Ye Qingxu had been locked up by her in the basement of the Wan Family’s old interrogation room. She only remembered that person, who every day diligently ate whatever was sent in, devouring it ravenously until his belly swelled high. Back then, she even thought Ye Qingxu was so petty, had he never eaten before? Who could have imagined he was pregnant.
By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late—Ye Qingxu’s water had broken. She panicked and went to find A-Da to send him to the hospital, but Ye Qingxu struggled and ran away. Her subordinates searched for a long time before finding him in a small clinic far away. He was like a soulless shell, woodenly saying the child was gone.
She felt guilty toward Ye Qingxu and panicked toward Wan Keyao. She both wanted Wan Keyao to know the truth and feared her actions would shatter the mother-son bond. Just then, Ye Qingxu said, “I’ll leave Wan Keyao. He doesn’t know I’m pregnant, so please don’t tell him. It’s all my fault—pretend none of this ever happened.”
She breathed a sigh of relief in her escapism and listened. She silenced the people at the small clinic, making them keep the man’s ability to bear children buried in their stomachs. She watched Ye Qingxu leave the country, watched Wan Keyao suffer all these years.
She had thought about confessing her actions, but she was truly afraid.
“I really never meant to hurt you, nor did I ever want to hurt Little Yu.” Tears streamed down Jiang Fenghua’s face.
Wan Keyao abruptly stood up, his tall frame rigid like an ice sculpture. “You locked him in the interrogation room? There’s no light at all in there—it’s for holding spies, you know that! Do you know he has claustrophobia because of his parents’ deaths!?”
Wan Keyao trembled with rage, his fists clenched with cracking sounds. “If you hadn’t given birth to me…”
His unspoken words were resolute. Jiang Fenghua’s face drained of color as she turned her head, wanting to plead with Ye Qingxu. That man remained calmly composed, like a pine standing firm amid frost and snow. He held the little cat very tightly, just like back then when he desperately ate to seize the chance to live.
Jiang Fenghua burst into tears. “Little Ye, please forgive me.”
“Don’t morally kidnap him,” Wan Keyao’s voice was laced with ice. “Who all have you wronged? What about my Little Yu? He’s out there alone, living in sorrow and loneliness. What if he couldn’t make it? How will you compensate for my child? How could you do this to Ye Qingxu, to me?”
Ye Qingxu stood straight, his expression fearless. Only Jiang Xiaoyu, tightly held in his arms, knew the man’s body was trembling uncontrollably.
“Daddy.” Jiang Xiaoyu lifted his head, pressing his face to Ye Qingxu’s neck, whispering softly, “Daddy, don’t be sad. You have me now.”
Ye Qingxu could no longer hold back. His tense body instantly softened, tears spilling from his eyes. He hugged the little cat in his arms—who, due to a childhood of starvation, still couldn’t gain weight no matter how much he fed him—like grasping the last lifeline.
He tried hard to hold back his tears, not wanting to show weakness in front of the Wan Family, but Jiang Xiaoyu’s words broke his defenses completely.
“I won’t forgive you,” he said.
Jiang Fenghua looked utterly wretched. “I… I never expected your forgiveness. I just wanted to see Little Yu, my Little Yu…” She reached out toward Jiang Xiaoyu. He looked at her—her sadness was genuine—but he shook his head, firmly hugging Ye Qingxu and using the fur on his face to wipe away his tears.
Ye Qingxu took a deep breath and kissed the little cat’s damp cheek. Coldly, he said, “Farewell.”
Wan Keyao stood there, his face ashen, not knowing how to retain them.
Once outside the door, after just a few steps, Ye Qingxu saw Ye Lian waiting by the entrance. He forced a smile. “I’ve been rude again.”
Ye Lian curved his eyes and shook his head, asking softly, “Do you need me to help take care of Little Yu?” He knew Ye Qingxu’s plans—the other would sue Jia Muqin and Li Shouping during the National Day holidays.
Ye Qingxu nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.” He handed the Little Black Cat to Ye Lian. “Daddy needs to handle things with the Wan Family and with Li Shouping.”
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu anxiously stretching out his paws to climb back onto him, Ye Qingxu smiled. “Don’t worry about Daddy. Daddy’s a grown-up, and Daddy has you now.” He looked up at Ye Lian, very solemnly. “Lian Zhi, please take good care of him.”
Ye Lian promised, “Rest assured.”
Held in Ye Lian’s arms, Jiang Xiaoyu entered the hall still in a daze.
“I want to stay with Daddy,” he said, his tone filled with sadness. “I hate her.”
Ye Lian stroked his damp furry face. “Uncle hates her too.”
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu look up at him, he continued, “I hate that she couldn’t handle her own mess and made our Little Yu sad.” He was even more displeased with Wan Keyao—for not cleaning up his own crap and burdening the next generation. People actually compared such a man to him.
Jiang Xiaoyu hung his head dispiritedly, lacking energy. Ye Lian silently held him there, grooming his fur.
Behind the man was an aquarium embedded in the wall. Under deep blue lights, water plants and fish drifted inside. Behind the tank was a pasted-on painting—a gray-blue body with a massive tail fin.
“Is that a whale?” Jiang Xiaoyu asked.
Ye Lian turned to follow his gaze. “That’s a blue whale, the largest creature on Earth today.”
Jiang Xiaoyu lifted his head, looking at it in the painting. “Can you see it in an aquarium?” He lowered his head again. “I’ve never been to an aquarium…”
Ye Lian kissed the dejected little guy. “You can’t see it in an aquarium—it’s too massive, so it’s free. But Uncle can take you to find it.”
—
Jiang Xiaoyu pressed his face to the porthole, eyes wide as he looked outside. The plane had broken through the clouds, flying steadily at 30,000 feet.
Right after the man said those words, he had taken him on a plane abroad.
Now, all troubles were cast aside. Jiang Xiaoyu’s handsome little body sprawled at the porthole, looking just like a child full of curiosity about the world.
Ye Lian finished handling the necessary procedures for leaving the country, then walked to Jiang Xiaoyu’s side and ruffled his soft hair. “Pretty?”
Jiang Xiaoyu turned back, his green eyes bright. “It’s my first time on a plane.”
Ye Lian curved his eyes. “That’s nice then. Uncle will let you experience many firsts.”
Jiang Xiaoyu looked up at Ye Lian. From early summer to early autumn, even after a whole season, he was still stunned by the man’s appearance every time. His way of speaking was so serious and normal, yet Jiang Xiaoyu felt his cheeks heat up, his heart pounding fiercely.
He patted his face, inwardly scolding himself for overthinking. He’s talking about flying and whales—what are you thinking!
A flight attendant bent down to serve courses of meals. Ye Lian smiled and sipped some brandy, not interrupting the little guy’s self-deception.
The flight was long, and night had fallen. Losing the novelty from boarding, Jiang Xiaoyu now began to miss Ye Qingxu.
“Don’t worry. I spoke with Mr. Ye before takeoff and sent people over.”
Jiang Xiaoyu heard Ye Lian speak and lifted his head from the now signal-less phone. He saw the man emerge from the shower, wearing only a towel loosely tied at his waist.
He casually brushed back his hair, his handsome face alluring amid the steamy mist. Jiang Xiaoyu unconsciously swallowed, averting his gaze. “How can you shower on a plane…”
Ye Lian chuckled lowly, sitting damp beside Jiang Xiaoyu and turning his face back. “Did you just swallow?”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s face flushed red. Stubbornly, he said, “No!”
“Alright then.” Ye Lian caressed Jiang Xiaoyu’s smooth chin, a smile tugging at his lips as he leaned close to the already burning neck. “Pretend you didn’t.”
His hot breath puffed against the sensitive skin of his neck, causing a slight shiver. Jiang Xiaoyu shot up like his tail had been stepped on. “I… I’m going to shower too!”
Ye Lian’s laugh was low and sexy, making one’s legs weak. “The towels are in the cabinet.”
After showering, Jiang Xiaoyu wore the provided bathrobe and peeked around the door. This was a first-class cabin designed for couples—the entire upper level was their private space, which relaxed Jiang Xiaoyu quite a bit.
The floor was carpeted. Barefoot, he walked to the bedside.
Ye Lian was already lying down, his hair looking soft under the dim yellow light. Without opening his eyes, he patted the empty spot beside him. “Not tired? Come up and rest.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s pale feet shuffled against each other. Under the man’s silent urging, he climbed onto the bed, turning his back and curling up at the edge, eight feet from Ye Lian.
The atmosphere was serene. Ye Lian’s steady breathing sounded especially clear in the quiet cabin, the air fermenting something, like invisible threads pulling between them.
Jiang Xiaoyu swallowed carefully, inching his body over.
Ye Lian’s voice was soft, helpless. “Move any more and you’ll fall off.”
Startled, as Jiang Xiaoyu instinctively reached to pull up the blanket and hide, the plane hit turbulence. The cabin jolted sharply. Jiang Xiaoyu lost balance and tumbled rolling toward the inner side of the bed.
Ye Lian seemed to have anticipated it early on, steadily catching him. As their gazes intertwined, Jiang Xiaoyu could almost see the frenzied desire burning in Ye Lian’s amber pupils. He felt those fingertips, separated by the thin layer of sleepwear, tracing along his butterfly bones—the touch light yet heavy, calm yet harboring surging undercurrents of restraint and forbearance.
Before Jiang Xiaoyu could even feel afraid, the man released his hold. His voice was hoarse, as if scorched by the flames of a burning forest: “Rest early. There’s still a connecting flight after we land.”
He turned away, and only after a long pause did he say, “If you’re not comfortable, turn into your cat form. The flight attendant won’t come in without permission.”
Jiang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief, though a hint of disappointment lingered. He gazed at Ye Lian’s broad back, hesitated for a moment, then shifted back into cat form. He quietly sidled closer, pressing against the man’s warm back, curling into a ball and drifting off to sleep.
Only after the soft purring sounds came from behind him did Ye Lian finally close his eyes, releasing his aching desire.
