Chapter 16: The Cat’s Tail Tease

Ning Jiu stood anxiously outside the thick isolation glass, pressing himself against it to observe the scene inside.

He wiped away the condensation on the glass with his sleeve over and over, only for his burning breath to blur the transparent surface again and again.

After hearing the boss’s words, the black cat shifted from being agitated and reactive to becoming quiet and obedient.

Under its steady breathing, its tiny body rose and fell, and the fluctuations on the heart rate monitor stabilized.

The needle piercing its skin made the poor kitten tremble, but it did not meow. It simply watched the anesthetic being injected into its paw.

Ning Jiu’s voice played continuously inside the operating room.

The sick cat’s voice was hoarse, sounding even more blurred after being processed through electronic equipment.

But the human voice imitating the language of cats was so soft it made one’s heart melt.

The little black cat was remarkably well-behaved.

It silently repeated the boss’s kitty language in its mind countless times.

The doctor finished suturing the surgical wound and let out a long sigh of relief.

He turned to nod at Ning Jiu and Mu Jingyi outside the glass before stepping out of the operating room.

He looked at Ning Jiu, his gaze lingering for a moment on the white, fluffy cat ears atop the boy’s head.

“The surgery was very successful. In my entire career, I’ve never seen such a cooperative cat. What kind of spell did you cast on it?”

The heavy stone in Ning Jiu’s heart finally fell, making him happier than he had ever been.

He rarely showed such an expansive smile, but now he felt joy from the bottom of his heart, his eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

Ning Jiu’s tone was light as he uncharacteristically joked, “The Kingdom of Cats has its own secrets; I can’t tell you.”

A low chuckle came from behind him as Mu Jingyi placed a palm on his head, pressing down on his cat ears.

“Our kitty really has the air of a boss.”

The doctor, having successfully saved a small life, was also in a good mood.

“It should be able to be discharged soon. However, we can let it stay here to recuperate for a while longer.”

The doctor’s pen stopped at the cover of the medical chart, his finger tapping the name column for the cat.

“Have you thought of a name for the black cat yet?”

Ning Jiu looked up at Mu Jingyi as if asking for help.

This time, Mu Jingyi did not take charge of everything.

He rubbed the cat’s ears and said, “Since kitty saved it using his own power, of course you should name it.”

“My own power…”

Even though it was only because of Mu Jingyi’s powerful backing that Ning Jiu could put his kitty language to use, the cat had indeed played an indispensable role at the most critical moment.

He pursed his lips in thought, looking at the black ball of fur huddled inside the sterile incubator.

“Let’s call it ‘Coal Ball’.”

Mu Jingyi placed both hands on his shoulders, resting his chin on the cat’s head.

“Is there a story behind that?”

“The factory was very cold in the winter. They would give every forgotten hybrid omega a single coal ball.”

“When it burned, the smoke was thick and choking, but it was very warm.”

“I would only break off a small piece each time. Burning just a little bit would keep me warm for a long while.”

Ning Jiu stared at that round, black kitten, speaking of the past calmly without a hint of resentment.

“When I found it, it was also shivering in the cold wind. I hope that for the rest of its cat life, it will never have to freeze again.”

Mu Jingyi’s hands, which were resting on his cat’s shoulders, moved to encircle his waist from behind.

“I won’t let my kitty freeze ever again, either. The heating at home will always be sufficient.”

The human’s kitty, and the kitty’s kitty, would never have to struggle to survive in the cold winter again.

“Kitty, it feels good to save Coal Ball with your own strength, doesn’t it?”

Ning Jiu’s ears perked up, and his cat tail swayed happily behind him, brushing against the lower abdomen of the man holding him.

With his cat ears and tail out of control, he didn’t notice the body of the man behind him turning stiff and tense.

The cat knew Sir was coaxing him, but he couldn’t help but feel satisfied and happy.

He wasn’t a particularly powerful cat.

But he wasn’t a cat who couldn’t do anything, either.

A kitty has a kitty’s value.

“I… it was Sir who handled everything. I didn’t help much.”

While Ning Jiu’s words were humble, his wagging tail had long since betrayed his heart.

A low, husky voice filled with magnetic charm spoke from behind him.

The powerful alpha used the greatest endurance and restraint of his life to suppress his straying thoughts.

“Good kitty, without you, what would we have done…?”

Mu Jingyi’s voice cut off abruptly the moment he bit his lower lip.

Because of his praise, his cat’s tail was wagging even more enthusiastically.

The fluffy fur on the cat’s tail was soft, brushing against him like a gentle feather, sweeping right in front of him.

That light sweeping sensation of the cat’s fur was like a soft itch, teasing his heart but leaving him with nowhere to vent.

Mu Jingyi, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed the middle of the cat’s tail.

The uncontrolled tip of the tail still swayed left and right.

Unaware, the cat turned around and threw himself into the man’s arms, along with his fluffy tail.

“What would kitty do without Sir?”

Ning Jiu buried his head in his own cat fur.

The voice coming from the soft, thick fur was muffled and clingy.

He sounded like a good little cat who had received a great deal of love and trusted someone enough to act spoiled.

No matter how much Mu Jingyi wanted to follow his instincts, he couldn’t find the heart to push the cat in his arms away.

Resigned, he embraced the exceptionally warm cat.

He took a moment to press down on his feverish nape, ensuring the scent blocker patch was secure enough so his pheromones wouldn’t fly everywhere.

Even though he couldn’t smell his own pheromones and didn’t even know if they truly existed.

“Sir… I’m so happy… I’ve never been this happy before…”

The cat with the heavy cold spoke in a raspy voice, buried in his own tail, his tears soaking into the dry fur.

“This was all earned through kitty’s own hard work. Kitty is very impressive.”

“Thank you, Sir… really…”

The voice hidden in the cat fur grew so faint it completely disappeared, scattered within the soft tail.

Ning Jiu knew Sir was protecting him, helping him recognize his own value.

Sir had said he would raise the cat all over again, and he would certainly not break his promise.

Not just through material wealth, but through emotional abundance as well.

“It’s been a long day, hasn’t it? Let’s go back and rest early, alright?”

“…”

No cat responded.

“Kitty?”

Mu Jingyi pulled Ning Jiu up from where he was buried in his tail, only to see his cat’s cheeks burning with an unnatural crimson flush.

He touched the cat’s forehead; it was terrifyingly hot.

“Ning Jiu! Wake up! Assistant Jiang, get the car, turn on the emergency flashers!”

Assistant Jiang ran red lights all the way, and with other cars making way, they delivered Ning Jiu to the hospital emergency room at top speed.

The human emergency room also became busy.

Mu Jingyi stood outside the door, rubbing his aching temples and blinking tiredly.

He should have noticed earlier.

The cat had a severe cold and had been exposed to the cold wind; saving Coal Ball had given him a temporary adrenaline rush, masking the reality of his serious illness.

He felt a wave of guilt and frustration.

He should have noticed. He shouldn’t have been so negligent.

the emergency room doctor walked out and found Mu Jingyi.

“Are you the family of the omega patient, Ning Jiu?”

“I am.”

Mu Jingyi did not hesitate.

“Logically, a common cold shouldn’t cause a fever for this long. For an omega, it’s very likely a combination of a heat cycle and a severe cold.”

Mu Jingyi spoke with instinctive urgency, “I am his alpha. If he were in heat, he would definitely tell me.”

Suddenly, his thoughts paused.

He repeated the words to himself:

‘He would have told me if he was in heat.’