Chapter 37

Ruan Tang didn't care about the reversal in public opinion or the likes and dislikes of netizens, but after he entered Ruan Xi's personal space and took a look around, seeing that the space Ruan Xi had carefully maintained was covered with stinky eggs and trash thrown by angry netizens, he immediately closed his personal terminal with great satisfaction.

Ruan Xi, who had always been skilled at manipulating and guiding public opinion to suppress others, standing on a moral high ground and sympathized by countless people…

This time, it should also be a case of karma and just retribution, allowing him to taste what it's like to be pointed at by a thousand fingers and attacked by public opinion.

Just thinking about this, Ruan Tang felt his entire mood become clear and bright.

“Your Grace, thank you.” Ruan Tang finished breakfast in an excellent mood, and when he saw Auston sitting beside him, already done with his meal and looking at him with idle boredom, his mood became even more cloudless.

Auston was puzzled: “Thank me?”

Although he was a madman, he understood this Omega's thinking even less. He was completely bewildered, having no idea what Ruan Tang was thanking him for, since he hadn't given him any gift…

Vincent said Omegas are the most incomprehensible creatures in the world—no lie there.

“Nothing, I just wanted to thank you, because I realized that since I met you, my luck has been especially good.” Ruan Tang looked at him, his eyes curved into a smile, looking incredibly sweet.

He was serious about this, and he truly felt that way, even though it sounded very strange.

But Ruan Tang truly felt that it was only after meeting Auston that his luck turned for the better… Before, in his struggles with Ruan Xi, no matter the reason, he had never won. He had to exhaust himself just to protect himself from losing too badly, unlike now when he seemed blessed by the goddess of fortune.

Allowing Ruan Xi to taste the consequences of his own actions again and again.

Ruan Tang had no logic; he just wanted to credit this achievement to Auston.

Auston looked baffled.

Staring at Ruan Tang's smiling, curved eyes, he silently marveled—what kind of new way of acting spoiled was this? Could this Omega be any better at acting cute?

He furrowed his brow, staring at Ruan Tang for a long time, scrutinizing him carefully, until the servants nearby felt their scalps tingle and couldn't help but wonder whether he was about to lay hands on Ruan Tang or was conjuring up some cruel and terrifying scheme.

But Ruan Tang wasn't afraid at all; he stared right back.

Auston's gaze darkened. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed Ruan Tang's hand firmly, dragging him to his side, and without another word, pushed his wheelchair and started moving.

Ruan Tang was bewildered: “Your Grace, what are you doing?”

But Auston completely ignored him.

Auston's wheelchair was specially made. Although it was a wheelchair, it was connected to his personal terminal, and it could move faster than an ordinary person walking if Auston wished.

Ruan Tang had no idea what he was up to. He stumbled as he was pulled, barely regained his balance, and then staggered along, running outside with him.

Auston's sudden action startled all the household servants who witnessed it. They speculated silently: has the duke had another episode, or has this once-favored duchess violated some taboo of the duke's, and might soon fall from favor, or even not live to see the sun tomorrow? Frightened, they began trembling involuntarily.

And the servants in other parts of the mansion, seeing Auston dragging Ruan Tang toward the place where he kept jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, were even more convinced of this guess, thinking Auston was about to feed Ruan Tang to the beasts—

They fled in terror, unable to bear watching, silently mourning for Ruan Tang.

Auston's wheelchair was too fast. Ruan Tang was running out of breath, barely maintaining his balance to avoid being dragged. Feeling unsteady and about to fall, and unable to free his hand from Auston's grip, he shouted: “Your Grace, slow down! If you keep at this speed, I'm going to fall!”

Hearing Ruan Tang's shout and noticing his uneven breathing, Auston snapped out of his own world and looked back at Ruan Tang, displeased: “Why are you so delicate? At this speed you're about to fall?”

He clearly felt his speed wasn't that fast.

Ruan Tang was speechless. He wanted to roll his eyes and tell him: he was a living person, a delicate, weak Omega—the physically weakest of the three Abo genders—so how could he match the speed of an Alpha, who dominated the world with physical strength, or the machine under his control?

Besides, even when running, there was a difference between running on his own and being dragged along…

But faced with Auston, whose thinking was far from normal, Ruan Tang could only suppress his speechlessness and patiently explain: “Your Grace, I am an Omega. Among the three Abo genders, Omegas have the worst physical fitness. Naturally, I am far inferior to you in speed and stamina.”

“Why are you Omegas so much trouble?” Auston gave Ruan Tang a look of disdain, let go of his hand, and stopped his wheelchair.

He thought to himself: these Omegas are delicate, troublesome, and physically weak—truly hard to keep…

But in both action and mind, he silently noted Ruan Tang's words.

Seeing his disdainful expression, Ruan Tang felt it necessary to defend himself: “We Omegas are like this, but my physical fitness is actually quite good among Omegas.”

He believed that although both were Omegas, his physical conditioning was definitely much better than that of Ruan Xi and other Omegas who were pampered and cherished since childhood.

“Hah.” Upon hearing this, Auston let out a derisive laugh.

Although he said nothing, Ruan Tang could read in his eyes that Auston probably believed that even among Omegas, he was the weakest, and everything he said now was just excuses and bravado.

Ruan Tang was speechless: “…”

After mentally repeating a hundred times that he was a normal person and couldn't argue with a madman, Ruan Tang looked at Auston with good grace: “I wonder what exactly Your Grace wants to take me to do?”

Although the place Auston was taking him grew more desolate and uninhabited with each step, Ruan Tang strangely wasn't afraid at all…

Looking at this mad, unpredictable Alpha beside him, he inexplicably felt at ease.

“Aren't you bored at home? I'm taking you to see my little pets to liven things up.” Auston spoke in a tone of reluctant accommodation, as if he was just humoring Ruan Tang out of boredom, but he didn't reveal in the slightest that he had specifically asked Vincent what Omegas liked before bringing him to see his pets.

With that, he adjusted the control speed of his wheelchair to match Ruan Tang's pace, and then, as if going for a stroll, led the way to where he kept his pets.

Ruan Tang didn't think too much about it. Although the place was big and remote, he just assumed Auston's so-called pets were something like kittens or puppies.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived, upon sensing Auston's presence, a huge, majestic lion came bounding out…

It was a golden lion with a long, curly mane, sleek and glossy, exuding an imposing aura. Its head was broad and round, with piercing, sharp, and majestic eyes…

It sprang out suddenly.

Ruan Tang, seeing the beast suddenly, was startled and stepped back several paces.

Seeing Ruan Tang seem to want to run, the lion stared at him fixedly with a menacing gaze, and Ruan Tang immediately froze.

Seeing him like this, Auston immediately grabbed his hand comfortingly, but his voice carried displeased disdain: “You're really such a coward. Seeing such a cute little creature scared you this much? And just now you had the nerve to say you're among the better Omegas in terms of physical fitness?”

Ruan Tang was speechless. He felt that a normal person would piss their pants or faint from fear upon seeing such a fierce beast. That he didn't flee in terror and instead remained calm here, with the lion eyeing him so menacingly, was already heroic.

He wanted to retort to Auston, but with the lion's gaze on him, he couldn't speak.

Seeing such a beast, even with its master Auston beside him and knowing it couldn't hurt him, Ruan Tang still couldn't help feeling afraid of it…

The lion curiously examined the stranger brought by its master, and tentatively let out a roar: “Roar—”

Ruan Tang's heart leaped with fright, unable to even scream.

Any slight movement he made, the lion's eyes would follow, as if ready to pounce and bite him at any moment…

Ruan Tang instantly stopped moving, even holding his breath.

Feeling Ruan Tang's sweaty palms, Auston finally belatedly sensed Ruan Tang's fear and, displeased, scolded the lion: “Simba!”

He had brought Ruan Tang to see the lion to cheer him up, not to scare him.

At Auston's voice, the lion named Simba immediately lay down on the ground like a big dog, not moving, looking at Auston with pitiful, helpless eyes, as if not understanding what it had done wrong to be yelled at…

“Its name is Simba?” Ruan Tang, seeing the once majestic lion act so silly, breathed a sigh of relief, no longer as afraid of the beast as before.

Auston seemed to sense his fear and for once patiently explained: “Mm, don't be afraid. It's very gentle; it never attacks unless I command it. It just has a loud roar…”

With that, he beckoned to Simba.

The majestic lion immediately bounded over like a big dog, and Ruan Tang held his breath again. But the lion, as Auston had said, really didn't harm anyone. It just obediently lay before Auston's wheelchair, lowered its head, and pressed its head into Auston's hand…

Just like a big cat asking to be petted and comforted.

Realizing that close contact with the beast wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined, Ruan Tang relaxed his vigilance a little and watched Auston intently, wanting to see him pet the lion.

But Auston ignored the lion seeking affection and turned to Ruan Tang: “Do you want to pet it with me? It feels really good.”

How strange. Hadn't Vincent said Omegas all love small animals, especially someone as kind and soft as Ruan Tang? So why didn't Ruan Tang like them at all, and even looked quite scared?

Vincent, this self-proclaimed Omega expert, was really unreliable. He wouldn't trust him again.

“Me? I… can I?” Ruan Tang looked at the fierce lion, still a bit shaken, but seeing how obedient and docile it was, he grew a bit eager to try.

Auston looked at Ruan Tang in bewilderment, completely not understanding his concern: “Why wouldn't it be okay?”

He had brought Ruan Tang to see Simba, not just to look and not touch.

Ruan Tang's heart itched with desire. He looked at Auston, nervous yet hopeful, wishing he could keep the lion under control. He loved small animals the most, especially cats… Although this lion looked a bit big, it actually felt like a big cat.

He felt an itch in his heart and in his hands… but still didn't quite dare…

“You're such a handful!” Auston, gazed at by Ruan Tang's eager and hopeful eyes, almost thought this was another new way of acting cute, and immediately said disdainfully: “How are you so good at acting spoiled?”

An Omega who was too fond of acting spoiled was no good, too delicate.

Ruan Tang was bewildered: “…”

He had no idea where he had acted spoiled.

And the next second, Auston had already grabbed his hand and guided it slowly toward the fierce lion, touching it: “What's there to act spoiled about? It's right here; just touch it directly. You didn't dare yourself and had to have me lead you…”

“So troublesome.”

He kept on complaining.

Ruan Tang wanted to retort, but as soon as his hand touched the lion's incredibly soft fur, he was completely enraptured, experiencing the happiness and joy of cuddling a big cat.

Seeing that Ruan Tang dared to touch and even seemed to like it, Auston quietly let go of Ruan Tang's hand.

Immersed in the joy of petting the cat, Ruan Tang didn't even notice when he let go. He frantically stroked Simba, almost understanding why Auston loved petting him so much—it was truly addictive.

As he kept touching, at some point he touched Simba's nose, and Simba immediately sneezed.

Only then did Ruan Tang realize that Auston had let go at some point. Feeling Simba's warmth, he flinched and pulled his hand back.

“I touched its nose—it was wet…” After a long pause, he said to Auston.

Auston immediately gave him a contemptuous look: “Lions are felines; of course their noses are wet.”

Ruan Tang was always bold. Having just touched the lion, and seeing how docile and gentle Simba was, he grew eager again, gathering his courage to try touching Simba's head.

Who knows how Auston had trained it, but feeling that Ruan Tang wanted to pet it, Simba moved, and before Ruan Tang could be afraid, it burrowed its furry head under Ruan Tang's hand, looking as if it desperately wanted to be petted and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It utterly melted Ruan Tang's heart.

This big cat felt really good. Ruan Tang grew more and more comfortable petting it, quickly getting along with it. He tentatively started talking to it: “Simba, your name is Simba, right?”

The majestic lion immediately opened its huge maw and licked Ruan Tang's face, covering it with saliva…

“Disgusting.” Auston looked at Ruan Tang and Simba with disdain.

Ruan Tang was stunned for a moment, then completely stopped being afraid of Simba and played very happily with it.

Auston watched with satisfaction as Ruan Tang happily played with Simba, feeling that he was indeed quite joyful. He also thought that what Vincent said was actually quite right—Omegas really did like small animals.

It was just that his own Omega was a bit too delicate and timid, needing some time to adjust before playing so happily with animals.

Ruan Tang, looking at the docile and gentle Simba, suddenly thought of the terrifying rumors in the imperial capital about Auston often feeding people to beasts. Seeing Simba so tame, Ruan Tang couldn't imagine it being a ferocious beast that might have eaten people or seen blood. He couldn't help asking Auston: “Your Grace, has Simba ever eaten a person?”

Such a cute big cat—could it really have eaten a person?

Auston hadn't expected Ruan Tang to ask such a question. He immediately looked at him as if he were an idiot: “Is there something wrong with your brain? Imperial law doesn't allow random killing; even feeding people to beasts is not allowed!”

Ruan Tang was speechless: “…”

Looking at this man who constantly talked about killing tell him that imperial law didn't allow killing, he didn't know which of them was more idiotic.

“Besides, humans are dirty, you can't just feed them to it. What if it gets diarrhea?” Auston frowned, considering the possibility of Simba eating a person, then added with concern.

Ruan Tang was left speechless: “…”

He wanted to tell him that wasn't the point.

And among the various terrifying rumors about Auston in the imperial capital, Ruan Tang now clearly understood that the part about him feeding people to beasts whenever he was in a bad mood was probably a rumor.

Being looked at by Auston as if he were an idiot, Ruan Tang tried to change the subject: “…Your Grace really likes animals?”

“Of course. I prefer being with these beasts.” Auston naturally stroked Simba's furry head: “Sometimes animals are much better and cuter than humans.”

Humans scheme and harm others, stop at nothing to achieve their goals, and plot carefully against each other, but animals don't. As long as you feed them and treat them well,

they will treat you much better than fickle humans.

Ruan Tang nodded in agreement: “I think so too.”

After experiencing many things and understanding the fickleness of human nature, he also agreed with Auston's words, feeling that animals were more grateful and easier to get along with than humans.

And the Alpha before him was quite like an animal, just like Simba, who seemed intimidating at first glance but turned out to be truly wonderful once known.

Therefore, he found him infinitely adorable as well.