Chapter 1
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, a steady drizzle fell throughout the day in Qing City.
At night, the wind picked up, carrying a chill that seeped deep into the bones. The dilapidated old town had no nightlife, and the streetlights flickered weakly.
“Meow—!!”
A piercing cat’s cry suddenly echoed from the depths of an alley in the old town, accompanied by a man’s cry of pain.
After a brief moment of chaos, angry curses erupted from the darkness: “Damn little beast, you dare scratch me! I’ll fucking strangle you!”
The man’s hands grabbed the dark green metal, attempting to move the large sanitation bin.
In the narrow gap between the bin and the wall, a small, blurry figure crouched, fur bristling, almost merging with the darkness. It vaguely resembled a small cat.
Sanitation services in the old town had always been criticized. The large bins, overflowing with garbage and left unattended for days, were heavy and foul-smelling. The man’s pulling and tugging had no effect, making it a perfect shelter for the kitten.
The kitten confidently flicked its tail, letting out a sarcastic “Meow.”
Pervert, still trying to bully your grandpa cat?
Hah!
The man seemed to hear the mockery in its cry, furiously kicking the bin and spewing a stream of obscenities.
However, the bin remained unmoved, and the stalemate continued.
Soon, a sudden ringing phone interrupted the man’s rage.
He panted, his voice turning obsequious as he answered the call.
“Yes, yes, yes, Director Li. I’m not asleep, not asleep, you said…”
After a brief conversation, the man carefully hung up.
He gave the bin one last frustrated kick, cursed again, then clutched his scratched face and hurried out of the alley.
The curled-up kitten twitched its ears but didn’t leave immediately. Its small, round head slowly lowered as if it had fallen asleep.
Silence returned to the alley.
After a long while, the rain, which had paused briefly, began to drizzle again.
A sudden gust of cold wind made the drowsy kitten shiver, finally waking it up.
Realizing it couldn’t stay there any longer, the kitten shook its groggy head and struggled to stand.
It instinctively tried to stand on its hind legs but yelped in pain and collapsed, its small body trembling.
A clap of thunder boomed, and the rain intensified.
This alley was usually deserted, especially on rainy days.
Knowing it needed help, the kitten took a deep breath and stood again, this time on all fours.
It didn’t leave the safety of the gap immediately. Instead, it listened carefully, confirming no one was around before cautiously poking its head out.
Beautiful, star-like blue eyes shone faintly in the darkness, filled with vigilance.
No one was in sight.
The kitten quietly crept along the wall, limping towards the alley’s entrance.
Its gait was awkward, its four short legs seemingly moving independently. Its tail swayed erratically, almost tripping it at one point.
The journey was fraught with peril, but it made it.
Reaching the alley’s entrance, the dim streetlight illuminated the small, hobbling figure.
It was a cow-patterned cat, likely only three months old. Its markings were beautiful, reminiscent of the famous “cat sheriff,” but its blue eyes made it look even more exquisite.
However, the kitten wasn’t particularly cute at the moment.
Soaked by the rain, it looked dirty. Its slender body was covered in coarse fur, matted together by the rain and glue.
Most alarmingly, one of its hind legs was twisted at an unnatural angle, stained with fresh blood, a recent injury.
This was clearly a stray cat, and one that had seen better days.
But the kitten itself didn’t feel miserable, instead cursing inwardly.
“Damn cat abuser! I should have bitten him harder.”
That pervert dared to break its leg and smear it with glue.
It didn’t believe it hadn’t picked up any bacteria during its days as a stray. Hopefully, the pervert would get infected!
Thinking of the scratches it had inflicted, Wei Yuan felt a little better.
But soon, it stopped abruptly, raising a front paw to rub its right eye in a panic.
Some glue had gotten into its eye. It hadn’t been a problem earlier, but now it was increasingly uncomfortable.
God, it wasn’t going blind, was it?
Only then did Wei Yuan realize how bad its condition was.
The pervert had kicked it hard, breaking its leg. Now its internal organs ached, suggesting serious internal injuries.
As time passed, breathing became difficult. Its life was in danger!
No, it couldn’t die like this!
It hadn’t figured out why it had turned into a cat or if it could turn back into a human. Dying like this would be too unfair.
Ignoring everything else, Wei Yuan stumbled forward. It needed help from a kind human.
But the more it ran, the heavier its steps became, and its mind grew increasingly hazy. The poor kitten was running purely on willpower.
After an unknown amount of time, the rain stopped.
The streets fell silent.
Wei Yuan finally stopped at an intersection, collapsing weakly against a wall.
Beside it stood a red mailbox, a prominent landmark.
It was a small intersection, bustling during the day but deserted at night.
The surrounding shops were closed, and no one would notice the dying kitten curled up by the landmark.
But this was the most likely place for someone to pass by within miles. Wei Yuan, too weak to even open its eyes, couldn’t go any further to seek help. It could only curl up there and hope for the best.
“Meow! Boss! Boss is back!”
A plump orange cat came running from afar, a fragrant piece of roasted lamb in its mouth.
But the joy on its face vanished upon seeing Wei Yuan’s condition, and the meat it had brought dropped to the ground.
The orange cat rushed to Wei Yuan’s side, frantically scratching the ground: “Boss, what happened to you?!”
Wei Yuan wearily opened its eyes and saw two more fat cats running over.
A calico and a tabby.
Seeing Wei Yuan’s state, both cats anxiously paced.
“Boss, did you run into that cat abuser? I told you I should have gone scouting with you!” the tabby exclaimed, stamping its paws.
The calico whimpered, sobbing, “It’s all Big Orange’s fault. He had to go steal that roasted lamb. Otherwise, Boss wouldn’t have gone scouting alone and wouldn’t have run into that bad guy.”
Big Orange wailed even louder, its cries intensifying after being blamed.
Yes, yes, it was all its fault!
There was roasted lamb every day, but there was only one Boss!
A cat abuser had been active in the old town recently, injuring many cats, some fatally.
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan had said it would find an opportunity to ambush the abuser and teach them a lesson.
But unexpectedly, Wei Yuan itself had become the victim.
Wei Yuan shuddered at their cries. The mournful meows were terrifying to it, a cat who feared cats.
It had no choice but to weakly scold, “Shut… shut up.”
The three cats fell silent, squatting before it like three fluffy balls.
They didn’t dare get too close, as their boss disliked other cats getting near. Usually, it told them to stay away and not bother it.
But they knew that despite its gruff exterior, their boss was a good and powerful cat.
Wei Yuan took several breaths before speaking again: “You… you go find a human for me. A human can save me.”
The three cats finally understood and immediately ran off in different directions.
However, Big Orange quickly returned, staying near Wei Yuan, pretending to be a chubby little bodyguard.
The tabby had told it to stay and protect the boss.
If any bad people or cats came, it could defend the boss.
As for finding a human, it was better to leave that to the smarter calico and tabby. Having been strays since they were kittens, they were best at discerning good humans from bad.
Wei Yuan glanced at Big Orange but didn’t speak again. It didn’t have the strength.
It could only try to stay conscious, afraid that if it closed its eyes, it would never wake up.
After all, dying twice in a week sounded terribly unlucky.
Yes, Wei Yuan had already died once last week.
But back then, it was still a human, a human who was very afraid of cats.
Wei Yuan’s vision blurred, and its thoughts became muddled.
It couldn’t quite remember its life as a human, only vaguely recalling being in a car accident.
Then, when it opened its eyes again, it had become a cat.
Not only had it appeared in Qing City, five hundred kilometers from Jing City, but it had also been trapped in a garbage bag.
After the initial shock and fainting several times from its own cat form, it finally accepted its fate.
People always become what they fear most.
But the soul remained the same, so Wei Yuan’s personality and consciousness hadn’t changed.
It remembered being spoiled by its family and always wanting to be the best. Naturally, it didn’t want a miserable life as a cat.
Moreover, it was a cow cat, and fighting was in its genes.
The combination led it to believe, “This cat is invincible.”
So, this newly arrived kitten, in just three days, using its bizarre “standing fighting technique” and unheard-of tactics, defeated the three toughest stray cats on the street, becoming their boss.
Yes, the three defeated cats were Big Orange, the calico, and the tabby.
Later, Wei Yuan led its three underlings to fight stray dogs that tried to steal their food, hissed at children who pulled its tail, and quickly became the boss of Ping’an Street.
But now…
Rain drizzled on its body, and Wei Yuan’s vision blurred further, its body trembling uncontrollably.
The pain seemed to numb, and it could only feel its breathing grow heavier.
Big Orange’s anxious “meows” reached its ears, sounding distant and unintelligible.
Wei Yuan was acutely aware that its life was slipping away.
No, it couldn’t die like this.
There were so many things it hadn’t figured out, and its family must be waiting for it to return.
And it hadn’t even kissed anyone yet!
Dying like this would be such a loss!
Wei Yuan didn’t know why its subconscious was fixated on not having kissed anyone on its deathbed, but it didn’t matter anymore.
Unconsciously, Wei Yuan’s eyelids closed, and the world fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, it felt something soft and warm enveloping it, and then its body lifted into the air.
Its senses returned, and Wei Yuan heard the deliberately soft “meows” of its three underlings, the kind they only used when trying to win over humans.
It struggled to open its eyes and found itself cradled in a human’s arms, wrapped in their scarf.
The human’s refreshing, elegant perfume filled its nose, a familiar scent that calmed it.
A kind person?
It knew it wasn’t destined to die.
Wei Yuan strained to look up, its blurry vision landing on its savior’s sharp jawline.
Seeming to sense its gaze, the savior looked down.
A strikingly handsome face came into view, and Wei Yuan’s pupils constricted, memories flooding back.
It was him!
