Chapter 272: Ram

“Mm…” Liuli finally stirred awake, habitually rolling over and sniffing the air around her with closed eyes. Satisfied by the familiar scents, she curled up again, ready to doze off.

But in the next moment, the previous night’s events hit her like a bolt of lightning, and her eyes flew wide open.

She cautiously peeked at the two figures nestled together nearby. Though she couldn’t quite make sense of the situation, her instincts screamed at her to retreat. Quietly, she began to back away into the cover of the trees.

Whatever happened, running away was always the safest bet.

“Liuli!” Wu Qingsong’s sudden shout startled her.

She bolted for the bushes, but Wu Qingsong grabbed her tail before she could escape. Liuli let out a piercing yowl.

“Meow~ Ow, ow, ow! Wu, you meanie! Let go! Let go of me right now!”

“Oh, now you can feel pain? Do you even know what happened last night?” Wu Qingsong said, looking at her pitiful form sprawled on the ground. Despite himself, he couldn’t stay angry for long, but there was something he had to get straight.

“What did I do?” Liuli asked pitifully, her eyes brimming with innocence. “Meow~ I don’t know anything!”

“You don’t know? Then why were you sneaking off? Why do you look so guilty?” Wu Qingsong asked as he grabbed her by the scruff and lifted her off the ground. Feeling the soft, short fur beneath his fingers, memories of the previous night came rushing back. He couldn’t help but falter, his voice and movements softening without realizing it.

“I really don’t know!” Liuli whimpered, her face full of grievance.

“Be honest with me,” Wu Qingsong said, his expression darkening again. “When did you start remembering things after transforming?”

“I didn’t…” Liuli started to protest, but seeing the look on Wu Qingsong’s face, her voice trailed off into a mumble. “Well… not for very long.”

“Not for very long?” Wu Qingsong sighed. “So, you do remember what happened after you transformed?”

“Ah?!” Liuli’s eyes went wide with shock. “You… you tricked me!”

“You little…” Wu Qingsong instinctively raised his fist, intending to give her his usual light knock on the head. But as he recalled everything that had happened, he found he couldn’t treat her like a child anymore. He lowered his hand, exasperated. 

“You tell me, what do we do now?”

Liuli scrunched her eyes shut, bracing for a blow that didn’t come. Peeking one eye open cautiously, she glanced at Wu Qingsong, then turned pleadingly toward Ling for help. But Ling looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.

“I don’t know,” Liuli finally admitted, looking dejected.

“You!” Wu Qingsong was at a loss for words.

“But, but last night, Wu, you were clearly really happy too!” Liuli said indignantly. “Meow~ If it weren’t for you…”

Wu Qingsong quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. “Nobody will think you’re mute if you just keep quiet.”

“But it’s true that you were the one who—” Liuli struggled, trying to finish her sentence.

Ling, who had been holding back this whole time, finally couldn’t help herself. A stifled giggle burst out.

“Ling? You’re not mad at me?” Liuli’s eyes lit up with surprise and joy. “Meow~ You scared me half to death. You two are so mean, ganging up to bully me like this!”

“If you hadn’t caused trouble, would things have turned out this way?” Wu Qingsong said irritably, holding up the shredded remains of his clothes for her to see. “Look at what you’ve done.”

“Meow~ That’s because it felt so comf—”

“Liuli!” Ling couldn’t hold back anymore and raised her voice. “That’s not something you can just say out loud.”

“But Ling isn’t an outsider. Besides, you’re going to be with Wu eventually too—”

“Liuli!” Wu Qingsong and Ling shouted in unison.

“Fine, fine!” Liuli replied with an exaggerated sigh, though her tone remained playful. Suddenly, she picked up on something different between Wu Qingsong and Ling.

“Meow~ You two… Wait a minute, why is Ling even here? Don’t tell me you two also…”

“Liuli!” Wu Qingsong called out sharply.

Ling’s face turned bright red. “It’s not like that.”

“Then what happened?” Liuli darted away from Wu Qingsong and cozied up to Ling, rubbing against her arm like a real cat. “Come on, tell me~!”

“Ling…” Wu Qingsong said with a resigned shake of his head. “She’s your problem now. Just make sure she understands the situation and behaves herself a little. I don’t want her embarrassing us later.”

“Got it.” Ling nodded.

“What are you two talking about?” Liuli asked, her curiosity still piqued.

“We’re saying you’d better hurry up and get me some clothes,” Wu Qingsong snapped.

“You two are so mean! What are you hiding from me?!” Liuli exclaimed in frustration. 

Catfolk curiosity far surpassed that of other beastfolk, and Liuli’s curiosity was easily at the top even among her kind. Being left in the dark like this was absolute torture for her.

“This is your punishment,” Wu Qingsong declared.

Ling and Liuli eventually sneaked back to the airstrip to grab a clean set of clothes for Wu Qingsong, then carefully brought them back. All the while, Liuli pestered Ling relentlessly, trying to figure out what was going on, but to no avail. Seeing her so distressed, Wu Qingsong finally felt a sense of satisfaction.

“We’re heading back to Orgrimmar,” he announced, though guilt gnawed at him as they returned to the airstrip. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the mercenaries’ gazes were off. In truth, none of them suspected anything; they merely went about their work as usual, promptly bringing out the horses as instructed.

***

“A wedding?!” Ram nearly jumped out of her skin.

“What? You don’t want to?” Wu Qingsong asked, surprised.

“Of course not!” Ram rushed forward and threw her arms around him, showering him with kisses, completely ignoring Nina and Daryl, who stood awkwardly nearby. “I want to! I absolutely want to!”

“Ahem,” Harold finally stepped in, clearing his throat to break up the scene. “Congratulations to you both. Honestly, this is something that should have been on the agenda a long time ago.”

Nina, however, couldn’t help but look a little unsettled. Just the night before, she and Ram had been worrying about this exact issue. Now, it had resolved itself seemingly out of nowhere. No matter how she looked at it, this was undeniably a good thing.

For some reason, Nina felt a faint sense of loss in her heart.

Still, when Ram, overwhelmed with joy, came over to her, she smiled sincerely and embraced her, wholeheartedly wishing her happiness.

“Shall I handle the arrangements for this?” Harold volunteered.

While matters within the territory were usually Ram’s responsibility, she was the bride, so she couldn’t oversee this herself. Though the old wolfman had never managed a lord-level wedding before, he was confident that he could easily figure out the details with a visit to Esola or Riniconia.

“Then I’ll leave it to you,” Wu Qingsong said with a smile. “But Ram, I hope that when the time comes, you’ll marry me together with Ling and Liuli. Would that be all right?”

“Ling and Liuli?” Ram’s smile froze instantly.

“Ram?” Wu Qingsong felt a twinge of disappointment but kept his smile as he asked, “Do you think this arrangement is inappropriate? After everything we’ve been through together, we’re already like a family, aren’t we? I want to give you all the best and ensure no one feels left out. That’s why I think having one wedding together, instead of holding multiple ceremonies, is the best choice.”

“Ram…” Nina quietly clasped one of Ram’s hands, feeling the subtle tremor running through it.

“Have… have they already agreed to this?” Ram struggled to suppress her anger, her voice steady but tight.

“I’ve already spoken with Ling, and she has no objections to my plans,” Wu Qingsong replied. “As for Liuli, well, everyone’s keeping it a secret from her for now. We’ll give her a surprise when the time comes.”

Nina gripped Ram’s hand tightly, worried she might lose her composure or even confront Wu Qingsong outright. But after taking a deep breath, Ram said, “If they’re fine with it, then I certainly don’t have any objections either. Mr. Harold, I’ll leave everything in your capable hands.”