“Recognition of Master?”
“Mmm… you could understand it that way. Based on my research, only a very small number of half-beasts have this characteristic. They emit a certain fragrance, one that only people who have lived with them long-term can smell. Correspondingly, they can also smell the fragrance of the people they’ve lived with for a long time. The fragrances differ from person to person, but to the half-beast, the scent of someone close to them is actually a psychological effect. This fragrance provides an illusion of comfort, allowing the half-beast to let down all their defenses and become gentle and docile. If your half-beast can smell this fragrance on you, it means he has already accepted you.”
After finishing the last sentence, the blonde woman sitting across from Gu Qingyuan gave her a knowing half-smile. Gu Qingyuan frowned deeply, not paying the other woman any mind. Seeing this, the blonde woman pursed her lips.
“Alright, I’ve answered the questions he asked. If there’s nothing else, don’t disturb my work.”
Hearing this, Gu Qingyuan finally looked up at the woman in front of her.
“Fine. You’re busy.”
Watching Gu Qingyuan’s retreating figure, the blonde woman chuckled, resting her chin on one hand. She was curious—what kind of half-beast could have hooked this woman like this?
—
Su Ling lay curled up tightly on the bed, biting his lip hard. His face was flushed red, and droplets of sweat rolled down his forehead. He needed to use the bathroom… When would Master come back? He couldn’t hold it much longer. His small, curled-up figure was wrapped tightly in the blanket, with only a messy tuft of hair peeking out. Even his furry cat ears were slightly buried inside, making one’s heart inexplicably clench.
When Gu Qingyuan returned, she still carried the cool breeze from outside. As soon as she entered, her gaze landed precisely on the small figure curled up on the bed. She walked over quietly, reached out, and gently lifted a corner of the blanket. Su Ling flinched, trembling all over. He hurriedly looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and his nose tinged pink. Seeing that Master had returned, Su Ling immediately forced himself to sit up and began gesturing frantically.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Ling gestured for a long time, but seeing that she still didn’t understand, he grew anxious, and his body nearly lost control. Watching the little fellow like this, Gu Qingyuan’s gaze shifted downward, landing on his restlessly twisting hands. Suddenly, she noticed his legs were pressed tightly together. His whole body was strung taut like a bowstring about to snap, even the tips of his ears flushed an unnatural red.
“Need to use the bathroom?”
Su Ling squeezed his eyes shut and nodded vigorously, tears nearly falling. How embarrassing…
The corners of Gu Qingyuan’s mouth lifted slightly. Carefully avoiding his injured leg, she scooped him up in her arms. Su Ling let out a small gasp and instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck, going completely limp in her embrace. The fragrance lingering around his nose was the very one that comforted him so much. All the fear,委屈, and shame he’d felt just moments ago strangely faded away now that she was holding him.
Gu Qingyuan looked down at the little fellow in her arms—well-behaved, even his breathing softened. His cat ears lay softly against his head, his damp eyelashes drooped downward, fragile enough to break with a single snap. His tail hooked around her arm, carrying the faint warmth of the little thing’s body. She carried him to the bathroom, bent down to unbuckle his pants, then took out the key to unlock the lock.
The moment the lock was removed, Su Ling felt like he was about to lose control. He pressed his lips together tightly, face red, head lowered, not daring to look at Master. Gu Qingyuan smiled, picked him up, and set him on the toilet. Su Ling blinked his wet eyes, hung his head low, and his body could no longer hold back—he completely relieved himself. After finishing, Su Ling felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
“Tomorrow, I’ll get you a phone. When I’m not around, you can call me.”
Hearing this, a glimmer of joy flashed in Su Ling’s eyes. Gu Qingyuan watched the little thing, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. She remembered what that woman had said. Recognition of Master? Was her little thing finally going to become something that belonged to her?
After finishing in the bathroom, Su Ling carefully climbed down from the toilet, supporting himself with one hand on the wall. Hopping on one leg, he came to Master’s side and pressed his body against hers, entrusting all his weight to her.
“Good boy!”
Su Ling didn’t respond, his face just burning red. He felt something was off—a certain kind of feeling. He bit his lip hard. It seemed like he was about to become like that again. Ever since Master had given him that medicine, he had been like this almost every so often. His leg could have healed much faster, but because of this, it had never fully recovered.
Gu Qingyuan quickly noticed the little thing’s change.
“Tsk. What a little pervert. Well, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll play with you here for a bit.”
Su Ling lay limply on top of her, tears at the corners of his eyes, his tail losing all its energy. Gu Qingyuan gently stroked the little thing’s ears, hesitating about letting him out. Here, she had prepared many things for him to play with, but now she didn’t want to use those things to toy with him anymore. It was strange—clearly, that had been her original plan. Yet it was as if she couldn’t find a reason to do it. She had absolutely no desire to follow through. And she didn’t even feel frustrated about it. In fact, she was thinking about being nicer to her little thing.
Su Ling lifted his head and slowly pulled himself up.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Ling shook his head gently, then picked up the notebook beside him and wrote in it:
(Master, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Can I go out?)
After writing these lines, Su Ling felt a little anxious. He didn’t know if making this request would anger her. But he really didn’t want to stay here any longer. When he had first been brought here, he thought she was going to cut off his legs. After that, he had been recuperating here. But now that his leg injury had healed, Master still showed no sign of letting him out. He didn’t like staying here. It was stuffy and oppressive, with not a ray of sunlight. Every day, besides the time Master spent with him, he was completely alone.
Seeing that the little fellow had finished writing but was taking his time handing her the notebook, Gu Qingyuan—who had little patience to begin with—snatched it from him directly. When she read what was written, she paused for a moment, looking at the little thing strangely. Hadn’t she just been thinking about letting him out? And now the little thing himself had brought it up? Strangely, she suddenly didn’t want to let him out anymore.
“No!”
Hearing this, Su Ling flinched, then immediately shook his head in panic.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just stay put? Or do you want to run away again? Then… why do you want to go out? Have I not been good enough to you?”
Su Ling was momentarily stunned by her words. Good enough? He tilted his head to look at his leg. His eyes grew hot, and a single tear slid down his cheek. He lowered his head. He didn’t want to answer that question. Whether it was good or not… it didn’t really matter anymore.