Wen Yuzhi knew nothing about what was happening on Blackrock Star.

After /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ finishing the milk and eating a little more, a wave of drowsiness quickly washed over him.

Wen Yuzhi could not help yawning.

He blinked, but he could not fight off the growing sleepiness.

What he did not know was that Mansendis had asked Mu Luo to add a calming sedative to the milk. Wen Yuzhi only thought it was because he had never gotten proper rest during his time on Blackrock Star.

“Sleepy? Then go ahead and sleep for a while.”

Mansendis noticed the little motions of Wen Yuzhi covering his mouth and rubbing his eyes now and then, and pulled the blanket up a little higher.

And under Mansendis’s low, gentle coaxing, Wen Yuzhi unconsciously lowered his hand. The frequency of his blinking slowed, and before he knew it, his eyes gradually drifted shut.

But the moment he closed them, it was as if some part of his subconscious was still afraid of something.

His lashes trembled lightly, as though he wanted to open his eyes again.

Even though he had already returned to the Saint Clan, Wen Yuzhi still did not quite feel it was real.

He was afraid this was all just a dream, and that if he fell asleep, Daddy would be gone when he woke up.

So even though he was already exhausted, half-asleep as he was, Wen Yuzhi still wanted to force his eyes open one more time to look at Mansendis and make sure Daddy was still by his side.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not open them, and a trace of urgency and unease crept into his voice.

“Daddy...”

“Daddy’s here. Daddy won’t leave. I’ll stay here with you the whole time.”

Mansendis gave his word to Wen Yuzhi.

Then he reached out and gently stroked the tightly furrowed spot between Wen Yuzhi’s brows.

Whether it was because he had heard Mansendis’s promise, or because the hand touching him carried that familiar scent that always made him feel safe, the tension in Wen Yuzhi’s brow slowly eased.

Visibly, that little bit of unease in him was soothed away.

Soon, the sound of steady breathing gradually filled the room.

Seeing that, Mond and the other Saint Clan exchanged glances. Without making the slightest sound, they quietly withdrew from the room.

Click.

The door closed.

Only Mansendis remained seated by the bedside.

As the sovereign of the Saint Clan, Mansendis naturally had endless matters to handle.

But at this moment, all he wanted was to be a father and stay with his child himself.

Aside from that, nothing else was nearly as important to him right now.

“Sleep. Have a good dream.”

Mansendis murmured softly to the sleeping boy.

And it was as though Wen Yuzhi heard him even in his sleep. He was still hugging the little teddy bear in his arms, and because it carried Mansendis’s scent, as he held it, he rubbed his soft cheek against it too.

While nuzzling the teddy bear, Wen Yuzhi mumbled, “Awu... rabbit... tasty...”

Mansendis did not understand what Wen Yuzhi was saying.

But that did not stop him from realizing that Wen Yuzhi was probably having a good dream.

And he really was.

He dreamed that all the stray beasts on Blackrock Star had turned into plump little rabbits.

Awu took him to catch lots of rabbits, and the two of them ate rabbit until they were full.

Perhaps because of that dream, the moment Wen Yuzhi opened his eyes and saw the wolf’s figure, he actually thought he was still dreaming.

That was, until the wolf let out a wronged little howl at him. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Only then did Wen Yuzhi belatedly realize it.

This really did not seem to be a dream...

“...Awu?”

Wen Yuzhi called softly, still looking a little dazed.

The moment the wolf heard Wen Yuzhi calling it, it immediately started whining at him.

And while whining, it kept glancing at Mansendis too.

That aggrieved tone sounded as though it were filing a complaint with its owner.

Only then did Wen Yuzhi notice that the wolf was lying near the doorway.

It was curled up on a round little blanket, its big body pitifully tucked in on itself into a tight little ball, its ears drooping low. Only after Wen Yuzhi woke up did those pointed ears perk back up.

The wolf felt horribly wronged.

It had originally been guarding Wen Yuzhi properly.

But that cloaked weirdo had injected it with something, and its head had instantly turned dizzy and foggy. It did not even know when it had fallen asleep.

By the time it woke up, Wen Yuzhi was gone.

It had hurried out from the corner, then out of the escape pod, only to find itself in a strange place where every scent it caught was terrifying.

This place was like the nest of a monster.

Every single being living here was a terrifying monster that filled it with fear.

It had only followed Wen Yuzhi’s scent.

Fortunately, it found him.

And the timing had actually been just right. Because the little highness was asleep, the ones guarding outside had all temporarily stepped away.

In fact, they had even intentionally left a bit of distance, so there was not a single Saint Clan member near the resting quarters right now.

...

...

Avoiding all those terrifying monsters, it had managed to find Wen Yuzhi in a completely unfamiliar place.

But after entering the room, it had never expected that sitting inside would be one giant monster even more terrifying than all the others here.

The silver-haired sovereign had only been sitting there, yet the aura around him alone had nearly made the wolf’s fur stand on end from fright.

It trembled with its tail tucked between its legs and its ears drooping low.

Just as it was about to let out a little whine, Mansendis cast a cool glance in its direction.

The wolf...

It obediently shut its mouth.

The wolf had wanted to lie down, but Mansendis disliked how filthy it was.

Even though the silver-haired sovereign’s expression remained cold and indifferent, with no visible sign of disgust, the blanket flung over by bone spines had made Mansendis’s thoughts abundantly clear.

He did not want this filthy stray dog of unknown origin dirtying the cub’s room.

If not for the fact that this “stray dog” carried Wen Yuzhi’s scent and showed no trace of killing intent, it would have been shredded by Mansendis’s mental power the moment it came near.

Even so, the only treatment the wolf received from Mansendis was that it was being allowed, for the moment, to keep its “dog life.”

It was not allowed to make a sound, nor was it allowed to go near Wen Yuzhi.

And even that sturdy body it had always been so proud of could only suck in its stomach and huddle pitifully on the blanket.

The wolf did not doubt for a second that if even a single strand of its fur dared touch anything outside the blanket, that terrifying giant monster in front of it would take its “dog life”—no, its wolf life—on the spot.

Luckily, just as the wolf was reaching the end of its endurance, Wen Yuzhi woke up.

The moment it saw Wen Yuzhi awake, the wolf immediately started howling away as though it had found someone to back it up.

Mansendis ignored the wolf’s random whining. He set down the light-brain in his hand and looked over.

After waking up, Wen Yuzhi had instinctively turned this way, and the moment he saw Mansendis, his eyes lit up.

“Daddy...!”

Wen Yuzhi had never expected Mansendis to still be here.

He remembered the voice he had heard earlier in that half-asleep haze... so he had not been dreaming after all?

Daddy really had been staying with him the whole time!

Even without saying anything, the emotions on Wen Yuzhi’s face were enough for Mansendis to guess what the child was thinking right now.

“Daddy!”

Wen Yuzhi called again, his voice carrying a little bounce of delight.

“Mm.”

Mansendis answered.

“Daddy...!” Wen Yuzhi called again.

“Mm.” Mansendis responded with the same patience.

“Daddy...!” This time Wen Yuzhi dragged out the word.

“Mm.”

Wen Yuzhi called for him several times in all, and every single time, Mansendis responded without the slightest impatience.

Then, seeing how Wen Yuzhi kept staring at him, Mansendis took the initiative and said, “Does Zhizhi want to touch me and make sure I’m real?”

And Wen Yuzhi really did obediently reach out, emboldened by Mansendis’s words, and touched the silver-haired sovereign in front of him.

From that long silver hair to his face.

Only after feeling the real warmth and solid texture beneath his fingers did Wen Yuzhi finally gain that sense that this was not a dream.

He really had come back.

Back to Daddy’s side.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, he threw himself straight into Mansendis’s arms.

“Daddy... I almost thought I’d never see you again.”

Mansendis’s heart tightened, though all he said was, “What nonsense are you saying?”

Even as he said that, he tightened his hold around Wen Yuzhi.

The force of that embrace was so strong that it was as though he wanted to keep Wen Yuzhi locked firmly in his arms, refusing to let any person or any event take his child away from him again.

Wen Yuzhi did not speak, but instead made a soft humming sound and buried his head in Mansendis’s arms.

He had learned that from the wolf.

And the effect really was very good.

Looking at the child nestled into his arms, something inside Mansendis suddenly softened.

All the anxiety and worry of the past days seemed to dissolve in that instant.

With just one simple motion, Wen Yuzhi seemed to find the state he used to have around Mansendis, and the bond between father and son returned to that same old closeness.

As if they had never been separated at all.

Wen Yuzhi clung to Mansendis like a koala, and Mansendis, just like any father in the world who doted on his child, picked up a comb and carefully straightened out Wen Yuzhi’s hair, which had been mussed up from sleep.

After being apart for some time, Wen Yuzhi’s hair had grown longer again, now just past his shoulders.

Mansendis picked up a hair tie and gathered it back, then loosely braided a small braid, even tying a bow at the end.

The hairstyle looked a little feminine, yet unexpectedly suited Wen Yuzhi very well.

His features now hovered between boyhood and youth, carrying a delicate, unpolished softness. With the ribbon-tied braid swaying lightly behind him, that already fine-boned beauty was only accentuated even more.

Wearing the new hairstyle Daddy had done for him, Wen Yuzhi was delighted.

But the moment he turned his head, he was met with the wolf staring at him with wide, plaintive eyes. It had clearly been neglected for quite a while now, and its entire body radiated grievance.

Ah... just now, he really did seem to have accidentally, maybe, probably, possibly ignored Awu a little...

Under the wolf’s pitiful gaze, Wen Yuzhi could not help feeling a little guilty.

He gave a light cough and asked, “Awu, how did you get here?”

Everything had happened too suddenly back then. Wen Yuzhi did not remember how far Awu had been from him at the time, much less how it had later ended up here.

The wolf seemed to understand the question. It immediately let out a long string of aggrieved howls.

Unfortunately, Wen Yuzhi did not understand wolf language.

But even if he could not understand the words, he could still feel the wolf’s emotions.

So Wen Yuzhi turned to Mansendis and asked, “Daddy... can I keep Awu?”

And after saying that, afraid Mansendis might refuse, Wen Yuzhi repeated the same words he had once said to Xi Heyan.

“Awu is very good. It saved me several times.”

The wolf seemed to realize that Wen Yuzhi was seeking the giant monster’s permission to let it stay, so it cooperatively stretched out its injured hind leg and then looked at Mansendis nervously.

Two completely different pairs of eyes were now looking at him with exactly the same hopeful expression.

And under Wen Yuzhi’s plea, Mansendis finally looked the wolf straight in the eye for the first time.

To be honest, by his standards, this utterly ordinary wolf was not qualified to be his child’s pet.

With the Saint Clan’s power and wealth, he could easily find something better, something more precious, and give that to Wen Yuzhi instead.

Not to mention that this wolf was still so filthy.

The only reason Mansendis could tolerate it at all was because of Wen Yuzhi.

Now that Wen Yuzhi was saying he wanted to keep the wolf, Mansendis was actually thinking that if the cub liked it, perhaps he should bring in some prettier, better-looking options for Wen Yuzhi to choose from. As for this wolf, the palace had more than enough room. Keeping one more would hardly matter.

But Wen Yuzhi seemed to guess what Mansendis was thinking.

He said, “Daddy, I only want Awu.”

Wen Yuzhi’s personality was very soft, but sometimes he could also be very stubborn.

Once he made up his mind about something, he would not change it easily.

Just like now.

He wanted this wolf and no other.

Whenever it was not related to the cub’s safety, Mansendis could never bear to disappoint his child.

And this time was no different.

Faced with the treasure he had only just regained, Mansendis was already full of softness toward him. Now that Wen Yuzhi was insisting that he only wanted Awu, the silver-haired sovereign quickly gave in.

“All right. But it has to be bathed first, and its wounds have to be treated. Mond will clean it up, and only after that can you touch it.”

That was Mansendis’s final bottom line.

No matter how much the cub acted spoiled, he absolutely would not allow the wolf to approach Wen Yuzhi while looking this filthy.

He told Mond to take the wolf away and wash it.

This chief steward had served in the palace for so many years and had never seen such a filthy animal before. He had never expected to suddenly be assigned such a major task.

Mond immediately treated the matter like a serious mission, assuring them that the wolf would be scrubbed absolutely clean before being brought back.

Amid a string of howls, Mond dragged the wolf out of the room.

But before leaving, Mond did not forget to bow to Wen Yuzhi and Mansendis and say, “Today’s breakfast is ready in the dining hall. You and the little highness may go enjoy it at any time.”

Wen Yuzhi looked toward Mansendis.

Mansendis rose first, intending to carry Wen Yuzhi out of bed like he used to.

But Wen Yuzhi had already thrown back the covers and stood up on his own.

The sudden emptiness in his arms had barely had time to register before Wen Yuzhi stepped close, wrapped his arms around him, and rose onto his toes to give him a cheek-to-cheek greeting.