In August, the heat was at its peak. The summer cicadas on the trees were chirping noisily. The breeze blew, and the leaves rustled.
Grandpa Lu returned home from the army, opened the gate, and looked up to see a wolf and a rabbit basking in the sun on the wooden couch in the yard. He couldn’t help but pause and smile at them.
It’s nine in the morning now, and the sun isn’t too intense yet. White clouds drift across the deep blue sky. Warm sunlight shines gently on the arctic wolf and the lop-eared rabbit, both of whom are already nodding off.
The arctic wolf holds the lop-eared rabbit in his arms, puts his head on the top of the lop-eared rabbit, his eyes half-lidded, and yawns lazily.
The lop-eared rabbit seems to think the arctic wolf’s head is too heavy. He climbs out with his forepaws. After struggling for a long time, he sticks half of his head out from under the arctic wolf’s head and breathes heavily. His two fluffy ears hang beside his head, and his dark eyes are round and open, like two obsidian stones.
The lop-eared rabbit seems to be a little tired. He had to stop and rest for a while, and then he tried to kick his two little hind legs again and tried to climb out.
He exerted all his strength, finally managing to crawl half his body out. Just as he was about to succeed, the arctic wolf, who had been half asleep with his eyes half shut, opened them slightly. Annoyed, he grabbed the lop-eared rabbit back into his arms, pressed him against the softest part of his neck, nuzzled him twice, and closed his eyes again.
The lop-eared rabbit’s soft fur was messed up by the arctic wolf. This time, he seemed to accept his fate and reluctantly found a comfortable position under the arctic wolf’s neck and fell asleep with his eyes closed.
The bodies of the arctic wolf and the lop-eared rabbit rose and fell in steady, gradually synchronizing even in the frequency of their breaths.
Grandpa Lu looked at them helplessly and shook his head, chuckled, took off his military cap, took a thin blanket, and gently put it on them.
…
When the arctic wolf woke up, the sun was getting more intense. He frowned unconsciously, rubbed the little rabbit’s head twice, and opened his eyes lazily.
His eyes were dark and bright, with the wildness of an arctic wolf. After a moment, he returned to human form and put the lop-eared rabbit in his front pocket, leaving only a snow-white head.
The pure imperial bloodline can revert the bearer to their original beast form. This kind of pure bloodline is very rare and precious. Lu Yang and Ruan Mian both possess pure bloodlines, but one is an arctic wolf and the other is a lop-eared rabbit.
Lu Yang is tall and slender, with the thinness of a teenager. When he walked into the house, Grandpa Lu was reading a newspaper.
Grandpa Lu saw him coming, raised his eyes slightly, and asked the nanny, Aunt Zhao, to pour him a cup of warm water.
“Grandpa.” Lu Yang called respectfully and sat down opposite Grandpa Lu.
Grandpa Lu was an Imperial Marshal, and as a soldier, he was highly disciplined, so although he doted on Lu Yang, Lu Yang didn’t dare to be too presumptuous in front of him.
After Aunt Zhao brought up the water, Lu Yang picked up the water cup and lowered his head to drink the water. His black hair fell in front of his forehead, half covering his eyes.
He reached back and caught his hair, revealing a clean and smooth forehead. Underneath his hairline are a pair of narrow peach blossom eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, with fair and snowy skin. His lightly pursed, thin lips were cherry-red, and his pearl-white teeth were neat and orderly. He was extremely striking and sharp, with a hint of aggression, devoid of any feminine qualities.
Grandpa Lu looked at his grandson and couldn’t help but smile with relief.
The Lu family had been enlisting in the army for generations since he was the first. His brothers and sons all joined the army when they became adults. He originally wanted his grandson to join the army so that he could complete the story of three generations of the Lu family enlisting in the army. But unfortunately, in Lu Yang’s generation, he only had this one grandson, and he was an Omega.
According to the empire’s regulations, Omegas cannot join the army. Although Grandpa Lu felt a little regretful, he was very pleased to see that his grandson was so outstanding. He only hoped that his grandson would live a safe and peaceful life without any disasters.
Lu Yang took a sip of water, and his handsome eyebrows could not help but frown. He swallowed the water reluctantly, looked up, and said, “Aunt Zhao, why does this water taste a bit strange?”
Aunt Zhao hurried over, wiped her hands with her apron, looked down at the water cup, and said in confusion, “There should be no problem; the water has been filtered, and the cup has been disinfected…”
Aunt Zhao paused, slapped her forehead, and suddenly remembered, “Look at my memory! The kettle I just filled with water was used for floral tea yesterday, so it might still have a bit of residual flavor.”
Lu Yang put down the water cup and said in a flat voice, “Change the kettle; don’t use it again.”
“…Yes, young master.” Aunt Zhao moved her mouth, nodded in frustration, and hurried to the kitchen to change a cup of water for Lu Yang, fearing that if she delayed for a while, the spoiled young master would be thirsty.
Grandpa Lu looked at Lu Yang and sighed softly, but he didn’t intervene. The arctic wolf’s temperament was naturally noble and bold. Lu Yang, being an Omega, was pampered by the whole family while growing up. Though he was not bold, he certainly amplified his natural nobility very well.
The Lu family’s arctic wolf bloodline is of esteemed status, but individuals with pure lineage like Lu Yang are exceedingly rare. If Lu Yang were an Alpha, he would undoubtedly become the strongest leader in the wolf pack. Unfortunately, he is an Omega, destined never to have his own wolf pack.
Arctic wolves naturally possess a strong sense of territory, especially within the Lu family, who are all military personnel. They have always been particularly doting and protective towards Omega individuals, who are seen as gentle and vulnerable. As the only grandson and Omega in the Lu family, Lu Yang naturally receives excessive pampering and care.
From childhood to adulthood, everything he eats and uses is of the finest quality. He will not wear clothes that are not pure cotton, will not eat fruits that are not organic, will not sleep without a soft pillow, must drive a luxury car when going out, and must walk in soft shoes.
If there’s any fatty meat, garlic, carrots, cilantro… he won’t touch any of it. His tastes are very particular, and any slight deviation is unacceptable. Fortunately, Aunt Zhao has been a maid in the Lu family for many years and knows Lu Yang’s habits like the back of her hand. It was just a momentary oversight this time that led to this mistake.
Aunt Zhao quickly brought the new glass of water back, stood by, and looked at Lu Yang nervously.
Lu Yang lowered his head, drank a sip of water, put down the cup, and said nothing more. Aunt Zhao was relieved, and she went back to the kitchen to continue working.
Grandpa Lu took a look at the lop-eared rabbit in Lu Yang’s pocket. The lop-eared rabbit curled up pitifully, and a fluffy little head appeared in Lu Yang’s pocket, looking round and cute.
He glanced at him a few times, and his voice softened unconsciously, “Xiao Mian1Xiao means little and can be used as a nickname or repeating the name twice can also be used as a nicknamelooks unhappy?”
Lu Yang lowered his eyes, looked at Ruan Mian, and asked indifferently, “He has been sleeping since you came back. How do you know he is in a bad mood?”
His fingers unconsciously touched the drooping ears of the little rabbit, which were soft and fluffy, reminiscent of the sound of his name.2There’s word play here; his name is 阮眠, which means to sleep/hibernate but it also sounds like 软绵, which means soft/fluffy
“…” Grandpa Lu choked up. He wanted to find a reason to continue talking, but now he was exposed by his grandson so mercilessly, so he had to look down at the tea awkwardly.
Lu Yang looked up, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, “Just say what you want to say.”
He reached out to cover the ears of the drooping rabbit. Ruan Mian didn’t sleep well last night, and Lu Yang wanted him to sleep a little longer.
Grandpa Lu glared at him, but he couldn’t do anything about his precious grandson, so he had to speak frankly: “I heard… the Ruan family is going to arrange a blind date for Xiao Mian?”
Lu Yang frowned slightly at the words, softly murmuring a “mm.” Ruan Mian had spent the entire night worrying about this matter, not sleeping a wink, and had come to the Lu family early in the morning to discuss countermeasures with him.
Grandpa Lu, upon hearing Lu Yang’s affirmative response, was almost driven to slam the table in anger. However, seeing Ruan Mian asleep, he reluctantly suppressed his fury and lowered his voice. “Xiao Mian is only sixteen! Has the Ruan family gone mad?”
Ruan Mian and Lu Yang have been good friends since kindergarten. They are both Omega. Ruan Mian often goes in and out of the Lu family. Grandpa Lu watched him grow up and almost regarded him as his own grandson.
He is good-natured, sensible, and likable, and everyone in the Lu family likes him very much. But the Ruan family doesn’t know how to cherish him and treats him like this. Grandpa Lu naturally couldn’t help but feel heartbroken now that he knew about it.
“How did you know?” Lu Yang’s eyes darkened as he looked at his grandfather and asked.
Grandpa Lu frowned, was silent for a while, and did not answer.
Lu Yang pursed his lower lips and scoffed softly: “Is it Ruan Donglin? He came to you again?”
Ruan Donglin is Ruan Mian’s second uncle. After Ruan Mian’s parents died unexpectedly, Ruan Donglin occupied the Ruan family’s property. In order to have a better reputation, he adopted Ruan Mian, his nephew.
Over the years, Ruan Donglin knew about Lu Yang’s close relationship with Ruan Mian and often used this connection to ingratiate himself with Grandpa Lu. To ensure Ruan Mian’s comfort in the Lu family, Grandpa Lu occasionally extended him some courtesy and assistance. However, the Lu family never let Ruan Mian know about these matters.
Grandpa Lu was silent for a long time and asked instead: “Who does Ruan Donglin want Xiao Mian to go on a blind date with?”
“It is said that he would choose one of Wu Yongjuan’s nephews and nieces.”
Lu Yang’s voice was cold, and his eyes went darker. Grandpa Lu knew that this was how he looked every time he was angry.
Wu Yongjuan is Ruan Mian’s second aunt, and she shares the same temperament as her husband. Over the years, they’ve given Ruan Mian a hard time. Whenever Ruan Mian comes home late, there’s no dinner for him. Although his clothes look neat and tidy, he only wears a few pieces repeatedly.
Grandpa Lu couldn’t help but let out a soft grunt. “They don’t have good intentions.”
Since Wu Yongjuan wanted to marry Ruan Mian to her mother’s family, she must have some ulterior motive.
Because he was too angry, he couldn’t control his voice and couldn’t help but raise it a little. The lop-eared rabbit seemed to be frightened when he heard the voice and moved restlessly in his sleep.
Lu Yang’s thin white fingers gently stroked the fur on his back and patted him soothingly.
After he calmed down, Lu Yang looked up at Grandpa Lu and spoke in a low voice, “The Ruan family wants him to get engaged after the blind date, and then move to the other party’s house to adapt for two years and then get married when he becomes an adult.”
Grandpa Lu almost slapped the table when he heard his words. He was so angry that he couldn’t speak for a long time.
The Ruan family didn’t even want to support Ruan Mian anymore and wanted to kick him out directly!
