How Could a Kitten Spirit Have Any Bad Intentions? 9

Chapter 9

In the end, they didn’t buy the king crab.

Shao Sui glanced at the price. Over three hundred yuan, and judging by its size, at least five or six jin, it would cost nearly two thousand yuan, assuming the vendor wasn’t ripping him off.

The surrounding seafood market was full of inflated prices, and could a cat even tell the difference?

A cat paw emerged from his armpit, reaching towards the king crab.

“If you want to eat it, go work at a cat cafe.” Teacher Shao, unmoved, continued walking with the cat in his arms. “Boss, give me a jin of beef tenderloin.”

“Shall I cut it for you?”

“Just cut it into a few large pieces.”

“Alright.” The vendor cut the meat while looking at the cat in Shao Sui’s arms. “This cat is really beautiful.”

Teacher Shao, ever modest: “It’s alright.”

Almost every time they bought something, Mimi received compliments. It was long accustomed to such admiration, so it paid no mind, lying in Shao Sui’s arms licking its paw, its head resting on his forearm.

Shao Sui, taking advantage of the fact that the kitten couldn’t call the police, poked its belly again: “Why aren’t you afraid of people anymore?”

Before entering the market, he had intended to put the cat in the carrier. A small, enclosed space wouldn’t be too scary for the cat. If that didn’t work, he could always take it back home.

However, the cat clung to his arm, refusing to go in. Shao Sui had no choice but to compromise and carry it while shopping.

“Meow.”

The Great Meow King didn’t understand. The Great Meow King only knew that this male human was very good at holding cats.

Shao Sui’s shoulders were broad, his chest firm, his arms strong. He would cradle the cat’s entire body in his arms, supporting its bottom and paws, secure and steady.

Even surrounded by the fishy smell of meat, the first scent the kitten picked up was the faint sandalwood fragrance of the human.

Very comforting.

However, whenever someone tried to pet Mimi, it would become tense, and Shao Sui would suffer the consequences. It was only September, the weather was still hot, his clothes were thin, and when the cat got nervous, it would extend its claws, digging into Shao Sui’s flesh.

“I’ll be scratched to death by you sooner or later…”

“Alright, relax.” Shao Sui, carrying the canvas shopping bag in one hand and the cat in the other, managed to pat its backside, soothing it. “No one can touch our Mimi, right?”

The Great Meow King responded proudly: “Mrow!”

Unable to resist, Shao Sui lowered his head and nuzzled its pink nose: “Anyone who dares touch Mimi, Teacher Shao will beat them up.”

From Mimi’s perspective, it could only see Shao Sui’s jawline, obscured by the mask. After comforting the cat, the human continued shopping, constantly talking, using some words Mimi didn’t understand. But it knew that this poor human was trying to haggle with the vendors.

Mimi extended its paw and patted the human’s chin.

Shao Sui caught its paw: “Don’t play with the mask.”

“Meow~”

It wasn’t trying to play with the mask; he was so unaccommodating to a cat.

Shao Sui bought chicken, shrimp, fish, and meat. Fortunately, he exercised regularly, enabling him to carry the cat, the shopping bag, and his phone for payment all at once.

Even so, he was sweating profusely.

It was a good thing he found the cat in autumn. If it had been summer, wouldn’t he have died from the heat?

But it would be warm in winter, a portable heater that could also interact with him.

“Teacher Shao, your skinless chicken thighs, seven yuan in total.”

“Please put them in this canvas bag, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it!” The chicken stall owner was a parent of one of Shao Sui’s students. “We’re relying on you to discipline our child.”

Shao Sui exchanged a few polite words and then left the market.

He used to think being a teacher was just about teaching and educating students. In reality, it was endless meetings, endless paperwork, endless trivial matters to handle.

And he had to maintain the image of a saint, unable to relax. If he was ugly, students would gossip behind his back and give him nasty nicknames. If he was good-looking, he had to be wary of adolescent students’ overactive imaginations.

Shao Sui pinched the cat’s tail: “How carefree kittens are…”

Find a softhearted human, and you’d be set for life, well-fed, warm in winter, cool in summer. It’s just that they were so small and vulnerable, unable to protect themselves, left injured when encountering bad people.

Back home, Shao Sui disinfected himself and the cat, then took a wet wipe and cleaned Mimi’s paws.

They felt so soft, he couldn’t resist pinching them.

The Great Meow King saw through the human’s true intentions – taking advantage of a cat!

It immediately became stubborn as a mule, pushing back with its hind legs against the floor.

“You’ll dislocate it again.”

Shao Sui really didn’t understand a cat’s sensitivities. Sometimes it was very obedient, like earlier outside, he poked its belly and it didn’t get angry, but now, cleaning its paws was like asking for its life.

“Meow! Meow!”

“Honestly!” Teacher Shao, exasperated, swatted its backside. “With such a volatile temper, how could your owner tolerate you?”

The kitten instantly quieted down, as if frozen.

It obediently let Shao Sui clean its last paw, then lay by the kitchen door, no longer making a fuss.

“A change of heart?” Shao Sui scooped up the cat, placed it on the sofa, and turned on the TV. “If you’re tired, watch some TV, don’t get too close…”

Shao Sui didn’t usually watch TV, so he didn’t have a membership, only access to basic channels. Just as he was looking for a cartoon, Mimi suddenly pawed at his hand.

“You want to watch this?”

“Meow.”

Cats who liked watching the news were rare.

Entering the kitchen, Shao Sui glanced back. Mimi was sitting on the sofa, staring intently at the TV, just like those students in his class who wilted during lessons but perked up at the mention of a movie.

Teacher Shao shook his head, put on his apron, and turned to the sink. After taking out all the groceries, he realized there wasn’t enough space on the counter.

“Bought too much…”

Shao Sui strongly disliked the environment of the wet market. The combined smell of poultry, pork, beef, and seafood was overwhelming. But it had the advantage of fresh food. Usually, he prepared a list beforehand, went straight to his destinations, and didn’t browse.

He had made a simple plan today, but forgot all about it after arriving. Whenever the cat meowed, Shao Sui would ask the vendor for the price, and in the end, except for the king crab, he bought everything Mimi showed interest in – chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, and meat.

The kitchen was filled with a fishy smell. Shao Sui closed the door to contain it and put on a mask, spending over an hour cutting the ingredients.

He didn’t mix them all together like the online tutorials suggested, but divided them proportionally into four flavors.

Even humans would get sick of eating the same thing every day; naturally, the cat also needed variety.

Shao Sui opened the kitchen door, took off his mask for some air, and called out to Mimi: “What flavor do you want for dinner? Chicken, beef, salmon—”

“Meow!”

Mimi jumped down from the sofa, rubbed against Shao Sui’s leg, then jumped back onto the sofa to continue watching TV.

Such perfunctory affection.

Shao Sui closed the door again, resuming his diligent nanny duties. By the time he had packaged all the homemade cat food and put it in the freezer, it was already 7 PM.

He seemed to have forgotten to pick up his car again.

Tomorrow then.

Both burners on the stove were on, one pan searing steak, the other steaming salmon-flavored cat food.

It was dark outside, the living room lights were off, and the flickering light from the TV reflected on the walls.

“Good evening, and welcome to today’s local news broadcast—”

“Today, a resident of Xinchun Community reported the theft of two hundred grams of gold jewelry. Also missing is the family’s recently adopted tabby cat.”

Shao Sui washed the cat bowl and filled it with the cooled homemade food: “Come and eat.”

Turning around, he saw Mimi staring intently at the news report, completely ignoring him.

“Mimi? Mimi!”

The little creature finally turned its head, jumped down from the sofa, rubbed against Shao Sui’s leg, and said, “I know that tabby on the news! It often acts cute with passersby, gets them to take it home, then steals things when they’re not looking!”

However, all Shao Sui heard was a series of meows.

He couldn’t understand a word.

He said unromantically, “What are you chattering about? Come and eat.”

“Meow—”

Stupid male human.

Mimi ate while glancing back at the TV.

The reporter said: “The resident, Ms. Jin, claims the thief likely targeted her cat because of the gold lock she made for it. Ms. Jin’s husband believes this is a good thing, saying they shouldn’t have adopted the cat in the first place, and that the priority is to recover the stolen gold.”

Mimi looked up: “Mrow!”

That cat stole it!

Shao Sui calmly sliced his steak: “Forget about a gold lock, I don’t even have one myself.”

Mimi: “…”

The news report continued: “The couple then got into an argument. Ms. Jin stated on camera that if the thief returned the cat, she wouldn’t pursue the theft of the jewelry.”

“Ms. Jin’s husband strongly disagreed and resorted to violence in front of our police officers. He has been detained. The injured Ms. Jin stated she strongly suspects her husband, who dislikes cats, orchestrated the whole thing.”

Mimi ate heartily, its ears twitching, occasionally glancing back at the TV.

Shao Sui poked his steak with a fork and took a bite: “Focus on your food, stop staring at the TV.”

He wondered if cats could be nearsighted. Would it have to wear thick glasses like his students one day?

“According to the latest reports, the police have confirmed Ms. Jin’s husband is not a suspect, but his violent temper will have consequences. In addition to being detained, Ms. Jin has decided to file for divorce.”

“After reviewing surveillance footage, the police found no suspicious individuals in the building. Security cameras from the mall across the street captured blurry images of Ms. Jin’s cat climbing down the drainpipe and leaving on its own. As for the missing jewelry, there are still no leads.”

Mimi turned to Shao Sui: “Meow! Mrow!”

The cat stole it, the cat stole it!

Shao Sui scrolled through short videos, replying casually: “What would a kitten want with gold? It would strangle itself.”

The exasperated Great Meow King rushed to Shao Sui’s feet and bit his ankle!

It was like playing the lute to a cow, a complete waste of effort!

“Why are you biting me?” The mysophobic Teacher Shao scooped up the cat, took a tissue and wiped its mouth. “I haven’t showered yet, you’re covered in bacteria.”

Suddenly, a loud crash: “Boom!!”

Shao Sui initially thought it was sound effects from the TV. Mimi, on his lap, froze for two seconds, then, at the second “boom,” scrambled up Shao Sui, hooking its claws onto his collar and burrowing into his shirt, its five-jin body tumbling around inside.

Outside, heavy rain poured down, battering the windows.

Shao Sui looked down, meeting Mimi’s frightened gaze.

He couldn’t help but recall the joke he made with his colleagues in the office that day about having a one-year-old child.

Shao Sui touched his slightly rounded belly and chuckled: “Now you really are like my own child.”

Mimi, too scared to argue, stayed hidden inside his shirt, its warm body pressed against Shao Sui’s abs, its rapid heartbeat clearly felt.

“Why are you afraid of thunder?” Shao Sui held the cat with one hand and cleared the table with the other. “What did you do when you were a stray? Find someone to hold you too? Being this timid won’t do, the world is dangerous, you have to be a brave cat…”

“Meow…” the cat muffled through the shirt.

It nuzzled its head, listening to the strange echoes from behind the human’s abs. The human’s stomach was rumbling, gradually overshadowing the terrifying thunder, like a rhythmic lullaby.

Mimi’s eyelids drooped, it curled up trustingly, and drifted off to sleep.