Married a Big Cat After Transmigrating to the Interstellar Era – CH16

Chapter 16

That day when he saw the lion acting all cute and cuddly, Shi Xiaowang thought he had finally gotten himself a sweet, affectionate big kitty. But only a couple of days later, the lion went right back to ignoring him again.

Well—not completely ignoring him, but… kind of being mean to him.

Though, to be fair, it wasn’t really Jian the Da Meow’s fault either.

After their last visit to the research institute, Shi Xiaowang had thrown half his focus into studying his purification ability.

Before, he could only remove the existing pollution from plants. The purified plants would gain a bit of resistance, but they didn’t have any active purification capability of their own.

So now, he wanted to test whether he could embed his ability directly into the plants—see if that could change things.

Although his body was already very familiar with using this power, externalizing and separating an ability was something he had never tried before, not even in the apocalypse, let alone now.

To be cautious, he had researched a lot of relevant information beforehand—but none of it applied to him. After all, this world had never seen an ability like his.

So during his first experiment, Shi Xiaowang ended up suffering a bit.

When he tried to forcibly cut and detach the power gathered at his fingertips using his mental strength, the pain in his head was so explosive that he couldn’t even scream—he just collapsed to the floor, curled up, cold sweat soaking through his clothes, ears ringing as everything went black.

Jian Mo had immediately called Meng Zhan over, who rushed in a panic.

Thankfully, after examination, there was nothing too serious—just some instability in his mental sea. He’d recover with a few days of rest.

When Shi Xiaowang woke up, he was already lying in bed, with the lion frowning beside him, eyes full of worry.

Uncle Ye was there too, pouring him water. After hearing what happened, both of them sat on either side of the bed, looking at him with a mix of sternness, concern, and helplessness.

“You did something that serious and didn’t even think to ask first? Pretty ruthless to yourself, huh, Shi Xiaowang.”

Meng Zhan couldn’t help but complain.

Shi Xiaowang didn’t reply. Holding his cup, his face still pale, he occasionally peeked up at them—like a guilty, pitiful little quail.

Uncle Ye sighed.

“Young master, you mustn’t be so reckless again.”

“…Mm.”

The little quail dared not argue, burying his face in the cup.

After Meng Zhan left, only he and Jian the Da Meow were left in the greenhouse.

Shi Xiaowang took his medicine and soon fell asleep.

Jian Mo sat by his bedside, watching him without looking away.

He was sleeping deeply, but still seemed to be in pain—his brows never relaxed.

When Jian Mo had found him collapsed in the lab, he had been so terrified his heart had gone cold.

When he learned what Shi Xiaowang had done to himself, he felt anger—how could he harm himself like that?

But now, looking at his uneasy sleeping face, all that was left was a deep, aching sadness.

He had no right to blame him, nor a reason to stop him.

Shi Xiaowang wasn’t someone who’d just stay content tending flowers in a greenhouse. Like his parents, like the old marshal—he was someone meant to shape the future of the Federation.

Night deepened, stars glittering outside.

Shi Xiaowang turned over in his sleep, touched a soft furry lion paw, and instinctively pulled it into his arms. When he felt it twitch slightly, he only hugged it tighter.

The lion’s amber eyes softened. He bent down and kissed Shi Xiaowang’s furrowed brow.

Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.

Shi Xiaowang knew nothing of that—only that when he woke up, his big cat had started restricting his movements.

He was allowed to care for the roses, and do his livestreams—but running was forbidden, and going to the lab? Absolutely not.

“Jian Da Meow? Are you… scolding me?”

After the N-th attempt to sneak into the lab, Jian the Da Meow finally lost patience—he bared his teeth and growled, standing guard at the lab door in full defensive mode.

Shi Xiaowang pouted, looking hurt.

But Jian Mo didn’t relent. No meant no.

And not just him—the Marshal himself even sent a message of warning.

[Rest for the next few days. Only after your body fully recovers can you resume research. Be good.]

[I’m already much better! Teacher Meng said yesterday it wasn’t a big deal.]

Shi Xiaowang tried to defend himself.

[Not a big deal, but it still requires rest. What about the second half of his sentence?]

Jian Mo stayed firm.

[Research isn’t something achieved overnight. Health is the foundation. Don’t go to the lab for a few days. Follow medical advice and rest properly.]

Shi Xiaowang stared at the message for a while, narrowing his eyes.

[Sir, are you monitoring me?[

Otherwise how would he know he was trying to go to the lab?

At the door, the lion flicked his ears and quickly glanced at him, but Shi Xiaowang didn’t notice the flash of guilt in his eyes.

[Just a guess. Looks like I was right.]

Jian Mo replied, perfectly self-assured.

“Tch…”

Shi Xiaowang pouted again but accepted the explanation.

Beside him, the lion’s tail swished, the tip curling smugly.

[I’ll tell Uncle Ye to keep an eye on you. Rest properly. Or maybe I’ll have him lock up the second floor of the greenhouse altogether.]

It was a final warning.

[I got it, I won’t go for three days.]

Shi Xiaowang gave a definite time frame.

[Good. Rest well.]

Finally, they reached an agreement.

After putting away his light-brain, Shi Xiaowang looked at the lion still guarding the lab door, poked his nose, and interrogated him.

“You! Are you an accomplice? Did you report me to Jian Mo?”

Jian the Da Meow didn’t answer—just calmly got up and walked back to the bedroom.

Accomplice? Please. There was only one culprit here.

Had nothing to do with him.

Shi Xiaowang huffed, unwilling to let it go, then ran and leapt onto his back, hugging his neck.

“You were mean to me just now, Jian Da Meow! As punishment, you’ll be my cat-car for the whole day!”

The “cat-car” didn’t respond—just gave a little shake that made Shi Xiaowang yelp, then laugh loudly while clinging to his back.

Before long, his attention really did shift back to the roses.

Because—Little Rose had formed buds.

The newly born buds were still tiny, so small that no one but Shi Xiaowang even noticed them.

After all, no one had ever seen a rose bloom before. Even if they saw it, they’d think it was just an unripe sprout.

Shi Xiaowang had planted over a dozen rose bushes, each carrying five or six buds.

The day he discovered them, he nearly jumped for joy—but he didn’t plan to tell anyone yet.

The roses weren’t ready. Just a little longer.

Suppressing his excitement, he dashed upstairs and threw his arms around the lion.

He startled Jian the Da Meow so badly that the lion almost dropped his light-brain screen.

Good thing he wasn’t sleeping on stream today.

“Da Meow! The roses are going to bloom!”

Shi Xiaowang, too excited to notice the lion’s flustered fur, exclaimed,

“I just saw the buds! In three days, we’ll see real roses!”

A hug wasn’t enough—he was so overjoyed he started playfully ruffling the lion’s fur until he was a puffball of chaos.

The lion didn’t stop him—just sat there with a helpless, resigned expression, his tail swishing contentedly behind him.

Three more days, Jian Mo thought.

It’s about time.

Shi Xiaowang began appearing on his livestream all day again.

Besides watching the roses constantly, he also secretly monitored the comment section—wanting to see if anyone would notice the buds before he announced it.

He tried to hold it in, but eventually couldn’t resist messaging Jian Mo.

After all, Jian Mo wasn’t just anyone—he was the investor in the greenhouse!

[Boss Jian, our flowerhouse is about to bloom! The roses are going to bloom! Congratulations in advance!]

[Is that so? Wonderful news. Boss Shi’s hard work is finally paying off—congratulations to both of us.]

Shi Xiaowang grinned at the message.

[You’ll get first pick, Boss Jian! Whichever one you like is yours. The first bouquet has to go to you.]

[Then I’ll gladly accept.]

Upstairs, Jian Da Meow stretched lazily, eyes soft as he looked at the cheerful boy on the screen.

Two days passed—and still, no one had noticed the buds.

Not entirely because they didn’t recognize them this time, but because another piece of breaking news had completely hijacked everyone’s attention.

On the star network, in discussion threads and even in Shi Xiaowang’s own comment section, one name filled every screen again—

“The Little Duke.”

After the original owner’s so-called “relatives” were taken away, the authorities had released no updates. Gradually, public curiosity shifted—from the incident itself, to the mysterious figure of the Little Duke.

Over the months, bits of Shi Xiaowang’s past, along with blurry photos and videos, were gradually dug up.

A poor, beautiful boy—an orphan deprived of his parents’ protection, exploited by the very people who should have protected him, treated like a bargaining chip and sent off for a political marriage—

That image became deeply ingrained in the Federation’s collective mind.

So now, when people mentioned “the Little Duke,” their first reaction was almost always the same—

“What a pity.”

Shi Xiaowang had never asked, but he knew: the subtle public sentiment must have been guided by Jian Mo. He knew Jian was paving a path for him. So he never interfered.

And then, over those two days—official updates were finally released about that couple.

Their crimes were real:
—Fraud and deception.
—Collusion with merchants to profit off military supplies.
—Misappropriating the Duke’s estate funds under the pretext of “raising” the Little Duke.

At the same time, three new videos suddenly began circulating online.

The first was from when Shi Xiaowang had just entered the Marshal’s residence—his conversation with Uncle Ye.

“Uncle said I only have this good life because of my father’s reputation. He says I have no real skills, that as someone supported by the Federation, I must be useful when I can. He said His Majesty’s arranged marriage was my chance to repay my debt. So I want to be useful.”

“Also… I’m afraid of the Chairman Uncle. My uncle said he likes me, that’s why he always touches me, but I don’t like it. Every time he visits, I get scared… He told my uncle that if the Marshal doesn’t want me, he’ll take me instead… but I…”

The second video was one Shi Xiaowang had recorded himself, slightly edited.

The obedient boy, being held up by someone, faced a man with helplessness and grievance.

“Didn’t you say before, Uncle, that whoever raises me deserves my money? That it’s my duty to give it to you?”

The “uncle” glared viciously, lifting his hand to strike.

“Ungrateful brat! What use was raising you all these years!”

The last video was taken in a prison visitation room.

His “uncle” looked disheveled and terrified, staring at the man across from him.

“Please! Save me, President! You have to save me!”

A sneer came from the other side.

“I told you long ago to give him to me. But no—you tried to climb the Marshal’s tree instead. How’d that work out? Lost the boy and the money. Your wealth, my toy—both gone. Should’ve dealt with him early on and had my fun. Now everything’s fallen to Jian Mo instead. You’re not getting out, not a chance. I’m already taking a big risk just meeting you. Be smart about this. You still have a son out there, don’t you? Think of him.”

When these three videos spread—

The entire Federation exploded.

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