Yue'an had been as exhausted as a dead cat lately.

The poor little kitty had been subjected to a comprehensive assault, both physical and mental, by Xiu Jun.

Every day, Marshal Ji wrung him out like a dishrag. In his spare time, Yue'an could do nothing but lie on the sofa, exposing his white little belly to the ceiling, his gaze blank and unfocused.

Yue'an couldn't quite tell if Xiu Jun genuinely wanted him to quickly adapt to his human identity, or if he was conducting extreme training to keep him too tired to go out and cause trouble.

Today was a rare occasion. Xiu Jun had gone out on business, but not to sit in his office at the military headquarters. This meant he had no time to put Yue'an through physical "practical training" or to squeeze him mentally while wearing a thought-sensing helmet at the military base.

Yue'an's learning progress over the past few days had been astonishing. In human form, his movements were now almost flawless, and he had made great strides in combat skills. As for speaking—he had progressed fastest in cursing and wheedling.

The shameless cat-sitter Xiu Jun had somehow managed to resist the adorable kitten's attempts at coaxing, persisting in his merciless practical training.

Yue'an had found it unbelievable at first, but eventually gave up and accepted his fate.

Today, with some rare free time at home, Yue'an finally remembered his long-neglected livestreaming career.

He was lying on the sofa, belly exposed, tail swishing lazily back and forth, playing with his holo-computer like a salted fish.

The livestream screen hovered at a comfortable distance in front of his eyes. Comment bubbles popped up one after another, with viewers dramatically lamenting how difficult life had been without their cat fix.

[Without fresh cat to absorb, life is worse than death.]

[Without fresh cat to absorb, the sky is falling and the earth is cracking.]

[Without fresh cat to absorb, I can't go on living.]

[Sobbing, you spoiled us with daily streams before. Now I feel awful if I go a day without absorbing cat.]

Yue'an tilted his head, feeling nothing particular about these comments.

Though it might sound callous—Yue'an no longer needed the money.

Various toys and games based on his image had gone into production.

Unlike the internet, there were no walls restricting the sale of these entertainment products. Sales points were spread throughout the interstellar system, with considerable profits. Yue'an was raking in money while lounging at home, a veritable little rich cat, even outearning Xiu Jun—of course, that was not counting Xiu Jun's various fixed assets.

Yue'an rolled over, changing from lying on his back to his stomach. The holo-computer interface followed, remaining steadily at that perfect distance in front of his eyes.

When Yue'an was quiet, the viewers in the livestream chatroom were particularly good at chatting, joking, and entertaining themselves.

They could discuss everything from current politics to crop cultivation, gossiping about all sorts of topics and occasionally even talking about investment and finance.

There were many high-level viewers in Yue'an's livestream. Being able to stay at the top of the comment bubble area without being quickly buried was one of the privileges of this class.

This title was only obtainable by spending at least 50 million on the platform each month.

It was said that many people came not for the cat, but for the various mini-lectures brought out by these big shots in their casual chats. Some even took serious notes, hoping to ride the coattails of these successful figures.

Yue'an played a simple tap-tap game recommended by the viewers with his tail, too lazy to even move a paw.

[There's big news again today.]

[Our planet has been □□ lately, it's big news every day.]

[My planet busted a large-scale drug plantation base the day before yesterday, we're following up on that, it's big news every day too.]

[...I overestimated you all. It's normal not to pay attention to this if you're not in the entertainment industry. Check the interstellar news entertainment section.]

The Cynthis Empire had been making big news lately.

Just after the military section reported Marshal Ji Xiujun's disappearance following an attack, the society section came out with news about the last cat in the universe. Then the legal section suddenly broke the news of the Imperial Supreme Court opening a session. Before this had settled down, news broke of large-scale illegal transactions beneath the central business district of the imperial capital on the imperial planet.

Just a week after the military uncovered this large-scale illegal trading case, the entertainment section exploded with another piece of big news.

Marshal Kevin's wife, the interstellar famous actress and "Extreme Beauty Flower" Madam Ellie, was seen in an intimate position with an unknown man while filming an advertisement on the 31st film and television planet in the Second Star System.

Accompanying this news was a long string of photos that were clearly taken surreptitiously.

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The paparazzi profession had survived countless years of erosion by time and had not been washed away by the tide of time. Instead, it had become even more unpredictable due to technological advancements.

This had also led to disguise devices becoming increasingly popular among entertainment industry figures.

Regarding this news, the first inevitable topic was the argument about portrait rights and privacy issues, followed by discussions about the news itself.

[I'm back after reading it. Can we form a group to catch sheep on Marshal Kevin's head?]

[I don't care! Our Ellie looks so good!]

[Clickbait title. That's not a stranger, I bet the one sitting with Ellie is no more than thirty years old.]

[Regardless of anything else, that young man is really good-looking.]

[Fresh meat! Young wolf! Cutie!]

[Marshal Kevin: I don't think this is appropriate.]

[Isn't this age gap a bit too large...?]

[If you don't think about the age gap, these two faces together are just pleasing to the eye.]

[Wait, are you all so readily accepting the fact that Madam Ellie might be having an affair?!]

[Marshal Kevin: This is not appropriate.]

Yue'an put down his tail, saw the game over screen on the panel, glanced at the comments, and then went to check the news.

He was stunned as soon as he saw it.

—Wasn't this the staged photo he had taken with Madam Ellie a couple of days ago?

[Madam Ellie's side said they'll hold a press conference to clarify soon.]

[Oh, I found a close-up shot. How come such a handsome young man has never been exposed before??]

[I found it too...]

[Don't you guys... think this young man looks a bit like little Yue'an?]

[Didn't notice before, but now that you mention it...]

[White hair, blue eyes, delicate features... A, a cat spirit?]

Yue'an, watching the comments, finally deigned to make a sound, softly meowing.

Of course they look alike.

Yue'an thought proudly, that handsome young man is me!

[Little Yue'an seems to think so too. Wonder if the young man is a newcomer in the entertainment circle.]

[If so, let's wait and see Ellie's press conference. If she clarifies it's not an affair, I'll become a fan.]

[Absorbing cat energy and cat spirit energy at the same time, how delightful.]

[Haha, maybe the press conference will announce he's a new talent from their studio, please support him.]

Reading these comments, Yue'an could guess what Madam Ellie was planning to do.

Hah, naive humans.

Yue'an patted his little belly, reaching out a paw to grab some snacks he'd bought days ago but hadn't had time to eat, opening the package.

Just wait until the press conference comes out and shocks you all!

Madam Ellie's press conference was quite lively, with representatives from all major entertainment media present.

Ellie didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.

"I know why everyone is here today."

Madam Ellie's expression was calm, her demeanor still elegant and reserved. She appeared to be in good spirits, showing no signs of panic over the big news.

"First, as usual, I declare that we will pursue legal action against the weekly magazine for their unauthorized photos and false reports. Secondly, regarding the identity of the young man in the photos that everyone is concerned about, I will provide an explanation."

"I met him a month ago on the 31st film and television planet. Because he looked very similar to Yue'an—yes, that cat—I chatted with him for a while and gradually became acquainted."

Madam Ellie's words were so suggestive that they shocked the audience, making them drop their metaphorical melons.

What's with this setup that sounds like a declaration of true love and infidelity?!

Marshal Kevin, are you okay?? Marshal Kevin??

Quick, look in the mirror and see if there's a green glow on top of your head??

"He's an orphan, not yet old enough to leave the orphanage, with only a number, no name."

"As everyone knows, my husband Kevin and I have been married for over a hundred years, but due to our busy work schedules and frequent separations, we've never had children. Our prime childbearing years are also coming to an end."

Madam Ellie paused, and the audience watching the live press conference also had their thoughts suspended for two seconds.

After those two seconds, they came to their senses and carefully considered her words, feeling something off about these two sentences.

Then, the beautiful woman known as the "Extreme Beauty Flower" of the interstellar world displayed a gentle and radiant smile towards the camera, like warm sunshine on a winter's day.

"So, my husband and I have decided to adopt this child."

Madam Ellie said, "Today is the day my husband is taking him to register for his identity."

When Yue'an heard this, he was slightly stunned. His ears on top of his head twitched lightly, catching the rustling sounds coming from the window on the second floor.

Just from that sound, he knew it was broad daylight, and the dignified Imperial Marshal was climbing through the window again!

Yue'an quickly closed the livestream with a tap of his paw, abandoning the confused audience in the chat room. He looked up to see Marshal Kevin climbing in through the second-floor window.

Marshal Kevin, carrying a bunch of pre-prepared fake documents, waved at him from the second floor, calling out cheerfully, "Son!"

Yue'an shook his fur, not wanting to respond.

Marshal Kevin came down from the second floor, cleaned up the snack bags next to Yue'an, scooped up the cat lying on the sofa, and bounced him lightly in his arms.

Then, like a father who hadn't seen his son in a long time, he said, "You've lost weight."

Yue'an: "..."

Wake up, please.

Since this cat gained sentience, my weight and size have been fixed.

Don't add your own dramatic flair to this.

Marshal Kevin was completely unaware that his fatherly affection wasn't being appreciated at all.

Holding the soft and warm "child" in his arms, he didn't rush to leave, but asked Yue'an, "Want to go out and play?"

Yue'an's ears twitched slightly, and he turned to look at Marshal Kevin.

Marshal Kevin rubbed Yue'an's little head, "After we finish the registration, Dad will take you to play!"

"Meow!"

Yue'an flipped over and sat up, his two azure eyes focused intently on Marshal Kevin.

Marshal Kevin smiled, extending his hand palm up in front of Yue'an, and asked, "Want to go play with mechs?"

Without hesitation, Yue'an placed a paw on Marshal Kevin's hand.

Let's go!

Anything is better than being "played with" by Xiu Jun!

The man and the cat reached a perfect consensus. They quickly changed clothes and nimbly climbed out the window.

Yue'an's human name was still registered as Yue'an. Marshal Kevin and the little cat spirit who had just entered his household register endured the strange stares from the registry office staff as they seriously completed all the procedures.

But what the old man and the young cat didn't expect was that as soon as they stepped into the military mech training ground, they ran into Xiu Jun, who had come to see the design draft of the new Silver Blade and to hand over his latest physical condition forms to the mech master for precise parameter adjustments.

Marshal Ji looked at the two stunned faces, his gaze sweeping over his teacher before landing on Yue'an.

He immediately guessed what they were here for.

He was all too familiar with his teacher's dried-up tricks.

Back when Xiu Jun was still under his command, he discovered that Marshal Kevin had only one technique for coaxing children.

—"Want to play with mechs?"

"Here to play with mechs?" Marshal Ji asked calmly.

Yue'an, who had been tossed around for a week, almost meowed out loud.

But he bravely resisted the instinctive urge, kept a straight face, nodded at Xiu Jun, and responded in clear tones, "Yes."

"Good," Marshal Ji nodded, "I happen to be free. I'll join as a training partner."

Yue'an: ...??

I don't want you as a training partner!

How come you always have free time!

How has the military headquarters managed to survive until now with its highest-ranking officer slacking off all the time??

Yue'an was utterly incredulous.