Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The post was flooded with replies, all curious why he suddenly wanted to teach a cat to do a backflip.

Ying Xi ignored them all and posted again.

“If the cat can’t learn, is there anyone who can do a quick backflip?”

Answers poured in, one of which included a link.

Li Yang opened his browser, searched for it, and found a video teaching how to do three backflips.

Ying Xi probably learned his three backflips from there.

He checked Ying Xi’s profile but didn’t see those two posts—Ying Xi must have blocked him from seeing them.

Wen Yun: “Who knew Ying Xi was such a funny, eccentric person. Teaching a cat to backflip, hahaha, that’s too much to ask of a cute little cat.”

Li Yang could easily picture Ying Xi at home, diligently practicing backflips and trying to get his cat to do the same.

He couldn’t help but smile, all his earlier agitation and annoyance melting away, leaving only endless warmth and ease. He slowly typed, “Indeed, quite eccentric.”

“I’m busy this week. Let’s meet up next time,” Li Yang added.

Wen Yun didn’t ask why. “Okay.”

Curious about the cat backflip, Li Yang specifically looked it up on Baidu.

Apparently, some netizens used this trick to attract someone they liked.

The only difference was that other netizens’ cats actually could do it, while Ying Xi’s couldn’t.

Li Yang put down his phone, collapsed onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh.

He instinctively hugged a plushie nearby, staring at the pink bunny’s cute face, and couldn’t resist giving it a squeeze.

Its softness dispelled all the gloom in his heart. Li Yang hugged it tightly, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he jolted awake from a dream, his heart pounding and his body flushed.

The dream was vague and sensual, its specific content forgotten, but the only thing he could recall was that Ying Xi had been the subject of it.

The back of his neck felt slightly warm. Li Yang raised a hand to rub it, then buried his face in the soft plushie.

Daydreams become night dreams. He and Ying Xi had gotten too close—if this continued, something big would happen.

…

In the spacious living room, a young man with deep-set eyes sat upright on the sofa, his slender fingers gently scratching the chin of the black cat in his arms.

Lingdang purred contentedly.

Ying Xi paused, poking Lingdang. “When are you going to learn how to backflip?”

Lingdang didn’t understand, thinking it was being asked to speak again. “Mama~”

Ying Xi: “Call Li Yang ‘Mama,’ call me ‘Baba.’”

Lingdang: “Mama~”

Ying Xi: “No, it’s ‘Baba.’”

Lingdang tried hard. “Woof woof.”

“Not barking,” Ying Xi said, resuming his scratching.

Li Xu walked in. Seeing the usually cold person sitting there cuddling a cat, a rare heartwarming scene, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “I rarely see you this affectionate with Lingdang.”

Ying Xi: “I want to teach it to backflip.”

Li Xu looked incredulous. “…Son, aren’t you asking too much of a cat?”

Ying Xi’s expression was calm, his voice tinged with slight disdain. “I’ve already learned it, but it still hasn’t.”

Li Xu, who had been on her way to the study, stopped dead in her tracks, turned back to the sofa, and scrutinized him. “Why are you learning backflips? Is school requiring it? Who taught you? Do they even teach that?”

Ying Xi only answered the first question: “To pursue someone.”

Li Xu suddenly remembered the message Assistant Min had sent not long ago and realized. “Oh, I know. Are you pursuing that Beta? You two aren’t compatible.”

She didn’t beat around the bush, explaining bluntly, “Betas can’t alleviate an Alpha’s rut.”

The young man, who had been somewhat conversational earlier, gave her a cold glance upon hearing this, then stood up, set Lingdang down, and walked upstairs.

Li Xu bent down and picked up Lingdang, unwilling to miss this chance to bond with her son.

“Don’t go! I just said you’re incompatible, not that it’s impossible.”

“I saw a photo of that kid; they’re quite cute.”

When he still ignored her, Li Xu took a deep breath and dropped her bombshell. “Chasing someone is easy. Your mom here has experience chasing people—I bagged your dad in three days. If you’re curious, Mom will tell you everything.”

“Dad said you chased him ten times, and he only agreed to try being with you because he saw how hard you were trying,” Ying Xi paused, tilting his head slightly. “If I follow your dating advice, the person I like will probably be with someone else in a minute.”

Li Xu was shocked that her usually quiet son could say so much. Holding Lingdang, she quickly caught up to him.

“Son, you’ve changed,” she lamented. “How about showing Mom your backflip?”

Ying Xi immediately turned away coldly, leaving her with an aloof figure that radiated one clear message—impossible.

Having lived with him for over a decade, Li Xu understood Ying Xi well enough. Stroking Lingdang, she lowered her head and hummed, “Oh well, looks like someone was just bluffing. All that talk about backflips—it was all fake.”

The young man, who had already reached the second floor, descended expressionlessly, executed a flawless backflip, then returned upstairs and disappeared.

The whole thing took barely a minute.

Li Xu stood frozen before bursting into laughter, clutching Lingdang for a full ten minutes.

“Love really changes people—who knew that was actually true?” Wiping away tears of laughter, she gently shook Lingdang’s paw.

“Lingdang, for Ying Xi’s happiness, you should really try learning how to backflip.”

Lingdang: “Meow~”

It didn’t understand, and it definitely couldn’t learn.

＊

Saturday was excessively sunny, but by the weekend, rain had begun to fall.

The sky was dark and overcast, with continuous rain pouring down, obscuring everything.

Raindrops hit the windowpane, trickling downward and forming a blurry curtain of rain.

Li Yang rested his cheek lazily on his hand, staring out the window, his thoughts drifting away.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked at the door.

Li Yang lowered his hand and turned his head toward the bedroom door, his eyes unreadable.

"It's Mom." His mother outside tried to make her voice sound gentler. "Yangyang, can I come in?"

Yangyang...

Li Yang found it ironic.

The original occupant of this body had never been called so affectionately in all these years.

Only this once.

He could guess why his mother was entering and continued gazing out the window indifferently, giving no answer.

The door was pushed open from the outside. His mother entered, holding a fruit plate in one hand while closing the door with the other. She walked slowly to Li Yang's side and placed the plate down.

"Freshly cut fruit. Try some."

Li Yang didn't move.

His mother sat on the edge of the bed, noticing the oversized stuffed animal by the headboard. She blinked in confusion. "Where did this toy come from? Did that Alpha... your friend give it to you?"

With an opening, the conversation naturally began.

His mother asked, "What exactly is going on between you and that Alpha? Is he pursuing you?"

"No, I'm pursuing him," Li Yang lied without batting an eye.

His mother froze, her expression changing slightly, as if she hadn't expected Li Yang to be the one pursuing someone.

"You're pursuing him? Would he even agree?"

"No," Li Yang replied. "So I've decided to give up."

His tone was too indifferent, his expression too detached—there was no telling whether he was telling the truth or lying. He was like an impenetrable wall, unyielding and immovable, completely obscuring whatever lay behind it.

His mother didn't know what to say.

An awful silence filled the room.

"You could still try again. That Alpha seemed quite interested in you," his mother mused. "Society isn't kind to Betas. Finding an Alpha like that would be good for you."

"Alphas have ruts and need Omegas to meet their biological needs. Mom, if I really got together with him, what problems do you think I'd face?" Li Yang lifted his eyelids, his gaze sharp as he looked at his mother.

His mother was left speechless. After a long pause, she said awkwardly, "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I just thought... since you like someone, you could try and see if it works out... Never mind."

She seemed to realize something and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I was too hasty. Your father and I had a broken marriage, and I kept hoping yours wouldn't be the same. But being with an Alpha really isn't a good choice. Like I said the other day, don't get too close to Alphas. You should consider a Beta for your future partner."

She sighed and stood up to leave. At the door, she turned back to look at Li Yang, hesitating as if she had more to say.

"Yangyang... do you hate me?"

Li Yang didn't know how to answer that.

He picked up a piece of fruit from the plate and slowly chewed it, his expression unreadable. "I don't hate you."

He was just feeling restless with unanswered questions.

Before his mother could sigh in relief, he added, "If we're talking about hate, it's more like you and Dad hate me."

"No!" His mother widened her eyes, waving her hands in frantic denial. "Your father and I are just busy..."

Even she didn't believe her own excuse. After a moment of silence, she sighed dejectedly. "I don't hate you. I just don't know how to get close to you. That's my fault, and I apologize."

Li Yang said nothing more.

The issues between them couldn't be resolved with just an apology.

The room remained dark, filled with shadows. The young man sat quietly in his chair, his frame looking oddly fragile.

His mother opened her mouth but ultimately closed the door in silence.

Li Yang lowered his head, gazing absently at the fruit plate.

He still needed to keep his distance.

He thought silently to himself: *I'm just a transmigrator, a disposable side character. All I need to do is live my life in this world.*

Everything else could be ignored, disregarded.

It had rained all night. The next morning, the air was damp and chilly.

Li Yang changed into a thick sweater and noticed the array of medications placed nearby while drinking water.

The labels bore distinctively neat handwriting—Ying Xi's.

He lowered his gaze, quickly finished the water, grabbed an umbrella, and headed out.

The rain was fine and dense, blanketing the morning sky in a white mist. Everything looked hazy, like something out of a painting.

At the bus stop, Li Yang spotted Ying Xi.

The young man lowered his eyes, casually flicking rainwater from his sleeves. His height made him stand out among the waiting crowd.

He looked up, his eyes immediately finding Li Yang, and greeted with a smile, "Good morning."

Others followed his line of sight.

With so many eyes on them, Li Yang couldn't just walk away.

He walked over quickly, closing his umbrella, and replied flatly, "Good morning."

His chilly tone matched the morning air, putting subtle distance between them.

Ying Xi paused, then took a step closer.

Before Li Yang could react, he leaned in slightly, whispering in Li Yang's ear, "You're dressed lightly. Aren't you cold?"

Warm breath grazed his cheek. Li Yang automatically lifted a hand to cover his ear, trying to shut out the unfamiliar warmth.

"Not cold." He kept his eyes fixed ahead at a puddle not far away, keeping his tone even. "You're too close," he added.