Though it was hardly a proper remark, Ye Lian said it as if stating a fact, making Jiang Xiaoyu start to wonder if his own nerves were too sensitive.
He kept a calm expression on his face, but his neck was already flushed red. He asked, “Can you give me another piece of clothing?”
Ye Lian glanced at Jiang Xiaoyu, quietly observing the little guy. At 22 years old, he wasn’t really that young, and while his build wasn’t frail, it still had a hint of youthful greenness. His eyes were round and large, with upturned corners that should have been very spirited, yet the sparkle in them was always concealed.
In human form, he pretended to be composed and aloof; in cat form, the hard shell seemed to have cracked a seam. His paws tentatively probed the edges of the crack, wanting to indulge, scratching it open a little before fearfully shrinking back inside. It was like his contradictory longing and fear toward the outside world.
Compared to old monsters like them, who navigated worldly affairs with such ease that life had become boring, how could he not be called a ‘little guy’?
“Mr. Ye?” The little guy pursed his lips and asked again, “Or could you help me check if my clothes are dry?”
Ye Lian’s eyes curved. He said, “Of course, please wait a moment.”
Ye Lian fetched him some clothes and led him to the bathroom. When Jiang Xiaoyu emerged again in his police uniform, Ye Lian was sitting at the table, sipping tea and leisurely flipping through the newspaper. The scene was so serene that Jiang Xiaoyu froze for a moment, not daring to disturb him. He gently placed the briefcase on the table and began processing the return of the stolen items.
“Please confirm the recovered items and check their condition, Mr. Ye,” Jiang Xiaoyu said.
Ye Lian merely glanced at them briefly. “No issues.”
Jiang Xiaoyu handed over the signed document. “Then please sign here.”
“Officer Jiang,” Ye Lian took it and asked leisurely, “Do you think this ring is nice?”
Jiang Xiaoyu was taken aback. “It’s pretty nice, I guess.” He didn’t know much about these things, only that diamonds were expensive, and from how happy Zhou Wantong looked wearing it, it must have been beautiful.
Ye Lian’s eyes curved again. “I have a little black cat, and I’m wondering if I should make a collar for him with this ring. What do you think?”
Little black cat? Was he talking about me… Jiang Xiaoyu lowered his eyelids. “It’s too valuable. It’d be bad if the cat lost it.”
“That’s no problem.” Ye Lian casually pushed the items aside, unconcerned. “But it’s already been worn by someone else—it doesn’t suit him.”
“Speaking of which, the little guy’s eyes would suit emeralds better, just like Officer Jiang’s eyes.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s palms grew slightly sweaty. He didn’t dare look up or know how to respond, merely saying softly, “Please sign, Mr. Ye.”
“Alright, alright.” Ye Lian chuckled lightly.
After completing the handover and filing the records, Jiang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll take my leave.”
Ye Lian tilted his head slightly, gazing out the open window at the courtyard. The rain had stopped, and the evening glow burned vibrantly. He said warmly, “It’s getting late. Have dinner before you go.”
Jiang Xiaoyu followed Ye Lian’s gaze out the window, momentarily stunned by the stunning post-rain vista of clouds and sunset. He stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to reality and turning his eyes to Ye Lian.
But he found that the man had already shifted his gaze back at some point, staring intently at him. His amber pupils, set off under the evening glow, were coated in rich, heavy shades of light, turning a honey-like golden yellow—beautiful, profound, and dangerous.
Jiang Xiaoyu instinctively turned his head to avoid Ye Lian’s gaze. “No, I need to head back to the station.”
Ye Lian seemed to chuckle softly but didn’t press Jiang Xiaoyu further. “The mountain roads are slippery. Drive safely.”
Jiang Xiaoyu opened the car door with a “bang” and shrank into the seat. He slumped over the steering wheel, clutching his pounding heart, pressing down hard as if to shove it back into his chest.
“Jiang Xiaoyu,” he warned himself in a low voice. “They’re not your kind. Keep your distance from them.”
He returned the car to his colleague waiting at the foot of the mountain, then shifted back to cat form and slipped into the courtyard. The husky wasn’t in its doghouse—probably hanging out with them inside, Jiang Xiaoyu thought. He lowered his head, curled up into a ball, and closed his eyes.
But a faint, elegant cool fragrance mixed with the damp earthiness after rain quietly wafted into Jiang Xiaoyu’s nose. He heard the pleasant scent’s owner speak, “Little guy, aren’t you hungry? Time for dinner.”
He looked up with a meow and placed his paw in the man’s outstretched palm.
—
With all the mansion’s servants dismissed, Chen Yiqu was the only one managing the vast estate. Fortunately, Ye Lian had been away on business these past few days, so Chen Yiqu could barely manage his own meals and daily needs. Now that his master was back, he hurriedly called a chef up to cook.
“Just make something simple,” Yan Feilang said casually, biting into an apple.
“You can eat dog food, but can you expect me to?” Chen Yiqu scolded him with a straight face.
Tigers are cats too—why can’t they eat dog food? Yan Feilang grumbled inwardly but didn’t dare say it aloud. Thinking of Jiang Xiaoyu, he asked, “That cop earlier—is he the little black cat who infiltrated us?”
“Yeah, be careful not to expose yourself,” Chen Yiqu said. “It’s been a while since I’ve found something interesting.”
Yan Feilang tsked twice, already pitying Officer Jiang in his heart.
The oblivious Jiang Xiaoyu perched on a chair, telling the husky drooling over his bowl of lobster, “Dogs can’t eat this stuff.”
Though the Ye family meals were light, the seafood and meats on the table were high in purines—better for animals to eat less.
“Nonsense!” the husky retorted. “Dogs can eat it!”
“Dogs can’t.”
“Nonsense! Who says dogs can’t eat it?”
“Purines are too high, and onions and garlic too—they’ll get sick,” Jiang Xiaoyu explained.
“Then why can cats eat it?”
“Uh, cats can’t either. I’m the exception.”
But the husky stopped lolling its tongue, giving him a side-eye with its whites showing. After a long pause, it blurted, “You’re tasty! You wanna eat it all yourself! Not sharing with dog!”
Helplessly labeled as a glutton, Jiang Xiaoyu gave in to the husky’s accusatory stare and tossed it a small piece of shrimp meat. “Just a little.”
The husky instantly grinned, tongue out, happily gobbling it down.
Yan Feilang, carrying a dish out, overheard Jiang Xiaoyu and the husky’s exchange and looked thrilled. He was about to join the cat-dog chat when he noticed Ye Lian’s gesture. The man lightly pressed a finger to his lips, shoving Yan Feilang’s near-slip back down his throat.
“Ahem—” Yan Feilang coughed to cover it up. “Husky! No more eating! You’ve had tons of snacks today!”
The husky looked up and let out a few protesting howls, only for Yan Feilang to smack its head with a “pa.” “Quiet!”
Chen Yiqu came over with the cat food, swapping out Jiang Xiaoyu’s seafood bowl. He pretended, “Master, Second Master said cats can’t eat this stuff.”
Jiang Xiaoyu stared at the mushy mess—minced meat or canned food, he couldn’t tell—and meowed seriously. “Cats can eat it!”
“Dogs can too!” the husky chimed in.
But he couldn’t outstubborn the old butler and couldn’t speak human words, so he could only glare bitterly at the cat bowl for ages, unwilling to touch it.
Ye Lian said, “These little guys only live a dozen or so years. If they can’t eat this or that, how boring would that be, right, little guy?”
When saying the husky couldn’t eat it, Jiang Xiaoyu had been full of reasons; now it was his turn, and he subconsciously meowed in agreement with Ye Lian.
Ye Lian chuckled shortly and placed both cat bowls in front of Jiang Xiaoyu. “Let Baby choose for himself, okay?”
Hearing ‘Baby’ again, Jiang Xiaoyu stiffly chose the seafood feast with his paw.
The husky drooled, staring dumbly. “See? Dog told you you’re tasty!”
“See, Baby likes this one,” Ye Lian said.
Little Yu Baby couldn’t argue. Little Yu Baby buried his head in eating.
Nearby, Chen Yiqu watched the scene, his stern face unusually softening. He ladled a bowl of soup for Ye Lian and probed, “Master, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming up. Should we head back to the Ji Family Old Mansion…?”
Ji Family Old Mansion? Jiang Xiaoyu hurriedly swallowed his shrimp and licked messily at the juice staining his chest fur, thinking: That’s Ji Wangan’s home, right? If Ye Lian goes, could I sneak along?
Ye Lian shelled a scallop for Jiang Xiaoyu and put it in his bowl, then wiped his hands slowly with a napkin. “Is there some event at the old mansion?”
“Not really,” Chen Yiqu smiled obsequiously. “Madam just called, saying she misses you.”
Ye Lian smiled and tapped him. “Mother wouldn’t say something like that.”
Chen Yiqu sighed inwardly, thinking the persuasion had failed again, but Ye Lian changed tack: “Though I do remember leaving a jade token there. Might as well fetch it back to make a collar for the little guy.”
Ye Lian had a room at the Ji Residence but never stayed over—where would he have lost something? Hearing him fabricate this, Chen Yiqu’s eye twitched. But as long as Ye Lian was willing to go, Madam would be thrilled, so he forced a wrinkled smile. “I’ll pack tomorrow then.”
Ye Lian hummed. “Pick some gifts to bring—can’t go empty-handed.”
Jiang Xiaoyu ate absentmindedly, his mind racing. He planned to head back to the station at night for bugs and cameras, then sneak into the Ji Family Old Mansion and plant them in Ji Wangan’s room.
Ye Lian saw the cat taking one bite and dropping another, looking utterly absent-minded. With half-closed eyes carrying a hint of mischief, he said, “Right, the Cat House isn’t built yet, and the Husky has come back. So where should the little guy sleep tonight?”
The mansion was so huge—where couldn’t he sleep? Chen Yiqu grumbled inwardly, but kept a straight face on the surface. “Then what do you think, Young Master?”
“Tonight it’s raining. Just stay with me and sleep.”
Chen Yiqu immediately affirmed, “Of course. He can’t just eat without working—he should contribute some value too.”
Jiang Xiaoyu was stunned. The last piece of meat he was chewing in his mouth went “plop” and fell to the ground, swiftly snatched away by the Husky.
