Married a Big Cat After Transmigrating to the Interstellar Era – CH17

Chapter 17

[Aaaaah!! What are these things?! I’m going to explode! Our poor little Duke has suffered too much!]
[Oh my god… I’m so sad. How could such a gentle, beautiful child go through so much pain? He’s the Little Duke…]
[If the late Duke and Duchess knew all this, how heartbroken would they be? They sacrificed their lives for the Federation, and yet their only child was so cruelly mistreated. He could have grown up surrounded by love… he could have had a bright future…]
[I feel nothing but cold fury. The Little Duke was treated like a tool, military supplies were bought and sold at will, and the supposedly honest Chamber of Commerce president used his power for personal gain. Did the old Marshal die on the battlefield just to feed this nest of parasites?!]

The situation snowballed, growing bigger and bigger.
The military-industrial collaboration of the Research Institute was restructured, and the Chamber of Commerce was thoroughly investigated — all the filth and corruption of the past was dragged into the light and cut away one by one.

The public cheered for justice, but many still couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for the Little Duke.

From age six to nineteen — those thirteen years were already gone, irreversible. The pain he endured could not be redeemed by these late punishments.

So, voices across the internet began demanding that the Little Duke be allowed to inherit his title early — to become independent, to at least have the freedom to choose his own path.

Some even filed petitions to dissolve the marriage between the Little Duke and Jian Mo, asking Jian Mo to let him go and give him a new life.

That day, Shi Xiaowang sat in silence for a long time, reading the news. The public’s anger and pity mirrored his own — though his feelings ran even deeper.

To everyone else, the Little Duke still had a future to choose. But only Shi Xiaowang knew that in this world, the “Little Duke” had long since lost any future at all.

Jian Mo watched him quietly, taking in his forlorn expression.

He had already discussed this with His Majesty: once the dust settled, Shi Xiaowang would inherit his title and become independent. When that day came, their marriage contract would automatically dissolve.

Jian Mo chuckled to himself in quiet irony.

Truth be told… part of him didn’t want to let go.

But Shi Xiaowang didn’t dwell on those emotions for long. He still had unfinished work to do.

He knew perfectly well — the timing of these news leaks wasn’t accidental. It was Jian Mo’s doing.

Of course Jian Mo wouldn’t let the Little Duke remain in the public eye merely as a pitiful victim. He wanted to stir people’s instinct to protect him — and when the people later saw the flowers bloom, it would elevate Shi Xiaowang to an untouchable pedestal.

A boy everyone pitied, yet who achieved what the Federation had failed to do for three hundred years.
From that moment on, he would no longer need anyone’s sympathy, and no one would ever doubt him again.

He would shine at the center of attention — surrounded by love.

Shi Xiaowang understood Jian Mo’s intentions.

That evening, after checking the roses ready to bloom, he sent Jian Mo a message:

[Sir, tomorrow morning, we’ll be able to see the flowers open.]
[Mm, I know.]

When dawn broke, birds outside began singing their morning songs.

The first line of comments popped up in his livestream:

[Huh? What’s that? What’s that thing on the roses? A new gift from Brother M? It’s so pretty!]

“Good morning,” Shi Xiaowang greeted with a smile after staying up all night. He gently touched a pink flower.

“This isn’t a gift animation. Congratulations — you’re the third person, aside from me, to witness a flower bloom.”

[???]
[A flower? You’re saying that’s a flower? No way, you’re kidding, right?]

“What’s wrong? Are our little roses not beautiful enough? There are pink-white ones, orange ones, and oh, that deep red one — I really like that one. Doesn’t it look like a flame?”

He continued smiling and introducing them, completely ignoring the disbelief in the comments.

Viewers flooded in rapidly.

[Is this real? Are those really flowers? Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!!]
[Impossible! Flowers can’t bloom! Even the Research Institute couldn’t do it! The streamer must be faking it!]
[But they’re so beautiful… oh god, I don’t even know why, I’ve been staring at the screen for ten minutes and tears just started falling. Streamer, are these really flowers?]

“They really are,” Shi Xiaowang said with a soft laugh.

“They’re all different varieties — I don’t yet know all their names, but I know they’re all roses.”

[The little roses bloomed? I’ve followed this stream for so long, and they actually bloomed? I feel like crying…]
[Oh my god, these are our little roses?]
[I just checked — they really are roses! I actually saw flowers bloom with my own eyes?!]

The news was like a bomb — in no time, it exploded across the entire Federation.

Soon after, the Research Institute issued a statement confirming that the rose seeds planted by Shi Xiaowang had also been given to Director Meng Zhan, and laboratory tests showed that the seeds contained no pollutants and were indeed capable of flowering and bearing fruit.

Shi Xiaowang’s livestream was almost overwhelmed. Everyone wanted to see the blooming roses.

Comments flooded so fast that unless you paused the chat, it was impossible to read anything.

Shi Xiaowang didn’t pay attention to the chaos. He simply looked quietly toward one corner of the greenhouse.

There stood a photo of the Duke and Duchess.

Wang Shuxue’s smile looked brighter than ever today.

Do you see this, Mother? Your roses have bloomed.

Shi Xiaowang’s eyes softened as he smiled at the photo.

Then suddenly, the chat exploded again:

[Wait! The Research Institute announcement said who gave the seeds? Shi Xiaowang? Isn’t the Little Duke’s name Shi Xiaowang?!]
[What do you mean? The streamer is the Little Duke?!]
[Didn’t he say he’d show his face when the flowers bloomed? Take off the mask!]
[Take it off! Take off the mask!]

When he came back to himself, the comments were already a wall of “take off the mask!”

He chuckled, reached up, and removed it.

“Then… let’s officially meet. My name is Shi Xiaowang. I’m a not-so-new plant streamer — and the person you all call the Little Duke.”

[!!!!]
[!!!!!!!]

Exclamation marks filled the screen — shock, surprise, excitement.

[Holy crap! Beauty overload!]
[Ahhh! I’ve been digging for info on the Little Duke for months, and it turns out he’s been right in front of me this whole time?!]
[Why didn’t you just say it from the start?]
[So you streamed just to plant flowers, Little Duke?]

“These roses were my mother’s keepsakes,” Shi Xiaowang said softly. “When I moved out of the Duke’s manor, I brought them with me. I’ve told everyone before — letting people see them bloom was my mother’s wish, and mine as well.

“She used to say: when flowers bloom, it’s not just a beautiful sight — it means happiness has arrived. It means the age of war and chaos has ended, and that we can all live more joyfully.”

His voice was calm and clear, with the purity of youth.
Wearing a white shirt, sitting among the roses with sunlight pouring through the glass, he looked bright and untainted — like the roses themselves.

“I’ve finally fulfilled her wish — I’ve let everyone see the flowers bloom. I hope she can be at peace in heaven, and I hope all of you will love these roses too.”

[Waaah! Of course we love them!]
[My heart is melting… baby, we all love you!!]
[After three hundred years, you’re the first person to make flowers bloom — the Duchess would be so proud of you!]
[Yes! Do you realize what you’ve done? Just like she said, you’ve brought happiness to the Federation — you’ve ended the dark age!]

Shi Xiaowang smiled faintly.

“If everyone loves our little roses, then I won’t deny that I brought happiness. But the ones who truly ended the war — that wasn’t me. It was the late Marshal and Jian Mo.”

“I admit, I was very uneasy about this engagement at first. Like everyone else, I didn’t know Jian Mo. But those who’ve followed me for a while know — I’ve said before, he treats me very well.

“In fact, when the engagement was first announced, Jian Mo wanted to call it off. The one who insisted on keeping it… was me.”

He tilted his head slightly, recalling the videos circulating online.

“Oh right, you probably already know that part.”

“Later, when I said I wanted to learn about psychic power, Jian Mo brought in Director Meng Zhan to teach me. And when I said I wanted to try planting flowers, he built this greenhouse for me.”

He smiled softly.

“I just want to say — he’s not the kind of person people imagine. He’s gentle, and kind.”

For a moment, the chat fell silent — then messages slowly began to appear again.

[But he killed the old Marshal. He admitted it himself.]
[Maybe he’s just using your looks against you, sweetie. Don’t be fooled.]

Shi Xiaowang lowered his gaze slightly.

He knew this topic was inevitable if he wanted to defend Jian Mo.

“I know. But none of us really understand what happened on that battlefield. There are too many unknowns. Still, I believe… hurting the old Marshal must have been harder on him than anyone.”

[Yeah right. I don’t buy it.]
[He came back and became Marshal. If he felt guilty, shouldn’t he have stepped down instead of keeping power?]

Seeing the tone in the comments turn harsh, Shi Xiaowang’s expression grew more serious.

“If he were truly a man obsessed with power, why has he done nothing to exploit it since the war ended? And think about it — my uncle and the others could have easily covered up the truth to keep the peace.

“Why would Jian Mo choose to publicly admit that he hurt the old Marshal? What did he gain from it? Nothing but a reputation for betrayal, right?”

[You know… I actually wondered that before. Why did he admit it? He could’ve just said the old Marshal died in battle — that’s believable enough.]
[Maybe he did it to assert dominance?]
[Over who? Us? He was already the designated successor. What was there to prove?]
[Doesn’t matter. He killed the man who raised him. That’s unforgivable.]

“I’m not trying to excuse him,” Shi Xiaowang said with a faint smile. “And I don’t expect everyone to believe me.

“I just want people to look at Jian Mo more objectively — and to know that I’m doing well. I’ve fulfilled my wish, I’ve received so much kindness and love, and that’s enough for me.”

He paused, then brightened a little.

“Oh — and I won’t be stopping my streams. Besides roses, I plan to grow other flowers too. One day, they might even go on sale online. This is something I already discussed with Boss Jian — so I hope everyone will support it!”

[Wait, for sale? Does that mean I can have one of the roses?!]
[When? I want to pre-order right now!]

“Not yet,” he said playfully, wagging his finger. “Let’s wait until our rose family grows a bit bigger first.”

Jian Mo watched the screen quietly, his eyes soft.

He had expected Shi Xiaowang might use this opportunity to speak on his behalf, and he’d even prepared a contingency plan in case it caused backlash.

But Shi Xiaowang was wiser than he imagined — careful, measured, never letting himself be drawn into the storm.

Shi Xiaowang had grown — from that tense, timid boy into a calm and confident Little Duke.

That was good.

From now on, Jian Mo could finally watch him stand tall — and face the world on his own.

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