Liu Yi gently took Jinyao from her shoulder and placed it on the bed.
Jinyao was startled by her sudden movement, its golden eyes blinking. Just as it was about to chirp, it saw Liu Yi squat down and scoop Ziyue up from the floor.
"Bingbing?!"
Ziyue stiffened completely when she was suddenly embraced.
Liu Yi buried her face in the fur of Ziyue's neck and took a deep breath.
The faint, snowy fragrance spread from her nose to her entire cheek. She rubbed and rubbed, messing up Ziyue's fluffy fur.
Ziyue, disoriented from the rubbing, slowly relaxed its stiff limbs. Its tail wagged gently behind it, and a hint of helplessness, but mostly uncontainable joy, flickered in its purple eyes.
Jinyao squatted on the bed, tilting its head, its golden eyes full of confusion as it watched the scene.
"Yanyan?"
What was it doing?
Chiying calmly watched Liu Yi nuzzle Ziyue.
"Mo."
Being affectionate.
Jinyao tilted its head, seemingly not understanding the word.
Liu Yi finally let go of Ziyue, whose fur was disheveled, sticking up in several places.
But it didn't mind.
It wagged its tail, raised its head, and chirped at Jinyao, its purple eyes full of triumph.
"Bingbing."
Did you see that?
Jinyao's mouth pursed.
It stood up from the bed, its tiny paws gripping the edge, its golden eyes fixed on Liu Yi.
"Yanyan!"
Me too!
Liu Yi smiled.
She reached out to scoop Jinyao from the bed, and with her other hand, gathered Chiying into her embrace as well.
Chiying was pulled in unexpectedly, but it didn't struggle, simply allowing Liu Yi to gather it along with Ziyue and Jinyao.
Jinyao was sandwiched in the middle, with Ziyue's fluffy fur on its left, Chiying's cool scales on its right, and Liu Yi's warm palm pressed against its back.
It wiggled in the middle, finding a comfortable position.
"Yanyan~"
Liu Yi leaned back against the sofa, holding her three pets.
...
In the afternoon, Liu Yi continued her meditation.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Jinyao woke up, then slept, then woke again.
Each time it woke, it would jump off the sofa, make a circuit around the room, and explore every corner.
First, it gazed at the floating islands outside the floor-to-ceiling window for a long while, its golden eyes reflecting the distant structures suspended above the sea of clouds.
It stretched out a tiny paw and tapped the glass. The glass didn't budge.
It tilted its head and tapped again. Still, nothing.
It gave up and turned towards the TV cabinet.
The TV screen was black. It squatted in front of the TV cabinet, looking up at the dark screen. Its own reflection appeared on the screen—a tiny golden lion, tilting its head and looking back at it.
It extended a paw and touched the screen.
The tiny golden lion in the screen also extended a paw and touched it.
Jinyao's eyes lit up.
It tapped again, and the tiny golden lion in the screen tapped back.
It started tapping the screen with its paw, again and again, and the tiny golden lion in the screen tapped along.
Ziyue walked over from the side, squatting beside Jinyao, its purple eyes watching its self-entertained antics.
"Bingbing."
That's you.
Jinyao stopped and tilted its head, looking at Ziyue.
"Yanyan?"
Me?
Ziyue nodded, walked to the TV screen, and pointed with a paw at its own reflection.
"Bingbing."
Look, that's me.
Jinyao looked at Ziyue on the screen, then at Ziyue squatting beside it, repeating this several times before suddenly turning its head to face the TV screen.
"Yanyan!"
It chirped, its voice full of surprise.
Two Ziyues!
Ziyue sighed helplessly.
"Bingbing."
Not two, it's a reflection.
Jinyao tilted its head, its golden eyes full of confusion.
Chiying floated over from the side, its crimson eyes glancing at the TV screen, then at Jinyao.
"Mo."
Shadow.
It used its tail to point at Jinyao's shadow on the ground.
Jinyao looked down at the shadow beneath its feet, then looked up at itself on the TV screen.
It tilted its head, thought for a moment, then jumped away from the TV cabinet, ran to the floor-to-ceiling window, and squatted in the sunlight.
Immediately, a shadow of a tiny golden lion appeared on the ground.
It raised its paw, and the shadow raised its paw. It wagged its tail, and the shadow wagged its tail.
"Yanyan!"
Jinyao chirped excitedly and began running in circles in the sunlight, chasing its own shadow.
Ziyue squatted nearby, watching its silly antics, its purple eyes full of helplessness.
Chiying hovered by the window, its crimson eyes fixed on the tiny golden lion chasing its shadow.
"Mo."
Foolish.
After chasing its shadow for a while, Jinyao grew tired and ran back to the sofa, resting its head on Liu Yi's lap.
Liu Yi was still meditating.
Jinyao didn't disturb her, simply lying quietly with its chin resting on her knees, its golden eyes gazing at her face without blinking.
Ziyue and Chiying also walked over and lay down beside Liu Yi.
Jinyao's eyelids began to droop.
It let out a tiny yawn, moved its head from Liu Yi's knees, turned around, and curled into a small ball, pressing against Liu Yi's leg, and closed its eyes.
Liu Yi slowly opened her eyes from meditation.
The moment her consciousness withdrew from her Beast Taming Space, she habitually checked its development progress.
【Beast Taming Space Development Progress: 29%】
Still 29%.
She gently exhaled and stood up.
Jinyao, by her leg, was roused by her movement, drowsily raising its head, its golden eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Yanyan?"
Liu Yi looked down at it, reaching out to rub its head.
"It's fine, go back to sleep."
Jinyao blinked, then closed its eyes again.
It was asleep again.
Liu Yi smiled, turned, walked to her desk, and picked up her phone.
【Coaching Staff: @everyone
The battle schedule for the first day of the third week has been released. Please review it.】
Below it was a long screenshot of the battle schedule.
Liu Yi tapped to open the image, her gaze quickly scanning the information, then she looked at Jinyao, who was sleeping soundly, and fell silent for a moment.
She definitely couldn't bring Jinyao to tomorrow's match.
The Sky Colosseum would be crowded and chaotic, and Jinyao had just hatched. It wouldn't be good if it got startled by a reporter's flash, or accidentally bumped by another contestant's pet.
She needed to find someone to watch it.
Liu Yi thought for a moment, took out her phone, and opened Wei Xiuyu's chat.
【Liu Yi: Teacher Wei, I'd like to ask a favor.】
【Wei Xiuyu: Speak.】
【Liu Yi: Tomorrow at 2 PM, could you come to my room? I have something I'd like to trouble you with.】
The other side was silent for a few seconds.
【Wei Xiuyu: I can.】
【Liu Yi: Thank you, Teacher Wei.】
【Wei Xiuyu: You're welcome. Get some rest, and do well tomorrow.】
【Liu Yi: Okay.】
That evening, Jinyao was woken by hunger.
It smelled something.
The scent of nutrient solution.
"Yanyan!"
Its gaze quickly swept around the room, then settled on the dish on the coffee table, which held nutrient solution.
Jinyao ran over, plunged its head into the dish, and began lapping furiously.
Ziyue jumped off the sofa and squatted beside Jinyao.
"Bingbing."
Drink slowly.
Jinyao kept its face buried in the dish, its tongue rapidly lapping the nutrient solution, making "smacking" sounds.
After finishing, it let out a tiny burp, then lay contentedly on the carpet, its eyes narrowed.
"Yanyan~"
It chirped, its voice soft and muffled, filled with the contentment of a full belly.
Rate on N.U.
