Rat, Rabbit, And Rabbit Transformed Into Humans And Married Their Natural Enemies. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Soft piano music filled the restaurant. Bai Zhi stared blankly as Xie Yuzhan slowly approached, stopping just over ten centimeters away. He gripped the cake fork tightly, his breathing shallow.

This, what was he going to do?

Xie Yuzhan lowered his eyes slightly, his voice soft and slow, speaking almost word by word: “Zhizhi, do you understand what I’m about to do?”

Bai Zhi pursed his lips, then slightly parted them. If the fork hadn’t been made of silver metal, he would have surely snapped it in half.

What? What is he doing?

He had seen it in short videos—this distance, such close proximity, meant either a fight was about to break out or… or a kiss!

Did they look like they were about to fight? Huh?

Xie Yuzhan could tell from Bai Zhi’s expression that the other party knew exactly what was happening. Good. Then he could continue.

His tone subtly lifted, carrying a hint of pleasure. “Since you know, you have the right to refuse at any time. You can call a stop whenever you want.”

After saying that, he emphasized, “If you say no, I will stop.”

Bai Zhi blinked, feeling as though all his joints were rusted, including the base of his tongue and his jaw.

He should refuse, but Xie Yuzhan leaned in with his eyes lowered, incredibly gentle, like a silent seduction invading him through every pore and every inch of skin.

It made him simultaneously want to push the other person away and feel a deep urge to tightly embrace the person in front of him—

To accept this kiss.

He couldn’t understand what was happening to himself.

Until their lips met, a tingling, numbing sensation rapidly spread from the point of contact, like an electric shock.

In front of him were Xie Yuzhan’s slightly lowered, somewhat indistinct eyes. Time stood still at this moment, a brief instant lasting only a single breath, yet feeling stretched out to a hundred years.

Certain classic romance movies he had watched flashed through his mind, and the kiss cleverly connected those scenes with the present moment.

Grasslands, mountains, lakes, clear skies, the universe—overlapping, interwoven, merging together. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter cycled a hundred times, yet he didn’t find it boring or tedious.

The changes in time and space achieved a marvelous balance within a single kiss.

When the film finally stopped, his eyelashes fluttered like green sprouts touched by the spring breeze, and his entire body suddenly caught fire.

He frantically pushed away the culprit who had made him feel so strange. Torn between getting up and leaving or arguing with the other party, he chose to bury his head in his food.

He was the one who had organized this birthday dinner; only eating was the most appropriate response.

Xie Yuzhan watched Bai Zhi. The other party was covered from head to toe in confusion and bewilderment. His earlobes were burning red, more beautiful than the most vibrant sunset, green and unfamiliar, exceptionally captivating.

Clearly, he had no experience whatsoever.

Utterly pure.

The other’s lips were very soft, more wonderful to the touch than he had imagined. If he were to grind and nibble them a few times with his teeth, they would surely turn into a more luscious, tempting red.

More delicious than the most tempting fruit on a cherry tree.

In their marriage, the other party held no expectations, perhaps because the secret admirer himself was only vaguely aware of such subtle feelings.

He had feelings without realizing it.

In the Bai family, Bai Zhi could not have received proper guidance. Any understanding of emotional experience, relying only on literature and film, was theoretical. What love truly felt like could only be known through actual experience.

And his actions today were undoubtedly a clear enough signal. Even if the little rabbit was slow, he should be able to sense it now.

He suppressed the silent churning tide in his eyes, ruffled Bai Zhi’s hair, and said, “Let’s eat first.”

Bai Zhi nodded, not even daring to look up at the other party. It was, it was truly embarrassing for a rabbit! Now that he was in a human body, why had his sense of shame suddenly become so strong!

He didn’t understand himself, nor did he understand Xie Yuzhan.

Why the sudden kiss?

He didn’t even register what he ate during the meal, his mind constantly brainstorming.

Goodnight hugs and cheek kisses fell within the scope of friends and family, but a lip kiss was definitively a typical romantic gesture. Did Xie Yuzhan like him a little, making a kiss normal?

Then why was he willing to accept it?

If someone else had kissed him like that, he definitely wouldn’t have agreed; he would have kicked them away instantly. Could it be that Lu Qinghe was right, and he did feel a little… like… for Xie Yuzhan?

Just thinking about it made his fur stand on end!

Falling in love with a natural enemy? Impossible. The risk was far too great. He would never do something so dangerously high-risk! Absolutely, absolutely impossible!!

Perhaps he accepted the kiss purely because he was mesmerized by CEO Xie’s good looks? Or was it curiosity about the act of kissing? Or maybe because their relationship had been very good recently, and his lack of human social experience meant he had no concept of what was acceptable between lovers?

One of these reasons must be true.

Yes, that’s right. That’s how it is. Life comes first, freedom second. A little rabbit would never do anything that jeopardized those two things.

They ate dinner in silence. He didn’t mention the kiss at all, and neither did Xie Yuzhan. Good, good, it was best if it just faded away vaguely.

Putting down his chopsticks, he stood up, retrieved the gift box from the other end of the table, and handed it to Xie Yuzhan. Although he tried hard to maintain eye contact, his gaze still drifted slightly. He managed to steady his voice and said, “This gift, Yu… Happy Birthday.”

Close call! He almost blurted out the address “Brother Yuzhan.” Thankfully, he slammed on the brakes.

He hadn’t felt anything when he used that address before, but now… it felt a little hot on his tongue.

Xie Yuzhan clearly saw Bai Zhi’s shyness but didn’t expose him. Things were good for now. If he gave the other party more positive feedback, the little rabbit would eventually fully emerge from his burrow and hop right into his arms.

He took the somewhat bulky, heavy gift box and asked, “Should I open it and take a look?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Bai Zhi nodded frantically. Just hurry up and move past the previous incident and onto the next stage!

Xie Yuzhan was very cooperative. He opened it and saw ten vinyl records, all classic piano pieces.

His eyes flickered, and he smiled, asking, “What made you think of giving me this?”

Bai Zhi pursed his lips and slowly replied, “You play the piano very well, and I feel like you really enjoy it. Also, I saw that you have a very classical gramophone in your study, and you sometimes listen to vinyl records. Although I think it’s a bit old-fashioned, it suits you well. It’s very elegant and refined.”

Xie Yuzhan chuckled softly and ruffled Bai Zhi’s hair, looking at the other’s trembling eyelashes. The curve of his lips was genuinely hard to suppress.

He closed the lid of the gift box and said, “I now agree with what you said. At least this year’s birthday was very happy. Thank you, Zhizhi.”

Bai Zhi finally looked at Xie Yuzhan, his gaze no longer wandering. He let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s good. We can celebrate birthdays together again in the future if we have the chance.”

“Of course.”

Xie Yuzhan was quite optimistic about their future. Since both had feelings, all that was needed was to give Bai Zhi a little more courage and certainty. When the one-year term was up, divorce would be out of the question.

If the other party didn’t make a move by then, he could directly confess.

All that was left was a proposal and a wedding.

The two chatted for a while longer, selected a record to listen to in the study, and by the time they said goodnight and left the study, Bai Zhi’s emotions had significantly calmed down.

Standing outside the door, he rubbed his cheeks, took a deep breath, and shook his head, trying to clear all the unrelated, messy thoughts from his mind.

Stop thinking about things that don’t matter.

There were still a few months until the one-year term expired. Instead of dwelling on incomprehensible or impossible issues, it was better to live well during this time.

However!

Xie Yuzhan was acting strange, too strange!

A few days later, they were chatting about funny incidents during his live streams at dinner. In the middle of the conversation, the other party suddenly remarked that his interactions with his viewers were too intimate.

Huh?

Why did that sound a little off?

He seriously thought back, frowning slightly. “It’s fine… right? It’s just normal interaction. I didn’t say anything excessive.”

Xie Yuzhan put down his chopsticks, slowly wiped his hands, and looked composed and calm. “The way you talk to them is as gentle as coaxing a child, very patient. And they use all sorts of strange names for you. Bunny was mentioned before, but what else do they call you now?”

“Sweetheart, baby, darling—isn’t that ambiguous?”

“You are, after all, a married man.”

Bai Zhi’s brain stalled. Ambiguous? Married man?

What was he talking about!

CEO Xie looked like he was about to turn into a sour lemon.

He quickly explained, “It’s friendly, yes, but it’s miles away from being ambiguous. That’s not true, don’t talk nonsense. How could I possibly be ambiguous with my viewers! I don’t like that kind of thing either.”

Xie Yuzhan followed Bai Zhi’s lead. “Since there’s nothing going on, you should make it clear to your viewers not to call you that anymore.”

Bai Zhi’s eye twitched. Yet, Xie Yuzhan spoke earnestly, very seriously, with no hint of joking.

He was genuinely bothered.

CEO Xie, when jealous… was surprisingly a little cute? Very different from his usual self.

Frankly, his communication with his viewers hadn’t involved anything inappropriate. Although this request wasn’t entirely reasonable, still!

He didn’t mind it; in fact, he liked it a little?

Being cared for by such an excellent person was always a happy thing. Within the bounds of marriage, he would cooperate with what he could. It wasn’t a big deal; as long as the other party was happy. Since he had stated it so clearly, he naturally had to satisfy him.

He wanted Mr. Wolf to be happy too.

During the live stream that evening, Xie Yuzhan said he would stay with him to supervise him making things clear to the viewers.

Fine, fine. He suppressed a helpless laugh. Although Xie Yuzhan’s slight affection for him was just a game, he was quite invested, and he was genuinely doing a good job.

He would cooperate. As long as CEO Xie was happy, it was just a matter of asking the viewers to tone it down a bit. No problem.

In the study, he checked the streaming equipment as usual. After setting everything up, just as he was about to tell Xie Yuzhan that he was starting, he felt the other person approach from behind.

CEO Xie reached over him and rested his hands on the edge of the desk. The posture was subtle, almost as if he were embracing Bai Zhi entirely.

And it felt different from a goodnight hug.

He tensed up slightly and asked with a smile, “What is it?”

Xie Yuzhan lowered his gaze, focusing on Bai Zhi’s slender, pale neck. His eyes were dark. He gently ruffled the other’s hair and whispered, “I really want to tell them myself that you are mine.”

Bai Zhi could feel the slight airflow from Xie Yuzhan’s words hitting the side of his neck, tickling him and sending a wave of numbness. He tilted his head, trying to dodge, yet unconsciously exposed more.

He pursed his lips, his voice a little dry. “You telling them yourself… is fine too.”

Xie Yuzhan chuckled softly. Besides telling them, he also wanted to put a mark on Bai Zhi, right there on his fair, jade-like neck.