Xu Linlang wagged her finger. “Of course, one isn’t enough. To me, ‘cutest in the whole world’ isn’t reserved for just one—it’s my highest praise for all cats.”
“If I could, I’d definitely raise seven or eight of them. Left and right in my arms, every night I’d be agonizing over which gorgeous little furball to let sleep with me.”
“Ragdolls for their soft sweetness, chubby orange tabbies, plump shaded cats, dashing Maine Coons… being surrounded by cats must feel like living in heaven!”
The more Qiye listened, the darker his expression grew—especially when she said the words sleep with.
Even though his situation was unique, and she’d never meet another like him, there was always the possibility of beastkin cubs out there…
“From now on, you can keep Snowball with you at night. But—”
Xu Linlang blinked. “But what?”
Qiye didn’t miss a beat. “Snowball’s timid. Seeing other beasts would scare him.”
Xu Linlang nodded in understanding. Cats were naturally skittish; being startled easily was normal.
Besides, they were still at the military academy. She didn’t want to go overboard. One cat was plenty—any more would be too much.
“Okay, then I’ll just keep him. But you have to bring him to me tomorrow.”
Qiye gave a quiet “Mm” and hooked her pinky with his. “Pinky promise. A hundred years, no changes. Whoever breaks it is a little dog.”
Xu Linlang hadn’t expected him to remember that, and with a smile, she hooked his pinky back.
“Mm, whoever breaks it is a little dog.”
——————————
The next day, Xu Linlang didn’t get Snowball.
Instead, she got Chu Luochi, shrinking in behind Rong Ruyue.
She still remembered how, last time Chu Luochi had taken her to the beast arena, her mother had scolded him so harshly he probably had nightmares. If it had been her, she’d be traumatized. So why was he trailing after Rong Ruyue onto Lilan Star again?
Her confusion didn’t last long. Rong Ruyue explained, “Luochi’s here with his father this time. Since he’s got free time, I asked him to come along with me.”
Faced with Rong Ruyue’s gentle smile, Chu Luochi nearly lost his footing. His hands trembled as he greeted Xu Linlang.
She gave him a sympathetic little wave.
Had he been chewed out again before coming here?
But if Chu Luochi was with his father… the only prominent Chu who had just arrived was Academician Chu Shao. Did that mean Chu Luochi was his son?
Rong Ruyue rested a hand on Chu Luochi’s shoulder. “In a few days, before classes officially start, there will be a major exam to decide your specialization. Luochi graduated from Lilan’s Mecha Repair Department—he’s technically your senior. These couple of days, he can tutor you and help make sure you get into Mecha Repair.”
So basically… private one-on-one tutoring before a big exam?
It really did feel like cram school before finals.
Made sense, though. She’d originally planned to attend the Imperial Academy of the Arts. Now that she was suddenly enrolled in Lilan Military Academy, she definitely needed some catch-up lessons.
Otherwise, once classes started, if she couldn’t answer anything, she’d be a laughingstock.
She glanced at Chu Luochi’s baby face. Back then, she’d thought he was her age. Turned out he was already a graduated upperclassman.
Looked like Rong Ruyue had already chosen her major for her.
Lilan Military Academy’s Mecha Institute had four departments: Mecha Piloting, Mecha Repair, Mecha Manufacturing, and Mecha Maintenance.
Piloting and Repair were the hottest.
The Piloting Department—self-explanatory—focused on driving mechas and combat maneuvers on the battlefield, and required top-tier genetic ratings to even apply.
Repair had a lower bar. As long as one’s mental power is qualified, even those with B- or C-level genes could apply. It focused on fixing damaged mechas and improving their performance.
Graduates of either department had boundless prospects—it was the cradle of the empire’s military elite.
Mecha Maintenance, on the other hand, had the most students and the lowest prestige. They learned to do upkeep on idle mechas and add custom decorations. No real career ladder.
As for Mecha Manufacturing—well, that was the most unpopular of all.
Not because it wasn’t good, but because the requirements were brutal.
Repair was about restoring a mecha to its original state. Manufacturing was about creating entirely new models.
One was repaired. The other was creation.
The latter demanded sky-high levels of mental power.
Because of that barrier, most people couldn’t get into Manufacturing, ended up shuffled into Maintenance instead, and each year, only one or two students ever cut.
Eventually, people stopped even applying.
Rong Ruyue clasped her daughter’s hand. “Sweetheart, this specialization exam isn’t difficult. I know you can do it… Even if you don’t ace it, you’ll still make it into Repair. You won’t be shoved into Maintenance.”
She was this close to outright saying our family has connections.
Xu Linlang nodded obediently. “Mom, I’ll study hard these two days. I won’t embarrass you.”
Only then did Rong Ruyue smile with satisfaction.
“But… Mom, if I really don’t make it into Repair, wouldn’t that mean I’m taking away someone else’s rightful spot?”
She genuinely didn’t want to do something so unfair.
Rong Ruyue feigned anger. “What do you take me for? If I really did that, your father would be the first to come fight with me. If you can’t make it, I’ll simply call in favors and ask the professors to create an extra spot for you. Of course, then they might hold some bias against you.”
“They already have plenty of bias against me. I don’t mind giving them a little more,” Xu Linlang teased with a smile.
She said it lightly, but she did plan to study hard.
Now she knew she carried the Xu family’s reputation. After finally feeling what family affection was like, she didn’t want to be the reason the Xu family lost face.
She turned to Chu Luochi. “Then I’ll be in your care, Senior.”
Chu Luochi waved both hands frantically. “No trouble, no trouble at all.”
Only after Rong Ruyue left did he finally relax, collapsing onto the sofa. “You don’t know how scary she is. Before coming here, she told me that if I don’t tutor you properly, she’ll tutor me properly instead. Terrifying!”
…
A snow-white kitten nudged open the cracked window with its head and slipped nimbly into the dorm.
It looked up and saw a boy who seemed vaguely familiar sitting on the sofa, chatting with Xu Linlang.
Qiye: “!”
Xu Linlang hadn’t brought back another cat—but she had brought back another guy.
He’d miscalculated!
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152