being allowed to sleep with Bai Jiao.
Bai Jiao smelled so good. Every time he slept beside him, he slept so well, he absolutely didn’t want to sleep alone on the sofa.
Le Zhuo tried pawing at the handle and sure enough, the door opened. He knew Bai Jiao wouldn’t be so heartless!
“Aowu!”
Le Zhuo strode into the bathroom smugly. Seeing Bai Jiao soaking in the tub, he immediately assumed Bai Jiao had been waiting for him.
He leapt into the bathtub, sending water splashing everywhere and causing nearly half the water in the tub to spill out.
Le Zhuo felt guilty…
“Don’t scratch the bathtub.” Bai Jiao patted his head and turned on the tap to refill the water.
“Aowu!” Le Zhuo would never admit that he had just wanted to sharpen his claws.
“Close your eyes, I’m going to wash your face.” Bai Jiao squeezed out some body wash and began today’s task of bathing the leopard.
Le Zhuo was much more obedient today than before. Whatever Bai Jiao asked him to do, he did it without resistance. After the bath, he went outside to shake the water from his fur and the moment he came back, he immediately slipped into Bai Jiao’s bed, his movements noticeably quicker than yesterday.
“Aw woo!” he called out proudly, as if waiting for praise.
“Very good.” Bai Jiao rubbed his head, feeling as though he had truly become a beast tamer.
There was no need for any special technique, the snow leopard was becoming more and more well behaved all on his own.
There was no bedtime story tonight. Bai Jiao held Le Zhuo’s soft paw pads and chatted with him.
“Why aren’t you shrinking again?” Bai Jiao said with a smile. “I bought you so many cute little outfits. Didn’t you like them a lot? Why not shrink down and try them all on?”
“Aw woo!” I didn’t like them that much!
“But you clearly said you liked them today. If you don’t like them now, then you’re not A’Yue. So who are you?”
“Aw woo!” I like them!
Fine, I like them, okay?!
“Mm, then shrink down now and put them on for me to see.”
“Aw woo…” It’s too late, better just sleep.
“Then will you wear them for me tomorrow?” Bai Jiao rubbed the snow leopard’s belly. “Baby, you look really cute in those.”
Le Zhuo flushed at his words, though thankfully his fur hid everything. For some reason, he even felt a trace of jealousy toward his own spirit form, a sour feeling rising in his chest.
“Aw woo!” I’ll wear them, I’ll wear them!
He’d wear them, alright!
He really had no way to deal with Bai Jiao. If not for the sake of avoiding having his identity exposed, he would never agree to wear them!
“Such a good baby,” Bai Jiao said, pinching his paw gently. “Good night.”
“Aw woo.” Good night.
The next morning, they washed up together and had breakfast. Bai Jiao went out for work and Le Zhuo quietly slipped back home.
He still remembered that he needed to call his “perverted VIP client.”
Le Zhuo returned to his human form, hid the robot that had been standing in for him, turned on his voice changer and dialed the number labeled “Perverted VIP Client.”
The call was picked up quickly.
“Hello, sir. This is A’Yue, the owner of Yueyue Shop. Are you the one who placed the order for ten custom robots?”
Le Zhuo used a sweet, gentle female voice. Just as he was wondering who the person on the other end might be, he heard a familiar voice, one he had heard not long ago.
“Mm, yes.”
Le Zhuo: “……”
Bai Jiao was that pervert!