Chapter 72: Leopard Ears, Leopard Tail

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Lu Yao tried to wake fully, but no matter what he did, his breathing remained steady—and so did the sound of the other presence beside him. In the past, when the big cat slept, his purring was always obvious—deep, rhythmic, laced with the warmth of fur, like a lullaby that coaxed him into slumber. But now, the shallow breathing of a man kept him awake.

Each breath at his side was proof: this was a living human being. Lu Yao opened his eyes again, staring at the ceiling for a long while. At last, he slipped out of bed in silence, stumbling through the darkness. The AI, D, tried to light the hallway for him, but Lu Yao hushed it.

Feeling along the wall, he made his way to the open-air bath that faced the courtyard and forest. The sunken pool began filling on its own, steam curling into the night. Above, the stars gleamed, and a bright full moon slid slowly over the jagged peaks. Unlike the blackness of the house, this space lay bare beneath moonlight, even the drifting mist appearing like gauze woven of silver light.

Lu Yao undressed and sank into the hot water. Was it the silence of dreams, or the chill of autumn nights? No chirping insects, no bird calls reached him. The water didn’t clear his mind. Instead, heat muddled it, thick and sluggish, while hunger from long hours without food left him dizzy, eyes darkening when he tried to stand.

By the time he returned to the bedroom, his thoughts were even more tangled. And when he saw Zhou Yunchen still lying in his bed—human, yet with leopard ears atop his head and a furry tail spilling from beneath the blanket—his confusion reached its peak.

“I must be dreaming,” Lu Yao murmured in a daze. He sat on the bed again, pulled his blanket around himself from head to toe like a cocoon, and refused to face the absurdity. But Zhou Yunchen suddenly felt a chill at his waist—Lu Yao had stolen away his only covering.

Zhou Yunchen had no idea why he had transformed back from snow leopard to man in the middle of the night. Returning to human form was one thing, but this time he hadn’t even brought clothing with him.

When Lu Yao woke, opened his eyes, and saw him, Zhou Yunchen’s heart nearly stopped. Yet Lu Yao only glanced at him before closing his eyes again. Still, it wasn’t over. A moment later, without a word, Lu Yao rose and walked out.

During his absence, Zhou Yunchen clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to transform back into the snow leopard. If he couldn’t, he would never be able to explain why he was suddenly naked in Lu Yao’s bed at midnight. But the power of the Villeau civilization betrayed him. Instead of returning to a full feline body, it left him in an unfamiliar state—human, but with leopard ears and tail.

That was when Lu Yao returned. The ears on his head couldn’t be hidden. Zhou Yunchen yanked the blanket over his waist and tail.

But Lu Yao immediately tugged the blanket away. Instinctively, Zhou Yunchen shielded himself with his hands, wrapping his tail around his waist like a makeshift cover. He held his breath, mind blank, awaiting judgment. From the other side came only a muffled murmur: “I must be dreaming…”

Did Lu Yao truly think this was nothing but a dream? Zhou Yunchen exhaled in relief, but that relief was tinged with a subtle regret. If Lu Yao knew he was the snow leopard, then… His thoughts were cut short when claws of another kind seized him—Lu Yao suddenly grabbed his tail and pulled it close.

Zhou Yunchen curled in on himself, exposed, but Lu Yao simply cradled the fluffy tail against his chest, saying nothing, eyes still closed, slipping quietly back into sleep. It was a strange dream, but hardly a nightmare.

The dream held both Zhou Yunchen and the snow leopard. Though not in the way Lu Yao had imagined, they were, after all, the two beings he cherished most—the man and the great cat. Slowly, Lu Yao’s head slid from the pillow until his forehead pressed against Zhou Yunchen’s back, warmth to warmth.

Faint morning light spilled across Lu Yao’s face. He still had an hour before his usual waking time, but his body and mind were already stirring. He opened his eyes slowly, gazing at the ceiling. Something important lingered in his thoughts, something that had roused him early. But he could not recall what it was.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes again. By habit, he stretched a hand to his side, reaching for the thick, sleek fur of the snow leopard that always began his mornings. Instead, his palm met only cool emptiness. Lu Yao jolted upright, memory crashing back.

Last night—he had awakened in the dark to find the snow leopard gone, replaced by Zhou Yunchen, complete with leopard ears and tail. But now, the bed beside him was empty. He spun his head quickly—and met a pair of round, pale-gray leopard eyes. The snow leopard was awake already, sitting obediently at the bedside, tail sweeping against the floor in steady thumps.

“Meow-ow—” He lifted his front paws to the bed, pressing his forehead against Lu Yao’s hand with a gentle nudge. So it had all been a dream. That was what Lu Yao told himself.

He got up as usual. Since he had extra time that morning, he prepared a hearty, balanced breakfast for Torque and the snow leopard. After heading to the base, the Exotic Beast Research Lab delivered their progress report to him early.

After reviewing it, he received a memo from the Production Department regarding the manufacturing of FL03. He went there personally to discuss the details before approving it. By the time he finished all this, it was already noon. Lu Yao drank a tube of nutrient solution. The spike in blood sugar after his meal, coupled with last night’s restless sleep, left his mind groggy. Before returning to his office, he stopped by the break room to ask the service bot for a cup of black coffee. 

Mo Feng happened to be there, sunk into the couch with a holoscreen in his arms, reading documents. The glass table in front of him held seven or eight cups of coffee, half a sandwich, and a nearly empty box of menthol cigarettes. A cigarette dangled between his fingers. When he saw Lu Yao, he waved him over. The moment the staff noticed the two highest-ranking officers about to have a conversation, everyone else in the break room quickly scattered.

Lu Yao sat across from him. Mo Feng immediately noticed the black coffee in his hand and asked curiously, “What’s this? Coffee today? Tired?”

To Mo Feng, Lu Yao was the epitome of a disciplined lifestyle—like a robot that powered on and off at fixed times. He rose early, slept early, and when hungry, drank nutrient solution like a machine recharging. He was so healthy he had no need for addictive substances like caffeine.

“You spent the night here?” Lu Yao asked first.

There was no way Mo Feng had drunk seven or eight cups of coffee in just one morning, even if they were water. The dark circles under his eyes and the unchanged clothes suggested he hadn’t gone home the previous night.

“No,” Mo Feng replied. “I was supposed to meet up with Cheng Cheng last night, but then a sudden banquet invitation came in. I had to go alone. The main point was to listen to insiders discuss the tug-of-war between the military and the energy suppliers over their new contracts. The talk went on until midnight. I figured Cheng Cheng was already upset because I ditched our date halfway, and if I went home that late, I’d only wake him up. So I just came straight to the base and organized the information. What about you? Tired too? Want a cigarette?”

Lu Yao refused immediately and downed a gulp of coffee. He still remembered the embarrassing scene of being brought to tears by cigarette smoke in front of Zhou Yunchen. “I had a dream last night. Slept poorly.”

“A nightmare?”

Lu Yao looked at the pale crema floating on his coffee and frowned slightly. Was that really a nightmare? He liked the snow leopard. He also liked Zhou Yunchen. And in that dream, he had a Zhou Yunchen with leopard ears and a tail. That hardly counted as a nightmare—just… shocking. “No. It was a good dream.”

“Then what are you worried about? Keep it in your heart. It’s nice to remember good dreams sometimes.”

“But…”

“You’re hesitating. Tell me—what exactly did you dream about?”

“I dreamed of Zhou Yunchen.”

Mo Feng blinked. “…?” Since when did Lu Yao think the dream of General Zhou was a good thing? The foam in his coffee cup had stilled. Lu Yao swirled it gently and continued, “But I keep feeling it wasn’t just a dream. I dreamed Zhou Yunchen was lying beside me in bed, while the snow leopard, who should’ve been there, was gone.”

Mo Feng stared, baffled. “The General wouldn’t sneak into your bed in the middle of the night. Unless… you invited him over?” He fixed Lu Yao with a sharp look, waiting eagerly for the answer. 

Lu Yao shook his head. “No. In the dream, Zhou Yunchen had leopard ears and a tail. Logically speaking, that’s impossible, so it had to be a dream. But it didn’t feel like one.”

“Dreams tie into reality. They can feel very real,” Mo Feng said.

“But…” Lu Yao’s brows furrowed tighter. “I don’t understand why I would dream of that. I know dreams hint at perceptions from reality. Zhou Yunchen appearing naked on my bed—I can understand the meaning behind that. It means I desire him. But I have no desire for felines. I only like cats. So why would I dream of Zhou Yunchen growing leopard ears?”

Mo Feng coughed, often caught off guard by Lu Yao’s bluntness. Thankfully, the researchers and interns had already fled earlier, so none of the Chief Engineer’s explosive gossip would leak.

“There are people like that in the world… Wait, hold on. You just said you what Zhou Yunchen?”

“Desire.” Lu Yao blinked calmly at him and repeated the word. Mo Feng stared blankly. “How could you possibly…” Wait. Didn’t Lu Yao just say dreaming of Zhou Yunchen counted as a good dream? “You… reconciled with General Zhou?”

“If you mean marriage, no, we haven’t re-registered,” Lu Yao answered. “And in the past, we didn’t share an emotional relationship. So this isn’t reconciliation. This is the first time we’re together.”

Mo Feng’s eyes widened. He stammered, unable to find words. Lu Yao was too calm, leaving him no chance to crack a joke to ease the tension. Rubbing his nose, Mo Feng said, “All right. But you shouldn’t jump to conclusions. You’ve never actually seen General Zhou with leopard ears and a tail in bed. How do you know you wouldn’t want it? You could try next time. Uh… if you two don’t know where to shop for that sort of accessory, I could recommend a few places. For example—”

Mo Feng began rambling about his favorite specialty shops when Lu Yao’s comm pinged with a message from Zhou Yunchen. Walk around Pavilion Lake tonight?

Lu Yao ignored Mo Feng’s “recommendations,” lowered his head, and replied: Yes.

Author’s Note:

Leopard-tail temptation~

 

 

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