Extra 6 : The Cub Turns into a Little Bear (6)
By the time Lu Xi came back out, Little Bear had returned to his normal size.
She returned to the courtyard and directly shoved Xie Heng into Xie Yizhao’s hands.
“Hold him for me for a moment, I need to go inside and find my aunt for something.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the countdown on her phone stopped, displaying [Mission Success.]
Lu Xi strolled casually around the house before returning to the courtyard as if nothing had happened.
She glanced at Xie Yizhao’s face and seemed to catch a trace of bewilderment.
And the way he was holding the teddy bear was like it was a live grenade. His hands were stiffly grasping the bear’s arms, and his posture was rigid. One person, one bear, both looking equally lost.
Lu Xi was stunned.
“Classmate Xie, he’s a stuffed toy, not a biochemical weapon.”
For as long as Xie Yizhao could remember, he had never played with anything so fluffy. Hugging the bear in his arms felt impossible.
Meanwhile, Xie Heng was internally fuming: Exactly! He was so cute, why was his dad holding him at arm’s length?!
Xie Yizhao pursed his lips slightly and gestured to hand the bear back.
“Here, take it back.”
Lu Xi noticed Little Bear’s pitiful, expectant gaze and felt a little soft-hearted. He looked like a little cub that had been abandoned by his ‘Dad.’
She asked, “Don’t you think he’s cute?”
Xie Yizhao hesitated. On one hand, the fluffy texture felt unfamiliar, but after hearing her words, he couldn’t deny it. It was kind of cute. He nodded awkwardly.
“He is… indeed cute.”
The little bear practically wanted to kick its little legs in pride!
Then, Xie Yizhao noticed something odd. The bear in his arms looked exactly like the strap on Lu Xi’s phone earlier.
But now, the mini bear on her phone had disappeared.
Was it just a coincidence?
He asked, “Is this bear yours?”
Lu Xi had already prepared her answer.
“Tomorrow’s my birthday, remember? I ran into an acquaintance earlier, and he gave it to me as a gift.”
There were so many people around tonight. She doubted he’d pay attention to such small details.
Xie Yizhao glanced down at the bear again, suddenly finding it a little… annoying.
Xie Heng : Why did it feel like his Dad just glared at him? What did he do wrong?!
Lu Xi was about to take the little bear back, ready to head home, when Xie Yizhao suddenly said,
“Wait a second, I have something for you.”
He called a servant over.
“Go to my study and bring the gift bag on my desk.”
The servant moved quickly.
Before Lu Xi could even process what was happening, Xie Yizhao had already handed her the gift, along with the little bear.
“A birthday present for you.”
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned. She looked at his calm expression and hesitated.
“Thank you… Can I open it now?”
Xie Yizhao touched the bridge of his nose, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.
“Maybe… wait until you’re home?”
But before she even got the chance to open it, she found out what it was on the way back.
[Congratulations! You’ve received a Strawberry Hair Clip. Please give it to the little bear cub to send him on his journey home.]
Lu Xi instinctively tightened her grip on the little bear.
She felt a little lost.
Send him home?
Did that mean she’d never see him again?
When she got home, her Aunt tried to pull her into conversation, but Lu Xi was too preoccupied. She found an excuse and rushed to her room.
After locking the door, she immediately transformed the little bear back into his child form.
Xie Heng touched his face. His cheeks were still red from where his ‘Mom’ had kissed him earlier.
Lu Xi asked, “Xiao Heng, are your parents still around?”
Xie Heng hesitated.
“Dad is… Mom…”
He paused, conflicted.
“Back then, she wasn’t… but now, she is.”
He nodded hesitantly.
So that was it.
Lu Xi realized she had misunderstood.
She felt a little sad but also happy for him. She was reluctant, but if the cub had a real family, then sending him home was the right thing to do.
No one wanted a family reunion more than she did.
She patted the little cub’s head.
She had noticed from the start. Xiao Heng looked a little like her. Maybe that special connection was why they had bonded.
And because of that, she wanted the best for him.
She opened the gift and took out the strawberry hair clip.
It still felt a little surreal.
A red strawberry, dotted with six tiny pearls, surrounded by a ring of delicate crystals.
She took a picture and used an image search.
She quickly found the exact same model.
This brand was not cheap.
The price? Over 5,000 yuan!
Lu Xi knew that 5,000 yuan was probably just a week’s pocket money for Xie Yizhao, but considering how casual their relationship was… Was he always this generous?
Tsk tsk. Truly a young master who had no concept of money.
But more importantly, why had Xie Yizhao chosen such a girly and aesthetically pleasing gift for her?
The only logical explanation… was that the system must have arranged it.
She couldn’t resist trying it on.
Today, she had tied her hair into a cute bun, so she clipped the accessory to the side.
It looked adorable!
Lu Xi admired herself from different angles, taking out her phone for a series of selfies.
Of course, she had to take pictures to commemorate the moment.
After all, she’d have to give it to that silly little bear soon.
However, since this was a gift from someone else, Lu Xi planned to buy an identical one later to avoid any questions from Xie Yizhao.
Though reluctant, Lu Xi generously took off the strawberry hair clip.
Thinking about parting with the little cub, Lu Xi couldn’t resist playing a prank. She deliberately placed the clip on Xie Heng’s small head. “Here, it’s for you.”
Xie Heng froze, his eyes widening.
He couldn’t see how he looked at the moment, and since Lu Xi’s movements were gentle, he simply blinked, not feeling the need to resist.
Little cub’s thoughts: Mom must have her reasons for doing this!
Xie Heng beamed at Lu Xi, his babyish smile soft and warm. He reached up to touch the clip on his head, feeling completely content.
Today, Dad held him and even called him cute.
Mom also gave him a strawberry hair clip.
Xie Heng felt like the happiest child in the world.
But… it seemed like he had forgotten something. Try as he might, he just couldn’t remember.
Lu Xi, however, remembered clearly.
She felt a little anxious, worried that the little cub might suddenly disappear. She didn’t even bother doing her homework, choosing instead to lie on the bed and focus on spending time with him.
After all… they might have to say goodbye very soon.
Lu Xi patted her pillow, signaling Xie Heng to lie down. He obediently complied, his bright black eyes gazing at her, his chubby little hands resting on her arm.
Children’s gazes were pure and full of wonder.
Being watched like this gave her a peculiar feeling, as if, in the little cub’s world, she was his everything.
Lu Xi felt a deep sense of calm. She just wanted to chat casually with him.
“Do you like green peppers? Are you a picky eater?”
Xie Heng : “Green peppers are okay, but I don’t like eggplant. I love meat the most.”
“Who’s your best friend?”
Xie Heng furrowed his brows. “I used to be closest to Lele, but I don’t want to play with him anymore.”
Lu Xi chuckled. “Then who will you play with?”
The little cub thought for a moment before saying, “There’s a new kid who just moved in, named Song Siyang. He looks kinda silly, but he gave me fried chicken. I’ll play with him.”
Lu Xi: …This little cub’s approach to making friends is a bit absurd. So he can be won over by just a piece of fried chicken?
Their conversation went on casually until Lu Xi started feeling sleepy. She yawned. “So, do you like Dad or Mom more?”
Xie Heng answered without hesitation : “Mom, of course!”
He used to like Dad the most, but that was before he met Mom.
Mom cuddled him to sleep, gave him warm kisses, took him to school, and always told him he was cute. Unlike Dad, who actually had the nerve to call him ugly!
Lu Xi was overjoyed.
Even though it was still far away, if she ever had a child, she hoped they would be as cute and sweet as little Xie Heng.
Oh, right!
Lu Xi suddenly remembered something and opened the app. She saw that the affection meter was now filled with five glowing red hearts.
A new notification sparkled at the back of the shop menu.
This time, the system made the choice easy.
Instead of the usual six options with only two selectable, there were only two gift boxes on the screen. No real choice to make, but both were exactly what she wanted.
[One day in the future, you will reunite with Xie Heng.]
[Your lifelong dream will come true.]
Lu Xi’s eyes lit up.
She was thrilled at the thought of seeing the little cub again.
But her lifelong dream… there was only one thing she had ever truly wished for: to have a home of her own, filled with love and happiness.
Could it really come true?
Lu Xi drifted off to sleep.
Xie Heng carefully, very carefully, crawled out from under the blanket.
He was still in his cub form, which was strange, as it had already been several hours.
Bear Bear’s voice echoed in his mind. “Time’s almost up. You have three minutes before I send you back.”
Xie Heng responded with a soft “Oh,” feeling reluctant to leave.
But he still hadn’t figured out what birthday present to give Mom.
Bear Bear couldn’t say much, but it comforted its tiny master: “Don’t worry, you’ve already given Mom the best gift in the world. When you grow up, she will return.”
Xie Heng sniffled, feeling both happy and sad.
He tilted his head, looking at Lu Xi’s sleeping face. He thought she was so pretty.
How did Dad, who was always so annoying, manage to win her over?
“Oh! Bear Bear, can you give Mom a nice dream?”
Bear Bear agreed. That wasn’t too hard, it had just enough energy left to do it. “What kind of dream?”
Xie Heng, who had seen plenty of monster movies, immediately let his imagination run wild.
“Mom is being chased by a big monster, and the monster won’t leave her alone! Then, I make a dramatic entrance, kick the monster away, and protect Mom. After that, Mom calls me a good boy!”
The little bear fell silent. This kid… does he even know what a ‘nice dream’ is?
“Well… do you want me to give Dad a dream too?”
The grudge-holding little cub didn’t even hesitate. “Yes! Dad is the monster!”