Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 37
The kitten in his arms lifted its tiny front paws, kneading softly, and finally began to knead in earnest with a sense of ease. Its little paws opened and closed, like petals tightening and unfurling. As felt the soft touch of the kitten’s paw pads, his heart grew even softer than those pads.
It was on this very day that he finally, truly confirmed, his grandfather did like him.
In the past, he hadn’t liked him only because he wasn’t his grandson. Just like how his classmates’ grandfathers didn’t like him either. Qin Cheng would never expect his classmates’ grandfathers to like him. So he figured, he shouldn’t have expected , who wasn’t his real grandfather back then, to like him either. It was enough that he liked him now. Now, he really was his grandson. So now, if he liked him, that was enough.
Qin Cheng looked at the adorable kitten nestled in his arms and gently reached up to stroke its head. The kitten, still kneading contentedly, tilted its head up. Its still-bluish, not-yet-cleared eyes were round and pure—unspeakably cute.
This was the first time he had ever received a gift from an elder of Mu Feng’s age. Qin Cheng looked down at it and couldn’t help but smile.
He raised his head to look at Mu Feng, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
“You’re welcome.” Mu Feng reached out and gently patted his head.
The two of them sat back down on the bench. Sunlight poured down, making the lake before them shimmer even more brilliantly, rippling like flowing gold. A few white swans swam closer to where they were sitting.
Mu Feng watched the serene swans and thought of what he’d said earlier about loving the house and its crow. His grandson had never been a crow perched on the eaves. He was a swan, swimming gently in the lake of his heart. A lovely little swan with the purest of thoughts.
“Do your grandparents love you?” Mu Feng suddenly asked.
Qin Cheng was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Mu Feng to ask him that question.
He looked at Mu Feng, then lowered his eyes and stroked the kitten in his arms, unsure of how to answer.
Mu Feng saw his expression and needed no further explanation. Just as he had expected.
Mu Feng recalled the first time he had ever seen Qin Cheng.
It wasn’t at the Mu family’s old estate, and it wasn’t after the official start of the wedding. It was before the ceremony had begun, when the bride and groom had just finished their makeup and were busy taking photos with family and friends. The venue had been noisy and chaotic. Amid that scene, he had met both his in-laws and Qin Cheng for the first time.
That had been not only his first time meeting Qin Cheng but also the first time he saw his in-laws. He hadn’t approved of the marriage, so the entire wedding—its setup, its process, even the guest list—had all been handled by himself.
The discussions that should have taken place between the elders of both families never happened. He had assumed that when he showed up at the wedding, his in-laws would be upset or angry with him. But they hadn’t been. From a distance, they had rushed over to greet him, all smiles.
Mu Feng, however, couldn’t be bothered to entertain them. He let them ramble on with their polite small talk beside him as he swept his gaze across the wedding venue, and in that sweep, he saw Qin Cheng.
A small boy, dressed smartly, quietly standing by the snack table in the main hall, slowly eating a piece of cake.
He thought to himself, So this is that so-called son of my son’s.
As he watched, Qin Cheng’s grandparents noticed where his eyes had landed. Their expressions stiffened with panic, and they quickly said, “Honestly, I told him not to bring that child to the wedding, but Zheng insisted. I’ll take him away right now, so he doesn’t upset your mood.”
As she spoke, she was already preparing to walk toward Qin Cheng. There was a trace of displeasure and disdain in her eyes. Mu Feng saw it and found it laughable. The disapproval he had expected to be directed at him wasn’t instead, it was aimed at a child.
At her own biological grandson. How ridiculous.
He spoke coolly, “No need.”
Mother Qin looked surprised and turned around in confusion.
Mu Feng said, “Since my son wants him here, let him be.”
With that, he paid them no further attention and walked away, to stand by Mu Zheng’s side. At the time, Mu Feng hadn’t taken that incident to heart, after all, Qin Cheng was the grandson of the Qin family, not his grandson. But that very night, when Mu Zheng told him that Qin Cheng was in fact his biological grandson, Mu Feng suddenly, inexplicably, remembered that moment.
Small details reveal the whole picture, when you glimpse the tip of the iceberg, you can more or less infer the rest.
That was why he had asked Qin Cheng, “Do your grandparents love you?”
Now, he had his answer.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mu Feng said blandly, “A person doesn’t need grandparents in order to grow up. Many people don’t have them. Like Xiao Xi, he doesn’t have grandparents, and he’s still grown up just fine.”
When Qin Cheng heard that, he looked up at him, “His grandparents are gone?”
His father had only told him that Ye Qingxi’s father and grandfather had passed away, and that his mother had remarried. He hadn’t said anything about his grandparents.
“More or less,” Mu Feng replied.
Qin Cheng couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Ye Qingxi.
Since they were already talking about Ye Qingxi, Mu Feng simply went on to explain a little further, “Xiao Xi may not be my biological grandson, but his grandfather was my good friend. I’ve told you before, I care deeply about my friends. So after he passed, and he asked me to take care of his grandson, of course I agreed. I will take good care of him.”
Qin Cheng nodded. Although he didn’t have any close friends himself, that didn’t stop him from thinking that Ye Qingxi needed someone to take care of him.
A child should always have an adult around.
Ye Qingxi didn’t have a mom or dad, nor any other relatives. If Grandpa didn’t take care of him, what would he do?
“I’ll take good care of him, too,” he said softly.
Mu Feng raised an eyebrow, “You will?”
Qin Cheng looked up at him. “En. I’m his older brother.”
Mu Feng chuckled. In that moment, he really did seem exactly like Mu Zheng. Like father, like son.
“Alright,” Mu Feng said, patting him on the back of the head, “Then let’s take care of him together.”
“En.” Qin Cheng responded.
After sitting for a little longer, Mu Feng stood up and began walking back, bringing Qin Cheng along with him.
Qin Cheng held the kitten in his arms, and as they walked, he suddenly looked up as if something had just occurred to him, “Does Xiao Xi have a kitty?”
“Of course,” Mu Feng looked at him, “You’re both my grandsons, naturally, you each have one.”
That’s good, Qin Cheng thought.
“Then when he wakes up, he’ll definitely be really happy.”
And indeed, just as he’d thought, Ye Qingxi was woken up… by licking.
At first, it wasn’t licking. It was something padding across his legs, unsteady and light.
Then he felt something warm coming closer.
As the soft, damp sensation brushed over his face, Ye Qingxi opened his eyes helplessly, only to see a white kitten right in front of him.
A kitten? Ye Qingxi blinked, confused.
The kitten stretched out its neck and leaned closer again, sniffing along the side of his face.
Ye Qingxi, “..…”
He cautiously raised his hand and gently patted the kitten’s head. The kitten immediately closed its eyes in enjoyment and lifted its chin, clearly asking for a chin scratch. Ye Qingxi obediently gave a little scratch, then sat up and gently scooped the kitten into his arms.
It was tiny and soft, so soft he didn’t even dare use much strength, afraid he might hurt it.
“Meow~” the kitten cried out once.
Ye Qingxi affectionately stroked it again, then happily pinched its tiny paw.
He looked up and, seeing no one else in the room, called toward the study adjoining the bedroom, “Dad, where did this kitten come from?”
“You’re awake,” stood up and walked out.
Ye Qingxi beamed at him, “Did you buy it for me?”
Mu Shaowu shook his head, “It was your grandpa, he got one for you and one for Xiao Cheng.”
“My brother has one, too?” Ye Qingxi asked curiously, “Is his also a ?”
“Nope, his is golden all over, it’s a .”
Hugging his kitten, Ye Qingxi got out of bed, “I want to go see his.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you,” said Mu Shaowu.
Qin Cheng was in his room, excitedly showing off his kitten to Mu Zheng and Qin Luan.
“My grandpa gave it to me,” he said.
Mu Zheng was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected his father to give Qin Cheng a kitten.
“Why’d he suddenly give you a kitten?”
“Because he likes me,” Qin Cheng said, a bit bashfully.
Mu Zheng paused for a moment.
In that instant, he understood what his father had meant when he’d said there was “something he needed to teach” Qin Cheng. It wasn’t a lesson, he just wanted Qin Cheng to know he loved him.
Mu Zheng couldn’t help but feel touched. He reached out and ruffled Qin Cheng’s hair, saying softly, “Daddy likes you, too.”
Qin Cheng, “????”
Qin Cheng didn’t quite understand why he said that so suddenly. He already knew that.
But he was still very happy to hear Mu Zheng say that, so he whispered, “I like Daddy, too.”
Mu Zheng smiled and tapped the tip of his nose.
They were still talking when a knock came at the door.
The next second, Mu Shaowu pushed the door open, and Ye Qingxi appeared in Qin Cheng’s view.
Qin Cheng immediately saw the white kitten in Ye Qingxi’s arms. Ye Qingxi also spotted the kitten in his. The two quickly walked toward each other, eyes locked on the kitten in the other’s arms.
“So cute,” Ye Qingxi said.
“Yours is cute, too.”
“Gege, have you given your kitten a name yet?”
Qin Cheng shook his head, “You?”
“I haven’t either. But…”
Ye Qingxi looked at the white fluff in his arms, “I think it looks like cotton candy, so let’s call it Cotton Candy.”
Qin Cheng, hearing that, looked down at the golden kitten in his arms.
“Then I’ll call mine Donut. It looks just like a freshly fried donut.”
Mu Shaowu couldn’t help but laugh, he thought both names sounded delicious.
“I want to show Grandpa Fang the kittens,” Ye Qingxi said, “Tell him we have our own now, too.”
Qin Cheng had no objections, “Then tonight when we go for a walk, we’ll take them to show him.”
“Okay!” Ye Qingxi said happily.
After finishing his talk with Qin Cheng, he couldn’t wait and rushed off to find Mu Feng and thank him.
Mu Feng looked at his joyful expression and said calmly, “It’s nothing.”
“Grandpa, did you buy them for me and Gebecause you saw I liked Jinbao and Yuanbao?”
“Yes and no,” Mu Feng replied.
At first, he just wanted to use Jinbao, Yuanbao, and the kittens that belonged solely to Qin Cheng to help explain the things he wanted to say to him. He simply hadn’t expected Ye Qingxi to like Jinbao and Yuanbao so much. That was why he went out of his way to ask for their grandchildren for the boys. Otherwise, he could have picked a different breed entirely.
Even simpler, more convenient, and less emotionally involved.
“As long as you like it.”
“I do!” Ye Qingxi quickly said. “I love it so much!”
Looking at the smile on his face, Mu Feng thought, Then it was all worth it.
When and heard that their dad had given each of their nephews a kitten, they were both shocked.
Why didn’t they get this kind of treatment?!
As expected! Sons (and daughters) just can’t compare to grandsons, huh?!
In an instant, the two of them surrounded Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng, curiously playing with the kittens in their arms.
Once dinner was ready, Ye Qingxi reluctantly put the kitten down, letting it play on its own, and went downstairs with Qin Cheng to eat. Although Grandpa Mu had already prepared cat food, canned food, litter, and teaser wands for them, Ye Qingxi felt that was far from enough.
He pulled Qin Cheng aside and discussed with him, “We still need to buy a cat bed, scratching board, cat tree, freeze-dried treats, and more toys.”
Qin Cheng had no idea what he was talking about, but since all of it had the word cat in it, it must be related, so he agreed without hesitation, “Buy it.”
“After dinner, I’ll search online,” Ye Qingxi said, “and then I’ll ask my dad to buy everything.”
“Then I’ll ask my dad, too,” Qin Cheng replied.
As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn’t help but feel a rush of happiness.
He could now say that freely, too. He could be just like everyone else, when he needed something, he could just tell his dad and let him buy it.
Before, when he wasn’t Mu Zheng’s biological son, even though Mu Zheng treated him well and often bought him things, Qin Cheng had always felt awkward asking. He was afraid that if he asked, Mu Zheng would think he was a burden.
But not anymore. He was Mu Zheng’s real son now. And dads don’t think their own sons are a bother. It felt so good.
Qin Cheng couldn’t help but smile.
Ye Qingxi poked the corner of his mouth, “What are you smiling about?”
Qin Cheng, embarrassed, denied it, “Nothing.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
Qin Cheng, “…..”
Qin Cheng quickened his pace, pulling Ye Qingxi along as they headed downstairs, “I’m hungry. Let’s hurry.”
Ye Qingxi, “????”
He had no choice but to follow Qin Cheng’s pace into the dining room.
Tonight’s dinner was steak. Probably afraid it’d be hard for the kids to cut, Auntie Zhang had already sliced both Qin Cheng and Ye Qingxi’s steaks into small bite-sized pieces ahead of time.
Ye Qingxi ate happily, thinking it was absolutely delicious.
“Tomorrow night, Xiao Xi and I, along with big brother and Xiao Cheng, won’t be back for dinner,” Mu Shaowu said.
Mu Shaoyan immediately perked up, “Why not?”
“Xiao Cheng invited us to go to the water park.”
“Then I’m going, too,” Mu Shaoyan’s eyes lit up at once.
“And me,” Mu Shaoting chimed in, signing herself up as well.
Mu Shaowu, “????”
“What does this have to do with you two?! This is a father-son bonding trip, do you get that?”
Mu Shaoting didn’t get it and frankly didn’t care. She knew the decision didn’t lie with her brother.
So she turned straight to Ye Qingxi, “Xiao Xi, can auntie come, too?”
Ye Qingxi naturally thought it was fine, but this was Qin Cheng’s idea after all!
So he replied, “You’ll have to ask Qin Cheng-ge.”
Mu Shaoting turned to Qin Cheng with hopeful eyes. “Can I, Xiao Cheng?”
Qin Cheng, “…..”
He hadn’t expected she’d want to come, too. But he’d never had the chance to hang out with his aunt and uncle before, so after a brief pause, he nodded.
“Okay.”
“Then I guess I can go, too,” said Mu Shaoyan.
“Mm.” Qin Cheng agreed readily.
Mu Shaoting cheered happily, “Yay! Then let’s all head out together tomorrow!”
Seeing that it was no longer just him and his dad going, Qin Cheng turned to Qin Luan and said, “Mom, you should come, too.”
“Sure,” Qin Luan replied with a smile.
She had originally thought that Qin Cheng wanted to spend time alone with his father, which was why she hadn’t said anything. But now it was clearly not the case, one more person wouldn’t make a difference.
Then it hit Ye Qingxi, wouldn’t that mean Grandpa was the only one not going? That wouldn’t do!
So Ye Qingxi immediately spoke up, “Grandpa, you should come with us, too!”
Mu Shaoting, “????”
Mu Shaoyan, “!!!!!”
Mu Shaowu, “…..”
Mu Feng declined, “You guys go on your own. I’m, too lazy to go.”
Mu Shaowu, I knew it. If his dad actually agreed to go to a place like that, he wouldn’t be his dad anymore!
But in the next second, he heard his son start to whine, “Come on~ Please come with us~ I’ve never gone to a water park with Grandpa before, I really want to go with you~”
When he said that, Mu Feng instinctively thought of Ye Min. He assumed Ye Qingxi was regretting never having gone to a water park with Ye Min, and that’s why he wanted to go with him now. Mu Feng suddenly softened and relented, saying, “Alright.”
Mu Shaowu, “???!!!”
Mu Shaowu looked at his son and couldn’t help but feel amazed, he actually got his dad to agree! That was seriously impressive! Sure enough, grandsons really were lethal weapons!
When Ye Qingxi heard him agree, he couldn’t help but cheer inwardly.
“Since we’re all going out together as a family, shouldn’t we wear our family outfits?”
Mu Feng, “…..”
Ye Qingxi quickly added, “Of course, Grandpa doesn’t have to wear it.”
Only then did Mu Feng’s expression ease a little.
Mu Shaowu lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. He was scared to death just now, really thought his dad was going to wear that little kitten t-shirt. That would’ve been… quite a sight.
The group agreed to head out after lunch the next day.
Ye Qingxi looked at the matching little kitten prints on everyone’s clothes. No matter how he looked at it, the sight made him happy.
“Let’s go!” he said happily.
Mu Shaowu picked him up and was the first to step out the door.
Qin Cheng followed closely behind.
He glanced at his own T-shirt, then at his parents’, and couldn’t help but laugh.
This was their first time dressing like this, one look and you could tell they were a family!
While sitting in the car, Ye Qingxi discussed with Mu Shaowu, “Dad, next year can we get custom family outfits?”
Mu Shaowu was curious, “What kind do you want to make?”
“I want to change the kitten pattern to Cotton Candy and Donut.”
Now, he no longer felt embarrassed as an 18-year-old adult wearing a cute kitten T-shirt. Once the little cat on the shirt became his little cat, he just felt happy.
“And when Cotton Candy and Donut turn one, we’ll have matching outfits made for them, too, so they can wear them in the photos!”
Mu Shaowu chuckled, “Judging by all that fur, I don’t think they need clothes.”
“But when they turn one and we take photos, they can wear them then!”
“You’re even planning to take photos?”
Ye Qingxi nodded sweetly, “By then, you’ll go, too, Daddy, and Grandpa as well. We’ll take the pictures together.”
“Okay.” Mu Shaowu pinched his cheek, his son was just too adorable.
After a 30-minute drive, they finally arrived at the water park Mu Shaowu had booked in advance.
The group got out of the car and headed in.
Qin Cheng, Qin Luan, and Mu Shaoting couldn’t swim, so they rented three float rings.
Mu Shaoyan looked at Ye Qingxi in surprise. “Xiao Xi, you can swim?!”
Ye Qingxi nodded.
He had 13 years of “work experience” and had acted in nearly a hundred productions, how could he not have had to film a water scene? And to be safe during those scenes, of course he had learned how to swim.
Mu Shaowu grinned, “I told you my son is a genius. Now you understand what a genius is?”
Mu Shaoyan nodded. “I get it now.”
Ye Qingxi, “……”
He turned around and went to check out Qin Cheng’s float ring.
When Mu Shaowu was coordinating the arrangements, he had booked out the entire venue, so at this moment, the water park was completely private, no one else was there but their family.
Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng held hands as they entered the water, happily splashing and playing together. They swam to the base of a nearby water slide, stood up, and climbed to the top before sliding down from the height.
“Splash”—water sprayed everywhere.
Ye Qingxi laughed out loud, and Qin Cheng couldn’t help but smile, too.
“Again, again!” Ye Qingxi said excitedly.
Qin Cheng happily accompanied him, and they went down the slide several more times in a row.
Once they’d had their fill of the slide, Ye Qingxi wanted to try the spinning ball ride, the water Ferris wheel, and the little boats.
Qin Cheng… played every single one with him.
Mu Feng sat on the poolside, watching the children.
At the moment, Ye Qingxi was teaching Qin Cheng how to swim. Mu Shaoyan and Mu Shaoting were chasing and splashing each other. Mu Shaowu and Mu Zheng stood nearby, chatting while keeping an eye on their kids.
Their faces were all lit up with smiles—some laughing out loud, others smiling softly—every single person looked joyful.
This summer turned out to be even brighter and warmer than he had imagined.
After the trip to the water park came to an end and they returned to the Mu family estate, it was about time for Qin Cheng and his family to head back.
Just before Mu Zheng left, Mu Feng pulled him aside and said privately, “Help me set up a meeting with your father- and mother-in-law. Make it for tomorrow at 2 pm. I have something to say to them.”
Mu Zheng was puzzled. His father had always avoided interacting with Qin Luan’s parents, why was he suddenly asking to meet them?
“Is there something going on?”
“Of course there is,” Mu Feng replied, “But this isn’t something you, as the son-in-law, are in a position to say, so I’ll say it myself.”
Now Mu Zheng was even more confused, “What is it?”
“You don’t need to know. If you do, it’ll only put you in a difficult spot. Just set the meeting. Go.”
Mu Zheng looked at his father’s calm expression and finally nodded.
When Qin Luan’s parents heard from their son-in-law that his father wanted to meet them, they were truly shocked. After all, their in-law had always given them the impression that he looked down on them.
Father Qin and mother could understand. After all, considering what kind of family the Mu family was, and what kind of family they were, it made sense that Elder Mu looked down on them.
But still, if that was the case, then…
“Why would your father suddenly want to meet us?” Mother Qin couldn’t help but ask.
“I don’t know either,” Mu Zheng said, “You’ll find out when you see him at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
“All right,” Mother Qin replied.
Mu Zheng hung up the phone and went back to work.
Meanwhile, Qin’s parents started discussing it, “Him wanting to meet at this time, could it have something to do with Xiao Cheng?”
They had only just learned, a few days ago, from their own son, that Qin Cheng was actually Mu Zheng’s biological son! It really was a case of the river flooding the Dragon King’s temple, one family not recognizing another.
Qin Cheng’s mother immediately called Qin Luan to scold her thoroughly, then turned around and thanked the heavens. She felt that fate had not treated their family too badly after all. Qin Cheng was Mu Zheng’s biological son, this meant their two families were now even more tightly bound together!
When Qin Cheng grew up and became the head of the Mu Group, their status would naturally rise with the tide, it was almost too good to even imagine.
The more they analyzed it, the more convinced they became.
Why would he choose to meet now of all times, not earlier, not later? No matter how they looked at it, it had to be related to their grandson!
“This just proves blood ties matter most. That Mu Feng used to be so arrogant, he wouldn’t even acknowledge us. And now? He actually asked to meet us!”
“Exactly! This is their Mu family’s first grandson. We’d care too, if it were us!”
“True. If it were me, I’d definitely be looking to strengthen ties with the in-laws.”
Delighted, the two of them busied themselves with preparations for the next day’s meeting.
They carefully picked out their outfits and even had their hair done. The next afternoon, they arrived at the private dining room of the hotel where Mu Feng had arranged to meet them.
“In-laws! Long time no see,” Father and mother Qin greeted Mu Feng warmly as soon as they saw him.
Mu Feng responded with a neutral tone, “Yes, it has been a while.”
“Xiaofeng said you wanted to meet us, was there something you wanted to talk to us about?” Mother Qin asked, smiling as she and her husband both took their seats.
“There is indeed something,” Mu Feng said.
“What is it?” Mother Qin asked with a pleasant smile.
“Xiao Cheng is Mu Zheng’s child. You two know that already, I assume?”
Mother Qin nodded repeatedly, “We know, we know. What a mess it was, like a flood crashing into the Dragon King’s temple! It’s all Qin Luan’s fault, that girl. Too stubborn for her own good. But thank heavens, fate still brought them back together. At least the family of three is reunited now.”
Mu Feng looked at the smile on her face. He wasn’t here to chat about that.
“In a few days, let’s all have dinner together to celebrate the three of them as a family. What do you think?” she suggested cheerfully.
“That won’t be necessary,” Mu Feng replied.
Mother Qin was momentarily stunned. Did she mishear? Did he just say—‘not necessary’? What did he mean, not necessary? Wasn’t this meeting meant to rebuild their connection, strengthen ties?
“I came to see you today for one reason only—and that is—”
Mu Feng looked straight at them, “From now on, unless Xiao Cheng personally asks to see you, unless he takes the initiative to seek you out, I hope you won’t go looking for him, won’t appear in front of him, and won’t try to contact him.”
Father and mother Qin were stunned, “What did you say?!”
“I said, unless Xiao Cheng wants to see you, neither of you is to approach him.”
“And who are you to say that?!” Mother Qin snapped, “We’re his biological grandparents! What right do you have to stop us from seeing him?”
Mu Feng gave a short laugh, as though he’d just heard a joke, “Biological grandparents? You know you’re his biological grandparents? I thought, like I once did, you had no idea.”
Author’s Note:
That’s right, Mu Feng met with Qin’s father and mother this time to help Xiao Cheng break up with them, because he felt that relatives who didn’t love his grandson and would only bring negative emotions to his grandson were better off not having them.
Storyteller CloudyPastels's Words
Translator:nHa! “Biological grandparents”n