“It’s been seven days. Why hasn’t he turned human yet?”
After a week of getting used to the cub, Wen Shilan could finally bear to hold him in his lap for a little while.
Silan was warm as spring all year round. The temperature stayed between twenty and thirty degrees Celsius, comfortable most of the time.
The morning sun was gentle. Wen Shilan swayed lazily in a hanging chair, soaking up the warmth, and even his mood seemed unusually bright. He was willing to reach down and scratch the wolf cub under the chin.
Qi Yan snuggled deeper into his lap, enjoying both the scratches and the faint scent of crabapple blossoms on Wen Shilan.
Everything was peaceful and lovely.
“Seven days is only the minimum…”
Over the past week, Balala had watched Wen Shilan go from barely tolerating the cub to petting him. If the Lord God stayed in wolf form much longer, Balala suspected Lord Shiqing might fall in love with the little cub as well.
Wen Shilan showed no reaction to the answer. He looked down at the drowsy ball of fur in his lap, then suddenly used his fingers to pry the cub’s eyes open.
Qi Yan: …
Honestly. He was used to Wen Shilan’s little games by now. He merely stuck out his soft pink tongue and licked the offending finger.
A tingle traveled from Wen Shilan’s fingertip to his chest, and he laughed softly.
There was an unexpected warmth to the sight of the man and the wolf together.
Then an irritating ringtone shattered the quiet. Wen Shilan didn’t want to move, so he picked the cub up by the scruff and set him on the floor.
Resigned, Qi Yan ran into the bedroom, took the phone in his mouth, and pattered back to hand it over. Wen Shilan glanced at the unfamiliar number on the screen and rubbed the cub’s head. “Good puppy.”
“Awoo!!!”
Wolf!
He was a wolf!
If Wen Shilan called him a puppy again, he really would get mad!
That wretched Wen Shilan!
Wen Shilan ignored him and let the phone ring until it was almost about to stop. The moment he answered, Wu Yi’s shout burst into his ear.
“Brother Lan! You promised you’d come to the Federation and celebrate my birthday today! Why aren’t you here yet? Did you lie to me?!”
“Tsk.” Wen Shilan held the phone away from his ear. “Look at the time. It’s only nine in the morning.”
“I don’t care! I want to celebrate in the morning! Come on, come over, please~”
Wen Shilan pictured Wu Yi’s intimidating face stretched into an equally intimidating smile. Then he looked down at the cub baring his teeth over the word puppy. He laughed, covered the receiver, and murmured, “So fierce. So cute.”
“…”
Qi Yan froze. Then he abruptly turned around and presented Wen Shilan with his backside, every inch the proud little wolf—if only his tail hadn’t been wagging nonstop.
“All right. I’m on my way.”
Wen Shilan hung up and went to change into a white tracksuit. Lately he had grown fond of sportswear; it was soft and comfortable.
He didn’t make Qi Yan leave while he changed. The cub sat by the bed and dutifully buried his head. After a while, he assumed Wen Shilan must be dressed and looked up—only to be greeted by a dazzling expanse of pale skin.
Wen Shilan’s once formidable mental power had healed every injury he sustained, leaving his back smooth and fair. His waist was slender, with two faint dimples at its base that looked almost deliberately enticing, as he moved, his shoulder blades rose beneath his skin in a graceful curve.
Qi Yan froze. He forgot to duck his head again. His nose itched so badly that he felt as though something might start dripping from it.
Even in human form, werewolves tended to be broad and powerfully built. A figure as slender yet strong as Wen Shilan’s was rare among them.
The defined muscles of his waist and abdomen were strikingly beautiful, too.
Wait…
His abdomen?
Wasn’t Wen Shilan facing away from him?
Qi Yan looked up without thinking. His gaze swept past two faint pink points on Wen Shilan’s chest, then up his long neck to his face. Wen Shilan wore an almost-smile, his beautiful eyes bright with teasing.
Under the stare of Qi Yan’s deep-blue eyes, Wen Shilan leisurely removed the tag from his new clothes and put them on.
“Little pervert pup.”
Outrageous! He had called him a dog again, and now he was calling him a pervert!
He wasn’t one!
Countless beautiful werewolves had begged to marry him. Some had even undressed to seduce him, and he hadn’t spared them a glance. He was no pervert pup—ugh, no pervert wolf cub!
“Awoo!!!”
“All right, stop howling. I’m going out. Wait for me here. You know where the nutrient solution is. I probably won’t be back until tonight.”
Wu Yi could claim he wanted to celebrate in the morning, but the party would surely last until evening. Wen Shilan would be gone all day.
Qi Yan wasn’t happy. Wen Shilan had barely gone out all week. The farthest he’d traveled was the supermarket downstairs to buy nutrient solution. Now he suddenly planned to leave for an entire day, and Qi Yan didn’t like it.
But he was too small to do much, and he couldn’t speak. When Wen Shilan went to leave, Qi Yan planted himself in the doorway and refused to move.
“Awoo!!!”
Wen Shilan didn’t understand him. Not at all.
Being married didn’t give them some magical bond where one could understand everything the other meant without a word. At least, Wen Shilan couldn’t.
Wen Shilan tried to nudge him aside with his foot. Instead, the wolf cub wrapped himself around Wen Shilan’s calf.
“…”
Well, that was ridiculous.
“You don’t want me to go out?”
“Awoo!!!”
All right. This time Wen Shilan understood: the cub didn’t want him to leave.
But he had to go today. Wu Yi’s birthday wasn’t the only reason.
There was something important he needed to do…
Wen Shilan looked helplessly at the cub clinging to his leg, impossible to pry loose. “What if I take you with me?”
If Qi Yan still refused, Wen Shilan would have to pull him off. In his current form, the little thing couldn’t overpower him anyway.
Qi Yan didn’t want Wen Shilan to leave, and he didn’t want to go out himself. But Wen Shilan clearly had no intention of staying home today.
After spending several days together, Qi Yan had come to understand him a little.
Wen Shilan responded to gentleness, not force. Acting cute and coaxing him worked when nothing important was at stake. But once he decided he had to do something, no amount of pleading would change his mind.
How irritating. Wen Shilan had lost his mental power and left the Federation. He had plenty of money, too, and he wasn’t someone who enjoyed extravagant living. At the rate he spent it, his fortune would last eight lifetimes. He could simply stay home and keep Qi Yan company. Why did he have to go out?
Qi Yan had heard the call. Someone was having a birthday. What was so special about a birthday? Why did Wen Shilan have to attend? And why so early? How infuriating!
Wen Shilan was annoying. The people around him were even more annoying!
If there were no one else in his life, he could stay home with Qi Yan all the time.
Irritated, Qi Yan released Wen Shilan’s leg. He set his little paws on the floor and gave a dejected “awoo.”
Somehow, Wen Shilan understood that one. He bent down and settled the cub in the crook of his arm. “Once we get there, stay close to me.”
The werewolves and Silan had always lived in peace. It didn’t matter whether anyone at the Federation recognized what the cub was. There was no problem with taking him along.
He’d been cooped up at home for ages and was probably restless. Wen Shilan would let him get out for a while.
Qi Yan was coming precisely because he wanted to stay with Wen Shilan. Of course he wouldn’t wander off. He answered with an “awoo” and received a rather rough rub on the head.
The insectoid queen was asleep, leaving her species without a leader. Things had been unusually peaceful lately. Everyone was happier without a war to fight, and the people at the Federation were no exception.
“Brother Lan! I missed you so much!”
Wu Yi had been waiting at the entrance. As soon as Wen Shilan got out of the car, he rushed over, though he remembered not to hug him. Wen Shilan was fragile now, Wu Yi reminded himself. A hug might hurt him.
“Brother Lan, you got a pet? What an adorable little wolf!”
Silan placed no restrictions on which animals people could keep as pets, but its welfare rules were strict. Owners could not harm their animals. Every adopted pet had to be registered, and Animal Protection Bureau officers could visit at any time. If they found an injury or signs of severe distress, they would take the pet in and investigate immediately. Anyone found to have abused an animal would be placed under bureau supervision and blacklisted. Serious cases could even lead to a criminal sentence.
Recognizing the voice from the phone call, Qi Yan lazily opened his eyes in Wen Shilan’s arms. His deep-blue irises gleamed like gemstones.
Wu Yi thought he was beautiful, though the cub didn’t seem interested in him at all…
That only made him more curious. He had seen werewolves in wolf form and wolves kept as pets, but this was easily the prettiest cub he had ever encountered. Unable to resist how cute he was, Wu Yi reached out to tease him.
Wen Shilan saw Wu Yi reach for the cub and shifted slightly aside. Only after Wu Yi’s hand met empty air did he explain with a helpless smile, “This little one has quite a temper. He doesn’t like strangers touching him. Here’s your present.”
With his free hand, Wen Shilan took a small gift box from his pocket. He had bought it on the way over. Inside was a meteorite cufflink that could nourish its wearer’s mental power.
Qi Yan had eyed the absurdly large man with suspicion when Wu Yi first tried to pet him. But Wen Shilan’s gesture and explanation swept that wariness away. Pleased, he nuzzled Wen Shilan’s palm and closed his eyes again. He had no desire to look at anyone else.
Wu Yi thought nothing of it. He nodded with a little regret and led Wen Shilan inside the Federation headquarters.
Wen Shilan no longer had access privileges. Without someone to meet him, he couldn’t even get through the front gate.
“Tang Wan… Ah, sorry, I’m still not used to it. The senior general is handling something in his office. He said he’ll be here in a minute. Brother Lan, you have no idea how miserable we’ve both been since you left. He hardly talks anymore, and neither do I.”
Wu Yi knew nothing of the unspoken feelings between Wen Shilan and Tang Wan. Almost everyone knew Tang Wan was in love with Wen Shilan, except Wu Yi. He simply assumed Tang Wan’s affection was like his own: admiration and respect.
Wen Shilan only smiled and said nothing. The cub in his arms, however, stirred and quietly pricked up his ears.
No sooner had Wu Yi mentioned Tang Wan than the door opened.
Tang Wan came in wearing the uniform that had once belonged exclusively to Wen Shilan. He was a little broader than Wen Shilan and wore it a size larger. Their looks were very different, but Tang Wan was strikingly handsome, too. Wen Shilan might not like him, but he couldn’t deny that. Tang Wan was the protagonist of this world, after all.
Tang Wan had run over, leaving his hair slightly disheveled. The moment he entered, his eyes fixed on Wen Shilan, full of emotions he couldn’t hide.
It had only been a week. In the past, it was perfectly normal for either of them to spend ten days or even half a month away on a mission. Tang Wan had missed Wen Shilan then, too, but never like this.
Tang Wan had missed Wen Shilan so much that their separation felt far longer than a single week.
“Brother Lan.”
He walked up to Wen Shilan, a faint, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.
None of the commissioners were there, and most of the Federation personnel were away on missions. It was supposed to be a birthday gathering, but only a few people had come—all former subordinates Wen Shilan had held in high regard.
They spent the afternoon together in awkward conversation. By evening, seven or eight of them sat around one table, but the mood was hardly festive.
Wen Shilan had lost his mental power. Tang Wan had suddenly become their general, and Wen Shilan had left the Federation. Barely two weeks had passed since it all happened. None of them had recovered from it yet.
Wen Shilan looked at them, a flicker of mockery passing through his eyes. Then he raised his glass to Wu Yi. “Happy birthday.”
Wu Yi had been affected by everyone else’s mood. He lifted his glass and drained it in one swallow.
Wen Shilan finished his drink as well before addressing the table in an unhurried voice. “Stop looking so miserable. I’m enjoying retirement, and you’re spoiling my mood. I got to skip decades of work. Aren’t you happy for me?”
He seemed perfectly at ease and deliberately added a few more remarks to lighten the mood. Little by little, conversation around the table grew livelier.
The soldiers weren’t skilled at heartfelt speeches. Instead, they took turns toasting Wen Shilan, one after another, and he accepted every drink.
Qi Yan watched Wen Shilan’s face grow redder and redder. In his arms, the cub frantically licked his fingertips.
Wen Shilan had already grown bored. When the others began trading amusing stories from the past, he decided he had stayed long enough and rose from his seat. “I’m a little dizzy. I’m going out back for some air.”
“I’ll come with you, Brother Lan.”
Wu Yi started to stand, but Wen Shilan stopped him. “What kind of birthday boy abandons his own party?”
Wen Shilan got up with the cub in his arms. His steps were a little unsteady, though it was almost impossible to tell. His palm was damp with sweat, while the cub felt as warm as a little heater.
Qi Yan was displeased when Wen Shilan set him down. He was about to make a fuss when a sudden numb ache spread through his limbs. Something was wrong.
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