Chapter 1: Drenched Little Cat

Inside the omega fusion modification factory.

Torrential rain washed over the concrete floors inside the factory, and under the dense dark clouds the dim light made visibility extremely low.

The iron mesh atop the high walls was airtight, with neat rows of spikes so dense that not even a bird could fly out.

This place was oppressive, like a prison isolated from the rest of the world.

Mu Jingyi stepped through the factory gates, his presence completely out of place in this abandoned, aging facility.

The well-tailored black suit fit him perfectly, pressed so neatly that not a single extra crease could be seen.

He held a large umbrella, not a drop of rain touching his expensive suit, with only his matte black leather shoes stained by the mud on the factory floor.

The sour, decaying stench of the factory grew even more unpleasant as it fermented under the heavy rain, making him frown in discomfort.

“President Mu, this is the fusion-type omega recommended by the old master.”

The assistant beside him, Jiang Keyan, handed a brightly lit tablet to Mu Jingyi.

Old Master Mu had long been worried sick over his eldest son.

This son of his was a top-tier alpha, yet only pheromone detection machines could identify his pheromone levels.

No one—neither alpha nor omega—could smell his pheromones.

The consequence of long-term suppression was an increasingly unbearable sensitive period for an alpha.

In desperation, Old Master Mu had no choice but to turn to a fusion-type omega factory.

Fusion-type omegas were created by combining animal genes with omegas, forming new appearances.

Their modified genes were directly matched to a target alpha, with compatibility values reaching as high as ninety-five percent.

This gray area could not see the light of day; the factory modified omegas, yet it had nothing in common with clean, sterile operating rooms.

Photos and text on the tablet screen slid past one by one, various half-animal omegas appearing before his eyes.

Mu Jingyi glanced over each profile coldly, swiping past them all the way to the end.

A white figure suddenly flashed before his eyes, accompanied by a sweet, creamy scent that cut through the sour decay of the factory and rushed straight into his nose.

He was knocked backward a step, and the tablet in his hand fell to the ground with a sharp crack, a fissure splitting across the center of the screen.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

A soft, gentle voice was mostly drowned out by the sound of rain.

The white figure crawled to the edge of his leather shoes, picked up the damaged tablet, then staggered backward several steps, disappearing once more into the rain curtain.

He held the tablet up with both hands, head lowered, not daring to meet the stern man’s gaze.

Mu Jingyi lowered his eyes to examine this clumsy runaway.

A silver-white little cat, a fusion-type omega.

Bright sapphire-blue eyes sparkled like gemstones, tears brimming in the reddened rims.

The little cat who had done something wrong flattened his ears into airplane ears, the pink inner ears the only splash of color amid his silver short hair.

He was already soaked through by the rain.

The drenched white lab coat clung to his body, outlining his slender frame.

The pink at his chest was as eye-catching as the inside of his ears, like a blooming stain of color.

The white cat’s tail hung limply downward, soaked fur dripping with rainwater.

Mu Jingyi recalled a white stray kitten he had once raised in his childhood, one that had suddenly fallen ill and died.

That year, it had also been a day of heavy rain when he found a shivering white stray kitten by the roadside.

Those deep blue eyes had stirred his pity, and despite his parents’ objections, he had saved the poor kitten.

Everything seemed to replay itself once more, except this time, standing before Mu Jingyi was a fusion-type omega.

“Number 09! Where do you think you’re running off to! You try to escape every time it pours—see if I don’t beat you to death!”

A man in a security uniform held a baton, sharply catching sight of the reflective silver-white color in the dim factory yard.

Hearing the shout, the omega called Number 09 reacted instinctively, ears and tail standing straight up, silver fur bristling and clumped into wet strands by the rain.

His terrified eyes darted around the empty factory, unable to find a single place to hide.

Except beneath the umbrella of the tall visitor before him.

Mu Jingyi took the broken tablet from the trembling hands and casually handed it to his assistant.

The sudden emptiness in the little cat’s hands made them shake, slender fingers grasping at the air as if searching for a lifeline.

On the man before him was a pleasant scent, one that irresistibly attracted cats.

He grabbed the hem of the man’s suit, tears finally spilling from his shimmering eyes and mixing with the rain on his face.

Those clear blue eyes now looked even more crystalline.

“Sir… please save me. I can do anything. I can do that too. I’ll make you satisfied…”

The soft voice was thick with sobs, the pitiful little cat lifting his face, red-rimmed eyes and trembling nose in full view, impossible not to pity.

No one could remain hard-hearted toward such a poor, adorable little cat, let alone Mu Jingyi, an ultimate fur lover.

With the simple intention of adopting a stray, he decided to save this homeless little white cat once again.

A cat’s lifespan was short compared to a human’s, and after the death of the kitten he had once rescued, Mu Jingyi had never found the courage to raise another.

But fusion-type omegas were different; this little omega possessed a human lifespan.

“Sir… they’ll beat me to death…”

The large umbrella tilted forward, sheltering the arm of the little cat clutching the man’s suit.

“Come a bit closer, little cat. The rain is heavy.”

Mu Jingyi held the umbrella with one hand, raindrops sliding off the tilted canopy and soaking a darker patch into the back of his suit.

The little cat staggered forward a step, fully entering the shelter of the umbrella.

He nervously pressed his lips together, the white tail behind him swaying left and right, repeatedly drawing Mu Jingyi’s gaze.

The pursuing guard looked at the scene in confusion and turned to the assistant beside them for help.

“I’m not an alpha with pheromones. Coming home with me might not ease your omega heat.”

Mu Jingyi used his usual method of discouraging omegas, warning the little cat omega who had run straight into him.

The cat ears twitched uncontrollably as the little cat sniffed, replying timidly, “You do… sir, you do have pheromones. They smell very, very nice.”

Mu Jingyi received an unexpected answer and raised a brow, re-examining the soaked omega.

A little cat cornered in desperation might lie just to survive; compared to an unsatisfied heat, he likely wanted to stay alive more.

But Mu Jingyi had no intention of exposing the lie.

After a long silence, the little cat cautiously lifted his head, only to lower it again immediately upon meeting the man’s icy gaze.

His hand moved to the back of his neck, touching the protruding soft flesh there.

The damp pheromone-blocking patch had lost much of its effectiveness, and a rich creamy scent lingered among them.

“Then… sir, can you accept my pheromones? They’re creamy. Do they smell nice?”

“They do. I like cream cake.”

Mu Jingyi said this in the calmest tone, words utterly mismatched with his imposing figure.

The assistant Jiang Keyan, well trained, merely lowered his head and pressed his lips together to stifle laughter, not making a sound.

He could not describe how absurd it looked for the president of the Mu Group, a business titan who crushed opponents in corporate warfare, to calmly declare his fondness for cream cake.

“Then I…”

The little cat nervously covered the back of his neck, afraid the creamy scent might become too strong and cloying.

“Come home with me?”

Even while holding absolute authority, Mu Jingyi maintained a gentle, questioning tone.

Overwhelmed with nerves, the little cat finally relaxed, exhaling the breath he had been holding.

He forced out a fragile smile, tear- and rain-streaked face still wet, swollen red eyes curving into a smile that only made him look more broken and pitiful.

“Thank you, sir… I’ll behave well.”

He did not know what he was supposed to do; the factory staff had taught him to obediently serve as a container for pheromones, or a toy for his employer’s amusement.

“Sir, the factory needs to complete registration here…”

A beta guard standing nearby spoke up at the right moment.

Mu Jingyi handed the umbrella to the little cat and took a spare pheromone-blocking patch from his assistant’s phone.

“What’s your name?”

The little cat held the umbrella handle with both hands, his cold fingers gradually stealing away the lingering warmth.

“09. I don’t have a name. They all call me Number 09.”

“09… let me give you a name. How about Ning Jiu? Ning as in tranquility, Jiu as in precious jade.”

Jiu was a beautiful type of jade, the best homophone Mu Jingyi could think of at the moment.

The little cat did not even understand which character it was, only nodding repeatedly.

A new name meant a new beginning.

No one in the factory cared to give a product a name; they did not treat their products as people, a number was enough.

But Mu Jingyi believed that to address a person, one must first give them a name.

Mu Jingyi looped an arm around the little cat’s neck and applied a new blocking patch to the back of his neck.

There would be other alpha guests at today’s auction, and perhaps VIPs like him who came early to make reservations.

Since he had decided to take the little cat home, he would not allow the omega’s pheromones to be exposed to other alphas without protection.

The assistant alpha Jiang Keyan standing beside him suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.

Ning Jiu’s nose nearly brushed against Mu Jingyi’s tie.

At such close distance, even through the blocking patch, the powerful alpha pheromones could still be faintly smelled.

That cat-exciting scent stirred the little cat’s long-suppressed primal restlessness, making his head spin dully.

His cold body was gradually warmed by the scent, a flush of color creeping onto his pale cheeks.

The clean new blocking patch covered the soaked, useless old one, and the creamy scent in the air faded significantly.

“Sir, registration requires some minor procedures. It’s not recommended for you to follow—these are factory secrets.”

The guard said respectfully.

“Go register.”

Mu Jingyi stepped back, withdrawing from what was not quite an embrace but had achieved much the same effect.

Ning Jiu felt a little dazed from the pheromones.

The knife-like cold wind hit his face, making him shiver and snap back to his senses.

“Sir… will you leave Ning Jiu behind?”

The extremely insecure little omega spoke with tear-filled eyes.

The warmth he had just leaned into was gone, leaving him exposed once more to the cold wind, the factory’s sour decay overwhelming the faint trace of the man’s pheromones and intensifying his fear.

He now had to walk back alone into the nightmare-like modification factory.

No one could help but pity this little omega.

“I’ll wait for you at the door. I promise.”

Ning Jiu did not move, even when the guard tugged at him forcefully.

There had been countless cases of alpha guests backing out due to price changes, and the fate of those abandoned fusion-type omegas was always miserable.

A broad hand covered Ning Jiu’s hand on the umbrella handle, gripping it tightly together with him.

“You’ll return this umbrella to me, won’t you?”

Mu Jingyi, a business elite always adept at reading hearts, gave this frightened little cat a tangible anchor to hold onto.

He could feel the trembling little cat calm down, just a little.

“I will, sir.”

The swaying tail sped up, flicking droplets of water onto the ground.