Chapter 25: The Cat’s Furious Embarrassment

Anjiel’s main city wasn’t big. Li Ye found a pet store, pushed the door open, stood in the entryway to brush the sand off his body, and released the cat hidden under his coat.

The clerk at the front desk, who had been dozing off, heard the noise and opened his eyes. He stood up to greet him. “Hello, how can I help you?”

The clerk’s gaze unabashedly scanned the tall, handsome man in the entryway, smiling as he tried to get friendly. “You look familiar. I think I’ve seen you on the news.”

Li Ye held the cat and walked further in. “Do you have cat carriers?”

“Of course. What style do you need?”

“Handheld, wind- and sand-proof.”

“This way.”

Li Ye followed the clerk to the pet supplies area and stopped in front of a full wall of enclosed glass cabinets displaying cat carriers. His gaze dropped, catching sight of the cat diligently kneading on his body.

“Your cat,” the clerk touched his chin with his right hand and looked up at Li Ye, “is he hungry?”

“He just ate.” Li Ye said.

“Then he probably needs to use the toilet.” The clerk pointed to another room. “Our store provides clean litter boxes in small, medium, and large sizes, with different prices. Your cat…”

He sized up the fluffy cat and added with a smile, “will be charged as a big fat cat.”

Li You: “…”

He turned his head to look at the squinting-eyed clerk, very displeased, and let out a “meow” sound.

“Need one?” the clerk asked Li Ye. “If so, I’ll prepare it for him.”

Li Ye looked down at the cat in his arms.

Li You smacked his lips. The paws kneading on his brother’s chest worked even faster. He tilted his head up and stared straight at Li Ye, giving a short “meow.”

【Yes.】

【Very much yes.】

Before this, when Li You went to the toilet in the wild, he would carefully select a spot and bury it properly afterward.

At Little Wan Sis’s house, he hadn’t used a litter box either. He had always cautiously gone to the bathroom to handle it—after all, he knew how to use a flush toilet. He even sneaked around to avoid Little Wan Sis when doing so.

It had been the same after arriving at the Imperial Palace on Prime Star.

Li You always handled going to the toilet very meticulously, cleaning up spotlessly each time. He would even jump onto the sink to wash his paws.

He was a clean cat.

But he had to admit, he couldn’t accept licking his butt like other cats. He completely rejected that behavior.

So what was he supposed to do after going to the toilet?

His fur was long, and no matter how careful he was, it still got dirty.

Li You could sit and lift his leg high—he wasn’t really that fat despite the long fur; his flexibility was as good as any other cat’s. When sitting and lifting his hind leg, he could clearly see the soiled area.

So every time after going to the toilet, he would try to grab a few pieces of toilet paper with his mouth. Since his paws weren’t precise, he would throw the paper over to cover it first, then slowly rub it with his paws.

This behavior was completely un-catlike—purely human.

Going to the toilet always took Li You a lot of time. Sometimes he would hold it if he could, and only go when it was really urgent.

But now, Li You couldn’t hold it anymore.

At Li Ye’s request, the clerk prepared an extra-large litter box. Once set up, he said to him, “Just put the cat in, and he’ll know what to do.”

Li Ye glanced at the cat, whose expression was slightly grave, set him down, and called the clerk to go out and continue selecting a cat carrier.

Once they left, Li You’s tense nerves relaxed a bit.

He reluctantly stepped into the litter box, turned around uncomfortably a couple of times, found a good angle, and squatted down. His two eyes stood guard, staring fixedly at the half-open door.

If anyone came in, he would immediately stand up and run.

The cat turned around and carefully dug into the thick layer of litter with his paws, scooping out a small pit before turning back. He raised his hind legs, tail held high, staying perfectly still there, eyes still vigilantly watching the door.

Going to the toilet was both troublesome and exhausting. The cat’s ears were almost flattened, his mouth puffing out with effort, as if all his fur was straining.

Halfway through, Li Ye pushed the door open and came in.

Li You wanted to run, but which good cat stops midway through doing its business?!

He gawked, eyes wide in fury, and let out a super fierce yowl at the approaching Li Ye.

【Get out!!】

Li Ye stopped a step away and didn’t come closer, but he squatted down and watched the cat thoughtfully.

Li You’s face flushed hot under his cat fur. He raised one paw and swiped viciously at Li Ye.

The paw was too short to reach.

The person in front of him chuckled lightly, emotionless and very curt.

Li You’s face burned even hotter. He looked up and glared at Li Ye in embarrassed fury.

Provocation! This was definitely provocation!

Constantly provoking him!!

Li You let out a low, rumbling engine-like warning from his mouth, retracted his paw, and glared furiously at the big villain in front of him, who was even propping his chin leisurely to observe.

Seeing Li Ye’s hand reach out, Li You swatted it with one paw.

【Get lost!!】

【Is watching a cat poop fun?!】

Li Ye’s lips curved in a faint arc. He calmly opened his Light Brain, pulled up a few pictures, and asked the cat’s opinion. “Three styles. Which one do you want?”

The hissing Li You shut his mouth, blinked, and actually started seriously looking at the three styles.

But…

He was still using the toilet…

The situation seemed a bit weird to Li You right now.

He was a cat, a cat in the middle of using the toilet; his brother seemed like a human for now, but what was the human doing? Asking a cat’s opinion on cat carriers.

Weird.

Very weird.

Li You glanced at the expressionless Li Ye, held his breath, flushed with heat, exerted himself, then quickly turned to clean up the scene. He frantically scraped at the litter with his paws, burying the poop completely, and diligently scratched a few times at the edge of the litter box.

He really needed to clean himself right now and had no time to deal with Li Ye.

But that guy wouldn’t stop until he got a reply from the cat, just staring at him.

Li You glanced at the three pictures again, stepped out of the litter box, shook off the litter from his body, went casually to one of the pictures, and “meowed” once. Then he very decisively turned and ran toward the bathroom.

He hadn’t gone two steps before his brother scooped him up.

Li You’s heart jolted hard. He quickly clamped his hind legs together and tail tight, looking at his brother in horror.

【Brother, I haven’t washed my paws yet!!】

No, washed his paws, and wiped his butt fur…

Li You absolutely wouldn’t allow his dirty self to touch anyone. He tried to struggle free, but his brother carried him into the bathroom.

The cat, sensing something bad, struggled even harder.

He saw his brother take a wet wipe with his other free hand and place it in his palm. His heart went into chaos.

【Wait!】

【Li Ye, wait!!】

Li Ye’s movements paused.

The cat breathed a sigh of relief.

【Yes, don’t act impulsively.】

【Put down that wet wipe. I can do it myself.】

Li Ye impassively raised an eyebrow. Seeing the cat in his arms reaching for the wet wipe with his paws, he casually moved his hand a bit farther away.

The short-pawed Li You: “…”

He looked up at his brother and meowed in dissatisfaction.

Li Ye handed him the wet wipe.

Li You held the clean wet wipe with both paws, stayed quiet for a few seconds, then looked up again.

【Put me down already!】

Li Ye said nothing. He carried the cat to the sink, hooked back the wet wipe from the cat’s paws with his fingers. He wrapped the wipe around his index and middle fingers, lightly bounced the cat in his hold, and flipped him over to expose his belly.

Then, smoothly, he pried open the cat’s clamped hind legs and carefully wiped clean the soiled fur with the rolled wipe.

The movements flowed seamlessly, gentle enough.

Afterward, he took another wet wipe and cleaned all four of the cat’s paws spotless.

Li You was dumbfounded the whole time.

Only after he was thoroughly clean and fresh, even spritzed with scented essential oil, did he snap out of his daze. He raised his paws and frantically scratched at Li Ye.

“Meow—!!”

The cat’s claws scraped a few marks on Li Ye’s military uniform. If he kept going, it would shred sooner or later.

But Li Ye didn’t mind. He steadied the cat’s butt with one hand, carried him out, and took down the cat carrier Li You had selected earlier.

Along with the purchased cat supplies and food, he checked out and pushed the door to leave.

Li You was furious with embarrassment, throwing a little tantrum and ignoring Li Ye.

He was placed back in the passenger seat. When Li Ye tried to buckle his seatbelt, he rolled away to the back seat in one tumble, burying his head in the soft cushion crevice, leaving only a fluffy butt bump exposed.

Remembering what Li Ye had done, he got up, angrily turned to hide his butt, and glared furiously at the person driving the Hover Car in front.

Extremely depressed, he puffed up into a furball on the spot and meowed nonstop at Li Ye up front.

Li Ye was a bit puzzled. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he had done.

He knew Li You too well. Even as a cat, Li You would never allow himself to be dirty. Since Li You was inconvenient now, it was only right for him to help—as a brother, it was his duty.

Yes, because he was the brother.

It was only natural for a brother to help his younger brother.

It was perfectly reasonable for a brother to do anything for his younger brother.

He had missed too much before and made many mistakes. There was even more to make up for, so he had to take good care of Li You.

But right now, his Li You seemed a bit angry.

Li Ye couldn’t think of a good way to coax the cat for the moment; he didn’t even understand why Li You was angry.

Over ten years ago, when they were both little, during the years their relationship was closest, they had done many intimate things.

He and Li You bathed together; he wiped Li You’s back, helped him put on leg socks and shoes, tied his bowtie and leg rings.

He knew Li You’s living habits, clearly knew what Li You liked and disliked eating, even knew exactly how many moles Li You had and where they were.

He was the person closest to Li You in the world.

It should still be the same now.

Li You was his everything. Back then, he had resolved to follow and care for Li You for life; it was no different now. For things the cat-formed Li You found inconvenient, he should handle them.

He would take good care of Li You; it was all what he should do.

So why be angry?

Wasn’t he the brother? Wasn’t he the one Li You trusted most?

Li Ye switched the Hover Car to autopilot mode and turned back to look at the cat in the back seat.

Prolonged eye contact instead made the cat Li You a bit uneasy.

【Wh-what?】

【I’m angry! Don’t stare at me like that!】

Li Ye reached out and easily picked up the cat, placing him on his lap. He cupped the Ragdoll Cat’s face with both hands, his backlit face taking on a strangely still emotion. “Why are you angry?”

Li You froze, his facial fur gently smoothed.

“You should learn to rely on me.” Li Ye’s fingertips pressed the sides of the cat’s ears, speaking softly. “I’ll take good care of you.”