Chapter 18
“You might have misunderstood…” Hu Yuan regained his composure, a smile returning to his face. “I’ve been looking for Pipi ever since he went missing, but there was a sudden emergency at home, and I had to go back to deal with it. I didn’t see your post until yesterday.”
Shao Sui patted the cat’s back, his gaze fixed coldly on Hu Yuan: “Then you probably didn’t read it carefully.”
Hu Yuan: “…What?”
Shao Sui said, “Someone commented before you, saying this calico had been straying in their area since it was a few months old, until two months ago.”
But Hu Yuan had just lied, claiming he had raised the cat since it was a kitten.
Shao Sui had his doubts early on. Mimi had acted strangely after seeing the pictures Hu Yuan sent. It had seen pictures of itself straying near the Chinese medicine clinic before, and its reaction had been calm, meowing a few times and patting the pictures with its paw, as if acknowledging its past.
Furthermore, if Mimi had truly been raised by someone since it was a kitten, its eagerness to return would be understandable, but it had been a stray for a long time, its supposed owner having only had it for two months. Could such deep affection develop in such a short time?
Thinking about Mimi’s behavior today, it all seemed rather suspicious.
Due to his professional habits, Shao Sui wouldn’t jump to conclusions about someone, just as when a child’s belongings were stolen in his class, even if a particular student was highly suspicious, he wouldn’t accuse them without concrete evidence.
So he still came to meet Hu Yuan, wanting to assess the situation first.
On the way here, Shao Sui had been trying to persuade Mimi: “Can he make you canned food every day?”, “Can he hold you while sleeping every night?”, “Can he give you endless snacks and clean your toilet twice a day?”…
If Hu Yuan could truly provide better care than him, then returning Mimi would be fine. After all, there was a natural order to things. But now, it seemed the reality wasn’t as rosy as he had imagined.
“No need to check the post, I’ve already deleted it.”
Little Wu, who studied Chinese medicine, seemed to be a woman. If the supposed owner really was an animal abuser and became enraged after being exposed, Little Wu, having revealed her workplace, might face retaliation. So Shao Sui deleted the post in advance.
The probability was low, but he was accustomed to minimizing risks. There was no need to cause trouble for others.
Hu Yuan’s smile finally disappeared, but he still tried to salvage the situation.
He looked at the cat huddled against Shao Sui, putting on a melancholic expression: “I’m sorry, I lied. I was afraid you wouldn’t return him if you knew I had only had him for two months, that our bond wasn’t deep enough. But I have a serious mental illness, and I’m very dependent on Pipi’s companionship…”
“You’re definitely sick.” Shao Sui retorted, “Isn’t animal abuse a sickness too?”
“You can’t just accuse me of that! Do you have any proof?” Hu Yuan’s face changed drastically. “If you think Pipi’s reaction is strange, well, cats are like that, they’re not loyal, they forget their owners after a few days apart, that’s not proof…”
Soothed by Shao Sui, Mimi’s trembling subsided, but it still clung tightly to his neck, its hot head buried in Shao Sui’s neck, terrified of being returned.
Although Mimi had been afraid of strangers during its hospital stay, it had only trembled, never to the point of incontinence. Why was it so terrified of Hu Yuan? He had taken it to the market a few days ago, surrounded by strangers and unfamiliar smells, and Mimi hadn’t had such a reaction.
This contrast could only mean one thing – Hu Yuan was the one who abused Mimi.
Shao Sui usually had a calm temperament, even his anger towards his students was mostly feigned, but thinking about the needles embedded in Mimi’s body, the various wounds from abuse, the poisoning, he wanted to beat the man in front of him to a pulp.
He repeatedly told himself: Violence is not the answer.
Animal abuse wasn’t a crime, but assault was.
Having calmed down, Shao Sui picked up the carrier and turned to leave: “Get lost. The moment it ran out of your apartment, it was no longer yours.”
Hu Yuan quickly caught up, grabbing Shao Sui’s shoulder: “You’re clinging to this baseless accusation, you just don’t want to return my cat—ah!!”
Mimi, buried in Shao Sui’s neck, suddenly turned its head and hissed fiercely at Hu Yuan’s hand, startling him into letting go.
Shao Sui covered Mimi’s ears and turned its head away: “There, there, let’s not look at him.”
Many customers in the cafe stared at them, whispering among themselves.
“There’s a fight over there…”
“Seems like the guy abused the cat, and the person who found it doesn’t want to return it.”
“Seeing how scared the kitten is, I wouldn’t return it either…”
Hu Yuan clenched his fists, his face darkening.
Shao Sui then said to Hu Yuan, “I indeed don’t have concrete proof, otherwise I would have taken you to the police station. You want the cat? Fine. Settle the medical expenses and living costs I’ve incurred. Twelve thousand three hundred and eleven yuan in total. Cash only.”
Hu Yuan’s face turned green. He was speechless for a moment: “…Are you robbing me? How could you spend that much in just over a month?”
The cat’s living expenses hadn’t been much, around three thousand yuan. It was Shao Sui’s own purchases that cost a fortune. The solid wood cat tree alone was nearly a thousand yuan.
The bulk of the cost was the medical expenses, which were indeed exorbitant.
“I have receipts and details for every transaction, we can go to the police station and sort it out.” Shao Sui suddenly remembered something and added, “We can also ask the police whether a stray cat you took in for two months and then lost is considered your personal property, and whether I’m truly obligated to return it.”
Hu Yuan was speechless.
He said darkly, “Even if I give you the money, you still won’t return the cat, will you?”
“Oh, you’re so smart.” Shao Sui walked to the counter, put down the carrier, took out his phone with one hand, and paid. “Please, my Americano.”
“Oh… okay. You haven’t touched it, would you like it to go?”
“No, thank you.” Shao Sui said politely. “I have OCD, even having my coffee near this person feels contaminating.”
The waiter expressed understanding: “Your kitten is very beautiful.”
Shao Sui smiled, petting Mimi’s head: “He’s a bit scared right now, we’ll thank you later.”
Just as he was about to leave the cafe, a man rushed in, grabbed Hu Yuan, and shoved a stack of photos in Shao Sui’s face.
Mimi was startled again, kicking its hind legs. Shao Sui quickly comforted the cat, glancing at the scattered photos… if he wasn’t mistaken, they seemed to be pictures of several men entangled in bed, taken from a hidden angle.
Teacher Shao calmly averted his gaze, remembering to shield Mimi’s head.
For a straight man, the images were a bit much.
The man who threw the photos said, “Take a good look, these are pictures of him messing around, having a boyfriend, engaging in orgies, and even looking for women to marry back in his hometown! He was even reported and spent a few days in jail for public indecency! Be careful getting involved with him, you might catch something without even knowing it!”
Shao Sui let out a meaningful “oh”: “He just told me he couldn’t look for the cat immediately because of a family emergency…”
The man fumed: “He’s a pathological liar… wait, what cat?”
Shao Sui briefly explained the situation: “You misunderstood, I’m not interested in men, I came here to confirm if he was my cat’s previous owner. But now it seems he’s lacking in both private and public morality.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you were his new… friend.”
The man apologized profusely. Hu Yuan remained silent, his face dark as thunder. His collar was grabbed, and he couldn’t escape, forced to endure the whispers around him.
Shao Sui wasn’t interested in their drama. He walked past them towards the exit.
The sun was shining brightly, bathing him in warmth as he stepped outside.
Shao Sui turned his head and kissed Mimi’s ear: “It’s okay, we’ll never see him again.”
Mimi let out a soft, delicate meow, inviting a cuddle and a kiss.
He didn’t know how the drama at the cafe would end, but Hu Yuan probably wouldn’t bother with Mimi anymore.
Even if he did, Shao Sui wouldn’t give Mimi back.
Mimi was clearly still shaken, clinging to Shao Sui’s neck even after they got into the car.
“I have to drive, be good.” Shao Sui stroked the cat’s fur. “That bad man is still nearby, let’s go home first.”
Mimi then released its paws, revealing a large damp patch on Shao Sui’s shirt.
“Meow…”
“It’s not your fault this time, we’ll just take a bath when we get home.” Although Shao Sui was a germaphobe, he knew Mimi hadn’t done it on purpose. He placed the cat on the passenger seat. “Take a nap, we’ll be home soon.”
Mimi didn’t dare to sleep.
Although it knew Shao Sui wouldn’t, it was still afraid of waking up back in that man’s hands.
Those two months had been a living hell.
Mimi had only encountered kind people near the Chinese medicine clinic. Everyone liked it, so it hadn’t been wary of humans. One night, that man grabbed it and put a tight collar around its neck, attaching a leash and tying it up in the bathroom.
Mimi couldn’t escape.
The man rarely came home, but every time he did, he would abuse it in various ways, giving it a little food and water only when it was near death.
Mimi, wanting to live, had to eat.
Until the last time, when the man poisoned its food and water, laughing at its suffering.
But the man didn’t realize Mimi had already chewed through most of the leash and hidden it under its fur.
Mimi used its remaining strength to break free and escape. Just as it was about to be caught, it jumped from the third-floor corridor. Luckily, the bushes cushioned its fall, minimizing its injuries.
It desperately crawled out of the flowerbed, seeking help.
Fortune smiled upon it again; it met Shao Sui.
As Shao Sui carried it away in his trouser leg, the man who abused it was watching from above.
Mimi carefully climbed onto Shao Sui’s lap: “Meow…”
“What’s wrong?” Shao Sui, waiting at a red light, nuzzled the cat’s head. “I’m driving, this isn’t safe.”
“Meow, meow…”
Mimi wouldn’t move around.
It nestled comfortably between Shao Sui’s legs, meowing incessantly.
Thank you for taking me to the hospital.
Thank you for not blaming me for biting you.
Thank you for not returning me to that demon.
Mimi had so much to say, but the human didn’t understand cat language. It climbed onto Shao Sui’s shoulder, extended its pink tongue, and licked his lips, expressing its affection.
