As for the remaining ones with bizarre flavors, Cen Yao sorted them all into a black jar and pasted a label on it.
“Consume with caution.”
Pei Tinglan: “...”
Alright.
That evening, after dinner, no one was in a hurry to return to their rooms.
The night breeze wasn't hot.
Most of the houses in the urban village weren't very tall, with the tallest being only three or four stories, and there were no particularly glaring lights around the Cen family's small yard.
Since the arrival of the Horror Game, there were fewer and fewer people outside. The once bustling alleys had quieted down, and even the traffic had thinned out significantly.
Because of this, the night sky seemed exceptionally clean.
Stars were embedded one by one in the black canopy of the sky, shining much brighter than before.
Cen Qihang brought out a few small stools.
Lu Xiuying brought a plate of sliced watermelon and brewed a pot of herbal tea.
Zhu Lingxi sat on a wicker chair, looking up at the stars, the ends of her hair swaying gently in the night breeze.
Cen Yao lay down beside her on the double rocking chair in the yard.
The rocking chair swayed slowly.
Zhu Lingxi held a cushion, staring unblinkingly at the night sky.
“Xiao Yao.”
“What's the name of that brightest star?”
Cen Yao looked in the direction she was pointing.
“It might be Venus, or it could be something else. I'm not very good at identifying them.”
Zhu Lingxi nodded. “It's so bright.”
“Yeah.”
Cen Yao smiled. “It looks like someone hung a lamp in the sky.”
At the other end of the yard, Pei Tinglan sat in his wheelchair.
He didn't sing to the candy-shrub anymore; they had enough candy for tonight.
He looked up at the stars, and after a moment, casually hummed a soft melody.
There were no lyrics, nor any special attacks or enhancements, just a very gentle humming.
His voice naturally possessed a power that could put people at ease.
The night breeze rustled through the flower trellis, the leaves whispering. As starlight fell upon everyone's shoulders, the melody flowed silently through the yard like a slender river.
Cen Yao closed her eyes, suddenly feeling incredibly comfortable.
Lu Xiuying sat on the small swing, leaning against Cen Qihang's shoulder.
Cen Qihang still held a slice of watermelon in his hand, eating it slowly.
“Tinglan sings so well,” Lu Xiuying murmured softly.
Cen Qihang nodded. “No wonder Yao Yao used to love listening to him so much.”
Cen Yao had been half-asleep, but upon hearing this, she instantly opened her eyes.
“Dad, can you not bring that up?”
Cen Qihang laughed. “Why can't I bring it up? You used to insist on dragging us to watch his concert live streams.”
“That was in the past.”
“What's wrong with the past? That was your youth.”
Lu Xiuying chimed in from the side.
“I still remember too. When Yao Yao first got one of his posters, she was so happy she couldn't sleep a wink that night.”
Cen Yao pulled the cushion directly over her face.
“Stop talking about it.”
Pei Tinglan's singing stopped.
Cen Yao peeked through the gap in the cushion.
Sure enough, the tips of his ears had turned red again.
He lowered his eyes, his fingertips tapping twice gently on the armrest of his wheelchair.
Cen Yao took the cushion off her face.
Over the past half month, seeing her parents barely leave the house made her feel a constant sense of unease.
Since the arrival of the Horror Game, the world seemingly managed to maintain order.
But no one knew if danger would suddenly spill over into reality one day.
She had power now, but she couldn't stay at home all the time.
After entering a dungeon, although time in the real world didn't flow at the exact same pace, she still couldn't guarantee she would return in time every single time.
Cen Yao didn't want to wait until danger actually struck to regret having done nothing to prepare.
She tilted her head to look at Lu Xiuying.
“Mom, what kind of animals do you like?”
Lu Xiuying was taken aback.
“Why are you asking this again?”
Cen Yao said seriously, “Just tell me first.”
Lu Xiuying thought for a moment.
“A cat, I suppose. When I was young, I really wanted to raise a little cat.”
Cen Qihang chimed in.
“Your mom had her eyes set on an orange cat back then. But right after she gave birth to you, she had to recover postpartum and take care of you, the little ancestor, so we never got to raise it.”
Lu Xiuying glared at him with a smile.
“What do you mean, 'little ancestor'? You were so difficult to raise when you were a baby. You refused to sleep at night. You would cry even when we held you, and the moment we put you down, you'd wake up.”
Cen Yao touched her nose guiltily.
She had absolutely no memory of this.
“What happened after that?”
“After that, we just never got around to raising one,” Lu Xiuying's tone was casual. “Owning a pet requires responsibility. We were both busy with work, and you had to go to school. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to take proper care of it.”
After saying that, she patted Cen Yao's head again.
“What made you suddenly think to ask about this?”
Cen Yao sat up from the rocking chair.
Then, before Lu Xiuying could react, she plunged straight into her embrace.
Lu Xiuying carried the familiar scent of laundry detergent, mixed with a faint aroma of home-cooked meals from the kitchen.
She instinctively hugged her daughter.
“What's wrong?”
Muffled against her shoulder, Cen Yao whispered, “How about I find a little cat for you both? You guys stay at home all day now and can't go out often. I'm worried you'll get bored out of your minds.”
Lu Xiuying froze.
She gently patted Cen Yao's back, her heart swelling with warmth and a touch of tenderness.
“Okay. Then thank you, my darling.”
Cen Yao looked up.
“Really?”
“Of course it's true,” Lu Xiuying smiled and said. “But there's no rush. Raising a cat is a big deal. We need to find a healthy one with a good personality, not just bring any random one back.”
Cen Yao blinked. “I know.”
She already had a plan in mind.
That night, after everyone had returned to their rooms, Cen Yao snuggled under her blanket and quietly opened the System Mall.
“Orb.”
“I want to find a pet that can protect my parents.”
The orb floated out.
“What type does the Host want?”
“Something that looks cute normally.”
Cen Yao thought seriously. “Ideally a little cat.”
“It shouldn't be too fierce; I don't want to scare my mom.”
“But when danger comes, it has to be powerful enough to protect our home.”
The orb immediately pulled up the mall categories.
Pets, guardian beasts, contracted beasts, divine companions, supernatural sealed items...
A long list of options flashed before Cen Yao's eyes.
She browsed through them for a long time before her gaze finally locked onto a specific name.
【White Tiger Guardian Beast】
【Grade: High-Grade Guardian Spirit Beast】
【Price: 20,000,000 shock points】
【Description: Protects the house and wards off evil, safeguarding the household. Normally active in the form of a white cat, with a gentle temperament, and can get close to family members. Once it detects external malicious intrusion into the residence, it will automatically manifest its true White Tiger form to expel the intruders.】
【Note: After the Host completes the initial contract, the target of protection and the scope of protection can be designated.】
Cen Yao stared at the description for a long time.
Twenty million shock points.
It was indeed not cheap.
Her balance had just accumulated to over ninety million, and buying this would immediately shave off a huge chunk.
But she remembered the way her parents looked as they sat in the yard watching the stars.
She recalled the casual yet gentle tone Lu Xiuying used when talking about how she wanted to raise a cat when she was young but gave it up to take care of her.
Cen Yao gritted her teeth.
“Buy it.”
【Do you wish to consume 20,000,000 shock points to purchase the White Tiger House-Guarding Beast?】
“Confirm.”
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