Sweetheart in the Palm of His Hand
Due to instinctive fear of his natural enemy, He Ruge quietly hid behind the female teacher. He couldn’t help but feel that the gaze of the man in front of him was terrifying, as if countless tentacles of a monster were reaching out to grab him.
The child’s small body was completely covered when standing behind the female teacher, confirming that he wasn’t exposed to the man’s gaze, He Ruge breathed a sigh of relief.
He began to calmly analyze his current situation—
He might have transmigrated into a world where a game and a novel were combined. His current identity was likely the female protagonist of this world, and the man in front of him was probably the male lead, a rich tentacle monster.
Although the male lead in his novel and the man in front of him had different hair and eye colors—He Ruge’s male lead had mysterious grey-purple eyes, while this man had blue eyes—the female teacher kept saying “this gentleman likes cheerful children,” which matched the setting He Ruge had given to the male lead in his novel.
So, it was highly probable that this man was the male lead.
In the novel, the tentacle alien male lead loved it when the female lead smiled, much like King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty in “The Fencing Fire.”
The setting in He Ruge’s ongoing novel was that the male lead was wealthy and excessively doted on the female lead, who only needed to be responsible for smiling and being cute.
If He Ruge’s life goal in this world was to be a rice weevil, then what he needed to do now was to cling to the thigh of the presumed male lead, smile to reveal his eight teeth, and perhaps he could lead a happy life as a rice weevil.
However, He Ruge didn’t like this kind of life. The protagonist’s values in the novel didn’t necessarily reflect the author’s values. He didn’t like being financially dependent on others, didn’t like selling smiles, and didn’t want to be a pet to a tentacle monster.
He Ruge’s lifelong dream had always been to be a cat litter scooper*.
*T/N: A cat owner
If he really had transmigrated, then the first thing He Ruge wanted to do was to avoid being adopted by this mysterious gentleman. Instead, he would focus on studying hard every day and diligently writing novels…
He Ruge pondered over many things, but only a few seconds had passed. After figuring things out, he deliberately furrowed his brows and peeked out from behind the female teacher with a pitiful expression.
Since this gentleman liked cheerful children, pretending to be a little pitiful might prevent him from being chosen.
Ok, plan established.
Perhaps children’s eyes were especially clear and transparent. When Xi Guican saw his little sweetheart hiding behind the female teacher, it was like seeing a timid little animal hiding behind a tree, ready to retreat at the slightest disturbance.
Xi Guican had never experienced such a feeling in his heart—a feeling of being melted.
He wanted to secretly take little He Ruge home, place him on his belly, and tell him fairy tales.
His blue eyes grew brighter and sharper, like the raging sea and sky, making He Ruge unable to meet his gaze directly.
He thought to himself, could this be anger?
Since this gentleman liked children to smile, it was reasonable to guess that he probably disliked seeing others cry.
He Ruge couldn’t cry on command, so he bit his lower lip, forcing out a pitiful expression.
Due to the height difference, He Ruge had to strain his neck to see the man’s face. His neck grew tired, so he lowered his head slightly and saw the man’s hand gripping the cane.
The hand opened and closed, sometimes gripping the cane tightly, sometimes relaxing as if losing strength, in a repetitive motion, much like a restless cat’s paws.
He Ruge was startled by the metaphor that came to his mind.
How could he compare this gentleman to a cat?
Shouldn’t the man’s hand be likened to the suction cups on tentacles?
Just then, He Ruge heard the man’s deep voice, “I want to adopt this child. The way he looks when he doesn’t smile… is very cute.”
He Ruge: “???”
Wait, Mr. Gentleman, weren’t you supposed to like children who smile?
Please stick to your character setting!
But perhaps this was just an inevitable plot twist. He Ruge, who had read countless online novels, found a good reason in his mind.
Subconsciously, he wanted to push his glasses up, but after touching empty air, he realized he didn’t wear glasses now.
Actually, being adopted by this gentleman wouldn’t be so bad. This gentleman liked cute female leads. As long as he wasn’t cute, this gentleman would probably keep him as a pet for a while, then leave behind a huge inheritance and quietly return to his home planet.
However… thinking about being taken back as a pet made He Ruge’s feelings complicated.
A small “favorability -1” floated above He Ruge’s head, and Xi Guican’s smile gradually faded.
Xi Guican completed the adoption procedures and took He Ruge away from the orphanage. During this time, He Ruge didn’t dare to peek at the gentleman’s sleeve.
Even if he wanted to see, he couldn’t, as the man was dressed impeccably in a tailored military uniform, perfectly showing off a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure that couldn’t fit even three or four tentacles, let alone one more.
“I am Xi Guican. You can call me… Mr. Xi,” the man said as they sat in the car.
He Ruge deliberately maintained a distance of three buttocks from Mr. Xi, almost pressing his body against the car door, showing signs of shyness.
In fact, He Ruge was not used to physical contact with others. From childhood to adulthood, he seemed to have no particularly close real-life friends. Even when sitting next to classmates at school, there always seemed to be an invisible barrier between them.
His only good friend might have been Jiji, but now that he had transmigrated, he didn’t even have that one friend left. Fortunately, he had no parents or lovers before transmigrating, and the only thing he could lose was Jiji, and the ongoing serialization of his novel…
Oh my god, his novel hadn’t even finished yet, what about the readers waiting for updates?
He Ruge suddenly felt depressed, his voice murmuring softly, “Mr. Xi.”
He Ruge found it somewhat unusual to speak with such a soft voice. After calling out “Mr. Xi,” he closed his mouth. If He Ruge had looked up at that moment, he would have surely seen the heartbroken expression on Xi Guican’s face.
The scenery outside the car window resembled a blurry spring oil painting. He Ruge saw his reflection on the glass—big eyes, small mouth. When he was younger, He Ruge was often mistaken for a girl.
In fact, there was something He Ruge had kept hidden deep in his heart for many years. He had been adopted once before by a couple when he was in the orphanage. A child with his good looks and healthy body would always find many families willing to adopt him.
However, something not so good happened in his new family. He had thought it was a nightmare, and just when the nightmare seemed most terrifying, a furry white creature took him away from there and brought him back to the orphanage.
It all seemed like a dream now. He didn’t remember what the creature looked like, only that it was fluffy and warm to the touch.
That dream-like event had a profound impact on him. He refused to be adopted by any other families and developed a strong fondness for fluffy creatures.
Like cats, especially white, warm cats.
He Ruge became lost in thought as he stared at his reflection in the car window. His eyes flickered slightly, and suddenly he saw the blurry outline of a man on the glass, along with those sapphire-like eyes.
Mr. Xi is staring at me.
This realization made He Ruge feel uneasy, almost like there were prickles on his back. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Children tended to be sleepy, and He Ruge initially pretended to sleep but ended up actually drifting off.
Xi Guican watched as He Ruge’s little head nodded slowly, like a chick pecking at grains. Suddenly, the child leaned towards him, about to fall asleep. Xi Guican reached out, one hand supporting the child’s face and the other holding his shoulder.
What a tiny face to fit in his palm!
Xi Guican was surprised to find that He Ruge was using his palm as a pillow, mumbling twice and falling asleep heavily. The dark gloves contrasted sharply with the child’s pale skin. Xi Guican worried that He Ruge might find the gloves uncomfortable as a pillow, so he removed them before gently cradling the child’s face.
The car jostled slightly, and He Ruge’s soft cheek pressed against Xi Guican’s palm. Xi Guican maintained this posture stupidly for a long time, only then realizing that not only was his wrist tired, but this position wasn’t good for He Ruge’s neck either.
Carefully, he adjusted their positions so that the little sweetheart could rest on his legs.
From this angle, He Ruge’s eyelashes looked like two small fans, curled just the way Xi Guican liked.
So small…
Xi Guican couldn’t help thinking this. He tested it and found that his hand could completely cover He Ruge’s face. Just then, the flutter of those eyelashes against his palm, like a butterfly flapping its wings, startled Xi Guican.
He quickly pulled his hand back, his heart racing, and tried hard to maintain a nonchalant expression. Only when he realized that the little sweetheart on his leg hadn’t woken up did Xi Guican breathe a sigh of relief.
He draped his cloak over him, more than enough to cover the shrinking sweetheart.
When He Ruge woke up again, he found himself lying on a soft big bed, with a view of the sea outside the window.
In the novel, He Ruge had set the male lead—an alien—buying a villa by the sea, allowing him to transform into a prototype, a giant tentacle monster playing in the water by the seaside.
And now, he was staying in the best room of this villa with a view of the sea.
Several seashell wind chimes hung on the window. When the sea breeze blew into the room, they made a pleasant sound. The sky hadn’t darkened yet, and the fiery red sunset dyed the sea surface.
He Ruge suddenly remembered Mr. Xi’s eyes, those cold, icy blue eyes that sometimes seemed to blaze like the sea and sky.
“You’re awake. Are you hungry?”
Mr. Xi’s deep and mellow voice was like a cello playing.
It was only then that He Ruge noticed Mr. Xi had been sitting at the bedside, watching over him. This realization left He Ruge feeling somewhat conflicted.
However, he imagined Mr. Xi’s feelings were probably like those of a cat litter scooper observing a newly adopted kitten—concerned about whether the kitten could adapt to its new environment, whether it had an appetite…
Thinking this made things feel more natural.
He Ruge nodded and got out of bed, noticing that Mr. Xi had thoughtfully placed a pair of cotton slippers beside the bed. He followed behind Mr. Xi with his short legs, and though Mr. Xi reached out as if to hold his hand, He Ruge pretended not to see and ignored the hand with a straight face.
Mr. Xi was too tall.
Perhaps He Ruge was just too short now, as he could easily walk under Mr. Xi’s outstretched hand without worrying about bumping his head.
If Mr. Xi insisted on holding his hand and asked why He Ruge didn’t take the opportunity to hold a big hand with his small one, then He Ruge could confidently reply, “Didn’t see it.”
…It’s really empowering to be short.
Are all aliens this tall?
He Ruge clearly remembered setting the male lead’s height in his novel to be 1.93 meters. Why was Mr. Xi so unscientifically tall?
Forget it, since he had transmigrated, he shouldn’t care about what was scientific or not.
—But still, he was really angry! So angry that he could jump and hit Mr. Xi’s knees! Why did this person have to be so tall?!
Xi Guican saw the little sweetheart walk indignantly under his hand, not even touching his palm with a single strand of hair. However, the “favorability -1” that floated above He Ruge’s head invisibly passed through his palm.
Xi Guican: “???”
Why do you want to deduct my favorability QAQ again?
Did I do something wrong, daughter-in-law?
