Chapter 29: Clearing the Misunderstanding

Chapter 29: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

Amid his wandering thoughts, Song Ji had already stopped in front of Fei Yu.

He looked at the kitten in Fei Yu’s arms and asked softly, “Is Suisui your cat? What did he just say?”

Backlit against the light, the tall man’s outline was rimmed with gold.

His eyes were half-lowered, thick black lashes resting on his eyelids, his gaze focused and earnest, as if he were genuinely curious.

Fei Yu felt as if he were still dreaming. His eyelashes fluttered, and he answered slowly, “Suisui said thank you for feeding him these past few days.”

Suisui chimed in with two meows, his front paws pawing the air.

Thanks, nice brother.

Song Ji met the kitten’s eyes and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “You’re welcome. Suisui is really cute.”

For a moment, they just stood there in silence.

The afternoon sun was blinding white, making their faces feel warm.

Fei Yu tucked the kitten closer into the crook of his arm, looked at Song Ji, and couldn’t help asking, “Song Ji, weren’t you abroad? How come you’re back?”

Song Ji was taken aback and frowned. “I’ve always been in the country. Why would you think…?”

Then, as if something occurred to him, his eyes lit up. His low, magnetic voice held a trace of cautious hope. “Three years ago, after you left… did you come back looking for me?”

He’d only gone abroad for half a semester, having done so because he couldn’t handle the memories after Fei Yu’s unexplained departure.

Fei Yu blinked, dazed, and let out a couple of confused “ah”s.

His expression was bewildered, and his tone carried a hint of puzzlement as he said, “Didn’t I leave you a note?”

Song Ji’s expression already told him the answer.

Fei Yu hurried to explain, “That day I was in such a hurry, I didn’t have time to tell you I was going home to rest for a while. I planned to come back in half a month.”

So Fei Yu hadn’t left without a word after all!

Song Ji clenched his palm, trying hard to suppress the wild joy inside him.

He lowered his lashes and tried his best to sound calm. “Then why didn’t you get in touch with me later?”

Was he blaming him?

Fei Yu scratched his head, looking sheepish. “I lost my phone on the train, so I couldn’t send you a message. Later…”

Fei Yu looked down at the baby in his arms without meaning to. The kitten was swatting at the air with its little paws, happily amusing itself.

He hesitated, his eyes darting away, and said vaguely, “Something happened later, and I couldn’t leave home for a while.”

“So I asked a friend to come by, but they said you had gone abroad and probably wouldn’t be back.”

Song Ji understood. That “something” was probably when Fei Yu lost his cultivation and had to start over.

That was probably when Fei Yu met that person.

Song Ji’s voice came out hoarse, full of self-blame. “I’m sorry. Back then, I thought you were angry with me because of that night…”

Fei Yu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, ears reddening. “How could I be?”

That night, Song Ji was drugged, and Fei Yu was the one who offered to help him through his heat.

If anything, Fei Yu had been the one taking advantage.

Fei Yu’s soft, clear voice drifted into Song Ji’s ears, making him feel so light he might float away.

He curled his hand and spoke very softly. “Do you have time now? It’s been a long time. Can I take you and Suisui out for a meal?”

Eat?

Suisui, nestled in his father’s arms, immediately pricked up his ears and innocently lifted his head, meowing twice.

How’d you know baby’s tummy’s hungry?

Fei Yu’s eye twitched.

Song Ji still didn’t know about Little Meow!

His eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and he stammered out a refusal, “N-no, I have work. I need to go now. Goodbye.”

Song Ji didn’t press the issue. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he said softly, “Okay. Goodbye.”

He wasn’t going to rush things. He’d see Fei Yu every day anyway.

Back home, Fei Yu fed the baby, bathed him, put on baby lotion, and changed him into clean pajamas.

When he finally lay down in bed, his mind was still a jumble. He stared blankly up at the ceiling.

How could this be such a coincidence?

The kind guy who’d been feeding Suisui all along turned out to be Song Ji.

Fei Yu looked down at the baby sleeping sweetly in the crook of his arm. He couldn’t resist reaching out a finger.

He ran his finger over the baby’s eyelashes, gently swinging on them.

Woken from his sleep, Suisui let out a soft, nasal whine of protest.

The corners of Fei Yu’s lips lifted, and he withdrew his finger.

He hugged the sleeping baby close and turned over, letting out a wistful sigh.

Was this what humans meant by a blood bond?

Because of the unbreakable bond of blood, somehow, Song Ji would always meet them again.

But… should he tell Song Ji that Suisui was his child?

Fei Yu shook his head almost unconsciously.

Better not.

He’d heard humans took having kids really seriously—unlike him, who could just decide on a whim.

If Song Ji didn’t like children and found out Fei Yu had conceived and raised the baby alone without telling him, wouldn’t he be really mad?

Besides, Suisui was still just a Little Meow.

Can Song Ji accept a little kitten?

What if he wants to neuter Little Meow again?

Remembering how Song Ji had almost neutered "Pearl" before, Fei Yu involuntarily shuddered.

He shook his head vigorously, quickly pushing this nightmare-like memory out of his mind.

Fei Yu thought about it and decided not to tell Song Ji.

What happened that night was an accident, and his heat had long since ended.

Even if Song Ji came back, they were just ordinary friends.

Suisui was the baby he chose to give birth to; he could raise the baby on his own and never thought of asking Song Ji to take responsibility.

Fei Yu also didn't want Song Ji's life to be forced to change because of Suisui's existence.

In the cat world, kittens always live with their mother.

Who the biological father is doesn't matter.

Having sorted out his jumbled thoughts, Fei Yu felt much relieved.

He turned over, pulled the sweetly sleeping Little Meow into his arms, kissed his soft white forehead, and whispered, "Good night, baby."

Daddy will always protect you.

*

The next day, Daddy was unusually late getting up and didn't prepare breakfast for Suisui.

But that's okay; the baby isn't picky. The steamed buns from the grandma at the breakfast stall are tasty too.

Suisui held a steamed bun larger than both his hands, sat on a small stool, and gobbled it down with happy "nom nom" sounds.

After finishing breakfast, when Daddy put him in the child seat, Suisui realized something was off.

He scratched his ear, looked at Daddy with a confused little face, and asked, "Daddy, isn't the baby going with Drumstick Brother today?"

The baby still wants to hunt for Daddy.

Fei Yu put a child helmet on Suisui and fastened the safety buckle on the child seat.

He coaxed gently, "Did baby forget? Daddy said before that when he had a day off, he'd take you to the kindergarten nearby."

"Daddy doesn't have much work today. After I'm done, I'll take Suisui to check out the school, okay?"

"Okay!" Suisui's attention was instantly captured, his eyes curved into crescent moons, and he raised his arms high above his head.

In his little baby voice, he chirped happily, "Baby is going to school! Baby wants to be a big tall baby!"

Having successfully diverted the baby's attention, Fei Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Suisui loved riding Daddy's electric scooter.

Daddy sat in front, and the baby sat behind, and the wind whooshed past, cool and refreshing, as if kissing the baby's cheeks.

Suisui squinted and laughed non-stop, reaching out his tiny arms and waving, trying to hug the wind.

When Daddy was working and handed a coffee to a customer, Suisui immediately behaved himself, sitting obediently on the back seat without even swinging his short little legs.

In his baby voice, he said, "Thank you, pretty auntie."

He leaned on the armrest of the child seat, his round eyes fixed on the auntie, not blinking, with a longing look.

He pouted his little lips, clasped his hands in front of his face and shook them, pleading, "Pretty auntie, Daddy works so hard. Could you please give him a good review?"

"Such an adorable little baby," the customer laughed with delight.

"Sure, of course! For the little baby's sake, I'll give your daddy a five-star review no matter what."

She immediately took out her phone and gave the delivery driver a five-star rating.

Fei Yu was surprised too. He hadn't taught Suisui these things; he had no idea where the baby learned them.

He curled his finger and gently tapped the baby's nose, praising him with a smile in his eyes, "Baby is so amazing."

Suisui cupped his cheeks and giggled shyly.

Fei Yu said, "Let's go, baby. Daddy has three more orders, and then we're done."

There was a road near the school that had been damaged by heavy trucks and hadn't been repaired yet. It was full of potholes and very uneven.

Fei Yu rode the electric scooter on it, the vehicle wobbling and bouncing over the bumps.

Suisui in the back seat bounced up and down, his head swaying dizzily; it was like the baby was on a trampoline.

Fei Yu quickly slowed down, moving forward slowly like a snail.

But it didn't make much difference. He said to Suisui, "Baby, this road is hard to ride on. Daddy will park the scooter and carry you across, okay?"

Suisui, dizzy and swaying, answered, "Okay."

Fei Yu gradually slowed the scooter and pulled over to the roadside.

He was about to stop when the front wheel suddenly hit a hard object. The scooter lost its balance and tipped sharply to one side.

Fei Yu was startled. Without thinking, he quickly put his foot down and gripped the handlebars with both hands to steady the scooter.

Suddenly, a pair of arms reached out in front of him, firmly gripping the handlebars.

Fei Yu felt the front end of the scooter become lighter, and in the next moment, the scooter was parked steadily by the roadside.

The hands in front of him were large, with prominent knuckles, and they seemed vaguely familiar.

Fei Yu's heart lurched. He turned and saw Song Ji's tense, serious face.

"Are you all right?" The man's brows were furrowed, his lips tight, his dark eyes filled with worry.

It was Song Ji.

Fei Yu stood stunned on the spot.

Was the blood bond really that strong?

City A was so big; how did they run into each other again?

"Kind—" Suisui in the back seat was about to blurt out, but immediately covered his mouth and shook his head.

"No, no, Daddy said that the people Cat Suisui knows, Little Human Suisui doesn't recognize."

Fei Yu snapped back to reality and turned around anxiously to check on the baby: "Baby, are you hurt anywhere?"

Suisui shook his head and asked with concern: "Baby's fine. Is Daddy okay?"

Fei Yu carefully examined the baby's body, confirming that the baby was fine, before breathing a sigh of relief.

He was about to say Daddy was fine, when a sudden fiery pain shot up his ankle.

"Hiss!" Fei Yu's face turned pale as he looked down.

A large bump had swollen on his left ankle, with dark purple bruises rapidly spreading around, which looked shocking.

Fei Yu barely lifted his injured foot; he must have twisted it when he braced himself on the ground just now.

"What's wrong?" Song Ji saw his expression and his heart sank. He supported Fei Yu's arm and helped him over to a small flower bed by the roadside.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Suisui, in the car seat, became anxious, his lips pouting and his eyes instantly reddening.

He squirmed in the seat, wanting to get down to check on Fei Yu.

Song Ji stood up again, unfastened Suisui's safety harness, and carefully lifted him out of the seat.

Suisui was extremely worried, his eyes red and tears welling up.

He buzzed around his daddy like a busy little bee, blowing on the lump on his daddy's ankle and repeatedly saying, "Pain, pain, go away."

Fei Yu quickly comforted Suisui, softly saying it was fine, Daddy wasn't in pain.

Seeing Song Ji kneeling in front of him, he almost without thinking, added in a low voice, "Suisui is my child."

But Song Ji didn't seem to mind. While he was comforting the baby, Song Ji was lifting his injured left foot to examine the injury.

He knelt on one knee, his brows were deeply furrowed, and said in a low voice, "Better go to the hospital to get checked out, make sure there's no bone injury."

Go to the hospital?!

Song Ji meant a human hospital, of course.

Fei Yu's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he said flatly: "No hospital."

Who knows if Catfolk and humans even have the same anatomy? What if they found out?

Fei Yu hadn't come up with a reason to convince Song Ji, but surprisingly, Song Ji was very agreeable this time and didn't ask further, just offering to take them home.

Fei Yu looked away evasively, and he said slowly, "But... I still have three coffee deliveries to make."

The coffee shop delivery driver got an extra monthly bonus if there were no complaints.

He still wanted to use the bonus to buy the baby some clothes for kindergarten, so he couldn't afford any complaints.

Song Ji didn't try to argue further; he made a phone call and spoke in a low voice.

After sitting for a while, the pain in his ankle had eased. Fei Yu bit his lip and tried to stand up while Song Ji was on the phone.

As soon as he tried to put weight on it, a sharp pain shot through his ankle. Fei Yu's face paled, and he resignedly sat back down.

"Daddy, waaah!" Suisui tugged at his daddy's clothes, unable to hold back the tears any longer, and burst out crying.

Fei Yu's heart broke for the baby, so he quickly hugged him and patted his back to comfort him.

Song Ji looked at Fei Yu with a look of helplessness and said gently, "I'll help you deliver the coffee."

Fei Yu looked over with a dazed expression, then heard Song Ji continue: "Leave the bike here; someone will come to deal with it later."

"I'll deliver the rest of the coffee. But when I'm done, I'll take you home, okay?"

Fei Yu was taken aback. Before he could react, Song Ji had already swiftly crouched down, offering his broad back to him.

The man's low, magnetic voice sounded by his ear: "My car is outside. I'll carry you over."

"Daddy!" Suisui tugged at his daddy's collar, looking at him with pleading red eyes.

With no other choice, Fei Yu reached out, wrapped his arms around Song Ji's neck, and slowly climbed onto his back.

His earlobes reddened as he whispered, "Sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all." Song Ji supported Fei Yu's thigh with one hand and steadily lifted him onto his back.

He then looked at Suisui beside him, extended his free hand, and patiently talked to him.

"Daddy is injured and can't hold Suisui's hand. Would Suisui be willing to let Uncle hold your hand?"

Suisui wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, nodded vigorously, and reached out to take his hand: "Okay."

Song Ji: "Suisui is a brave kid."

The man held Suisui with one hand and carried Fei Yu on his back as he walked forward, each step steady.

Song Ji's back was broad, every muscle imbued with strength.

Fei Yu lay on Song Ji's back, arms around his neck, feeling Song Ji's warmth seep through the layer of clothing into him.

Fei Yu's heart softened, and he slowly rested his head against the nape of Song Ji's neck.

He thought, if Song Ji were willing to be a dad, he would certainly be a very good father.

-----------------------

Author's note: Thank you dear readers for your support. Love you all! This story won't be too long, around 200,000 words.