Chapter 24
Shu Yi, passing by, inadvertently glanced at his screen: “Hey! There’s someone in your apartment? You haven’t caught the thief yet?”
“You’re mistaken, that’s the cat.” Shao Sui said calmly. “The thief has been caught.”
It was the first day back at work after the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Knowing he had been hospitalized for mushroom poisoning, his colleagues hadn’t bothered him too much and were still unaware of the thief’s fate.
“You brat, catching the thief and not telling us.” Shu Yi pressed, “What was the punishment?”
Shao Sui said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
Shu Yi was confused: “The police haven’t decided? Or are you undecided about whether to press charges?”
Shao Sui seized the opportunity: “Me.”
Shu Yi scoffed, “Why would you drop the charges? That kind of person needs to be taught a lesson, otherwise, what if they come back for your underwear again?”
Shao Sui’s fingers tingled.
He hadn’t asked about this yet. Mimi using his clothes for a nest was one thing, but why his underwear? They were small and thin, completely useless. And he wasn’t sure if Mimi had “stolen” any more. He had just promised Mimi he could choose any clothes from the wardrobe.
He had to go home and check.
Because he left in such a hurry, his colleagues teased him, “Now that he’s not a homeroom teacher, Teacher Shao is the first to leave after work.”
Cheng Ke said meaningfully, “You guys don’t understand, that’s what it’s like to have a cat. You can’t wait to get home. But pity my poor baby, so young and already home alone…”
Shao Sui adjusted his sleeves: “He’s not that young anymore. Spoiling a child is like killing a child. A mama’s boy cat won’t be able to find a partner.”
Cheng Ke shrugged, “Not a problem, he’s already been neutered. And so he has no regrets in the afterlife, I even made a specimen of his… you know… to bury with him when he dies.”
Shao Sui gave her a thumbs-up and backed out of the office, closing the door.
As a male, Shao Sui felt a strange sense of “empathy” about neutering, but after objectively reviewing online information and research, he understood that neutering was beneficial for cats, even minimizing their suffering.
Mimi did seem to be in heat.
Shao Sui had seen on the surveillance camera that Mimi had made a wish to Shao Jun, asking her to tell Shao Sui in a dream to fill the apartment with cat litter because he wanted to pee everywhere.
If he ignored the fact that Mimi used to be a cat, the scene looked like something a simpleton would do.
Later, Shao Sui researched the signs of a cat in heat online and confirmed Mimi was indeed going through it.
This was where the difference between raising a human and raising a cat became apparent.
If it was Mimi the cat, Shao Sui wouldn’t need to ask for its opinion, he would simply take it to the vet and have it neutered. But doing the same to Mimi in his human form would be a crime, and he might even end up in jail for several years.
Light injury to one testicle, maximum three years. Serious injury to both, maximum ten years.
“Beep – Facial recognition successful.”
Shao Sui entered the apartment and bent down to change his shoes.
Mimi, shuffling in his ill-fitting slippers, ran over: “Shao Sui!”
Shao Sui responded with an “mm-hmm”: “I bought you slippers. Wash these after dinner and they’ll be dry tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” Mimi waited for a moment. “You didn’t say that thing.”
Shao Sui walked into the bathroom to wash his hands: “What thing?”
Mimi said, “Say ‘I’m home, honey’.”
“…” Shao Sui asked, “What TV show did you watch today?”
Just then, the female lead’s calm voice came from the TV: “Let’s break up, Murong.”
The male lead, shocked: “Why? I don’t agree!”
The female lead, venting: “We’re not in love anymore, don’t you see?”
The male lead, angrily: “Are you seeing someone else?”
The female lead, completely disappointed: “Let me ask you, how long has it been since we kissed, since we slept in the same bed? Relationships require effort, Murong. Let’s end this.”
Shao Sui felt inexplicably guilty, as if being called out. It shouldn’t be; Mimi was a cat after all, not smart enough to make insinuations through a TV show.
He skipped the “honey” and complied with Mimi’s request: “I’m home—”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a soft touch on his lips, a quick peck.
Shao Sui paused for a long moment before saying, “Didn’t I say humans don’t just kiss each other?”
“I didn’t kiss you.” Mimi, without a hint of guile, explained seriously, “I kissed you.”
Do you even know the meaning of a kiss?
Shao Sui resisted the urge to ask.
It was probably something he learned from a TV show.
“And Milk Tea said other people, besides the owner, are irrelevant.” Mimi reasoned logically, “You’re my owner, how can you be irrelevant? Shao Sui is very important, so I can kiss Shao Sui.”
“…Don’t use the word ‘owner’ so casually.” Shao Sui picked up his loungewear and asked nonchalantly, “How important?”
Mimi thought for a moment, then said he didn’t know: “But if you were in danger, I would definitely save you.”
That much was evident.
That day at the cafe, Mimi, despite being terrified to the point of incontinence, still hissed at Hu Yuan when he tried to touch Shao Sui, wanting to protect him. In Mimi’s mind, if Hu Yuan would hit him, he might also hurt Shao Sui.
That was the extent of importance a kitten could comprehend.
Shao Sui walked into the bathroom, his heart softening: “So, who’s Milk Tea?”
Mimi said, “The cat next door, very pretty.”
Shao Sui didn’t pay much attention, holding the door and saying, “Okay, I’m going to change.”
Mimi requested, “Can you leave the door open? I want to watch you.”
His sincere expression and innocent tone, coupled with the previous “confession,” made it impossible for Shao Sui to refuse.
He turned his back to Mimi and changed into his loungewear as quickly as possible, feeling incredibly self-conscious.
Mimi continued to chatter, “I drank water obediently today.”
Shao Sui said, “Good job.”
Mimi hinted, “Is there a reward?”
Shao Sui pretended not to understand: “What do you want? Extra snacks tonight?”
Mimi looked down, disappointed, then looked up after a moment, “I only ate one ice cream today.”
Shao Sui said, “That’s also great. Extra snacks tomorrow too?”
Mimi mumbled something, which Shao Sui didn’t catch.
“Still watching TV?”
Mimi shook his head: “You’re home.”
Shao Sui felt another pang in his heart.
For Mimi, watching TV was just a way to pass the time. When Shao Sui was home, he didn’t need to pass the time.
“Watch a little longer.” Shao Sui unconsciously softened his voice. “I’ll make dinner. Didn’t you want steak like mine yesterday?”
Mimi was easily appeased: “Okay.”
Shao Sui put on his apron, and before he could tie the strings, Mimi tugged on them. He turned around to see Mimi looking away nonchalantly.
Shao Sui was amused: “Want to tie it for me?”
Mimi swore to the Cat Goddess, “Yes, I won’t play with it for long.”
When Mimi was still a cat, he loved playing with Shao Sui’s apron strings, sometimes even tripping him, so Shao Sui stopped letting him into the kitchen while he was cooking.
Shao Sui endured the rustling hands behind him, occasionally poking his waist through his clothes, seemingly on purpose, yet also accidental. He asked, “Are you done?”
“Yes.”
Mimi, after struggling with the strings, finally tied them together. He wished he could tie himself and Shao Sui together like this too.
Mimi cleverly took the opportunity to hug Shao Sui, then quickly let go and returned to the sofa as Shao Sui turned around, as if nothing had happened.
“…”
Shao Sui closed the kitchen door, turned on the faucet, then just leaned against the counter, motionless.
Shao Sui had never been in a relationship. He had tried dating a nice girl in university, but they broke up after two weeks, unable to tolerate each other.
Shao Sui couldn’t stand holding sweaty hands in the summer, let alone exchanging saliva. The girl, because of his OCD and his refusal to be touched, suspected he was gay.
Although for Mimi, kissing was just a way of expressing affection and dependence, for Shao Sui, it was kissing a young man.
Even if there was no tongue involved.
Shao Sui touched his lips with his fingertip, then bent down and rinsed his mouth under the running water.
Suddenly, Mimi opened the kitchen door, his voice filled with concern, “Shao Sui! Are you drowning!?”
Shao Sui slowly straightened up, saying calmly, “I’m drinking water.”
Mimi said softly, “But there are so many cups…”
Shao Sui explained, “This is more convenient.”
Mimi, still suspicious, left and returned to the sofa. The TV show had reached a dramatic climax, the male lead getting drunk and trying to win back the female lead, but Mimi wasn’t paying attention, his mind filled with the image of Shao Sui drinking water straight from the faucet.
Had he driven Shao Sui to this point?
He hadn’t used all the cups. The one with the kitten print was still clean, why didn’t Shao Sui use it?
Mimi felt a pang of sadness.
This sadness persisted through dinner, through Shao Sui washing his new slippers and telling him they would be dry tomorrow, and through their separate showers and bedtime routines.
Mimi had been sleeping on the bay window these past few days. Although it was comfortable, he missed the human’s embrace.
Shao Sui turned over in bed: “Mimi?”
Mimi’s ears twitched.
Shao Sui said, “Let’s talk.”
The Great Meow King covered its ears: “Mimi is asleep.”
“Just a quick explanation about what happened today.” Shao Sui chose his words carefully. “Kissing and a kiss mean the same thing to humans, and they’re only for couples.”
Seeing his tactic fail, Mimi asked reluctantly, “What’s a couple?”
Shao Sui tried his best to explain, “Like how male cats find female cats to live with and have kittens.”
Mimi couldn’t understand: “But male cats can kiss other cats after kissing a female cat.”
How did that sound so promiscuous?
Shao Sui explained, “It’s different. Humans prefer monogamous relationships, kissing and sleeping with only one person their entire life.”
Mimi thought coldly: Lying again.
The male human on TV just kissed the female human, then turned around and kissed someone else, and even kissed the silly dog when he got home.
“I can also be monogamous with you.” Mimi conceded. “I won’t kiss other cats anymore, okay?”
His tone implied that if Shao Sui said no, he would turn into a dramatic diva like those on TV.
Shao Sui could only avoid the topic, “You’ve kissed other cats before?”
“Yes.” Mimi said indifferently. “Many.”
Teacher Shao choked. What else could he say? “Don’t kiss so many in the future… it’s unhygienic.”
Mimi, his logic impeccable, asked, “Do you want to be monogamous with me?”
Shao Sui turned over: “Go to sleep, good night.”
