Chapter 31

031.

Though Lu Yan’s tone had been a bit harsh, the idea itself wasn’t half bad—it was just that Bai Yu clearly held exceptionally high standards for clothing and would likely turn up his nose at anything off-the-rack.

Once Lu Yuan got his hands on that robe, he had a hunch the fabric was something special—possibly even limited-edition.

Then he heard the studio’s name, and it all clicked: A·E was notorious for using rare fabrics to inflate their prices.

To produce garments capable of rivaling A·E’s—not just one piece, but an entire collection—how much work would that entail? And if the final product ended up rejected by Bai Yu, Lu Yuan seriously considered hitching a ride to locate Earth’s self-destruct button.

Lu Yuan patted Stinky Treasure’s head and said, dead serious, “Promise me—you won’t trash your dad’s fancy clothes again. I told you you’d be earning money for him to blow, but honestly? I’m terrified your dad might one day bankrupt the company buying clothes.”

And if that happened, Lu Yan would become Bai Yu’s number-one target for retribution.

Sure, the brothers hadn’t fully reconciled—but they were still family, after all. As the younger brother, Lu Yuan truly didn’t want to see Lu Yan end up bleeding out on the floor.

Stinky Treasure let out a couple of meows, and Lu Yuan took that as a yes.

Thanks to Lu Yan’s wisecracking, the embarrassment of getting caught sniffing Bai Yu’s pants—er, *carefully inspecting* Bai Yu’s pants—had mostly faded. But he couldn’t dwell on it—or he’d start plotting ways to eliminate Chairman Bai.

He tossed and turned in bed, then finally yanked the giant hood of his pajamas over his head, scooped up Stinky Treasure, and bolted.

At the floor-to-ceiling window of the master bedroom on the second floor, Bai Yu spotted a shadowy figure through the glass—hunched over, clutching something bulky—sneaking out of the villa. The figure paused on the front walkway, glancing around to ensure the coast was clear—until a cat’s head popped out from the oversized pajama collar.

Lu Yuan gave it a pat and was about to speak when his spidey senses flared.

He looked up—and saw the study window of Villa No. 2, unobscured by foliage—the very spot where he’d glimpsed someone standing earlier.

*Whoosh!*

Lu Yuan snapped his head up.

From not too far away, he locked eyes once more with the man behind the floor-to-ceiling window.

Lu Yuan: “…”

So *that’s* why something had felt off—someone really *had* been secretly watching him.

They stared at each other for a beat. Lu Yuan watched Bai Yu’s arms uncross slightly—then raise his right hand and point directly at the cat in Lu Yuan’s arms. His lips didn’t move at all, yet the message came through loud and clear:

*Where the hell are you taking my son?*

Even caught red-handed attempting to steal the cat, Lu Yuan showed not a trace of guilt. Instead of staying stealthy, he pivoted instantly into full-blown righteous indignation. He straightened his hunched back, tilted his head with swagger—and, under the watchful gaze of the kitten’s actual father, strode off confidently, the dinosaur tail of his pajamas swaying behind him.

Bai Yu: “…”

Stepping into his own villa, Lu Yuan rationalized aloud: “It’s not technically kidnapping—I told your dear daddy yesterday I’d bring you over today to make clothes.”

The moment he walked in, Chen Chi was already waiting in the living room, beaming. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, he said, “Young Master Yuan, the fabric you ordered has all been delivered to the study.”

Lu Yuan nodded. “Good.”

Chen Chi: “Where would Young Master Yuan like to have lunch today?”

Lu Yuan exchanged a glance with the cat in his arms and declared firmly, “We’re eating at home.”

Ah—*now* that was more like it!

Finally given something concrete to do, Chen Chi’s eyes lit up instantly. Fearing Lu Yuan might change his mind, he quickly added, “Then I’ll go discuss the lunch menu with the chef,” and hurried off.

Lu Yuan watched him speed away, momentarily stunned—then shouted after him, “And something for the cat!”

Chen Chi turned back, flashed an OK sign, and gave a look that silently said, *Don’t worry, Young Master Yuan—I’ve got this.*

Lu Yuan: “…”

*

Given Lu Yuan’s major and future career plans, the study in Villa No. 2 had long been equipped with sewing machines and related tools.

The fabric Lu Yuan ordered sat stacked neatly to the side. He bent down, grabbed the fluffy green milk-fleece, and crooked a finger at the Maine Coon kitten. When the kitten padded over, meowing, Lu Yuan pulled out his pre-prepared measuring tape and measured him thoroughly: “Today, we’re starting with matching pajamas—for you two bros.”

He couldn’t even bear to imagine how adorable Stinky Treasure would look in those dinosaur pajamas.

The entire morning passed to the low, steady hum of the sewing machine. Lu Yuan rubbed his stiff shoulders, scooped up the half-asleep cat, and headed to the dining room for lunch.

Chen Chi had gone all out—the dishes he’d selected with the chef were all Lu Yuan’s favorites. Even Stinky Treasure’s cat food clearly reflected considerable effort. And while Lu Yuan ate, Chen Chi murmured softly, “Young Master Yuan, have you lost weight these past couple of days?”

Lu Yuan pinched his own cheek, uncertain—then pulled out his phone to check, hesitantly countering, “Probably not, right?”

Despite the frequent incidents at the Bai residence, he’d been eating three proper meals daily, getting all necessary nutrition. Maybe he just looked a bit tired from being kept awake by Stinky Treasure’s noise.

“Don’t worry.” He patted Chen Chi’s shoulder firmly. “I’ll take good care of myself.”

Chen Chi: “…Okay.”

Stinky Treasure ate with his head down—then intelligently lifted it, twitched an ear, and let out a couple of whimpers, signaling he’d take good care of himself too.

After lunch, Lu Yuan slipped the finished dinosaur pajamas onto Stinky Treasure. The kitten was still young—small and tiny—but his thick fur made him look plump. The pajamas flattened his long fur; structurally, he didn’t look much different—but he was undeniably a hundred times cuter.

“Not bad, not bad.” Lu Yuan nodded emphatically. “A few more embellishments, and it’ll look even better.”

He cut out small patterns and sewed them onto the dinosaur pajamas. With the remaining green fabric, he stuffed cotton inside and crafted a miniature dinosaur plushie to match.

The round, chubby little dinosaur—utterly adorable and uncannily similar in design to Lu Yuan—quickly won Stinky Treasure’s heart. The kitten seized it with his front paws and kicked vigorously with his hind legs.

Lu Yuan clutched his melting heart, carried the cat back to the room, and snapped photos and videos nonstop.

Same as before—first posted to WeChat Moments, then uploaded to the short-video app. However, when Lu Yuan opened the short-video app and saw the screen flooded with red notification dots, he belatedly recalled—

Early this morning, around six, his phone had vibrated repeatedly.

In his drowsy state, he seemed to have pulled out his phone and disabled notifications for some app. Now that he thought about it—it was *this very* short-video app.

Lu Yuan: “…”

Opening the messages page, the latest follow and interaction notifications all read “99+.”

Lu Yuan stared blankly for a long while—then slowly turned to Stinky Treasure and said, “Uh-oh… looks like your daddy might actually get to enjoy some pet perks.”

Stinky Treasure had gone viral online with his ultra-cute video featuring a red camellia perched atop his head—amassing 300,000 likes, 20,000 comments, and 42,000 followers in just twenty-four hours—a meteoric rise to fame that could make influencers weep.

Seeing the screen overflowing with comments like “So cute,” “Ahhhh—it’s a kitten!”, and “Auntie sends kisses,” Lu Yuan ultimately chose to post the video he’d just shot.

And temporarily forgetting the shame and embarrassment of sniffing pants earlier that day, he shared the good news with Bai Yu.

Sesame Tangyuan: Congratulations, Mr. Bai. If you’re willing to do some influencer marketing, you can soon spend the money your son earns. [sour-and-twisted.jpg]

Along with the emoji, he attached a screenshot of a private message.

It was a representative from a cat food brand asking Lu Yuan if he was interested in taking an ad, and very temptingly proactively quoted a price.

—A price that seemed decent by normal standards, but in Chairman Bai's eyes, was clearly chump change.

Y: What about you?

Lu Yuan blinked: What?

Y: Do you want to spend my son's money?

Lu Yuan: "..."

What a question—how am I supposed to answer that?

Lu Yuan said honestly: I'd love to, but let's skip the cat food ad—I've come across their dirt before.

That said—

Lu Yuan asked curiously: Is Bai Group thinking about getting into the pet industry?

Y: No plans for now, but you can ask the heir if he does.

The heir?

Lu Yuan suddenly looked down—the heir, Bai Group's most noble cat prince, was still kicking its little dinosaur toy.

Sending the video to Bai Yu, Lu Yuan typed with a smile: Not sure if your heir is willing to enter the pet industry, but he's definitely capable of squandering all your money.

Y: That's pretty cute.

Sesame Tangyuan: Of course, look how many aunties have given him kisses.

Y: I meant its clothes and the dinosaur toy.

Sesame Tangyuan: That's a given—look who made them [little cat hands on hips.jpg]

Bai Yu leaned back in his seat, watched the video Lu Yuan had sent in full, then dragged the progress bar back to the start.

The little guy's dinosaur pajamas were cut short, just enough to wrap around its body without getting in the way of its tail wagging freely—you can tell a lot of thought went into it. And if Bai Yu wasn't mistaken, the collar seemed to have two characters embroidered in white thread: good boy.

Next to it was a cat face, kind of like a doodle, but super adorable, with a strange resemblance to the little guy.

He dropped his gaze, he'd barely tapped the screen a couple of times before a new message from Sesame Tangyuan came through.

Sesame Tangyuan: I'm also planning to make a set of clothes for Neon.

Sesame Tangyuan: You get what I mean?

Sesame Tangyuan: (*╹▽╹*)

Bai Yu: "..."

Neon too?

Bai Yu narrowed his eyes, stared at Sesame Tangyuan's avatar for a long while, and replied with a straight face: Don't get it.

Sesame Tangyuan: "..."

Sesame Tangyuan: [○･｀Д´･○]

The avatar was so cute, but the reply was so cold and heartless.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, scooped up the little guy who was still kicking the dinosaur toy, and muttered bad things about its biological dad in a low voice: "See that? See those two cold characters? I don't believe your dad's IQ is too low to read between the lines—he's just doing it on purpose! Ugh, what a waste of a handsome face like that!"

Just looking at it makes you mad!

Stinky Treasure: "Meow meow meow."

Lu Yuan nodded: "Exactly, exactly—why does a jerk like him get to spend your money? Next time, give all the earnings to me, let him go hungry."

Stinky Treasure: "Meow meow meow!"

Having formed an alliance with the little guy, Lu Yuan let out a sigh, stared at the Y nickname while mentally killing Bai Yu eight hundred times, then jabbed at the screen keyboard and got straight to the point with him.

Sesame Tangyuan: I make clothes for Neon, you waive one of my papers.

Time ticked by, and just as Lu Yuan thought Bai Yu would pretend not to see it and play dead, his phone lit up.

Y: Make one for me, waive three.