Panda Cub, So Cute and Fierce 1

Reading Guide:

A sweet, heartwarming story about the daily lives of childhood sweethearts.

If you don’t know what a little fluffy bird (小肥啾) is, you can search for Northern Long-tailed Tit. They’re super cute! (Cupping face and squealing)

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Chapter 1: Coaxing

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It was a golden September, and a gentle, soothing breeze drifted in through the slightly ajar window, chasing away some of the stuffiness in the room.

On the large bed in the room, a little black-and-white panda cub was sprawled out, limbs akimbo. A fluffy little bird was nestled on its rising and falling belly, moving with each of the cub’s breaths.

The breeze rustled the panda cub’s fur, gently sweeping across the face of the little bird on its stomach. The light touch tickled. The little bird rolled over, lazily fluffing its feathers, too lethargic to move.

“Daidai, Little Ting, time to get up. You’re going to be late for school.” A knock sounded at the door, followed by He Ying’s distant voice.

Outside, He Ying sighed deeply once more. She had made the kids’ room far too big, which had made waking them up a chore over the years. However, she heard Bei Queting’s reply and went downstairs to prepare breakfast, relieved.

Inside the room, Bei Queting was now wide awake. She flapped her wings and hopped off Daidai. In her true form as a Northern Long-tailed Tit, she was pitifully small; an adult human could cup her in one hand.

With a flash of white light, the round, fluffy bird was gone. In its place stood a slender teenage girl. Her long, straight black hair cascaded smoothly down her back, and her features held a cool, noble air, a stark contrast to the dazed, cute little bird from moments before.

Bei Queting turned her head to look at Daidai, who was still sleeping soundly on her back, all four paws splayed out. A tuft of fur on her head that hadn’t been squashed down swayed in the breeze. Bei Queting’s lips curved into a soft smile, like ice melting away to welcome the spring.

Looking at the sweetly sleeping panda cub, Bei Queting’s eyes glazed over for a moment. In the blink of an eye, twelve years had passed since she was rescued and brought to live in the human world.

In this era where humans and demons coexisted, you might think someone was human, but they could secretly be a demon you knew nothing about. Bei Queting had lived like this in the human world for twelve years, and today, on the first day of school, she was officially starting her second year of high school.

“Daidai, time to get up,” Bei Queting said, her voice gentle as she tapped the tip of the panda cub’s nose with her index finger.

The sleeping panda cub, disturbed, rolled over to dodge the hand. The movement revealed two small, white wings on her back. She buried her head in the quilt, face down, and went still again.

Bei Queting couldn’t help but want to laugh at this reaction. Her habit of being a heavy sleeper and lazing in bed hadn’t changed a bit since she was little. According to Aunt He, she had learned it all from Aunt Jing.

She didn’t call out again. Instead, she went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into her school uniform for the day, and laid out Daidai’s uniform. Only then did she turn to the panda cub still playing stubborn on the bed. “If you don’t get up, I’m going to carry you to the bathroom, you know?”

The girl’s voice was clear and crisp, like a mountain spring tinkling, yet it was laced with an unconscious tenderness when she spoke to the cub.

The panda cub on the bed finally reacted. It stretched its four paws out in all directions, its two wings spreading wide. It lifted its head, the small tuft of fur on top drooping listlessly. It was clear that even after a good stretch, she was still very sleepy.

“Beibei~” the panda cub cooed, her voice sticky and sweet, a sound that could melt anyone’s heart.

Daidai’s full name was He Jingsu. Her mommy, Jing Dan, was a panda demon, and her mom, He Ying, was a white crane demon. Their union produced her, and her true form, a panda, had an extra pair of small white wings that allowed her to fly.

“If you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late, you know?” Although Bei Queting really wanted to let her sleep in, being late on the very first day of school seemed a bit much, didn’t it?

He Jingsu slowly sat up, curling into a little ball on the bed like a rice ball, and began to sulk.

Looking at this little rice ball, Bei Queting knelt in front of her. The cub seemed to shrink even smaller as she sat there. “What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?” she asked, her voice even softer.

The panda cub nodded, the tuft of fur on her head bobbing. “After school starts, we’re going to be separated!” she mumbled.

In the second year of high school, classes were split. She was in the liberal arts stream, while Bei Queting had chosen science. They wouldn’t be able to be deskmates anymore!

Hearing this, Bei Queting sighed softly. The two of them had stayed up late last night arguing about this very issue. Who knew that the moment the girl woke up, she would remember it all over again.

She had been throwing a tantrum about this for the entire summer break.

She poked the panda cub’s nose. “What did we talk about last night? We have to respect each other’s choices.”

He Jingsu, whose nose had been poked, nodded sullenly. Then, dodging her finger, she transformed into her human form and trudged toward the bathroom, looking dejected and unhappy the entire way.

Watching her, Bei Queting sighed softly, her eyes downcast to hide the complex emotions within them.

Before long, He Jingsu came out, all cleaned up. At about 163 centimeters tall, she looked like a freshly sprouted seedling, tender and full of life. Her fair cheeks still had a touch of baby fat, making her look even softer and more pinchable. Paired with her large eyes that often shimmered with a dazed innocence, she looked adorably clueless and well-behaved, making one want to protect and cherish her.

Bei Queting looked at He Jingsu. Even though they had been together since they were four, and she had watched her grow up, she was still captivated by her dazed cuteness. Every time she saw this innocent look, she couldn’t help but picture her panda cub form with the tuft of fur on her head.

“Get dressed and let’s go downstairs, okay? Aunt He should have breakfast ready by now.” Bei Queting’s voice grew even gentler, and when she smiled, it was like a soothing spring breeze, making it comfortable just to be near her.

“Oh.” He Jingsu’s eyes lit up slightly at the thought of the milk her mom made.

As she began to change her clothes without a care in the world, Bei Queting averted her gaze. She felt that now that they were older, it was a bit embarrassing to watch.

Once dressed, He Jingsu grabbed Bei Queting’s hand and ran toward the door. “Hurry, hurry! If we don’t go down now, Mommy will drink it all!” she said, her voice full of excitement.

Bei Queting, being pulled along, smiled. If you were so worried about Aunt Jing drinking all the milk, why were you so determined to sleep in earlier?

When the two arrived downstairs, He Ying had indeed prepared breakfast. Jing Dan was already at the dining table, drinking the milk He Ying had made for her. When she saw the two girls run down, her milk-drinking speed actually increased!

“Mommy, it’s not like I’m going to fight you for it!” He Jingsu said with wide, innocent eyes. It had always been her mommy who stole her milk!

Jing Dan, who hadn’t changed her ways in over a decade, flickered her light-colored eyebrows. She showed no shame at her daughter’s words. Instead, she reached over, took the glass of milk accompanying her daughter’s breakfast, and drank it while watching her.

He Jingsu was speechless.

So she was drinking fast because she wanted to drink my portion too! He Jingsu’s face fell, the soft, white skin seeming to lose some of its luster. She looked utterly pitiful.

“You can have mine,” Bei Queting said, already used to this.

Just then, He Ying emerged from the kitchen with another glass of milk. Clearly, she was also used to this and had already prepared a backup plan. After all, it was her duty to clean up the messes her wife made.

She placed the milk next to He Jingsu’s breakfast and said with a smile, “If you two had been any later, you would have been late.”

“No, we wouldn’t. We could just teleport!” He Jingsu muttered under her breath. Seeing her milk back on the table, her face broke into a sweet smile again.

Watching her, He Ying shook her head, then turned to the innocent-looking Jing Dan and pinched her cheek. “You’re always bullying our little cub.”

She had been bullying her since she was little. Sometimes, He Ying even wondered who the real cub was.

With her cheek pinched, Jing Dan, who was already sleepy and reluctant to get up, transformed back into her true form and snuggled into He Ying’s arms, letting out a lazy yawn and demanding to be fed.

Looking at the panda cub in her arms, He Ying chuckled and rubbed the tuft of fur on her head. Once again, she marveled at how slowly the panda clan’s true forms grew. More than ten years had passed, but to the naked eye, Jing Dan’s true form looked like it hadn’t grown at all, still resembling a two-month-old cub.

Seeing Jing Dan in her true form, He Jingsu’s eyes filled with envy. In a little while, her mommy could go back for a nap, but she had to go to school and listen to the teacher drone on and on.

“Eat your breakfast, or you won’t even have time to teleport,” Bei Queting said, pulling He Jingsu back from her envious state.

“But I want to sleep too!” He Jingsu grumbled under her breath as she ate. What was the point of life if you couldn’t even get a full night’s sleep?

Everyone present was a demon, so they all heard her quiet complaint. The panda cub in He Ying’s arms poked its head out and said earnestly, “Once you get to college, you can sleep all you want!”

He Jingsu’s eyes lit up. “Really?!”

“Mhm, mhm!” The panda cub nodded vigorously, the tuft of fur on its head bouncing along.

“I’ll remember that!” He Jingsu declared with a serious expression.

Bei Queting was speechless.

He Ying was speechless. A wave of worry washed over her. This cub is so easy to trick. What if someone tricks her and takes her away in the future?

Thinking of this possibility, He Ying grew exceptionally anxious. But this had been the cub’s personality since she was little; it seemed there was nothing she could do to change it.

Beside them, Bei Queting watched He Jingsu fall for the trick so easily and blinked.

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