Ji Wangan arrived early, before the sun had even set. At that time, Ye Lian was still handling business at the company.
Jiang Xiaoyu trailed behind the old butler, circling around while subtly sizing him up. His neck was slightly tilted forward, dressed in stylish but loose clothes, spritzed with tasteless perfume, and holding a bouquet of flowers in his arms. He perfectly matched Jiang Xiaoyu’s stereotypical image of a spoiled young master.
“Is Big Bro not back yet?” Ji Wangan handed the bouquet to Chen Yiqu nearby. “Why are there no servants left in the mansion?”
“Young Master is already on his way.” Chen Yiqu replied, “The hired servants had sticky fingers, so we dismissed them all. The new batch is still in training.”
“Oh.” Ji Wangan responded casually. He looked down and spotted the black cat following Chen Yiqu, exclaiming in delight, “Where’d this cat come from?”
“Young Master adopted it a few days ago.”
“What’s its name?”
“No name. We just call it Cat.”
Ji Wangan chuckled. “Your Ye Family is so weird. The Husky is just called Husky, and the cat is just called Cat.” He squatted down and made kissing noises at Jiang Xiaoyu. “Come here, little kitty.”
What do you mean “your Ye Family”? Jiang Xiaoyu found the phrasing odd. Hearing Ji Wangan’s call made him reluctant inside, but he silently reminded himself that the mission came first. He took a light breath, psyched himself up, and walked over to Ji Wangan. Once close, he lifted his head and meowed once to show friendliness.
“Aww, so obedient.” Ji Wangan grinned and petted the cat’s head a few times. Then his hand probed toward the base of the tail. “Let me check if it’s a boy or a girl.”
“Second Master, careful!” Chen Yiqu’s warning of ‘don’t get scratched’ hadn’t even left his mouth when he saw Jiang Xiaoyu nimbly spin around, his front paws swiftly swinging in two solid punches on Ji Wangan – bang bang!
“Whoa, so fierce!” Ji Wangan pulled back his hand, now sporting several red paw prints like plum blossoms. “And it packs a punch.”
Jiang Xiaoyu bared his teeth, thinking it was already good he wasn’t scratching, but then he noticed Ji Wangan showed no anger at being hit by the cat – just grinning as he gave the cat head another thorough rub before standing up. “Kinda cute though. This is one of those Selkirk Rex cats, right? I heard they barely shed.”
“Indeed, it doesn’t shed much.” Chen Yiqu agreed, thinking that was Little Slob’s only redeeming quality.
The two chatted casually. Jiang Xiaoyu suppressed the odd feeling in his heart and began doubting his own judgment. How come this Ji Wangan seemed friendly toward animals too…
Just as Jiang Xiaoyu’s instincts started to waver, Ye Lian returned.
“Wangan’s here.” Ye Lian glanced at the black cat squatting on the ground, staring at Ji Wangan with a deep-seated grudge, and smiled as he asked, “Why not eat first?”
“Heh heh, gotta wait for Big Bro, of course.” Ji Wangan got up from the sofa and rubbed his shoulders. “Uncle Chen, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Ye Lian smiled and patted him. “Shoulder hurting?”
“Don’t even mention it. Lost at Truth or Dare last night and had to swing on a pole for ages.”
“Always fooling around.” The picture of brotherly harmony.
After dinner, the brothers sat in the pavilion chatting. Jiang Xiaoyu sneaked over and crouched behind the railing, ears perked up listening, only to get spotted by Ye Lian.
“Little guy.” He crooked a finger. “Come to Uncle.”
Seeing Ye Lian’s gentle gaze, Jiang Xiaoyu felt his ears heating up again. His paws awkwardly lifted, and he slowly shuffled over to Ye Lian’s side.
Ye Lian’s eyes curved slightly in a smile. He bent down and picked him up onto his lap.
A flash of surprise crossed Ji Wangan’s eyes. He didn’t interact much with this brother, and this was the first time seeing him get close to these things. “Big Bro, where’d you pick up this cat?” he asked with a grin.
Ye Lian stroked Jiang Xiaoyu’s back, feeling the muscles tense slightly under his palm. “I didn’t pick it up.”
“Huh?” Ji Wangan was puzzled. “Then where’d it come from?”
“Not picked up. He came to my door on his own.” Ye Lian chuckled lightly. “Right, little guy?”
Jiang Xiaoyu meowed once, then tucked his paws in tighter, minimizing contact.
“Right.” Ye Lian turned to Ji Wangan. “I remember you have a dog too?”
“Yeah, called Cotton.” Ji Wangan replied, “Big Bro, why don’t you name them? The Husky’s been with you so long, and it’s always just ‘Husky this, Husky that.'”
“Why name them?” Ye Lian’s eyes curved. Pets were just pets – if one died, replace it. “But this little guy’s pretty cute. I’ve only had him a few days. Should I buy some stuff for him?”
This brother was too perfect; even carefree Ji Wangan often felt pressure around him. Seeing him actually ask for advice on something he didn’t know made Ji Wangan beam. “Tons of things. Like our Cotton – food, toys, clothes, everything’s gotta be top-notch.”
He’d noticed at dinner: Uncle Chen had served the cat human food straight up. “Little animals can’t eat human food willy-nilly. It’ll make them shed, and some stuff burdens their kidneys.” Ji Wangan explained authoritatively.
“Is that so?” Ye Lian feigned surprise. “Wangan knows his stuff. The Husky eats and drinks without taboos.”
“Aw, Husky’s got Brother Yan handling it, Big Bro just walks it sometimes.” Ji Wangan waved it off. “These little guys are a hassle to raise properly.”
“How about this: Cotton has a SPA tomorrow. I’ll bring this cat along and pick up some stuff on the way.”
Ye Lian smiled. “That’d be troubling you.”
“No trouble! Heh heh, Big Bro, how about gifting me that Ferrari Enzo?”
“Just a car. Take it.”
Jiang Xiaoyu hadn’t figured out how to approach the target yet, and in a blink, Ye Lian had handed him the perfect opportunity. He patted Ye Lian’s hand, his furry face serious: “You’re the best assist for Cat Officer.”
Ye Lian lightly tapped his head, smiling without a word.
The next day, Ji Wangan drove over in the Ferrari Enzo he’d mooched from Ye Lian to pick up Jiang Xiaoyu. Chen Yiqu put the cat in a carrier and handed it over. “Thanks for the trouble, Second Master.”
Ji Wangan took it and started to leave. Chen Yiqu, who’d already turned away, paused and looked back. “This cat doesn’t like others touching its body. Be careful when washing it.” He looked so nervously pitiful.
Jiang Xiaoyu froze, then awkwardly twitched his ears. The old butler was pretty nice too.
He was placed in the passenger seat, next to a white Teddy. Jiang Xiaoyu perked up, knowing this was Ji Wangan’s dog, Cotton. He greeted first: “Hi, you’re Cotton, right?”
The dog glanced over with its lychee-sized eyes, head half-tilted arrogantly. “Lowly cat, who allowed you to call this dog by name?”
…Jiang Xiaoyu sneered inwardly. Just wait till we’re out, and I’ll show you who allows it.
But the dog got even more brazen. Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu go quiet, it propped its paws on the carrier and pawed at it. “Where’d this stray cat come from, sitting in your Dog Bro’s spot! Get off for Dog!”
Jiang Xiaoyu: (╬￣皿￣)=○ I’ll endure!
The dog’s flailing was so vigorous it drew Ji Wangan’s eyes from driving. “Haha, is Cotton this enthusiastic? Likes the little cat that much?” He even tried to pet Jiang Xiaoyu through the carrier’s peephole. Though he missed, the affection made the Teddy’s eyes red with jealousy.
The dog threw a tantrum for ages, and Ji Wangan thought it was adorable, praising, “Our Cotton is just too cute.”
“Cheap cat, what status do you have to sit with Dog?!” The Teddy madly shook the carrier, amusing Ji Wangan into laughter beside them.
Jiang Xiaoyu got it: This dog’s attitude was purely spoiled by Ji Wangan!
At the grooming shop, Ji Wangan handed the dog and cat to the staff and vanished somewhere. The Teddy had been waiting haughtily for the stylist, but after ages with no service, it turned and saw the stylist heading for the cat. Furious, it barked and charged at Jiang Xiaoyu.
Jiang Xiaoyu had just stepped one paw out of the carrier when he heard barking behind him. He turned to see the Teddy rushing over aggressively, yapping nonstop.
“Oh my god!” The stylist yelped, wanting to stop the Teddy but too scared, yelling outside, “Fuck, come quick! The Evil Polar Fleece has gone mad!”
The Teddy lunged at Jiang Xiaoyu, mouth wide to bite. But it underestimated the black cat. Jiang Xiaoyu ducked nimbly, dodging the attack, and slammed his front paw down on the Teddy’s head.
Pinned, the Teddy couldn’t reach, just snapping at air with bared teeth.
The stylist filmed live: “Holy shit, Evil Polar Fleece’s combat power is off the charts – biting nothing but air!”
Jiang Xiaoyu was speechless and was about to let go, but the dog wouldn’t quit and tried attacking again.
Cat Officer was pissed too. He’d never met such a dog. He released the pin, swung his other paw – clang! – and punched it.
The Teddy was dazed, barking silenced for ten seconds, then howled with bared teeth to bite again. Jiang Xiaoyu – clang! – punched once more, flattening it to the ground.
It froze, barking, “You damn cat, how dare you hit the dog…” But before it could finish, another punch landed.
“The dog’s going to tell its master to beat you to death…” Then, a punch.
For every sentence it said, Jiang Xiaoyu punched it once, beating it until it cried and admitted its mistake: “Wuwuwu, the dog won’t play anymore.”
Jiang Xiaoyu snorted coldly: “Do you know you’re wrong?”
Amid the BGM of the hairdresser screaming “The evil fleece cried, the evil fleece was beaten into submission by kitty fleece,” Teddy whimpered: “Dog was wrong.”
What is the cat’s identity?
Teddy wailed even more miserably: “You’re the cat boss.”
Seeing it sobbing convulsively, Jiang Xiaoyu felt embarrassed too—what was he doing arguing with a mere dog…? He relaxed his tensed muscles and comforted it instead.
Finally managing to coax it, the cat and the dog were each put into bathtubs by the groomer. Jiang Xiaoyu asked: “The cat wants to ask you something.”
Teddy sobbed as it replied: “Boss, you ask.”
Has your master been acting strangely lately?
