“So it’s you, Ji Yanxing! Now that you’ve got my brother, you don’t treasure him anymore, is that it!?”
The Fourth Young Master, Mi Fan, flew into a rage, immediately rolling up his sleeves as if ready to blow up the Ji Group.
His expression grew darker. “Tell me, did you walk back by yourself? Someone whose monthly step count doesn’t even match my daily steps, are you trying to exhaust yourself to death?”
“I, I…!”
Mi Su sobbed, tears washing over his smudged little face, his skin flushed pink. He whimpered, “I… I took a taxi.”
Father Mi was astonished. “My son learned to take taxis!”
Second Sister demanded sharply, “Why are you so dirty? Did Ji Yanxing kick you out?”
Before coming home, to test if his body had fully recovered, the cat had specifically climbed three trees and raided no fewer than ten bird nests.
Mi Su sniffled and answered honestly, “I… I played outside all day!”
Madam Song praised, “My son is so innocent and lively.”
“Then why are you crying so sadly?” Third Sister asked, her heart pounding with worry. “Did Ji Yanxing mistreat you, make you go hungry?”
Mi Su sat listlessly, like a little creature with drooping ears and a curled tail. He shook his head.
He pulled out the black card from his coin purse—
“He gave me this.”
“I used it to buy food, ate until I was stuffed and threw up, it was so uncomfortable, wuwu…”
“…”
The nanny racked her brains to find a compliment. “That restaurant must have been really delicious then!”
His parents and sisters rushed to wipe the little omega’s tears. Hands clutching tissues reached out chaotically, there weren’t enough to go around, the scene so crowded it would need scalpers to manage.
Hearing that Ji Yanxing had already taken him for an IV drip, they didn’t call a doctor. Instead, they had the nanny escort the young master upstairs to bathe and rest.
Mi Su nodded obediently.
His gaze swept over the concerned faces, as if seeing a room full of familiar cat heads. Family members who had separated long ago on the grasslands for survival and never met again.
“Dad, Mom, brother, sisters, meeting you all is so wonderful. You must take good care of yourselves.”
With that, he tearfully went upstairs, leaving behind a room of shock and silence.
They could hardly believe these were words Mi Su would say.
Chairman Mi, who fought his way up from the bottom, full of a roguish spirit, was moved to tears by his youngest son’s words. He buried his face in his wife’s embrace, choking up.
“Wife, did you see that? The child has grown up!”
“Oh, you… wuwu!”
Madam Song had given birth to five children in total: four alphas and only Mi Su, one omega. They had doted on him since he was little, but gradually realized the little one was far less outgoing and enthusiastic than his older siblings.
He was timid, sensitive, hated social occasions, disliked interacting with people, like a little animal living outside the rules.
So the Mi family never forced him to shoulder the family business.
Parents who love their children plan for their future with deep consideration. The couple thought long and hard. Besides leaving Mi Su with endless money, they also wanted to find someone willing to care for and protect him for a lifetime.
But what kind of alpha could be considered a perfect match?
It wasn’t until Chairman Mi met a junior named Ji Yanxing in business circles—exceptionally capable, upright in character—that he knew.
He then learned this was the son of his hiking buddy, Ji Wenyuan.
The two middle-aged men thought themselves remarkably far-sighted. They exchanged conditions and, unbeknownst to their children, calculated everything from birth dates and horoscopes to zodiac signs and MBTI.
They just felt it was a match, a perfect match!
Relationships need to complement each other!
So, with grand enthusiasm, they settled the marriage. Even the betrothal gifts had been exchanged.
Chairman Mi sighed deeply. “Nothing in this world is perfect. Yanxing is already the closest to a perfect husband we could pick for Su Su. Feelings are just seasoning; character is what ensures a long-term relationship.”
Mi Fan’s eyebrows shot up. “Even if my brother likes him, I still need to vet this alpha!”
“No one knows a brother like his brother. I know Mi Su’s weight all too well. If he weren’t a child of the Mi family, where would he have the ability to survive alone in society? If he met the wrong person, it would be over!”
“How can you talk about your brother like that?” Madam Song shot him a glare, but she knew it was the truth. “You’re too pessimistic!”
As an alpha, Mi Fan prided himself on understanding alphas the best—an arrogant bunch.
If the alpha came from a good background and had outstanding looks, he’d be even more overbearing. When it came to relationship issues, they’d always think the next one would be more obedient. How could they possibly yield to Mi Su?
He sneered coldly.
“—Unless Ji Yanxing is a hundred-percent-obedient male kindergarten teacher.”
·
“Ji… Ji-sir, this is a serious failure on our hospital’s part…”
All the doctors at the animal hospital stood in a row. Facing the oppressive pheromones the man unconsciously emitted, they physically felt suffocated, their hearts pounding, not daring to look up.
They bowed in unison. “We apologize, Mr. Ji.”
As soon as he heard the cat was missing, Ji Yanxing rushed over. Even though they’d only met once, that cat had left him with a distinctly different feeling.
It was like…
Like they had already spent a long time together.
There was an indescribable sense of familiarity and intimacy.
If he went by his father’s mystical way of talking, that kitten was probably a child from his past life, their connection unbroken in this life.
Ji Yanxing was busy with work and under pressure, but he wasn’t the type to vent his emotions on others recklessly.
But one doctor stepped forward, shielding the softly crying nurse involved, and said, “You might not believe it, but it really was that cat who seduced her first!”
The alpha’s handsome face instantly darkened. “Preposterous.”
“We have surveillance footage as proof.”
In the video, the plump little kitten wriggled, meowed, and stuck its bottom up, its enthusiasm palpable even through the screen. The nurse, utterly captivated, bought expensive prescription canned food with her own money.
When the nurse was entranced a second time, the little troublemaker ran off without mercy.
Ran off.
All the humans had been fooled by the cat. It was unbelievable.
Ji Yanxing’s expression turned even uglier.
The hospital suggested reporting to the police to find it, but he flatly refused. If the kitten really was a special breed, the quieter things were kept, the safer.
Ji Yanxing sent his assistant to contact a renowned pet-finding team.
When leaving the hospital, a husky suddenly poked its muzzle against the man’s leg and hand, sniffing curiously. “Yo yo yo, so you’re that cat’s husband? King Zhou and Daji the cat? Pretty kinky, huh!”
“Look at you making such a fuss. It ran away! Doesn’t want you anymore!” The husky wagged its tongue happily.
“…”
Ji Yanxing heard a series of noisy barks. Though he didn’t understand the language, he felt inexplicably mocked.
His patience instantly hit zero. “…Take this silly dog away.”
Unfortunately, no good news came by evening. The pet-finding team said the kitten seemed very determined, as if it had its own cat life to live and didn’t want human interference.
But…
Because of that one encounter, Ji Yanxing—whose severe mysophobia couldn’t tolerate a single strand of animal fur—had, for the first time, considered getting a cat.
The man lowered his gaze, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had just finished a meeting. The counterpart was Mi Su’s eldest sister, Mi Xingyuan, the current de facto head of Milong Real Estate. Seeing his expression, she smiled and asked, “Is Mr. Ji dissatisfied with the project content just now?”
Ji Yanxing: “Of course not. Speaking of which, did Mi Su sleep well at home last night?”
The female alpha, momentarily caught off guard, paused, thinking, Why ask me?
Then she remembered something and gave him a strange look. “Su Su didn’t come home last night.”
“Didn’t come home? He clearly told me he was going back to his family home.”
Judging by Ji Yanxing’s reaction, Mi Su had clearly lied and stayed out all night.
Mi Xingyuan thought they had argued. Anticipating the next moment would involve either family gossip or relationship drama, even someone as coolly handsome as Young Master Ji couldn’t avoid marital trivialities.
Unexpectedly, this man had a more peculiar train of thought than she imagined, actually directing his questioning at their entire family.
Ji Yanxing’s gaze turned sharp and cold, his questioning merciless—
“Such a cute omega staying out all night, and your family isn’t worried? He’s still so young!”
“…”
That serious?
Mi Xingyuan felt a pang of shame and clicked her tongue. “My brother is a college student.”
“He’s still a child compared to your and my age.”
His tone was unpleasant as he straightened his clothes. “Of course, when I say he’s cute, it’s from an objective standpoint, not my subjective opinion.”
Mi Xingyuan: “…”
Who asked?
·
The doorbell rang. Mi Fan, thinking it was his eldest sister coming home from work, eagerly flew to open the door, only to come face-to-face with a row of black-suited bodyguards holding gift boxes.
Wh-what’s this!? A home invasion robbery!?
His face turned pale with fright as he stared at the boxes in their hands. “What do you want!? If you’re robbing us, you even want to pack up our stuff!?”
A tall, poised man stepped forward and greeted him calmly. “Fourth Young Master, I presume? I am Ji Yanxing.”
His bearing was exceptionally distinguished, enough to overwhelm a whole room of fellow alphas with sheer presence. Especially since he carried the aura of an almost-groom, all primed and ready.
“I’ve come to pick Mi Su up and brought some modest gifts.”
The betrothal gifts had actually already been delivered long ago. But Ji Yanxing’s so-called “modest gifts” were still quite lavish: cigarettes, alcohol, tea, tonics, fruit baskets, and separate presents for different family members.
He acted every bit the prospective son-in-law.
Mi Fan, who had been boasting at home about taking Ji Yanxing down, completely wilted. One look told him he was no match.
This alpha was quite adept at dealing with elders. The Mi couple couldn’t stop smiling, asking the nanny to wake up the young master who had slept all day.
“Yanxing, you must stay for dinner! We just picked fresh wild vegetables today!”
Finally able to see Mi Su, Ji Yanxing breathed a slight sigh of relief. “Alright.”
“Dad! Mom—!”
Not long after, the omega walked over in loose pajamas, greeting them in a soft voice. Seeing Ji Yanxing’s grim expression, his sleepiness vanished instantly.
Mi Su watched him stealthily, like a cat, and pouted.
…He had already met his true form yesterday. Would he suspect?
He whispered, “Husband?”
Ji Yanxing’s expression stiffened slightly, his feelings indescribable.
Having not seen the spoiled brat for a day and a night, it was hard not to let his thoughts wander.
He’d had visions of a delicate, tender little pitiful thing walking the streets, exposed to sun and wind, whimpering without food or water, getting shoved aside and stepped on by fierce-looking passersby.
At the thought, Ji Yanxing closed his eyes, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest.
But then the image of a furry little cat face quickly surfaced in his mind—a cat that looked as if it were Mi Su’s kin—and it had even run away.
The alpha’s hand resting on his knee curled slightly, clenching tightly, the knuckles turning white.
It’s fine.
They could still have a child.
Ji Yanxing believed he was just observing etiquette by visiting his in-laws and picking up his fiancée. So, interacting with Mi Su should be as natural as possible.
No need for forced affection or distance.
“…You’ve lost weight.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, complete silence fell, even Mi Su, who had been yawning mid-way, fell quiet.
Mi Fan felt his teeth ache from the cheesiness and weakly chimed in, “If I remember correctly, my brother’s only been home for half a day.”