The little white tiger's expression grew increasingly solemn. Amidst the furious energy erosion, it gradually reduced the flow of soothing energy, until its last wisp of mental power dissipated, leaving a thin sheen of sweat on its temples.
The little white tiger's chest heaved. Exhausting so much mental energy made it feel somewhat drowsy, yet its mind remained exceptionally clear, searching through its memory for all candidates with S-class mental power. Every beast-human with mental power above A-class was recorded in the Alliance's archives. It desperately wanted to know if this little cub was a spy sent by Gude Fen, or a genuine stray.
Before it could reach a conclusion, a pair of strong yet gentle arms scooped the little white tiger into an embrace. It felt the familiar stroking technique.
"My cub is on its first outing, it must be tired," Lu Mingming said to the elderly couple, her hand ceaselessly stroking the little white tiger's soft fur. The little fellow yawned comfortably and gradually closed its eyes.
After a pause of a few seconds, Lu Mingming continued, "Let me take care of this Samoyed cub. I have experience raising cubs, I have a job and can support it, at least I can give it a happy and stable environment to grow up in."
The old grandfather nodded, accepting this outcome. They didn't wish to endure the pain of losing another child after adopting the little Samoyed.
With the little Samoyed's future settled, Lu Mingming went to pay the day's hospital fees. In truth, the decision to adopt was one she had made after deep consideration. Perhaps she felt a sense of shared suffering with the cub that had a genetic disease.
After Lu Mingming spoke, she had been worried the little guy would secretly get jealous behind her back and had already planned how to appease it. However, the little fellow simply squinted, nestled in her arms, appearing completely unfazed, which in turn made Lu Mingming feel a little miffed.
If the little white tiger could read Lu Mingming's thoughts at that moment, it would cry out in injustice and try to reclaim the initiative. It absolutely did not want some unknown entity to steal the affection it received!
Alas, the little white tiger was not in its right mind. By the time it understood, it would be sulking in a corner for a whole afternoon.
In the three days since the interview, Lu Mingming had devoted all her time to taking care of the little Samoyed, not livestreaming at all. Her private messages were flooded with greetings from old acquaintances, and the notification chime for StarNet messages never stopped. In just three days, Lu Mingming had spent five thousand StarCoins—all for the little Samoyed's treatment.
Fortunately, on the morning of the fourth day, the attending physician called to inform Lu Mingming that the little Samoyed had woken up. Although its personality was somewhat aloof and peculiar, it was not afraid of strangers and was not a violent or aggressive creature.
Upon receiving the news, Lu Mingming immediately headed to the hospital with fruit. Before entering the ward, she peered through the transparent glass at the door for a long time. Just as the attending physician had said, the little Samoyed sat alone by the bed, silent and withdrawn, occasionally gazing out the window at the distant blue sky, as if lost in thought.
It was curled up in a small ball, much like a soft glutinous rice ball. Pinching its cheeks would surely leave red marks.
Lu Mingming chuckled at her own imagination, immediately drawing the little Samoyed's attention. The little fellow raised its head directly, making eye contact with Lu Mingming.
A sparkling smile bloomed on Lu Mingming's bright face. She projected her care and harmlessness with the greatest possible approachability. The little Samoyed stared intently at Lu Mingming until she walked to the bedside and sat down, its round little eyes never blinking.
"If there are no major issues today, it can start eating normally. If there are any sudden syncope episodes, or if it refuses to eat or drink, you need to bring it here for immediate treatment."
The attending physician carefully marked records in the medical book. Upon finishing, he reached out to pet the little Samoyed's head. The little fellow did not dodge, but its pale pupils looked coldly at the approaching hands. Seeing this, the attending physician consciously withdrew his hand, sheepishly touching his nose before stopping.
"Ahem, this little one isn't shy, but it's not exactly affectionate either. Remember to build a bond with it."
Lu Mingming stifled a laugh and tentatively extended her arm, her eyes full of anticipation as she gently landed her hand on the little Samoyed's head. Strangely, the little Samoyed did not resist at all, nor did it shoot death rays at Lu Mingming. It simply accepted her touch as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"This child really likes you."
The attending physician was at a loss for words. Faced with the heartwarming and harmonious scene between them, he twitched his lips.
"Then there are no further issues. The child's community registration papers can be collected at the main entrance. Its name is Xue Gao, right? I remember very clearly."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Lu Mingming thanked them kindly and naturally scooped Xue Gao into her arms to collect the paperwork at the main entrance. From today onwards, she would be raising two cubs!
Half an hour later, Lu Mingming, with the little Samoyed, returned home via cable car. Hearing the door open, the little white tiger rushed to the entrance to observe—just as expected, the annoying one had returned with it.
The little white tiger let out a cold snort, sizing up the intruder that had usurped its favorite spot with a mixture of disdain and suspicion. However, the other party merely cast a cold glance at it and offered no further attention, as if it paid him no mind at all. The little white tiger ground its molars, its gaze chilling by more than a degree.
Adhering to the principle of "If the enemy does not move, I do not move," the little white tiger followed Lu Mingming without making a sound.
Lu Mingming didn't notice the brewing tension between them. She hummed a tuneless melody in a good mood, placing the two little ones on soft stools respectively. Lu Mingming was going to livestream today. Due to a series of events, she had been delayed for too long and finally had some free time.
"Hello everyone, I am streamer Mingming Doesn't Wake Up."
Lu Mingming began her opening as usual. However, the camera, which should have been focused on the kitchen, now framed both her and the two little cubs behind her on the screen.
After the news interview, Lu Mingming's livestream had undergone a qualitative change. The most significant improvement was the dramatic increase in popularity. Thanks to the competition between 143 and ALnr last time, a new group of viewers had emerged—those who wanted to do nothing but observe the big shots. Now, as Lu Mingming's livestream just started, the number of online viewers easily surpassed one hundred thousand!
[Little Rabbit Loved by All: I'm first!! I've set up special care, hehe.]
[Taotao Likes to Eat: Is… is this a new little one? Has the streamer gotten married? These two don't look like they're the same breed.]
[Sheep Doesn't Like Grass: You fool upstairs, the streamer is pure human. How could she have two beast-human husbands?]
[Happy Orange Cat: Based on reality, it's more common to find partners of the same species, but finding one of a different species… it's not impossible. The babies would definitely be super beautiful mixed breeds!]
Seeing the topic spiraling out of control, Lu Mingming immediately cut it short:
"I'm very sorry, I've been a bit busy these past few days and only finished today. I'd also like to introduce my new cubs—the little white tiger is called Tang Yuan, and the little Samoyed is called Xue Gao."
The camera panned towards the two cubs. The little Samoyed remained indifferent to everything, as usual. The little white tiger, shedding its usual relaxed demeanor, casually glanced at the other, then straightened its chest, like a sapling growing vigorously, forming a stark contrast with Xue Gao next to it.
[Jasmine: Ahhhhh so cute, I'm sorry, auntie likes cute little cubs!]
[General Panghu: I took one look at my own bear cub and felt a sense of disappointment.]
[143: Wait, this little Samoyed… ???]
"Hmm? Do you know 143?"
Lu Mingming pointed at Xue Gao and asked curiously.
143, another annoying name. Perhaps they really were family.
The little white tiger tried to find any unusual traces on Xue Gao's face, but all attempts failed. The little Samoyed maintained its cute, stoic expression, its gaze shifting from Lu Mingming to the electronic screen of the livestream.
Bai Yi, watching from the screen, fumbled and nearly dropped his optical computer.
So, so scary. It looks like my uncle. Not sure, let me see more.