Ji Yanxing’s meteoric rise within the consortium over the past two years was largely due to his self-discipline.
The sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
He actually woke up at 6:45, a full fifteen minutes later than his usual biological clock.
“Hiss…”
He drank too hastily last night, headache.
Slender, bamboo-like fingers pressed hard against his temples, but his legs, scratched all over, hurt even more than his head.
Although all were just superficial scratches, they were as haphazard and unsightly as those on a cheap, cardboard cat scratching post.
One crisscrossing another.
You could play tic-tac-toe on them right there.
“…Where did I bump into these?” the alpha murmured hoarsely.
Ji Yanxing recalled last night—
The soft sensation and sweet fragrance of the omega sitting in his lap surged back overwhelmingly, like a wildfire set upon a man who had lived abstinently for over twenty years.
He had lost control, disgracefully.
He was angry at himself for having a physiological reaction to an arranged marriage partner he didn’t even like, angry at all his instinctive responses, and even angrier at himself for thinking incessantly about that delicate creature like a lovesick dog. He clearly didn’t like him.
If he didn’t like him, why did he react?
Why?
Was he, Ji Yanxing, really such a vulgar and shallow man?
He had studied abroad since high school and worked in the consortium upon returning. From campus to the vanity fair of high society, he had seen enough of people’s filth. It seemed that under the pretense of freedom, indulging in beastly acts was considered the norm.
Then what was love?
Ji Yanxing was proud and principled. He wanted purity, from body to mind, reserved only for his one true love.
That’s why, in his furious rage last night, he had stormed into the bathroom.
He didn’t do anything there, just stubbornly stood under the shower, letting the water pour over him.
The cold shower didn’t work, so he gave himself an inhibitor shot, then pulled out two bottles of his prized vintage red wine, and like Misu guzzling his mocha, without any decorum, he just tilted his head back and chugged.
In his drunken state, he had come up with many excuses for Misu’s behavior.
Perhaps the delicate one’s family’s financial situation was shaky, and he was desperate to please him?
Perhaps the delicate one was naturally uninhibited and didn’t understand social boundaries?
There was another possibility…
Misu had liked him all along and couldn’t wait to have him the moment he stepped into the house.
This possibility had lingered in his mind from last night until now. The alpha’s expression shifted slightly. With morning vitality running high, he painfully fell back onto the bed, covering his eyes with his arm.
He gritted his teeth hard.
…How much nerve did this omega have? How dare he fantasize about him!
“Young Master.” Butler Wang’s knocking sound came from outside. “Are you awake?”
“There’s the opening banquet for our partner hotel today. Your and Young Master Misu’s suits have been pressed.”
Ji Yanxing then remembered today was his friend’s opening event.
He needed to bring a partner.
After showering and tidying up, he stepped out and instructed a servant, “Go wake the delicate one.”
The servant looked confused.
Ji Yanxing coughed lightly. “…Is Misu up?”
The servant replied respectfully, “I just checked. Young Master Misu isn’t in his room.”
“Where could he go so early?” Ji Yanxing’s words trailed off. After a moment of silence, a hint of mockery appeared on his face. “He couldn’t have run away from home, could he?”
Just because he yelled at him last night?
He didn’t have Misu’s contact information and was too proud to ask his parents. As a last resort, he went to the omega’s room.
Empty.
Only a small indentation in the large bed.
For reasons he couldn’t explain, Ji Yanxing wandered around the tidy suite. A faint trace of chocolate-caramel scent caught his attention.
The man’s eyes paused, and he walked towards the deepest part of the walk-in closet.
Swish—
Pulling aside the partition curtain, the alpha froze.
One door of the large wardrobe stood half-open. Soft bedding was piled inside, like fluffy cotton candy spun out from a cotton candy machine, layer upon layer.
The petite, fragile omega slept within the warm nest, like a young bird afraid of the dark.
He must have hidden in the closet because he felt wronged.
So insecure?
It really was just as the rumors said—timid and fearful.
A strange mix of sourness and regret churned in Ji Yanxing’s heart.
He had been the one to lose composure.
Why did he take it out on such a vulnerable omega?
The light fell on Misu’s thin eyelids, causing them to tremble unconsciously. Ji Yanxing quickly dropped the curtain back into place, kneeling on one knee before the little nest, and called softly, “Misu.”
No response.
The man tentatively reached out and touched the small figure whose face was mostly buried in the blankets.
“Wake up. There’s an event today.”
As soon as his fingers brushed the soft, dark brown hair, the omega, still with eyes closed, let out a soft murmur. Two pale, delicate hands reached over, pulling Ji Yanxing’s large hand into an embrace.
Then, holding it firmly, Misu curled up and gave a little stretch, body trembling slightly as if shaking off sleepiness. “Mm—!”
Ji Yanxing: “?”
Treating him like a body pillow?
Misu still wasn’t used to sleeping in a human room. After all, he was a cave-dwelling little cat from the grasslands.
Last night, he had reverted to his cat form as usual.
A chocolate-colored furball the size of a palm lay curled up right in the center of the bed, like a delicate young spouse in a CEO novel sleeping on a 500-square-meter mattress.
The room was vast and silent, akin to sleeping on a main road. It felt far too exposed.
The cat remained vigilant, afraid to fall into deep sleep.
All four paws were tucked under his body, his airplane ears twitching slightly, constantly monitoring the surroundings like a serious little sentinel.
The humidifier made a dripping sound, and the cat shot upright with a “Hiss—!”
Issuing a fierce threat!
After several such episodes, the cat’s little heart pounded wildly, growing increasingly jumpy.
Humans were such fools. Instead of building burrows, they built elevated platforms and slept on them.
That’s how you get snatched by eagles!
The cat’s opinion of human intelligence plummeted yet again!
The cat couldn’t take it anymore. He jumped off the bed, grabbed a corner of the duvet with his sharp little teeth, and gave it a hard tug. He pulled too hard, sending himself tumbling head over heels—
In that instant, the cat executed a simultaneous “Assassin’s Backward Roll + Four-Wheel Drive Landing + Grassland Predator’s Growl” to barely stabilize his formidable 20-centimeter frame!
He then cleverly shifted back to human form.
After repeating the process several times, he moved the bedding into the large wardrobe, constructing a warm, sturdy fortress on the spot, and finally settled in for a peaceful sleep.
The cat was quite pleased with himself.
“Misu? Can you hear me?” Ji Yanxing subtly withdrew his hand.
The omega mumbled something in response.
Remembering that the original host also often attended various events, Misu didn’t argue. His voice was soft with sleep. “Mm, okay.”
This obedient? The alpha raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Ji Yanxing opened his mouth to say more, but it wasn’t appropriate to stay long in Misu’s room. He stood up and left.
Misu drifted in and out of sleep for a while, then headed to the bathroom. He first cleaned his human body thoroughly, then shifted back to cat form and began diligently licking himself.
The plump little furball was earth-toned.
His markings were darker, like chocolate sauce piped onto a dessert by a pastry chef—not only pretty but also looking delicious.
Even as a wild grassland cat, he was particular about hygiene.
He would spend three to five hours each day grooming. His pink, cute little tongue was covered with tiny barbs—a cat’s natural comb—capable of scraping off parasites and loose fur.
For a while, the room was filled with the soft sound of lick-lick-lick.
The cat groomed with intense focus. His delicate little tongue licked his front paws a few times, then enthusiastically cleaned his ears to prevent oiliness.
Then, with a soft thump, his bottom hit the floor. He vigorously lifted one hind leg, his little foot pointing skyward like a fried chicken drumstick.
Lick, lick, lick…
Promoting blood circulation, you know!
Finally, his chubby little mouth gave his paw pads a few hearty chews—stress-relieving and addictive, making a tree-tree sound!
OK!
Now the cat is flawless from every angle, looking absolutely insanely handsome!
He heard from the butler that his clothes had been pressed and delivered to the walk-in closet.
The little furball set off happily, then suddenly started galloping like a little foal, the floor emitting dull thump-thump sounds.
A breeze swept past his cat ears.
So joyful—!
He missed the feeling of galloping freely across the grasslands. The cat focused intently, running faster and faster!
But the Ji residence wasn’t the open plains. A wall rapidly appeared ahead, while his chunky little body continued hurtling forward with inertia!
A cat would never allow itself to faceplant.
It would ruin the facial symmetry of a grassland hunter, meow!
At the critical moment, the cat tensed its muzzle, pushed off powerfully with its hind legs, and sprang up—
All four paws landed simultaneously on the wall!
As if instantly possessed by a martial spirit, it became a wild mountain goat, effortlessly scaling sheer cliffs thousands of meters high!
Using the wall for leverage, all four paws splayed wide, propelling itself forward!
It turned a corner and continued dashing into the walk-in closet, its rumbling little cannon-like silhouette cool and composed, never underestimating an opponent despite its own formidable skills.
And this heart-pounding series of events.
All happened in mere seconds.
The cat panted heavily, flicked its tail a few times, its round little face utterly calm, its achievements hidden from the world.
The glorious moments of many creatures’ entire lives.
Are but ordinary, fleeting seconds for a cat.
…
After getting dressed and heading downstairs, Misu had just reached the landing when he overheard Ji Yanxing and his parents talking in the living room.
Mrs. Ji sounded worried, “Did Susu cry for a long time yesterday? Ah-Xing, what you said was too harsh!”
“Hmph,” Chairman Ji’s tone was stern as well. “He is your future wife, the one who will walk beside you. You accused him of having no shame, but how are you any better? I certainly didn’t raise you this way!”
Ji Yanxing had a headache.
But the butler spoke up in the young master’s defense, “Surprisingly, Young Master Misu isn’t as fragile as imagined. He didn’t throw a tantrum last night and spent the evening quite calmly.”
“What do you know?” Mrs. Ji exclaimed, clutching her chest, looking even more anxious. She said, “The greatest sorrow is a heart that has grown cold… He, too, is a child who was pampered growing up. Rather than a drastic change in temperament after the engagement, wouldn’t it be better if he threw a fit or cried a little? You are his husband, after all!”
Misu stood in the blind spot, frozen.
The omega tilted his little head, a pair of brown cat ears popping out from his hair—better for eavesdropping this way.
He then heard Ji Yanxing let out a cold laugh—
“How could a living person suddenly have a drastic personality change? Unless they’ve developed a mental illness. Stop worrying so much. He’s perfectly fine.”
“If he really had a problem, his parents would have sent him to a psychiatric hospital long ago.”
Misu caught four specific words. He pulled out his phone, opened the Douyin app, and searched for “psychiatric hospital.”
The images that popped up turned the omega’s face deathly pale, almost making him cry!
He saw groups of people in hospital gowns being pinned to beds by figures in white coats, given injections and electric shocks, wailing and howling, a scene of pure chaos.
—So scary!
He didn’t want to be human anymore; he wanted to go back to the grasslands!
Wuwu, why did he have to transmigrate into a delicate little male omega wife? Couldn’t he have become the Federation President instead?
Not giving up, Misu tremblingly searched again: “Can little kittens get mental illness?”
The results showed that it was actually cow cats who were the ones with mental illnesses.
So pitiful, wuwu…
But thankfully, he was a super-cute, super-ferocious hybrid kitten of black-footed and rusty-spotted lineage.
Adopting a “better them than me” attitude, Misu breathed a sigh of relief, patted his head, and retracted his airplane ears.
He remembered one thing:
He couldn’t act too differently from the original host’s personality. He must pretend to be weak and cute, or else he’d be shipped off to a psychiatric hospital!
…
Misu listlessly made his way downstairs. Under the affectionate gazes of the Ji elders, he picked up his knife and fork. He ate his brunch quietly and elegantly.
Nothing like how a cat usually ate.
Seeing this, Mrs. Ji felt even more heartbroken, wanting nothing more than to grab Ji Yanxing’s arm and give him a few good smacks. But she was a well-bred lady and restrained her temper.
Ji Yanxing also noticed Misu’s subdued mood.
His original plan was to have no unnecessary interaction with the delicate creature, not even speaking unless necessary.
But he was the alpha, and several years older.
He felt it necessary to break the ice first.
“It’s about time,” Ji Yanxing glanced at the suit jacket held by a servant. He stood up and held out his arms, indicating for Misu to help him put it on. “Make it quick.”
Misu moved to his side.
He tilted his head, and his little head suddenly nudged against Ji Yanxing’s palm.
Ji Yanxing: “…?”
The alpha’s hand was large, his face small. As he nuzzled and rubbed, his soft cheek pressed into the palm. A kitten’s coquettish clinginess, soft, obedient, and gentle.
“Husband.”
A pair of amber eyes, clear and bottomless, held no ulterior thoughts. “Is it this you want?”