Chapter 39

“Bai Ruonian, change your suppressant patch and go to sleep.”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it was close, carrying a hint of hoarseness that was hard to detect. Accompanying it were footsteps.

Bai Ruonian instantly went rigid, staring in horror at the large, fluffy tail behind him that had no place to go. Crap, crap, crap, what do I do?

Would Master think he was a monster?

Master would definitely throw him away.

What to do???

Bai Ruonian was panicking hard. Looking at his fluffy, voluminous tail—in the past, his master had loved to ruffle it the most. But he was a human now.

Help!!

For the first time, he felt that his beloved tail, which helped him keep his balance, was a bit of an extra appendage.

Seeing the footsteps approach, Bai Ruonian’s breath caught in his chest, unable to escape. He had no choice but to grab his tail and try to stuff it into his pants.

But the tail was too furry, too puffy. Stuffed in, it made a bulge, and part of it would poke out from his pant leg. It completely refused to listen, even waving back and forth.

Meow.

As expected, the tail never obeyed the kitty’s original body.

Stupid tail.

The footsteps got closer and closer.

Bai Ruonian was practically dying of anxiety. Finally, gritting his teeth, he wrapped the tail around his waist. Then he flailed, hastily grabbing a thin blanket to haphazardly cover his waist and abdomen, trying to conceal that unnatural lump.

Just as he finished, the door was pushed open.

Lu Mingjin walked in from the outer suite and his gaze fell on the bed—

The omega’s eyes were red-rimmed, like a frightened rabbit, with an un-faded flush still on his cheeks. His hands seemed to have just pulled out from his waistband in a flurry, and he was taking deep breaths, trying to calm his overly rapid panting, his face still bearing visible panic.

Um…

Lu Mingjin’s footsteps halted at the door, his expression becoming somewhat inscrutable. He silently tossed a new, high-strength suppressant patch onto the bed beside Bai Ruonian’s hand. His voice was even hoarser than before. “Put it on yourself.”

…

So, he also understood about these things.

No—should he understand about these things?

Lu Mingjin fell silent. He withdrew from the bedroom doorway, took out his terminal, and typed a message to Ji Shiyu: “Get the blood test done quickly.”

After a moment, he also tossed in a pack of tissues.

Bai Ruonian looked at the tissues, then at his tail.

Didn’t get it.

Was he supposed to wipe his face?

He didn’t dare cry out either. He burrowed under the covers and fussed with his tail.

It wouldn’t go away.

It wouldn’t go away.

Why had it suddenly popped out?

It seemed ever since his master started applying the ointment, there had been that constant tingling numbness. It was all his master’s fault for cuddling with him!!

Wait…

So… did it happen because of cuddling with his master?

Wasn’t that all over then?

Bai Ruonian felt a bit of despair. Cuddling with his master was his favorite thing. How could this be?

And so, he fell asleep, simultaneously petting his tail, anxious and drowsy.

Outside, Lu Mingjin didn’t dare enter, nor did Bai Ruonian emerge for a long time. The lights remained on.

It wasn’t until the wee hours of the night that he shifted his gaze from the terminal screen and looked distantly into the bedroom. All he saw was the blanket mounded in a small lump, no more movement.

Probably worn out from the fussing, asleep.

Lu Mingjin’s tense shoulders imperceptibly relaxed a fraction, and he took a deep breath.

A chaotic day. More exhausting than exterminating a Zerg Planet.

Heart-wrenching.

The next day.

The charming, plentiful sunlight of Planet No. 1 streamed through the gauze curtains. Bai Ruonian squinted—and discovered his tail had actually vanished.

He became even more convinced: it really was because of the cuddling…

This is bad.

He couldn’t not cuddle with his master.

He spent a long time hesitating, fiddling with his fingers. Would it be better to just be honest with his master?

Would his master dislike him?

Would his master throw him away?

Wait—

Where was his master?

Every morning upon waking, he needed to find his master first thing.

Even if he couldn’t cuddle, he still needed to confirm his master was there.

He got out of bed. The sprain was mostly healed, but his leg was a little numb. Although Ji Shiyu was a bad guy who loved touching his tail, he had to admit, all his medicines were excellent.

He moved carefully. The room was quiet, no one there. Only the washroom not far away had a light on.

But even there, it was perfectly silent.

His master should be inside.

Bai Ruonian swallowed.

The bathroom was truly a place he hated entering. When he was a cat, he was always afraid his master would drown, so he’d wait at the door every time.

So the fact that Lu Mingjin hadn’t come out… An ominous signal exploded in his mind. Bai Ruonian’s first reaction was oh no—

All hesitation and struggle instantly vanished. He slipped on his slippers and limped straight to the washroom.

Banging on the door.

“Lu Mingjin, Lu Mingjin, Lu Mingjin—”

“Are you okay?!”

“Lu Mingjin, Lu Mingjin, Lu Mingjin—”

Inside, it grew even quieter, making Bai Ruonian’s sticky, whiny voice loud and starkly out of place.

“What’s wrong? I’m coming in!”

Just as he was about to shout again, the door suddenly burst open with a bang.

Lu Mingjin was in a bathrobe, the collar wide open halfway, clearly thrown on in a hurry, revealing a chest with sharply defined muscles. His black hair was dripping water, a crystalline droplet sliding down the line of his neck to his collarbone.

“What is it?”

His voice was terribly hoarse, carrying a thread of… unfinished restraint.

Bai Ruonian’s hand, raised to knock, landed smack on Lu Mingjin’s chest.

Wow.

That texture.

Firm, warm.

Squeeze.

“Done groping?” Expressionless, Lu Mingjin flicked Bai Ruonian’s paw away with a bit of force.

“I thought you drowned…” Bai Ruonian’s heart was still pounding. He was truly afraid of water.

Hey, wait. Master’s body is dry.

His hair was wet, but his body was dry. Bai Ruonian sniffed the air. There was a sort of…

Scent of heather.

Bai Ruonian was about to sniff further when Lu Mingjin scooped him up in one motion. “Go back and sleep in a bit.”

Bai Ruonian shook his head. “No sleep.”

He was a cat, not a pig.

In the midst of struggling, he grabbed at the front of Lu Mingjin’s bathrobe and accidentally pulled it down another large chunk, revealing even more lines.

Lu Mingjin’s face darkened. He seized his hands and forcefully peeled him off.

Bai Ruonian stared up with his clear blue eyes. “Huh? Your ear… it’s a little red…”

“From the shower.”

Lu Mingjin’s tone was very flat, but his voice was hoarse. He smoothly changed the subject. “If you don’t want to go back to sleep, play by yourself for a while. I need to go to the convention hall.”

“Take me with you.”

Bai Ruonian instinctively reached out for a hug but suddenly recalled something and pulled back.

Cuddling wasn’t a good idea. What if his tail popped out again?

Lu Mingjin clearly noticed too, stepping back. The atmosphere became a bit awkward.

“You’re injured this badly. Just stay here.”

Lu Mingjin was obviously also afraid that being together might cause another incident.

Yesterday, he’d had a hard time enduring it.

Bai Ruonian, less than a meter away from him, looked at him with wronged blue eyes.

“I just twisted it a tiny bit. It’s fine, really, it’s fine.”

He kicked his leg out. “The ointment works really well.”

“Then why are you limping?”

“My leg fell asleep.”

He swallowed. He’d slept in a weird position yesterday, afraid of squashing his tail.

He opened his mouth, thinking of this tail that appeared sometimes and disappeared other times.

“Hypothetically… just hypothetically speaking…”

“Hypothetically what?” Lu Mingjin’s gaze sharpened, staring at him darkly.

Bai Ruonian shut up.

If he spoke, that might really be the excuse used to send him away.

He was so strict even with Uncle Cao…

“Hypothetically what?”

Lu Mingjin leaned down closer. That powerful Alpha presence descended once more, carrying the freshness of a shower and a hint of moisture.

Bai Ruonian felt his tailbone start tingling and numbing again.

Oh no!

He didn’t care if his leg was asleep or not. He covered his tailbone and limped away as fast as he could, hiding behind the sofa at the other end of the room, peeking out warily with just half his head showing.

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

The numbing sensation was finally suppressed.

Lu Mingjin watched the omega’s slightly panicked retreating back, his gaze dark and profound. He suddenly spoke. “Bai Ruonian.”

“Do you remember what you called me yesterday?”

Bai Ruonian tilted his head, looking thoroughly blank. “Huh? What did I call you?”

His consciousness had been blurry then. He only remembered feeling awful and hot, then Master came… The specific details were a complete chaotic mess.

Lu Mingjin paused, looking deeply into those crystal-clear blue eyes that held no trace of deception.

Lu Mingjin hesitated.

Just then, his terminal chimed. It was time to enter the auction.

Lu Mingjin reined in his gaze.

Forget it. He’d wait until the blood test results confirmed things.

After years in the Empire’s military-political system, he’d grown accustomed to seeking evidence first, then nailing things down solidly.

“I’m going to the convention.” Lu Mingjin turned to leave.

Bai Ruonian blinked at him. “You’re… really not taking me?”

Lu Mingjin looked at him and somehow remembered the silver-haired youth’s proud, joyful appearance in the arena.

Keeping him cooped up like this wasn’t right either.

He paused, his tone indifferent. “Fine. Don’t expect anyone to carry you when your leg hurts later.”

Bai Ruonian kicked his leg out. It was still numb. “Seriously, it’s fine. Besides, won’t need you to carry me.”

Or what if his tail came out again?

Lu Mingjin raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

Soon, a small indoor shuttle starship rolled up, slow and steady.

The butler sat in the driver’s seat, all smiles. “Apologies for the wait, you two.”

Once they reached the auction venue, the starship could go no further. Lu Mingjin, wearing a mask, got out. Bai Ruonian blinked.

Lu Mingjin watched him, perfectly composed.

Bai Ruonian bit his lip.

Finally, he reached out his hands.

He still needed just a tiny bit of a carry. The short ride hadn’t been enough for his leg numbness to wear off yet.

The corner of Lu Mingjin’s mouth lifted slightly. He lifted him out of the car and strode directly, unimpeded, into the exclusive Black Card VIP box.

“My god… they actually got to see a Black Card starship…”

“So handsome…”

“How could you tell with the mask on?”

“Aura. Tall, long legs. And I’m telling you, anyone who has a Black Card is handsome.”

Inside the box, Lu Mingjin leaned on the sofa, making a call, casually undoing two buttons of his shirt. The auction item was basically already decided—that genetic research report. Everything else was just incidental.

Bai Ruonian, however, was a bit bored. He’d thought coming to an auction would be fun, but he later learned the items were all pre-arranged. Yesterday, when Lu Mingjin had gone to confirm, he’d deliberately kept Bai Ruonian isolated, preventing him from knowing exactly what he wanted to bid on. The room was quiet. Bored, Bai Ruonian rolled around on the sofa, stretching his arms and legs.

“I want to go see the auction items.”

Lu Mingjin glanced at him. “I’m not carrying you there.”

“I don’t need it!”

He’d told him, it was just his leg being asleep. He’d been resting for so long, it was fine now.

Bai Ruonian seemed genuinely fine, starting to bounce around the room. Lu Mingjin felt his nerves throb.

Exactly the same… as Little Bai.

The moment there was serious business, he’d start doing parkour all over the house.

“The exhibit hall is on the first floor,” Lu Mingjin said.

Bai Ruonian knew this was Lu Mingjin relenting. He scrambled up, yelled loudly, “Thanks, Hubby!” and scurried out in a flash.

Lu Mingjin’s fingers, scrolling on the screen, paused.

Master. Hubby.

Really didn’t know which term of address was more appropriate.

Tsk.

Bai Ruonian, holding the supplementary Black Card, went down to the first floor without obstruction. Before the auction started, quite a few people were indeed browsing the pre-auction exhibits in the giant circular hall. Most were simply there for the buzz and to broaden their horizons, gathered in twos and threes around the glass display cases, discussing in low voices.

“Wow, they actually have a sovereignty authorization deed for Asteroid Belt Z-73…”

“Oh my god, it’s a fossil of a deep-sea Mermaid from Planet Tianshui! What a pity…”

“This raw Red Diamond rough has such high purity…”

Bai Ruonian curiously leaned over for a look. The exhibits were a motley assortment: rare minerals, ancient creature fossils. But most were things that interested the political and commercial magnates—asteroid sovereignty deeds, mining charters, intergalactic gambling licenses, rights to undeveloped shipping routes… and several sealed research reports with obscure titles, stored in document boxes.

As expected, really boring.

Bai Ruonian muttered to himself. No wonder his master hadn’t planned on bringing him along; even he found it rather dull.

He lingered in front of an exhibit for a short while, just about to leave, when he heard someone calling his name through the air.

“Bai Ruonian…?”

Bai Ruonian didn’t hear it the first time, but then a hand blocked his path.

“Well, well! If it isn’t our Young Master Bai?” A voice dripping with obvious mockery and a sense of superiority rang out.

“Right? I told you it was him! What a coincidence, running into him at a place like this?” Another voice chimed in, equally laced with ill-intended laughter.

Bai Ruonian stopped. He recognized the two blocking his way and was slightly taken aback. On the left was one wearing a flashy, garish bright-colored suit, looking frivolous. On the right, the one with gold-rimmed glasses, had a more sinister, effeminate aura.

The former was named Gao Siyang, the latter Xu Yike. He wasn’t familiar with the latter; his memories of him were sparse, only knowing he had good relations with the Gao Family. But the first one left a very deep impression on him.

That person was like a thorn that had always remained wedged in the original host’s memories.

He was his former fiancé.