Wen Yulan came across the photo at ten o’clock that night.
Four hours earlier, he and his mother had hosted a dinner at Chunqiu Residence for Song Yin and his parents. The Song parents had brought up various details about wedding arrangements, and every casual question they asked was answered to their satisfaction by Wen Yulan, leaving them increasingly pleased with him.
After the meal, both sets of parents left with smiles, deliberately giving Wen Yulan and Song Yin some time alone. Song Yin had only recently returned to the country and was curious about everything, so he dragged Wen Yulan to a newly opened bar in the capital.
It was only now, after all the commotion, that Wen Yulan finally returned to his apartment near Jing University.
Leaning back on the sofa, the surroundings were deathly quiet, yet the irritating, restless music from the bar still seemed to echo in his ears. He rubbed his aching temples, the fatigue on his face unmistakable. After taking a moment to recover, he replied to Song Yin’s message confirming he was home, then casually opened Moments, where a small red notification dot was waiting.
At a glance, he saw Ming Qi’s post: I have a son now /cat emoji
Attached was a photo.
In it, the young man in a cream hoodie let a golden kitten step on his legs, holding up its front paws. The kitten faced the camera, its soft round belly exposed, its eyes curved like crescents as it meowed. Ming Qi leaned slightly forward, his cheek pressed against the kitten’s, eyes gently curved—it almost looked like a father and son.
It was clearly an ordinary photo, yet an odd feeling rose in Wen Yulan’s chest.
He had known Ming Qi for over nine years and understood his stubbornness in certain matters all too well. After Ming Qi had refused his suggestion of getting another cat on the grounds that he could not provide enough companionship, Wen Yulan had always believed that as long as Ming Qi’s career did not change, the outcome would remain the same.
But now, this post felt like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.
…Ming Qi’s career had not changed, yet the outcome had. That could only mean something unexpected had entered the picture.
Questions flooded Wen Yulan’s mind. He zoomed in on the photo, his gaze slowly shifting from Ming Qi and the kitten to the foreground. There sat a small stove, a clay pot resting on it, milk tea bubbling away—so vivid it almost seemed fragrant through the screen. Beside it were two ceramic cups filled with milk tea.
Someone had done the same thing he once did with Ming Qi.
Who was it? Meng She?
Wen Yulan frowned, deep in thought—until his gaze suddenly fixed on the corner of the image.
A man’s hand.
Long fingers slightly curled, a ring faintly visible on the ring finger. The angle made it impossible to see clearly, but one thing was certain—
It was not Meng She.
Many faces flashed through Wen Yulan’s mind, yet none gave him a definite answer.
He fell silent for a moment before commenting under the post: Why did you suddenly start keeping a cat again?
…
After dinner, Ming Qi had eaten a bit too much. Since it was too cold outside, he paced back and forth in the living room to help digest. Xiao Ba had already grown used to his scent and followed closely behind like a little tail. But the tiny follower was still too young—its steps unsteady.
So when Yu Qinzhou passed by, he bent down, scooped the kitten up, and dropped it right into the hood of Ming Qi’s hoodie.
Ming Qi: “Hm?”
Xiao Ba struggled to poke its head out, its little paws gripping the edge of the hood as it meowed at Yu Qinzhou. Yu Qinzhou let out a low chuckle and said unhurriedly, “Some cats really don’t appreciate a good deed.”
Ming Qi immediately defended it with a serious expression, “It’s just young. It doesn’t understand yet.”
Yu Qinzhou raised a brow slightly. “Then what about the understanding Mr. Ming?”
An understanding Mr. Ming, of course, had to appreciate kindness.
Ming Qi fumbled around in his hoodie pocket, pulled out a milk candy, and placed it in Yu Qinzhou’s palm. Meeting the man’s meaningful gaze, he coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed. “On behalf of Xiao Ba, thank you, Mr. Yu, for your thoughtful effort.”
The milk candy was the same kind Yu Qinzhou had given him on the day they registered their marriage. This one, Ming Qi had casually taken when leaving the greenhouse.
In other words, he was thanking Yu Qinzhou… with Yu Qinzhou’s own snack.
He was even better at making deals than Yu Qinzhou himself.
Leaning against a carved pillar, Yu Qinzhou slowly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. The rich milky sweetness was a bit too cloying for his taste.
In a casual tone, he said, “No need to thank me. After all, I’m its father too.”
As Xiao Ba’s “father,” Yu Qinzhou had prepared a private little room for it, fully stocked with everything—cat bed, climbing frame, and all kinds of toys. But when it was time to sleep, Xiao Ba naturally followed Ming Qi into the second bedroom. Amused, Ming Qi bent down and picked it up, asking if it wanted to sleep with him. Xiao Ba meowed twice, and Ming Qi took that as a yes.
“Good night, Mr. Yu. See you tomorrow.” Standing at the doorway with the kitten in his arms, the young man smiled as he said goodnight.
The bedroom door closed, and the figures of one person and one cat disappeared from Yu Qinzhou’s sight. Straightening up, he turned to the young housekeeper and clicked his tongue lightly. “The cat you raised is quite capable.”
Though Cen Jing was just a housekeeper, his father had once served Yu Qinzhou’s grandfather, and he had practically grown up alongside Yu Qinzhou. From just that one sentence, he could already read between the lines. Adjusting his silver-rimmed glasses, he suppressed a smile and teased, “You’re not any less impressive yourself, sir.”
One got married the moment they met. The other managed to end up sharing a bed just as quickly. Hard to say which was more remarkable.
…
The conversation outside was blocked by the walls. Ming Qi set the kitten down on the sofa, finished washing up, changed into clean pajamas, and climbed into bed. He then beckoned Xiao Ba over.
Click, click, click—he snapped more than a dozen photos of Xiao Ba and sent them all to Meng She.
After seeing the “I have a son now” post earlier, Meng She had instantly fallen for the kitten—completely smitten. Not only had he bombarded Ming Qi with messages, he had even insisted on coming over to see the cat in person. It had scared Ming Qi so much that his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly made up an excuse that he was still out. Meng She, recalling the unfamiliar setting in the photo, finally dropped the idea.
Now, receiving more photos, he was so excited he started clamoring to be Xiao Ba’s godfather.
Ming Qi found his over-the-top reaction hilarious. After chatting for a while, he finally tapped on the red notification dot on his Moments page. Since posting the photo, aside from replying to Meng She, he had barely checked his phone, too busy playing with Xiao Ba.
Now that he looked, there were over twenty likes and more than ten comments—almost all praising how cute Xiao Ba was.
He replied to them one by one, until he reached Wen Yulan.
Ever since noticing the hand in the corner of the photo, the unease in Wen Yulan’s heart had only grown stronger. He turned on music in the silent room, but the gentle melody did nothing to ease his agitation. Eventually, he went to the studio. As his brush moved, the paint pooled heavily onto the paper—until, irritated, he tossed the brush aside.
At one point, Song Yin had sent him a newly released variety show, but Wen Yulan did not respond.
Time ticked by, second after second. Just as his patience finally ran out, a red notification dot lit up on his screen.
It was Ming Qi.
77.: A friend gave it to me 😊
A friend…
The owner of that hand?
Wen Yulan pressed his lips together, suspicion rising. So a “friend’s gift” was enough to change Ming Qi’s mind?
Frowning, he exited Moments and returned to their private chat, asking casually: A new friend? I don’t think you’ve mentioned them before.
77.: Someone I met recently.
Wen: I see. I noticed he’s wearing a ring on his ring finger—is he already married?
Ming Qi: “?!”
How did Wen Yulan know Yu Qinzhou was wearing a ring?
Suspicious, Ming Qi reopened the photo and examined it carefully—only then spotting, tucked away in a distant corner, part of Yu Qinzhou’s left hand and the incomplete outline of the ring.
His vision went dark.
He suddenly felt incredibly fortunate that he had taken off his ring while cleaning earlier that afternoon—and, in his rush to the greenhouse, had not put it back on. Otherwise, even if the paparazzi held back out of respect for Yu Qinzhou, he might have accidentally exposed himself today.
Terrifying QAQ
Still shaken, he quietly opened Yu Qinzhou’s chat.
77.: [poked “Mr. Yu”]
Y: [“Mr. Yu” poked your head and said: I’ll treat you to barbecue]
Ming Qi’s face flushed. He hadn’t expected Yu Qinzhou to reply so quickly—nor to mimic his poke—and definitely not that his poke message still referenced barbecue.
Pretending not to notice, Ming Qi sent over the photo and chat log: Almost got exposed [crying cat.jpg]
Yu Qinzhou’s gaze swept over Wen Yulan’s probing messages, a trace of mockery flickering in his eyes, though a smile curved his lips.
He replied: My fault. I didn’t pay attention when taking the photo. But your friend’s got sharp eyes.
Y: Also, don’t worry. You can just tell him I’m married—it’s fine. He won’t know I’m married to you.
Y: The ring wasn’t fully captured either. Even if you wear it out in the future, no one will notice.
Ming Qi silently gave Yu Qinzhou a thumbs-up.
Made sense.
So he turned back and replied to Wen Yulan: He’s married.
Wen Yulan let out a sudden breath of relief. Even his typing felt lighter now: If it’s inconvenient for him, you can bring the cat to me. I can help take care of it.
Although the chances of that happening were slim, Ming Qi still accepted the offer.
At that moment, in the master bedroom just one wall away—
Yu Qinzhou idly played with the ring between his fingers, thinking unhurriedly—
Given what he knew about Wen Yulan, all that probing was simply to confirm one thing: that the “friend” who gave Ming Qi the kitten was already married. And if he was married, then his relationship with Ming Qi must be completely innocent.
After all, Wen Yulan would never imagine that Ming Qi would enter into a contract marriage with someone he had only met a few times.
If, after resolving the Song family matter, Wen Yulan came back to look for Ming Qi—only to discover that Ming Qi was no longer single, and that he himself had once been just one step away from the truth…
What kind of expression would he have?
Probably… quite interesting.