Chapter 34: Earth-Shattering Secret!

Chapter 34: The Earth-Shattering Secret!

Along the way, Fei Yu kept a tight-lipped, stern face, following closely behind Song Ji with a serious expression.

With that determined gaze, he almost looked the part.

When they reached the office, he kept that solemn look on his face, sitting down at the assistant’s desk, eyes glued to the computer screen.

But after waiting ages, no task came.

Finally unable to hold himself back, he turned around, eyes flickering with a hint of anticipation, and asked, "So, should I start working? What do I do?"

Song Ji suppressed a smile and clicked open a program on his computer.

"The gaming department designed a new game. I could use Assistant Fei Yu’s help testing it today—just check if it runs smoothly."

The moment he heard "Assistant Fei Yu," Fei Yu’s back shot straight.

"Okay then." Fei Yu nodded stiffly, still keeping a straight face.

Song Ji couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, then pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to his newly appointed assistant.

He said, "Here are new proposals from the pet department—they involve some cat toys."

"Think Assistant Fei Yu could ask some cats he knows what they think of these toys?"

He added with a smile, "I think little Sui Sui would be perfect for that."

Fei Yu’s back, which had just straightened, stiffened slightly as he took the documents, mumbling a vague "okay."

Seeing the flustered man duck his head, Song Ji’s smile widened, and he felt like teasing him a little more.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, though he already knew the answer, "Sui Sui the kitten has arrived home, right? I haven’t seen it for the past few days. Is it adapting well on the third floor?"

"The room hasn’t been set up with pet facilities yet. Want me to add some cat trees for him?"

Fei Yu hurriedly refused, "No, he’s already having a blast."

He pretended to be very busy flipping through the documents in front of him, his eyelashes fluttering like tiny fans.

Luckily, Song Ji seemed to have just said it offhand. He said "Okay" and returned to his seat.

Only then did Fei Yu let out a small sigh of relief and refocus on the computer screen.

With a serious expression, he steeled himself and clicked open a game called "Cat Fishing."

The fish in the game were just as slippery as real ones. The instant he let his guard down, the fish tail slipped out of the white cat’s paws, and with a splash, it fell back into the pond.

The kitten wore a sad face, carrying an empty fish basket home in a huff.

Outside the screen, Fei Yu felt his heart ache in sympathy, almost unbearably.

The kind-hearted Catfolk silently reviewed his mistakes, vowing to fill the basket to the brim next time.

Thus, all morning, any employee who came to report saw the new assistant in the CEO’s office.

With a dead-serious expression and unblinking focus, staring at the computer screen, as if handling a top-priority mission.

*

After toiling away for most of the morning, Fei Yu finally filled the fish basket and sent the kitten off home happy.

The Catfolk broke into a beaming smile, unable to hold anything inside, instinctively wanting to share with someone nearby.

Across from him, Song Ji sat upright behind his desk, his back as straight as a board, his jawline sharp and angular.

The man’s slender fingers held a document, his eyelids lowered, eyes quickly scanning the pages, making occasional notes.

Fei Yu’s urge to share suddenly fizzled out.

He discreetly raised a document to cover his face, leaving only his big round eyes showing, sneaking a peek.

And it was true—a man was never more handsome than when he was focused.

Song Ji was wearing a well-tailored suit, and with his brows slightly furrowed and eyes downcast, it gave him an extra layer of mature allure.

Fei Yu suddenly remembered back when they used to study together in the past, Song Ji had been just as focused.

His gaze calm, expression indifferent, as if nothing could distract him.

Thinking of their past, another thought surfaced in Fei Yu’s heart.

After their reunion, he had only talked with Song Ji once about "Pearl’s" whereabouts.

He had told him, "Pearl" had left secretly because he didn’t want to be neutered.

Song Ji seemed to accept that explanation, and until now, he hadn’t brought up "Pearl" again.

Back then, he was so eager to adopt him, but now, Song Ji acted as if nothing had happened.

Did Song Ji no longer like the cat he once loved?

Were humans so fickle?

For some reason, Fei Yu felt a tightness in his chest.

The Catfolk wasn’t one to be subtle. Feeling uncomfortable, he directly asked, "Song Ji, have you ever thought about Pearl?"

Fei Yu’s eyes dropped, carrying a hint of disappointment he didn’t even realize.

Fei Yu saw out of the corner of his eye that Song Ji was taken aback, seemingly surprised that Fei Yu had voluntarily brought up Pearl.

After a long while, he dropped his gaze, his long lashes hiding the gloom in his eyes.

"Of course I do."

He smiled bitterly, "Every day we’re apart, I miss him."

"What happened before was my fault. I knew Pearl had his own thoughts, but I dismissed what he wanted, thinking I knew what was best for him, and tried to make decisions for him."

Song Ji said softly, "I did very poorly. I wasn’t a qualified owner at all. Pearl was right to leave me."

Fei Yu stood rooted to the spot, his mouth opening and closing a little, but he lost the ability to speak.

Song Ji lifted his eyelids and gazed steadily at Fei Yu, a gentle smile shimmering in his eyes.

"I believe Pearl can take good care of himself. If one day he forgives me and wants to come see me, I’d be very happy."

His deep voice landed in Fei Yu’s ears, each word hammering against his heart.

Fei Yu felt as if Sui Sui had just scratched his heart with his claws, leaving a tingling, fuzzy feeling.

He bit his tongue and lowered his head to continue working.

After a long while, he murmured almost to himself, "I've already forgiven."

Time flew by, and it was noon.

Lunch at Song Ji's company was plentiful: sweet and sour fish, tomato pork, stir-fried chicken chunks...

Almost all were dishes that Sui Sui loved. Fei Yu heaved a silent sigh.

He wondered how the baby was doing in kindergarten, if the food there agreed with him.

Seeing Fei Yu looking so listless, Song Ji knew he was thinking about Sui Sui. He asked gently, "Want to see if Sui Sui is eating properly?"

"Can we? Can we go to the kindergarten now?" Fei Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

Song Ji cleared his throat. "We probably can't get into the kindergarten, but we can watch the baby through the screen."

He opened the parent platform's live feed.

In the next moment, the Cherry Class classroom appeared on the screen.

It was lunchtime, and the kids were eating too.

Sui Sui sat obediently on a small stool, holding a children's bowl in one hand. He scooped up a spoonful of rice and a spoonful of veggies, putting them into his mouth without hesitation.

Then, puffing up his cheeks, he chewed slowly, bite after bite.

He'd finished all the little meatballs he liked. Then his spoon accidentally scooped up a bunch of fava bean mash left in the veggie section,

his hand slowing down.

The spoon hovered in mid-air for a long time before Sui Sui closed his eyes tightly and, with a sudden motion, shoved the fava bean mash into his mouth.

His mouth wrapped around the spoon, Sui Sui's face scrunched up like a little bitter melon, as if he were eating the most awful thing in the world.

Little Meow barely chewed before gulping it all down.

After finishing the fava bean mash, he quickly scooped up a spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs to reward himself.

Good job, baby, for eating something you don't like today!

Outside the screen, Fei Yu was thoroughly amused by the little rascal.

Sui Sui wasn't picky—he liked most foods—but he just wasn't into bean products, always saying beans had a strange taste.

Coincidentally, today's staff lunch also had fava bean and meat slices, which didn't stand out among all the rich dishes.

Fei Yu tried it—not bad at all.

But Song Ji next to him totally ignored this dish, barely touching it.

If he accidentally grabbed a piece, he'd frown and swallow it whole.

That pained expression was exactly like the baby's on the screen.

Fei Yu looked at Song Ji, then at the baby, and it suddenly dawned on him—

So the baby took after Song Ji.

*

Kindergarten

Sui Sui was happy with today's lunch, but not so much with what came after lunch.

After lunch, the first thing was to wash hands.

Following the teacher's instructions, the kids lined up and held out their hands one by one under the running water to rinse them well.

When it was nearly Sui Sui's turn, his lips pressed tight, and his small face was scrunched up.

It took him ages to finally bring his hands out from behind his back.

Teacher Xiaohua figured he wasn't used to it yet, so she crouched down in front of him and coaxed gently.

"Don't be afraid, Sui Sui. Teacher's right here."

"Look, the water is gentle on your hands, not hot at all... There, our hands are all clean. Good job, Sui Sui."

The teacher wrapped his hands in a towel and patted them dry, slowly soaking up the moisture.

As soon as that wet, icky feeling was gone, Sui Sui let out a long sigh of relief.

Little Meow had a hard time in kindergarten too.

The first class after the afternoon nap was an activity class, led by Teacher Chen.

Sui Sui followed the kid in front, waving his little arms and lifting his little legs, huffing and puffing with effort.

During free time, a kid accidentally slipped and fell with a thud, crying loudly in pain.

The teacher leading them, Chen Yu, had a flicker of disgust in his eyes but didn't let it show on his face. He quickly put on a soothing expression and went over to comfort the kid.

After finally calming the child down, Chen Yu immediately rushed to the sink, turned on the tap, and vigorously scrubbed the snot and tears from his hands.

Out of the surveillance range, his smile vanished instantly, revealing an impatient, gloomy look.

The sticky snot clung to his sleeve, impossible to wash off completely.

Chen Yu felt a wave of nausea and yanked at his sleeve in annoyance.

If the pay weren't this good, he wouldn't put up with this job.

Chen Yu muttered a few curses under his breath about the troublesome kid and then complained, "So annoying. Kids are always so clumsy and all thumbs!"

Sui Sui happened to pass by and caught the last few words.

Sui Sui: (⊙o⊙)!

He quickly hid his hands behind his back, shook his head, and pressed his lips into a straight line.

Baby is not a little cat today; his hands are not furry, oh.

Seeing the teacher about to leave, Sui Sui immediately trotted over like they were old friends.

He looked up, his soft, milky voice earnestly explaining, "Teacher Chen, you're wrong. It's not 'clumsy and all thumbs'—it's 'little hands and little feet.'"

Sui Sui held out his hands, his black-grape-like eyes full of seriousness. "See? They're not furry."

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of someone, Chen Yu broke out in a cold sweat from fright.

If those words of his got out, it would be a disaster.

The children here were from wealthy or powerful families—he couldn't afford to offend a single one of them!

He quickly scanned his surroundings and only relaxed his tense shoulders when he saw no one else nearby.

This kid probably only caught the last sentence.

A stiff smile plastered on his face, he answered unnaturally: "Yes, yes... Teacher just made a mistake."

"Okay then," Suisui shook his little head and skipped away cheerfully.

*

Kindergarten ran from nine to five, five days a week, with one snack and one lunch each day.

Suisui quickly adapted to this routine.

Every morning, he would sling his little backpack over his shoulders, say goodbye to Uncle Zheng at the door, get into Kind Uncle's car, and happily head to school.

He didn't even realize it was the weekend. Waking up at the usual time, he rubbed his eyes and mumbled drowsily, asking why Daddy hadn't dressed him yet—he was going to be late for school!

Only after hearing his father's explanation did he let out an embarrassed giggle, then lay back down on the bed, squirming as his father tickled him.

Even though it was Saturday, Kind Uncle still had to go to work and wouldn't be home for lunch, leaving only Daddy, his uncle, and his aunt to keep him company.

Suisui ate obediently and with gusto, but one thing bothered him.

Daddy had been careless today—he had scooped the tofu that Suisui disliked into his dish compartment.

Suisui's little face scrunched up, his lips pouting. After taking several deep breaths, he finally managed to choke down the slippery tofu chunk with great difficulty.

A nearby staff member saw his grimace and couldn't help laughing: "Does Suisui not like tofu?"

"I don't like it. Tofu is bitter." Suisui shook his head vigorously, twisting his body to lean back.

Fei Yu: "Suisui doesn't really like any soy-based products."

The remark was made without thought, but Butler Zheng, standing nearby, felt a jolt in his heart.

His young master also disliked soy products from a young age.

Uncle Zheng suppressed the emotions surging inside him and discreetly cast a glance at Suisui.

When he took a closer look, it was startling—Suisui's features and expressions were becoming increasingly familiar.

Butler Zheng's heart gave such a violent jolt that he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

How could Suisui look so much like his young master when he was little!

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Author's note: Here we go again! Every time I set it for 9:03 PM, it gets delayed by a few minutes. Darn it.