————Flying the Big Plane————

It rained the entire night.

There was also a ruckus in the bedroom that lasted all night long. Commander was running around in the living room, occasionally startled by the sounds coming from the bedroom, with its fur standing on end.

It seemed to hear a cat-like sound.

Tilting its head, it seemed to ask, “Do you have other cats outside?”

After listening for a while,

The little traitor scampered off.

It wasn’t until the early morning light started to peek through, that the noise finally stopped.

Soon after, there was a soft click as the bedroom door opened.

Commander, who had been lurking in some corner, suddenly darted out, but after just a couple of steps, it saw the two-legged beast it disliked the most carrying the two-legged beast it liked the most, heading towards the guest room.

The cat anxiously meowed, but refused to get any closer.

Xiao Zong didn’t pay attention to it—most of the time, Second Young Master Xiao and the cat ignored each other, so the cat didn’t particularly avoid him.

But tonight, as he passed the short-legged cat, Xiao Zong glanced down at it.

That expression… it was like he was showing off.

Xiao Zong carrying Gu Xiao Yin could be described as marching off with his chest puffed up, full of pride, as if, with one turn, he could fan out a tail.

Heaven knows what this two-legged beast was so smug about!

Commander didn’t know if it understood, but in any case, it was visibly displeased, its mouth twisting. 0︿0

“Meow…”

Only the lonely sound of the cat’s meow echoed in the living room.

**

When Gu Yin woke up, it was already the next afternoon. The moment he opened his eyes, he couldn’t even tell north from south.

His vision gradually went from blurry to clear.

The simple yet luxurious interior decor exuded a sense of understated wealth.

Even though Gu Yin hadn’t figured out the situation yet, his brain instinctively responded with a thought—expensive.

• Who am I?

• Where am I?

• Do I still have training today?

His whole body ached as if he had been through a grueling special training session and his bones had been scattered.

It took him a while to regain his senses.

He reached out to touch the back of his neck; it stung a little.

As he moved, the furry thing in his arms also stirred.

… Commander?

Gu Yin was completely confused.

What had he done to the cat last night?

No, what had the cat done to him?

“…” Gu Yin stared speechlessly at the Napoleon short-legged cat that had clearly overdosed on catnip. Finally, in a hoarse voice, he weakly called out, “Ge—”

His voice was extremely raspy, but Xiao Zong, working in the adjacent room, still heard it.

Xiao Zong had woken up on time today, in great spirits. He had even just finished his second video conference with headquarters before Gu Yin woke up.

The omega had voluntarily administered a suppressant, but the passive heat of the alpha made it impossible for him to control himself, leaving Gu Yin thoroughly subdued. By morning, Xiao Zong was back in his neat attire, once again the refined and cultured CEO.

Xiao Zong had received all sorts of expensive gifts throughout his life. Ever since his birth, Henghua’s top management had always prepared gifts for his birthdays. Even during the few years he had run away from home, after his return, some subordinates had made up for all the missed gifts in one go, nearly bankrupting themselves in the process.

He had a habit similar to that of Old Master Xiao: all gift lists were handed over to the assistant to be cataloged, and most of the impractical items were converted to investments handled by an asset management company.

Of course, some people had tried more creative ways to win his favor, such as the bedclimbing routines Gu Xiao Yin had tried. He wasn’t the first; someone around Fu Xiaotong’s age, also charming and soft-bodied, had been washed, cleaned, and delivered with a hotel key card to Xiao Zong’s bed by a business partner.

She was coldly thrown out by President Xiao, though, and Wei Mian, who had been sleeping in the adjacent suite, had woken up with a start to clean up the mess in the middle of the night.

After that, no one dared to try it again. If it weren’t for Second Young Master’s infamous playboy reputation, people might have started questioning Xiao Zong’s preferences.

Gu Yin didn’t know any of this, and was still proud of his decision to climb the balcony.

Xiao Zong found it amusing and thought, maybe it really was the right move.

I like the kind that can climb balconies.

Over the course of the night, Gu Xiao Yin had ripened from a young, green fruit into one that was fully ripe, sweet and juicy, completely devoured from the inside out.

It was earlier than Xiao Zong had planned, but he was happy about it. His body and mind were fully satisfied.

Gu Yin, his voice hoarse, asked, “Why is the cat here?”

Second Young Master Xiao never let the cat into the bedroom, but with how much Commander disliked him, even with the door wide open, the cat would refuse to enter.

Xiao Zong poured a cup of warm water but didn’t hand it to Gu Yin. An alpha’s possessiveness peaks after a full marking. He held his omega with one arm, the other hand holding the cup, allowing Gu Yin to drink from it.

“I had business this morning, so I let the cat accompany you.”

Without a doubt, those simple eight words would add yet another stroke to Commander’s life-long humiliation.

Gu Yin was no stranger to the love-hate relationship between the cat and Xiao Zong.

The first time he saw Commander snap out of a catnip-induced daze, Xiao Zong was heartlessly teasing it. Without a word, Commander had immediately bared its teeth.

Gu Yin had been so startled that he rushed over to pull Xiao Zong’s hand out, and only then did he realize there wasn’t a single scratch on it.

Commander had only made a show of it, tail fluffed up, before hopping away.

That was back when they were still at Lu Ming Mountain Villa, before their relationship had been confirmed. Xiao Zong had snorted at Gu Yin’s panicked expression, “It doesn’t have the guts.”

The spoiled and pampered cat had never truly bitten Xiao Zong, despite its fierce front.

Xiao Zong urged Gu Yin to drink more water, but Gu Yin shook his head, indicating he didn’t want any more. “Did you eat?”

“I did,” Xiao Zong replied. “The housekeeper came by this morning.”

The housekeeper had cleaned up the bedroom, which was in no state to be slept in, and had made lunch for Xiao Zong before returning to Lu Ming Mountain.

Xiao Zong couldn’t help but think back to Gu Xiao Yin crying himself hoarse, rubbing his temples to keep from reigniting the flames.

An alpha’s passive heat could last for seven days before naturally subsiding, but with the fast pace of Federal society, who could afford to spend seven days on this? An alpha would need 84 days of heat leave a year, and with other holidays, a third of the year would be gone. How would anyone compete?

Besides, once the seven days passed, Gu Yin wouldn’t be able to prepare for his second exam or his school interview. In the end, it was Xiao Zong who regained his composure first, injecting himself with a strong suppressant to break out of the passive heat.

Want to indulge, but can’t handle more than a couple of rounds—that’s Gu Xiao Yin in a nutshell.

Rules had to be set!

As Xiao Zong was thinking about how to establish his authority as a husband, Gu Yin shifted, causing the blanket to slide down and reveal his body covered in marks.

Xiao Zong inhaled sharply.

Last night, that smooth, fair skin had been unblemished. This omega had been pampered, without a single scar.

He really should’ve been gentler.

Gu Yin, seemingly embarrassed by how much he’d cried, weakly shrank back under the covers. “You… were really rough…”

Xiao Zong: …

Forget it. Seeing how pitiful he looked, the authority could be asserted another day.

An alpha, once satisfied, usually has a good temper. Second Young Master Xiao was in such a good mood that the words “gentle and refined” seemed to fit him perfectly.

He didn’t hold it against his little secretary for turning the tables on him, nor did he mock his delicate nature. He merely gave a light “hmph.”

Gu Yin, clingy as ever, even though he was a bit weak, insisted on getting out of bed to accompany Xiao Zong to work, not willing to leave his side for a moment. This was a common reaction for an omega who had just completed a full marking; it would take a couple of days for him to adjust.

This was also why the Federal government allowed for two weeks of marriage leave.

Call it unavoidable.

But only A-O pairs got such long leave; the other combinations were stuck with just three miserable days.

Gu Yin had recovered quickly, considering he had undergone five years of inhuman training intensity, making him much stronger than the average omega.

However, it seemed that Xiao Zong had been making up for lost time, and despite his scholarly appearance, he had brought his workaholic habits to bed, completely overindulging.

Xiao Zong wasn’t much of a talker, sticking to phrases like “don’t be afraid” and “don’t cry,” the quintessential hands-on businessman, the number one workaholic CEO.

So all those soups that had been simmered for him recently? Last night, they had flowed as tears on the bed.

**

The rain outside lasted for several days. Given the current instability, Xiao Zong decided to stay indoors with Gu Yin, not stepping foot outside.

Not only were Xiao Family bodyguards nearby, but there were also undercover police monitoring 24/7, although they remained in plainclothes to avoid causing alarm.

Whether or not Xiao Zong needed police protection, there were other residents in the building to consider. It was far better for these two treasures to stay home than to wander around outside.

Maybe Shen Yuan would think the task was too difficult and give up?

Giving up wasn’t going to happen.

Xiao Zong had received information about Shen Yuan, the mastermind behind the Fu Hua Hotel kidnapping case, from Officer Lu.

Shen Yuan was a mixed-blood from the H-A region, raised in country A. He registered as an alpha at the age of 15 and enrolled in the air, land, and naval academy of country A.

This was the official data before Shen Yuan went rogue.

It’s unclear what happened at the academy, but he dropped out and ventured into the Golden Triangle, forming his own mercenary group that dealt in assassinations and other illicit activities. At some point, he was recruited by the “UNNAMED” organization—police only confirmed his involvement after Xiao Zong’s kidnapping.

Despite Sky Eye Satellite’s surveillance capabilities, camouflage technology had also advanced, making reconnaissance and capture more challenging. Even special forces used high-tech methods to hide their identities during missions.

Interstellar travel was regulated by the Federal government, and Shen Yuan’s ability to move between planets indicated he was either highly skilled in disguise or had government insiders assisting him.

But there was no hard evidence for any of this. The privileged classes resided on Colony Star No. 2, and most of the citizens on the main star were unfamiliar with the Federal government beyond its lofty status.

The people didn’t challenge the government unless they had concrete evidence. Without Shen Yuan’s capture and confession, it wouldn’t be easy for Xiao Zong to confront Colony Star No. 2.

But he knew he couldn’t rush things. Right now, the one truly pressed for time was Shen Yuan. He and his men were trapped on the main star, and after falling out with the Federal government, they had lost the means to escape the planet. The government was surely investigating him in secret, and the police had already issued a clear wanted notice across all districts.

The main star was fraught with danger, like a hot stove, and these people were ants crawling on it.

Xiao Zong was waiting for Shen Yuan to come looking for him again.

But before that, he could enjoy a stay-at-home honeymoon with his little secretary.

Gu Xiao Yin, who used to sometimes seem a bit clueless like a naive omega, now exuded a calm and soft aura after the full marking.

Xiao Zong was quite pleased. His little secretary had finally grown up.

He had successfully broken Gu Yin of his strange health-conscious habits, no longer having to worry about being fed things like five-black turtle soup.

Second Young Master Xiao was, in short, feeling quite pleased with himself these days.

Even when Commander woke up that day and spent half an hour angrily arguing with him, Xiao Zong magnanimously didn’t lock it back in its little room.

After finishing a confidential meeting with the tech department, Xiao Zong walked out of the study.

His penthouse apartment was a duplex with a sky garden-style balcony. The overall decor featured a simple black, white, and warm brown color scheme. The lighting was excellent during the day, and at night, the soft lighting was perfect for, well, more intimate activities.

Aside from studying and working, Gu Yin had taken to lounging on the sofa playing with his phone lately. When he saw Xiao Zong come out, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly called out, “Come over here, I want to show you something.”

His little secretary had grown bolder recently, likely spoiled by Xiao Zong. Xiao Zong sat down beside him, and Gu Yin immediately snuggled into his arms, holding the phone up to Xiao Zong’s face.

Xiao Zong glanced at the screen—it was StarNet’s largest open social platform.

The recent public uproar had mostly been stirred up on this platform. The situation had since calmed down, with the Federal government issuing an announcement yesterday about cracking down on the “UNNAMED” interstellar terrorist organization. H-country police had also released the death toll from the Fu Hua Hotel attack, promising the public a proper explanation.

StarNet’s trending topics system was based on traffic. Under one major tag, there could be countless smaller ones. Only when a tag’s daily traffic reached a certain threshold could it apply to become a trending topic. Xiao Zong didn’t keep track of the exact numbers, probably something Assistant Fang would know.

Fang Chi was always bouncing around on this platform. Despite being just another watermelon in the melon field, he always had the rebellious heart of a fox in the henhouse.

Most traffic-driven celebrities had three to five main tags, which was normal. Studios often managed these tags, keeping them clean and orderly.

StarNet was a Federal-wide platform. Besides official accounts and entertainment stars, there were also high-profile tycoons or eccentric rich heirs who posted content to show off. Over time, the public’s interest in rich families grew.

Their interest was rather rebellious, though: they weren’t into what was officially shared; they loved the “truth” dug up by StarNet detectives.

And the Xiao family, with its plentiful and attractive “melons,” had naturally gained several trending tags on the platform.

Since no one managed these tags directly, Henghua Group’s PR department couldn’t interfere in the Xiao family’s personal matters, resulting in a wide variety of content under those tags.

The biggest tag, without a doubt, was #ObscenelyRich#, which had all kinds of content, including but not limited to family dramas, stories of illegitimate children, brotherly betrayals, summaries of Henghua’s latest scientific achievements, military marriage happiness surveys, the group’s annual report disclosures, the tyrant and his canary, the Xiao family’s underwear size rankings…

Wait, what the heck are those last two?!

Xiao Zong immediately issued a warning to the PR department: from now on, no such content was allowed on the platform!

The PR department was equally frustrated—they couldn’t control the public’s imagination. People were simply curious about this stuff. They had already deleted it a few times, but the tag kept resurfacing.

Fortunately, none of the Xiao family were active online, and Fang Chi, the instigator, had even gone and voted for himself.

Seeing the situation, the PR department gave up—if the melons are getting involved themselves, what can we do? So they left it alone.

That’s how Xiao Zong stumbled upon it, and the PR department ended up getting a scolding for no reason.

“Don’t waste your time looking at this nonsense online,” Xiao Zong said, holding Gu Yin. “It’s all made-up.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Gu Yin hadn’t gotten that far into the tag yet. Aside from #ObscenelyRich# There were several other major tags.

For instance, #Mommy’sGoodBoy#, a rather confusing name that turned out to be Commander’s dedicated tag.

Tag manager: Occasionally Truthful Xiao Fang.

Xiao Zong: …

When did it change from “Man’s Inferior to Cat” to this?

What Gu Yin wanted to show Xiao Zong was actually a small tag he had created under one of the major tags, using a new account with no profile picture. The tag was still pending approval and was called #TheKnightAndThePrincess#.

Seeing the words, Xiao “I-know-I’m-the-knight” Zong kissed his delicate “princess” and said indulgently, “Want me to join in on your act?”

Gu Yin shook his head. “Just made it for fun.”

He couldn’t really post about the Xiao family’s matters, and the small tag wouldn’t get much traffic anyway. Once approved, it would probably fade into obscurity.

At least… that’s what he thought.