The room fell utterly silent, so quiet you could hear the seconds tick by.

Su Zhi looked down at the girl, and the white-haired, blue-eyed girl looked up at him. They could clearly feel each other’s warmth.

Su Zhi blinked, trying to gently push her away. "I’m fine now. Maybe you could let go..."

"No."

Shao Ya pouted, shaking her head like a stubborn little puppy and burying it deeper into his chest.

"You scared me to death. Let me hug you a bit longer. Just consider it compensation."

’What kind of compensation is this...’ Su Zhi laughed in spite of himself, letting her hug him even tighter.

Her bright white hair brushed past his nose, carrying the faint, pleasant scent of shampoo. He felt the soft warmth of her in his arms, and if he focused, he could even feel her heartbeat.

"...Are you done yet?" Su Zhi’s face felt a little hot.

"I’m done." Seeing his reaction, Shao Ya chuckled and gently let him go.

"Su Baby’s all grown up. Mommy understands that some things are a little embarrassing now~"

’What’s there to be so smug about? You’re only a few months older than me,’ Su Zhi thought, rolling his eyes.

"So, why did you faint?"

Shao Ya asked curiously, "Normally, advancing a Beast Taming Space is a peaceful process. There shouldn’t be any kind of drastic reaction."

"I don’t know either."

Su Zhi shook his head. "I just felt like I suddenly fell into darkness... and then I saw a massive eye..."

The girl pulled out a small notebook. "This big eye you mentioned, just how big was it?"

"It wasn’t a matter of big or not, it’s that it was a very special kind of..."

Su Zhi gestured as he spoke. Seeing Shao Ya’s deadpan expression, he was instantly reminded of that famous movie scene, and they both covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.

"Anyway! Congratulations on breaking through to a Tier Two Beast Taming Space, Su Baby~"

Shao Ya gazed at the ceiling. "I should be breaking through to Tier Two soon, and Cao Mingyu and Liu Yuhang will too. Based on previous years, a whole group of people will reach Tier Two before sophomore year starts."

"It’s that competitive...?"

Shao Ya shrugged. "That’s nothing. Some people reach a Tier Four Beast Taming Space by senior year!"

Su Zhi sighed.

According to Zhou Shengfa, back in his day, even college students weren’t guaranteed to reach a Tier Four Beast Taming Space before graduation. The competition among Beast Tamers had gotten more and more intense over the past couple of years.

And those who were crushed by the competition naturally just wasted away~

"Hey, Treasures, dinner’s ready!"

Just as they were chatting, Su Mao’s voice called from outside the room.

Only then did Su Zhi feel a pang of hunger, remembering that he hadn’t even eaten lunch.

"Come on, let’s go get dinner."

Su Zhi said, turning to Shao Ya. "You didn’t get to eat lunch either, did you?"

"I... I ate, of course."

RUMBLE~~

"..."

A moment of silence hung in the air. A blush crept up the girl’s cheeks. She turned her head away and scampered out of the room.

With a silent smile, Su Zhi also got up, left the bedroom, turned off the light, and closed the door behind him.

The dining room grew lively, while a quiet and pure starlight steeped the bedroom in tranquility.

·

After dinner, the two of them went for a walk around the green space in their apartment complex, with Yu Bao and Xiaoyue trailing behind.

"Woof!" "Arf!" "Hiss!"

The three Yu Baos excitedly wagged their tails at Xiaoyue, running in circles around him.

Big Bro Xiaoyue, look! My Sand Shadow Guard got stronger again! It can even use Skills!

Surrounded by the three Yu Baos, Xiaoyue stared up at the sky, feeling his will to live drain away.

’One silly little dog was already a headache. Now there were two more. This was a lethal dose.’

’Has the world made some kind of mistake?’

"Hiss!"

"Hiss!"

"Hiss!"

Just then, the three Yu Baos trotted over with three smooth pebbles in their mouths and placed them in front of Xiaoyue.

One was engraved with a landscape painting, another with Su Zhi and Shao Ya, and the last with Su Zhi and a silly little dog.

"ARF!" The three Yu Baos wagged their tails at Xiaoyue, their faces full of eager anticipation.

"Mrow." Xiaoyue nodded in satisfaction and gave each of the three Yu Baos a pat on the head.

’Hmm, it seems three times the silly little dog isn’t necessarily a bad thing~’

"Yu Bao is getting so impressive," Shao Ya chuckled, covering her mouth. "He’s got Xiaoyue wrapped around his little finger!"

"Mrowr," Xiaoyue retorted, looking up.

He was not being wrapped around the silly little dog’s finger! He was just looking out for Yu Bao because he was his underling.

Su Zhi suddenly said, "If I remember correctly, there’s field training this Thursday, right?"

The city league was over, and everything was returning to normal. Tomorrow, the high school students would be heading back to campus.

Because of his suspension, Su Zhi had been unable to participate in the field training. But now that things were back to normal, he had regained the opportunity that was rightfully his.

"That’s right! I thought you might have forgotten, like last time."

The girl looked at him, winking playfully. "So? Are you excited?"

"I am a little excited," Su Zhi admitted, a slight smile playing on his lips.

’He thought of that timid Black Fighting Emperor. They hadn’t seen each other in a month. I wonder how he’s doing now? Has he gotten any braver?’

’Nope, it’s definitely not because he wanted to mooch some resources.’

High-quality resources could accelerate the recovery of a Pet Beast’s Energy Value after training and increase its maximum Energy Value. Some specific resources even had additional Effects on certain Pet Beasts.

Although Yu Bao’s stats could be increased directly with points, making resources less crucial, no one would ever complain about having too many.

’Su Zhi had no intention of mooching off the Little Black Fighting Emperor. Even though the Little Black Fighting Emperor was loaded, he really, truly had no intention of mooching off him.’

"You have such a wicked smile. What are you thinking about?" Shao Ya giggled, covering her mouth. She skipped a few steps ahead, her bright white hair catching the moonlight between the buildings.

With a single stomp, the girl triggered the sound-activated lights for the entire building, flooding the area with light.

"I’m heading home then! See you at school tomorrow!"

"Yeah, see you."

Su Zhi waved back, watching her bright white hair recede into the distance.

Just as she was about to enter her building, the girl suddenly stopped and met his gaze across the moonlit space between them.