Chapter 55: Your Highness Youyou Does Bad Things

Li Ye got home first. He went straight to Li You’s room and continued handling work on the couch, taking a moment to prepare a cup of hot milk for Li You.

The light brain’s projection screen unfolded and enlarged, displaying the war zone topographic map completely above the tea table. During a break in planning war zone strategies, another light brain received a communication. Li Ye stood and went to the window to answer it.

The Central Laboratory had compiled the test data results for Garna and was about to hold a meeting. After ending the call, Li Ye sent a message to Li You, who had not yet returned home. He warmed the hot milk in the insulated box and quickly left the house.

When he drove the hover car to the Imperial Military, he realized that the other light brain had been left in Li You’s room.

Li Ye paused for a moment and tapped the light brain on his wrist. He synced it to the other light brain and saw Li You’s bedroom through it.

It was indeed left in the room.

He did not pay it much mind. He checked the room via video, and the holographic image showed no sign of Li You. He must not have come home yet.

Li Ye switched the video to the communication chat window and saw Li You’s reply from ten minutes ago.

Li You: 【I’m tidying the cabinet.】

Li You: 【These letters and things are everyone’s heartfelt sentiments. I can’t throw them away.】

Li You: 【I’m heading home soon. I’ll use autopilot, so go ahead and focus on work.】

Li Ye scrolled up and looked at Li You’s earlier replies.

Li You: 【No name on the envelope. Probably from military academy students.】

Li You: 【Everyone’s so enthusiastic, but it’s strange. Has something happened lately?】

Li Ye also found it strange, but he felt deeply displeased at the same time. He gradually realized that Li You was extremely popular nowadays.

He did not mind Li You being popular. On the contrary, he felt more than anyone that Li You deserved to be loved by all, adored like a star, and revered with faith.

But he was agitated now, an inexplicable restlessness like a tightly wound big cat, constantly worrying that his treasure would be snatched away, fur all fluffed up while only appearing calm on the surface.

The meeting ran very late. After returning to the office from the conference room, Li Ye casually tapped the synced link to the other light brain. A long, shrill “meow” came from the video, so high-pitched that it was clear the cat in question was in a great mood.

The office fell silent for several seconds. Peisengke, who had been worked into a state of full irritability, suddenly perked up. “Yo! Listen to that voice. The little guy’s still so cheerful and lively.”

He stood from his seat and strode over to Li Ye’s side in a few big steps. Propping one hand on the back of Li Ye’s office chair, he watched the video on Li Ye’s screen.

The cat was doing parkour around the room, darting from one side to the other and back again. It stood on the table, proudly puffing out its chest and raising its big tail, as if to say: Look, isn’t my tail pretty?

“Good heavens, it’s too cute! Oh, has it gotten fatter? Its fur looks so poofy.” Peisengke rubbed his chin with a grin. “Your Majesty, you’ve raised it so well.”

“Let me see, let me see.” Kris, her eyelids drooping from handling files, squeezed over, shoving Peisengke aside to claim his spot. She peered at the cat on the screen, her heart softening. “Aww, what a little cutie. But this cat looks a bit familiar?”

While Kris pondered, Qi Yu came over and placed a cup of hot tea beside Li Ye, handing over the latest files as well. “The little guy looks like it’s in its shedding period. Poofy fur is normal.”

Everyone turned to look at Qi Yu, including Li Ye.

Qi Yu smiled calmly. “These are minor issues. Cats all shed fur. Just plan a good diet, and there’s no need to worry too much.”

Li Ye grunted in acknowledgment, took the files, and glanced back at the screen.

The cat had darted into the bathroom and disappeared.

Half a minute later, Li You emerged from the bathroom wearing a white shirt and gray cotton pants. His slightly longer hair hung loose, partially covering his neck.

Li You had a toothbrush in his mouth. He had tied up the hair on his forehead into a little tuft sticking straight up, revealing his pretty, rounded forehead. He looked very playful.

Li You was barefoot as he wandered around the room. He patted the large flower vase for a bit, flipped through a photo album on the bookshelf for a bit, then climbed onto the couch and sat cross-legged. He never stopped moving, just like the cat that had been running wild parkour-style through the room earlier.

Peisengke let out a surprised “Eh” and searched the video. “Where’s the cat? Little Highness didn’t forget it in the bathroom, did he?”

Kris focused on something else. She narrowed her eyes. “Heavens, Little Highness himself looks just like a cat! He resembles that adorable little guy so much!”

Kris openly admired Little Highness’s beauty, clicking her tongue in praise. “Your Highness Youyou is the most beautiful pretty boy I’ve ever seen. I really want to pinch his cheeks—they must be so soft.”

As soon as she voiced her inner thoughts, the other three all looked at her.

Kris realized what she had said, shrugged, and laughed openly. “I mean it. Don’t you all think so?”

Qi Yu smiled mildly. “Little Highness is indeed very likable.”

Peisengke crossed his arms. “He just looks a bit delicate. I think we should draw up a training plan so he won’t get bullied again.”

“Royal children wouldn’t get bullied no matter what.” Kris said, “Haven’t you seen Your Highness Youyou’s arena match videos? Go watch them, you guy who doesn’t go online. He’s really strong.”

“I know, I’ve seen them of course.” Peisengke gave her a sidelong glance. “Your Highness Youyou is indeed amazing. What I mean is, he needs ways to protect himself from that kind of humiliation from ten years ago—like skills to beat those online trolls until they cry or curse them until they cry.”

“Um…” Kris fell into thought. A few seconds later, she nodded seriously in agreement. “You have a point. There are too many idle people on Starnet now. We need to figure something out.”

“Could we crack down harder on the net? Or I could teach Little Highness how to curse people—I’m great at it.” Kris began suggesting bad ideas.

“I can teach him some fighting techniques.” Peisengke was another proponent of bad ideas.

Only Qi Yu was reliable. He noticed Li Ye, expressionless, had cut off the video on his screen and reminded the two idea-mongers. “Alright, you two. If we don’t finish tonight’s work quota, I think Your Highness might let you experience those techniques firsthand.”

Kris and Peisengke instantly fell silent and obediently returned to their workstations to work.

Qi Yu smiled brightly and turned to the pensive Li Ye, lowering his voice a bit. “Your Highness, during shedding, you can try brushing the cat’s fur. It keeps the environment clean and, with high-protein food, makes the fur healthier.”

Li Ye nodded. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Qi Yu smiled faintly and added, “Little Highness seems to like staying active. You could add some cat trees in the room for entertainment.”

Li Ye considered it. His own room actually had a cat tree and cat bed in the front hall—the ones Kairien had prepared when he first adopted the ragdoll cat.

He temporarily shelved the idea of installing a cat tree in Li You’s room and planned to move the one from his front hall to a more prominent spot.

No one knew Li Ye’s thoughts. He calmly began handling files, and no one noticed the slight upward curve at the corner of his lips—not even himself.

Li You wandered around the room. Ten minutes later, he returned to the bathroom, rinsed the toothpaste foam from his mouth, then went back to his room. He lay on the bed, rolled over onto his stomach on the mattress, and opened his eyes to see a few tufts of cat fur on the bedding.

“…”

Li You sat up, crossed his legs with soles touching, and saw white cat fur all over his dark gray pants.

He looked around. The room, which had been cleaned that morning, was messy again. A closer look revealed fur floating in the air like dandelion seeds.

He guiltily rubbed his feet together, stood, groped his way out of the room, soon doubled back, opened the wardrobe to grab a set of fur-free clothes, and sauntered slowly to Li Ye’s room. Once inside, he headed straight to the back hall, familiarly slipped into his big brother’s bathroom, showered, emerged in fresh clothes, then climbed onto his big brother’s bed. His eyes blinked lightly a few times before slowly closing.

Li You fell asleep.

He had a dream. In the dream, he rode on Li Ye’s tail—but that tail was not cool and smooth; it was hot and hard, scorching him all over.

He huddled in Li Ye’s arms, hugging his arm, biting his big brother’s Adam’s apple when it hurt, leaving bite marks and hickeys on Li Ye’s neck.

Later, his body went limp without strength. His head rested on Li Ye’s shoulder, his body trembling lightly, yet unwilling to leave. He greedily craved Li Ye’s warmth, his body, ceaselessly calling his big brother’s name amid the chaos, legs wrapped tight, gradually waking.

Li You woke. The room lights were off. He blinked in confusion, feeling sweat all over his body and face.

After the heat wave came a brief chill. He wrapped himself in the bedding full of Li Ye’s scent and hazily recalled the dream.

Li You had similar dreams before, always featuring his big brother. They had scared him badly back then. Afraid he was sick, he searched online, and only after Yulian said it was normal did he gradually relax.

During that time, Li You felt both afraid and deeply guilty every time he saw Li Ye, yet he never thought in the direction of liking him.

Now, dreaming of his big brother again, his heart filled with many new emotions.

Li You’s heart raced, his blood boiling, his body and face heating up again.

Feeling like doing something naughty, Li You guiltily swallowed and hugged the bedding full of his big brother’s scent. His legs twisted tight, burying his scorching face in the pillow, muffling calls amid constant rubbing: “Big brother…”

Li You rarely did this sort of thing, but it had become frequent lately, especially after last night’s skin contact with his big brother. He had been in a daze all day, floating.

Li You’s voice was very low, breathy and trembling, legs twitching slightly, body tensed to the extreme. That final “big brother” shook intensely.

He dirtied Li Ye’s bedding, then went limp and soft on the bed, face still buried in the pillow, breathing disordered, chest heaving. A few buttons of his shirt had come undone, revealing a large expanse of beautiful chest.

Li You closed his eyes briefly, slowly sat up, and annoyedly looked at the soiled bedsheet.

Behind him, at the bedside in the dim shadows untouched by light, Li Ye’s burning gaze fell on Li You’s pale, gleaming thighs. Those crimson pupils resembled a beast’s eyes lurking in the dark, as if ready to pounce and devour the prey within reach at any moment.