The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 22

By the time the first rays of sunlight pierced through the layers of green leaves and illuminated the ground, the entire forest was tranquil. Most of the creatures were still resting. Tuanzi lazily rolled over, his short front paws still clutching the fruit he had saved from the night before, his cheeks puffed up.

After sleeping to his heart’s content, Tuanzi slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on the man’s chest, while the man was resting with his eyes closed.

A gentle breeze caused ripples across the ground, swaying the glowing grass. Unknown birds were softly humming nearby. Tuanzi smiled with his eyes squinting in contentment and leaned back down to sleep again, lulled by the sound of the man’s heartbeat.

When he woke up again, Tuanzi found himself back in the cave, with the man’s wrinkled outer robe under him. However, the man was nowhere to be seen.

…Where’s my wife?

Tuanzi wobbled out of the cave, only to see two figures facing off on the flat ground below. One was his wife, and the other was Hei Quan.

What’s going on?!

Tuanzi snapped awake instantly and ran down with his short legs, inserting himself between the two. “What’s happening?”

Seeing Tuanzi, Hei Quan became unusually agitated, “You’re not dead?”

“……”

Tuanzi walked over expressionlessly, grabbed Hei Quan by his long tail, and began dragging him away to throw him out.

“Wait, let me explain! I didn’t mean it that way!!”

Hei Quan’s sharp claws dug into the dirt, but he was still effortlessly dragged away by Tuanzi, leaving behind deep, sorrowful grooves that could bring tears to onlookers.

“You bastard!!!”

Hei Quan, having been thrown far away, erupted in fury, his roar like that of a jilted lover. “We agreed yesterday! But you didn’t show up, and I thought something had happened to you… Only to find out it was all for this male demon! You not only stood me up, but you’re also bullying me now!”

“……” It seemed something like that had happened.

Tuanzi calmly stroked his white fur under his neck and then went over to retrieve Hei Quan.

“…Hmph! You think flattering me now will work? Unless you—” Hei Quan grumbled, but was abruptly cut off by Tuanzi, “What do you want? Just say it.”

“……” Hei Quan huffed proudly but refused to speak.

“Nothing to say?” Tuanzi scratched his ear, then turned and ran toward the man. “Fine, I’m leaving.”

“Stop!!!”

Hei Quan pinned him down with a paw, seething with anger.

“What is it? →_→”

Tuanzi impatiently pulled away, his eyes warning Hei Quan not to mess with him.

“……” Tuanzi, you’ve changed.

Hei Quan took a deep breath, feeling incredibly wronged. But Tuanzi continued to stare at him blankly. After a moment of hesitation, Hei Quan pulled something out of his pouch, wrapped in a layer of protective spiritual energy.

“What’s this?”

Tuanzi cut through the layer of spiritual energy, revealing something tightly wrapped in leaves inside. His shiny black eyes glanced questioningly at Hei Quan, who stood tall and proud. Carefully, Tuanzi peeled open the green leaves, and inside was a fruit.

It was bright red, with a few dewdrops glistening as they rolled across its surface. Paired with the green leaves, it looked fresh and tender, as if it had just been plucked—like a heart offered with sincerity.

Tuanzi looked momentarily stunned, and Hei Quan, face flushed, shouted hurriedly, “Take it or leave it!”

This fruit was from the tallest tree at the center of the forest, growing at the highest branch. It was known as the most tender and delicious fruit in the entire forest. Hei Quan had gotten up in the middle of the night and worked hard for some time before finally biting it off the branch.

Finding this fruit had been a complete accident. But ever since discovering it, Hei Quan had watched over it every day to prevent other creatures from snatching it. He had intended to save it for Tuanzi, as thanks for having once taken him in.

Tuanzi’s expression softened, and with a smile, he expressed his gratitude to Hei Quan, “Thanks, little bro!” Then he picked up the fruit and ran over to the man sitting nearby. In full view of Hei Quan, Tuanzi offered the fruit to the man, who accepted it with a gentle smile.

“……”

Hei Quan felt deeply wronged, as if the world had betrayed him. But he said nothing. He had to be strong.

The man glanced at Hei Quan, who looked completely defeated, but his expression didn’t change. He took the fruit, then casually placed Tuanzi back on his shoulder and slowly returned to the cave, sitting on the large stone at the entrance.

The cave’s location was ideal, bathed in sunlight without any scorching heat. Tuanzi crouched on the man’s shoulder, a few strands of gray hair brushing against his face, tickling him. At that moment, the man handed Tuanzi a few nuts.

“?”

Tuanzi caught the nuts, a bit surprised. In his memory, since his cave was rather remote, there weren’t any nut-bearing trees around…

“I noticed you liked these yesterday, so I went and gathered a few more.”

My wife is so thoughtful~

Tuanzi squinted his eyes, happily munching on the nuts in its paws.

“Wife?”

Wait, did I say that out loud?!

Tuanzi froze.

“How could I possibly be the ‘wife’…” The man lowered his voice, sounding somewhat threatening. “I won’t be your wife… But, if it’s marrying you, I might consider it.”

“!”

Tuanzi’s pine nut dropped to the ground.

…Wait, have I been blind this whole time? Did I misunderstand his nature…?

The man didn’t seem to care about the shock he had caused Tuanzi. He narrowed his eyes slightly. After all, he wasn’t exactly a saint. Better let the little guy get used to things first…

Tuanzi, still bewildered, kept his paws in the same position as if still holding a nut. The man chuckled softly, then pulled out a few more nuts and placed them in Tuanzi’s arms.

“I’m Bai Fan. What’s your name?”

“…Tuanzi.”

Tuanzi mechanically continued munching on the pine nuts, and when he heard the man speak, he absentmindedly responded. Then, recalling his earlier confidence, Tuanzi felt embarrassed to the point of wanting to disappear. All he could do was keep smiling and shoveling nuts into his mouth.

When you’re lost, confused, or in pain… Don’t panic, don’t be afraid. Just smile and keep filling your pouch. Don’t pretend to be dead or you’ll starve.

— Swosky Ba · Luansword

“The sails of the moon navigate through the world’s misty haze, while dreamlike fates are destined to bloom from past lives…” The man’s eyebrows curved gently, his golden pupils shining brightly. “From now on, you are mine, so let me give you a name: Bai Meng. How about it?”

The white-furred Tuanzi, who had been stuffing his mouth with pine nuts, froze instantly. Then, his furry head tilted as he looked at the man, voice soft, “Which ‘meng’?”

“The ‘meng’ from daydream.”

“…Rejected!” The white furball pushed away the man’s pinching fingers: “I want the ‘Meng’ from Meng Po’s soup!”

The man tilted his head and smiled: “The ‘Meng’ from reckless?”

“…Go away!!”

“Not leaving!”

The man’s eyes curved into a smile as he held Bai Meng in his palm: “I’ve already caught you! You can only stay with me forever.”

…I said this is cheating…

Tuanzi hugged the last pine nut, his heart racing.

Alright, since you’re begging me so much… I guess… I’ll accept you. Fine…