Chapter 85 – The Enchanted Forest: You Are My Exclusive Love (02)
The house was made entirely of natural wood and had minimal decoration. Bai Tang’s room also maintained a simple, rustic style, with only the essential furniture—a bed, a table, and a few chairs—without any unnecessary ornaments.
It was almost an instinct carved into his bones. Even though Daniel had never done such chores before, he reflexively placed his bundle of clothes on the floor as a makeshift seat, setting Bai Tang on top of it. Then, he turned around and fluffed up the goose-feather quilt, making it soft and cozy before picking Bai Tang up again and placing him on the bed.
Kneeling on one knee, Daniel took off Bai Tang’s shoes, holding his small, fair feet in his hands. Bai Tang flinched.
“It tickles~~” Bai Tang instinctively pulled back his feet, rolling around on the plush goose-feather quilt.
The quilt was so soft. It felt so comfortable~
By now, the sun had completely set, and the room was gradually darkening.
Daniel lit a candle on the candelabrum and neatly placed the few pieces of clothing he had brought into the wardrobe.
“Dinner’s ready…” Bai Tang’s mother called out as she knocked on the door.
“Alright, we’re coming.”
The wind chime hanging by the window swayed in the flickering candlelight, casting dancing shadows on the wall. Daniel reached out and felt a few raindrops—it had started drizzling outside. Setting down the book in his hands, he closed the window, opened the wardrobe to pick out a set of clothes, and then walked over to the bed to wake Bai Tang, who had fallen asleep.
Bai Tang rubbed his sleepy eyes, his rosy lips slightly parted as he let out a yawn.
“How did I fall asleep?” His soft, drowsy voice sounded weak, making him seem even more delicate and adorable.
“It’s time to eat.” Daniel helped him put on his clothes and shoes, making sure he wouldn’t be chilled by the wind outside, then took his hand and led him out.
Faced with a table full of meat dishes, Bai Tang had no appetite at all. He picked out the vegetables from the meat, eating only the side dishes.
“Tang Tang, you can’t be picky.” Bai Mother, worried about his nutrition, gave him another large piece of meat.
Bai Tang pouted unhappily. It was all meat—he wanted pine nuts and fruits instead.
He dragged out his meal, eating slowly and reluctantly until Bai Father and Bai Mother finished their dinner and left to practice magic.
“Daniel, please make sure Tang Tang finishes his meal. Just leave the dishes on the table—I’ll wash them later,” Bai Mother sighed helplessly as she instructed Daniel.
Daniel nodded, watching as Bai Father and Bai Mother left the dining hall.
The moment they were gone, Bai Tang immediately picked up the meat from his bowl and placed it into Daniel’s.
“Big brother, you eat~”
Seeing Bai Tang’s glossy lips—a result of being forced to eat meat—Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle. “If I eat your meat, then what will you eat?”
“I… I…” Bai Tang’s eyes darted around, then he suddenly ran to the small table nearby, grabbing a carrot. “I’ll eat this.”
Without hesitation, he took a big bite out of the carrot.
Daniel didn’t mind eating Bai Tang’s meat, but he insisted on making sure Bai Tang finished his rice.
Bai Tang stared at Daniel pitifully, but Daniel remained unfazed.
Left with no choice, Bai Tang reluctantly ate the plain rice, small bite by small bite.
As someone living under another’s roof, Daniel couldn’t let Bai Father and Bai Mother handle everything for him. He took the initiative to clean up the dishes, wash them, and put them away before finally taking Bai Tang—now full from munching on carrots—back to their room.
Daniel ran his fingers over the dagger left behind by the people who had killed his parents. The symbol of the Swamp City Lord was engraved on it. He could almost hear the screams of his parents and servants, see the blood splattering around him…
His grip on the dagger tightened.
The next second, a pair of small hands reached out and covered his own, stopping him.
“Big brother, you still have me.”
I’ll always be here for you~
Feeling the warmth of Bai Tang’s kindness, Daniel’s heart softened. He turned around and hugged the child tightly.
“Yes, I still have you, Tang Tang.”
So please, never leave me!
…
Daniel had been living at Bai Tang’s house for some time now. With Bai Tang’s companionship and Bai Father and Bai Mother’s guidance, he slowly emerged from his sorrow. However, deep inside, he had never abandoned the thought of avenging his parents.
This forest was just like the story Shao Licang had told Bai Tang in the previous world—a place where a little squirrel could run freely.
The first time Bai Tang transformed into a squirrel in front of Daniel, it shocked him greatly. He researched magic books for three days and nights, trying to find out whether Bai Tang had been cursed or drugged, but found nothing. Instead, Bai Tang dragged Daniel into the forest for all kinds of mischief.
His favorite thing was searching for sweet pine nuts—he would pick them from the trees, and Daniel would catch them from below. After filling up in the forest, he would return home for dinner and have Daniel help him get rid of the meat he didn’t like.
Life was truly carefree and enjoyable.
This routine continued even after Bai Father and Bai Mother found a teacher for Daniel to train him in alchemy and swordsmanship.
By now, Daniel felt at ease. The forest wasn’t dangerous, Bai Tang had magic to protect himself, and he was familiar with the terrain. While Daniel practiced swordsmanship, Bai Tang never wandered too far.
That is, until one day—when Daniel was training in the forest, and Bai Tang, in his squirrel form, disappeared somewhere.
Then suddenly—
“Help! Help! Is anyone there?”
While practicing swordsmanship under a tree, Daniel suddenly heard a distant cry for help. Out of humanitarian concern, he stopped his training and walked toward the voice.
Beneath a tree, a girl around eleven or twelve years old sat on the ground. Her pretty face was streaked with tears. Upon seeing Daniel, she was both startled and overjoyed. She hurriedly called out, “Hello! Please help me—I was bitten by a snake!”
Unsure whether the snake was venomous, the girl did not dare to move, fearing that any motion would spread the poison faster.
Daniel crouched down and carefully examined the two tiny puncture wounds on her lower leg.
“Bear with me for a moment.”
He took his sword and made a small incision near the fang marks, allowing bright red blood to flow out.
The blood was red—meaning the snake was not venomous.
Realizing this, the girl let out a sigh of relief. She flashed a bright smile and gratefully said to Daniel, “Thank you! My name is Kelly Posey. What’s yours?”
“Daniel Giles.”
Daniel took out a medicinal ointment given to him by Bai Mother. “Apply this, and it will stop the bleeding.”
“I really appreciate it! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known what to do…”
Just then, Bai Tang returned, his arms full of fresh, juicy fruit. However, the moment he saw Daniel flirting with another woman, he was so furious that he hurled all the fruit onto the ground with a loud thud.
The fruit rolled to Daniel and Kelly’s feet.
Turning around, Daniel saw Bai Tang puffing his cheeks in anger, his watery eyes quickly filling with tears. In just a blink, crystalline teardrops slipped into the soil.
“Tang Tang…” Daniel panicked. “Don’t cry! What’s wrong?”
Thinking that Bai Tang had gotten hurt or was in danger, Daniel rushed forward to check on him.
Just as Daniel was about to touch him, Bai Tang swatted his hand away and shouted furiously—
“I hate you!”
Then, without another word, he turned and ran off.
Daniel stood there, stunned.
Bai Tang had just said he hated him.
He… hated him?
Watching Bai Tang’s figure disappear into the forest, Daniel turned to Kelly and muttered a quick “Sorry” before chasing after him.
But Bai Tang had no intention of being caught. As soon as he ran far enough that Kelly couldn’t see him, he transformed into a little squirrel and leaped onto a tree branch.
“Tang Tang—!”
Daniel found Bai Tang’s clothes on the ground but couldn’t see him anywhere. Panic surged in his chest as he called out,
“Tang Tang, where are you…?”
Bai Tang sat perched in the tree, watching Daniel frantically searching for him below.
He thought back to what he had seen earlier—Daniel leaning in, about to kiss that girl. The memory alone made his heart ache unbearably…
“Tang Tang, want me to stab him for you?” The prickly system came online. Anyone who made Tang Tang unhappy was the worst kind of scum.
Bai Tang shook his head, but big teardrops still fell from his eyes, plopping onto the ground below.
One of them landed on Daniel’s shoulder. He looked up and saw a tiny squirrel sitting on a tree branch, crying. His heart clenched painfully.
“Tang Tang, please come down… Whatever’s wrong, you can tell me.”
This world’s male lead was unbelievably dense, so much so that even the system couldn’t bear to watch.
“Tsk. Serves you right for being single.”
But Bai Tang ignored him, turned away, and ran off deeper into the trees.
…
At dinner, the atmosphere was eerily silent.
As usual, Daniel picked out Bai Tang’s favorite vegetables and placed them in his bowl—but Bai Tang put them all back without a word.
Then, in stubborn defiance, he stuffed himself with the roasted meat he usually hated. Bai Mother, noticing the tension, raised a brow.
“What happened? Did you two have a fight?”
“No.” Bai Tang refused to say anything.
She turned to Daniel for an answer, but he was just as confused, shaking his head helplessly. Bai Mother sighed. She assumed it was just kids bickering and tried to mediate.
“Tang Tang, don’t you like Daniel the most? Why won’t you say even a single word to him tonight?”
Daniel looked at Bai Tang hopefully, waiting for him to respond. But Bai Tang turned away without even glancing at him and coldly said,
“I don’t like him anymore.”
Before finishing his meal, Bai Tang put down his bowl, returned to his room, and gathered his pillow and blanket—dragging them all the way to the guest room.
“Tang Tang, are you really going to ignore the male lead?” Even the system couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m ignoring him. I’ll never talk to him again.”
But as he spoke, tears welled up again.
In all the past worlds—whether it was Hudson, Jiang Liangwu, or Shao Licang—he had never seen them get close to any girls.
And now, he had seen it with his own eyes—Daniel kissing a girl.
The sky felt like it was collapsing. His heart ached so much he could hardly breathe.
“Tang Tang, Tang Tang, open the door…”
Daniel knocked on the guest room door, but Bai Tang buried himself under the covers, silently crying, refusing to let him in.
…
The next day, Daniel’s swordsmanship instructor arrived at the Bai residence as usual.
He was a young, kind-hearted swordsman, hired by Bai Tang’s parents to teach Daniel. Sometimes, when Bai Tang was in the mood, he would also attend a lesson or two.
And now, Bai Tang was putting his words into action—he didn’t want to like Daniel anymore.
During the lesson, he focused all his attention on the young swordsman, watching him with complete concentration.
Now, it was Daniel’s turn to feel uncomfortable.
At first, he had been grateful for his instructor, but now, no matter how he looked at him, he found him annoying.
“He’s not even as good-looking as me.”
“He’s weak, too.”
“And he’s way older than Tang Tang… What does he have that I don’t?”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Daniel was startled.
What was this…?
Hadn’t he always seen Tang Tang as his little brother?
How could he have such shameful thoughts?
How could he face Bai Tang’s parents—the people who saved him—after thinking this way?
But the next second, he saw Bai Tang smiling at the swordsman—that soft, familiar smile.
And his jealousy flared up instantly.
His grip tightened around his wooden sword.
Tang Tang was his.
That smile should belong to him.
Author’s Note:
In the second half of this chapter, Bai “Jealous Jar” Tang is officially online!
Now it’s the male lead’s turn to experience what jealousy feels like.
Come on, let’s hurt each other! (≧▽≦)
Next chapter will be full of sweetness! Don’t worry, my dear readers—I only write sweet stories! ❤️✨