Always Ending Up as an Animal Cub

Here's the translation based on the cheat sheet and guidelines:
Yun Mingchen wasn’t sure whether he liked Yu Tong or not. He felt that they had known each other for too short a time, not even a month if you counted both the cat and the human side of things.
But his heartbeat was racing so fast that it became hard to breathe.

He couldn’t understand whether these were his true feelings or if Yu Tong’s emotions were influencing him.
But one of them had definitely developed feelings.
Yun Mingchen closed his eyes but couldn’t calm himself down.

He had no idea what the man in his arms had been through. It seemed that he had come to believe that physical exchanges could benefit him.
He felt insecure and needed Yun Mingchen to keep holding him, occasionally kissing his forehead or cheek.
When kissing Yu Tong, Yun Mingchen couldn’t help but wonder if they could still be considered just ordinary friends given their current state.

And when Yu Tong kissed him, he didn’t push him away. Did that mean he actually had feelings for him?
A complex mix of emotions flowed from Yu Tong, making Yun Mingchen’s heartbeat race even faster, leaving him unable to think clearly.
He hadn’t figured out how they should interact moving forward when suddenly the man raised his pale arm, hooked it around his neck, and tilted his head to kiss his lips.

The soft sensation made Yun Mingchen’s mind go blank for a moment.
He should push the person away, but the hand he had placed on Yu Tong’s shoulder couldn’t find the strength to do so.
Yu Tong was very skilled at kissing, as if he had kissed many people before.

Realizing this, Yun Mingchen suddenly felt a sense of disappointment.
Yu Tong looked up at him. “Did you notice my kissing skills? Brother Chen, trust me, I’ve never done anything with anyone.”
Yun Mingchen couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Before he had the chance to speak, Yu Tong pushed him down.
His long, fair fingers hooked onto Yun Mingchen’s black belt. The cat tail behind him was lifted high, and his round eyes, misty with water, gazed at him gently.
“Brother Chen, I heard everything you said. I’m happy that you want to comfort and guide me.”
“But Brother Chen, if you really don’t feel anything for me, why didn’t you push me away when I kissed you just now?”

Under Yun Mingchen’s gaze, the cat-eared man licked his lower lip and flashed him a sly smile. “I know you like me, consider me a friend. What you said earlier was kind to me. But I don’t want to be friends, Brother Chen. I want our relationship to move forward.”
He glanced at the system space, ignoring the dazed little light ball, and looked at the wall clock in the living room.
“Brother Chen, we still have plenty of time, enough for one more.”

Yun Mingchen ignored the rapid beat of his heart, furrowing his brows as he tried to explain to Yu Tong.
But before he could speak, Yu Tong lowered his head and kissed him again.
“Brother Chen, don’t overthink it. I just feel that our current relationship isn’t intimate enough. We need one more layer of insurance.”

He unbuttoned his shirt one by one with one hand, holding Yun Mingchen’s wrist tightly with the other. “Don’t worry, Brother Chen. I’m the one on the bottom. You won’t lose out.”
From Yu Tong’s tone, Yun Mingchen could sense a sickly attachment.
This man definitely had psychological issues. Once the Yun family was stable, he would take little Yu to see a psychologist.

He knew little Yu’s mental state was unstable, but he didn’t push him away to have a good conversation. Instead, he let them continue kissing, and even Yu Tong’s words stirred up his impulses.
It seemed he wasn’t such a good person after all.
—

Yu Tong’s combo attack had landed a critical hit, and when he extended the invitation again, Yun Mingchen tacitly accepted.
He knew Brother Chen wouldn’t reject him. Otherwise, with Yun Mingchen’s strength, he wouldn’t have been forced to kiss him so many times.
Once or twice, he couldn’t avoid it, but he had kissed him four or five times, and Brother Chen still kept a stern face, saying they couldn’t rush things and needed to stay calm, while blushing and letting him kiss him.

Wasn’t that the meaning of liking him?
The system had told him that he and Brother Chen were lovers, but Yu Tong couldn’t remember whether they had ever done anything for love.
The horrifying screams buried deep in his childhood memories echoed in his mind once again.

He suppressed his anxiety and unease, acting very proactive and experienced, trying to keep control of the situation.
Yun Mingchen seemed to sense something, neither making Yu Tong serve him nor letting him go all the way.
He held Yu Tong tightly in his arms, kissing him for a while, mumbling, “How can we still be friends after this?” He took a black ring from his hand and carefully placed it on Yu Tong’s finger.

Yu Tong spread his hand, staring at the ring on his finger. “What does this mean?”
Yun Mingchen was no longer as composed as before.
He bit his lip, pausing for a moment before whispering, “After we wake from this dream, I’ll # Nоvеlight # give you a real one. Little Yu, no friend would do what just happened. When you kissed me, my heart was racing… we can’t just be friends.”

Intense and complex emotions were transmitted through the telepathic tool to Yu Tong, then back to Yun Mingchen.
Yu Tong leaned into Yun Mingchen’s arms, fiddling with the ring on his finger. Yun Mingchen carefully covered him with the blanket, gazing at the wall with a slightly dazed expression.
Neither of them knew what to say, and the atmosphere was very awkward.

After a long while, Yu Tong hesitated and asked, “Is it because I slept with you that you gave me the ring?”
Yun Mingchen snapped back to reality, lowering his gaze at him. “No, I gave it to you because I like you.”
“I slept with you, so you like me?”

“You’ve got it backward, Little Yu. I like you, that’s why I did those things.”
“So the ring means it’s a reward after sleeping together?”
“No, giving you the ring is to tell you that I like you.”

Yu Tong was also a bit confused.
He thoughtfully touched the ring, then tilted his head to kiss Yun Mingchen.
Brother Chen’s cheeks turned red, and his arms pulled him even tighter.

Seeing his reaction and feeling the emotions transmitted through the telepathic tool, Yu Tong gradually relaxed. He knew he had gotten what he wanted.
The two of them remained in a stalemate for a while, and Yun Mingchen eventually tried to explain to Yu Tong once more, attempting to correct his mistaken view of using his body for benefits.
Yu Tong listened carefully.

But Yun Mingchen still didn’t feel reassured. He thought little Yu didn’t truly understand his point.
Yun Mingchen wanted to say more, but Yu Tong glanced at the time and actively shifted the topic to the current crisis.
He casually turned the ring on his finger, recounting the events where he was taken away by the fake Lian Qiao and had his soul pulled out by Mr. Wen and others, before being shoved into the old emperor’s dream.

He tapped the bed sheet with his fingertips and smiled with mockery, “The soul-transference technique with a resurrection effect was created by Mr. Wen and the doctor.”
“Lord Yun, Lady Yun, Old Master Su, and those buyers have no idea this technique has the side effect of dumbing people down. The collaboration is a sham. Mr. Wen never intended to share his spoils with anyone.”
Yun Mingchen thought for a moment, “What about my parents?”

“Your father’s soul was put into the third prince’s body, and your mother’s body was cut by your father. Now her soul is in my original little kitten body.”
“Why are they still cooperating with them?”
Yu Tong told him everything about how Mr. Wen had threatened Lady Yun to put her soul in a pig’s body.

When hearing about his parents’ miserable state, Yun Mingchen didn’t seem happy or sad, as if they were just irrelevant strangers.
Seeing his cold response, Yu Tong tentatively spoke out his thoughts, “Being betrayed and abandoned by a husband, killed and threatened by someone. With Lady Yun’s temperament, she will never let it go. And she’s probably already realized that once Mr. Wen succeeds, her soul will be scattered.”
Yun Mingchen raised his eyes to look at him, “You want to cooperate with my mother?”

“Yes, but it’s not cooperation; it’s exploitation. Afterward, I’ll kill her. She knows too much and poses too much of a threat. She has to die.”
Yun Mingchen didn’t say anything, but Yu Tong knew he also harbored thoughts of killing her.
Even in a different world, Brother Chen’s nature hadn’t changed much.

No matter who the other person was or what their relationship had been, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who posed a threat to him.
Yu Tong thought to himself, maybe he hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe he and Brother Chen had become opposing camps, and his existence was threatening to Brother Chen, which was why Brother Chen wanted to kill him.
This thought barely appeared and was immediately dismissed by Yu Tong.

He and Brother Chen were both people without principles. Regardless of right or wrong, they would always stand on the same side, and there would never be a conflict of camps.
While Yu Tong was deep in thought, Yun Mingchen had already figured out how to handle Lady Yun.
Yu Tong requested the previous video footage from the system, watched it in his mind, and spoke out the route.

Yun Mingchen took out a notebook and quickly drew a simple map to the doctor’s lab.
He lightly tapped the paper, “You said that every scientific instrument in the lab is inscribed with a soul-seizing array?”
Yu Tong nodded.

Yun Mingchen pursed his lips and whispered, “Removing my father’s soul, putting it in the third prince’s body. Drawing my mother’s soul into the kitten’s body. Afterward, putting the kitten’s soul into the dream. Aside from releasing the soul in the dream, the machine’s functions should have been fully demonstrated to you.”
“Little Yu, is there any possibility that they know you’re human and are deliberately putting on a show for you?”
“No possibility.”

“Do you remember how to use the machine?”
Yu Tong didn’t remember, but the system was very interested in the machines. Mr. Wen and the doctor’s process of handling the machines was all recorded by the system’s camera.
With the confirmation, Yun Mingchen smiled slightly, “I thought they were using some special technology or secret method. Since they used ready-made machines and you know how to operate them, we don’t need to worry about leaving anyone alive.”

“My father and the third prince have very different personalities. He won’t be able to hide it from the grand princess for long. The third prince and the fifth prince are publicly out searching for an elixir. When they return to the palace, they will have a lot of luggage.”
Yun Mingchen quickly sketched out the layout of the palace and had Yu Tong memorize it.
“The grand princess still doesn’t know about the soul-switching. If Mr. Wen wants to bring the machine into the palace, the third prince and fifth prince’s return is the perfect opportunity.”

“The grand princess is clever. Within a week, she’ll realize that someone else’s soul is in the third prince’s body. Mr. Wen should have anticipated this, so while the grand princess is distracted by the fake third prince, he’ll forcefully take me away, capture me, and figure out whether I can control monsters.”
The two of them quickly understood each other’s thoughts, and Yu Tong immediately understood what Yun Mingchen was suggesting.
Mr. Wen and the others were hiding monsters in the old emperor’s dream, planning to bring the machines into the palace. Using the machines to open a rift in the old emperor’s dream, they would release the monsters into the palace.

If they found someone who could control the monsters, they could use them to kill palace guards and servants, taking control of the royal family, and replacing their souls without anyone noticing, seizing the throne.
If they couldn’t find someone to control the monsters, they’d just kill all the royal family members and forcibly seize power.
But the second method was riskier than the first. The empire had been established for many years, and there were still some loyal old officials.

If those old men insisted on exterminating the thieves, it would be a huge problem.
Yu Tong pondered deeply, his lips pressing tightly together, the blanket slipping off his body, revealing fresh bite marks on his shoulder.
Seeing the marks he left, Yun Mingchen’s face flushed again, unable to control his feelings.

He took a deep breath and pulled the blanket back up.
Now wasn’t the time to focus on that. His mind kept drifting to the sight of Yu Tong’s closed eyes, slightly out of breath.
Yun Mingchen kept thinking, yet still felt that they had known each other for too short a time. Things had progressed too quickly. He was someone who warmed up slowly and shouldn’t have liked Yu Tong so soon.

He pressed his face with his hands in frustration.
His thoughts were clearly clouded by desire; he was indeed a jerk.