Part 2
This time, because Mu Jiayi accidentally mentioned using reverse-healing to destroy a memory, Ning Yunyi’s attempt to restore that specific memory had inadvertently broken the seal placed by the Heavenly Way on his entire history.
Ning Yunyi stared blankly at a spot in the study, his heart full of complex emotions.
Since transmigrating back, he had always thought the original host was dead. That was why he felt such immense resentment and anger toward those who had harmed him. After all, the original host was the cub’s true father. Even though he knew Zong Hao was also an innocent victim of a frame-up, he felt that if the Crown Prince hadn’t targeted Zong Hao to seize the Zong family, Mu Jiayi would never have dragged the original host into the scheme.
He had vented his anger on Zong Hao because, in his mind, Zong Hao never knew that the original host had died and the cub had lost his biological father because of him.
In a place Zong Hao didn’t know, a life had simply ended.
But in reality… he was the original host? That meant no one had died. In that case, Zong Hao was once again placed in the category of a purely innocent victim. Their night together had been an absolute accident.
There was no longer the shadow of a “dead original host” between him and Zong Hao. They were both just victims.
Thinking about how he had treated Zong Hao lately—especially that kick he gave him when he drove him out—Ning Yunyi felt inexplicably guilty.
Realizing he was the original host changed his state of mind instantly. Through their time together, his father-son bond with the cub had deepened. Most importantly, Big Brother Ning, Professor Ning, and Mother Ning hadn’t noticed anything wrong and treated him as their true son or younger brother. He hadn’t realized it, but he had actually been very anxious and worried.
He feared that one day, if they found out the truth—that he had merely occupied the original host’s body and become the cub’s father and their child—what would they think?
How would he face them?
Back then, as far as he knew, the original host was indeed dead and gone. All these suppressed emotions had piled up, and Zong Hao had simply happened to be in the line of fire.
But now… he was the original host. No wonder the cub didn’t feel like anything was wrong after his “father” woke up. No wonder Big Brother Ning and the others never suspected a thing after reuniting with him.
Other than thinking his personality had changed due to the trauma he endured while away, the reason they believed in him… was because his small habits and way of life hadn’t changed at all.
That must have been why they never doubted him, right?
Unfortunately, Ning Yunyi had never considered this possibility and never dared to ask. After all, such a topic was impossible to bring up.
Downstairs, Zong Hao and the cub were playing cat’s cradle together. After waiting a long time for Ning Yunyi to come down, the little guy finally tucked the string away carefully. He stood before the Big Cat and looked up at the second floor with worry. “Mao-Mao, why hasn’t Father come down yet? Did Father forget the time while practicing?”
Zong Hao looked at the sky outside and began to worry as well. He stood up, shook out his flattened fur, and took the lead in walking upstairs.
The cub followed closely behind him. “We’ll just take a peek, okay? We can’t disturb Father’s cultivation. Father said you have to be fully focused when cultivating…”
The little guy was currently at a bottleneck in his practice. His father said that once he succeeded, he would improve rapidly. He was very excited and wanted to teach the cat; after all, they were the best of playmates.
Zong Hao nodded his head as he led the cub toward the study. When they were a few steps from the door, he crouched down and didn’t go any further. The cub was Ning Yunyi’s child and could go in at any time, but Ning Yunyi had already judged him to be an outsider. He couldn’t go poking into people’s privacy. He could only let the little guy go see for himself and call Ning Yunyi.
Otherwise, what if Ning Yunyi got angry and kicked him out again? It had taken everything he had to successfully stay here for a while, and he had only earned it by playing cat’s cradle for so long that his paws were cramping.
He couldn’t lose this.
The cub pressed his two small hands together and walked forward. At the study door, he tightened his chubby little fist and knocked. “Father, it’s Xiaomiao. I’m coming in!”
He listened. It was quiet inside. He wasn’t sure if his father was still in there, which made him very curious. Just as he was thinking about whether to knock again, the study door opened from the inside, and a figure leaned down with his back to the cub.
The cub looked up. He couldn’t see his father’s face clearly, but he could feel his father looking at him. This made him very happy, and he opened his small arms. “Father, hug!”
Ning Yunyi crouched down and, as expected, opened his arms to pull the little guy into a tight embrace. He held him closely, resting his forehead against the top of the boy’s head. His eyes were closed, and at that moment, he felt a sense of peace he had never known before. It was as if holding this little guy meant he possessed the entire world.
At this very moment, Ning Yunyi finally felt a sense of belonging. He no longer felt like an outsider drifting through the galaxy. This was where he had been born and raised, and the cub was the child he had personally given birth to. Even if he had been shocked when he first learned of the child’s existence, he had later watched the boy grow day by day in his belly. He had taken care of him personally, watching him go from an infant to a little dumpling, and then to a toddler who wobbled toward him with a smile.
And later, the boy would hug his leg and show his little milk teeth. Even when he couldn’t speak, his heart and eyes were full of him.
This was his favorite cub, his heart and soul.
At first, the cub didn’t notice anything as he was held. But suddenly, as he was hugged tightly, he felt an unprecedented closeness and tenderness from his father. His little face turned red. Father is getting more and more clingy to Xiaomiao! He truly was his father’s most, most, most important cub.
As if to prove his point, Ning Yunyi finally let go of the cub. He held the small head and couldn’t help but give him several big smacks of kisses, making the little guy’s face turn even redder. The boy also gave Ning Yunyi two “aw-woo” kisses in return. Then, he bumped his small head against Ning Yunyi’s chest and gripped his father’s clothes tightly, nuzzling like a little puppy.
Ning Yunyi swept the little guy up in his arms and gave him another kiss. “Why is Xiaomiao so good today? Do you want a reward? How about I make you a little cake later? What flavor do you want? We can do a split one. Strawberry? Mango? Or should we add some yellow peach bits?”
The cub’s eyes sparkled. “Can I really eat all of those?”
Ning Yunyi tossed the little guy up and caught him securely, laughing. “You won’t eat anything else? We’ll try them all, but just a little bit. You can have more tomorrow.”
The cub immediately clapped his hands, his excited face turning even redder. He was thrilled.
Ning Yunyi was about to carry him downstairs when a massive object blocked his path. He looked down and met the dazed, envious eyes of the Big Cat. “You…” Why are you here?
Ning Yunyi hadn’t expected to see Zong Hao so soon. His feelings of guilt and shame hadn’t completely vanished yet, making him feel a bit awkward.
Zong Hao’s heart was full of complex emotions. I’ve been here since the beginning, okay? Did you two forget about me completely? But he had to admit, seeing the father and son so close—especially seeing Ning Yunyi kissing the cub’s face and forehead like that—he was envious.
He had always been distant from his own father. It wasn’t that his father didn’t love him, but that was just his father’s personality. Thus, he was the same way.
Before meeting Ning Yunyi and the little guy, he never knew a child could act so spoiled with his father, or that emotions could be expressed so directly. He was different; he rarely even saw his father. Coupled with his special identity, he could only hide away alone. So, he had thought he was indifferent and uncaring toward everything—that these things were external to him.
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