Chapter 57
Side Story 2 (Part 2/3)
Shao Sui vaguely remembered having a dream. He dreamt that he hadn’t found Mimi at the end of summer break and spent the second half of the year alone.
But when winter break arrived, he transformed into a cat, met Mimi while wandering the streets, and they became inseparable.
Mimi thrived on the street near the Chinese medicine clinic, taking him to various shops for food. When it snowed, they would sneak into the clinic to watch TV, when it was sunny, they would bask in the sun on rooftops or parked cars.
Warm and comfortable.
Mimi also loved grooming him, giving him full-body spa treatments twice a day. Sometimes, while basking in the sun, Mimi would hold his head with his paws and lick his fur until it was damp.
At night, Mimi would take him to the abandoned drainage pipe, where they would cuddle together on a small blanket and sleep.
Just like when Mimi first transformed into a human, needing Shao Sui to teach him everything, Shao Sui, newly a cat, also needed Mimi’s guidance.
He taught him how to climb trees, jump, beg for food from kind humans, even how to bury his poop and cover his pee.
If he did well, Mimi would nuzzle him with his wet, pink nose and say, “You’re the first cat this King has ever kissed.”
The popular Meow King and the unpopular white cat relied on each other through the cold winter days. Despite the uncertainty of finding food, life was surprisingly good.
But when the New Year’s bell rang, Shao Sui transformed back into a human.
He should have been happy, but from a third-person perspective, he saw Mimi searching everywhere for him, asking other cats if they had seen a plain-colored cat, clumsy and slow-witted.
Mimi searched for a long, long time, but to no avail. He didn’t know what happened to Shao Sui, whether he had died, and could only meow desperately and helplessly at every passerby under the glaring sun: “Meow—!”
Heartbreaking.
Shao Sui desperately wanted to hug Mimi, but he couldn’t control the dream. As his anxiety intensified, he abruptly opened his eyes and woke up.
It was just a dream.
Shao Sui, his heart still racing, saw Mimi in his human form by the bed, talking on the phone. He wanted to beckon the little cat spirit over and tell him about his dream, but he realized he wasn’t raising a human hand, but a furry paw with pink pads.
“?”
Shao Sui’s mind was reeling. To confirm, he opened his mouth and called out Mimi’s name.
“Meow…”
“You’re awake!” Mimi turned around, delighted.
He quickly hung up the phone and carefully picked up the white cat from the bed, hugging it. “Shao Sui, you look so beautiful as a cat.”
Shao Sui wanted to scream.
He couldn’t even pinch himself to confirm if he was dreaming.
“You transformed into a cat while you were sleeping.” Mimi pretended not to be bringing up the past, but said pointedly, “I recognized you instantly from your scent.”
Unlike Shao Sui, who didn’t recognize him when they met on the street, even scolded him and refused to put bandages on his feet!
The comparison was stark.
Shao Sui meowed urgently.
“Your cat language is terrible, I can’t understand you.” Mimi, ever understanding, guessed, “Are you asking why you turned into a cat?”
Shao Sui the cat nodded frantically.
Mimi said, “I just called the association, they said it’s because we… make love and kiss too often, you’ve been contaminated by gay essence.”
“…”
Was this even humanly possible? Shao Sui, a teacher for so many years, a firm believer in materialism, his worldview was crumbling in just half a year.
A cat turning into a human was one thing, how could a human turn into a cat!?
He really should have studied biology.
Mimi was rather happy, gently stroking Shao Sui’s fur, “You’re so soft, no wonder humans love cats so much.”
Shao Sui lay listlessly in Mimi’s arms: “Meow—”
“Are you asking how to turn back into a human?” Mimi said, his voice sickeningly sweet. “The association teacher said you just have to wait until the cat pheromones in your body dissipate.”
Shao Sui was slightly relieved, being able to transform back was good enough.
Just like in his dream, he had become a long-haired white cat, probably a Ragdoll. But the world in his eyes was still full of color, not dull and gray, and he was wearing the gold safety lock pendant Mimi gave him for New Year’s.
“I’m a cat spirit, and you’re a human spirit.” Mimi brought a brush and started grooming Shao Sui. “Long-haired cats need to be brushed often, otherwise their fur will get tangled.”
Shao Sui’s head was being petted, his ears twitching involuntarily, the sensation incredibly pleasant, making him want to roll around on the floor.
“Baby, turn over, I’ll brush your belly.” Mimi said.
Shao Sui froze. What did Mimi just call him?
Mimi didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Shao Sui used to call him “baby” when he was a cat, so now that Shao Sui was a cat, he could also call him that.
Cats, in a human’s eyes, were like little babies, soft and cute.
Mimi pinched Shao Sui’s paws, then quickly flipped him over, just to touch his soft belly.
Shao Sui, mortified, spun around a few times to regain his composure.
Mimi licked his lips, “Baby, so fluffy!” Then, without warning, he buried Shao Sui’s head in his mouth.
Shao Sui wanted to flee, feeling like he was about to be eaten alive. But before he could move, everything went dark—
Shao Sui: “…”
Mimi held the cat’s head in his mouth, motionless, two little cats fighting in his mind.
So cute, eat it.
This is Shao Sui, you can’t eat him! Cat meat is sour, and if you eat him, there will be no more Shao Sui!
Mimi, suppressing his desire, released the damp cat head.
Shao Sui wiped his face with his paw, his expression unreadable.
“Don’t blame me.” Mimi said defensively, “Little human spirits are meant to be eaten by cat spirits.”
After grooming Shao Sui, Mimi also wanted to trim his claws, actually just wanting to pinch his paws. But after pressing on the paw pads and making them bloom, he found the claws weren’t very long, so he gave up.
“I’ll make you cat food!” Mimi volunteered.
Shao Sui flinched and quickly jumped to his phone, batting at it with his paw, signaling Mimi to order takeout.
He had never taught Mimi how to cook, afraid he would blow up the kitchen.
But as the saying went, the tables could turn, don’t bully a young cat for being poor. (A variation on the Chinese proverb about thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river.)
Mimi said seriously, “You’re a kitten now, you can’t eat many things.”
Shao Sui sighed and jumped off the bed, following his memory to the small room, grabbing a small bag of dry cat food from the cabinet. It came as a free gift when he bought snacks for Mimi, still unopened.
Mimi felt guilty, “You used to personally cook for me, I can’t just give you dry food.”
Shao Sui the cat stubbornly held onto the bag of dry food.
Mimi suddenly realized, “Have you been wanting to eat my dry food? You can just eat it directly from now on, no need to wait until you turn into a cat.”
Shao Sui was so angry he felt dizzy.
But he was a cat now, unable to speak cat language, unable to retort.
Despite his repeated attempts to dissuade him, Mimi still opened his phone and ordered takeout.
Following Mimi’s lead, Shao Sui also gained the privilege of eating at the table.
Mimi took out his long-unused cat bowl for Shao Sui. The dry food was crunchy, but tasteless. Mimi’s lunch was a fragrant and colorful bowl of minced meat noodles.
Meeting Shao Sui’s gaze, Mimi protectively covered his bowl and said, “Kittens can’t eat noodles.”
Shao Sui silently lowered his head and continued to munch on the bland dry food.
After their meal, Shao Sui lost his opportunity to be on the floor. Mimi kept him in his arms, petting his ears and tail, clearly indulging in his cat cravings.
Mimi said, “I want to kiss you.”
The little cat spirit wasn’t asking for permission, just making a statement. He leaned in and kissed Shao Sui’s pink lips, his hand still on Shao Sui’s belly.
“These are your nipples, one, two, three, four…”
Mimi, like a child with a new toy, carefully counted them, then his face fell. “Why do you only have nine nipples!”
Shao Sui, forced onto his back, his paws in the air: “?”
Mimi was a little sad, “Did someone eat your nipples? They’re not symmetrical anymore.”
Shao Sui finally understood what it felt like for a cat to be driven crazy by a human.
He wanted to escape immediately.
However, Shao Sui, with his OCD, found the idea of having an odd number of nipples rather disturbing.
He lowered his head, trying to count them himself.
Mimi, seeing this, immediately straightened him up, “Baby, you’re not a mantis shrimp, you can’t do sit-ups on your back.”
Shao Sui stubbornly tried to curl up again.
Mimi grabbed the ruler from the coffee table, smacked Shao Sui’s butt, and said fiercely, “You’re a naughty kitten! I have to punish you!”
“…”
Shao Sui stood up and patted Mimi’s face seriously, trying to reassert his dominance in their household. However, Mimi just found it adorable, suppressing his soft heart and saying coldly, “Acting cute won’t work.”
“Stand still, I’m going to start hitting you now.”
Mimi raised the ruler and swatted the cat’s butt.
Shao Sui finally knew what it felt like for a cat to be spanked. The concentrated sensation in that area, the stimulation from the rhythmic patting, the tingling spreading through his body, making him almost lose his balance.
To maintain his dignity, Shao Sui the cat turned around and bit Mimi’s hand.
Mimi said incredulously, “How dare you bite me!?”
Shao Sui froze, releasing his teeth and licking Mimi’s hand.
He hadn’t used any force, not even leaving a mark.
But Shao Sui was a cat now, and Mimi felt that any misbehavior from a kitten was unforgivable.
Mimi lowered his head, imitating how Shao Sui usually nuzzled him, pressing down on Shao Sui’s front paws, burying his face in his belly and taking a deep breath, then moving upwards, nuzzling his neck fur, kissing his pink lips, and rubbing his wet nose.
Finally, Mimi gently held the white cat’s ear in his mouth. He didn’t want to let go, even wanting to nibble on it.
So delicious.
“Shao Sui, baby, let me teach you cat language!” Mimi said excitedly. “One wrong answer, one smack on the palm… no, your paws are too small now, then I’ll spank your butt.”
Shao Sui wanted to refuse and jumped off the sofa, but his paws didn’t reach the ground, he was suspended in mid-air. Mimi had caught him just as he jumped.
He was back in Mimi’s arms.
Shao Sui felt a sense of helplessness. So this was what it felt like to be a cat, weak and at the mercy of a human, any resistance seen as a sign of cuteness.
“I won’t go easy on you.” Teacher Mimi said dutifully. “You have to study hard, or I’ll kiss you to death!”
