FT DR Chapter 114: Big Yellow Cat and Little Yellow Cat

Chapter 114: Big Yellow Cat and Little Yellow Cat

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Jin Zhe arranged to meet Sienna in a private capacity this time, so he traveled lightly without a secretary or aides, only bringing four bodyguards. Sienna personally welcomed him downstairs and ushered him into the VIP room on the top floor, saying, “I apologize for inviting you amidst your busy schedule.”

“It’s nothing. I’ve delayed your work,” Jin Zhe said, showing great respect to Sienna, completely devoid of the presidential airs he displayed when facing Kazumi Koyama.

After exchanging pleasantries, they sat on opposite sides of the sofa. Jin Zhe didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to discussing the situation, from the changes in the Voyager Army’s strength over the past twenty years, the appointments of the military commanders, all the way to the Lancer rebellion, Hannibal, and the naval confrontation in the Zifu Chain. “Ms. Sienna, I’m telling you all this not to scare you. As the Federal President, I don’t want the public to know that our government has weakened to this extent. Before the Lancer rebellion, the Voyager Army held nearly seventy percent of the Federation’s forces. Even if I can persuade Hannibal to relinquish some of the Second Army’s forces, it would only reduce this proportion to fifty or sixty percent, which still means the Federation remains at a disadvantage.”

Sienna didn’t expect him to be so frank, directly discussing such confidential data with her for negotiation. She couldn’t help but believe more in his sincerity. She said, “Mr. President, I fully believe everything you’ve said, and I understand the efforts you’ve made during your first three years in office. If possible, I’m willing to do my utmost to help you change this situation.”

Jin Zhe’s brow furrowed slightly. Sienna’s gentle attitude indicated that his efforts over the past year to reform the Guide Protection Act had not been in vain. Sincerely, he said, “Thank you for your support, Ms. Sienna. So, I’ll be direct. Ever since the Dark Pearl incident, a secret organization was formed by the people with the aim of protecting guides. It’s known as the ‘Free Guide Organization.’ After the Black Pearl incident, I began to suspect the Saint Martin Research Center. After the Tartaros incident and Kazumi Koyama’s active assistance to the NTU, I’m now almost certain that your organization is the core leadership of this group. Am I right?”

Sienna sighed and said, “Yes, I am currently the highest leader of the organization. Your Excellency, ever since we provided you with the true formula for embryonic interference agents, I foresaw today’s arrival. Perhaps it’s fate. Our organization has continued for a hundred years, and now it’s time to seek new breakthroughs.”

The opinions of the two could be said to be in sync. Jin Zhe hoped that, as the relationship between the Federation and the Voyager Army deteriorated, the Free Guide Organization would firmly stand on the side of the Federation. Sienna, on the other hand, hoped that the federal government would allow the organization to maintain a certain degree of independence and grant them official permission for their embryonic interference research.

Jin Zhe fully supported Sienna’s request. At this stage, ensuring the secrecy of the Free Guide Organization was something he was willing to see. As for the research permit, it could be conducted as a joint research project between the Saint Martin Research Center and military institutions. Increasing the number of guides was the only way to solve the problem at its root for both the Federation and the Free Guide Organization.

Sienna also fully supported Jin Zhe’s request. She herself was a faithful supporter of human peace and unity. She also promised that in the event of a federal security crisis, she would initiate volunteer activities within the organization. Those guides who were willing to voluntarily assist the federal soldiers, as well as the sentinels and guide pairs who had been secretly marked, could voluntarily enlist to help the Federation quell the rebellion. Of course, as a return, the Federation must provide immunity to these individuals, exempting them from prosecution for violating the Guide Protection Act.

After some thought, Jin Zhe agreed to Sienna’s request. A large-scale exemption might face opposition from guide schools, but the prerequisite for implementing such an exemption was the outbreak of a large-scale war among humans. He believed that at that time, Congress would definitely reject their objections and support the exemption.

The only contradiction in the negotiations appeared in the list of personnel from the Free Guide Organization. Jin Zhe requested that Sienna disclose all personnel lists and distributions to him, but Sienna refused his request. She believed that keeping the personnel list confidential was a prerequisite for maintaining the organization’s independence. Therefore, she only agreed to submit a list of some leaders and contacts to Jin Zhe. This way, even if the government went back on its word, the organization would only lose some core members, while the rest could still uphold it and continue to protect the secretly hidden guides.

Jin Zhe deeply understood that some things couldn’t be rushed. After some thought, he agreed to Sienna’s request. Regardless, as long as he monitored these leaders, it was equivalent to monitoring the Free Guide Protection Organization. Even if the Voyager Army sent people to infiltrate, it wouldn’t shake the foundation of the organization. At a critical moment, the vast majority of these two thousand guides would still stand on the side of the Federation.

That was enough.

With both sides reaching an agreement and scheduling the next meeting to discuss details and participants, it was almost dusk. Sienna escorted Jin Zhe out. As Jin Zhe reached the door of the VIP room, he suddenly remembered something and tapped his forehead, saying, “Almost forgot, I heard Dean Mu has been staying at this hospital recently. Is he here? I haven’t personally visited him since he recovered. Perhaps I should see him today.”

“Um, he’s out inspecting other hospitals today,” Sienna said. “His interns are distributed across various hospitals, and according to regulations, he has to spend one day each week conducting inspections.”

“That’s a shame.” Jin Zhe actually already knew that Mu would avoid him, but hearing that he wasn’t around still made him feel a bit disappointed. He handed a beautifully wrapped box to Sienna, saying, “This is a gift for Dean Mu’s daughter… Zhuang Zhuang, right? Please, pass it on to her.”

“Zhuang Zhuang” was the ID registration name Mu gave to Zhuang Zhuang, his daughter. Since she was a sperm donor embryo and didn’t have a surname, she was only given a simple name. Jin Zhe found this name through the household registration system and found it to be quite impressive, both pleasant-sounding and auspicious, with profound meaning. 

Much better than Wu Chenggong and Jin Shengli by a long shot.

“Oh, thank you so much,” Sienna said, surprised by the president’s thoughtfulness. A gift for such a young child? Mr. President, are you okay?

Jin Zhe, however, remained indifferent. Halfway through handing over the box, he changed his mind and said, “Is Zhuang Zhuang also out inspecting with her dad?”

“No, she’s at the early childhood education center downstairs. Mu has been keeping her here at the hospital,” Sienna said. “You can just call her Zhuang Zhuang. That’s how we all call her.”

“Ah, that’s great. Since I have no other plans today, I’ll go down and see her,” Jin Zhe said casually, as if he had just thought of it. He took the box and tapped it, “It’s more sincere to give the gift personally. Speaking of which, Zhuang Zhuang was born prematurely because of Wu Chenghe’s incident. I’ve always felt guilty about it.”

Sienna had already been influenced by his strong personality charm and said, “Of course, you can.”

Suppressing his inner excitement, Jin Zhe took the toys and went downstairs to the early childhood education center with Sienna. There were no classes at this time, and afternoon snacks had been distributed. The children were scattered around the classroom playing with toys. In Zhuang Zhuang’s class, there were more than a dozen children, ranging from one to two years old. They all looked more mature than average children of their age, probably due to being sentinels.

Jin Zhe knocked on the door, but there was no response. He turned back and made a playful grimace, gesturing for the bodyguards and Sienna to wait outside, then quietly pushed the door open.

Halfway through pushing the door, it was blocked by something. Jin Zhe squeezed through the half-open door and found the children inside extremely busy. Some were wearing goggles, some were waving flags, and some were lying on the floor with their heads wrapped in toilet paper, doing goodness knows what.

The floor was covered with toys: tall buildings, lush greenery, interspersed with air-car lanes and maglev tracks, and various traffic lights. Vehicles of all sizes filled the room: flying saucers, public starships, shuttles… but they all had one thing in common—lying upside down on the roads and rooftops, not a single one following normal traffic rules.

It was normal for children of this age to have weak motor skills and not be able to set them up properly… Jin Zhe suddenly felt like a child and bent down to place the hovercar he had stepped on back on the maglev track. He opened the flying saucer and let it float in the air. Then, he picked up an airship and found that one of its wings was broken. He crouched down to fix it on the docking port.

“Ah! What are you doing?” A little boy with toilet paper wrapped around his head suddenly pointed at him and screamed. Jin Zhe was startled, and in his haste, he dropped the airship to the ground, breaking off the other wing. He quickly picked it up, intending to reattach it.

The little toilet paper man stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly waved his chubby hand and shouted to his companions, “Soldiers, we have an intruder who destroyed our airship! Prepare for battle!”

All the children looked at the toilet paper man at the same time, then followed his finger to Jin Zhe, immediately surrounding him with various weapons, shouting in a chaotic manner, “Let go of that airship!”

It didn’t take long for Jin Zhe to get caught up in the role-playing scenario. He felt a bit at a loss and quickly stood up with his hands raised, saying, “Hey! Calm down, soldiers. I’m your ally. I’m here to find your classmate Zhuang Zhuang.”

“What are you looking for our class leader for?”

“Are you a kidnapper?”

“The class leader has a kidnapper looking for you!”

The children were chattering away, because they were young and their nerves were not well developed. The weapons in their hands occasionally misfired, and in a matter of seconds, Jin Zhe was covered in various magnetic bullets and volatile ink. 

His Excellency the President hadn’t been in such a mess for seven or eight years. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat amused and helpless. Just then, a clear and domineering child’s voice was heard, “Stop it all!” 

A little girl wearing a goose-yellow skirt and a red vest with a “Monitor” badge marched over carrying a Gatling laser gun. With chubby hands raised, she pointed at Jin Zhe and said, “Don’t hurt him!” 

Jin Zhe looked at his daughter and was momentarily stunned—Zhuang Zhuang looked exactly like Mu, with snow-white skin, soft black hair, big bright eyes, and a slightly drooping angle at the corners of her eyes. But she was completely different from Mu, tall and with an expression of natural authority even though her face was as cute as an apple. With the “Monitor” red vest on, she seemed like an impressive leader. 

Overall, she exuded a strong contrast of cuteness and the characteristic charm of the Jin family. 

Absolutely perfect! 

Zhuang Zhuang walked up to Jin Zhe, tilting her head to look up at him. Because Jin Zhe was too tall, she got a bit tired, so she took the Gatling off her shoulder and used it as a cane. After looking for a while and seemingly confirming something, she loudly declared to her companions, pointing at Jin Zhe’s knee (which was as high as she could see), “This is the President!” 

Hearing the word “President” come out of his daughter’s mouth, Jin Zhe’s heart was filled with joy. He immediately laughed so much that his sharp teeth couldn’t be seen, bending over and propping his knee, asking her, “Do you know me?” 

“Of course.” Zhuang Zhuang proudly raised her chin, “I watch the news with my dad, you know. I’m a little friend who cares about national affairs!” She waved to her classmates who were pointing guns at Jin Zhe, saying, “Don’t bully him, he’s the president, his name is Jin Zhe.” 

Hearing her pronounce his name, Jin Zhe was not only overjoyed but also felt dizzy. He almost knelt down in front of his daughter. Completely unaware of the adults’ loss of composure, Zhuang Zhuang tiptoed and patted Jin Zhe’s shoulder, saying, “Work hard, my dad says you’re a good president.” 

Ah! He praised me! He praised me in front of our daughter! Jin Zhe felt that his thirty years of hardship were not in vain, everything was worth it! Suppressing his surging emotions, he gently kissed Zhuang Zhuang’s cheek like a president and said, “Thank you for your praise.” 

“No problem!” Zhuang Zhuang wasn’t very proficient in polite language yet, but Jin Zhe fully understood and deeply cherished her words, offering the gift with both hands, “This is a gift for you from me. Do you like it?” 

The little girl’s eyes lit up at the sight of various fighter jet models. “Wow! So beautiful! Is this really for me?” 

“Of course,” Jin Zhe smiled, “I’ve already consulted Ms. Sienna’s opinion.” 

“Oh! Thank you, Mr. President!” Zhuang Zhuang carefully took the box, held it in her hands, bowed to Jin Zhe, and politely kissed his cheek, saying, “My dad was right, you’re a good president, I’ll vote for you when I grow up!”

“Wait for you,” Jin Zhe hadn’t been so close to a child in decades, and he was unconsciously influenced by Zhuang Zhuang’s innocence, speaking in a childish voice, “Don’t you want to open it and see? It’s really fun, I can play with you for a little while.” The opportunity was too precious; who knew when he would see his daughter again.

“Not now, this gift needs to be opened after Dad has seen it,” Zhuang Zhuang put the box on the corner of the desk. Seeing Jin Zhe somewhat disappointed, she immediately took his hand and led him to the pile of toys they had played with before. “It’s okay, you can play our game with everyone else for now.”

Feeling the soft chubby hands of the little girl, Jin Zhe’s heart melted, and his voice softened to a ghostly tone, “Okay, do you need my help? Should I arrange these cars and starships for you?”

“They’re already arranged,” Zhuang Zhuang said, “We’re playing the game of dealing with a car accident!”

So this was a car accident scene? But why would kids play such a brutal game? Jin Zhe had been away from his childhood for too long, and even farther from Jin Xuan’s childhood. He couldn’t grasp the cuteness of the little rascals anymore, so he could only awkwardly say, “Very creative…”

As they spoke, the children had already taken their positions—directing traffic, operating cranes, flying rescue UFOs, and lying on the ground as casualties. Jin Zhe realized that the boy with his fingers wrapped around his head was playing the role of a casualty.

“You play the President,” Zhuang Zhuang thought for a moment, biting her finger, and said to Jin Zhe, “Everyone else has roles, and you’re new here, so you can only play yourself.”

“Okay.” At this moment, even if she asked Jin Zhe to play a lump of dung, he would squat down without hesitation.

So for the next half hour, the President became “the President,” sometimes directing rescue operations, sometimes directing the clearing of obstacles, sometimes tracking down the perpetrator, and finally giving a motivational speech as requested by his daughter.

Zhuang Zhuang and he forged a deep friendship in the game, and at the end, she gave him a thumbs-up. “You played really well, you’re a good president.”

“You played well too, you’re a good monitor,” Jin Zhe shook hands solemnly with his daughter. “I’ll recommend you for a commendation to Dean.”

“Yay!” Zhuang Zhuang was amused by how well the President played. Laughing heartily, she clapped her hands, and then she saw a gentle Barbary lion in the distance, clapping with surprise. “Hey, you have a yellow cat too!”

“It’s a Barbary lion… but calling it a yellow cat is fine,” Jin Zhe hadn’t seen his daughter’s quantum beast for so long that he was somewhat worried. He asked, “Do you have a yellow cat too?”

“I used to.” Zhuang Zhuang pouted and explained with gestures, “It was under my bed like this and I petted it like this and wanted to feed it fish, but then it disappeared!”

Jin Zhe finally understood. Probably because the child was too young and her consciousness wasn’t complete, the quantum beast wasn’t stable yet. He comforted her by patting her head, saying, “It’s okay, I’ll teach you a way. Maybe you’ll see it tonight.”

“Really?” Zhuang Zhuang’s eyes sparkled, holding her face in her chubby hands. “Tell me, tell me.”

“You have to focus and think about it, think about its appearance, imagine it appearing somewhere, and then it will come to you naturally,” Jin Zhe explained to his daughter how to summon the quantum beast in simple terms. “You can also give it a name, and keep repeating the name in your mind when you think about it. When your thoughts are strong enough, it will feel you calling it and naturally appear.”

“I’ll call it Little Rascal!” Children’s focuses are always different from adults’. After Jin Zhe spoke for a while, Zhuang Zhuang was most interested in naming it. “And I’ll call it Coward, and I’ll call it Little Yellow Cat.”

“Everyone can only have one name, you can’t have so many. Look, you’re called Zhuang Zhuang,” Jin Zhe patiently educated his daughter. Zhuang Zhuang pouted, “But I’m called Zhuang Zhuang, also Little Bandit, also Little Shit, Dad gave me so many names!”

“Those are all nicknames, they don’t count. Each person only has one real name,” Jin Zhe laughed and lifted his daughter onto his knee. “Your ID registration name is Yan, that’s your name.”

“Oh, I see.” Zhuang Zhuang nodded as if she understood, “Then I’ll call it Tao Tao.”

“That’s fine,” Jin Zhe put a finger to his lips and made a “shh” gesture to her, saying, “This name is a secret, only tell family members, not even friends, or your yellow cat will listen to others.”

Terrified, Zhuang Zhuang covered her mouth and whimpered, “Will you take away my yellow cat?”

“I’m the President, I’m different from anyone else,” Jin Zhe explained seriously. “And I already have a yellow cat.”

“Right,” Zhuang Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest, “Your yellow cat is so big.”

“Yours will grow too, but it’s still too small now. You shouldn’t scare it or hit it, try to comfort it, be nice to it, play with it. Understand?” Jin Zhe held his daughter’s hand, explaining.

Zhuang Zhuang nodded in confusion. Jin Zhe opened his personal terminal and connected with her, sending a private encrypted mailbox. “If you need any help, send me a voice message, and I’ll reply to you immediately. This is our secret, don’t tell anyone else.”

“Okay!” Zhuang Zhuang raised her chubby hand and saluted him. “Don’t worry, Mr. President!”

Jin Zhe was so touched by her cuteness that his heart and organs trembled. Seeing that it was getting late, he had to bid her farewell. “Well, I have to go now. It was nice to meet you. Next time, I’ll ask your dad to bring you to the Presidential Palace, and I have good things to give you and delicious food to treat you with.”

“Ah, are you leaving?” Despite only spending half an hour together, Zhuang Zhuang was reluctant to part with Jin Zhe. She shook hands with him and said, “Be good when you go home, listen well, and be a good president.”

“I’ll try my best,” Jin Zhe’s eyes were a little sour. He didn’t know when he would see his daughter again. The situation was chaotic, and there were too many people who hated him. Before his re-election, he dared not get too close to Mu and his daughter, lest he suffer assassination attempts and kidnappings like Jin Xuan did back then. Moreover, Mu had a strong personality. If she knew the truth, who knew how much she would hate him… 

But he had no regrets. With Mu’s temperament, he had no chance of pursuing him in a normal way in this lifetime. With the bond of blood, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope— at least they were practically a family now, and they shouldn’t be separated in this lifetime.

The only thing he could do now was to stabilize the situation, protect the Federation, strive for re-election, and give his family a stable and peaceful environment. After settling the negotiations on the Zhifu Chain Nebula, dealing with the election transition, he would have the qualifications to solve his personal issues.

There were many ways to protect. He wasn’t a qualified husband anymore, nor a qualified father, but at least he could be a qualified president.

 

 

 

 

 

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