C14 Hatching the Egg!

"Yes!"

"This is for me?" Lin Wushuang exclaimed, staring at the bracelet with wide-eyed surprise.

Could this ancient straight-laced guy actually give gifts?

"Well, it was a bargain..." Lin Yih mumbled, having just eaten his so-called breakfast in the middle of the day.

As expected, she should never have had any expectations for this jerk!

"Hey! Are you out of it?" Lin Yih, finishing his breakfast in a rush, noticed Lin Wushuang's adorably dazed look and couldn't resist squeezing her cheek.

"Smack!" Snapping out of her stupor, Lin Wushuang swatted away Lin Yih's intrusive hand.

"Hey, I'm a grown woman now, stop pinching my face like that!"

"Oh, we're being formal now... Remember, I practically raised you. Is there any part of you I haven't touched?"

"Ah!" Lin Wushuang's face turned crimson at Lin Yih's teasing, "Jerk! Stop bringing up my childhood!"

Lin Yih grinned mischievously, "As you wish, my princess who wet the bed at ten..."

A sofa cushion smacked into Lin Yih's face.

"Ah! You jerk, Lin Yih, drop dead!"

"Hey! If I die, you'll lose out on having a brother as handsome and dependable as me," Lin Yih taunted in a singsong voice.

"I don't need it!"

Removing the pillow from his face, Lin Yih changed the subject. "Hey, you're almost in your second year of high school, right? Want me to pick out a Pet Beast for you to start training?"

"You?" Lin Wushuang eyed Lin Yih skeptically. "Can I trust you?"

"There's no one more trustworthy than me!"

Lin Wushuang rolled her eyes.

"Have you hit some luck lately? First, you buy me a gift, now you want to get me a Pet Beast..."

At that, Lin Yih chuckled, "Oh, getting rich is a piece of cake."

Finally, Lin Wushuang hesitated, "Never mind. I've got plenty of spending money as a top student. Plus, I've got a hunch you're not exactly Mr. Reliable."

Now Lin Yih was the one who felt slighted.

"What's wrong with being a poor student? Don't underestimate us! Just you wait! I'll find you the best one in a couple of days..."

...

Time flew, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.

"I'm starving!" Lin Yih moaned, slumped over the table.

"Your first Pet Beast is about to hatch, and you're still thinking about food?" Lin Wushuang, squeezed in beside him, chided.

Lin Wushuang had only read about Pet Beast Eggs hatching in books, never witnessing it firsthand, which piqued her curiosity.

"But I'm really hungry," Lin Yih complained, patting his deflated belly. He'd missed breakfast and had only nibbled on a few buns for lunch. Now it was eight in the evening, and he felt like he could collapse from hunger.

"Yih, there are some fruits left in the fridge. Maybe have a few to tide you over?" suggested Mrs. Lin, equally curious.

It was precisely because Mrs. Lin wanted to watch that Lin Yih was still famished at this late hour.

"Ugh," Lin Yih sighed in resignation, joining them in watching the Pet Beast Egg on the table.

The egg was a pale blue with darker stripes and white spots, resembling a tranquil ocean with undulating waves. But the beauty was marred by a fine crack, like a gaping abyss lurking in the serene sea.

The crack had appeared around four in the afternoon. They thought the Pet Beast would hatch soon, but even after Mrs. Lin returned from work and they waited together, it remained unchanged.

Another hour passed...

"It's still not out..." Lin Yih couldn't help but complain.

In this world, hatching Pet Beast Eggs was a beloved pastime, with eighty percent of first-time pet owners getting their companions this way. It was believed that pets hatched from eggs bonded better and were easier to train.

But Lin Yih wasn't too excited about it. After all, he'd seen chicks hatch in his previous life as an ordinary young man!

Besides, the thrill of delving into the unknown while hatching a Pet Beast Egg was lost on Lin Yih.

After all, he was a man with an edge. With his system's analysis, he could uncover all there was to know about a Pet Beast Egg.

"Shh! Quiet, it's about to happen..." Lin Wushuang turned and glared at Lin Yih.

Left with no choice against his sister's glare, Lin Yih fell silent, watching the egg intently.

Just as he was about to lose patience again...

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

A crisp sound shattered the stillness of the dark room.

"It's hatching!" Lin Yih exclaimed, bouncing up with excitement.

"Shh!" Lin Wushuang, who was right next to him, gave Lin Yih a sharp kick, motioning for him to keep it down.

Crack-crack-crack!

The cracks on the eggshell widened, particularly in the middle and lower front where it bulged slightly, giving Lin Yih and the others a glimpse of the wriggling shape inside.

Crack!

With one final soft click, an oval-shaped little head poked out from a small opening in the eggshell.

"Ah! It's a snake!" Lin Wushuang, who had been watching intently, let out a piercing scream and jumped back.

All girls are scared of snakes, aren't they?

The hatchling was a young snake, barely ten centimeters long. It was a translucent blue, with its entire body a pale shade of the color. Its glistening eyes emitted a chilly gleam. The snake was slender, tapering at the front and thicker at the rear, its body covered in fine scales.

"Haha! Scaredy-cat, I got you good!"

Lin Yih couldn't help but laugh at Lin Wushuang's terrified expression.

"Jerk!"

After a moment of chaos.

Once things had settled down, Mrs. Lin spoke up gently, "It's a non-venomous snake..."

"But it's still a snake!" Lin Wushuang continued to pat her chest, still visibly shaken.

"Give it a pet! It's actually pretty cute," Lin Yih coaxed, holding the young snake and inching closer to Lin Wushuang.

"Ah! Keep it away!" Lin Wushuang, who had just regained her composure, was once again flustered.

"Enough now, Yih, don't tease your sister anymore," Mrs. Lin chided, standing up to rub her aching back.

Hours of sitting motionless had left her with a sore back.

Finally, glancing out at the pitch-black window, Mrs. Lin resigned herself to the thought of a late-night snack.

"Oh, Yih, remember that young Pet Beasts are fragile and prone to early death. It's best to keep them in the Pet Beast Classic for the first few days," Mrs. Lin called out from the kitchen as she prepared supper.

"Mom, I got it!" Lin Yih replied, then added, "Mom, I'm so hungry I could die!"

"Hold your horses, it's coming right up."

Outside the window, the cool breeze carried the clear chirping of insects, lulling people into a sweet slumber.