Chapter 27: The Little Cat Feels Unwell

“I’m the little cat you picked up.

A fusion-type omega meant to help you through your rut.

No matter which identity it is, there’s no need for me to tell you about my heat.”

Even after saying the words that had been suffocating in his chest, Ning Jiu did not feel any better.

Instead, it hurt more.

It felt as if a stone was pressing on his heart, making it hard to breathe.

The kitty’s lips curved downward stubbornly.

“Aunt Chen knows.

Hua Che knows.

Even… Coal Ball knows.”

No.

That wasn’t what he meant to say.

The tangled thoughts in his heart, mixed with the exhaustion left behind by the suppressant injection, drained him of strength.

He sat beside Mu Jingyi, trembling slightly.

From crying.

From the aftereffects of the suppressant.

His limbs gradually lost warmth and turned cold.

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Only the muffled sobs he forced back could be heard.

“Ning Jiu, no matter what, don’t push me away like this.”

Mu Jingyi wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand.

The tears were so hot they felt like they could burn through his skin.

His expression was steady and calm.

So controlled that no anger could be detected.

Just as invulnerable as ever.

If one ignored the faint tremble of his fingertips.

He was no longer at an age where he could be easily hurt.

A president who had seen family power struggles and ruthless business wars was not someone whose emotions were easily shaken.

Yet this little omega, more than ten years younger than him, had managed to wound him deeply.

Simply because he liked him that much.

Mu Jingyi sighed softly and shook his head.

“I haven’t even managed to teach you how to love me yet.

But you’ve already learned how to hurt me the most.”

Ning Jiu had never seen him like this.

Disappointed.

Dejected.

Hurt because of him.

His fingers tightened around the blanket.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered faintly.

Then he suddenly moved.

He crawled forward and climbed directly onto Mu Jingyi’s lap, straddling him without hesitation.

From behind himself, he grabbed his fluffy tail.

Holding it at the middle, he stretched it straight and offered it forward.

Just like the first time they met.

“Daddy, don’t be angry.

Let’s not fight, okay?”

This was the kitty’s way of making peace.

The dangling tip of his tail swayed nervously from side to side, leaving faint afterimages of white.

Mu Jingyi held that small section of tail in one hand.

His heart softened instantly.

He gently rubbed the tip, parting the white fur.

But the moment his fingers brushed the sensitive skin beneath, the tail jerked away.

“I’m not angry.

If anything, I feel more guilty.”

He leaned forward slightly and wrapped an arm around Ning Jiu’s waist, pulling him close.

The anger he had felt—about being the only one not told about the heat—had already turned into self-blame.

“I thought I’d given you enough security.

But you’re still lost in uncertainty.”

Ordinary people might have been able to recognize love in the way they interacted.

But his kitty had never grown up in a healthy environment.

He didn’t understand what it meant to be someone’s lover.

He was sensitive and fragile.

What he needed was unwavering choice.

And Mu Jingyi had foolishly been trying to guess his thoughts instead.

“I was wrong, kitty.

I’m sorry.”

He wiped away the tears again.

“I should have told you.

I like you.

I want to be your alpha.

I want to be with you as your lover.”

Ning Jiu leaned forward, pressing himself into Mu Jingyi’s chest.

He liked this position.

As if Mu Jingyi were a mattress, something soft to bury himself in.

“Daddy said I only need to be a happy little cat…

But I’m not happy.

Not at all.

I should be happy.

I’m living a life ten thousand times better than the factory.

I should be happy…”

His voice broke between sobs.

Mu Jingyi stroked his back gently.

“No one is ‘supposed’ to be happy.

It’s not a task.”

“It is.”

Ning Jiu insisted, rubbing his tear-streaked face against Mu Jingyi’s clothes.

“It’s a task Daddy gave me.

If I’m not a happy little cat, Daddy won’t like me anymore.”

He had tried to be happy so he wouldn’t be abandoned.

Mu Jingyi stroked his hair and ears, then gently wiped his flushed cheeks.

“You don’t need to understand everything.

You just need to know that I will always love you.”

The confession hit Ning Jiu like a direct blow.

He hadn’t expected an affirmative answer.

To him, love was an abstract word.

In the factory, it had been described as the bond between alpha and omega through marking.

That was why, driven by physical pain, he had blurted out that he wanted to become Daddy’s lover.

Like so many alphas and omegas who stayed together because of biological matching and marking.

But when he was truly chosen, he realized he didn’t know what else he could offer.

He didn’t know what a lover was supposed to do.

The factory had only taught him how to soothe alpha pheromones.

Never how to love someone.

He touched the back of his burning neck unconsciously.

No one had ever taught him how to love.

No one had ever loved him.

But he felt he should respond.

Even if he didn’t understand love, he didn’t want to disappoint him.

“Daddy… I love you.”

His blue eyes met Mu Jingyi’s, then quickly looked away.

He didn’t know what loving someone truly meant.

He just thought saying it would make Daddy happy.

He didn’t want to see that disappointed expression again.

Mu Jingyi’s hand rested on his waist, the other on his head.

“I know you haven’t fully accepted me yet.”

“No, that’s not it!”

He tried to pull away but was pressed back into the embrace.

“Then let me say it differently.

You don’t yet understand what ‘love’ means.”

Ning Jiu stayed silent.

His tail swayed in the air.

“I’ll let you understand.

A little cat raised in love will learn what liking is.

And what deep love is.”

Ning Jiu hugged him tightly, his ears brushing against Mu Jingyi’s neck.

“Kitty will grow up.

Daddy, wait for me…”

The distorted worldview formed in darkness would slowly be broken and rebuilt.

Mu Jingyi stroked his hair.

His overwhelming love was restrained, leaving only gentleness in his eyes.

“I’ll wait.”

Soon, Ning Jiu noticed something strange.

He lifted his head and looked at Mu Jingyi’s neck.

A barrier patch was firmly covering the alpha’s gland.

He leaned down again, nose nearly touching his shoulder.

“Kitty, what’s wrong?”

“Daddy… kitty feels unwell…”

Mu Jingyi’s tone became tense.

“Where?”

Ning Jiu pressed his nose against the hollow of his neck.

Through the thin barrier patch, he could feel the abnormal warmth of the gland.

“Kitty wants Daddy’s pheromones…”

His eyes were still red from earlier.

Now they carried a different meaning.

“In… before kitty grows up…

Can’t Daddy mark me at all?”

He sniffled, pouting slightly.

“The suppressant really hurts…

Daddy, just bite kitty once first.”

In the ABO world, that request was practically the same as begging.

Mu Jingyi felt his head buzz.

His neck grew even hotter.

He was grateful the kitty was sitting just far enough away to not notice his faltering self-control.

“Kitty, I don’t have alpha pheromones.”

His tone carried helplessness.

The illness that had accompanied him since differentiation—

The most humiliating condition for an alpha.

He finally had to face it.

Ning Jiu froze, sitting up straight with a frown.

“You obviously do.

Daddy just doesn’t want to mark me.”

He emphasized the words stubbornly.

“How could I not want to…”

Ning Jiu leaned closer and pulled open his robe, exposing the curve of his neck.

He tilted his head.

The gland beneath the flesh-colored barrier patch glowed a vivid pink against his pale skin, spreading warmth across his shoulder.

In his urgency, he tugged the robe lower on one side, revealing part of his chest and the hollow curve of his waist.

His chest rose and fell with each breath.

His waist trembled faintly.

Mu Jingyi swallowed hard.

He reached to pull the robe back up.

But Ning Jiu misunderstood and pressed down on his hand.

“Daddy… please…”