Chapter 44
Shi Xiao said he was about to leave, but then got curious about this, interested in that, and even ran over to the back hill to check out their newly raised cows and sheep.
By the time they actually returned, it was already evening.
When they got home and reached the greenhouse door, the dog ran out excitedly, wagging its tail around Shi Xiaowang, jumping and yipping enthusiastically.
Shi Xiaowang quickly patted the dog’s head.
“Good dog, good dog! Look, your master is here to pick you up!”
Shi Yue: Huh? He has a master too?
He turned his head, and his second brother was raising an eyebrow, looking at him teasingly.
It had been a long time since Shi Yue had seen Shi Xiao, and he was quite happy, running over to snuggle him.
“Oh wow, good dog, good dog.”
Shi Xiao also patted the dog’s head, mimicking Shi Xiaowang.
“Did you have fun these past two days?”
These past two days…
Aside from other things, he suddenly remembered that his second brother had kicked him out of the group chat.
He glanced at his brother, then at Meng Zhan, who was smiling.
The dog turned its head, ignoring them.
None of them were good people.
It ran back to Shi Xiaowang, tugging at his sleeve and trying to pull him along.
“Let’s go, let’s go! I’ll show you something fun!”
“Where are we going? Your master is right here.”
Shi Xiaowang tried to resist the dog.
But the dog, though not clever, had plenty of strength. To protect his clothes, Shi Xiaowang had no choice but to take a few steps along with it.
“Second Brother, I…”
Jian Da Meow stepped out of the greenhouse, exchanging a glance with Shi Xiao and Meng Zhan, then looked at Shi Xiaowang.
Shi Xiao waved at Shi Xiaowang.
“It’s okay, you two go play. We’ll go check out the greenhouse ourselves.”
“Well…”
Shi Xiaowang didn’t get to finish his sentence before the dog tugged him again, forcing him to run while calling out:
“I’ll run with him for a bit and come back soon!”
“Take it slow, don’t fall!”
Meng Zhan shouted from behind.
“Okay!”
The voices faded as they ran off.
Shi Xiao smiled, looking at Jian Mo.
“What’s going on, friend? You’re not seriously planning to confess while wearing that lion head, are you? Aren’t you going to change back? Didn’t your purification restriction already lift?”
Jian Mo explained in the group chat:
[Xiaowang would worry if he couldn’t see the lion, and he already likes lions. So I plan to take him this way to find the cake. When we find it and set off fireworks, I’ll change back while he’s distracted, then confess to him and finally reveal the lion’s identity.
“Turning back into a person?”
Shi Xiao nodded.
“Alright, that’s interesting.”
“What do you mean ‘take him to find the cake’? Where did you put it?”
Compared to Shi Xiao, Meng Zhan was more curious about what this straight-man brain had designed for the confession process.
The lion wagged its tail and shook its ears, looking a bit guilty.
—Don’t ask, just watch.
It couldn’t be changed anyway.
“Where are you taking me, big dog?”
Shi Xiaowang was led by the dog to the pond, looking at its excitement with confusion.
“You’re showing me something?”
The dog grinned and barked.
Of course! Good things are meant to be shared with brothers!
Ever since Shi Xiaowang left in the morning, Jian Mo and Uncle Ye had been busy preparing. Busy was fine, but they also played along.
Could Shi Yue just watch quietly? Of course not. He secretly followed Jian Mo, observing from behind.
At first, he didn’t dare get too close—after all, it was Jian Mo, and he was afraid of being discovered and thrown out.
But later, he noticed Jian Mo didn’t seem to notice him at all.
Jian Mo was the Marshal of the Federation, a battlefield-tested marshal. Shi Yue didn’t believe Jian Mo couldn’t detect him.
So whatever Jian Mo was doing, it had a purpose!
Seeing the roses and sensor lights set up near the pond, along with the three-tier cake Uncle Ye had pushed over, Shi Yue got very excited.
This had to be Jian Mo giving him a task!
Jian Mo must have deliberately let him discover it, making him the guide. After Shi Xiaowang found his birthday cake, they could suddenly appear and wish him a happy birthday!
Seeing Meng Zhan and his second brother only confirmed this thought.
Everyone was here for Xiaowang’s birthday, so he had to perform well and make it a joyful day!
“Stop circling! Where are you taking me?”
Shi Xiaowang patted the dog’s head, trying to calm it down.
Once calm, the dog tugged at his clothes again, dutifully acting as the guide.
After a few tugs, Shi Xiaowang noticed bright red roses among the pond’s grass, leaving him momentarily stunned.
“I didn’t plant roses here…”
Curious, he touched a petal. The moment he did, the rose lit up, and rose-shaped lights flickered on the ground, guiding him forward.
Shi Xiaowang’s eyes widened.
Yesterday, when he walked the dog, there hadn’t been anything here—where did it come from?
Though puzzled, curiosity won out, and he followed the lights step by step.
A few steps later, touching another rose lit up another flower.
Shi Xiaowang smiled. This little adventure felt very fun.
The dog followed behind, grinning, watching each rose light up.
Man and dog, following the roses, lighting up stars along the way.
“Why haven’t they come back yet? Can Shi Yue really run that fast?”
Shi Xiao had been waiting a long time, growing anxious, craning his neck to look outside the greenhouse.
“Uh… little brother, did you put the cake by the pond?”
Shi Xiao’s voice was a little guilty.
Jian Mo, still nervously rehearsing his confession, froze and turned to look.
It was already dark. The twinkling lights by the pond shone brightly.
The lion’s face was full of astonishment, ears drooping.
He had hidden everything and timed it for dusk, thinking Xiaowang wouldn’t find it so easily…
The lion stepped out of the greenhouse without a word.
Shi Xiao and Meng Zhan exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
They should never have kicked Shi Yue out of the group chat.
By the pond, Shi Xiaowang had already gone far, following the flower lights with cheerful, excited steps.
The flower path almost circled the entire pond. At the end, the remaining unlit lights suddenly came on, one by one.
Beyond the extended lights, a transparent greenhouse lit up spectacularly.
Shi Xiaowang stared in awe. Inside, twinkling lights and roses filled the space, with a three-tier cake in the center, decorated with cream roses.
After staring for a long time, Shi Xiaowang finally snapped out of his astonishment, smiling as he walked toward the greenhouse.
No wonder Uncle Ye had been practicing cakes recently, and why Jian Da Meow had been busy—it was all for his birthday!
Shi Xiaowang’s eyes sparkled as he approached his birthday cake.
“Aren’t you going to stop him? Before the fireworks start.”
Meng Zhan whispered to Jian Mo.
The lion stood by the flower path, watching happy Shi Xiaowang, shaking his head.
He didn’t want to interrupt him. All the preparations and rituals were just to make Shi Xiaowang happy. Seeing him so joyful, why ruin the moment by forcing him into the confession process?
As Shi Xiaowang opened the door, fireworks suddenly exploded across the sky, more brilliant than the stars.
“Wow…”
Shi Xiaowang was mesmerized. It was his first time seeing fireworks, in any world.
He watched the fleeting bursts carefully, eyes reddening.
He suddenly felt incredibly lucky. Whether it was the old man’s birthday wine or the rose fireworks prepared by Uncle Ye and others, he had always been loved and cherished by his family. He had a home, family, and what could be more precious than that?
The lion beside him sighed softly, a hint of relief in his eyes.
At least Shi Xiaowang liked what he had done.
Shi Xiao glanced at Jian Mo, then at Shi Xiaowang, and helplessly tugged Shi Yue’s little dog ears.
The dog yelped innocently, looking at his brother.
—What’s wrong?
After acting innocent, he nudged Shi Xiao again.
—Hurry, brother! You should wish Xiaowang a happy birthday! If you don’t, the fireworks will be gone soon!
“Xiaowang, happy birthday.”
Meng Zhan spoke first, smiling, saying this after the last firework.
“Happy birthday, little brother.”
Shi Xiao followed.
Shi Xiaowang looked at them, smiling widely.
“Mm!”
The dog immediately ran over, barking and wagging its tail.
Shi Xiaowang patted the dog’s head.
“Want some cake?”
“Woof!”
Uncle Ye pushed over the prepared food, glancing at silent Jian Mo with some helplessness.
Not just Shi Yue, even he initially thought Jian Mo had other plans for Shi Yue, so he didn’t ask—he didn’t realize the young master knew nothing.
Probably Jian Mo had been too nervous these past two days, and the more nervous he was, the more mistakes he made.
Shi Xiaowang gave the first slice of cake to Uncle Ye, the second and third to Meng Zhan and Shi Xiao, another slice to the dog, and finally took a large piece with cream roses to Jian Da Meow, sitting on the lawn.
“This is for our big kitty! I specially picked the prettiest flower for you.”
Shi Xiaowang patted the lion’s head.
“Don’t be upset. Teacher Meng and Second Brother are guests, so out of politeness, I gave them cake first. But in my heart, our big kitty is always the most important!”
Jian Da Meow didn’t speak, gently nuzzling him and eating the cake.
Shi Xiaowang had a lot of fun at the birthday party. The only dissatisfaction was that Jian Mo hadn’t come back, not even sending a message.
Later, near the end, Jian Da Meow was gone.
Probably seeing Shi Xiaowang looking for him, Shi Xiao called out before leaving.
“Your lion seems to have returned to the greenhouse. Uncle Ye said the task of taking you to the roses was supposed to be the lion’s, but my dog stole the job. He’s probably sulking now. Go cheer him up.”
Shi Xiaowang was surprised, eyes wide.
“Okay, thanks, Second Brother. I’ll go see him.”
The dog, hearing this, also widened its eyes, questioning Shi Xiao. Uncle Ye didn’t say anything! Besides, wasn’t this Jian Mo’s task?
Watching Shi Xiaowang leave, Shi Xiao patted the dog’s head.
“Silly dog, I brought you clothes. Go back to the car and change first. If you return like this, Shi Zhang will spank you.”
After sending everyone off, Shi Xiaowang entered the greenhouse, glancing at the second floor.
Upstairs, Jian Da Meow made no sound.
Could he still be angry…?
Shi Xiaowang reflected. Today, he had been a little cold to their big kitty, not even noticing why he was upset.
He deserved a punishment.
As for how, Shi Xiaowang had no clear idea. He saw some unused catnip, grabbed a handful, and rubbed a bit of its juice on himself.
The smell was strong and fragrant, very satisfying.
First, make the little cat unable to resist, then gently coax him—he’d calm down!
After all, their big cat was easy to pacify.
Upstairs, Jian Da Meow had already turned back into Jian Mo.
It wasn’t deliberate. Perhaps his purification power had destabilized, or some other reason, but near the end of the birthday party, his mental energy wavered. He returned to the greenhouse, changed into prepared clothes, and became Jian Mo again.
Jian Mo looked at the bracelet in the jewelry box, hesitating.
There was still time to fix things and confess as Jian Mo, but his mind was tangled. Everything felt imperfect. Nervous as he was, he forgot all his prepared lines, fearing he’d ruin Shi Xiaowang’s good mood.
Jian Mo laughed bitterly at himself, feeling frustrated and defeated. Even he had days of cowardice.
In fact, there was still time. He hadn’t yet formally wished Shi Xiaowang a happy birthday as himself.
The night wasn’t over. He still had the chance, clinging to the tail end of all the preparations…
Just then, the strong scent of catnip wafted up.
Jian Mo frowned sharply, looking toward the stairs, panicked and confused.
He wasn’t Jian Da Meow anymore, so why did catnip affect him so strongly?
The confusion lasted only moments. Within a few breaths, his mind began to scatter.
He seemed to plunge into a frenzy, his remaining reason slowly devoured by inner desire.
“Da Meow! I’m coming up!”
Downstairs, Shi Xiaowang called out cheerfully.
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