Extra 3 : The Cub Turns into a Little Bear
Just then, the girl beside Lu Xi suddenly tugged on her sleeve and whispered excitedly, “Xie Yizhao is here!”
Lu Xi froze for a second and looked toward the cafeteria entrance.
Sure enough, she saw Xie Yizhao walking in with a friend.
Since her table was near the aisle, he had to pass right by her.
Lu Xi didn’t have much of a reaction to his arrival. Unlike the others, she didn’t stare at him. She was just a little surprised. It was the first time she had seen this Young Master in the cafeteria.
But in those few distracted seconds, she didn’t notice the little bear’s antics.
Xie Heng had already used all his strength to push against the milk tea.
And it tipped over.
The girl beside her let out an “Aiya!” just as Lu Xi noticed her milk tea had suddenly tipped over. She reacted quickly, lifting her little bear out of the way, but it was too late to save the milk tea.
Even though the cup was sealed, the impact of the fall caused it to burst open, sending milk tea spilling all over the floor.
Xie Yizhao had been listening to music with his headphones on and hadn’t noticed the commotion beside him. It wasn’t until his friend tugged on him, motioning for him to look down, that he realized—
His sneakers had stepped right into the puddle of milk tea.
And judging by the splashes, his pants weren’t entirely spared either.
Xie Yizhao frowned slightly.
Lu Xi : “…”
How did this even happen? She was sure she had placed her milk tea properly. Why did it suddenly fall? This was seriously weird.
And of all people, it just had to involve him.
Lu Xi felt like today was just an unlucky day. She should’ve checked the calendar before heading out.
Feeling a bit awkward, she still walked over graciously and gave Xie Yizhao an apologetic smile. “Sorry, that was my milk tea. It fell by accident.”
Xie Yizhao glanced at her.
Her again.
If he counted, this was already the second time today that her things had ‘accidentally’ fell around him.
He replied indifferently, “It’s fine.”
How was this fine? Lu Xi glanced at his shoes, now stained with milk tea, even the upper part wasn’t spared. She frowned and pulled out her phone. “How much were your shoes and pants? I’ll transfer you the money.”
Xie Yizhao shook his head. “No need. I’ll just wash them when I get home.”
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned. She thought to herself, This rich kid is surprisingly down-to-earth. But oh well, she had already offered, and if he refused, she wasn’t going to push it.
So she simply nodded, went back to her seat, and helped her friend clean up their table.
She had checked her little bear earlier. The back was a little dirty, but it was still salvageable. A tissue wipe should do the trick.
The little bear rested in her palm, its two black bead-like eyes looking innocent and obedient.
Lu Xi had initially suspected that the bear might have had something to do with the milk tea tipping over. But after thinking about it, it was just a small plush toy—how much damage could it really do?
Besides, the little bear looked so well-behaved. It was probably innocent, right?
Maybe she simply hadn’t placed the milk tea properly.
Xie Heng, however, was feeling a little guilty.
He had been anxious for a while, but seeing that Lu Xi neither suspected him nor got angry—and even continued treating him gently—he finally relaxed.
The young cub had no idea that he had only escaped suspicion thanks to the bear’s adorably dumb expression. If stuffed animals could make complex facial expressions, he would’ve been caught already.
On the other side, Xie Yizhao and his friend sat down with their lunch.
His friend couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Lu Xi’s table and teased, “Damn, a lot of girls ask for your WeChat, but this is the first time a girl has tried to send you money at first sight. She’s got skills.”
Xie Yizhao frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“What do you mean nonsense? I even heard she deliberately dropped something near you this morning, just so you’d pick it up for her.”
Xie Yizhao responded coolly, “And what if she did?”
His friend clicked his tongue. “Scheming. This is classic scheming. She’s an expert. First a small encounter, now she’s finding another excuse to get close to you.”
“…So you’re saying she’s intentionally trying to approach me?” Xie Yizhao glanced at Lu Xi’s table.
All he saw was her delicate and striking profile as she stroked the head of a little teddy bear.
The same one he had picked up for her this morning.
The bear had a chubby, goofy look, with round black eyes that seemed extra bright as they met his gaze.
Even its stitched-on smile somehow seemed… smugger than before.
Xie Yizhao : “…” Must’ve been his imagination.
His friend interrupted his thoughts with a grin. “Come on, admit it. You’re definitely going to remember her from now on. If you see her at school, you’ll recognize her immediately, won’t you?”
Xie Yizhao cleared his throat and shot his friend an unimpressed look. “I already knew who she was.”
He had only transferred here recently, but he had heard plenty of people mention Lu Xi’s name. How could he not recognize her?
After lunch, classes resumed, and before long, the school day was over.
Lu Xi’s friend was enthusiastically trying to drag her along to watch the upcoming basketball game.
Lu Xi refused outright. “You know I hate watching basketball. I don’t get it. Don’t torture me.”
Her friend pleaded, “But Xie Yizhao is playing!”
Lu Xi deadpanned, “Is watching him play going to fill my stomach?”
Her friend countered, “We can buy snacks and eat while watching! Besides, just looking at him is enough to satisfy me.”
Lu Xi wanted to say that, honestly, she could relate.
But for some reason, she felt like she and Xie Yizhao were clashing too much today. She didn’t want to run into him again.
She shoved her hands into her pockets—when suddenly, she felt a tiny bear paw tap her.
At the same time, her phone vibrated with a new app notification. A new task has arrived.
Little Bear : [Go watch Dad play basketball and talk to Dad.]
Lu Xi froze.
…Dad?
A moment later, Xie Heng finally clarified.
[Dad = Xie Yizhao.]
Lu Xi : “…”
She was utterly confused.
Why did this little bear suddenly decide that Xie Yizhao was his Dad? Was this cub really that obsessed with good looks?
But a mission was a mission.
She had already experienced firsthand how the bear’s ‘hearts’ could be exchanged for real rewards. It was magical. Of course, she had to keep raising it.
So she immediately changed her mind and agreed to go.
Her friend found this sudden shift strange but assumed she had just been acting tsundere earlier. Without questioning it, the friend happily dragged Lu Xi toward the court.
By the time they arrived, the indoor basketball court was already packed with people.
Her friend clung to her excitedly. “Today’s game is between Xie Yizhao’s class and the second graders. Who do you think will win?”
Lu Xi didn’t care in the slightest.
Her hand remained in her pocket as she couldn’t help but squeeze the little bear’s belly.
Seriously, what a task to assign her—making her talk to Xie Yizhao in front of so many people. By tomorrow, the whole school would probably be spreading rumors that she was chasing after him.
Hah. Tonight, when she got home, she’d make the little bear transform and spank his tiny bare bottom.
The cub shivered involuntarily.
He could feel his Mom’s anger.
A classmate had saved a seat in the front row, and Lu Xi was dragged through the crowd by her friend, squeezing past people all the way.
Lu Xi hated crowded spaces. It felt suffocating. When she finally reached the front, she took a deep breath of fresh air and felt instantly refreshed.
Immediately, her gaze landed on Xie Yizhao, who was sitting slightly to her left, tying his shoelaces.
The boy had a refined and noble air about him, exuding a sense of calm maturity that went beyond his years, completely different from the other boys nearby who were drenched in sweat.
He was the kind of person who effortlessly drew attention.
At that moment, Xie Yizhao had his head lowered, but Lu Xi’s eyes were first drawn to his slender, elegant hands. She couldn’t help but take another glance.
The little bear felt it was too noisy around him. He rubbed against Lu Xi’s palm a few times, trying to crawl out.
Just as she pulled him out, the little bear struggled to hold back a stretch and instead curiously observed his surroundings.
This was… a basketball court?
Yes! His Dad plays basketball here!
The little cub was all too familiar with his Dad’s face. He quickly spotted his father sitting opposite him and excitedly clenched his tiny bear paws.
Feeling the little cub’s excitement, Lu Xi was exasperated.
A total face fanatic, huh? Did he want Xie Yizhao to be his Dad that badly?
A sudden sourness crept into her heart… If he liked Xie Yizhao so much, why not just bind Xie Yizhao and make Xie Yizhao raise the cub?
The cub, oblivious to his Mom’s jealousy, tugged lightly at her sleeve, looking at her expectantly.
—Go talk to Dad!
If Mom and Dad didn’t know each other, what would happen to him in the future?
Lu Xi glanced at the task countdown. Three minutes left.
She frowned and looked around. Almost everyone nearby was one of Xie Yizhao’s admirers. She felt very stressed
She had always been on the passive end of conversations. Initiating one? Never tried it before.
She never thought it would be this difficult…
Suddenly, she felt a deep respect for the guys who had tried to strike up a conversation with her in the past.
How should she start?
—“Hello, Xie Yizhao.”?
—“Good luck with your game.”?
—“Would you like to be my cub’s Dad?”?
Ugh! So embarrassing! So hard!
Just as Xie Yizhao finished tying his shoelaces and looked up, he saw Lu Xi sitting across from him, staring at him with an unreadable expression—sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling strangely.
The moment their eyes met, Lu Xi knew—this was it.
She took a deep breath and walked toward him.
As she moved, countless eyes followed her, watching in astonishment.
Lu Xi ignored all the stares and kept going.
Soon, she was standing in front of Xie Yizhao. Success! No tripping, no embarrassing falls.
But… now what? She hadn’t figured out what to say next.
Xie Yizhao was more than a head taller than her. Looking up at his sharp jawline, she felt even more nervous.
The culprit in her hand was still scratching at her palm, urging her on. Annoyed, Lu Xi suddenly had a brilliant idea.
She glanced at the little bear.
Then… she let go.
Plop.
The bear landed right at Xie Yizhao’s feet.
“…” Xie Yizhao thought, That was way too deliberate.
Lu Xi’s almond eyes softened as she blinked at him, flashing a sweet smile. “I dropped my bear. Could you pick it up for me?”
That counted as talking to him, right? No problem!
Even if Xie Yizhao refused, her mission should still be complete!
As composed as he was, Xie Yizhao was momentarily stunned.
This… was definitely an unconventional opening line.
But for some reason, Lu Xi’s radiant smile made him momentarily dazed… like a scene from a dream, an unsettling sense of déjà vu breaking through time itself.
The teasing murmurs from their classmates snapped him back to reality.
Xie Yizhao curved his lips slightly. “Okay.”
He bent down, picked up the bear, dusted it off, and handed it back to her. “Your bear is really cute. Hold onto it, don’t lose it again.”
Lu Xi stared at his strikingly handsome face, momentarily dazed.
Meanwhile, the little cub, who had been unexpectedly thrown to the ground, wasn’t hurt at all but felt a little wronged—almost like he wanted to cry.
But seeing that Mom had finally spoken to Dad, he couldn’t help feeling happy too. His emotions were a mess.
That night, after evening self-study, Lu Xi returned to her dorm, locked the door, and placed the little bear on her bed. She then pressed a firm kiss on his soft belly.
The cooldown time was over.
Soon, the little bear transformed into a round, chubby cub.
Having learned from last night, Lu Xi had prepared a piece of clothing in advance. The moment she saw his bare bottom, she swiftly covered him up.
Still, the cub’s face turned red.
Before he could crawl under the blanket, Lu Xi poked his forehead.
“You like Xie Yizhao that much? Tell me—are you my good cub, or his good cub?”
Xie Heng looked at Lu Xi, small and pitiful.
He opened his mouth, pouting. “I’m both of your good cub.”