Chapter 38 – Confrontation
They went to the community pet hospital. After nearly an hour and a half of treatment, a clean little white kitten was brought out, its paw neatly bandaged. After the treatment, it was much more energetic than when they had first found it. Upon seeing Xiao Fang, it started meowing.
Xiao Fang’s heart nearly melted. He reached out to hold it, but a larger, stronger hand intercepted it. “You can’t get tired. I’ll hold it for now. You go pick out some supplies for the kitten.”
Fei Xiangnan’s meaning was clear—he was agreeing to keep it. Xiao Fang looked at him in surprise. Had Fei Xiangnan just agreed to let this stray kitten into their home? He thought it would take a long discussion.
“President Fei, you just agreed like that? Will it be an inconvenience for you? If it’s not okay, I’ll send it to a rescue shelter.” Xiao Fang was someone who didn’t like to trouble others, and that included Fei Xiangnan, the person he was most familiar with in this world.
“Seeing how much you like this cat, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to stay at home if I sent it to a shelter. We can more than afford to raise one cat in our house.” Fei Xiangnan really disliked it when Xiao Fang was so polite with him. He would rather the man be endlessly willful with him than speak to him with the tone of an outsider. He was suddenly finding it hard to stick to his “take it slow” approach. The person he liked was right in front of him, and he had to keep holding back.
Xiao Fang smiled sheepishly. He looked at the kitten in Fei Xiangnan’s arms and bent down to gently tap its little head with his finger.
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
The receptionist immediately answered, “It’s a little boy.” Watching this high-value couple, her heart had long since exploded into fireworks, the shipping flag in her mind raised high.
“Hehe, then he’ll have to get his balls snipped in the future.” Xiao Fang let out a mischievous laugh. Having watched countless cat videos, he was already experienced.
“Meow~” The kitten let out an innocent meow, completely unaware of the terrifying fate that awaited it.
Fei Xiangnan tapped him on the head. “Mind your image. Go pick out a cat cage first.”
“Oh, oh.” Xiao Fang obediently trotted over to the product section to look around.
The pet hospital also operated as a pet supply store, with a dazzling array of products for every need. The only drawback was that it was expensive. But for Fei Xiangnan, this was nothing. With President Fei around, there was no chance for Xiao Fang to even take out his wallet.
Xiao Fang chose a soft, white cat bed, a pink cat tree that doubled as a cat condo—since kittens liked high places—a litter box, cat food bowls, cat food, goat milk powder, treats, and catnip. He looked at his selections with satisfaction and turned to give his beloved cat another kiss.
“Meow~” the kitten called out obediently.
Fei Xiangnan’s face instantly darkened. A kitten that had just appeared out of nowhere was already competing with him for affection. How was he going to survive the days to come?
After they had picked out most of what they needed, Fei Xiangnan arranged with the pet store to have everything delivered that afternoon. By the time they were done, it was almost two o’clock. Just as Xiao Fang was about to head home with Fei Xiangnan to prepare lunch, the young lady at the counter called out to him. She was no longer alone; a young female veterinarian had come out of the office and was looking at Xiao Fang with an excited expression.
“Are there any other precautions we should know about?” Xiao Fang asked politely. His humble attitude seemed to make the two girls even more excited.
Fei Xiangnan understood what was happening at a glance. In the world of the internet, news traveled at an unimaginable speed.
“No, no, it’s not about that! Are you Xiao Fang, the lead actor from Dynasty? Could you sign an autograph for us? We saw the trailer and are really looking forward to your work~” the girl asked excitedly, pulling out a small pink notebook from behind her back.
Only then did it hit Xiao Fang that he was no longer an unknown celebrity who could walk freely on the streets. He showed a somewhat troubled expression and glanced at Fei Xiangnan.
The girls knew what was up immediately. Working in a neighborhood for the rich and powerful, they knew more than others. Keeping secrets was part of their professional code of conduct.
“We understand! We absolutely won’t tell anyone!” the girl swore, holding up three fingers solemnly.
“Go on,” Fei Xiangnan coaxed gently.
Fei Xiangnan’s voice had a magical quality that gave Xiao Fang a great sense of security. He immediately walked over, took the pen, and signed his elegant name on the white paper.
“Wow~ your handwriting is so beautiful.” It wasn’t the usual stylized signature but Xiao Fang’s everyday semi-cursive script, which looked elegant and graceful. It was a signature he only wrote when he had ample time.
“Thank you for supporting my work.” When Xiao Fang was being gentle, he was devastatingly handsome. The two girls nodded in satisfaction, their starry eyes watching as Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan left.
“OMG, they have so much chemistry! Xiao Fang is so gentle in person! Ahhhh~”
***
With the addition of a new family member, Xiao Fang no longer had to worry about being bored when he was alone. He had thought of a name for the kitten early on.
“Nuomici, come here~” The sun on the rooftop was comfortably warm. Xiao Fang lay lazily on the lounge chair, the detective novel he was finally halfway through closed once again.
“Meow~” Hearing his voice, Nuomici immediately stood up from his cat bed nearby, jumped onto Xiao Fang’s lap, and finally curled up on his round belly.
The little thing’s movements tickled Xiao Fang, and he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He reached out, gathered him in his arms, and began to pet him expertly. Nuomici purred contentedly under Xiao Fang’s touch.
At first, Xiao Fang was a little worried about letting a small kitten on the roof, but Nuomici, despite being a boy, was much better behaved than any little girl. When he wasn’t being called, he could play with his little ball in his cat bed all day, as well-behaved as a little princess.
As Xiao Fang approached his fifth month of pregnancy, his belly had grown to a considerable size, and he found himself getting lazier, not wanting to move if he didn’t have to.
“Nuomici, Daddy’s going to give birth soon. Do you want a little brother or a little sister?” Xiao Fang lifted Nuomici and swayed him back and forth.
“Meow~” Nuomici let out a soft cry, instantly melting Xiao Fang’s heart. He leaned in and gave Nuomici a big kiss.
“Daddy feels the same way. A little brother or a little sister, either is fine~”
“Meow~” Nuomici raised a front paw and instinctively pushed against his dad’s approaching mouth.
Buzz, buzz, buzz! The phone on the table next to him suddenly rang. Xiao Fang put Nuomici down, letting him roll around on his lap.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Xiao Fang. I think you should come back for a visit.” On the other end of the line was Xiao Qi’s voice, laced with suppressed anger.
Xiao Fang’s expression immediately turned grave. “What did you do?”
“Hmph, it shouldn’t be about what I did, but what you did. Dad and I are at home. I think you owe us an explanation. Be here before three o’clock.” The call ended there.
Xiao Fang put down his phone, his face frighteningly grim.
“Meow~” Nuomici had never seen his dad like this before and let out a frightened cry, the fur on his body standing on end.
Realizing he had scared his master, Xiao Fang stood up and picked him up, saying softly, “Nuomici, go take a nap. Daddy has to go out for a bit.”
“Meow~” Nuomici considerately placed his paws on Xiao Fang’s shoulder. Xiao Fang picked up Nuomici’s cat bed with one hand and headed downstairs. He closed the glass door leading to the rooftop, settled Nuomici down, and changed into a simple short-sleeved shirt and specially-made pants. After a moment’s hesitation, he sent a message to Fei Xiangnan.
I’m going home today. President Fei, you can just heat up the food in the fridge for dinner tonight. I’ll be back before ten.
He didn’t explain the reason. Xiao Fang didn’t want to solve this matter alone.
It was about a forty-minute drive from Fei Xiangnan’s house to the Xiao family residence. When he saw the small, both strange and familiar villa, Xiao Fang walked in without a moment’s hesitation.
“Ding-dong.” The person who opened the door was Auntie Zhang, who had worked for him for nearly ten years and had always been good to him.
Auntie Zhang didn’t look well. She glanced worriedly inside. “Xiao Fang, your dad is in a bad mood. When you go in, speak nicely and don’t argue. It will only make things worse.”
Auntie Zhang probably knew a little about what was going on. She didn’t understand the complicated affairs of the rich, only wishing for the family to live in peace and harmony.
Xiao Fang patted Auntie Zhang’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring look, then changed his shoes and walked in.
In the middle of the sofa sat his furious father, and beside him sat Xiao Qi, who looked at him with an expression of deep disappointment.
So they were starting to plot against him? He thought to himself that he had done more than enough for Xiao Qi. He had saved Yan Yunyang’s company and gotten rid of his only love rival. He hadn’t caused him any trouble since and had complied with his every wish. And this was how he was repaid, being treated like a pushover.
Father Xiao’s eyes immediately fell on Xiao Fang’s protruding belly, and his face grew even darker. “Do you even consider me your father, Xiao Fang?”
Xiao Fang took a deep breath. “You have always been my father. This matter, I feel I can handle it myself.”
“Heh, handle it yourself? Is your way of handling things to seduce Fei Xiangnan and use his child to gain benefits? Was the money Dad gave you not enough? It was one thing to play around with those roles, but what happened? You’re clearly not cut out for it, yet you insist on fighting for that piece of land! Who is Fei Xiangnan? Is he someone you can afford to play with? As a third-gender person yourself, you should know about propriety and shame. Using your own pregnancy to gain benefits? You’ve gone mad for money!” Xiao Qi, from the side, was the first to lecture Xiao Fang.
When Liu Qian had sought him out, he was beyond shocked. He couldn’t find any other word to describe his feelings. Xiao Fang was pregnant, almost five months along. What did that mean? It meant that Xiao Fang had gotten involved with Fei Xiangnan long before he had helped him. His claims of helping were just a pretext to gain his own benefits. And he was a third-gender person. God knows, this gender had shielded him from so much harm since childhood, and yet the person he hated most was also one!
“Heh, I’ve gone mad for money?” Xiao Fang looked at Xiao Qi with an expression of utmost sarcasm. “I earned that role with my own abilities. I never relied on anyone! And don’t you dare use your narrow-mindedness to speculate about me. After receiving benefits, is this how you repay me?”
“What benefits did I get!” Xiao Qi’s sore spot was hit, and he immediately roared back, “Don’t treat me like a fool! You’re five months along! You know full well when you met him! I was just a stepping stone for you!” Xiao Qi now hated Xiao Fang to the core. Why? Why did all the benefits go to him, while all his own efforts were treated like a joke?
“Bang!” A Song dynasty-style porcelain teacup was fiercely smashed at Xiao Fang’s feet by Father Xiao, who was sitting in the main seat.
“Enough! I called you back here not to have you two argue!” Father Xiao’s face was pale with anger.
Xiao Fang met his father’s incredibly heavy gaze. His heart couldn’t help but pound, but he stubbornly refused to look away.
“Xiao Fang,” Father Xiao called out in a calm, almost chilling tone. “Do you remember the possibility you once asked me about?”
A cruel glint flashed in Father Xiao’s eyes. “Even if it means losing everything, I cannot let you have any connection with Fei Xiangnan. Son, get rid of the child!”
Xiao Fang’s heart was struck with a searing pain.