A tail, hehe!

After his initial shock, Zhong Xuezhi finally understood. Well, well. After all that maneuvering, it turned out Mu Yi had his eye on his tail.

He glared at Mu Yi. "What kind of weird preference is that?"

"What do you mean, weird preference?" Mu Yi refused to admit it. "This is me compromising because I have no other choice."

"Who would settle for a half-finished product like you otherwise?"

Having denied it, he pressed for confirmation. "Just tell me whether you agree. Give me an answer before I change my mind."

Zhong Xuezhi raked irritably through his hair. He had never expected to find himself being so openly maneuvered into a trap.

First, someone gave you a task harder than reaching the heavens. Then, after taking the long way around, they offered an inferior alternative within easy reach. Would you take the bait?

Zhong Xuezhi didn't want to, but he had no choice. Mu Yi was very likely the rare special constitution they could only stumble across, never seek out.

Fuck. For a chance at successful research, I've thrown myself into the bargain.

Zhong Xuezhi rarely agonized over things. He always made decisions quickly, and once he did, he never wavered.

So, after a silent sigh, he asked bluntly, "Just the tail?"

Mu Yi had known he would agree. His eyes curved as he said, "And the ears."

Zhong Xuezhi held up three fingers. "Three days at most. And no touching when anyone else is around."

Mu Yi thought it over. Once the DNA replication succeeded, he wouldn't be able to keep Zhong Xuezhi under his thumb anyway. A permanent arrangement was completely unrealistic.

So he bargained, "Five days."

Zhong Xuezhi bargained right back. "Fine, but within those five days, you have to cooperate with the institute until they successfully replicate the DNA."

"Sure." Mu Yi refused to lose out on anything and added, "But you have to throw in a free night."

As he spoke, he swiftly reached out and grabbed the tail resting across Zhong Xuezhi's thigh.

"I-!" Zhong Xuezhi jolted, his back going ramrod straight.

"Did I agree yet?! And you're already grabbing me?!"

Mu Yi pulled the long, soft tail toward himself, flashing his little white teeth in a gleeful grin. "You're going to agree anyway."

Zhong Xuezhi: "..." Well, that was true...

After stroking it a couple of times, Mu Yi made another demand. "Turn around."

Zhong Xuezhi closed his eyes and resignedly turned over, presenting his tail to him.

Mu Yi hugged the tail contentedly and wrapped it twice around his arm.

It felt even better than he had imagined. The fur was incredibly fluffy and soft, dense and silky.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Zhong Xuezhi, on the receiving end, was not.

As Mu Yi ran his hands all over his tail, his heart lurched right along with them.

When Mu Yi stroked all the way from the tip to the base, he abruptly snatched his tail back.

Mu Yi's hands were suddenly empty. He froze for a moment, then asked, "What are you doing? Backing out halfway through?"

Zhong Xuezhi sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth. "Don't touch the base. Isn't the rest of that long tail enough for you?"

Mu Yi refused to indulge him and drawled, "Since when does a pet tell its owner where to pet it?"

As he spoke, he retrieved the tail and lightly scratched its base twice with two fingers.

Zhong Xuezhi: "...!"

Zhong Xuezhi abruptly rolled over, pinning the base of his tail beneath himself, and said stiffly, "I'm going to sleep."

Mu Yi pushed at him, deeply dissatisfied. "Sleep on your side."

"No." Zhong Xuezhi refused outright. "I can't sleep on my side."

Mu Yi was unhappy, but no matter how he pushed, Zhong Xuezhi wouldn't budge.

In the end, he simply abandoned the incomplete tail and reached for the round ears on either side of Zhong Xuezhi's head instead.

Probably unused to the touch, the large ears twitched erratically in his hands, tickling his palms.

He cupped his hands around them and gently kneaded them. The ears were thick but very soft, easily molded into all sorts of shapes.

Mu Yi couldn't help grinning, having the time of his life.

Zhong Xuezhi, however, pressed his lips tightly together, his eyebrows twisting into two wavy lines.

Fuck...

If Mu Yi weren't already such a troublemaker who never acted sensibly, he would have suspected the guy had ulterior motives toward him.

Once he got back, he was definitely going to squeeze a hefty sum out of the institute. Anything less would fail to compensate for his enormous sacrifice!

Mu Yi truly had no ulterior motives. The way he stroked Zhong Xuezhi was no different from how he would pet an ordinary animal.

After playing with his ears for quite a while, Mu Yi discovered that Zhong Xuezhi's hair was also remarkably soft and silky. Holding those loose waves felt like holding a handful of light feathers.

So he couldn't resist stroking the top of Zhong Xuezhi's head, then stroking it again.

Zhong Xuezhi: "..."

When felines were petted on the head, they tended to narrow their eyes, tilt their heads up, and actively rub against the hand.

Zhong Xuezhi was doing his best to resist.

When he could no longer stand it, he pulled Mu Yi's hand down and said unhappily, "Didn't we agree on just the tail and ears?"

Mu Yi smiled and shamelessly replied, "I'm pretty generous with my pets. I can throw in a complimentary head-petting service."

"No!"

Zhong Xuezhi realized this guy was always taking advantage and then acting as though he were doing him a favor.

What a shame, Mu Yi thought. He hadn't had enough petting yet, and his hands were itching for more.

So he reached out again, feeling his way toward Zhong Xuezhi's neck.

He remembered seeing a silver ring around Zhong Xuezhi's neck, rather like a collar, which had made him very curious.

But before he could touch the ring, Zhong Xuezhi slapped his hand away.

"Keep your hands to yourself."

The slap was hard enough to leave the back of Mu Yi's hand stinging.

Mu Yi immediately scowled. "I can't do this, I can't do that. What kind of pet are you?"

"Shh...!" Startled by his sudden rise in volume, Zhong Xuezhi hurriedly warned him, "Keep your voice down..."

If his teammates heard that he was someone else's pet, how could he ever show his face again?

But Mu Yi didn't lower his voice at all. "Why should I listen to you? Did you do what I wanted just now?"

"Wait, wait, wait..." Zhong Xuezhi hastily rolled onto his side and voluntarily stuffed his tail into Mu Yi's hands. "You can have the tail, okay? Pet it however you want. Just stop shouting..."

"Hmph." Mu Yi grabbed the tail and reluctantly shut his mouth.

Once the two fell quiet, only the patter of rain outside the tent remained.

And... the faint tapping of countless raindrops striking the waterproof fabric.

The soft sounds were steady and continuous, perfect for lulling someone to sleep. Mu Yi yawned, finally running out of energy to make trouble.

He clutched Zhong Xuezhi's tail and settled down to sleep.

Ten minutes later-

Zhong Xuezhi quietly looked back at Mu Yi. Seeing that his breathing was slow and even, he gave his captive tail a tug.

But the instant he moved it, Mu Yi tightened his grip. Zhong Xuezhi hurriedly closed his eyes, pretending to be perfectly peaceful.

Yet after that single squeeze, Mu Yi didn't move again.

Zhong Xuezhi waited a little longer before daring to open his eyes again, only to discover that Mu Yi hadn't woken at all. He was sound asleep.

Unbelievable. How could someone stay this guarded even while unconscious?

Zhong Xuezhi smacked his lips. Not daring to pull his tail away again, he obediently went to sleep.

No one had ever stroked his tail before, much less held it while sleeping. The sensation was indescribable, and he wasn't remotely used to it.

As a result, drowsiness took ages to build, and he only gradually fell asleep once it had worn him out.

Unfortunately, it felt as though he had only just closed his eyes when the person beside him started making trouble again.

"Zhong Xuezhi, Zhong Xuezhi...!"

Mu Yi shook him twice, rattling on.

"The strap's run out of cold air."

"Fuck, why does this hurt even more than it did during the day?"

"Wake up, wake up. Give me some cold air."

Zhong Xuezhi's temples began to throb. He struggled to speak in a hoarse voice. "Kid... could you please stop making noise?"

Keeping his eyes closed, he fumbled around until he found Mu Yi's wrist, then groggily began supplying cold air.

In his daze, a muddled thought wandered through his mind: Thank goodness this guy isn't on my team.

Otherwise, he'd take years off my life.

I'd be run ragged every single day.

As those thoughts drifted through his mind, his consciousness sank deeper and deeper, until, with a final click, he shut down completely.