Rat, Rabbit, And Rabbit Transformed Into Humans And Married Their Natural Enemies. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Stepping out of the Lu family home, Bai Zhi walked side-by-side with his marriage partner toward the car. He was keenly aware that the three members of the Lu family were standing on the porch, watching them leave.

When they reached the car, Xie Yuzhan opened the door for him. Instead of immediately getting in, Bai Zhi held onto the other man’s arm, leaned in close, and gave him a big, smacking kiss on the cheek.

It was affectionate and loud.

Xie Yuzhan paused, adjusting his glasses which Bai Zhi had bumped when leaning in. His tone lifted slightly, “Zhizhi…”

After the kiss, Bai Zhi contentedly settled into the passenger seat, tilting his face up to give Xie Yuzhan a wink. “Was my performance good today?”

Xie Yuzhan paused again. Once he realized what Bai Zhi was doing and saying, a hint of bitterness arose in his heart. Unrequited love, ah, it was like hiding a tart, unripe hawthorn berry inside.

Cautious, yet secretly joyful.

Bai Zhi probably saw cooperating with him as a cover to hide his true feelings.

He needed to do more, give the other party more feedback, more courage, so that the little rabbit wouldn’t be scared into retreating into its burrow when he finally confessed. He couldn’t let him run away.

Meeting was an extremely rare fate.

Not cherishing it would be letting down the heavens’ good intentions.

He ruffled Bai Zhi’s hair, a slight smile curving his lips. “Zhizhi did very well. Just follow your heart. To reward you, how about I make you pudding when we get home?”

Bai Zhi nodded. Today’s performance was a complete success. He smiled and asked, “Sounds great! Can I wish for a Pikachu one?”

“No problem. I can draw it with caramel.”

“Yay!”

The three members of the Lu family stood on the porch watching the car drive away. The elders were very pleased, while Lu Yunyi started feeling a little jealous. His childhood friend, who had been so oblivious to romance, was truly astonishing once he finally opened up.

He had originally thought this arranged marriage was just a formality to muddle through, but he never expected them to find true love.

Xie Yuzhan had never dated. Truthfully, this was his first proper relationship. Lu Yunyi knew how dedicated his friend was to his feelings, and he only hoped that Bai Zhi could truly reciprocate and not disappoint this affection.

On the way back, Xie Yuzhan brought up something Lu Zhenghan had mentioned. “Uncle Lu’s family are my non-blood relatives. As for blood relatives, I only have my maternal grandparents. They also want to meet you. Should we find a time before the Spring Festival?”

Bai Zhi replied, “Sure, I’m free most of the time. You introduced those two botany seniors because of your grandmother, right? I’m actually quite keen to meet her.”

Xie Yuzhan chuckled softly. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Okay.”

After responding, Bai Zhi looked out at the dark, desolate cold night outside the window, recalling what Aunt Lu had told him. He spoke slowly, “Auntie told me that you can sometimes be a bit aloof, and that you don’t always say what you mean directly.

“She said that you haven’t had an easy time these past few years, and it’s rare for you to meet someone you like, so she asked me to communicate with you more if anything comes up.

“They care about you a lot. They are very good relatives and friends. Even without blood ties, feelings aren’t necessarily linked to blood—just look at my parents, and then look at Xie Minghong, and you’ll know.”

Xie Yuzhan was silent for a moment, then said, “Zhizhi, my family is your family too.”

Bai Zhi smiled, not taking it seriously. It was just an agreement.

He fiddled with the little pom-poms on his scarf and said with some emotion, “Your auntie definitely didn’t expect that the first side of you I saw was your cold, ruthless, and vicious side.”

Xie Yuzhan followed up, “Besides that side?”

Bai Zhi didn’t think much, just saying whatever came to mind. “Everyone has many sides, of course.

“Besides being aloof and ruthless, you also have moments of tenderness, patience, and thoughtfulness. There are times when you are very focused on work, moments of demanding fussiness, times when you act unreasonably and shamelessly, and oh, also times when you are very authoritarian and domineering…

“All of that is you.

“Or, you could say that all those sides added together make up who you are.”

Xie Yuzhan listened carefully and didn’t object. Bai Zhi wasn’t wrong.

He glanced at the other man and said, “Of all those sides you mentioned, most people have only seen one or two. Only you are different.”

Bai Zhi wiggled his feet, which were warm from the car’s heater, feeling a small sense of pride and smugness. It wasn’t for nothing that he had collected information on Mr. Wolf.

It had to be the bunny!

He folded his arms and smiled. “Of course! We spend the most time together. We live under the same roof, after all. If I didn’t know you better than others, that would be completely unreasonable.”

Xie Yuzhan gave a noncommittal response. Bai Zhi knew him best, but it had little to do with living under the same roof; it was mainly because of the person Bai Zhi was.

If he had married someone else, he probably wouldn’t come home often, nor would he return on time every day for dinner like he did now. That would truly be marrying a mere ornament.

He replied, “It also requires Zhizhi to be willing to understand.”

Bai Zhi smiled. To live well, those were necessary lessons to study diligently.

Tonight’s trip was quite fruitful; he had learned a little more about CEO Xie.

He had originally intended to give the rough gemstone Auntie Lu gifted him back to Xie Yuzhan. It was such a valuable item, and since they were only in an arranged marriage, even though he found it beautiful and liked it, he hadn’t planned on keeping it.

But Xie Yuzhan insisted that since Auntie gave it to him, it was his, and he had to accept it.

He didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned around and sent the gemstone to Bai Enyan to have some jewelry custom-made. The two stones were quite large and could make several pieces.

The blue eucalyptus and bird brooch the other man had given him last time had excellent aesthetics, earning praise even from the fastidious Xie Yuzhan. No problem. If they rushed, he could get the new pieces before the end of the year.

The year was ending, and holidays were piling up. New Year’s Day was coming soon, but before that, there was another holiday worth celebrating. Not Christmas, but Christmas Eve.

He liked the meaning of the night.

He prepared gifts for Lu Qinghe, Bai Enyan, Lin Haiyan, and Zheng Feng, and of course, the very, very important Mr. Wolf.

On the 24th, he scheduled his live stream for the morning. After lunch, instead of taking his usual nap, he plunged into the sunroom, tinkering and fiddling until he finished making the gifts in one go.

Overall, and even when scrutinizing the details up close, they were flawless. He was very satisfied and just waited for the recipients to check them out.

At 8:30 PM, just as he was about to grab the gift and go find Xie Yuzhan, the other man messaged him, asking if he wanted a late-night snack—apple-themed.

Late-night snack? Apple?

It was Christmas Eve!

Absolutely no problem. Go, and quickly.

He carried the gift and hurried to the study on the third floor. As soon as he entered, he smelled the sweet aroma of apples.

Turning past the screen divider, he saw a pot of steaming hot apple, hawthorn, and orange tea on the table, accompanied by apple pie, apple chips, caramel cinnamon apple pudding, and, of course, the indispensable gingerbread man cookies for Christmas Eve. There was also a small dish of salted dried plums to balance the sweetness. The hawthorn tea was also good for digestion and cutting through richness.

There were many varieties, but the quantity of each was small—they could finish everything while chatting.

The thoughtfulness was evident in the details.

He looked at Xie Yuzhan, who was sitting at one side of the round table, and smiled. “This is very thoughtful preparation. Everything looks delicious.”

Xie Yuzhan gestured to the snacks on the table. “Want to try some?”

“Yes.”

Bai Zhi carefully handed over the gift box. As he picked up an apple chip, he introduced it. “This is your Christmas Eve gift. Why don’t you open it? I guarantee you won’t find any flaws… Mmm, delicious, fragrant and crispy.”

Xie Yuzhan poured Bai Zhi a cup of hawthorn tea, then began unwrapping the gift. “You can give me anything. Pickiness is not applied in this area.”

Bai Zhi took a sip of the sweet and sour fruit tea with a hint of citrus, pursing his lips into a smile. He knew how to say nice things to coax him.

Xie Yuzhan opened the gift box and paused slightly before taking out the item, which was over ten centimeters tall: a Marimo moss ball ecosystem bottle.

White pebbles lined the bottom, topped with a miniature villa, a path, and a garden. The green plants in the garden and the crowns of the distant trees were, naturally, the lush and adorable moss balls.

It was full of life and vitality, quite healing.

He tapped the glass bottle near the moss balls and said, “This is very cute. I can put it on the desk in the study, where I can see it every day. Also—

“Did you specifically make this yourself?”

The Hundred Herbs Garden flagship store sold moss ball bottles, but none were exactly like the one in front of him.

Bai Zhi finished a small cookie and nodded. “I made it today. It’s not that the ones in the store aren’t pretty, but… since it’s for you, I didn’t want it to be the same as the store ones.

“This ecosystem bottle is one-of-a-kind.”

Xie Yuzhan watched Bai Zhi, who had lowered his head to eat pudding after speaking. The tips of the other man’s ears were slightly red. Noticing this, the curve of his lips became impossible to suppress.

The other party hadn’t said ‘I like you,’ but these direct actions were enough to explain things.

One-of-a-kind.

This description was very much to his liking. Good word choice.

He stood up and placed the moss ball bottle on the desk nearby. After returning to his seat at the round table, he said, “Zhizhi, thank you for the gift. I like it very much.

“The ecosystem bottle itself is very unique, not to mention that it’s handmade by you and is a singular, unique piece.”

Bai Zhi curved his eyes into a smile, rubbing his cheeks, which felt inexplicably warm—maybe it was the steam from the fruit tea.

He chuckled, “As long as you like it!”

“Of course,” Xie Yuzhan pointed to the area next to Bai Zhi’s chair. “Those are your gifts.”

Bai Zhi looked down. Ah, there were two exquisite tote bags next to his chair, containing gift boxes. He had been so focused on the food on the table that he hadn’t noticed them.

He swallowed a mouthful of pudding, pulled out the gift boxes, and placed them on his lap. Opening one, he found a fluffy scarf, hat, and gloves! The winter three-piece set was fully provided.

The other box contained a thin-fleece Pikachu onesie for lounging!

Touching it, the texture was excellent—soft and plush. Who could refuse such fluffiness? Certainly not the bunny!

He loved it!

He couldn’t help but laugh, looking at Xie Yuzhan. “So thoughtful! They look so warm. And I love this Pikachu loungewear too. It’s very unique. It works as pajamas, and it’s suitable to wear now.”

The thin layer of fleece was just right for indoors.

The slight shimmer in Bai Zhi’s eyes made Xie Yuzhan’s mood even better. Christmas Eve. He didn’t usually celebrate such holidays, but this year was an exception. And what about the future?

When exceptions became numerous enough, they were no longer exceptions.

He wanted these “exceptions” to become the norm.

He glanced at the very eye-catching ecosystem bottle nearby, then reined in his thoughts and asked, “How are the live streams and the store doing lately?”

Talking about this sparked Bai Zhi’s interest. After putting away the gifts, he chattered to Xie Yuzhan about the recent changes and shared many amusing anecdotes.

The two ate and chatted… well, mainly he was the one chattering non-stop like a little talker while simultaneously eating, and Xie Yuzhan mostly just refilled his tea…

Ahem.

The other man didn’t talk much, but he always gave him timely and appropriate feedback. Who could refuse well-reasoned praise and suggestions? Everything he said sounded comfortable to hear.

He looked at the person across the round table, who was elegant and composed in every movement, even grabbing cookies without looking. He didn’t want to look away.

He gazed into the other man’s deep eyes. Perhaps it was the late hour making him sleepy, or maybe the warmth of the soothing fruit tea making him slightly hazy, but his heart felt inexplicably warm—

Like running and playing happily on a sun-drenched lawn all afternoon.

Joyful and satisfied.

Back in his room, after showering, changing into his new pajamas, and lying in bed, under the warm yellow glow of the bunny nightlight, he looked at the blurry patterns on the ceiling, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curving upward.

He felt wonderfully strange tonight. Was the Christmas Eve atmosphere just that good?

Thank you, Santa Claus.

After Christmas came New Year’s Day. He hadn’t planned much for the live streams or the flagship store, preferring to stream casually and freely, without fixed times or durations, and still listing products in a laid-back, ‘go with the flow’ manner.

The night before New Year’s Day, he chatted late with his viewers, so naturally, he slept in on New Year’s Day itself.

Xie Yuzhan was visiting his maternal grandparents that morning and would return in the afternoon. They had agreed to watch a movie together in the home theater room.

However, a sudden phone ring dragged him out of the Land of Nod.

He fumbled for the phone on his bedside table, eyes still closed, and groggily answered Xie Yuzhan’s call. The other man’s voice was slow and calm, carrying a hint of reassurance, but what he said instantly scared away all his sleepiness.

Grandpa and Grandma were coming to the Xie residence right now? They might arrive any minute?

They hadn’t told the elders that they lived together but slept separately?

The elders thought their relationship was very good?

Huh?

Aaaahhhhhh—!!!

The mouse-rabbit screamed!

He shot up from the bed. Faced with the elders’ surprise attack after a feigned departure, Xie Yuzhan offered the most reasonable and convenient solution for the current situation.

Go to the third floor, go to the master bedroom, and pretend they were sleeping in the same bed! At least keep the elders out of the bedroom so the secret wouldn’t be exposed!

Now, immediately, move!

However—

He had just reached the second-floor landing, his foot barely touching the first step leading up to the third floor, when he heard movement behind him. He instinctively looked back and made eye contact with an elderly couple coming up the stairs.

He belatedly looked down at himself and felt a sudden thunderbolt strike.

He was still wearing the Pikachu onesie pajamas, and even his slippers were bunny paws!

Appearing before the elders like this? Did they see him when he came out of the second-floor room? If they did, how could he explain? If they didn’t, wouldn’t an explanation be drawing attention to himself?

The situation suddenly became complicated.

And his brain-computer interface hadn’t even started working yet; it was just a swirling mess! If he messed this up, would CEO Xie, in his fury, gobble him up in one bite when he returned?

Save me—

One rabbit couldn’t handle this!