Chapter 62: Chapter 54: Kitty Loves Freedom

The Black Panther opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Males transformed into their beast forms could still speak.

But ever since he learned that the hope of changing back into a human was so remote, Li Yucheng had stopped speaking altogether.

It was as if he had silently accepted his fate of living as a beast for the rest of his life.

At that moment, the fierce, untamable Black Panther, who usually faced everyone with hostility, seemed to have been scalded by the pretty female’s smile. He awkwardly turned his head, trying to look away.

But he never expected that,

in the next second,

Yu Lan would grab his fluffy head with both hands and forcefully turn it back toward her.

The pretty female even had the gall to turn it back on him.

"Li Yucheng, why aren’t you looking at me?"

"Are you shy?"

The female’s beautiful amber eyes, which seemed to hold flecks of starlight, stared intently at him.

For the first time in a long while, the Black Panther felt a sense of inferiority and shyness well up from within.

’How could the lofty heir of the top-tier Li Family conglomerate have such a weak emotion?’

Realizing this,

the Black Panther seemed to get angry.

His tail, hanging behind him, swished back and forth. He forcefully twisted his head away and stalked toward the corner.

But that just made him look even shyer.

For some reason, ever since Mrs. Li had shown her photos of Li Yucheng as a child yesterday, the adorable image had been stuck in Yu Lan’s mind—of him as a little fluffball, still a cute munchkin himself, trying so hard to look serious with his lips pursed.

If she had to put it into words, Yu Lan was now treating the Black Panther completely like a cute little kid.

Of course,

once she realized that this strong, ferocious Black Panther was, in fact, a handsome, fully grown man on the inside, she would pay the price for her current ignorance.

Seeing the Black Panther withdraw into the corner and ignore her again,

Yu Lan didn’t mind.

She turned and pulled open all the heavy curtains in the room, letting in the sunlight and fresh air.

She had noticed yesterday

that while the grand hall where the Black Panther was confined was luxurious, it was far too dim.

Living in such a dark and gloomy place for so long would cause psychological problems in anyone, let alone Li Yucheng, who knew how difficult it would be to regain his human form.

As the windows were opened one after another,

a cool, fresh breeze from outside wafted into the room.

Warm sunlight finally streamed into the gloomy space.

Lying in his iron cage, the Black Panther’s tail trembled almost imperceptibly.

The next second,

he heard the pretty little female voluntarily step into the iron cage.

A bouquet of vibrant, exquisite flowers, their buds still dotted with morning dew, was placed in front of the Black Panther.

The Black Panther looked up, his ghostly blue eyes sliding from the flowers to meet Yu Lan’s smiling eyes.

The next second,

Yu Lan reached out and stroked the Black Panther’s fluffy head.

"These flowers are for you."

"From now on, I’ll stay here to take care of you and research how to help you turn back into a human, okay?"

"If you agree, you can just blink or wag your tail."

The pretty female’s voice was soft. She clasped her hands together, looking at him with a pleading, hopeful expression as if in prayer.

Under her gaze, the Black Panther’s heart, which had been silent for years, suddenly began to POUND wildly.

His body, which had been lying there lazily, tensed as he pushed himself up with his limbs and began to stand.

Just as Yu Lan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, the Black Panther chose a third option.

He suddenly thrust his fluffy head forward and enthusiastically licked the pretty female’s face over and over.

The tip of his feline tongue was covered in faint barbs, and the licks left her face feeling tingly and numb.

Because he was too forceful,

and Yu Lan was caught off guard,

she was licked right off her feet, falling backward and landing on her bottom on the floor.

The Black Panther’s entire body froze.

He stood his ground, forcing himself to maintain an air of pride as he looked down upon the small figure of Yu Lan sitting on the floor.

In reality, he was filled with regret. His tail stopped wagging, and his ghostly blue beast eyes stared intently at Yu Lan’s small face as he held his breath, waiting for the pretty female’s reaction.

"Hey!"

Yu Lan, still on the floor, reached up and wiped her cheek.

There was no trace of anger on her face.

’How could I possibly be angry?’

’Having such an affectionate big cat would only make others envious if they found out.’

’But being too affectionate is a happy problem to have.’

A hint of helplessness on her beautiful face, Yu Lan said:

"You can lick me, but can you be a little gentler next time?"

Her voice was soft and warm, and her bright, smiling amber eyes were fixed on him.

’She isn’t mad?’

The Black Panther froze, unable to describe the feeling that washed over him in that instant.

It was as if ten thousand fireworks had exploded in his mind all at once.

A sudden joy flooded his very being.

’How could there be a female so beautiful and so gentle?’

The Black Panther was so happy his tail started wagging furiously, but when he met Yu Lan’s gaze, he just lifted his head slightly and gave a haughty "Hmph."

If only his tail hadn’t shamelessly wrapped itself around Yu Lan’s soft, slender waist.

’Building trust with the Black Panther, getting him to agree to cooperate with the research...’

Yu Lan gave herself a mental thumbs-up.

’Alright, next on the list...’

’...is...’

’...to try taking him outside to play.’

Felines needed wide-open spaces to let loose.

They weren’t meant to be confined in a small iron cage.

Facing the Black Panther who was now coiled around her, occasionally nuzzling her with his big, fluffy head to act cute, Yu Lan spoke softly:

"Li Yucheng, how about we go outside and play?"

"Outside of this iron cage."

She never thought that the Black Panther—who had just been so docile, agreeing to everything she said—would immediately shake his head.

It was a clear gesture of refusal.

Yu Lan froze. She had thought this would be the easiest step.

"Why?"

"Don’t you like freedom?"

"We can chase butterflies in the garden outside, or roll around on the big lawn."

’Given the choice, no animal would prefer to be kept in captivity.’

’Especially not a feline, which by nature loves freedom.’

The Black Panther didn’t answer, just kept shaking his head.

Because Yu Lan had brought it up, he even glanced around, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

’It must be that the pretty female likes the sun and the fresh air.’

’That makes sense.’

’A female so beautiful and soft was born to stand in the most dazzling, sunlit places.’

’How could she stay with me in this dark, cold iron cage?’

The Black Panther stood up and began using his fluffy head to try and nudge Yu Lan out of the cage.

Yu Lan was no match for the Black Panther.

She put her hands out to push back, not wanting to leave.

So the Black Panther simply grabbed the scruff of her neck with his mouth, as if carrying a disobedient cub.

In the blink of an eye, she was standing outside the iron cage.

And the Black Panther was blocking the entrance, refusing to let her back in.

The tip of his tail even gave her occasional pushes, trying to get her to go out into the sun.

Yu Lan was about to die from frustration.

She grabbed the Black Panther’s tail and bit down hard.

"Li Yucheng, why don’t you want to go out?"

"You have to give me a reason today."

The Black Panther would have never, ever imagined that Yu Lan would suddenly bite his tail.

The tail was the most sensitive part of a panther’s body.

Normally, he couldn’t help but bristle if someone even touched it.

Let alone being bitten by the female’s rather hard teeth.

The fur on the bitten spot was slightly damp, revealing a small set of teeth marks.

The thought that this spot had just been held between the female’s soft, rosy lips made the Black Panther’s entire body go rigid.