Beside Wan Keyao was another person who looked like an assistant, holding a report in his hand.
“Mr. Wan, hello.” Jiang Xiaoyu politely greeted him.
Wan Keyao glanced at the red rashes on Jiang Xiaoyu’s body, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Allergic reaction?”
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded. Wan Keyao asked again, “Did Officer Jiang come alone? If it’s inconvenient, have my assistant run the errands for you?”
Jiang Xiaoyu was just about to refuse when he heard Ye Qingxu’s voice from behind: “Let’s go, Little Yu. Go get the doctor to prescribe a check-up form.”
Ye Qingxu’s face had originally been as soft as green grass, but upon seeing Wan Keyao, it turned barren like winter snow had swept over it.
Wan Keyao stood still, his gaze fixed on Ye Qingxu. Seeing the man’s face instantly turn cold upon spotting him, he spoke up: “Why does Mr. Ye’s little face tense up like a gong the moment he sees me?”
In his forties or fifties, and still calling it a little face. Ye Qingxu ignored him, grabbed Jiang Xiaoyu’s hand, and said, “Let’s go. Thirsty? Want some water?”
Under Wan Keyao’s probing gaze, Jiang Xiaoyu felt like thorns were pricking his back. He awkwardly touched the red rashes on his arm and said, “Not thirsty. Let’s go.”
After the two left, Wan Keyao still stood in place, his expression deep and unreadable. After a long while, he instructed his assistant: “Go check what these two came to see the doctor for.”
The assistant let out a surprised “Ah?”: “That doesn’t seem right. This is a public hospital; doctors have to protect patient privacy.” Wan Keyao shot him a cold glance, and the assistant quickly changed his tune: “Got it. I’ll go right now.”
—
The blood test results would take two days to come out. In the meantime, Jiang Xiaoyu’s allergic reaction had gradually subsided. Apart from some lingering red marks on his body, it wasn’t affecting him much anymore.
The house was undergoing renovations these past two days. The original small folding bed had lost its purpose after Ye Qingxu learned Jiang Xiaoyu could turn into a cat, and he’d turned it into a cat bed. When Jiang Xiaoyu turned into a cat, he was tiny and only took up one pillow, which was very cozy. So Ye Qingxu had the cheek to sleep in the same bed as his son.
At first, Jiang Xiaoyu felt a bit uncomfortable, but perhaps it really was father-son instinct. When he curled up beside Ye Qingxu and fell asleep, he felt very secure. Or maybe it was the gentle, warm woody scent on the man that made Jiang Xiaoyu accept sharing a bed with him quite well.
Jiang Xiaoyu groggily poked his head out from the pillow, stretched backward with a huge yawn, shook his ears, and in the instant he leaped off the bed, turned into human form.
The room was very well soundproofed. Only after leaving the room did Jiang Xiaoyu hear the clamorous ding-ding-dong-dong noises outside.
The construction team seemed eager for long-term cooperation with Ye Qingxu. The burly leader was very enthusiastic and, upon seeing Jiang Xiaoyu, grinned at Ye Qingxu: “This your son? He looks just like you.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingxu’s originally polite smile gained some genuine warmth: “Yeah, everyone says so.”
Jiang Xiaoyu awkwardly scratched the back of his neck: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head to work first.”
Ye Qingxu hurriedly said, “You’re not fully recovered yet. Why not rest a couple more days?”
“There’s a case at the Police Station; can’t delay any longer.” Jiang Xiaoyu gave a greeting, nudged away the cat that was rubbing up against him purring and acting spoiled with his foot, hesitated, and said, “The house is in your hands.”
Ye Qingxu smiled upon hearing this: “How could it be trouble?”
His gaze was full of fatherly affection. Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but avert his eyes. After just a few words, he prepared to head out, but Ye Qingxu caught up: “Wait, Dad’ll drive you.”
“No need to go to the trouble.”
But Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t refuse and was pushed by Ye Qingxu into the car.
The construction leader scratched his head in confusion, finding the father-son dynamic a bit odd. He had a son himself, and while they didn’t exactly fight like cats and dogs, there were definitely slaps and arguments— that’s what father-son relationships were like; roughhousing was normal. These two seemed harmonious enough, but a bit too polite.
After dropping Jiang Xiaoyu off at the Police Station and stuffing a huge bento bag into his arms, Ye Qingxu said, “Found a new place. Try it and see if it’s good.” He’d wanted to cook himself, but after two days of shattering all of Jiang Xiaoyu’s porcelain bowls, he had to admit he had no talent for it. The harder he tried, the more disastrous it got…
“What time do you get off tonight? Dad’ll come pick you up.”
“Not sure…”
“Then call Dad when you’re off, and wait for Dad to come get you.”
Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips and softly agreed “Okay,” then stiffly walked into the Case Handling Office under Ye Qingxu’s gaze, which was like he was seeing off a kid to kindergarten.
There had been a lot going on lately, so most officers in the Case Handling Office were out on duty. Only Jin Ge was left guarding these two injured Cat Cubs.
With no one around, Zhang Pangpang had turned back into cat form. His round belly was obviously beyond normal limits, but he was still stuffing small cookies into his mouth. Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu enter, he thumped his chest with his paw like he’d choked, grabbed a milk tea nearby and slurped a big gulp, then sighed in relief and asked, “Your uncle dropped you off?” He’d seen from the window—Jiang Xiaoyu got out of the same car from last time.
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded without clarifying his relationship with Ye Qingxu, instead staring at the Orange Cat’s paw: “Is your hand better?”
The Orange Cat raised one claw toe, clearly missing a chunk: “About the same. The bandages can come off now.” That’s why he could shift back to cat form. He’d been stuck with bandages for days after the injury and couldn’t shift, which had driven him nuts.
“Your allergy better?” Zhang Pangpang stuffed another small cookie into his mouth, then pushed the box toward Jiang Xiaoyu: “Have one. These are the ones your uncle bought last time. Pretty tasty.”
Jiang Xiaoyu picked one up and popped it in his mouth. Sweet, fragrant, and crispy—indeed good: “I’m about the same. Picking up the report tomorrow. Just gotta watch out from now on.”
The person involved hadn’t even seen the allergen report yet, but Wan Keyao already had it.
“Allergic to proteins in Tiannanxing family plants?” Wan Keyao repeated as he flipped through the check-up report, frowning and muttering to himself: “What a coincidence?”
He was allergic to that stuff too, so he never ate taro or similar things in his daily life.
His special assistant, having followed Wan Keyao for a long time, stood by hesitantly and asked, “Xiao Li checked. When Ye Qingxu brought Jiang Xiaoyu for the check-up, he told the doctor they were father and son.”
Wan Keyao’s emotions churned: “How old is the kid?” Before the assistant could answer, he saw the age on the file: 22.
“We broke up 22 years ago.” He lowered his eyelids, his expression so grim it was frightening. He hadn’t even considered if this was a child Ye Qingxu had borne for him—after all, Ye Qingxu was a man, and he knew that better than anyone.
“Our relationship was still good back then.” Wan Keyao’s lips curled into a cold sneer, though his eyes couldn’t hide the deep hurt. “To think you went behind my back and had a kid with someone else. No wonder, no wonder you left so decisively back then.”
His knuckles turned white gripping the check-up sheet, nails digging into his flesh, as if that could ease the pain in his heart. Wan Keyao closed his eyes, flashbacks of his loving days with Ye Qingxu flooding his mind.
They had been inseparable, fused like milk and water, swearing eternal vows. Now, it all seemed like one big joke.
—
At lunch, Jin Ge was still analyzing the case with the two Cat Cubs. In just a few short days, Zhang Pangpang in human form looked even fatter. Jin Ge smoked and grumbled, “How many days has your mom been taking care of you? You’re about to turn into a ball.”
Jiang Xiaoyu took a sip of the juice Ye Qingxu had brought him, a hint of playfulness in his expression: “Don’t they say Orange Cats are prone to gaining weight?”
Jin Ge paused, then gave Jiang Xiaoyu a rare glance before peeking into his lunchbox: “Your dad made this? So lavish. Who’d have thought—Ye Qingxu doesn’t look like the cooking type.”
For some reason, Jiang Xiaoyu’s ear tips flushed red. He obediently let Jin Ge pick a piece of steamed pork with rice flour and softly said, “He can’t cook. He bought it.”
The meat melted in his mouth. Jin Ge let out a “Whoa”: “Tastes like Zhou Ji’s. Not cheap.”
Zhang Pangpang nosed in for one too: “What dad? Little Yu has a dad?”
Jin Ge rolled his eyes at him: “Who doesn’t have a dad?”
“Aw, that’s not what I meant.” Zhang Pangpang stuffed the meat in his mouth and hurriedly said, “I mean, Little Yu’s family situation isn’t like that, right?”
Zhang Pangpang hemmed and hawed, but Jiang Xiaoyu knew what he meant. After all, for over twenty years, he’d carried the labels of a gambling dad and an abusive mom.
He pursed his lips, suddenly impulsive: “I have a dad now. Li Shouping isn’t my dad.”
Zhang Pangpang stared in shock at Jiang Xiaoyu, who was usually as tight-lipped as a gourd and low-key to the max: “What? That scum isn’t your dad? What’s the deal?”
Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t clear on the details either. During these days with Ye Qingxu, he’d been avoiding the topic and hadn’t asked. Now put on the spot, he could only purse his lips: “He said I was stolen by someone.”
“Holy shit! Human trafficker?” Zhang Pangpang yelped.
Jin Ge stopped eating, lit a cigarette quietly, and said, “Your dad contacted me a few days ago.”
Jiang Xiaoyu looked up blankly: “Ye Qingxu? For my sick leave?”
“On one hand, there’s something else I don’t know if he told you about.” Jin Ge tapped his cigarette ash. “He contacted a very well-known lawyer and is preparing to sue Li Shouping and Jia Muqin. He wants those who hurt his kid to be properly punished. It’s already in the preparation stage. After all, Ye Qingxu really is your biological father. So how did you end up being taken home and raised by those two back then? If it’s true like Ye Qingxu said that you were stolen by someone, then if this really gets investigated, those two are going to prison.”
Zhang Pangpang ate his melon while cursing, “Holy shit! So that’s what happened! Fat Lord was saying just that! Our Little Yu is so smooth, handsome, and kind-hearted—how could he possibly be born to scum parents like that? Even genetic mutation doesn’t go that far! Damn it, next time those Criminal Investigation folks dare to nitpick your family background and question why you can pass the review to become a cop, Fat Lord will spray them to death!”
Jiang Xiaoyu listened to Zhang Pangpang’s indignant ranting and blinked. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should think about those people at Criminal Investigation or about Ye Qingxu filing the lawsuit. He didn’t have much feeling left for Li Shouping and Jia Muqin. It wasn’t fear—not anymore, since he had grown up and was no longer that kid who could only take beatings. Hate? That didn’t quite fit either. In fact, if it weren’t for people bringing it up so often lately, he almost wouldn’t have remembered what those two had done.
And right now, in his heart, he actually felt… a bit happy? Not happy that the bad guys might get punished, but happy that Ye Qingxu wanted to seek justice for him.
He poked at the variety of dishes in his lunchbox, his mind wandering: Is this what a dad is like? Preparing food for you, picking you up from work, getting upset on your behalf, shedding tears for you, looking at you with both sorrow and joy.
He quietly thought, in a way that felt utterly unreal:
I really have a dad now.
Jin Ge felt relieved in his heart. He grabbed another one of Jiang Xiaoyu’s unopened bento boxes, shamelessly mooching a meal while thinking: Looks like Ye Qingxu isn’t short on cash. Can’t let Jiang Xiaoyu be stingy with the AC in this hot weather from now on. After suffering for so many years, this Cat Cub finally has someone who cares about him.
—
Ye Qingxu received Jiang Xiaoyu’s call saying he was getting off work and immediately wrapped up what he was doing to go pick up the kid.
He drove the car, skillfully turning the wheel, thinking one moment that the temperature had dropped a bit so he could take the kid straight to eat pork belly chicken later. The next moment, he thought this car was just something he bought casually when he returned to the country—the seats weren’t great, so he still needed to get a better one. Lately, he’d been watching videos on how to raise kids every day and knew that people in society were very competitive, especially in the kid’s government agency, which was a place that really valued backgrounds.
Better get a nicer one. That way, when picking up and dropping off the kid in the future, people will see it and know the kid’s family has money.
While waiting at a red light, his gaze unconsciously flicked to the rearview mirror, and he noticed a car that seemed to have been following him.
