What does it mean to be hermaphroditic?
Nais served milk tea and seawater, watching the new tutor patiently teaching the young master with a graceful smile before leaving.
During break time, Gu Gu picked up the milk tea, unable to stop glancing at Teacher Tu over and over again. From the outside, she looked like a cute girl with slightly curled bangs, a flushed face, and a super pretty dress.
“Stop looking at me like that.” Her rough yet slightly bashful voice brought Gu Gu back to his senses in an instant.
“Sorry.” Gu Gu blushed a little. Staring like that was indeed a bit impolite.
The sea hare glanced around cautiously and then sat next to the boy, lowering her voice. “Do you know why your father chose me to be your tutor?”
“My… father?” Gu Gu was startled.
The sea hare nodded and gently guided the conversation. “First of all, I’m a student at the First Military Academy. I’ve been there for seven years. Because of my student status, I can evaluate your ‘school social activities’ category, which will give you 6 extra credits, allowing you to skip a course. And there’s something else…”
Teacher Tu scooted a little further away from Gu Gu, adding a mysterious air. “You might not know, but I competed with eight people for this position, all of them handsome men and beautiful women. I’m the only one who looks, well, more ordinary.”
“Teacher Tu, you look adorable,” Gu Gu sincerely complimented.
“No, no.” The sea hare waved her hand quickly. “The final interview was conducted by none other than the Chief himself. At first, I didn’t know it was him who was hiring a tutor. The moment I saw him during the interview, my heart nearly stopped.”
“I was so nervous. My legs wouldn’t stop shaking. The Chief asked me questions about the shape of the universe, basic cosmology, and my mind went completely blank.”
Gu Gu hesitated as if wanting to say something but stopped.
“I definitely didn’t give the best performance,” the sea hare said, placing a hand on her chest and taking a deep breath. “But your father still chose me. I didn’t understand it at first, but the moment I saw you, it all became clear.”
“Why?” Gu Gu took a small sip of milk tea, eyes full of curiosity.
“Because…” Teacher Tu looked seriously at the boy. “He’s afraid you’ll start dating too early.”
“Pfft!” Gu Gu spat out his milk tea.
The big cat’s afraid I’ll fall in love too soon?!
Early dating?
“Shh, shh, shh.” Teacher Tu was quick to wipe the milk tea Gu Gu had sprayed. “The moment I saw you, I recognized you right away. You’re the human who was crying in the milk bar the other day over a breakup. But I never thought you were the Chief’s child.”
Clutching the milk tea cup, Gu Gu felt so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear into the floor.
Bad news spreads fast, doesn’t it?
Now Gu Gu didn’t even dare to watch the video of himself from that time, crying like a dog with snot bubbles. It had been viewed billions of times on the Star Network. Everyone knew about his recent heartbreak and the way he had cried.
“Early dating is often naive and mostly ends in disappointment,” Teacher Tu said earnestly, looking at the boy. “At your age, it’s easy to develop feelings for beastmen, but your judgment isn’t mature yet, and you might end up encountering unreliable beastmen.”
“But I’m already eighteen,” Gu Gu weakly protested.
“Children are always children in the eyes of their parents,” Teacher Tu adapted quickly. “Look at your father. To prevent you from early dating, he chose a hermaphrodite like me. Other candidates had advanced teenage psychology certificates and master’s degrees in cosmology, but they were just good-looking and not suitable.”
Gu Gu let out a long sigh.
“A cute human like you should definitely listen to your father and study hard. At your age, you should be swimming in the sea of knowledge, not taking a bath in the river of love just because of a moment’s impulse,” Teacher Tu said, taking a sip of seawater to clear her throat.
“He’s not my father,” Gu Gu said, also growing serious and raising his voice a little.
Teacher Tu blinked rapidly, reassessing the boy. “I didn’t expect that.”
You haven’t seen the surprises yet, Gu Gu thought, but before he could speak, Teacher Tu voiced her concern, “Even such a cute human has a rebellious phase.”
Rebellious phase?
Gu Gu was stunned.
“When I was your age, I was rebellious too. Everything you’re saying now is exactly what I said back then,” Teacher Tu reminisced. “I don’t know what your father’s temper is like, but when I told my mom, ‘He’s not my dad,’ after he overheard me, I was kicked out of the house.”
Gu Gu gave up on struggling and supported his forehead with his hand, remaining silent.
“Working outside is really tough,” Teacher Tu sighed sadly. “I should have just avoided upsetting him. Who knows, I might still have some living expenses now. I’m a living example of what not to do, so take it as a lesson and definitely don’t upset your father.”
The boy remained silent.
“Oh, right. Speaking of which, compared to the other candidates, I do have a clear advantage. Guess what it is?” Teacher Tu tried to pique the boy’s interest.
“Is it that you talk a lot?” Gu Gu smiled at the girl.
Teacher Tu covered her chest with one hand and made a slightly hurt expression, her voice slowing down. “Actually, apart from being a student in cosmology, I’m the youngest among the candidates. Your father said that younger people have more common topics to talk about.”
“How did he tell you that?” Gu Gu was curious. “Did he say he has a son?”
If he really said that, Gu Gu would definitely have to tease the big cat when he came back in the evening.
“Your father’s exact words were, ‘There’s a little kid at home who finds cosmology a bit challenging and needs you to be patient and help him.’” Teacher Tu’s eyes sparkled. “When the Chief spoke about you, his eyes were so gentle, radiating that kind of paternal love. He must really care about you.”
Paternal love?
Gu Gu looked at the girl for a long while before speaking softly, “Teacher Tu, have you… never been in a relationship?”
“Is it that obvious?” The girl covered her face with both hands, looking a bit shy. “How did you figure it out?”
Was it really that hard to tell?
If someone could mistake the scent of romance on the big cat for paternal love, then they were either born clueless or had been single from birth.
“It’s okay,” Gu Gu said, waving his hand. “Teacher Tu, let’s continue.”
Once they resumed studying, Teacher Tu immediately became serious, setting aside the seawater and sitting next to Gu Gu to guide him attentively.
Before leaving, Teacher Tu gave Gu Gu a must-read booklet for early education and advised him to read two pages every day. She had clearly noticed Gu Gu’s issues with cosmology and appeared puzzled, as if he had been isolated from the world since childhood.
But it was understandable. Being the Chief’s child, he probably had a very unusual childhood.
Sitting in the advanced spacecraft, Teacher Tu silently calculated. The Chief’s age minus the boy’s age was exactly eighteen. No wonder the Chief’s romantic history was blank and he never matched with anyone; it turned out he had someone in mind all along. Maybe he even manipulated things behind the scenes to ensure he failed to match with others, and quietly had a child.
With the help of a tutor, Gu Gu managed to finish his homework early today. When Nais reminded him that the spacecraft had arrived, Gu Gu quickly ran to the door and jumped at the sight of the big cat.
The feeling of being welcomed by a human was quite wonderful. Lie Beishuang picked up the boy in his arms and gently kissed his cheek, as if all the day’s exhaustion could vanish in that one moment.
“How’s the tutor?” Lie Beishuang asked the boy during dinner.
“It’s pretty good,” Gu Gu sighed as he thought about Teacher Tu believing he was the big cat’s child.
He really didn’t look anything like the kind of offspring the big cat could have, did he?
“Is there anything you’re unhappy about?” Lie Beishuang noticed Gu Gu’s sigh and immediately asked. “If there’s anything uncomfortable, you can tell me.”
“It’s nothing,” Gu Gu didn’t dare to say much. If he did, the big cat might end up dismissing Teacher Tu. It was already bad enough that she had been kicked out of her home; he didn’t want her to lose her job as well.
But if he said nothing, the big cat would worry.
“Well…” Gu Gu remembered what Teacher Tu had said, “You’re so busy, and you personally interviewed the tutor for me. Doesn’t it affect your work?”
“I used my lunch break,” Lie Beishuang said after a moment of silence, putting down his utensils and looking directly at Gu Gu. “I still have their resumes. If you don’t like this one, you can choose another at will.”
“I like this one. There’s no need to trouble yourself further,” Gu Gu said, lowering his head to pick at his food. The big cat cared too much about his feelings and was really trying hard to do his best.
Nais stood aside, quietly watching the two of them.
“It’s no trouble,” Lie Beishuang said, raising his hand to cover Gu Gu’s left hand.
His hand was large, his fingers long, completely covering Gu Gu’s hand underneath, giving Gu Gu the illusion of a big hand holding a small one.
“Mimi,” Gu Gu looked up with his black eyes clear and cute, his voice soft.
Lie Beishuang’s heart was about to melt at that one word, willing to offer anything unconditionally.
“Can you turn into a leopard tonight so I can cuddle you?” Gu Gu blinked his eyes, looking moist.
“Of course,” Lie Beishuang nodded, unable to resist reaching up to ruffle Gu Gu’s head.
It had been a long time since he had cuddled something so furry. Seeing the black leopard lying in a ready pose on the bed, Gu Gu swallowed hard and leaped onto it, burying his face in the leopard’s belly and taking a deep breath.
It was truly… wonderful!
Gu Gu cuddled from head to tail, riding on the black leopard’s back. He touched the fully grown black fur, massaged the leopard’s face, squeezed its soft paw pads like chocolate cakes, and petted its long, fluffy tail. Everything made Gu Gu let out a happy howl.
The leopard was very well-behaved, letting Gu Gu touch everywhere. Its good nature made Gu Gu even more carefree, and he playfully bit the round leopard ears, holding the big cat’s neck tightly. The black leopard seemed a bit uncomfortable, shaking its head and ears slightly.
Seeing the leopard’s ears trying to pull away, Gu Gu stubbornly bit them again, unwilling to let go.
The human boy’s breath was all over the ears. Though the tips of the ears were not sensitive, the light biting made the leopard itch and struggle to maintain control.
A wave of heat surged toward his lower abdomen, and with the boy pressed so closely against him, the surrounding air felt stifling.
“Mimi,” the boy’s voice was right by his ear, soft and teasing, as if tempting the leopard.
“I want to ride the leopard.”
The big cat’s ears twitched, unsure for a moment what kind of “ride” the boy meant.
Seeing the big cat hesitate, Gu Gu tightened his hold on the big cat’s neck, trying to jog his memory. “You let me ride before; it was a lot of fun. Don’t you remember?”
Under the thick fur, the big cat’s body began to warm up.
Had they ridden before…?
Was it really okay for a human to do that?
Gu Gu felt the big cat starting to move, as if turning its body. Gu Gu loosened his grip, and the big cat, somewhat awkwardly, slowly turned around, exposing its soft belly.
Why would saying he wanted to ride lead to the leopard showing its belly? Gu Gu wondered if the leopard didn’t want him to ride it.
Looking at the leopard’s belly, Gu Gu saw the black leopard’s nervous expression and suddenly understood the big cat’s train of thought.
“It’s that kind of ride,” Gu Gu whispered, his face flushing.
The black leopard quickly flipped over, shaking its fur and forcing itself to appear calm.
1You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️” -TL: Ysiad
