Chapter 41

Y handed the kitten to him. “Want to hold it?”

Lin Si took a deep breath, still hesitant. Seeing this, Y chuckled. “Even if it bites you, you wouldn’t feel it.”

That made sense. After thinking it through, Lin Si carefully cradled the cat in his arms.

Although the kitten wasn’t as soft as a real one, and Lin Si was essentially holding nothing but air, it was incredibly well-behaved—whether due to programming or some other reason. It rested its front paws on Lin Si’s chest, letting out soft, repeated “meows.”

They boarded the tram and took seats in a quiet corner. Y turned to Lin Si. “Want to name it?”

“…You pick. Everyone says I have bad taste in names,” Lin Si mumbled, trying to interact with the kitten. He extended a finger, watching as it stuck out its tiny tongue and licked him.

“How about Bubble?” Y suggested.

Lin Si repeated it to himself. “Bubble?”

“We met in ‘Bubble’ after all,” Y said.

Lin Si placed the kitten on his lap, gently tugging at its ears, then whispered its new name. “Bubble.”

“Meow~” Bubble shook its little head.

Lin Si giggled. “I have to hand it to the developers of this virtual world—they made such an adorable kitten.”

Leaning back in his seat, Y smiled faintly.

Outside the tram, the wind rustled softly. Lin Si glanced up at the time—it was nearly 1 a.m. He turned to Y and asked, “Is it okay to sleep this late?”

“Tomorrow isn’t too busy,” Y said, rubbing Bubble’s head. Then he turned to Lin Si. “I told you what I wanted to say. Now, do you want to tell me what you wanted to say?”

Lin Si had been having too much fun all night. Grinning, he asked, “What was I supposed to say?”

Outside the tram, the blurred city lights streaked past like speed lines. Y’s voice was low and husky as he asked, “Baby, are we officially dating now?”

Lin Si’s hands froze mid-motion.

That question… it sounded familiar.

Then he remembered—he had asked Y the exact same thing a long time ago.

“Are we?” Lu Wei asked.

Lin Si dodged slightly, turning his face away. He deliberately teased, “I don’t know.”

For a moment, the tram fell into silence. Sensing the shift, Lin Si quickly turned back to look for Y—only to find him crouching in front of him.

Y was kneeling on one knee, leaning forward, gazing at him with utmost seriousness.

The tram arrived at the station. After three beeps, the doors behind them slowly slid open.

“Baby,” Y held both of Lin Si’s hands, visibly unused to saying overly affectionate words, but his voice was sincere, almost reverent. “Come home with me?”

Lin Si gently traced his finger across Y’s palm, then his lips curled into a bright, radiant smile. He whispered, “Yeah, I’ll go home with you.”

“Beep—” One alarm.

“Beep—” Two alarms.

Lin Si, hugging Bubble, urged anxiously, “We’re going to miss the stop—”

Before he could finish, Y scooped him up in his arms and, just as the third alarm sounded, stepped off the tram.

Lin Si’s heart pounded like a drum. A rush of electrifying excitement surged through him, spreading to his cheeks and lips.

At this moment, he wasn’t sure if he was still sitting on his own bed or if he was truly being held in Y’s arms, Bubble included.

“You promised to come home with me.” Y whispered softly at the station.

Lin Si buried his head slightly and gave a small nod.

Y leaned in, pressing their foreheads together—not in jest, but with genuine curiosity. “Are you shy?”

“No way!” Lin Si quickly lifted Bubble between them as a barrier. “I confessed to you first yesterday. Shouldn’t you at least give me an official answer?”

Y gazed at him steadily.

Lin Si peeked out from behind the kitten, breaking free from the darkness of Y’s intense gaze. “You’re not going to answer me?”

The response he got—was Y’s face gradually closing in.

!

Did… did he just get kissed?!

Lin Si froze, blinking in confusion. He asked urgently, “Did you kiss me? Where? I didn’t feel anything! That kind of kiss doesn’t count!”

Y chuckled lightly and was about to answer when Lin Si quickly covered his own mouth. “You’re not allowed to kiss my lips!”

Y paused and asked, “Why not?”

“Next time. The next time we meet in person,” Lin Si said. “A first kiss is precious. I don’t want it to be something I can’t even feel…”

Y lowered his gaze, his hands full, so instead of touching Lin Si’s face, he leaned his forehead against his. “I didn’t kiss your lips. I kissed you here.”

Lin Si reached up, touching his forehead, then slowly moved his fingers forward until they landed on Y’s face.

“Meow~” Bubble let out a soft sound in his arms.

Lin Si’s laughter rang out, brighter than the summer night breeze. “Let’s go home! Hurry!”

The silhouettes of plane trees swayed under the streetlights. The man walking up the steps had a firm and steady figure, yet the way he held the person in his arms was so gentle it could melt anyone’s heart.

“Can Bubble sleep on the bed with us?”

“Not in the middle.”

“It won’t take up much space—”

“No way.”

---

Lin Si woke up to the sun high in the sky. He pulled open the curtains, only to be momentarily blinded by the bright noon sunlight. But in that instant, all the memories of last night rushed back.

He flopped back onto the bed, grabbed his phone, and—sure enough—there was a message from Y: [Good morning.]

Lin Si smiled as he typed back: [Just woke up!]

Y: [What’s the plan for lunch?]

Lin Si scratched his head. Liao Ji had mentioned bringing a script over today, so he’d probably bring lunch as well. He replied: [Someone’s bringing food over.]

The heat of young love burned fiercely. Lin Si didn’t bother with anything else—he just asked directly: [Are you free tonight?]

Y hesitated for half a minute before replying: [I have a meeting. I’ll be home late.]

Lin Si pouted slightly and sent a voice message: “Then I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Y: [I’m not sure how late it’ll be. If it’s too late, just go to sleep early.]

Lin Si: “It’s fine. I’ll go to the virtual world and feed Bubble while I wait.”

Y: [I already fed it this morning. Just go around six in the evening.]

Y: [There’s a quick command function in the app. You don’t have to log in just to water the plants or feed it.]

Lin Si once again admired the developers’ thoughtfulness. They totally deserved to make a fortune.

The doorbell rang. Lin Si checked the time before running to open the door for Liao Ji.

“You didn’t reply all morning—must’ve just woken up.” Liao Ji walked in and placed lunch on the table. “I was about to leave the script at the door and go.”

Lin Si, in an excellent mood, hugged his lunch and cheerfully flattered him, “Come on, I’m not that bad! I’d never leave you hanging.”

“You’re killing me here!” Liao Ji knocked him on the head with the script. “You knew Director Ye gave you the role but didn’t even bother telling me?!”

Lin Si lazily sipped his soup, making a few vague noises to brush it off.

“Lu Wei’s not home, right?” Liao Ji asked.

Lin Si’s hand paused mid-motion. He had been too excited in the morning to even check if Lu Wei was home. Setting down his chopsticks, he ran to knock on Lu Wei’s door.

No response.

“Looks like he went to work. But he’s never stayed home this late before.” Lin Si walked back and noticed a note on the coffee table.

[Got plans tonight. Auntie Li won’t be coming this week. If you don’t feel like cooking, call Duan Yang—he’ll have food delivered to the door]

Lin Si set the note down and sighed dramatically. “Being a CEO isn’t easy. Wakes up earlier than a rooster, sleeps later than a dog—pretty miserable, huh?”

“And how would you know?” Liao Ji asked.

Lin Si rolled his eyes. “I hear his alarm go off at six-thirty every morning. He’s always carrying that briefcase around—if that’s not dedication, what is?”

“Funny, I just heard from employees at Shengshi that Lu Wei has gone from a workaholic to someone who clocks out on time,” Liao Ji said. “They’re betting he must have an Omega at home.”

Lin Si choked on his soup, coughing for a while before finally speaking. “They actually guessed it?”

Liao Ji smacked the side of his head. “What nonsense are you thinking? They obviously weren’t talking about you.”

Lin Si thought about it for a moment. “Lu Wei does come home early, but I’ve never seen him go out to meet an Omega. He’s usually just at home in the evenings.” Remembering that late-night encounter at the front door, he added thoughtfully, “Unless he sneaks out when I’m not paying attention.”

“Just eat your food and stop talking so much,” Liao Ji said, pulling out his laptop and sitting beside him. “Let this situation settle down a bit, and then we’ll arrange an interview. You’ll just say a few words to clarify those photos of you and Bai Fan that got snapped at Shengshi Entertainment.”

“Oh,” Lin Si responded, then asked, “How’s Bai Fan doing now?”

“Remember? You both signed at the same time—you’ve got the same contract.” Liao Ji said. “Eight years, basically selling your soul.”

Lin Si nodded. “So his contract is up this year too?”

“Yeah. That’s why he’s keeping an eye on you. He knows his contract is almost up, and he’s secretly in contact with Li Zhong. He’s either trying to get out of his contract early or waiting for it to expire so he can jump ship to Hangji Entertainment.” Liao Ji continued, “I don’t know what kind of deal Li Zhong offered him, but if he really manages to ride on your popularity this time, to gain attention, he might not even need Li Zhong—he’d blow up all on his own.”

Lin Si opened his ceramic bowl and continued eating slowly, chewing every bite with care.

As he typed, Liao Ji commented, “Sometimes, I really admire you. No matter what happens, you stay this calm. There’s no one else like you in the entertainment industry.”

Lin Si raised an eyebrow. “I do get nervous when things happen.” He sighed. “Lately, I’ve been realizing that I don’t have much talent. If I don’t work hard in this industry, I really don’t have any other way to survive.”

Liao Ji laughed. “Come on, with your face, you could make money anywhere. Worst case, you could always fall back on music production.” He closed his laptop and said seriously, “The company’s cutting ties with Bai Fan now. If you run into him in the future, be careful.”

Lin Si nodded in agreement.

“Stay home for a few days, go over the script, and compose the theme song for ‘Missing You 66’,” Liao Ji instructed as he packed up to leave. “Once you’re back to work, you probably won’t get a break for months. Make the most of your time now, kid.”

Lin Si put the ceramic bowls into the dishwasher, then gathered a few stacks of scripts and locked himself in his room.

It wasn’t until the sky outside darkened and a few bright stars dotted the night sky that he finally stretched, rubbing his stiff neck.

Y hadn’t messaged him back. Lin Si estimated the time and figured Y might not be too busy around dinner, so he sent a message: [What are you up to?]

On the other side of the city, at an extravagant dining table, Lu Wei unlocked his phone and typed a short reply:

[Having dinner out. I’ll try to come home early.]

A teasing voice rang out across the table. “President Lu is such a busy man—still handling work even at a time like this.”

The warmth in Lu Wei’s eyes disappeared instantly. He looked up at the man sitting diagonally across from him.

Zheng Hao. Liu Shenyan’s Alpha.

Someone else at the table, seemingly trying to smooth things over but with an unmistakable undertone of mockery, chuckled. “President Lu is always hard to invite. Zheng always has a way with people—must’ve given you a big enough favor to get you here tonight.”

Among the group, Lu Wei was the youngest. But as he sat there, composed and unfazed, he exuded an authority that far outweighed the bloated, middle-aged men surrounding him.

“The younger generation still needs to learn from experience,” he said coolly.

He tilted the wine glass in his hand slightly, letting the deep red liquid coat the inside. For a moment, Zheng Hao couldn’t quite make out Lu Wei’s expression through the curved reflection of the glass.

“Experience is just polite talk,” someone chimed in with flattery. “It’s the young people driving everything forward now. We’re all relying on your generation. And President Lu, you started young and already have both Shengshi and Shangpin in your hands—your future is limitless!”

Lu Yan didn’t react, but he lifted his glass, prompting the others to follow suit.

Then, someone at the table brought up casually, “Speaking of Shengshi, that little celebrity has been everywhere in the news lately. You must’ve heard of him, President Lu—Lin Si, right?”

Lu Wei’s sharp, narrow eyes slightly narrowed. Without a hint of expression, he set his wine glass down and turned to the speaker. “I don’t manage Shengshi Entertainment directly,” he said, voice steady. “But from the way President Chen puts it, Lin Si must be quite popular.”

The man smirked. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare say. He’s your person—I wouldn’t presume to comment.”

The waiter arrived with a decanter of wine. Lu Wei lifted a hand slightly, signaling him to wait. This time, his voice held a rare fluctuation in tone as he half-lifted his gaze.

“I have a question,” he said. “President Zheng, are you currently single?”

The atmosphere at the table changed instantly. Zheng Hao’s expression darkened. “What do you mean by that, President Lu?”

Lu Yan leaned back slightly, his tone calm but cutting. “I happened to see President Liu and Qin Xiao from Hangji Entertainment getting along quite well at the Binjiang Hotel. They entered a room together. I assumed you and President Liu had already reached a divorce settlement.” He paused slightly, then added, “Looks like I was mistaken.”

A beast unleashed from its cage reveals its claws and fangs, speaking in a dangerous voice: “Sorry.”

---

Author’s Note: Why was this posted so late? … Because my memo got accidentally deleted, and my dumb brain forgot the name of Liu Shenyan’s Alpha. I had no choice but to go back and check every chapter.

Zheng Hao! What an utterly plain and unremarkable name! I’m so mad, so mad, so mad!

T/n: Lol Poor Author 😅 Now let’s what this Zheng Hao dude will do after knowing that he has a lush grassland over his head😏😏🔪🤔😏😏😂 If you want to support me you can buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading 🎈💐🎉