Part 2
Once their bond grew too deep and Zong Hao realized Xiaomiao was his own flesh and blood, wouldn’t he try to snatch the little guy away?
The more Ning Yunyi thought about it, the angrier he became. Especially considering how the two had grown closer over the past few days and how he had proactively given them chances to bond. The low pressure around Ning Yunyi dropped even further. No, Xiaomiao was his cub. No one could take him.
Even an ally like Zong Hao wouldn’t do. No, he wasn’t an ally anymore—he was a potential rival who might steal his child.
Ning Yunyi carried the boy back to his room and took out a silk ball from his spatial storage. It was more exquisite and beautiful than a vine ball—the kind used in lion dances.
It had a large bell inside, and the outside was woven from embroidered ribbons. It was very striking.
As soon as Xiaomiao saw it, he loved it. He hugged it, making it jingle as he refused to let go. He leaned in and gave Ning Yunyi a smack of a kiss on the cheek. “Father, I love this gift! Father is the best!”
Ning Yunyi hugged the little guy back and kissed him, coaxing, “Then, between Father and the Big Cat, who does Xiaomiao like more?”
The little guy didn’t hesitate. “Father, of course!”
Mao-Mao was Mao-Mao; he could be replaced. But there was only one Father, and he was his favorite.
Ning Yunyi felt much better, but he still wasn’t at ease. “Then what if the Big Cat insists on taking you away from Father?”
Ning Xiaomiao hugged the silk ball warily. “Father… do you… do you not want Xiaomiao anymore? Xiaomiao can eat one less bowl of rice. Please don’t throw Xiaomiao away…”
Ning Yunyi immediately pulled the little guy into his arms to comfort him. “How could that be? Even if Father didn’t want the Big Cat, I would never not want Xiaomiao. I was just asking. Look at how worried you got.”
“Really?” The little cub had clearly been frightened. Afraid his father would abandon him, his small hands gripped Ning Yunyi’s neck tightly.
Ning Yunyi made a solemn promise and took the opportunity to say, “Actually, it’s like this: the Big Cat has to leave home for a while. Father was worried Xiaomiao wouldn’t be able to let go, so I asked. So, does Xiaomiao want to follow the Big Cat for a while, or stay home to accompany Father?”
With the previous scare, the cub immediately held on even tighter, shaking his little head vigorously. “No, no! Xiaomiao wants to stay here with Father. Let Mao-Mao go by himself!”
Ning Yunyi: “What about a goodbye? Does Xiaomiao want to say goodbye to the Big Cat?”
Afraid that his father would actually let Mao-Mao take him away for a while, the little cub shook his head repeatedly. “It’s not like Mao-Mao isn’t coming back. Can I not say goodbye?”
What if Father changed his mind? Wu-wu, so scary. He only wanted Father.
Only then did Ning Yunyi say with feigned regret, “In that case, we’ll do as Xiaomiao says. I’ll say goodbye to the Big Cat for you. You stay in the room alone, and Father will come back as soon as I send the Big Cat away, okay?”
The little guy agreed repeatedly and even hugged his silk ball to urge his father along.
Under Xiaomiao’s expectant gaze, Ning Yunyi walked out of the room. He then slowly made his way upstairs, his mood quite improved. Regardless of the current bond between Zong Hao and the little guy, he wouldn’t be allowed to snatch his child away.
Ning Yunyi had originally intended to let Zong Hao say goodbye to Xiaomiao himself. This final meeting… it was better if it didn’t happen.
It would be best if Zong Hao didn’t see him at all from now on. What if he suddenly had a stroke of insight and noticed the clues?
Ning Yunyi suppressed all his emotions and returned to the study. He raised his hand and knocked. Hearing the door open, he stood there without moving.
Zong Hao opened the door, having already reverted to human form. He was wearing a suit, his features as calm as usual. His eyes fell on Ning Yunyi’s face, then drifted downward, confused. “Where is the cub?”
Wasn’t he supposed to tell the cub himself that he was leaving for a while to keep the little guy from being sad?
Ning Yunyi gave a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I didn’t expect Marshal Zong’s recovery to take so long. The cub got sleepy. So, I told him myself. And guess what? The cub wasn’t sad at all. So, Marshal Zong doesn’t need to worry. You might as well just leave now.”
Zong Hao was completely stunned. Leave now? Hadn’t they agreed he could stay for a few more days? And the cub… just let him go like that?
Ning Yunyi crossed his arms, watching him quietly.
Zong Hao felt inexplicably uncomfortable under his gaze. He felt that although Ning Yunyi’s words were calm, there was something strange about them.
The words were fine, so why did they sound so sarcastic?
It must be a misconception. Ning Yunyi was so good to him; how could he be intentionally sniping at him?
It must be because the cub was young and truly thought it was just a short separation, so he wasn’t sad. As for letting him leave now, perhaps it was for fear the cub would change his mind and become sad later. So, it was better to send him off now.
He definitely wasn’t being kicked out… right? But…
Zong Hao hadn’t expected to leave immediately. For a moment, he was reluctant to leave Ning Yunyi and the cub. “Do I have to go now? I haven’t packed my things.”
Ning Yunyi scanned him from head to toe. “Pack what? You’re wearing that suit. Lord Ichi will surely have everything prepared for you. After all, you are… Marshal Zong.”
Zong Hao blinked blankly. There was that feeling again. Was he… really not being mocked?
In the end, Ning Yunyi truly didn’t let him see the cub one last time. He slapped an Invisibility Talisman on him and ruthlessly pushed him out of the Ning house. He didn’t even let him use the front door; he was made to crawl out through a gap in the protective wall netting.
Perhaps sensing his reluctance, when he stood on top of the wall, Ning Yunyi kindly gave him a shove, leaving only one sentence: “Next time there’s something, have Lord Ichi contact me directly. Don’t come here if there’s nothing important. It wouldn’t be good if you aroused suspicion.”
Having said that, he turned and left before Zong Hao could even find his footing. It took Zong Hao a long time to react. Was he… really not being kicked out?
Soon, Zong Hao felt he was overthinking. He walked a short distance from the Ning house, weaving through several alleys. By then, he had removed the Invisibility Talisman and was wearing a mask to hide his face.
Emerging from an alley, he saw Ichi’s starship parked not far away. The familiar starship logo was unmistakable. He quickly approached and knocked on the door using a signal of three long and three short taps. Once inside, Ichi said with surprise, “Mr. Bai truly didn’t lie to me. Marshal, why did you go to the Ning house?”
And the Marshal had said he had nothing to do with Mr. Bai?
Zong Hao’s heart was full of complex emotions. “He was the one who told you to pick me up?”
Ichi: “Who else?”
Zong Hao felt relieved. It seemed he had been overthinking. Ning Yunyi cared so much about him; how could he just throw him out?
He must have been reluctant to face the parting scene as well, so he used that attitude to dull the pain of leaving.
The more Zong Hao thought about it, the more moved he became. He felt bad for doubting Ning Yunyi. So what if he kicked him a little before he left? It was surely a deliberate act to ease the mood under the shadow of sadness.
As Ichi piloted the starship toward the Zong residence, he couldn’t help but steal glances at the Marshal through the rearview mirror. After a moment of hesitation, he finally asked, “Marshal, has your… mental riot improved?”
Because Lady Zong’s identity was special, the fewer people who knew, the better. Thus, Ichi didn’t know that the Big Cat who had acted with Mr. Bai earlier was actually Marshal Zong, nor did he know that the rabbit they had brought back was Lady Zong. He only thought that Mr. Bai’s mission was to rescue this shifter rabbit.
Seeing the Marshal now, he was worried about what would happen if he returned like this. If a mental riot occurred and he didn’t have the energy crystals provided by Mr. Bai, what would he do?
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