Chapter 20 Part 1
Mimi hadn’t had much energy to transform into a human lately. He wasn’t sure if it was because of seeing that horrible man, but he’d been feeling anxious every day, either wanting to sleep or pee, not even interested in TV.
But the Great Meow King was a cat with manners. This was a male human’s house; peeing anywhere was rude, and there was no soil to bury it in.
Unlike a certain male human, who kept touching his crotch.
There he went again.
Mimi unconsciously lifted its leg.
“So soft.” Shao Sui retracted his intrusive hand and said, “I’m going out for dinner with colleagues, I’ll be back late.”
“Meow~”
The Great Meow King agreed, but told him to come back early.
After Shao Sui left, Mimi felt a surge of energy, transforming into a human and going to the altar to light three incense sticks.
He clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly: “Grandma, please bless that bad man who hit me and poisoned me to be hit by a car, fall into a sewer, drown, and then be eaten by sewer rats!”
After the previous explanation, Mimi knew the woman in the picture was called Grandma. He had recently seen on TV that many people worshipped Grandma, and there was also a Grandpa.
They would close their eyes and pray: Grandma (Grandpa) in heaven, please bless me with such and such.
Shao Sui, a poor male human, still regularly bought incense for Grandma, it must be because her blessings were very effective.
“If you have any energy left, please give Shao Sui a dream, telling him to fill the entire apartment with cat litter! I really need to pee.”
Mimi carefully placed the incense sticks in the burner: “Don’t forget my previous wish either.”
Taking a couple of steps towards the sofa, Mimi turned back anxiously and added, “The previous wish was for VIP and a phone! Shao Sui hasn’t gotten them for me yet.”
The TV was working normally today, not prompting for VIP access. Mimi stared at it blankly for a while, feeling bored.
It was already dark, and Shao Sui still hadn’t returned.
Could he have encountered danger? Like a pack of wild dogs, or those knife-wielding robbers often seen on the news?
Mimi was worried. It wanted to go out and look for him, but was afraid Shao Sui wouldn’t recognize him again, so it sadly consoled itself with an ice cream.
The last one, it had been saving it.
After finishing the ice cream, Shao Sui still hadn’t come back.
Not wanting to get dressed, Mimi wrapped itself in the blanket on the sofa. It was soft and comfortable. It went to the door and waited anxiously.
If the shortest hand on the clock reached the next number and Shao Sui still hadn’t returned, Mimi would go out looking for him.
Heaven answered its prayers. Just as Mimi was about to leave, it heard footsteps outside, Shao Sui’s, and someone else’s.
What were they doing? Playing hide-and-seek?
Mimi remembered the previous lesson – cats couldn’t open locked doors! So it hurriedly wrapped itself in the blanket, ran into the bedroom, locked the door, transformed back into a cat, and lay down on the bay window.
The apartment was silent.
Two police officers broke down the door, finding no one. Just as they were about to search further, Shao Sui held out two pairs of shoe covers awkwardly: “Would you mind wearing these?”
“…” Crazy.
But the police officers still put them on. After searching, they confirmed the study, kitchen, bathroom, living room, and balcony were all empty.
“Check the surveillance footage again?”
After reviewing the recording, they discovered that just a minute before they broke down the door, the thief, wrapped in a blanket, had run towards the bedroom hallway.
Shao Sui’s heart leaped. He quickly unlocked the bedroom door with his key and, seeing Mimi relaxing on the bed, sighed in relief.
As long as the cat was safe.
Mimi seemed to have just noticed his return, yawning lazily and stretching: “Meow—”
Shao Sui soothed softly, “Don’t be afraid, those are police officers outside, they won’t hurt you.”
The police officers walked around the apartment, puzzled: “There are no windows in this hallway, how did he disappear?”
Shao Sui was also anxious: “The smart lock I bought has facial recognition and recording, but it’s never captured him, he definitely didn’t come in through the main door.”
“This is bizarre…”
The two officers searched the bedroom again, but there was no place to hide in the closets or drawers.
Finally, one of them knelt down and looked under the bed: “Here—”
Shao Sui, forgetting to wash his hands, quickly scooped up the cat and retreated towards the door.
However, the officer simply pulled out a few articles of clothing: “See if these are yours.”
Shao Sui: “…”
They were indeed his – two sets of clothes, two pairs of underwear, and even an old high school uniform he hadn’t noticed before, something he had found among his mother’s belongings after she passed away.
And if he wasn’t mistaken, there were cat hairs on the clothes.
The three of them looked at Mimi.
The male officer coughed: “Could it have been your cat?”
Shao Sui frowned, emotionally displeased with the accusation, but rationally aware it was possible. Mimi could open the main door, so opening the bedroom door was nothing.
Wasn’t that what rebellious kittens did? The more you forbade them from going somewhere, the more they wanted to explore.
Shao Sui poked the cat’s head: “Did you do this?”
Mimi, nestled in his arms, played dumb: “Meow?”
I don’t understand.
Shao Sui felt dizzy, leaning against the wall for support: “But the surveillance camera definitely captured someone entering.”
Mimi looked up warily. What surveillance camera?
The officer said, “Check if anything valuable is missing.”
Shao Sui checked briefly. His computer, tablet, and the gold ring his mother left him were all there. The blanket the thief had been wrapped in was also found in the bed, but—
“The last ice cream in the freezer is gone.” Shao Sui frowned and led the officers to his mother’s portrait. “Look, he lit incense for my mother again!”
The three incense sticks had almost burned down, clearly lit for a while.
“Uh…”
What could they say? The thief was quite filial?
Shao Sui said, “And a bag of dried fish is also missing.”
The officer asked tentatively, “Cat treats?”
Shao Sui replied with an “mm-hmm,” adding, “Not cheap.”
The officer said, “Could it be your cat…”
Shao Sui shook his head: “He doesn’t like dried fish. He hasn’t touched it since I bought it, and he can’t possibly have eaten the packaging as well, right?”
Mimi felt a pang of guilt.
It had recently befriended a female cat named Milk Tea, who was very beautiful, almost as beautiful as itself, living next door, in the family that adopted Little Ginger.
Milk Tea said her owner was even poorer than Shao Sui, always bringing home the same food – only dry food and freeze-dried treats.
Mimi felt sorry for her and threw its least favorite dried fish out the window for Milk Tea.
Just like giving sausages to other stray cats before, Mimi successfully earned Milk Tea’s admiration.
Lost in its memories, the Great Meow King proudly raised its head, only to be swatted. Mimi flinched, its ears flattened against its head, its eyes narrowed.
Who swore not to hit it again a few days ago!!
“Why are you cowering? Did I hit you that hard?” Shao Sui also found it strange that the thief would eat cat treats. “Did you eat it? Where’s the packaging?”
Mimi was so smart, it shouldn’t be stupid enough to swallow it.
The officer pondered for a moment: “The blanket was in the bedroom, which means the thief was in there. He might have escaped through the bedroom window. We’ll check the community surveillance footage.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You don’t look well, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, just need some rest.” Shao Sui’s face was pale. “Thank you for your help, let me know if you find anything.”
Shao Sui felt dizzy and nauseous.
These symptoms were familiar. During his freshman year summer break, he had rented a small room, and after a long day of tutoring, he felt the same way when he returned to find his father had barged in with the landlord’s help.
It was a visceral disgust at having his personal space violated, an uncontrollable nausea.
It reminded him of how his mother used to remove the lock on his bedroom door so she could enter whenever she pleased.
Shao Sui saw the officers off, closed the door, and felt a sense of displacement. Even the sofa was contaminated, where would he sleep tonight?
Before, when there was no footage, he could still tolerate it, but now, with confirmation of a thief, every cell in his body screamed in protest.
He opened his phone and searched for pet-friendly hotels, planning to book a room with disposable bedsheets and covers.
“Mimi…”
Seeing Shao Sui grab the carrier, Mimi warily hid.
Last time he was taken out to see that horrible man, the time before that for shots, what was it this time?
It wouldn’t fall for it again.
“Meow!”
Shao Sui sighed, feeling utterly drained. Mustering his last bit of energy, he changed into his loungewear, took out a clean set of bedding from the closet, spread it on the bed, and lay down.
While searching for hotels, he drifted off, vaguely answering a call from the police, who said the community surveillance footage didn’t capture anything either, and since nothing valuable was stolen, they advised him to remain vigilant, and they would continue to investigate…
Mimi jumped onto the bed and nuzzled Shao Sui’s face: “Meow…”
What’s that smell?
Like he’s dying?
Did he eat something poisonous?
Mimi anxiously paced around the bed, sniffing Shao Sui’s breath to see if he was still alive.
Shao Sui half-opened his eyes and glanced at his phone. His colleagues had sent messages of concern, but he didn’t have the energy to reply.
“I’m fine… hug baby for me.”
Mimi, annoyed, punched Shao Sui, then was pulled into an embrace.
Why not hug your baby!
But the male human looked like he was on death’s door, so Mimi obediently lay down, placing its paws on Shao Sui’s chest, staring intently at his face.
What’s wrong, what’s wrong, what’s wrong!
“Meow, meow, meow!”
Shao Sui unconsciously rubbed Mimi’s belly, feeling a small bump and murmuring worriedly, “Hmm… you have a pimple.”
Shao Sui, the newly minted cat slave, struggled to sit up and take a closer look. Mimi, feeling its fur being pulled uncomfortably, meowed loudly and delivered two cat punches, knocking Shao Sui back to sleep.
You’re the one with a pimple!
Mimi knew what pimples were. Many humans complained about pimples and went to the old man at the Chinese medicine clinic for treatment.
It thought Shao Sui was good in every way, except for his lack of manners. Touching its crotch, flicking its balls, now pinching its nipples.
But when Shao Sui became completely still, Mimi panicked: “Meow!”
It patted Shao Sui’s face with its paw, but the human didn’t react.
It hadn’t extended its claws, how did it knock him unconscious?
When the hour hand reached the next number, Shao Sui still hadn’t woken up.
Mimi struggled out of his arms and, holding its breath, transformed into a human. It leaned over Shao Sui, imitating what it had seen on TV, and listened to his heartbeat.
It was still beating.
Mimi touched Shao Sui’s forehead, feeling it was warm, and there were some red spots on his body.
He definitely had a fever!
Mimi had seen on TV that you should put a wet towel on the forehead for fevers.
Soon, Mimi brought a wet towel and slapped it on Shao Sui’s forehead.
“Slap!”
Then its hand was caught and placed on Shao Sui’s chest.
Mimi asked caringly, “Do you need medicine?”
Shao Sui didn’t respond.
Mimi muttered to itself, “Okay then.”
It remained kneeling over Shao Sui, covering them both with the blanket – this was how they often slept.
Mimi also felt a little dizzy, unconsciously grabbing Shao Sui’s shirt and kneading his chest rhythmically.
Left, right.
Not as convenient as being a cat.
Human paws didn’t have the same kneading sensation.
About ten minutes passed, maybe twenty.
In any case, it wasn’t an hour yet, because the shortest hand hadn’t reached the next number – when Shao Sui woke up, coughing.
Mimi was overjoyed.
People often brought banners to the Chinese medicine clinic, praising the old man as a modern-day Hua Tuo.
It was also a Hua Tuo.
It hoped Shao Sui would give it a banner too.
Shao Sui coughed violently, wondering why his nose was filled with water even though he was lying in bed. His forehead felt incredibly heavy. He reached up and found a wet towel.
Soaked through, it had practically washed his hair.
“Mimi.” Shao Sui, still drowsy, patted the paws on his chest. “You’re kneading a bit hard, have you been overeating…”
Something felt off.
Shao Sui ran his hand along the “cat leg”… the leg was too long, and where was the fur?
He abruptly opened his eyes and saw a male human, looking less than twenty years old, somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
The teenager was naked, propped up in his bed, his eyes bright, calling out crisply, “Shao Sui, you’re awake!”
“…………”
