ARIWLBBC Chapter 69

During lunch break, in the chief’s office, the man sat upright, staring seriously at a collection of over a hundred photos in front of him.

In the photos, a simple-minded person had their hair tied up in two small pigtails, dressed in a sparkling mermaid outfit, posing with a mix of elegance and restraint, with an undertone of bitter absurdity.

Five seconds later, the photo automatically switched to the next one.

At the bottom of a large swimming pool, an innocent-looking man squatted, holding his breath, with a pitiful and helpless expression. He had two white and pink bunny ears on his head and a short white tail behind him. The boy’s face was reflected on the water’s surface, smiling with unusual glee.

The scene changed to a GIF. The boy was struggling to carry a black leopard up the stairs. The leopard mischievously licked the boy’s back, its tongue taking off a layer of fabric. The boy, annoyed, slapped the leopard’s rump. The leopard froze for a moment, then excitedly raised its tail, shaking it.

The slideshow continued playing as Lie Beishuang rested his head on his hand, not lifting it for a while.

The scepter kindly stopped the slideshow, hovering beside the man.

“Please relax; these are just some wonderful memories shared between you and the young master.”

Seeing the man tightly shut his eyes, the scepter quickly pulled up another photo. “Oh, there’s also this one.”

After slowly exhaling, Lie Beishuang looked up. The image showed a small black leopard made of felt, with a serious expression, sticking out its tiny pink tongue. The leopard was holding the felt by the scruff of its neck, lying beside the boy, its blood-red eyes filled with deep satisfaction.

“This is the felt figure the young master made for you, which you mistook for your and the young master’s cub.” The staff felt that the warmth in the image was about to overflow. “Perhaps, Master, you will soon become a father.”

A father?

The morning scene uncontrollably replayed in the man’s mind, over and over again.

“He’s still young.”

The scepter heard the master’s slightly hoarse voice.

Indeed.

The young master is still young; he hasn’t even truly seen the wonders of this world. At an age when he should be exploring, he was trapped by family responsibilities, undoubtedly the most cruel experience.

The responsibilities that come with marriage can easily overwhelm a person and may even deprive them of their dreams and freedom. Frankly speaking, compared to the master, the young master is just a child. Expecting a child to raise another child and take care of a family is unlikely to end well.

What’s even more challenging is that the master’s family, status, and background will bring more troubles to the young master. It’s like putting a lively, cute bird in shackles, locking it in a cage, and subjecting it to pressure from all sides every day.

No matter how much delicious food or how exquisite the cage is, it cannot compensate for the harm done to the bird.

Even if one were to start a family, it should be after the bird has grown up, strong enough to bear these burdens, and powerful enough to resist various rumors and pressures. But all this requires time, perhaps one or two years, or it could be ten or twenty years.

The scepter understood the master’s worries and could also sense the deep guilt emanating from him.

Taking advantage of the estrus period to consummate the relationship with a newly adult human was a huge gain, but it also meant indulging in youthful temptation.

Even though the young master took the initiative, he was still young, at an age where a moment of impulse could lead to mistakes. During such a time, the guidance of a mature elder is needed to help stabilize emotions and teach him restraint.

But what did the elder beside him do?

Instead of offering any advice, he shamelessly went along with the impulsive young man, depriving the boy of his innocence and indulging in a night of indulgence, which even disrupted his biological clock the next morning.

What was he thinking?

“You have a new visitor,” the sound of the office door interrupted, and the projection of a bald parrot appeared at the entrance.

The scepter became somewhat alert. Visits during the lunch break typically meant something significant had occurred. Could it be that the bald parrot had noticed something unusual about yesterday’s events?

“Permission to enter,” Lie Beishuang wiped the softness from his eyes and straightened his expression.

“Chief,” the bald parrot walked steadily to the desk, maintaining an ambiguous smile, “I’m here for a personal matter today.”

Personal matter? Lie Beishuang raised an eyebrow slightly.

Last night, after getting off work, the bald parrot had a rare good sleep, dreaming of being gently comforted by a human with soothing lullabies. Everything felt so warm and comfortable, as if it were back in its egg.

When it woke up in the morning, the constant dull pain in its head had miraculously disappeared. It didn’t need coffee to feel energized, and even the household robot noticed that it was in an exceptionally good mood today.

Having never had time to interact with humans, the bald parrot suddenly understood why so many beastmen longed for human comfort, even willing to give up everything for their companionship.

But why, of all people, was there one beastman who worked overtime every day, leaving the human who cared for him to sneak into the Black Pearl at great risk? This beastman was so stingy, hoarding vast wealth, yet letting his human be so poor that he couldn’t even afford a book!

And to make matters worse, this beastman took full advantage of the human, yet showed no intention of taking responsibility!

Such a beastman is truly the shame of beastmen.

“Ahem,” the bald parrot cleared its throat, “Yesterday, a cute little guy, who claimed to be your prospective partner, showed me the match information from the marriage matching system, so I believed him. Since we discussed some matters related to marriage, I recommended the book *The Chief’s Wife* to him and gave him a 50% discount coupon.”

“Now that I think about it, I was really foolish,” the bald parrot pretended to be troubled, tapping its head lightly with the tip of its wing.

“You’ve been working overtime for quite a while now, not coming home for days on end. Based on the principles you taught us about balancing work and family, how could you possibly have a human fiancé?

And besides, leaving a human waiting anxiously—what kind of beastman would do such a thing? As the best beastman in the alliance, you certainly wouldn’t do something like that either.”

The scepter looked a bit flustered, glancing at its master. The all-nighter had been necessary to deal with work that had piled up during the intense mating season, and the master had already paid the price for it. The young master almost left him, even going so far as to block his ID. Seeing the young master being confessed to time and again, and the waves of love flowers in front of the villa, the master had spent several sleepless nights.

Lie Beishuang, expressionless, quietly observed the bald parrot before him.

“Oh, right,” the parrot flapped its wings, “that little cutie said he was short on money. Even with the 50% discount coupon, he still couldn’t afford the book and asked me to extend the coupon’s validity.”

“I was really foolish at the time,” the bald parrot shook its head, “How could your fiancé possibly not afford a book? Honestly, as the Alliance’s Finance Minister, I can see the taxes you pay each year.

Even though your primary role is as Chief, the taxes from your side ventures are quite substantial. With such a vast fortune, just a little bit slipping through your fingers would be enough to ensure a family lives comfortably for a lifetime. How could your fiancé be in such financial straits?”

The scepter gave a guilty glance at its master, realizing it hadn’t yet reported the issue with the payment for the leopard.

“So, in conclusion,” the bald parrot, having finished its thinly veiled mockery, moved on to the next part, “the human I saw yesterday is definitely not your fiancé. He likely snuck in through a secret passage and might even be a spy sent by the Zerg.

But the Black Pearl’s defenses didn’t react at all, so I think we need to have the Black Pearl conduct a self-inspection. We also need to figure out that human’s identity and arrest him promptly to prevent him from leaking any of the Black Pearl’s secrets.”

The bald parrot finished its speech in one breath, then continued to smile calmly at the man before it.

What would this golden child do now that his hidden, ugly side had been exposed?

Would he pretend not to know the kid, hiding the truth to protect his pride? Or would he claim the boy was just an admirer, calmly pay off the credit points, and then vent his frustrations at the sensor panel after the parrot left?

The office was silent for quite a while.

“He is my fiancé.”

The man’s voice was unusually steady, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

This straightforward admission caught the parrot a bit off guard.

“How is that possible?” The bald parrot feigned surprise, covering its beak with a wing. “You’re so outstanding, a role model for countless young beastmen. How could you be the kind of beastman who neglects family and is extremely stingy?”

“I’m not a role model.” Lie Beishuang’s tone was calm. “In matters of affection, I’m still exploring.”

The man spoke naturally and casually, completely different from his usual work meetings, as if engaging in everyday conversation and discussing trivial matters.

“As you can see, my fiancé is still young. If a five-year age gap is a generation gap, there are at least three such gaps between us.” Lie Beishuang lowered his eyes, his expression indifferent. “Do you have children?”

“Yes,” the bald parrot nodded.

Lie Beishuang looked up and stood from his smart chair. The bald parrot unconsciously followed him to the smart sofa and sat opposite him.

“Do you know what kids like these days?” Lie Beishuang glanced at the scepter. The scepter understood and brought a glass of pure water to the bald parrot.

“I don’t know,” the bald parrot shook its head. “My child lived with my ex-wife. They used to stay with me on weekends, but they’ve grown up recently and don’t come over anymore.”

“My human and I have known each other for fifty-three days, from our first meeting until today. Yet, I still don’t know what my human likes.” Lie Beishuang’s expression showed a hint of helplessness.

“He eats everything, including wanting to try leopard food; he likes milk-flavored things and prefers drinking water that’s been boiled and then cooled; he likes my beast form and also maintains interest in my human form; he often seems to be thinking about something, always concerned about his height, but he has no complaints about his current life. You’ll find that you can’t really pinpoint what he genuinely likes or dislikes. It’s as if the things he truly likes or dislikes don’t exist in this world.”

“Children, huh?” The bald parrot seemed somewhat empathetic. “I used to think that the older generation didn’t understand us, but now that I’m at this age, I find that I don’t understand the next generation’s thoughts either. You might find it better to just ask him directly what he wants.”

Lie Beishuang stared at the bald parrot. “Do you know what ‘Kangaroo Skewers,’ ‘Hotpot,’ and ‘Fatty Water’ are?”

“What, what are those?” The bald parrot looked puzzled.

“I checked carefully on the star network,” the scepter interjected. “Hot pot is one of the popular foods on the ancestral planet Earth from a thousand years ago. However, there’s something called ‘base material’ that we find hard to gather now. We’re looking for alternatives and trying to recreate it.”

“A thousand years ago?” The bald parrot managed a dry smile. “Your human’s tastes are quite deep.”

“If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to join us for a taste when the time comes,” Lie Beishuang politely extended an invitation. “After all, you did give him a 50% discount coupon.”

¹TL: YSIAD “You 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! ❤️”

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  TL: YSIAD “You 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! ❤️”