Chapter 32
Mimi gradually settled down, pressing against Shao Sui’s neck, listening to his strong heartbeat.
One, two, three, four, five…
He felt sleepy.
Mimi rubbed his eyes, his eyelids drooping, just like when he was a cat, always wanting to sleep when nestled against Shao Sui.
But he was much bigger now, could Shao Sui still carry him around like before?
And what if Shao Sui took the opportunity to abandon him?
Mimi quickly shook his head and twitched his ears to wake himself up.
Shao Sui’s chin was tickled by his hair: “I’ll let you go, but don’t run around, those people are talking, interrupting them would be rude.”
Mimi’s eyes darted around, and as soon as he was free, he bolted, predictably caught again by Shao Sui.
Shao Sui swatted Mimi’s backside: “Going through puberty?”
Smack.
It felt good, even making him want to run again.
Mimi tried to rub against him, but his human body wasn’t conducive to butt-wiggling.
“I’ve never heard of cats having a rebellious phase.”
“They don’t, because once they rebel, it’s for life. They should have an ‘obedience phase’ instead.” Shao Sui retracted his hand, rubbing his fingertips. “Stay put.”
Mimi seized the loophole: “If it’s just someone with the same name, why are we hiding?”
Probably because Teacher Shao felt a twinge of inexplicable guilt.
After all, there was a seemingly naive, barely legal teenager beside him, innocent as a blank sheet of paper, whom he had kissed more than once.
Even though both he and the cat knew it was just their way of expressing affection, it might be misinterpreted by others.
Shao Sui said, “It’s your fault.”
Mimi was confused: “My fault?”
“Yes.” Teacher Shao reprimanded seriously. “No more kissing outside, people will see us, and then they’ll gossip about us like they did about that person with the same name as me.”
Mimi conceded, “Okay, then we’ll only kiss at home.”
Shao Sui: “Hmm… wait a minute.”
Mimi looked up with his round, innocent eyes: “What’s wrong?”
Shao Sui suddenly realized his bottom line was constantly being pushed back. He had initially been repulsed by the idea of kissing a young man, even if he was a cat on the inside, but now he was only saying no kissing outside.
This hallway led to the emergency exit, occasionally used by staff and passersby. They couldn’t help but whisper and giggle when they saw Shao Sui and Mimi.
Shao Sui released Mimi, “Even at home…”
A sudden announcement interrupted him, “Order number 132, please come and collect your order.”
Mimi’s eyes lit up, “My milk tea!”
Seeing Mimi’s happy expression, Shao Sui sighed softly.
Forget it, it was just a kiss. The cat liked it, and he was gradually becoming desensitized to it, he didn’t have a partner and wasn’t planning to get married, why not indulge the cat?
A cat’s life was so short.
Shao Sui felt a sudden pang in his heart. An ordinary cat’s lifespan was only about ten to fifteen years, what about a cat spirit?
“They’re gone, we don’t have to hide anymore.” Mimi pulled Shao Sui’s hand, tugging him towards the milk tea shop. If he wasn’t human, he would probably be biting Shao Sui’s pants by now.
Shao Sui snapped back to reality, “Coming.”
The milk tea didn’t taste like what Mimi had imagined.
Mimi took two sips, feeling slightly disappointed, but he had promised himself that even if Shao Sui’s choice wasn’t good, he wouldn’t complain.
“What are we doing next?”
“Buying clothes, watching a movie, then going home.”
“Okay.”
The prices at most clothing stores in the mall were exorbitant, making Shao Sui reluctant to even look, but he didn’t want his cat wearing cheap clothes, even though there was probably no difference in quality, it felt different psychologically.
And this was Mimi’s first set of new clothes as a human, spending a bit more was justified.
Shao Sui asked for Mimi’s opinion, “Any you like?”
Compared to shoes, Mimi was more accepting of clothes. After all, humans had no fur and needed clothes for warmth.
Mimi stuck close to Shao Sui, “You choose for me.”
Shao Sui thought the cat simply had no concept of clothing, “How about this green one? It has a cat print.”
Mimi, not quite understanding, nodded reluctantly, “Sure.”
Humans liked wearing clothes with cat prints, but he was a cat.
Shao Sui noticed Mimi’s lack of enthusiasm, “Do you really like it? Don’t force yourself.”
Any ordinary shirt here cost over a thousand yuan. It would be a waste of money if he bought it and the cat refused to wear it.
Mimi pointed at the green shirt, “It suits you.”
Shao Sui suddenly understood the cat’s logic, “You want clothes with human prints?”
Mimi’s eyes widened with delight, “Shao Sui, you know me so well!”
Humans wore clothes with cat prints, cats should wear clothes with human prints.
“…”
This stumped Shao Sui. This one had an embroidered cat, he doubted anyone would embroider humans on clothes. Unless it was those cheap printed hoodies that shed after washing.
Shao Sui negotiated, “The mall doesn’t seem to have that kind of clothing. Let’s buy a couple of other outfits today, and I’ll find you clothes with human prints later, okay?”
Mimi agreed.
Shao Sui picked a few outfits suitable for Mimi’s age and told the salesperson, “We’d like to try these.”
The salesperson: “Certainly, let me take those hangers for you.”
Shao Sui pushed Mimi into the fitting room, and just as he was about to follow, the salesperson stopped him, “Excuse me, our store policy is one customer per fitting room.”
Shao Sui didn’t think much of it, “We’re together.”
The salesperson smiled, “I know, but that’s our policy.”
She pointed at a sign on the wall, a picture of one person per room. Shao Sui still didn’t understand, glancing into the fitting room, “It’s quite spacious, two people can easily fit.”
The salesperson’s expression turned apologetic, “Is there any special circumstance, sir? Otherwise, it’s strictly one person per room.”
Mimi quickly grabbed Shao Sui’s hand, looking slightly scared, “I don’t want to try them on anymore.”
A cat alone in a small, unfamiliar space, with the door closed, it was a terrifying thought.
What if he couldn’t get out?
What if Shao Sui left him?
Shao Sui finally understood, but still said calmly, “This is my younger brother, he has a rib injury, he can’t move too much, so…”
The salesperson, sensing they weren’t troublemakers, relented, “How about this, there’s no mirror inside the fitting room, I’ll hold the other clothes for you, and you can come out and check in the mirror after each outfit, okay?”
Shao Sui gratefully accepted the compromise, “Thank you.”
Inside the fitting room, Mimi whispered in Shao Sui’s ear, “Why wouldn’t she let you in?”
Shao Sui made up an excuse, “Because the fitting room has limited oxygen, too many people will suffocate.”
Mimi quickly took shallow breaths, “Then let’s leave!”
“It’s okay, we’re only trying on one outfit at a time.” Shao Sui lifted the hem of Mimi’s shirt. “Raise your arms – and we’ll open the door after changing, so fresh air can come in.”
“That’s good.”
Mimi obediently followed instructions, like a doll.
Shao Sui ordered, “Take off your pants… no, keep the shorts on!”
Shao Sui unconsciously averted his gaze, “Can you put the pants on yourself?”
Mimi said it wasn’t a problem.
Shao Sui stood aside, browsing news about the mall, and soon found some scandalous articles. Last year, a gay couple had apparently filmed themselves having sex in the fitting room of a menswear store here and uploaded the video. After the incident, the mall implemented the one-person-per-fitting-room policy.
Shao Sui pondered. Why did people think he and Mimi were a couple?
Shouldn’t they look like brothers?
Father and son would also work.
Owner and pet… forget it.
Shao Sui stood facing the wall, reflecting on his life, while Mimi struggled with the pants.
When his foot got caught in the trouser leg, Mimi wanted to curse, but remembering he couldn’t speak loudly outside, he suppressed the word “trash.”
“Shao Sui!”
Shao Sui glanced over and had to go over and help, “Hold onto my shoulders, lift your leg.”
He held the waistband and lifted Mimi slightly, shaking the pants.
Mimi, startled, clung to Shao Sui’s neck, “Is this how you wear them?”
Shao Sui, forced against Mimi’s collarbone, said, “Let go, you’re suffocating me.”
Mimi, ignoring the possibility of falling, quickly let go and was steadily placed back on the ground by Shao Sui.
Mimi asked, puzzled, “Why are your ears red?”
Teacher Shao said calmly, “The mall is too hot.”
Mimi made a reasonable request, “Can you pinch my ears, please?”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Teacher Shao said coldly, “Close your eyes.”
Shao Sui placed the shirt over Mimi’s head and, like dressing a child, guided his arms through the sleeves. The cat’s body temperature was burning hot, making Shao Sui want to pull away.
He opened the fitting room door, and the anxious salesperson finally breathed a sigh of relief. Shao Sui stood aside, rubbing his fingertips.
Having shed Shao Sui’s old clothes and donned a new outfit, Mimi looked like a brand new person, a fashionable young man.
Teacher Shao always had good taste, otherwise, the head teacher wouldn’t have told him to dress more plainly.
“Your younger brother is so handsome, with such a good figure, he looks good in anything.” The salesperson, showering him with compliments, added, “Usually, it’s the clothes that make the person, but with him, it’s the person that makes the clothes.”
Shao Sui lifted the corner of his lips, “He’s alright.”
Mimi, looking at his reflection in the mirror, felt like a stranger, no trace of a cat to be seen.
The cat praised himself, “Like someone on TV!”
The salesperson chuckled, “Even more handsome than many celebrities.”
Shao Sui also thought so, but he couldn’t say it out loud, one should be modest.
“Let’s try some more.”
Shao Sui chose four outfits for Mimi, the salesperson recommended two more. After trying them all on, only one wasn’t quite right, the others looked great. With his fair skin and innocent aura, Mimi truly looked good in anything.
Shao Sui suddenly understood why his students were so addicted to dress-up games, even secretly playing them during class.
“How much are these altogether?”
“One moment, let me calculate.” The salesperson punched the numbers into the calculator. “Three pairs of pants, five shirts, 6798 yuan in total.”
Before leaving, Shao Sui had budgeted three thousand yuan for Mimi’s entire wardrobe, and the shoes alone cost two thousand.
Seeing Shao Sui hesitate, the salesperson added, “It’s a very good deal right now, we’re having our anniversary sale, all these items are 5% off, and you can also participate in the mall’s promotion, 200 yuan off every 1000 spent, so it’ll only be a little over four thousand yuan after discounts.”
Shao Sui still thought it was expensive, but his hand unconsciously pulled out his phone for payment.
A person didn’t need so many clothes, last year’s clothes could still be worn this year, but Mimi was a newly transformed cat, his wardrobe empty, it should be filled in one go.
Reasonable.
“Why aren’t you drinking your milk tea?”
When they reached the cinema to collect their tickets, Shao Sui noticed Mimi’s milk tea was almost untouched.
“I really, really like it,” Mimi, having unconsciously learned to emphasize his words, asked cautiously, “But is it really milk tea?”
Shao Sui paused, “Yes.”
Mimi, hurt by Shao Sui’s perfunctory answer, said, “But there’s no milk, and no tea.”
Teacher Shao, who never drank the stuff, was confused.
Thinking about it, it was true, it should be called fruit tea, not milk tea.
Shao Sui hadn’t realized cats were so specific with their categorization, so he could only shift the blame, “That milk tea shop sells fake products.”
Mimi forgave his human, “Then let’s go ask for a refund!”
Shao Sui said, “The movie is about to start, let’s buy another one from the shop over there.”
“But that’s more money.”
“It’s okay, you can give this one to me.”
Mimi finally told the truth, “I already took a sip, and it doesn’t taste very good.”
Shao Sui said, “Just change the straw, I’m not picky.”
Mimi, the picky one, felt guilty, deciding to eat a dried fish he didn’t like when they got back.
While buying milk tea, Shao Sui was still wondering if Mimi, in his human form, could tolerate lactose. But so far, it didn’t seem to be a problem.
Mimi had a great day.
The Korean barbecue was delicious, the clothes were beautiful, the milk tea was good, no diarrhea, and during the movie, Mimi, imitating the characters on screen, kissed Shao Sui’s cheek, and Shao Sui didn’t even scold him, only saying kissing in public was indecent.
“But we’re inside.”
The cinema was a room, with four walls and two doors, not considered “outside.”
Shao Sui remained silent.
Mimi, the cat spirit with excellent eyesight, asked, “Shao Sui, your neck and ears are a bit red.”
Shao Sui said, “It’s too hot.”
Mimi said, “I feel cold.”
Shao Sui took off his jacket and placed it in Mimi’s arms, “Because I’m wearing too much, put on more clothes if you’re cold.”
Mimi didn’t wear it, just hugged it and took a deep breath. The human scent was so strong!
He leaned against Shao Sui’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek whenever the characters on screen kissed.
