The first thing Zou Yue saw when he opened his eyes was his father’s wrinkled face. He moved back, and he hit another warm body. He glanced back in shock to find his mother sleeping with her arms around him. ‘Shit, when did they get here!! What if they are infected!!’ he sat up in a hurry.

His father’s eyes opened immediately. “Yue! Yue, thank the lord you are okay.” he hugged him tight.

Zou Yue froze slightly. He tried to wiggle his way out from the hug, but his father’s grip tightened around him. “Dad, let go… I’m contagious…..you might sick as well.”

“Stupid kid. I’ll just take the sickness away from you then.” he gently patted his back.

Zou Yue’s placed his head on his father’s slouched shoulders and gently breathed in his scent. His eyes teared up involuntarily. “Don’t say that dad, Hick, don’t say that….. never say that. Be healthy and well live long for hundred years, I’ll take care of you,” he roared.

A pair of warm hands hugged him from behind. His mother gently kissed his cheeks. “Baby, we should be the ones taking care of you….. so…. You should share your troubles with us, okay. We’ll try our best to help you out with anything you want.”

Zou Yue shook his head sobbing, “I just want you both to live. Just live. I’ll take care of everything else. I don’t want you to die because of me… ahhhh daddy,” he sobbed loudly with snot and tears soaking into his father’s shirt.

“Silly boy, who told we are going to die, huh? We shall live until we are hundreds,” Zou’s father chuckled dryly. “You don’t worry about anything, okay. Don’t let anything weigh your heart…” his father started crying as well.

Zou Yue sobbed even louder, hugging them both tightly. His heart ached sharply. ‘This time… I don’t want to be alone anymore. If my parents leave me… I shall go with them…. I shall leave this world with them,’

The little rat peaked from under the table with a confused look. It cleaned its whiskers and glanced at the two old people hugging the nice guy. “Squeak,”

“What was that?” Zou father wiped his tears away and desperately tried to change the subject. “Zou mama, I think we might have a rat here. Why don’t we keep the rat trap?”

“no! no, I….. I brought home a pet,” Zou Yue whispered hesitantly.

“Oh, that’s nice. It’s nice to raise a pet.” His father, who was always rigid with the house rules, easily agreed.

“Really! You guys are okay with it~” he glanced back at his mother. She nodded with a gentle smile. “Cool, I even brought her enclosure. I think they will deliver it by today.” he happily hopped off the bed and searched around the room.

The rat hesitantly peaked out, with his nose twitching cutely. “Little one, come meet my parents.” he carefully held her in his arms and showed her proudly to his parents. “This is Trexa gran,”

His father’s lisp twitched. “aa…. How about father buy you a hamster? I heard they are popular amongst young people now.”

“No, Trexa gran is more than enough. I am anxiously waiting for her children.” He happily caressed her coarse fur.

The rat who was named Trexa gran glared back at him. But still she let him scratch her itchy back with a small sigh.

“Yue…. How about a dog? I’ll buy you a dog,” his father smiled with difficulty.

“You don’t like my Trexa gran….. oh..” Zou Yue pouted slightly.

“No, no!! We love her!! Welcome to the family, little Trexa gran.” his father touched her with his shaking hands. He glanced at his wife with a troubled expression. “Why don’t you let mother prepare other pet stuff.” he swiftly leaned close and whispered, “honey is this really okay,”

“Yue can handle it.” his mother patted his shoulder slightly. “Oh by the way, you asked for fan right I shall bring it in.”

Zou Yue awkwardly chuckled. “Yeah, I asked for fan….. a table fan,” he glanced back, hiding his sweaty forehead. ‘Fuck, I mumbled Fan Xui’s name… thank god my parents didn’t hear it clearly otherwise they might think I’m a stalker,’

For the next few days he was continuously anxious and panicky. His parents did not show any visible symptoms of contamination, but his heart could not calm down.

Thankfully, his parents decided to sleep with him daily. Late at night, Zou Yue opened his eyes and peered at his father. His father loudly snored right at that time. ‘Dad’s okay.’ he turned back and now checked up on his mother. She was not visibly snoring or moving much, but the subtle rise and fall of her chest showed him that she was sleeping peacefully.

‘Thank god…. They are okay…’ he closed his eyes. But what he did not notice was that the rat too checked up on his parent’s breath after they slept.

Trexa gran sighed and went over to her open cage and nibbled on the uneaten piece of cake.