Chapter 17 part7
Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
Thank you San Xiaojie for the kofi 💕 Thanks for reading!!
"Hi, I’m Bai," Sensing that Lei wasn’t very good with language, Bai purposely slowed down his speech, raising a finger to point at himself, "I’m very happy to meet you, Lei."
The protagonist gong nodded at Bai slightly. He then waded to the shore. What was fortunate was that he had indeed learned each and every one of the protagonist shou’s actions well. There was a wet hide wrapped around his pelvic area, effectively covering the place that should not be seen.
As the protagonist gong approached, Bai became more and more excited. Bai naturally would have goodwill and curiosity towards a rare-to-see "fellow human." In addition, there was a natural pull between the protagonist gong and shou. This caused Bai’s attention to fall on Lei, completely ignoring Sui Yuan, who was by his side.
Language was indeed an efficient tool, even if one side was like that of a child who just started babbling and could not understand too complicated words and phrases. However, for Bai, who hadn’t spoken to anyone in so long, this was undoubtedly like the rain after a long drought.
Sui Yuan watched as Bai and Lei chatted in high spirits while sitting by the river. He felt incomparably gratified. Although the plot had undergone a huge change, so long as the protagonist gong and shou successfully fell for each other and freed him of his bitter circumstances of always "having an affair with either the protagonist gong or shou," then everything was fine!
So that he wouldn’t become a lightbulb and disrupt the protagonist gong and shou’s couple world, Sui Yuan very tactfully wagged his tail and noiselessly turned to leave. At this time, Bai was asking Lei about "humans," startled to find out about the differences between "natural types" and "variant types." His three views were on the verge of toppling all over again, so he hadn’t noticed Sui Yuan’s actions. On the contrary, Lei shot a glance at the desolate silhouette Sui Yuan’s back cast as he left. The corner of his mouth slowly curved into a profound smile.
Sui Yuan obviously didn’t know about how the protagonist gong was scheming again. He only returned to the pack, relaxed. He then found a comfy corner and laid down happily on his side.
Xiao Hei naturally knew that Sui Yuan had originally gone to the river to bathe with Bai. Now, he suddenly saw Sui Yuan come back by himself, fur clean and dry. He couldn’t help but feel curious and come over, making low "wuwu" sounds in questioning.
Sui Yuan couldn’t say that the protagonist shou had received Heaven’s commands, so he could only chase Xiao Hei away in a fit of impatience. He then yawned. Lately, he’d been troubled over how to succeed in "self-harming". Furthermore, he also had to be alert in order to cope with the protagonist shou’s "pursuit" and fawning. He felt very lethargic. Right now, he had a rare moment of free time. He had to take this chance to catch up on sleep!
Sui Yuan placed his chin on his front paws. After closing his eyes, he entered dreamland very quickly. Meanwhile, Xiao Hei, who had been ignored, looked at the dispirited and downcast (?) Sui Yuan, not taking the other’s actions to heart. He circled around the other a few times, jittery, and then ran over to the river. He felt that he would find the answer there.
Actually (?), this was indeed the case. When Xiao Hei reached the river, he was met with the scene of Bai and Lei sitting shoulder to shoulder, holding an intimate discussion. Bai treated him differently than Sui Yuan and the other beasts. He subconsciously considered Lei, who also took human form, as kin—someone who he could communicate with on equal terms. Towards the beasts, however, there was always a feeling that he was above them. This was the attitude humans were used to having towards animals. Although this didn’t mean he looked down on the beasts, in his eyes, there was quite a difference between them.
Originally, Bai’s action this past winter had caused the pack to tacitly acknowledge that Sui Yuan and Bai were partners. Now, when he saw how Bai had thrown his "mate" to the side and was instead acting friendly with some weird creature, Xiao Hei, who had always considered Sui Yuan his idol who he believed in firmly, flew into a rage instantly.
While he was inquiring about what a "variant type" actually was and also occasionally answering some of Lei’s questions, Bai heard a familiar angry growl. Soon after, there was the sound of rustling from behind him.
After going through so many challenging experiences in this world, the nimble and perceptive Bai naturally would not be an easy target to launch a sneak attack on. He pushed an arm onto the ground and suddenly rolled to one side. At the same time, he used his other hand to draw the weapon at his waist, entering a ready-to-attack stance.
Next, Bai froze in place, mind blank. For some reason, Xiao Hei was glaring at him fiercely as if he wanted to tear out his throat.
"...What’s wrong? Xiao Hei?" Bai asked, befuddled, regardless of whether the other actually understood his question or not.
Although he was not as close to Xiao Hei as he was to Sui Yuan, the relationship between them was still quite friendly. He totally didn’t understand why the other had suddenly become so hostile and was showing him such enmity.
Bai automatically checked his surroundings, wanting to find Sui Yuan. Only then did he realize that the gray pup was nowhere to be found. In an instant, his heart went "thump" and sunk.
Bai knew that the one Xiao Hei cared the most about was Sui Yuan. Could it be that something had happened to Sui Yuan, which made Xiao Hei angry at him? When he thought of this, Bai broke out in a cold sweat. He regretted how he had thrown Sui Yuan to one side, not in the least concerned about him in his moment of excitement. Even if he was extremely happy to meet someone "like him," this unfamiliar "variant type" was naturally far less important to him than Sui Yuan.
Bai had no time to pay any attention to the angry Xiao Hei. He told Lei "I have something to do, so I will leave first" in a rush before leaving the riverside in quick steps. Meanwhile, Xiao Hei stared at Lei with vigilant eyes after Bai left, looking like he wanted to chase the other out.
Lei snorted in disdain. He took a step towards Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei, who was completely suppressed by the other’s aura, couldn’t help but retreat with a whimper. After quickly evaluating the differences in strength between himself and the enemy, he decisively escaped with his tail between his legs. Luckily, Lei had no intention of making things difficult for him and simply let him leave.
The riverside was peaceful once again. Lei folded his arms, exposing a happy expression of one who had gotten what he wanted. He then twisted his waist and turned back into his feline form. With graceful steps, he went back to lay on the big rock by the river, lazily licking his paws with squinted eyes.
If 5237 knew all of this, it wouldn’t just label the protagonist gong as "scheming" but also..."green tea"....
The protagonist shou, who was completely unaware that someone was scheming against him, quickly returned to the pack’s dwelling area. Only when he spotted Sui Yuan laying on his side under the shade of a tree did he relax. He then went to sit next to him with light steps.
Bai didn’t know why Sui Yuan had left without a sound. He hadn’t even given him a call. If it was any other beast, he probably would have thought that they were just bored. However, he didn’t think that things were so simple when it came to Sui Yuan.
The gray pup’s thoughts were evidently more complex than those of other beasts. Even Bai sometimes felt like he couldn’t read the other’s thoughts. He was more inclined to guess the other’s thoughts under the assumption that his emotions were as complicated as those of a human. For example, could it be that he had felt disappointed, sad, and beside himself when he saw how happy Bai had been conversing with another human to the point of completely ignoring him?
When he thought of this, Bai suddenly couldn’t help but feel regret and self-blame. He wished that he could turn back time and make up for his mistake. Seeing the gray pup curled up into a pitiful-looking ball, Bai reached out to stroke his fur and lowered his head to kiss the other’s forehead. He then turned into his beast form and laid close to the other, cuddling together.
Bai had believed that he had already accepted the gray pup as his partner. Only, this was just because he hadn’t wanted to spend the rest of his life alone. However, a better target had appeared now—even if he was also a beast. This new target could transform into a human and even communicate with him. His appearance and personality also suited his aesthetics. Despite this, Bai did not hold any sort of intentions of furthering their relationship. He still considered the gray pup as the partner he would spend the rest of his life with. Thus, these thoughts of his made him feel quite contemplative.
Bai silently watched the gray pup, who laid very close to him. He felt a bit incredulous to find that he had indeed developed some feelings for the pup. These emotions made it so that he had no misgivings towards abandoning his other choice, who was much more suitable as his partner. Instead, he wanted to choose the animal with whom he couldn’t communicate with or have any more intimate physical contact with.
Bai sighed softly. He wondered whether he had fallen under the spell of some demon. Things had already come to this. He also wasn’t the kind of person who would make things difficult for himself. If he was perverted freak, then so be it, ba. In any case, no matter if it was a natural type or a variant type, they were still only animals. No matter who he chose to be with, he would not be able to escape being labelled as a "perverted freak."
Now, what was most important was for him to make it clear that it was only a moment of excitement upon seeing someone like him when the other woke up. He needed to make it clear that he wasn’t having a change of heart. Otherwise, the affection between them that had yet to come to fruition would officially end because of this unexpected mistake. If that happened, who should he go cry to?!
——5237, who was silently watching this all, wanted to say: Protagonist shou, you’re overthinking things. My silly host was just sleepy and wanted to catch up on sleep. What "he was licking his wounds all on his lonesome after getting his heart hurt?" What the heck was that?!
Therefore, after waking up from a good nap, Sui Yuan, who felt refreshed, had just opened his eyes when he was hugged by the protagonist shou. He looked into the protagonist shou’s eyes that were full of apologies, bewildered, and tilted his head in puzzlement.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you. Forgive me, OK?" Bai kissed Sui Yuan’s eyelids, voice extremely gentle, "I promise that I’ll never make this kind of mistake again."
Sui Yuan:".............................."
#The "I have absolutely no idea what the protagonist shou is thinking" series#
Sui Yuan’s sensitive nose was itchy from being tickled by the other’s hair. He couldn’t help but struggle, wanting to free himself from the protagonist shou’s hold. He turned his head to one side, sneezing without any politeness, refusing to pay any attention to this fellow, who seemed to have lost his marbles.
Meanwhile, the protagonist shou laughed bitterly, showing a helpless and indulgent expression, while looking at Sui Yuan, who was exuding an air of "You’re not forgiven" all over. Where there is a will, there is a way. A verbal apology was not enough sometimes. He needed to show him that he was sorry through his actions. Luckily, Bai had a lot of patience and perseverance.
Soon after, Sui Yuan very quickly discovered that the protagonist shou’s attitude towards him was simply so eagerly attentive that it made his hairs stand on end. After all, because they could not communicate verbally, Bai could only use his actions to express that all his heart was devoted to Sui Yuan. No other people—or rather, no other animals entered his eye.
Sui Yuan, who had finally seen the dawn of the protagonist shou and gong getting together after much difficulty, didn’t want to be a "third party" at all—even if he had always had this role anyway. Sui Yuan naturally shunned the protagonist shou for treating him like this. Only, from Bai’s point-of-view, this shunning turned into "playing hard to get" between partners. It was both adorable and exasperating, making him unable to stop himself from acting like this.
If Sui Yuan knew what the protagonist shou was thinking, he would have certainly spit out blood onto the other’s face. Playing hard to get, your sister, ah! I’m seriously rejecting you, OK?!
Sui Yuan felt very gloomy. Meanwhile, after a period of ingratiating himself to Sui Yuan, the protagonist shou also began to feel depressed. Of course, this wasn’t because Sui Yuan was avoiding him. It was because of his "fellow" variant type, Lei.
In the beginning, Bai was very happy to be able to meet a "comrade" who could also assume human form, so he would answer all of Lei’s questions. After all, the other was very smart and would earnestly learn. His ability to deduce several things from one case was outstanding, making him feel very accomplished like a teacher would.
Although Lei was also the fuse that had caused the "crisis" between himself and Sui Yuan, Bai hadn’t blamed him. He only made sure not to neglect Sui Yuan while interacting with Lei. Whenever Sui Yuan began to get fidgety and tried to leave, Bai would decisively bid farewell to Lei.
Unfortunately, as Lei’s visits became more frequent, Bai couldn’t tolerate it anymore. He had yet to coax his partner and yet this "third party" was so persistent in increasing his presence around him. This was simply the rhythm of tearing apart his CP, ah!
Bai tried to tell Lei that he was busy and could not spend too much time with him. However, he didn’t know if it was because Lei didn’t understand him or if it was because it was going in one ear and out the other, but he continued in his ways, coming closer to Sui Yuan and Bai’s sides. It was as if he didn’t notice just how bright a light bulb he was.
When the initial glee and excitement of meeting a "comrade" disappeared, Bai’s IQ finally returned. He realized that Lei was not actually as "pure and simple" as he acted. Instead, he had his own schemes and machinations. Although he didn’t quite understand what Lei’s ulterior motive for doing all this was, it didn’t stop Bai from raising his vigilance—which had been discarded to who-knows-where earlier. He gradually distanced himself from Lei.
Towards this, Sui Yuan felt extremely terrible through and through. It was so difficult to get the protagonist gong and shou on "friendly terms." In the end, they had fallen out. Why?!
——Reality had proven that in the pursuit of a potential partner, you should not shamelessly bother them so much. This can easily be viewed as an action of a pervert that will only cause the other party to dislike you instead. For example, the protagonist shou who was courting Sui Yuan (mistake) or the protagonist gong who was courting the protagonist shou (big mistake).
Sui Yuan, the protagonist gong, and the protagonist shou:"...................................."
While the three of them were trapped in a "deadlock" in their "love triangle," the beast pack finally followed the plot and welcomed the Chief’s retirement due to injury.
Although the majority of herbivores were docile, they still had all sorts of ways to protect themselves. Their large bodies, sharp antlers, their powerful hooves—when cornered into a life-or-death struggle, they could be very destructive. This time, the pack encountered such a prey when hunting.
The female beasts that had the pups with them staked it all on one throw. In order to let their children escape, they risked their own lives. Meanwhile, the pack was thrust into a flurry from the female beasts’ reckless counterattack. The old Chief was badly hurt while saving the inexperienced younger generation. Although they ended up with a great harvest, the pack was still enshrouded in a sorrowful air. They gathered around the old Chief’s body, not bothering to deal with their prey.
Amidst the pack, Sui Yuan and Bai naturally paid a silent tribute to the old Chief. Bai didn’t really understand the pack’s traditions. He simply was aggrieved over the death of the old Chief of whom he had a good impression. Meanwhile, Sui Yuan had been waiting for this day, so he didn’t even bat an eyelid.
The pack’s grief did not last long though. Death was a very natural thing for them. Rather than ceasing to walk forward for a tragedy that had already occurred, the beasts were more used to throwing away things that occurred in the past and focusing on what was ahead. A pack could not last a day without a leader. They had to choose a new chief.
Very soon, the first beast acted. It walked up to Bai and lowered his head while calling out quietly "wuwu," posture submissive. Bai stared at the other, stunned. For a moment, he didn’t understand what was happening. However, the beasts quickly split into two factions, one for Sui Yuan and one for himself. Bai finally understood what the pack was doing.
He silently looked over at the gray pup. Bai discovered that there was excitement, confidence, and eagerness in those azure eyes. He couldn’t help but reveal a bitter smile.
——What was this? Did they want him and they gray pup to duel in order to choose a new chief for the pack?
It was not like they were fighting for who would be the gong and who would be the shou (hey!). What was there to fight about? In any case, they would be family in the end. ╮(╯▽╰)╭