Chapter 49: Their Baby

Chapter 49: Their Baby

A gentle breeze stirred the greenery outside the window, casting dappled shadows as the leaves rustled, and the atmosphere indoors remained quiet and tranquil.

Fei Yu leaned back against Song Ji’s sturdy chest, each strong, steady heartbeat echoing in his ears, sending a tingling electric sensation through his fingertips.

It felt all tingly and numb, and he couldn’t help curling his fingers slightly. When the wind once again billowed the curtains, he suddenly spoke: “Song Ji.”

Song Ji hummed softly in response, lowering his gaze to the beloved in his arms.

Fei Yu’s delicate shoulders tensed slightly, his lip caught between his teeth.

Those dark, glossy eyes stared straight at him without blinking, pure and soft, faintly revealing a trace of anticipation.

Song Ji’s heart stirred, and he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Fei Yu shifted his gaze slightly, a slow smile curving at the corners of his lips, and said softly, “Sui Sui is like you—when he grows up, he’s bound to be a great person.”

Song Ji’s eyes crinkled with warmth as he buried his face in the nape of Fei Yu’s neck, inhaling deeply: “And that’s because Sui Sui’s dad is pretty great too.”

Fei Yu: …

He could tell right away that Song Ji had no idea what he was getting at.

Why was Song Ji being so dense now? Did he have to spell it out so bluntly?

Fei Yu puffed out his cheeks, the words still stuck in his throat, when suddenly, from the bed beside them, a huge wail erupted from the baby.

“Baby!”

His heart jolted, and all thoughts vanished. He immediately stood up from Song Ji’s lap, rushing anxiously toward the baby.

Sui Sui had woken up from a nightmare, and when he opened his eyes to find himself in a completely unfamiliar place, with neither his dad nor Kind Uncle around, he started crying in fear.

Little Meow scrunched up his tiny face as he buried himself in his dad’s arms, tiny hands gripping his father’s clothes, sobbing breathlessly.

“Dad, I dreamed you got your ears eaten by the Bad Rat, wuwuwu.”

The Bad Rat was a villain in the animated series *Cow Cat Sheriff*, always causing trouble and bullying little animals, but every time, the brave and clever Cow Cat Sheriff would defeat it.

A two-year-old sometimes can’t always tell fantasy from reality, occasionally mixing up cartoons or dreams with real life.

Telling them it was just a dream only makes their little heads more confused.

Little Fei Yu quickly pulled Sui Sui into his arms, patting his back to comfort him.

“Dad is right here, perfectly fine. Sui Sui forgot—we’re staying at Auntie and Uncle’s place now, with lots of people around. The Bad Rat has been scared away.”

The scene in the dream had been too vivid, and Sui Sui was only half convinced. His eyes were still red, with big teardrops clinging to his cheeks.

He curled his little hands, sniffled for a long time, and then asked, “Really?”

“Of course,” Fei Yu said with absolute certainty.

The next second, two soft, pointy ears suddenly popped out of his head.

Fei Yu lowered his head, proactively bringing his ears close to Sui Sui, twitching them. “Feel them, baby. See if Dad’s ears are still there.”

Only after grabbing hold of his dad’s ears did Sui Sui heave a huge sigh of relief and go from tears to smiles: “They’re still there!”

Song Ji gently stroked Sui Sui’s head. “Baby, don’t be scared. If the Bad Rat shows up in your dreams again, just try to dream of Uncle instead.”

He reached out and linked pinkies with Sui Sui. “Uncle promises you, Sui Sui.”

“No matter what bad guy shows up, if Uncle appears in your dream, he’ll chase him away.”

“Okay!” Sui Sui extended his little hand, hooked it around Uncle’s pinky, and nodded very seriously, his chubby cheeks jiggling.

Watching the interaction between father and son, Fei Yu’s heart melted into a puddle.

Before the words “You really are such a great dad” could leave his mouth, the bedroom door suddenly opened from the outside.

Benben the Samoyed barked and squeezed through the crack in the door.

The big dog wagged its tail, whimpering as it ran up to Sui Sui, nudging his leg with its snout to comfort him.

Jiang Yunru tapped on the door and walked in with Papa Song, asking with concern, “Xiao Yu, A Ji, what happened? We thought we heard the baby crying just now.”

This definitely wasn’t the right time to come clean.

Fei Yu quickly swallowed his words and said, “Nothing serious—Sui Sui just had a nightmare.”

Surrounded by his family, Sui Sui soon forgot about the nightmare and burst into happy laughter, playing chase on the lawn with his new canine friend.

With Song Ji’s parents present, Fei Yu had originally planned to tell Song Ji the truth once they got home.

But on the way back, Pang Qiu suddenly called.

He was in Yun Chuan City negotiating a deal with a coffee factory, but the data he had suddenly went wrong.

With the signing imminent—just one step away—the tabby cat was frantic and had no choice but to ask Fei Yu, who was in charge of research, for help.

Fei Yu knew how much blood, sweat, and tears Pang Qiu had poured into the coffee shop.

So he immediately talked it over with the baby: “Sui Sui, Brother Pang Qiu is in trouble. Dad has to go on a mission for Cow Cat Sheriff and go help him out.”

“Dad promises that after Sui Sui goes to kindergarten for two days, Dad will definitely be back, okay?”

When Sui Sui heard he’d be separated from his dad, he pouted, clearly unhappy.

But when he heard it was a mission for the Cow Cat Sheriff, Little Meow immediately looked serious and said gravely, “Okay, Dad. Make sure to help Brother Pang Qiu really well.”

“Thank you, baby. Dad will do his best.” Fei Yu’s eyes curved gently.

Fei Yu didn’t want to be apart from the baby either, but City A was far from Yinchuan City—several hours away by plane.

And he wasn’t sure he’d be able to take good care of the baby over there, so he had to entrust him to Song Ji.

Outside the airport, Song Ji held Sui Sui in one arm, and together they wrapped their arms around Fei Yu.

“I’ll take good care of Sui Sui,” he murmured into his beloved’s neck, gently reassuring him.

Fei Yu hugged Sui Sui first, then, imitating Song Ji’s manner, raised an eyebrow.

Then he wrapped his arms around Song Ji’s shoulders and whispered in his ear, “I believe you’ll be a really good dad.”

Seeing Song Ji freeze for two seconds, then mistakenly think it was a compliment and smile, Fei Yu’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

He remembered that not long after they reunited, Song Ji had clearly pretended he still didn’t know they were Catfolk.

But he kept bringing up little cat Suisui on purpose just to tease him, keeping him on edge.

Vile humans, hehe, now you get to taste what it's like to be toyed with by a Catfolk.

Song Ji is so clever; if he spends time alone with Suisui, he might actually find some clues.

But if he really doesn't notice anything, the Catfolk will get softhearted and merciful again and tell him in person when he returns.

*

For the first time, coming home without Fei Yu, neither father nor son was used to it.

After a quick wash, Song Ji read the evening picture book to the baby, but both the reader and the listener were distracted.

Suisui lay sprawled out on the bed in a big X shape, puffed out his cheeks, kicked his legs a few times, and looked sadly at Kind Uncle: "Uncle, I miss Dad."

Song Ji put down the picture book, leaned in, and tickled the baby's sides.

Suisui snapped out of it immediately, giggling and wriggling on the bed like a little caterpillar.

After the baby played till he got tired and fell asleep, Song Ji tucked the little guy in, and after a long moment, let out a soft sigh.

"Uncle misses him too."

The next day, as soon as Suisui woke up, he couldn't wait to video-call his dad.

"Dad, how's the Cow Cat Sheriff mission going... How is Brother Pangqiu... Suisui has been very good. Take good care of yourself, okay?"

Song Ji was changing the little guy's clothes, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, all while listening to Fei Yu's gentle voice from the other end.

While Suisui ate breakfast, it was Song Ji's turn to talk to Fei Yu on the phone now that he was free.

Seeing the dark circles under the young man's eyes in the video, and how he pretended nothing was wrong while forcing a cheerful tone, Song Ji's heart ached.

He quickly said a few words and hung up.

After dropping Suisui off at kindergarten and returning to the empty top-floor office, Song Ji was in a bad mood all day.

And so, the managers and directors of the group's various project teams found that the president had reverted to his usual cold demeanor.

They reported cautiously, terrified of accidentally crossing President Song.

Finally, after making it through until Suisui's school let out, Song Ji was so distracted he didn't even notice he'd packed his work tablet in his bag.

He got himself together and drove to the kindergarten.

Today, the teacher picking up the kids was the intern from the Cherry Blossom class. Seeing that it was Song Ji who came to pick up the child, she glanced at the registration form with the two parents' names and instinctively assumed he was Suisui's dad.

"Suisui's dad, the kids had a physical exam at school today. Here's Suisui's report—please keep it and check it over."

She handed the report to Song Ji and praised, "Suisui is such a brave kid—he didn't even cry when they drew blood."

Song Ji had a lot on his mind and didn't think much of it. He thanked the teacher, then crouched down and told Suisui he was brave today.

Since Fei Yu wasn't home and he worried Suisui would be sad eating at home, Song Ji thoughtfully took the baby out to dinner.

After dinner, he drove the baby back home, only to find an uninvited guest at the villa.

Having heard Fei Yu was on a business trip to another province, Zhou Qian, who had just finished his short thesis and had nothing much to do, worried Song Ji couldn't handle the care alone, so he volunteered to look after the baby.

Having met the older school-age siblings, Suisui had a basic grasp of academic degrees.

When he learned Uncle Zhou was a graduate student, the unschooled Little Meow was instantly filled with admiration.

Eyes bright and round, he stuck close behind the graduate uncle like a kitten's tail, holding a fruit bowl in both hands, enthusiastically feeding him grapes and cherry tomatoes.

Zhou Qian, quite pleased, scooped Suisui into his arms and swore he was amazing.

Song Ji, who had been looking over the medical report, looked up and casually mentioned he was also a part-time graduate student, and his latest paper was published on the front page of some journal.

Suisui's adoring gaze immediately shifted back to Kind Uncle.

Kind Uncle seemed even cooler.

Zhou Qian, who was nearly driven crazy by his thesis: ...

"Seriously, is there any need to compete like this? I really don't get you parents."

He snorted twice: "What's that? Our Suisui is the most amazing—when he grows up, he might even get a PhD!"

Suisui giggled shyly.

"Amazing Suisui baby, wanna watch an episode of Cow Cat Sheriff with Uncle Zhou?"

Zhou Qian grabbed the tablet off the sofa, and Suisui happily leaned in.

The tablet had a passcode lock. Zhou Qian forgot it for a moment and casually asked, "Hey, Old Song, what's your password—"

Before he could finish.

With a ding, the tablet automatically recognized Suisui's face as he leaned in and unlocked successfully.

Suisui tilted his head, confused.

Usually, Daddy unlocks it—so the baby can unlock it too?

Zhou Qian, still not catching on, muttered disapprovingly: "Why'd you set up facial recognition for Suisui too?"

"Kids can't watch cartoons for too long; you gotta protect their eyes."

In that instant, Song Ji felt his heart stop.

Blood surged backward, making his ears ring.

He instinctively opened his mouth, but found his throat felt clamped shut, and not a sound came out.

This was his work tablet; it could only recognize his face. How could Suisui unlock it?

Song Ji looked at the medical report in front of him in disbelief.

Fei Yu's blood type was O, while his own was A.

Suisui had inherited from the other biological parent, coincidentally also type A—the same blood type as him.

All the previously overlooked details rushed back to him at once.

Suisui, like him, never ate soy products, and when thinking intently, would subconsciously furrow his brows.

Why would his parents have noticed Suisui at the kindergarten...

His heart was slamming against his ribs, nearly leaping out.

Fei Yu's words came back to him.

"Suisui is like you. When he grows up, he will surely be a very, very good person."

"I believe you will be a great father."

He had thought it was just Fei Yu's simple praise for him.

But what if... what if Fei Yu was hinting that Suisui's other biological parent was himself?

Fei Yu was telling him that Suisui was their child!

That's right, his lover was a Catfolk. Was it really that strange for them to be able to have a baby?

After the initial surprise, a wave of self-blame crashed over Song Ji.

If that was really the case—

Then what he had done to Fei Yu was a hundred times more terrible than he had thought!

Fei Yu had been carrying their baby, but when he needed him the most, he wasn't even by his side!

Song Ji felt like his insides were being twisted, aching so badly he couldn't breathe.

Zhou Qian watched his childhood friend's eyes suddenly turn bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead.

He was so shocked he quickly moved in front of Suisui. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's no need to react so strongly. It's okay to let Suisui watch cartoons occasionally."

Song Ji lowered his head and wiped his face, forcing back the bitterness in his eyes.

He crouched in front of Suisui, trying to act normal, but his voice shook uncontrollably.

"Suisui, the Cow Cat Sheriff has assigned a somewhat difficult task this time. Uncle wants to go to Dad and help him."

"Would you like Uncle Zhou to take you to that nice grandma's house from yesterday, and Uncle will come get you tomorrow?"

Suisui had never seen Kind Uncle like this—more heartbroken than when Suisui had nightmares himself.

The kind little male cat also wrinkled his little face, reaching out worriedly, wanting to smooth Uncle's furrowed brow.

He nodded his little head, speaking in a soft, earnest tone, "Baby is willing. Don't be sad, Uncle."

Song Ji, eyes red, looked up at his childhood friend. "Old Zhou…"

Without another word, Zhou Qian thumped his chest, determined. "You go do what you need to do. Leave everything to me. I'll make sure Suisui gets safely to Uncle and Auntie!"

Although he didn't understand why Song Ji suddenly acted like this, as a childhood friend, they still had that kind of unspoken understanding.

Song Ji's eyes were burning. After saying goodbye to Suisui, he rushed straight out.

It was too late to charter a private plane. The earliest direct flights had no business or first-class seats left; only economy seats on a red-eye were available.

Song Ji, nearly 1.9 meters tall, crammed himself awkwardly in economy class, his long legs with no place to stretch.

His sharp suit was all wrinkled from rushing, and he looked completely worn out and haggard, but he had no time to care.

His heart was completely filled with Fei Yu, swelling until it ached so much it hurt.

Suisui looked so much like him. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

How could Fei Yu ever be with someone else? He said he only liked him.

The plane ascended into the clouds, pitch black outside the window.

But Song Ji wasn't the least bit sleepy, wishing he could leap out of the plane and land right beside Fei Yu.

At six in the morning, Yunchuan City was overcast, and it started pouring.

*

Fei Yu and Pang Qiu, still half-asleep, yawned as they rode the elevator down. Both of them had major bags under their eyes.

Their hotel was far from the coffee park, so they had to head out early to beat the traffic.

Walking out of the hotel entrance, Pang Qiu looked up at the pitch-black sky; the rain was so heavy you couldn't even see the building across the street.

The tabby cat opened his umbrella and braced himself as he stepped into the sheet of rain.

Feeling a few raindrops blow under the umbrella, Pang Qiu bristled and shivered, "With rain this heavy, even with an umbrella, we're gonna end up soaking wet cats."

After a few steps, he realized Fei Yu hadn't followed and quickly turned back.

But he saw the Lion Cat standing there, eyes wide, staring blankly outside.

Pang Qiu followed his gaze and saw clearly—someone without an umbrella.

Somehow, Song Ji had shown up in front of their hotel, drenched from head to toe.

His wet black hair was plastered to his forehead and cheeks, rainwater constantly dripping down his jawline.

His clothes were clinging to him, and his pant legs were still dripping. He looked more disheveled than he'd ever been.

But his eyes were amazingly bright, filled with emotions so intense they looked ready to spill over. His burning gaze, through the heavy rain, was locked on Fei Yu.

Author's note: Congrats! Congrats!

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