Chapter 38

Bai Ruonian had been drifting in a daze. The suppressant patch had a sedative effect, and in that half-asleep, half-awake state, he had a beautiful dream.

In the dream, he was a kitty again, pestering his master for a hug. Just as they were about to cuddle successfully, something—whether a sixth sense or his own alertness—made him feel a vague sense of danger approaching. And so—

Bai Ruonian opened his eyes with a start—

Scaring the living daylights out of Ji Shiyu, who was just about to draw blood.

I knew it!

The first thing he saw was this unpleasant guy. Spotting the needle in the other’s hand, Bai Ruonian’s large blue eyes filled with terror as he shrank back.

Oh no, this guy was going to take his blood!

Bai Ruonian practically bristled. Even in his past life, he had been afraid of needles. Instinctively, he tried to scramble off the bed and run to find his master.

“Crap, why’d he wake up?” Ji Shiyu flailed, trying to hold him down, but he missed. He had no choice but to twist his head and yell toward the other side of the room, “King Yama, stop staring. Help me hold him down. No, wait—this is your ‘wifey.’ Why the hell are you standing so far away?”

Bai Ruonian’s ears were still working quite well at that moment. He froze for a second when he heard Ji Shiyu shout his master’s nickname.

Looking in the direction Ji Shiyu had called toward, his gaze met his master’s eyes, which were tinged with red.

Master…

What’s wrong with his eyes—

And why is he so far away?

Lu Mingjin had intentionally kept his distance from Bai Ruonian. For the first time, he was questioning his own self-control. But the omega’s dazed, panicked gaze was like a small thorn, pricking at his heart.

“Little… Bai Ruonian, be good. Just for a moment.”

Lu Mingjin didn’t move. When he spoke, his tone was detached, but the red in his eyes made his words seem far less calm than before.

He added an explanation, “Required for the checkup.”

Bai Ruonian’s ears twitched. He hadn’t caught it clearly, but from the look on his face, he could tell his master wasn’t coming to save him. He felt a bit wronged.

His master wasn’t even going to snatch him back from this bad guy…

Not even once…

Bai Ruonian met Lu Mingjin’s eyes again. The latter’s gaze was deep and profound, fixed on him with an intensity he couldn’t read.

……

Sigh.

He couldn’t keep acting like before.

He was a human now.

He had to be well-behaved.

Otherwise, Master would throw him away.

The fact that Master was so far from him now must mean he was angry.

Seeing the omega who had just been struggling and fussing suddenly go completely still and obedient, Ji Shiyu was taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected a single sentence from Lu Mingjin to be so effective. However, he chalked it up to the little spy’s deliberate attempt to curry favor and didn’t think much of it. He pulled out the needle and quickly got to work.

The sharp needle pierced the omega’s pale arm. Bai Ruonian let out a whimper, holding perfectly still, obediently letting Ji Shiyu draw a tube of blood.

Crimson blood flowed into the syringe. Lu Mingjin’s pupils contracted.

Bai Ruonian pressed an alcohol swab to his arm, blinking at Lu Mingjin, his blue eyes brimming with grievances.

He opened his mouth but then swallowed his words, glancing at Ji Shiyu. It was obvious he felt a certain someone was a third wheel.

Ji Shiyu’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t want to be here playing games with this fake couple either.

A spy and a man going through the motions—and these two were actually producing sparks? He was truly… speechless.

Ji Shiyu left with the blood sample. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to ask Lu Mingjin if there was any chance of getting Jes’s body sent to his lab for study.

“We’ll discuss it later.”

Heh, fine.

King Yama’s eyes had remained locked on Bai Ruonian the entire time, not even glancing his way.

Ji Shiyu sighed.

What a miserable life. Both were Major Generals, yet his buddy’s resources were more than a few levels above his own.

So infuriating.

Ji Shiyu stormed out, slamming the door. Once Bai Ruonian had watched the bad guy leave, he stopped holding back. He climbed off the bed, not even bothering with his shoes, and ran toward his master.

Why was Master staying so far away from him?

He’d gotten a needle jab and Master didn’t even stay with him.

However—

He’d barely taken two steps before he tripped and fell.

He’d forgotten…

Back in the arena, when the mecha’s nerves were severed, he must have twisted his leg.

Ouch.

Bai Ruonian’s eyes widened as he watched himself about to become intimately acquainted with the floor. In almost an instant, the scene flipped, and he was steadily scooped up.

That familiar, cool embrace.

His master’s embrace.

He loved it—

“Mmph…” Bai Ruonian whimpered. He knew his master wouldn’t just watch him fall to his death.

Some of the red in Lu Mingjin’s eyes receded, his black irises carrying a hint of silver. Staring at Bai Ruonian now, his gaze was dark and intense, his Adam’s apple bobbing, as if he were watching his prey.

Finally, he simply suppressed his expression.

“Your leg’s injured. Don’t run around.”

He intended to put the person back on the bed. Unfortunately, Bai Ruonian was very good at seizing an opportunity, clinging onto the Alpha with both arms and legs, completely oblivious to the Alpha’s strained endurance.

“I know…” Bai Ruonian pitifully showed him the spot where his blood had just been drawn. “My arm hurts. Forgot my leg hurt.”

Lu Mingjin stared intently at Bai Ruonian and took a deep breath.

He hadn’t planned on pursuing it, but Bai Ruonian clearly had zero self-awareness.

He spat out a single word: “Serves you right.”

Not receiving the expected comfort, Bai Ruonian’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

He then snuck a glance at his master’s expression, his heart sinking. He’s done for.

He’d almost forgotten… his master hadn’t settled the score with him for sneaking off to the arena yet, had he?

This was practically walking right up to be scolded.

Sure enough, Lu Mingjin’s voice was a bit icy.

“Are places like that anywhere you can go?”

Bai Ruonian fell silent.

He was in the wrong.

In the past, when he was a kitty and made a mistake, if he wasn’t sure what to do, he’d roll around first.

If rolling around didn’t work, he’d find a place to hide.

But now his master was staring right at him, leaving no room for maneuvering. All he could do was turn his head and pretend not to hear.

The omega was staging a non-violent, non-cooperative protest. Lu Mingjin grabbed the omega’s wrist, pulling him a little closer into his embrace. “I’m asking you a question.”

“Oww…” Bai Ruonian whined pitifully, dodging the question. He stared at his seized wrist, reaching out to try and pry Lu Mingjin’s hand away, only to feel that the hand, rough with calluses, was covered in a layer of sweat.

“You know what pain is. Pain means you’re alive.” Lu Mingjin’s voice sounded like it was squeezed from deep within his chest—low, hoarse, suppressing a surging tide of emotion.

Bai Ruonian blinked, knowing he was in the wrong and there was no escape. He pouted, ignoring him. His chin was grasped, and Lu Mingjin’s dark eyes bore into him relentlessly.

Bai Ruonian said very quietly, “It’s only because you wouldn’t agree to it before…”

The grip tightened abruptly, and this time it really hurt Bai Ruonian.

“Ow…”

Lu Mingjin didn’t blink, his gaze dark and heavy. “Do you realize you could have gotten yourself completely destroyed? You saved one person, but what about the others? Can you save them all?”

Bai Ruonian was too aggrieved to speak.

“Rules are rules.”

At this, Bai Ruonian panicked. If rules were rules…

“Then Uncle Cao…”

He wouldn’t be court-martialed, would he? For going behind Military Command to fight in the arena.

Oh, right… was he even alive…

Lu Mingjin watched Bai Ruonian fret so anxiously for someone else that his little face turned pale, and showed no mercy. “This time is no exception.”

Bai Ruonian completely panicked. “No… no…”

“He’s already in that state… don’t punish him…”

Before the words even finished, a crisp smack rang out. Lu Mingjin’s palm landed squarely on Bai Ruonian’s backside.

Omega or not, he was going to be taught a lesson first.

Otherwise, he’d remember the treats but forget the beating.

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”

Utterly unprepared for the swat on his rear, Bai Ruonian howled. It didn’t actually hurt, but—

Bai Ruonian bit his lip. A numbing, tingling, strangely familiar electric sensation shot up from his tailbone.

It just… um…

Before, when he was a kitty and made a mistake, he’d been spanked on the butt too, but… this feeling was so strange.

“You’re taking this punishment in his place.” Lu Mingjin remained perfectly composed. “Keep that flower seed for yourself. That thing is more valuable than the flower itself. I’ll handle Cao Delong’s side of things. I’ll let him off the hook.”

Getting this promise, Bai Ruonian’s eyes immediately lit up. He selectively ignored the numbing sensation near his tailbone, his heart filled only with joy that Uncle Cao and his daughter were saved. His wrist being grabbed no longer hurt. He simply hooked his other arm around Lu Mingjin’s neck and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

After the kiss, both of them froze.

Bai Ruonian was stunned too. Before, he’d only nuzzle and rub. Why would he… instinctively kiss someone? It seemed… this was what humans did to express affection?

Yeah, expressing liking someone as a human was definitely done like this.

No problem, right?

But why was his master reacting so strongly?

He stared at Lu Mingjin, who had basically turned into a statue.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange and thick with tension. Bai Ruonian was just as bewildered, only feeling the gland under his suppressant patch begin to throb faintly again. His ear tips burned, and he felt restless all over. He decided to act shamelessly, burying his face deeper into the Alpha’s embrace, pretending nothing had happened.

It was the equivalent of an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

However, this action was the most fatal move of all.

Through the thin silk shirt, even though his hearing wasn’t great, Bai Ruonian could clearly make out a rapid, powerful heartbeat.

The sound was fast and heavy, thundering, carrying an almost panicked rhythm, beating erratically against his eardrums.

“Your heart is beating so fast,” Bai Ruonian said innocently.

………

After who knows how long, Lu Mingjin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he finally spoke.

“It’s not mine.”

“Huh?” Bai Ruonian looked up.

Lu Mingjin’s expression was unreadable, impossible to decipher. He changed the subject, trying to divert attention. “Let me see how your leg is doing.”

Too stiff…

Even Bai Ruonian could sense it.

What’s wrong, Master? Because I kissed him?

He also felt it was strange…

Forget it, he’d stick to nuzzling from now on.

Bai Ruonian’s thoughts were a tangled mess when his body suddenly felt light; he was lifted and carried back to the bed.

Lu Mingjin palpated from the shin downwards, quite seriously checking if anything was broken.

He’d actually checked once before, and the medical team had checked too; it was just a sprain.

This was the third check.

“Maybe I should have someone send you back tomorrow,” Lu Mingjin said.

“No!” Bai Ruonian shook his head like a rattle drum, watching Lu Mingjin’s hand—knuckles distinct, the web of his thumb covered in thin calluses. He mumbled, “It’s so rare for me to get out and play…”

Lu Mingjin let out a cold sneer. “So you do know.”

Just as he pressed a sore spot, Bai Ruonian couldn’t help but hiss, nearly kicking the Alpha. Luckily, the Alpha had quick reflexes and grabbed his ankle.

In that instant—perhaps because his ankle was seldom touched—Bai Ruonian’s entire body jolted, and that numbing, electric sensation from his tailbone returned with a vengeance.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Mingjin’s voice had gone hoarse too.

“Mm… it feels tingly.”

His tailbone felt itchy and tingly.

Lu Mingjin thought he was talking about the sprained area, frowning suspiciously. “It shouldn’t.”

“I told you I’m fine.” Bai Ruonian couldn’t read any emotion from his tone, and feeling even more guilty, he just kicked his leg, trying to escape Lu Mingjin’s palm.

“I only twisted it a little…” he said in a small voice.

“Keep making a fuss and I’ll send you back.”

Lu Mingjin’s face was dark as he held the omega’s slender ankle, pulling him back. Telling him not to move, he took out the ointment Ji Shiyu had left and applied it to Bai Ruonian.

His touch was a bit rough. Applying the ointment to Bai Ruonian carried a hint of punishment. Bai Ruonian didn’t hold back either, biting down hard on the web of his hand out of pain. When the rusty taste of blood bloomed between his teeth, he saw the man’s Adam’s apple convulse violently. The hand that he’d bitten to the point of bleeding, instead of pulling away, pressed him even more forcefully into his embrace.

Lu Mingjin’s chin pressed against his hair. As scalding breaths brushed his ear tip, Bai Ruonian realized Lu Mingjin’s clothes had been rumpled by him, his shirt buttons even coming undone.

He heard a fierce, pounding heartbeat.

This time, it was definitely his master’s heart.

“If you run around recklessly again, I’ll tie you up and deal with you.”

This was practically the first thought that had surged up after seeing Bai Ruonian in the arena.

Yet that silver-haired, bright omega, holding a rose between his lips in the roaring, cheering arena, wildly free, had been far happier than staying home and waiting for him to open the door.

There was now a rustling sensation against his chest. Bai Ruonian, nestled in his arms, was fiddling around, trying to button his shirt back up for him.

Lu Mingjin watched heavily, his nerves somewhat agitated, his temple throbbing. With one hand, he held Bai Ruonian’s wrist. With the other, he continued applying the ointment, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

Torturous.

Feeling the heavy breathing near the back of his neck, Bai Ruonian felt that itch in his heart return, along with the numbing in his tailbone. He twisted restlessly, turning his head back. His stray hair brushed against Lu Mingjin’s face, darkening the latter’s gaze further. Taking a deep breath, Lu Mingjin rubbed the ointment in even faster.

Before Bai Ruonian could ask “What’s wrong?”, Lu Mingjin had finished applying the ointment and hurriedly stood up, leaving incredibly fast.

Bai Ruonian was a bit annoyed.

What was that about?

It wasn’t like he was some terrifying beast.

Huffily, Bai Ruonian rolled over to change positions, but felt something digging into him from behind, very uncomfortable. He shifted his position, feeling much better. Instinctively, he reached a hand back to touch—

His fingers met a warm, fluffy texture.

Bai Ruonian stiffened. He whipped his head around and his eyes instantly went completely round.

What the meow?!

A fluffy, silver-white tail was unconsciously, gently curled around his wrist!

And the root of the tail was distinctly connected to his—his tailbone.

Huh???

This tail looked strangely familiar. It seemed like his original equipment.

Huh?

He could bring his tail with him when he was reborn?

Bai Ruonian didn’t know what to do for a moment. He wasn’t sure whether to pet his long-lost tail or hide it. But it was right then that Lu Mingjin’s voice came from just outside the suite.

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