Chapter 30
As soon as he got in the car, Shao Sui turned off the dashcam’s recording function, ensuring Mimi’s cat spirit identity wouldn’t be accidentally exposed.
“Put on your seatbelt.” After saying this, Shao Sui realized his mistake. How would Mimi know what a seatbelt was?
He was about to lean over and help when Mimi turned around, found the seatbelt, and said, “I know, it’s this!”
“…Right.”
“I’ve seen many car accidents on the news.” Mimi clicked the seatbelt into the buckle. “The reporters always say to wear seatbelts to reduce injuries in accidents.”
Very professional. Shao Sui felt a strange sense of disappointment, as if his opportunity to teach Mimi something had been stolen. “It also reduces injuries to cat bodies.”
Mimi didn’t understand the human’s humor: “I have a human body now.”
“That’s right.” Shao Sui suddenly found his purpose, leaning over to adjust the seatbelt. “The seatbelt has a shoulder strap and a lap belt. One should be against your neck, the other across your hips…”
Mimi asked, “What are hips?”
Shao Sui gently pressed where Mimi’s torso and thighs connected, “This is your hip.”
Mimi giggled, “That tickles, Shao Sui!”
“Really? I don’t believe you.”
Shao Sui deliberately tickled him a few more times. Mimi, his body shaking with laughter, tried to curl up, but the seatbelt restricted his movement, leaving him at Shao Sui’s mercy.
Everything Mimi said sounded like a whine, “Shao Sui, st-stop it, haha…”
Shao Sui, enjoying teasing the cat, almost forgot Mimi was human. His gaze inadvertently drifted upwards, and he was stunned by Mimi’s smile.
He suddenly realized this was the first time he had seen Mimi smile since he transformed.
Mimi slowly caught his breath, “Why are you staring at me?”
“Because…” Shao Sui tried to change the subject, then decided there was nothing to avoid. “Because you’re beautiful.”
Wasn’t it natural for an owner to find their cat beautiful?
It was called the “dad filter.”
Shao Sui easily convinced himself, started the car, and slowly drove out of the underground parking garage, thinking all the way to the community gate whether Mimi was unhappy at home.
Otherwise, why had he never smiled before?
Because he couldn’t cuddle and kiss him like before, so the cat was sad every day.
Shao Sui imagined a melancholic little cat, wanting to cuddle with its owner but only able to sadly hide in the wardrobe, seeking comfort from his scent on his clothes.
He truly was a terrible person.
Mimi wasn’t a naive little kitten.
He even knew the traffic rules, green light go, red light stop, and which traffic light to look at depending on the lane.
“We have to wait sixty seconds.”
“Yes, then go straight.”
Shao Sui thought Mimi would be looking around curiously, or asking strange questions, but he didn’t. Mimi sat properly, looking straight ahead.
“Do you remember Little Wu from the Chinese medicine clinic?”
“Yes.” Mimi said honestly. “She often bought me sausages, which I don’t like at all.”
“Then what do you like?”
Mimi, although a stray, had lived a luxurious life, “Lots of things! The duck necks, chicken feet, and beef from the braised food shop next door are delicious, also the grilled fish from across the street, watermelon and durian from the fruit store, grilled shrimp from the barbecue stall…”
Shao Sui initially wanted to say, I’ll buy them for you, but he swallowed the words. “When we see them later, you have to pretend you don’t know them, and absolutely no begging for food.”
Mimi understood, “Humans have to pay for food, they can’t just ask for it like kittens.”
“Exactly.”
The Chinese medicine clinic was only a few kilometers from Shao Sui’s apartment. They arrived quickly. Parking was readily available, but Shao Sui, frowning, drove in and out several times, unable to find a satisfactory spot.
The Great Meow King, ever popular, was worried, “Shao Sui, can’t you park? I can ask someone for help.”
“I can do it.” Teacher Shao declared, absolutely refusing to let anyone else drive his car.
Mimi wasn’t human, so he was an exception.
Shao Sui tried parking again, still frowning, “Who designed these parking spaces?”
The parking spaces here were angled, incredibly frustrating.
“You parked! So amazing!” Mimi praised, “People often ask the security guard for help, they can’t park here either. The guard says they bought their driver’s licenses.”
“…I passed my driving test.”
“You must have, since you can park here!”
Shao Sui, praised by the cat, nodded seriously, “Forget it, it’s fine, let’s get out.”
Actually, Shao Sui had parked correctly the first time, but the distance between his car and the lines on either side wasn’t equal, triggering his OCD and making him repeatedly adjust his position.
This was why he rarely drove. He could spend half an hour adjusting his car by a few centimeters.
“Why aren’t you getting out?”
Shao Sui got out and walked to the other side, seeing Mimi still sitting in the passenger seat. He opened the door and realized Mimi knew how to buckle the seatbelt but not unbuckle it.
Shao Sui leaned in and demonstrated, “Press this red button, and it’ll unbuckle.”
Click.
“Shao Sui, can I kiss you?” Mimi asked, his voice close to Shao Sui’s ear, like a kitten’s tail tickling him. “I’ve been very obedient since we left the apartment.”
“…What does being obedient have to do with kissing me?”
“The TV said being obedient earns you a reward.”
Human Mimi was different from cat Mimi.
As a cat, he could sense Shao Sui’s affection, so he acted spoiled and often misbehaved, kissing and hitting Shao Sui whenever he felt like it. As a human, due to Shao Sui’s slightly aloof attitude, he was no longer so unrestrained.
Mimi asked again, “Can I?”
Shao Sui felt his throat tighten, clearing it before saying, “Just one kiss, no tongue.”
“Okay.”
“…Go ahead then.”
As soon as Shao Sui turned his head, Mimi kissed him fully on the lips.
A cat’s body was soft, its lips even softer, easily distorted with the slightest pressure.
Only then did Shao Sui realize they were too close. He could smell Mimi’s warm scent, like sun-dried blankets in winter, with a hint of popcorn sweetness.
Mimi opened his eyes wide, staring intently at Shao Sui.
It took Shao Sui a while to recover, feeling strangely flustered under Mimi’s gaze. He seemed to hear a faint scoff from behind him.
He retreated from the passenger seat and turned around, but didn’t see anyone. He didn’t think much of it, asking Mimi, “Didn’t I say just one kiss?”
The logical kitten was back online, “You said one kiss, not one second.”
“…Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Shao Sui locked the car and saw the Chinese medicine clinic in the distance. It was on a pedestrian street behind a shopping mall, convenient for buying clothes for Mimi later.
Mimi, following instructions, walked beside Shao Sui, whispering in his ear, “I love that tree over there, and the birds play with me.”
Shao Sui chuckled.
The birds probably didn’t think they were playing.
“Do you bite them to death?”
“No, I like them playing with me all the time.”
The Great Meow King would even scold other cats for catching birds, otherwise there would be no chirping music while he was sleeping.
“Then how do you sharpen your claws?”
“I scratch the tree, and also…”
Before Mimi could finish, an old man walked out of the Chinese medicine clinic, shooing away the cats on his electric scooter, “You little rascals, taking advantage of an old man, aren’t you? Scratching my seat every day, shoo, shoo!”
Mimi hid behind Shao Sui.
Shao Sui frowned, “Did he hit you?”
“No.” Mimi’s voice dropped to a mosquito-like hum. “Actually, I scratched his seat, it felt so good to the touch, I couldn’t help myself—don’t tell him.”
Shao Sui had a mischievous thought: “Keeping secrets usually comes at a price.”
Mimi, slightly scared, instinctively pressed closer to the source of his fear: “What price?”
A thousand wicked thoughts flashed through Shao Sui’s mind.
Finally, he flicked Mimi’s forehead with his finger.
Mimi immediately closed his eyes tightly, not daring to move, even though he knew Shao Sui wouldn’t hit him hard. He was still the same as when he was a cat, shrinking his neck and flattening his ears whenever he was punished, pretending to be a fearless honey badger.
Incredibly cute.
Making him want to hug him tightly and squeeze him…
Of course, not to kill him.
Shao Sui wasn’t sure what the purpose was, he just knew he wanted to do it.
After waiting for a while, Mimi, not feeling any pain, cautiously opened one eye, “Why aren’t you flicking me?”
Shao Sui changed his tactic, pinching Mimi’s ear.
Even as a human, Mimi’s ears were still sensitive, twitching at the slightest touch, “Do you want me to bite it?”
“No…” Shao Sui changed his mind. “I’ll save it for later, I’ll bite it when I feel like it.”
“Then okay, don’t bite me suddenly, tell me beforehand.”
“Depends on my mood.”
Mimi automatically interpreted this as Shao Sui telling him beforehand when he was in a good mood. Since Shao Sui was usually in a good mood, he relaxed and continued describing his past life.
They passed a small convenience store. The weather hadn’t turned completely cold yet, and the refrigerated display case outside was still there, covered with a blanket.
“I used to sleep on top of it during the summer when it got hot, very comfortable.” Mimi said, “Then I was captured by that bad man. His apartment was so hot, no air conditioning.”
Shao Sui patted Mimi’s head: “Evil people will get their comeuppance.”
“Yes! I made a wish to Grandma, wishing he would get hit by a car, fall into a sewer, and be eaten by rats!” Mimi quickly covered his mouth. “—Sorry, I was too loud.”
Shao Sui coughed, “It’s okay, not many people around.”
He hadn’t explained to Mimi that “Grandma” wasn’t a deity, and he was also puzzled. Since Mimi could understand human language before, how could he not know what “Grandma” meant?
Only when a few locals walked past them, speaking in dialect, did Shao Sui realize Mimi, having always been a stray in this area, probably mostly heard dialect.
“How do you know how to speak Mandarin?”
“I learned it from the TV at the Chinese medicine clinic.” Mimi replied earnestly. “The news anchors said we should all speak Mandarin, so people from other places can also feel at home.”
Shao Sui chuckled, “Does cat language have dialects?”
Mimi said honestly, “I don’t know, I’ve never met a cat from another place.”
Although talking, Mimi’s gaze was fixed on the nearby braised food shop. As they got closer, his pace slowed, and he kept glancing at Shao Sui.
Shao Sui deliberately pretended not to notice, “Did you step on glue? Why are you walking so slowly?”
Mimi stopped, his eyes pleading, “No glue…”
Just then, the shop owner called out from the window, “Want some braised food?”
Before Shao Sui could reply, Mimi blurted out, “Yes!”
Realizing his mistake, he quickly looked down, pretending nothing happened.
“Little glutton.” Shao Sui walked to the window. “What do you want to eat?”
Mimi wanted to eat everything, but Shao Sui was poor, so he only chose his two favorites, whispering in Shao Sui’s ear, “Braised beef and duck neck, not spicy.”
Shao Sui couldn’t imagine a cat eating duck neck. It didn’t even chew its dry food, just swallowed it whole. How could it possibly gnaw on a duck neck?
He rarely ate braised food and could only repeat Mimi’s request, “Half a jin of non-spicy braised beef and duck neck, please.”
“Well…” The shop owner paused, explaining, “The braised beef is indeed non-spicy, but all the duck necks are spicy, just different levels of spiciness. This one is mala, this one is sweet and spicy, relatively milder, which one would you like?”
Mimi couldn’t help but mumble, “There used to be non-spicy ones…”
The shop owner overheard and chuckled, “There’s no such thing as non-spicy duck neck. There used to be a cat on this street that loved duck neck, and I would occasionally boil a non-spicy one for it.”
“Where’s the cat now?”
“Ran away.” The shop owner sighed, pointing to a small bowl by the entrance. “That was its bowl. Such a clever and beautiful cat, also a clean freak, it would find someone to wash its bowl before eating.”
Shao Sui glanced over. The cat bowl was still there, filled with dry food.
“That’s incredibly smart.”
“Not just smart, it even planned its weekly meals, going to a different shop each day and signaling with its paw what it wanted to eat. Never the same thing for seven days straight. That’s why I only boiled one non-spicy duck neck a week for it. If I made more, it would share with the other cats, but they couldn’t gnaw on them, it was a waste.”
The Great Meow King, disguised as a human, proudly raised his chin. He was no ordinary cat.
The shop owner reminisced, “Everyone doted on it back then. Then it somehow ran away. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find it, until recently, that young lady from the Chinese medicine clinic said she found it, it had been abducted and abused, beaten black and blue. How could there be such cruel people in this world, specifically targeting kittens and puppies?”
Mimi said, “Even animals are better than him!”
He had seen some dogs before, wagging their tails at him, very friendly.
“You’re right.” The shop owner couldn’t help but chuckle, finding Mimi quite likeable. “I’ll cut the beef first, then I’ll give you a few duck necks to try, see which flavor you like, then come back next time.”
Shao Sui said, “Okay, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” The shop owner said while cutting the beef. “But thankfully, that cat seems to have been rescued by a kind person, living the good life now, carefree.”
Shao Sui chuckled and glanced at Mimi.
The little cat spirit, bathed in sunlight, did look carefree, his long eyelashes casting shadows, his clear, bright eyes filled with anticipation, as if already tasting the braised beef.
Shao Sui felt a strange pang in his heart.
No matter the past, from now on, Mimi was just his cat, even as a human, still his cat. Sometimes arrogant and mischievous, sometimes cuddly and affectionate, but even when making mistakes, still adorable. Most importantly, he was completely devoted to him, loving and dependent on him, even willing to be “punished” without running away, and seeking comfort in his arms when hurt.
And Shao Sui had managed to win over such a cat spirit with just a little bit of medical expenses.
The shop owner handed him the bag: “Here’s your beef.”
It was noon, the first day of the long holiday, and the pedestrian street was getting crowded, a line forming behind them.
Shao Sui gave the beef to Mimi and, while paying, naturally took Mimi’s hand.
Holding hands wasn’t part of a cat’s social etiquette. Mimi struggled, “Why are you holding my hand?”
Shao Sui, displeased with Mimi’s reaction, tightened his grip, making up an excuse, “There are too many people, see that Taoist priest over there? Don’t they often catch spirits on TV?”
Mimi looked over and saw a man dressed as a Taoist priest, sitting by the street and looking around, as if searching for demons among the crowd. “But they only catch evil spirits.”
Shao Sui thought, we must be watching different TV shows, but said, “Our Mimi isn’t evil, but that tabby cat spirit you know keeps stealing things, doesn’t it? One cat ruins the reputation of all cats, understand?”
Mimi felt something was off. Why use “pot” as a quantifier? That wasn’t what the teacher taught him. (The phrase “one cat ruins the reputation of all cats” uses a similar idiom in Chinese that uses “pot” as a quantifier.)
“So they’ll think I’m also an evil cat spirit…”
“Exactly, and if we get separated, I won’t be able to protect you.” Shao Sui deliberately let go of his hand, “Still don’t want to hold hands? Fine.”
Mimi quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, “I want to, hold me tightly.”
Shao Sui, extremely satisfied, tightened his grip on the soft, delicate paw.
