Ti Zi couldn't help but smile, gazing at Sui Yan with tender eyes.
Sui Yan didn't tease Ti Zi anymore and rubbed her cheek against him haphazardly. "Ah! I want to sleep!"
Ti Zi looked at her with disdain. That smelly Yan Yan only wants to eat and sleep!
Sui Yan ruffled Ti Zi's fur, and suddenly feeling playful, she pounced on him and planted a kiss on his head. "Wah!"
Ti Zi froze on the spot, staring at Sui Yan in a daze as his gaze gradually became vacant.
Although he had taken advantage of a young lady when he transformed into a human before, being so casually teased by Sui Yan left him utterly bewildered.
Rarely seeing Ti Zi in such a dazed state, Sui Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing as she lay on the bed. "Hahaha! Ti Zi, you're embarrassed!"
Ti Zi: "..."That shameless little Yan Yan!
Sui Yan giggled and leaned in close to Ti Zi's face. "Ti Zi, I could let you kiss me back next time! Hmm... It would be better if you just transformed into a human in front of me next time."
Ti Zi gave Sui Yan a sidelong glance, indicating he didn't want to engage with her.
Sui Yan didn't mind being rejected and patted Ti Zi's head. "Don't be shy!"
She lay on the bed, kicking her legs idly. "I'm so bored. I'll take a nap!"
Ti Zi still ignored Sui Yan, but when he sensed her breathing becoming steady, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at her.
Well, the little girl might be a bit shameless, but she's still very cute.
Sui Yan dozed off and suddenly reached up to touch her own face, mumbling, "Ti Zi..."
A certain large white wolf, now in human form, crouched by the bed, carefully studying the soft fur on Sui Yan's face.
Hearing Sui Yan call his name in her sleep, he couldn't resist reaching out and gently scratching her face.
Sui Yan used to have a chubby round face, but over the years, her face had become increasingly slender, her chin sharper.
She no longer looked like an adorable little girl but rather a captivating, alluring young woman.
However, no matter how much Sui Yan tried to seem aloof, her true warm nature always shone through.
The man crouched by the bed knew this well. He carefully took Sui Yan's hand and gently squeezed her palm.
"Naughty little one, you don't know how to take care of yourself at all."
When Sui Yan woke up, it was pitch black outside.
She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the electronic clock on the wall...it was already midnight!
She was about to go find something to eat, but as she was about to get out of bed, she suddenly bumped into a hand...
Sui Yan stared in bewilderment, realizing there was a man crouching by her bed!
She instinctively widened her eyes and gently poked the hand's owner. "Hey!"
The man frowned in his sleep, rubbing his temples drowsily as he opened his weary eyes...
The two stared at each other for a long time before the man stood up and covered Sui Yan's eyes with his hand.
His voice was unsurprisingly pleasant and gentle. "Be good and don't look just yet."
As he spoke, he wrapped Sui Yan in the blanket and covered her face.
Sui Yan snapped out of her shock, her face full of disbelief. "You can't seriously expect me to pretend I didn't see you, can you?"
The man didn't respond and suddenly fell silent.
Sui Yan waited for a while, growing impatient, and struggled free of the blanket's restraints.
But as she turned over and sat up, she immediately saw Ti Zi standing at the foot of the bed, looking at her with innocent eyes.
Sui Yan: "...Tsk!"
She crawled over and sat across from Ti Zi. "Do you know what this is called? It's called turning a blind eye!"
Ti Zi obediently lay down, looking up at her with guileless eyes.
Sui Yan poked Ti Zi's head. "I saw everything just now! This time, I really saw it! With my own eyes!!!"
Ti Zi rolled over and snuggled into Sui Yan's embrace.
Sui Yan forgave him easily. "Whatever, I'll catch you next time. Let's go find something to eat now. The butler should be bringing us food... I'm starving."
Ti Zi trotted along behind Sui Yan, acting as if the silly incident hadn't happened.
Sui Yan sauntered into the living room. "Hmm... It should be in the warmer. Wow! So much food!"
She unhurriedly brought the still-hot dishes to the dining table and set Ti Zi's food in front of him to eat by himself. "See how nice I am, not even holding that against you."
Ti Zi cooperatively nodded, and the two childishly played along with each other.
With Ti Zi occasionally teasing Sui Yan, she seemed happy every day, though she still disliked interacting with others.
Qi Linhan, on the other hand, frequently came to play with Sui Yan, sometimes inviting her to drink or go out.
But no matter how many times he asked, Sui Yan never went out with him.
Bai Heng and the military doctor resumed their previous mission before their injuries fully healed, but they at least came to see Sui Yan at Qi Linhan's place before leaving, or else Sui Yan might have cried herself to death.
Sui's family rarely contacted her, and the last shred of hope she held for them gradually faded.
Sui's Grandpa and Grandma, however, kept in touch with Sui Yan frequently, and they were the ones she missed the most.
Qiao Ze also increased his contact with Sui Yan, though their conversations remained brief and superficial.
Lu Yunling persistently tried to see Sui Yan, but she couldn't even enter the estate's gates now, only occasionally running into Qi Linhan and Sui Yan by chance at the entrance.
Sui Yan rather enjoyed teasing Lu Yunling together with Qi Linhan, feeling particularly eager for their next encounter whenever she saw Lu Yunling storming off in a huff.
Meanwhile, the laboratory grew increasingly busy, and Sui Yan desperately wanted to win the highest award before turning twenty to gain more authority.
She wanted to protect everyone she cared about, a pressure outsiders couldn't begin to imagine.
Whenever Zhu Yue saw Sui Yan, she thought she looked thinner and couldn't help repeatedly reminding her to take care of her health.
Sui Yan always agreed readily, always appearing obedient. But each time, she never changed, always harming her body.
Among everyone, Ti Zi was most well-acquainted with the whole situation, and he was also the most helpless.
He knew clearly that the day would come soon, and he couldn't stop Sui Yan.
The only thing he could do was to make himself stronger. That way, the next time he could find his Sui Yan sooner, and provide her with the strongest support sooner.
Next time, he would definitely protect her...
In this way, Sui Yan's twentieth birthday came soon...
