“……”

Lu Ying, whose perspective was suddenly completely different, was dumbfounded and looked down to see that his arms and legs had turned into pig’s trotters, white and chubby. Lu Ying, panicked, hurriedly raised his head to look at Qin Zhuopu The extreme expression of the other party, who seemed to have forgotten to breathe in his shock, stabbed Lu Ying so deeply that it seemed that after the sword in his chest, Lu Ying got an arrow in his knee. No, in the centre of his forehead!

It was over!

“Humph humph humph.” Lu Ying was spinning around, grimacing and grunting.

In front of Qin Zhuopu’s dumbfounded eyes, his handsome, lovely, cherished lover had disappeared. There was only a fat, white, chubby, dumb little pig scurrying around, really fat, like an inflatable pig.

It was only a little bigger than a pet pig, but much rounder. Apart from the meat, there were no curves or bones to be seen on its small body. His lover, Lu Ying, on the other hand, was tall, with long legs, a thin waist, a nice ass and abs, and as beautiful as a flower.

The truth was right in front of Qin Zhuopu. He had always thought his lover was a deer, but he was actually a pig???

A real pig! Pig’s head, pig’s brain, pig’s ears… Qin Zhuopu pounded his chest, for fear that his heart would jump out uncontrollably.

Hold on, hold on! Can’t scream, can’t laugh! If you don’t want to be a bachelor, hold back!

“Humph.” The round, fat pig rushed towards Qin Zhuopu, lifted its short hoof and kicked Qin Zhuopu’s calf, spitting out the words, “What do you mean, you big pig hoof? You won’t even lift your head when you see me!”

The pig’s hoof kicked him a few more times, “You’ve changed your mind! You only like deer and not me! Cheater!”

Qin Zhuopu looked down at the little fat pig who was jumping up and waving its pig’s hoof. His heart filled with tears, but his mouth subconsciously defended himself, “I, I have always misunderstood you. I thought you were a deer! Hey, it was a big misunderstanding.”

The little fat pig instantly lowered the hoof and tilted its head to stare at the man with sharp little eyes: “Is that really true?”

Qin Zhuopu nodded vigorously, “It’s true! Why else would I like deer so much? I’m not really interested in any pet animals. No one in my family has any pets either. It was because when I went to Qixia Mountain seven years ago, your Grandpa Lu came out to meet me, and he was a talking stag. You and he look alike, and I thought you were the same race as him.” He regarded himself as a wise man. Unexpectedly, he had always been preconceived and completely misunderstood the truth. Grandpa Lu was a stag, but Lu Ying was his adopted child. No one said that they would be of the same race.

“Humph, so that’s it.” Satisfied, the little fat pig continued to stare at Qin Zhuopu with sharp little eyes, “I’m not as noble and elegant as a deer, nor am I as sexy and charming as a deer, humph.”

Qin Zhuopu held his forehead: “No, no, no, the deer is not noble or charming at all! Next time I will take you to eat grilled venison! Grilled and steamed, braised and fried, whatever you like!

“You just praised the deer for its innocence and cuteness.” The little fat pig sulked.

Qin Zhuopu’s expression was deep: “Across the human world, the demon world, the animal world, only you are the cutest!”

“Then why don’t you give me a hug?” The little fat pig’s eyes were tearful and gently watched him with longing.

In an instant, Qin Zhuopu’s heart melted and the little fat pig immediately fell into the familiar broad embrace. It was so strong, Lu Ying could feel his lover’s feverish heartbeat and it gave him an indescribable sense of security.

Qin Zhuopu hugged the little fat pig, staring at it apprehensively and nervously, fearing that he might misunderstand the expression on the pig’s face. But in his heart, he couldn’t help but mutter that the pig was not very big, but… really heavy. No wonder Lu Ying usually ate and drank a lot but didn’t gain weight. It turned out that it was all hidden. With this figure, the weight was over the limit countless times.

But no matter how fat he was, no matter if he was a human or a pig, Lu Ying was Lu Ying.

“Are you surprised that I’m a pig?” The little fat pig asked solemnly, staring into Qin Zhuopu’s eyes.

Qin Zhuopu sighed soundlessly, “I’m not going to lie to you, I’m stunned.”

“Are you scared?” The little fat pig asked again.

“Of course I was scared. I thought you were a deer, but you turned out to be a pig.”

“Do you still like me then?”

“Of course, I have always only liked you.”

With Lu Ying’s questions, Qin Zhuopu’s mood completely relaxed and a warm smile returned to his face once again.

The little fat pig stopped asking questions and peacefully nestled in Qin Zhuopu’s arms, making a satisfied “humph” sound. Lu Ying tossed and turned, finding a comfortable angle, closed his eyes and started dozing off. After a long eventful night, he was really tired and sleepy. And the unpredictable transformation left him a deflated ball of meat, fatigued to the core.

“You’re going to sleep? Don’t worry, I will keep a good eye on you… Lu Ying.” Qin Zhuopu tried his best to gently reassure the little fat pig.

The little fat pig squinted, couldn’t hold on and immediately fell asleep.

Qin Zhuopu stared at the little fat pig for a long, long time, and after making sure the pig was asleep, he finally dared to exhale.

“……”

What is this, what is this?

Qin Zhuopu didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh as he rubbed his temples. Lu Ying was a big eater and a strong man, but he actually loved to sleep very much as well…

All signs pointed to the fact that he was not a deer, but a pig!

Then Qin Zhuopu remembered that Lu Ying said many times in the past that he liked pigs. He also liked to buy gadgets with pig elements. He even admitted that he was a pig, that he was a big pig, and Lu Zaizai was a little pig.

Qin Zhuopu stared at the sleeping little fat pig in a daze, his expression hard to describe. But no matter how you looked at it, Lu Ying was Lu Ying. Even if he was a pig, he was still the cutest Lu Ying! In the past, Qin Zhuopu had only eaten pork and seen pigs running… But he hadn’t paid much attention to the characteristics of pigs. He really didn’t like them at all and because he was not interested, he wouldn’t go near them.

But from now on, he was going to be a man who loved pigs!

He put the little fat piggy under the blanket and lay on his side, his palm gently stroking the little pig’s round back. Under his soothing gestures the little fat pig slept even more soundly. Qin Zhuopu touched the little pig’s butt a few times. It was so fleshy that he couldn’t help but smirk.

Throughout the night, Qin Zhuopu didn’t sleep very well. He woke up every few minutes to look at the little fat pig lying next to him. Unconsciously, already in the morning, Qin Zhuopu fell asleep.

Lu Ying sat up comfortably and yawned. His whole body felt soft and lazy, as if it had been emptied. He immediately lay down again. He didn’t want to transform outside of Qixia Mountain next time. It hurt his mind and body and it would take several days to regain his energy level.

When Qin Zhuopu opened his eyes, he found the familiar lover lying in his arms and saw the face he knew best. He couldn’t help but smile a little as he hugged Lu Ying and kissed him.

“What time is it?” Lu Ying muttered.

“Half past eight. You go back to sleep, I have to go to the office.”

“Oh… wait!” Lu Ying suddenly sat up and called out to Qin Zhuopu.

“What?”

Lu Ying instantly glared at him in disgust, “You’re actually still wearing those pyjamas, do you want me to tear them with my own hands?”

“Er… I’ll deal with them immediately. There are other things, too. I’ll remove the paintings in the study and the living room and get new plates, okay, ah? Don’t be jealous. In my eyes you are a unique existence that no one can replace.”

Lu Ying smiled and hummed, “You’re self-aware, that’s more like it. But you shouldn’t waste those things blindly, you should sell them.”

“Okay, I spent a lot of money on that painting, it’s a bit of a pity to resell it. How about giving it to Grandpa Lu?”

“Sure.”

Qin Zhuopu stifled a laugh and said, “So, what are you going to call your bakery?” He admitted that pigs were cute, but it really wasn’t a very good idea for a shop’s name.

“Not telling you! I’ve thought of it now anyway.”

“Fine. It’s your shop, you decide.”

“I’m hungry, let’s go have breakfast together.”

“My pleasure,” Qin Zhuopu smiled, took Lu Ying’s hand, and they walked downstairs intimately.

During the New Year holidays, Lu Ying was busy preparing for the opening of the bakery, so the housekeeper came over early every day to take care of the three meals.

A sumptuous breakfast was waiting on the dining table, but Lu Zaizai had already disappeared.

The housekeeper said, “Old Master came over early in the morning and now he is walking around the community with Zaizai.”

“Grandpa is really early.” Qin Zhuopu exclaimed, passing the warmed milk to Lu Ying, who opened his mouth and took a sip straight away. There was a ring of white around his lips as he took the sandwich and bit into it. He was so weak at the moment that he was in desperate need of nourishment.

Qin Zhuopu picked a mini sausage and ate one himself, then fed one to Lu Ying. The two men ate together, full of affection, blinding the housekeeper’s old eyes.

The housekeeper shivered and lowered her head to avoid the sight, ready to go to the kitchen to prepare the noon stew. Every time she went grocery shopping these days, she ran into her colleagues who liked to gossip about their employers. It just so happened that their house was the freshest gossip subject in the entire community now and she became a sought-after fragrant bun for everyone. Every time those aunties talked, they were full of disdain and curiosity, chasing after her and asking her whether Mr. Lu was a good person and whether Mr. Qin was sincere to him.

In her opinion, Mr. Qin and Mr. Lu were both very nice, kind and generous. They were much better than those couples who seemed to be always at odds with each other. The most rare thing was that Mr. Qin was as affectionate with Lu Zaizai as if it was his own son. He was very generous pampering the child but he was also strict with him when it was necessary. The child was particularly close to him, just like to his own father.

“Auntie, pork is not allowed to be used in cooking in our house from now on. Don’t choose pork stuffing for grilled sausages.” Suddenly Mr. Qin called the housekeeper.

The housekeeper nodded anxiously, “Yes, I see, no pork in the future.” They used to love her braised pork, braised pig’s trotters, spicy pig’s ears and other things… The big boss’s taste changed at the drop of a hat.

Qin Zhuopu sighed in his heart and put down the grilled sausage with no expression on his face. Oh horror, he had already eaten two just now, and only halfway through eating did he suddenly remember that this was pork sausage!

Damn it!

How could he eat pork!

Those who didn’t know are innocent, but how can he eat pork with peace of mind now? For the sake of his beloved and his lovely son, Qin Zhuopu silently vowed in his heart that he would never eat pork again for the rest of his life! He wanted to be a devout pig lover and would never keep other pets for the rest of his life.

“Why don’t you allow to eat pork?” Lu Ying exclaimed, scaring Qin Zhuopu out of his senses.

Lu Ying looked annoyed: “Why don’t you let me eat pork? I want to eat it! I love braised pork, I love braised pig’s trotters the most, don’t you know that?”

Looking upset, Qin Zhuopu asked Lu Ying in a lowered voice, “How can you still eat pork calmly? I’ll never eat pork again for your sake.”

“……” Lu Ying held his forehead, not knowing whether to cry or to laugh, “Why are you like this… I love eating it, there’s no taboo about it at all. Brother Ji also likes to eat chicken, Brother Yang loves lamb hot pot, and Brother Liu eats beef every day.”

“…is that so?” Qin Zhuopu was dumbfounded, as if he had discovered some big, unimaginable secret again! So, those people were not deer either! Rather, they were… chicken, cow, sheep… The fork in Qin Zhuopu’s hand dropped in shock.

Lu Ying looked at him and knew what was going on, smiling as he explained: “We are twelve siblings. I have told you all their names and occupations before, right? You can figure it out looking at their surnames and the twelve Zodiac signs. Except for me, I’m different. I was surnamed Lu, but according to the rules I should be surnamed Zhu, hehehe. I still prefer the surname Lu, though. We’re not really traditional demons but twelve Zodiac signs, so the origins are actually quite different.”

Qin Zhuopu sighed in amazement and didn’t ask any more questions, but said with concern, “What about our Zaizai?”

Lu Ying’s eyes were gentle: “He was born a boy. He will have a very different physique compared to an ordinary child but nothing else is different. He is a mixed blood and it is not easy for him to transform. Outside of Qixia Mountain, he can only ever be human.”

At these words, Qin Zhuopu was relieved. He had feared that the child would not be able to control himself and expose himself, getting in danger.

The two no longer had any secrets. After being honest with each other, they had a more tacit understanding and a deeper bond with each other than before. Only many years later was Lu Ying really convinced that Qin Zhuopu had never eaten pork again.

During the Lantern Festival, Lu Ying’s bakery finally opened.

When he unveiled the shop’s signboard with his own hands, Qin Zhuopu’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

In the end, the bakery was given a very normal yet personal name – ‘LY’.

Amidst a buzz of well-wishes, Lu Ying, dressed in uniform, personally served the shop’s first and only love pig dessert to his beloved Qin Zhuopu.

In this world, love and food are the only things you can’t live without.

***

Mini-theatre:

Friend: I found out that Mr. Qin never eats pork?

Relative: I also found out.

Mr. Qin: Yes, I don’t eat pork.

Everyone: Why?

Mr. Qin: Because I love pigs, I love them deeply ^_^

Everyone: ……

Lu Ying: Oooh, pig’s trotters are delicious!

Mr. Qin: ……-_-||

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