Chapter 122: Ralts’s Wish

Because of this little incident, Tang Yi came home a bit later than usual. Tang’s mother, who had already finished work, thought Tang Yi had sneaked out to play and lightly scolded him. However, knowing that her son had been working hard lately, her tone was not too harsh.

“It’s not like that. We went to a classmate’s younger brother’s house to help mediate a dispute,” Lalulas quickly spoke up in defense.

Tang Yi, who hadn’t planned to explain, was momentarily surprised. He gently patted Lalulas’s small head and said, “My mom was just saying casually; she’s not really upset with me.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Tang’s mother smiled. “Looks like you two get along well. That puts my mind at ease.”

They exchanged glances, sensing that Lalulas and her son had formed a good bond recently. As a partner Pokémon, having a strong rapport with the trainer naturally increased their synergy, which was a good thing. As a mother, she felt happy about it.

But Lalulas suddenly felt a bit flustered.

“All right, we’ll go back to our room to study now.”

Knowing that Lalulas would overthink this sentence again, Tang Yi hurriedly pulled her into the room before she could reveal any more signs of misunderstanding.

Lalulas wriggled free and whispered, “Don’t be in such a hurry. We just got home, haven’t even eaten yet, and you’re already eager to do that thing?”

Tang Yi was speechless. He swore to the heavens that it was not what Lalulas implied.

“No, I just think you’ve been a bit distracted lately and wanted you to come back early to rest,” Tang Yi said, pausing before adding with a strange tone, “What did you think I was rushing to do?”

“Ah, well...” Lalulas covered her eyes with her hair, unwilling to meet Tang Yi’s gaze.

Tang Yi shook his head helplessly, realizing the young girl needed time to calm down, so he didn’t press further. He sat at the computer and searched for the Qingjiang Night Talk forum that Gu Ding had mentioned. Sure enough, he found the post Gu Ding had referred to.

There were already hundreds of replies, some even including photos, though the pictures were taken from post-selection interviews.

The replies were varied and quite entertaining to read.

Just as Tang Yi was reading the comments, a soft voice came from behind.

“Am I putting too much pressure on you?”

Lalulas had quietly lifted her large eyes from behind her hair.

Tang Yi was stunned; the phrase sounded familiar.

“I won’t pressure you anymore next time,” Lalulas said softly.

Suddenly, Tang Yi recalled that this was exactly what Gu Ding had told Blaze Sparrow earlier at Gu Ding’s house. How strange that now the roles were reversed, and it was Lalulas speaking this way.

Lalulas reflected regretfully, “I’ve been too focused on earning money lately, pushing myself constantly and pushing you too. Do you feel annoyed like Blaze Sparrow does?”

Tang Yi felt like crying. Shouldn’t these words come from the trainer to the partner Pokémon? Why was it the other way around?

It was as if this confirmed he was a hopeless slacker.

He sighed helplessly, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to throw a tantrum demanding to go to the welfare center like Blaze Sparrow.”

Lalulas took him seriously and shook her head thoughtfully. “But those are all Pokémon. They probably wouldn’t let a human like you live there alone, right?”

If he really had to live there, wouldn’t that be paradise?

Tang Yi covered his face and sighed, “It’s not as bad as you think. I used to be lazy, but with your encouragement, I’m full of motivation now and don’t think it’s bad at all. Actually, I’m curious—what do you want so much money for?”

He calculated that the prize money Lalulas had received from the second round of the selection contest must have filled her little savings quite a bit.

Lalulas hesitated. “There are many things I want to buy. At first, I wanted a computer, but then I thought it wasn’t very portable. Then I wanted a phone, but I didn’t like that either. So... I want to buy a big house, and then... and then...”

Her cheeks flushed, and she didn’t dare to finish her sentence.

Tang Yi was captivated by her words and half-jokingly said, “Do you think your bedroom is too small now and want to move into a bigger house?”

“No,” Lalulas summoned her courage, lifted her head, and her ruby-like eyes sparkled. “I want to move in with you, and also with my parents, so our whole family can live together in a big, new house.”

Tang Yi’s gaze faltered for a moment. Suddenly, his nose felt a bit sore. He chuckled softly and sighed, “When did you start thinking about this?”

Lalulas spoke slowly, “Last time when it rained, I heard Mom complaining that the balcony was leaking again. Dad said the old house is like that, just patch it up and live with it. But I could feel that Mom and Dad were very upset... I know you treat me well, and my parents still see me as their daughter... I just want to do something to help you all.”

Tang Yi wanted to say something but felt his throat tighten. He looked away toward the dusk outside the window, a warm and indescribable feeling spreading in his chest.

“Lalulas, do you know how expensive a big, new house is?”

“Yes, it seems very expensive, so I thought about saving and budgeting slowly from now on. I’ll be able to buy one eventually.”

No wonder Lalulas hadn’t bought a computer or phone after all.

Tang Yi chuckled softly. “You silly girl, why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I was afraid you’d say I was naive.”

“Well, you are a bit. But you shouldn’t carry this pressure alone. Relying only on these prize winnings to save enough for a house—that will take forever. You should have talked to me.”

“Do you have a better plan?” Lalulas asked, a little doubtful.

“I haven’t thought of one yet. We’ll see after the college entrance exam. It has to be better than your silly plan.”

“Oh, okay.” Lalulas responded disappointedly, feeling he was probably just trying to comfort her.

“Lalulas,” Tang Yi called softly in an unusual tone.

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“Ah?”

Before she could react, Tang Yi stepped forward and gently embraced Lalulas.

Caught unprepared, Lalulas panicked, wanting to struggle but afraid of making noise and attracting their parents’ attention outside.

After a moment, she was surprised to find that Tang Yi held her gently without any further movement.

He lowered his head slightly, resting his forehead against the strands of Lalulas’s hair, saying nothing more.

In that silent moment, Lalulas’s restless heart suddenly grew calm. After hesitation for a second or two, her small hands wrapped around Tang Yi’s waist. Unfortunately, her arms weren’t long enough and could only embrace symbolically.

At that moment, silence spoke louder than words.