If one were to ask Jia Muqin what was the most regretful thing she had done in her life, it wasn’t mistreating that monster, nor was it getting thrown in prison for cutting off that monster’s tail. It was adopting that monster.
If given another chance, she would definitely make Li Shouhai take that inhuman, ghostly thing away right in front of her! That way, she wouldn’t have raised the thing for several years without getting any benefits, only to end up in prison.
She had wasted over a decade in prison, and after her release, before she could even breathe a few more mouthfuls of fresh air, she received a lawsuit accusing her of child trafficking!
Jia Muqin gritted her teeth in hatred, determined not to let that monster who had ruined her life have it easy! But she didn’t have the monster’s current address. Just when she was at a loss, she unexpectedly ran into him while grabbing a meal!
Before returning to the country, Ye Lian had to fly to another country for a business trip. Jiang Xiaoyu, whose budding romance hadn’t even lasted a few days, watched helplessly as Wife Cat ran off.
So, upon landing in Pine City, he was feeling a bit down in the dumps. Ye Qingxu, who had come to pick him up at the airport, thought it was jet lag from the over ten-hour flight. He took the suitcase from Jiang Xiaoyu’s hand and said, “Dad booked a restaurant to welcome you. We’ll go eat and then head back to rest, okay?”
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, buckled his seatbelt, and waited until Ye Qingxu got into the driver’s seat and closed the door before speaking up directly: “Dad, I’m with Ye Lian now.”
Having grown up surrounded by cats and dogs, he had always avoided human relationships, let alone romance. But perhaps because of that, his approach to love was almost feral in its sincerity—like how cats and dogs straightforwardly courted their desired partners during mating season, never hiding their affections. He was the same: not proactive enough, but once decided, unwaveringly firm.
Since he and Ye Lian had already started this somewhat improper same-sex relationship, he should tell the people around him openly, especially his closest family.
Ye Qingxu’s hand tightened slightly on the steering wheel, seemingly surprised. He turned off the engine and asked calmly, “Did Ye Lian bring it up first?”
Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head. “No, I asked him if he wanted to be with me, and he even hesitated. I like him. I want to be with him.”
Ye Qingxu fell silent for a moment, looking into the kid’s earnest eyes—so similar to his own in appearance, yet so different in handling emotions.
The kid was timid in social interactions, but with Ye Lian, he seemed to charge forward without hesitation.
A wave of melancholy washed over Ye Qingxu’s heart. If only he had been as brave in love, many people and things might have turned out differently.
The melancholy faded, and he smiled earnestly. “Dad supports your decision.” If the kid truly liked him, why obstruct it? Whether it worked out or not, it was the kid’s valuable experience—no need for others to interfere. For now, the premise was that Ye Lian seemed like a good person. Though quite a bit older than Little Yu, his speech and experiences were top-notch. From their brief encounter, Ye Lan also seemed easygoing, not like the type to mistreat a kid.
Ye Qingxu restarted the engine. “Let’s go. Dad’s taking you to lunch.”
The restaurant was on the first floor of Reid Europe and required reservations. It was spacious with great views, overlooking the massive fountain in Reid Europe Plaza. Jiang Xiaoyu enjoyed the delicious food, half-squinting his eyes in satisfaction. Meeting Ye Qingxu’s gentle gaze, his face flushed red. He lowered his head and poked at his food randomly, feeling embarrassed about his gluttonous appearance.
“If it’s not enough, Dad will order more.” Ye Qingxu didn’t find the kid’s look embarrassing at all. He adjusted the plates closer, wishing he could turn him into a semi-truck full of cats in one meal.
Jiang Xiaoyu had just nodded when he heard arguing and commotion at the restaurant entrance. Perhaps loving a spectacle was in the blood of Ginkgo Country folk—diners glanced over in twos and threes.
At that moment, a server hurried over to Jiang Xiaoyu. “Sir, the lady at the door says she knows you. If you do know her, could you please handle it? This is a reservation-only place; she doesn’t have one but keeps insisting she knows you and demanding to come in.”
Ye Qingxu, hearing this, placed the napkin from his lap on the table, his expression showing displeasure. Jiang Xiaoyu smiled at him to signal it was fine, set down his knife and fork, and followed the server out.
As he walked, he wondered inwardly: Which lady? There were almost no unfamiliar women in his life, let alone ones he knew. When he stepped outside and saw the woman holding a child at the door, his face drained of color, and he instinctively stepped back a few paces.
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu come out, Jia Muqin grew agitated. “You…” She wanted to call his name but froze—she had never given him one or sent him to school. She’d always called him “you,” “monster,” “rice waster,” “money pit.” She’d never used a proper name. When he had gone through the guardianship procedures at the prison for his university application, she remembered: the name on the documents was Jiang Xiaoyu.
“Little Yu, do you still remember Mom? It’s been almost five years since we last met. You… you’ve grown so much, Mom can’t even recognize you! Taller, handsomer—you look like a star; Mom hardly dares believe it.”
The child in her arms looked young, babbling “Grandma.” She smiled, lifting his hand and pointing toward Jiang Xiaoyu. “Little Treasure, look, this is your real uncle.”
Jia Muqin wasn’t that old, but she looked haggard, and with a child in her arms, the restaurant staff didn’t dare touch her. Seeing they seemed to know each other, they quickly said, “Sir, since you know her, please resolve it elsewhere. You’re disturbing the other guests.”
“Aren’t we guests too?” Ye Qingxu’s cold voice came from behind as he stepped forward, shielding Jiang Xiaoyu and facing Jia Muqin. “You have the nerve to claim relation to him? You dare show your face in front of him?”
The server tried to mediate, but Ye Qingxu, uncharacteristically sharp, snapped, “If your rule is no entry without a reservation, why aren’t you calling the police instead of making customers handle it? You’re violating my consumer rights. I’ll have my lawyer send you a letter.”
Jia Muqin eyed the man who looked identical to Jiang Xiaoyu, shamelessly stepping forward with the child. “You must be his father? You look so alike—so successful-looking.”
“Don’t put on an act here. Save it for the lawyers.” Ye Qingxu’s face was full of disgust. Turning to see the kid’s pale face, his anger boiled over.
But perhaps because he’d grown up, or maybe because he had someone backing him now, Jiang Xiaoyu quickly regained his composure. He tugged at Ye Qingxu’s sleeve. “Dad, let’s go back in.” He didn’t want to deal with these people who should have stayed buried in his memories, never to be seen again.
Ye Qingxu nodded hurriedly. “Okay, okay. Not full yet? Come on, Dad’s going in with you.”
People loved a spectacle, especially around lunchtime, so more onlookers gathered. Seeing them about to leave, Jia Muqin went all in. Gritting her teeth, she dropped to her knees with a thud before Jiang Xiaoyu could react. Tears hadn’t even fallen before she wailed dryly: “Little Yu, I know I did wrong before, treated you badly, but I’ve already been punished! Please let me go. Look, my grandson is so young—he can’t be without his grandma! Please, for the few years I raised you, forgive me!”
Crocodile tears flowed instantly. Not content with kneeling herself, she set the bewildered child down to kneel too. “Little Treasure, apologize to your uncle. Grandma only raised him for nine years, but he really is your uncle!” She knew the lawsuit came from Jiang Xiaoyu’s father—this man looked untouchable. If he pressed charges, she’d definitely face prison again. She’d just reunited with her son; her grandson was just over two. How could she abandon them again?
Jia Muqin’s kneel startled both Ye Qingxu and Jiang Xiaoyu. Ye Qingxu hadn’t thought such a shameless person existed. He said, “Your kid is a treasure, but mine isn’t? Get up. Don’t morally kidnap my child.”
Jia Muqin refused to rise, sobbing, “Sir, he’s your child, but he was mine too! I raised him for nine years—no merit, but there was hardship! Please spare me! Don’t sue me!”
The crowd, clueless, thought it was some family drama upon hearing her, but seeing the vast difference in their demeanors—impossible to connect—muttered among themselves.
The server, still stung by Ye Qingxu’s earlier threat, accused pointedly, “Sir, even if this lady did something wrong, she’s with a child! Can you bear letting the kid kneel on the ground too?”
Ye Qingxu, a cultured man unused to arguments, stood coldly impassive amid the accusations. Jiang Xiaoyu, raised in that environment, only withdrew into himself when wronged. Father and son were pinned in place by the crowd’s murmurs.
Wan Keyao had a business luncheon at Reid Europe that noon. Entering the first floor and seeing the commotion, he glanced over and nearly thought his longing for the father-son duo had caused a hallucination. Still rubbing his eyes, he heard the server’s words.
His fiery temper flared up in an instant. He strode up to the father and son in two quick steps, shielding them behind him, and said coldly, “If those two eyeballs of yours are useless, dig them out and feed them to the dog. What does it have to do with us if she chooses to kneel here? Are we forcing her to kneel? If she won’t get up, go help her up. If she still won’t, call the police. If you can’t handle it, that’s on your incompetence! Forcing my child to forgive her here? What, whoever yells the loudest is right?”
Although what he said was the plain truth, his tone was too aggressive, carrying too much dominance. And due to the sympathy-for-the-weak effect, when people face unequal power dynamics, they naturally side with the underdog and offer emotional support.
In a situation like this—an old woman with a child kneeling and crying hysterically in front of two burly men, followed by an even more domineering man showing up—it stirred indignation among the onlookers.
Unlike the pushover father and son duo, Wan Keyao was no pushover. He glared at her and said, “Jia Muqin, right?” He had investigated the child’s past, so he naturally knew all about the scum that was Jia Muqin and Li Shouping. He had wanted to step in and settle scores for a while now, but Ye Qingxu had kept stopping him, insisting it wasn’t his business and that he could handle it himself. But now? Daring to morally kidnap his child in front of all these people? Qingxu was a scholar through and through—too soft, too slow to act.
“If you get up now, you might still have a few days to bid a tearful farewell to your family. If you don’t get up, I can make a call right now and have you hauled in.” Wan Keyao’s tone was indifferent, but Jia Muqin was so terrified she froze, and the child beside her let out a real wail and started crying.
“Isn’t this something? What a display of power—what do you mean ‘hauled in’?”
“What’s really going on here?”
“Isn’t this a society governed by law? Why does this guy act like some gangster?”
Seeing the crowd taking her side, Jia Muqin snapped out of it and unleashed a piercing wail: “I raised your child for nine years, and not only are you ungrateful, you want to sue me and throw me in jail? You heartless bastard! If I’d known, I never should’ve picked him up back then—should’ve let him die!”
Wan Keyao had no patience for her nonsense. He glanced at his special assistant Zhu Ming trailing behind him, signaling him to call the police. Seeing the man actually dialing, Jia Muqin panicked, scrambling to her feet to scoop up her grandson and bolt.
“Stop her,” Wan Keyao signaled to another assistant.
The restaurant manager finally emerged, recognized Wan Keyao, and approached trembling. “Mr. Wan… Mr. Wan.”
Wan Keyao ignored him completely, leaning down to say gently to Ye Qingxu, “You take Little Yu and go eat somewhere else. I’ll handle this.”
Ye Qingxu wanted to refuse at first, but after glancing at Jiang Xiaoyu—who was clearly out of it behind him—he agreed.
—
Jiang Xiaoyu sat in Reid Europe’s VIP lounge, cradling the milk tea Ye Qingxu had handed him.
Zhu Ming eyed their strikingly similar faces, connecting it to the boss’s recent odd behavior. A guess formed in his mind, and he smiled, making small talk with Ye Qingxu. “Long time no see—over twenty years, right?” It was phrased as a question, but he knew full well: Wan Keyao had been living like a robot for twenty-two years.
Ye Qingxu nodded, feeling a touch awkward around his old schoolmate from way back.
Seeing them chatting, Jiang Xiaoyu set down his milk tea and wandered to the window, firing off a message to Jin Ge: Master, I just ran into Jia Muqin.
Master Jin replied lightning-fast: Where? She dares come find you? How’d she get your address?
Jiang Xiaoyu: Dad and I were out eating and bumped into her.
Jin Ge: It’s fine, don’t be scared. Your dad’s suing her. He’ll fill you in on the rest later—I won’t butt in. Anyway, no fear—you’ve got parents now.
Reading that, Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t help curving his lips into a smile. Right then, Ye Lian’s message popped up: Just got to Ekno.
With a photo attached. Jiang Xiaoyu tapped it open: warm golden autumn hues and an emerald lake.
Jiang Xiaoyu: So pretty. The sky looks really clean.
Ye Lian: Next time you’re on break, I’ll bring you here to see the snow.
Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips in a smile, then bit it back: I just ran into the person who raised me.
Ye Lian: Jia Muqin? Or Li Shouping?
He knew after all… Jiang Xiaoyu huffed and typed: How do you know her name?
Ye Lian: ^^Sorry, Uncle did a little secret investigating. Did she do anything to hurt you?
Jiang Xiaoyu typed, hesitating as he deleted and retyped: She… she begged me to let her off. Dad seems like he’s suing her.
Ye Lian: What do you think? You want to?
Jiang Xiaoyu: I don’t know. I don’t really care what happens to her, but I don’t want Dad to be upset.
Ye Lian: Then just ignore it—let your father handle it. Don’t think about that stuff. Just think about Uncle.
Slippery as ever, back to verbal teasing. Jiang Xiaoyu’s ear tips turned pink: Shameless!
Ye Lian: ^^Getting colder—eat more, or there’ll be no meat to hold onto. Kinda bony.
Jiang Xiaoyu’s face flushed red. But he recalled the man’s full, sleek muscles everywhere, shifting in slight panic—and accidentally kicked the table.
Ye Qingxu heard the thud and looked over. “Bump anything?”
Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head frantically, holding his breath until he turned into a bright red shrimp. He hammered out texts: Old rogue! Shameless!
No sooner had he hit send than a knock sounded at the door. Zhu Ming opened it, and Wan Keyao walked in.
Zhu Ming tactfully bid Ye Qingxu a smiling farewell, gave Jiang Xiaoyu a special wave, then slipped out, leaving the three alone.
“Jia Muqin was taken away by the police. I know you’ve already started legal proceedings, but your lawyer’s mediocre. I’ll have Wan Corporation’s legal team take over—she’ll never see the light of day again. Same for Li Shouping.”
Ye Qingxu had no issue with that. If they could get the death penalty, he’d wish those two dead in a heartbeat.
After Wan Keyao finished, the two fell into a long silence.
Jiang Xiaoyu, seeing the awkwardness, couldn’t help picking up his milk tea again and sipping quietly.
Seeing this, Wan Keyao’s tall frame relaxed a bit, his expression softening. “Full? There’s a spot downstairs with great signature dishes—want to grab some more?”
Jiang Xiaoyu didn’t know what to say to him, shook his head, then quickly looked to Ye Qingxu. Ye Qingxu looked quite calm, standing to say, “No need, we’d overeaten—might get indigestion.”
Wan Keyao seized the opening. “Then tonight—I’ll take you both out for dinner.”
Perhaps out of shared fatherhood, Ye Qingxu noticed the careful tentativeness in Wan Keyao’s eyes toward Jiang Xiaoyu. It reminded him of himself when he’d first reunited with Little Yu, stirring a pang of sympathy.
He beckoned to Jiang Xiaoyu. “Little Yu, come here.”
Jiang Xiaoyu walked over and heard Ye Qingxu say, “This is your other father. Recognize him if you want, or don’t—up to you.”
Wan Keyao, usually so overbearing, wilted like a dog at those words, unable to retort.
Jiang Xiaoyu looked between the two, seeing they both seemed nervous. He ducked his head, fiddling with his fingers. “I don’t know… what to do…”
Ye Qingxu came back to himself, his tone laced with heartache. “We won’t do anything. It’s Daddy’s fault—take your time, no rush. It’s okay.”
Wan Keyao crowded in too, voice deep. “No worries. No matter what, I’m your father. Whether you acknowledge me or not won’t change how I treat you. You just do what you want—the rest is on me. Jia Muqin, Li Shouping—they won’t show up in front of you again.”
His words were domineering as ever, but his eyes betrayed anxiety. Jiang Xiaoyu stilled for a moment, then nodded. Wan Keyao lit up like he’d won a prize, grinning ear to ear. “Good, good. You just got back to the country—tired? The lounge has a guest room; rest up. We can eat tonight, yeah?”
Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head. “I want to go home, Dad. Let’s go home.”
Ye Qingxu said okay and went to grab their things. Wan Keyao looked disappointed but recovered quickly, seeing them off to the car.
From the rearview mirror, Jiang Xiaoyu saw Wan Keyao’s tall, silent figure standing there long after. Life was truly wondrous. Not long ago, he’d been all alone, fretting over survival. But over one short summer, he’d gained a dad, a lover, another father, and even some friends.
—
The autumn weather was perfect. The old city’s plane trees were tinged with yellow, the air crisp and clear. Ye Qingxu skipped the suburban highway, taking the leisurely route through the city streets.
Jiang Xiaoyu leaned his head against the window, full and drowsy. “Dad.”
Ye Qingxu glanced over, heart melting. “Hm? What is it?”
“Wanna turn into a cat and sunbathe.”
Ye Qingxu chuckled. “Alright, when we get home, Daddy will set up a spot for you in the yard.”
Rounding a corner, Jiang Xiaoyu perked up his ears at some sound. “Stop the car—I hear a kitten meowing.”
Ye Qingxu pulled over. They followed the sound and spotted a girl in a wheelchair.
“It’s you?” Jiang Xiaoyu said, surprised.
Huang Li had been anxiously staring up a tree. Hearing them, she turned, eyes lighting up like reinforcements had arrived. “Officer Jiang! Quick! There’s an injured kitten in the tree!”
![Doting on the Pitiful Little Villain [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/qk.png?resize=151,215 "Doting on the Pitiful Little Villain [Quick Transmigration]")