The big leopard moved with its usual speed, and the cool night breeze against Gugu’s face helped to clear Boge’s head a little.
Brushing back the hair that had been blown into disarray, Gugu leaned down and hugged the big leopard, nuzzling its fur with his face. The black panther gradually slowed down, taking his human companion on a leisurely walk through the garden.
The thrill of the night run reminded Gugu of his past life. His school was far from home, and there were limited spots in the dormitory. Every evening after late-night study sessions, Boge had to catch the last night bus home. Sometimes, when he left late, he would end up sprinting after the bus, gasping for breath, only to miss it and have to walk home in defeat.
The wind would steal your breath and send a chill down your throat, but if you buried your face in the big cat’s fur, you’d find warmth and a pleasant scent.
If Gugu had met the big leopard in his previous life, at least he wouldn’t have had to chase after buses.
The night breeze gradually became gentle, and the boy, lying on the panther’s back, yawned sleepily. The black panther steadied its pace and started to head back.
Under the bright blue moon, the black panther had experienced countless nights like this. The smell of plants mingling with the cool night air seemed tranquil and soothing, lulling one to sleep. Yet, in the dead of night, that tranquility could suddenly jolt you awake, leaving you staring into a haunting silence until dawn.
Since the Zerg had surrendered and signed the peace agreement with the alliance, the days of bloody battles seemed increasingly distant for everyone. People were relishing the peace, but for many warriors, sleep was still elusive.
It wasn’t just the years of interstellar warfare that had left soldiers detached from normal life—there was a harsher truth. After leaving the battlefield, many of these soldiers stood among the crowd, looking around, only to realize they were alone.
The victory in the interstellar war was celebrated by all, with people cheering for the returning heroes. Soldiers, in their crisp uniforms, disembarked from the starships, greeted by long-lost family members, friends, or lovers.
Some were surrounded by loved ones, while others quietly left, heading to the homes arranged by the alliance, sitting by their beds unsure of what tomorrow would bring, left alone to face the solitude of the night.
If Boge had met him earlier, would he have been the first to rush through the crowd, embracing him when he stepped off the starship? Would they have lain together in bed, too excited to sleep all night, with Boge recounting tales of the battlefield and strange events until he fell asleep from exhaustion?
Once they were inside the house, the black panther carefully laid the boy down on the big bed. The day’s studies had left the human exhausted, and he no longer had the energy to cause his usual mischief at night.
The panther silently watched over the boy. Even in his drowsiness, Boge sensed the warmth beside him and instinctively grabbed a panther leg, resting his face against it.
“Meow…”
The black panther lay beside the boy, eyes filled with tenderness.
The nights used to be difficult to endure, but not anymore.
Although they hadn’t met in the past, the future would not be missed, and that was enough.
The night breeze was gentle, the blue moon still watching over the earth. A hand softly brushed aside the hair near Boge’s face, preventing it from getting into his mouth. The panther leg in Boge’s arms had transformed into a well-muscled arm.
Since Teacher Tu arrived, Gugu felt that his academic life was finally getting back on track. Given the teaching style he experienced in his past life, Boge’s ability to self-learn wasn’t very strong.
Teacher Tu easily spotted the weaknesses in his students, and he taught Gugu methods for independent study. As a result, Boge was reading more books every day and felt increasingly fulfilled, finally feeling like he was catching up with the times.
After a month, Gugu had steadily earned 68 academic credits. Excited, Gugu shared the good news with Leopard. The next day, Teacher Tu arrived triumphantly, even suggesting giving Boge a day off.
“After receiving the payment from your father, I feel like I’m a rich sea hare!” Teacher Tu couldn’t help but exclaim. “In just a month, I made what would have taken me a whole year for tuition and living expenses. It really feels like a dream.”
“Congratulations, Teacher Tu,” Gugu responded with a smile. After some thought, Gugu couldn’t help but feel the need to correct Teacher Tu’s understanding of his relationship with Leopard.
“I have something I’d like to discuss with you,” Boge said, trying to be serious about the matter.
Because of Leopard’s territorial nature, Teacher Tu had to leave before Leopard arrived, leaving no chance for Gugu to explain things. After being Leopard’s “son” for a month, Boge had almost slipped and called Leopard “Dad” yesterday when picking him up after work.
This was becoming a bit too much.
“I also have something to share with you!” Teacher Tu said mysteriously, opening his virtual device. “Ta-da!”
Gugu saw several panels displaying trending topics or personalities on the interstellar network. Each panel was accompanied by a data box, and most of the numbers were in the eight-digit range.
“What’s this?” Boge asked, confused.
“The biggest entertainment feature on the star network—this year’s hottest personality rankings. Anyone who reached over a hundred million in popularity this year is in the running. And you’re in there!” Teacher Tu was brimming with excitement.
The boy’s smile gradually faded.
Wasn’t it said that the internet has no memory? It had already been two or three months, so why was he still digging up old news? Did Gugu not care about his face?
“This is the annual pre-celebration entertainment event for the alliance, a nationwide celebration. Look, your popularity is quite high; hurry and get people to boost it for you. You might even make it into the top three!”
“I’m not interested,” Gugu pouted, “I only love studying.”
“Sigh, I guessed as much,” Teacher Tu said somewhat regretfully. “It’s just a shame about the million credit point prize for the top three, and the free seven-day trip to the five-star amusement planet.”
A million credit points, plus a free trip to the amusement planet?
Gugu leaned in closer. “How do I participate?”
“Simple!” Teacher Tu’s eyes lit up like light bulbs. “You just need to post a message on your popularity bar and share your popularity information!”
A single message?
Gugu looked at the projection of his popularity information, seeing his tear-streaked face, and awkwardly turned his head away.
“What about ‘After the storm comes the rainbow?'” the sea hare racked his brains.
“Too cheesy,” Boge shook his head, biting the sensory pen he used for studying, pondering for a while before typing out a few emoji.
“What’s this?” Teacher Tu leaned in curiously. “A crying face, then a black cat, a leash, a red heart, and finally a smiling face?”
“This is the black panther,” Gugu corrected the emoji.
“Quite amusing,” the sea hare mused for a moment before suddenly turning pale, his fingers trembling as he looked at Gugu as if he were a young and thoughtless unfilial child.
“You… you actually are in a young love!”
Gugu retorted confidently, “I’m eighteen; being an adult doesn’t count as young love!”
“Oh my gosh, you must not let your father see this message!” The sea hare panicked, flailing. “You’re not like me; I can grow another leg if I break one!”
Gugu shot Teacher Tu a sympathetic look.
“I already sent it out.”
“Hurry, recall it, delete it!” Teacher Tu’s voice grew high-pitched with urgency, tears welling up. “I really am too incompetent; I didn’t even notice you were in a relationship! I owe your father a high salary!”
Gugu stifled a laugh, watching as the sea hare became increasingly frantic, making a mess of the holographic display.
When Nais brought in seawater and milk, Gugu saw the sea hare standing motionless in front of the holographic display, as if his soul had left his body.
“Even if you can’t delete it, it’s okay,” Gugu comforted Teacher Tu. “Just drink some water.”
“It’s over.” The sea hare stared intently at the boy, pulling up the latest popularity information.
Trending news: [The chief’s 136th marriage match failed.]
Trending figure: Lie Beishuang
Latest comment from trending figure: [Thank you, marriage matching system.]
It was accompanied by a heart emoji, the same one Gugu used.
Feeling sweet inside, Boge hadn’t even had time to blush before Teacher Tu’s wail echoed through the floor.
“It’s over; your dad must have seen it!”
“How did you figure it out?” Gugu licked his lips, trying to guide Teacher Tu toward the truth.
“Look, the emojis he used are the same as yours. This emoji set is quite old; usually, people wouldn’t dig that deep to find the same set of emojis!” The sea hare explained earnestly. “Moreover, he retweeted his popularity information less than ten minutes after you sent yours, using the same set of emojis—this ‘heart’ is exactly the same! Isn’t that obvious?”
“Yeah, isn’t that obvious?” Boge replied faintly, looking at the sea hare.
The girl stood still, sensing something unusual. Words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t connect them to her brain, resorting to gestures without knowing how to describe it.
“After he saw the message I retweeted, he immediately used the same emoji set as mine, including the heart,” Boge nudged, guiding gently.
“Truly…” Teacher Tu’s face turned beet red. Gugu watched eagerly, as if the truth were within reach.
“He actually copied your emojis!” Teacher Tu finally voiced his thoughts loudly. “If he wanted to find the same set of emojis, it should take him a while! The chief actually copied your emojis; that’s just lazy!”
Gugu turned away, deciding not to look at this single sea hare any longer.
“Wow, the chief’s popularity shot up all of a sudden.” The sea hare let out a high-pitched scream. “Netizens say his heart emoji carries visible killing intent!”
“Wow, your popularity is also rising!” Teacher Tu leaned closer to Gugu, his eyes burning with gossip. “Netizens are praising your emoji as cute and asking who your new partner is; do they still have a chance?”
Gugu fell into thought.
Could this be what they called the same “heart” but different fates?
“Quick, look! Your emoji is trending! So many influencers are using it! Especially that heart!”
Seeing the sea of heart emojis flooding the star network, Boge sighed as he closed his holographic display and lay his head on the table.
“It’s a holiday today; how about I take you out for a walk and buy some things?” The sea hare sat beside Gugu. “I just received my salary, and since you’ll be starting school in two months, you’ll need to prepare quite a bit.”
“Are we going to the Free Trading Center?” Boge perked up immediately, recalling it was where he had bought the black panther, which held significant memories!
“If you want to go, of course we can,” the sea hare hesitated, recalling something. “I almost forgot your identity; your father probably doesn’t allow you to go out often, right?”
“He won’t mind.” Gugu felt curious about the unlimited quota and started to get excited at the mention of the Free Trading Center.
“Maybe we should ask the chief,” the sea hare expressed concern. “Or have Nice come with us; if anything happens to you, I can’t compensate for all the times my legs get broken!”
“Then I’ll just tell him.” Boge quickly edited a message and sent it to Leopard, who almost replied immediately.
“Look,” Boge showed the information to the sea hare.
“Stay safe and have fun,” there was another heart emoji at the end.
“What kind of divine father is this?” The sea hare couldn’t help but exclaim. “It would be even better if he gave a few credit points.”
Just as Teacher Tu finished speaking, Boge saw a transfer notification from the black panther, with the note saying “pocket money.”
So the unlimited quota was meant to teach Gugu how to do business?
Boge counted his pocket money, revealing an uncontrollable smile of wealth. That prize from the popularity ranking didn’t seem like much after all.
“Can I ask the chief if he needs another son?” The sea hare watched the whole process, feeling as if he had swallowed countless lemons. “A daughter would work too.”
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
