President 18
“You… you…”
The young man panicked and tried to struggle free, but he quickly realized that his strength was nothing compared to the man’s. He couldn’t move an inch, let alone utter a full sentence—his voice was already trembling with suppressed sobs.
He Wang reached out with his other hand and gently pressed against the redness at the corner of the boy’s eyes. Not wanting to scare him too much, he eased his grip slightly.
Taking the opportunity, Tang Xi immediately backed away, eyeing him warily like a frightened, bristling kitten.
He was afraid of being sent straight to a research lab for dissection.
He Wang’s voice was hoarse: “I’m sorry.”
…Sorry?
Following his gaze, Tang Xi suddenly noticed the reddened mark on his wrist—the very spot He Wang had just grabbed.
In truth, the villain hadn’t used that much force. It was just that Tang Xi’s skin was too delicate, a mere touch would leave a mark.
Hearing the apology, Tang Xi, momentarily distracted, foolishly responded, “It’s fine.”
He didn’t even back away again when the man stepped closer.
Such an easy-to-fool little cat… Since he was so gullible, he should just stay obediently under my wing.
Suppressing his thoughts, He Wang, like a predator patiently closing in on its prey, gradually reduced the distance between them. “You’re Tangkuai, aren’t you?”
Tang Xi had intended to deny it outright, but when his eyes met He Wang’s gaze, he opened his mouth—only to say nothing in the end.
All of a sudden, his nose stung. Years of carefully hiding his identity, living in constant fear of being discovered, had built up an overwhelming sense of grievance. Under that deep, unwavering gaze, it all burst forth in an instant.
Tears, which had only been welling in his eyes moments ago, finally spilled over—falling onto the back of his hand.
In an instant, his hand was wet.
Now it was He Wang’s turn to panic. He had been afraid that directly confronting the kitten with surveillance footage would scare him too much, so he had deliberately set a trap to make him reveal himself. He had only wanted to tease the little kitten a bit—but he hadn’t expected to actually make him cry.
Awkwardly, he pulled the silently sobbing young man into his arms, his movements clumsy as he patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. “Don’t cry.”
Sensing no danger, Tang Xi obediently let himself be held. But instead of calming down, he cried even harder—almost as if he was finally letting out all the fear and grievances he had bottled up over the years since he had gained intelligence.
When his sobbing finally subsided into hiccups, he stammered, “You… you lied to me… You scared me… You’re a bad person.”
His voice was choked and uneven.
He Wang’s eyes were filled with a deep, aching fondness as he followed along with Tang Xi’s words. “Mhm, I’m bad. But stop crying now.”
Tang Xi’s eyes were still red. “Are you going to send me away?”
Unconsciously, his fingers clutched at the fabric of He Wang’s shirt, his expression pitiful. The lingering redness at the corners of his eyes only made him look even more alluring.
He Wang frowned. “Send you where?”
“To… to the research lab.” Tang Xi couldn’t help but hiccup again.
Then, he felt the slight tremor of He Wang’s chest—he was laughing.
The low, amused voice sounded from above his head. “The research lab? Who told you I’d send you there?”
So this was what the little kitten had been worried about all along?
Knowing that the other party wasn’t deliberately hiding anything, He Wang’s mood improved significantly.
Feeling mocked, Tang Xi became both embarrassed and angry, biting down on He Wang’s arm.
After biting him, he suddenly felt guilty and quietly poked at the neat little bite mark he had left behind.
“Not angry anymore?” He Wang raised an eyebrow.
“Mm.” Tang Xi blinked, looking a little embarrassed. It was his first time crying in front of someone, and after crying, he even threw a tantrum. “Are you really not going to take me away?”
He Wang ruffled the boy’s soft black hair. “You’re my cat—who else would I take you to?”
Tang Xi cautiously loosened his grip on his wrinkled clothing. “Then… are you still going to keep me?”
He Wang nodded.
“My name is Tang Xi, not Tangkuai.” He was still very particular about this.
He Wang let out a noncommittal hum.
“Then if I want delicious food, you have to buy it for me.” He started pushing his luck, tilting his head. “And fluffy toys too.”
Now emboldened by favoritism, he looked completely different from the teary-eyed boy curled up in a ball just moments ago.
Yet, He Wang found this side of him even more adorable.
He didn’t question the boy about anything—no inquiries about his school or background. Instead, he simply guided him step by step, patiently gaining his trust.
Exhausted from the earlier scare and emotional outburst, Tang Xi’s eyelids grew heavy as soon as he felt safe. In the end, lulled by the villain’s soft murmurs, he fell asleep as a little kitten once again.
. . . . .
“Meow?”
Upon waking up and not seeing the villain anywhere, Tang Xi jumped up from the bed in panic, like a little golden furball with springs attached.
Feeling insecure, the small kitten anxiously flicked his tail as he searched for He Wang.
Just as he waddled toward the door on his tiny legs, the door swung open.
He Wang walked in carrying a pile of clothes and effortlessly scooped up the kitten from the floor.
His expression remained completely composed, devoid of any ulterior motives. “I had someone bring you a bunch of new clothes. Try them on in human form?”
Tang Xi, trusting He Wang without hesitation, transformed into his human form and eagerly accepted the new clothes.
His eyes sparkled. “They look so nice!”
System 1551 hesitated as if it wanted to say something but ultimately chose silence.
Ever since its cover had been blown last night, it had been pretending to be dead.
He Wang’s plans fell through once again.
Although Tang Xi occasionally lacked common sense, he at least knew that changing clothes in front of someone else wasn’t appropriate.
Without looking back, he happily hopped toward the bathroom.
He Wang: Tsk.
He knew exactly what he was regretting, and he also understood the kind of desire he shouldn’t have developed for the boy.
He didn’t want to maintain just this kind of relationship—his greed pushed him to want more, to go deeper.
Yet, the naive little prey was completely oblivious.
The already good-looking boy became even more exquisite after changing into the tailored outfits. Every movement was a sight to behold.
At first, Tang Xi found the new clothes novel and exciting, but after trying on five or six sets in a row, he became completely numb to it.
Noticing that He Wang still had more than ten sets left in his hands, Tang Xi grew displeased. “I’m not trying on any more. I’m hungry.”
Even his complaints were soft and gentle.
He Wang soothingly patted his head. “Alright, let’s go eat. The new chef this morning made a variety of sandwiches.”
He had specifically prepared a human breakfast for Tang Xi to encourage him to stay in his human form.
Tang Xi didn’t notice this little scheme at all. Overjoyed, he grabbed He Wang’s hand and eagerly dragged him downstairs, where they ran into the butler.
The butler, stationed downstairs, was seeing Tang Xi’s human form for the first time—more importantly, it was the first time he had ever seen his master so close to someone.
Last night, He Wang had ordered him to leave. Now, upon seeing Tang Xi, the butler didn’t suspect that he had appeared out of nowhere. He simply assumed that his master had called him over after he had left.
His master… was finally in a relationship? And with such a young and beautiful boy?
His gaze locked onto their intertwined hands, and he momentarily lost his composure, displaying a look of utter shock.
Though the situation was somewhat surreal, he didn’t believe Tang Xi was some sort of kept lover. Setting aside the boy’s outstanding looks and the natural intimacy between the two, the butler trusted his master’s character enough to know he wouldn’t indulge in something so improper. The only logical conclusion was that they were dating.
His master had finally come to his senses. Even if the gender was a little unconventional, it was still a good thing.
Having solidified his conclusion, the butler now looked at Tang Xi with the same fondness one might have for a beloved grandchild.
Tang Xi, momentarily entranced by the promise of breakfast, was pulled back to reality by the butler’s kind gaze and the other servants’ curious, sneaky glances.
Lowering his head, he suddenly realized—he had been holding He Wang’s hand the entire time.
As a cat, he had been used to clinging to the villain. But now, interacting with He Wang as a human felt strangely unfamiliar. Letting go, his ears turned slightly red.
He Wang noticed but said nothing. Instead, he considerately pulled out a chair for Tang Xi and placed one of each sandwich flavor onto his plate.
The sandwiches were small—each only took two or three bites for an adult man to finish.
But there were too many of them.
Tang Xi, greedy for a taste of everything, took a bite of each one. Before he knew it, he was stuffed. Even though his human form had a bigger appetite than his cat form, it was still smaller than that of an average boy.
He could only watch tearfully as the sandwiches—each one bearing a bite mark from him—ended up in He Wang’s stomach.
He Wang took a sip of his coffee and commented flatly, “Your stomach’s just like a cat’s.” He also had a habit of guarding his food, biting into everything first to claim it.
Tang Xi pouted.
I AM a cat.
He sulked for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, “Ah!”
“What’s wrong?” He Wang frowned, his voice carrying an edge of concern even he hadn’t noticed.
“I forgot I have school.” Tang Xi blinked innocently.
Since his secret was already exposed, he figured he might as well embrace it.
Luring prey required the perfect balance of push and pull. Considerate as ever, He Wang didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he spoke in a tone that left no room for refusal. “I’ll take you there later.”
Tang Xi, however, hesitated.
What if Ye Qian saw He Wang? Or worse—what if He Wang saw Ye Qian?
For some reason, the thought of them meeting made him inexplicably uneasy. The idea that He Wang might fall for Ye Qian filled him with discomfort and resistance.
It was an even worse feeling than when someone stole his favorite fluffy toy. Just imagining it made him feel sick.
As a naturally simple-minded little cat, he didn’t understand why he felt this way. Helpless, he confided everything to 1551.
Even though 1551 had never fallen in love itself, it had seen plenty of romance play out. It immediately sensed that this was a bad sign.
Falling for his mission target was definitely not a good thing.
The system quickly gave a vague response: [You’re just too worried about completing the mission—that’s why you’re afraid of them meeting. It’s fine. Just have him drop you off a little farther from the school gate.]
[Oh, so that’s it! Got it!]
Tang Xi didn’t doubt the system’s words at all. In fact, he even felt a little smug.
I really am such a dedicated little cat.
Opting not to call a driver, He Wang personally took Tang Xi to school.
At Tang Xi’s repeated insistence, he parked the car a street away from the school.
His gaze was helpless. “Why do you love acting spoiled so much?”
“I’m not acting spoiled!” The little cat bristled.
But with his naturally soft and sweet voice, it still sounded like he was.
“Alright, alright, you’re not acting spoiled.” He Wang indulged him with a pat.
Satisfied, Tang Xi opened the car door and hopped out, childishly making a funny face at the man in the driver’s seat—whose eyes were filled with amusement and affection.
The warm and tender scene didn’t go unnoticed.
A pair of narrow, jealous eyes had been watching the entire time.
It wasn’t until He Wang finished watching Tang Xi walk away and finally drove off that the hidden observer emerged from the shadows.
Had 1551 noticed him, it would have immediately recognized him.
It was the very same person who had been lurking on the school forum, using an anonymous account to post passive-aggressive comments about Tang Xi.