Chapter 1
Near the end of the workday, Shao Sui received a text message from the hospital: “The little guy’s injuries have healed considerably, but he’s not eating or drinking much. We still recommend you take him home to recuperate.”
Below the message was a picture of the patient.
Shao Sui unplugged his computer, neatly stacked the students’ test papers, and put them in his backpack. He then emptied the few remaining goji berries from his cup, rinsed it thoroughly, and inserted it into the circular recess.
With a click, it fit perfectly.
Shu Yi, sitting next to him, asked, “Teacher Shao, that leather jacket looks great on you today. Why didn’t I see you wear it this afternoon?”
Shao Sui pushed his chair into his workstation: “I wouldn’t dare. The director told me to dress more plainly.”
Shu Yi couldn’t help but laugh, remarking that being handsome also had its difficulties.
She couldn’t help but glance at another female colleague, Cheng Ke. These two had been a popular office ‘CP’ before. Both were single and attractive, and Cheng Ke seemed interested in Shao Sui. However, after a certain incident, Shao Sui’s homeroom teacher position was revoked and given to Cheng Ke.
Since then, this ‘CP’ had completely met its end.
After all, no one could continue to smile at the instigator after being burdened with a pile of extra work for no reason.
“Teacher Shao, leaving?”
“Yes, I have something to do today.”
Shao Sui left school before the bell rang. His home was nearby, only a fifteen-minute walk. But his current destination wasn’t home, it was the hospital.
As soon as he entered, an indescribable smell hit him. Shao Sui tightened his mask and frowned slightly.
The nurse at the front desk glanced up and then continued working on the files: “You can go up to the second floor. The doctor is waiting.”
The nurse remembered Shao Sui. After all, it was rare to see someone with such good proportions – broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, at least 1.8 meters tall by her estimate. It was just that he always wore a mask, so she couldn’t see his face.
As Shao Sui walked up the stairs, the nurse glanced over. Today, this pet parent seemed to have forgotten the chocolate.
Shao Sui knocked on the ward door: “Knock, knock—”
“Come in.” Hearing the approaching footsteps, the doctor turned around and called out, “Mimi’s dad is here?”
Even though he had heard it several times already, Shao Sui couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. If he had known the doctor would call him that, he definitely wouldn’t have said the darn cat’s name was “Mimi.”
It was a cat ward, very quiet, with occasional weak meows.
The doctor said, “Cats are quite sensitive. They won’t eat or drink if they’re not used to the unfamiliar environment, especially Mimi. He trembles whenever someone walks past him.”
They faced a cat room less than a square meter in size. The litter box and food bowl were a little too close, and the bowl was full of water and food.
And in the furthest corner from the litter box, huddled a ball of cat.
Shao Sui thought to himself, I’m human too.
He turned to the doctor: “May I ask you a question?”
The doctor said, “Go ahead.”
Shao Sui politely inquired, “If you were hospitalized, and the toilet and dining table were in the same place, could you eat your meals?”
The doctor choked for a moment: “There’s no other way. Our cat wards only have single levels. The boarding area does have two-story villas… Besides, Mimi is just simply afraid of people.”
Shao Sui felt the cost-effectiveness was too low.
In ten days, Shao Sui had paid over three thousand yuan in hospitalization fees for the cat, more expensive than human care. A night in a 20-plus square meter hotel room would only cost around two hundred yuan, and a stay in an ordinary hospital ward at most three to five hundred a day.
The doctor explained that pet hospitals didn’t receive government subsidies, rent and labor costs were high, and they weren’t making much money. They were all running a loss-making business out of love for small animals…
Shao Sui didn’t really listen.
Originally, this cat had three different colored furs, perfectly arranged. However, to treat its injuries, some had been shaved off. Now it was bald in patches, quite uneven.
One of the cat’s legs was bandaged due to a fracture, and its little head was also wrapped in gauze. At this moment, it was huddled in the corner, using its body to shield its head, revealing only a pair of eyes, staring intently at Shao Sui and the doctor, its pointed ears tucked back in fear.
Looking closely, one could see the cat trembling slightly.
Shao Sui stood to the side, aloof and restrained, completely lacking the warmth and distress a pet owner would show when seeing their own pet. He didn’t pet it, hold it, or make soothing noises.
Seeing him like this, the doctor couldn’t help but recall the previous discussion among the nurses, saying that the cat’s injuries looked man-made. At over a year old, it only weighed five or six jin, possibly a case of animal abuse.
But that shouldn’t be the case. Shao Sui had already paid several thousand yuan for the cat’s treatment. Someone who abused animals wouldn’t spend that kind of money. If it died, they’d just catch another one.
“Calico tomcats are very rare, especially long-haired ones. Only one might appear in several thousand. They have a gentle and docile personality, no worse than pedigree cats.”
The doctor practically had the words “cherish it well, don’t abuse cats” written all over his face.
Shao Sui pinched the bridge of his nose: “Do I absolutely have to take him home?”
The doctor said, “My recommendation is that a closed environment is always better than an open one. And you’ve already spent several thousand. If this continues, its resistance won’t improve… you understand?”
The implication was that continued hospitalization might still result in death, and Shao Sui’s money would be wasted.
“Let me think about it.”
“Okay,” the doctor said. “If you take him home, just apply some medicine every day. Although Mimi is very timid, he’s quite well-behaved.”
“Does he still need to take medication?”
“Yes, I’ll teach you how to feed it later.” The doctor seemed eager to send the cat away, vaguely saying, “Feed him more canned food after you get back. It’s highly nutritious and will help him recover faster.”
Shao Sui glanced at him and twitched the corner of his mouth: “Do you sell those here?”
“Of course.” The doctor led Shao Sui to the merchandise area on the first floor. “Speaking of which, it’s the first time I’ve seen a male calico cat in all my years of practice. He’s truly beautiful. How long have you had him?”
Shao Sui casually replied, “Not long.”
The doctor chuckled, “No wonder you two don’t seem close.”
Shao Sui detected the probing tone but didn’t respond. Indeed, they weren’t close. They’d only known each other for about ten days, and including visits, they’d only met four times.
The doctor didn’t know that this little calico was actually a stray. But when bringing him in, Shao Sui had told the doctor that he was his pet, recently lost and just found.
Shao Sui scanned the prices of the pet products: “I’m going out for some air.”
“No problem.”
The weather was hot and humid, and after wearing the mask for a short while, a layer of fine sweat appeared on Shao Sui’s face. He walked to the entrance, picked off a hair that had somehow stuck to his clothes, and enjoyed the evening breeze.
The hospital business was good. It might be because young people nowadays were tired of maintaining intimate relationships and sought emotional value without burden, leading to a growing number of pet owners.
But for Shao Sui, bringing a living creature home was a very difficult thing.
Most people’s first concept of cats and dogs was “companionship” and “shedding.” Coincidentally, Shao Sui didn’t need companionship and had a considerable degree of mysophobia and OCD. Stepping into a pet hospital filled with animal smells was already quite challenging for him. It was hard to imagine spending a long time living with that cat.
A voice came from not far away: “Teacher Shao?”
Shao Sui looked up and unexpectedly saw his colleague Cheng Ke. He nodded and greeted politely: “Teacher Cheng.”
Cheng Ke was surprised: “What are you doing here?”
Shao Sui felt it was troublesome to retell the whole story, so he chose to change the subject: “Teacher Cheng, are you here to pick up your cat?”
“Yes,” Cheng Ke said, “I brought him in for vaccinations this morning, now I’m taking him back.”
Shao Sui thought for a moment and asked, “What size cage does your cat live in?”
“Who keeps a cat in a cage?” Cheng Ke was a known cat lover. “Cats are naturally active and need space to move. They parkour eight hundred times a day. They’d go crazy living in a cage.”
Shao Sui thought of the calico’s fractured leg; it probably couldn’t parkour: “Don’t they need a bed? Where do they sleep at night?”
“They sleep anywhere, just not in their beds.” Cheng Ke glanced at the pet hospital sign. “So, our always-clean Teacher Shao is planning to get a cat?”
“No,” Shao Sui affirmed. “Impossible. I can’t stand it.”
Cheng Ke had indeed been interested in Shao Sui before, firstly because of his competence and pleasant personality, and secondly because of his outstanding appearance. But after spending more time together, one would discover that some of Shao Sui’s quirks were hard to tolerate, such as OCD, mysophobia, and being a person who appeared gentle but was actually quite cold.
Moreover, Shao Sui didn’t like small animals, which was unacceptable for Cheng Ke, who treated her cat like a child.
In addition, with Shao Sui recently being removed as homeroom teacher, Cheng Ke had been forced to take over, making her extremely busy and completely losing any thoughts of pursuing Shao Sui.
They were simply incompatible.
After some small talk, Cheng Ke pointed to the hospital lobby: “Excuse me, my cat is probably getting impatient.”
Shao Sui nodded: “You go ahead.”
An older woman walked by, leading a Samoyed. The Samoyed, who seemed to think everyone was a friend, gave Shao Sui a bright smile.
Shao Sui dodged to the side.
The Samoyed’s smile instantly vanished, and it turned its head away indifferently, leaving behind a fart.
“…”
When Shao Sui went back inside, the older woman was saying to the nurse, “My Yeye has been farting a lot recently. Could you check if he has a stomach problem…?”
Just like with a child, any slight issue would send them rushing to the hospital.
In the cat ward, the little calico was still nestled in the corner, pitifully thin, making its eyes appear particularly large.
Hearing footsteps, the little guy trembled violently.
“Ungrateful,” Shao Sui said, looking down at it. “Not only did you bite me, but you also played the victim. I spent thousands on your medical treatment, and this is your attitude.”
Whether it understood or recognized the familiar scent on Shao Sui, the fear in the little calico’s eyes lessened, but it continued to stare at him intently.
“The doctor said you’d be better off coming home with me, but you don’t seem too keen.” Shao Sui thought of a perfect solution. “Tell you what, if you’re willing, raise a paw.”
Let alone a cat with two injured legs, even a healthy one wouldn’t be able to perform such an action.
Shao Sui let out a rare chuckle: “If you don’t raise it, that means you’re not willing…”
Before he could finish, the little calico shakily raised its tail.
“…Amazing.”
Twenty minutes later, Shao Sui, who had said it was impossible for him to own a cat, stood at the hospital entrance with a carrier and a pile of pet supplies, along with Cheng Ke, who was also taking her cat home. They looked at each other in silence.
Shao Sui reiterated with a straight face, “I’m not planning to keep him. I’m just taking care of him temporarily until I find his owner.”
Cheng Ke was amused: “So you’re the handsome guy the nurses talked about, the one who always brought chocolate for the cat, but is suspected of being a cat-abusing pervert?”
The nurses here were friends with her and had mentioned several times that a handsome guy wearing a mask brought in an injured calico tomcat for treatment, claiming it was his pet. When asked for the cat’s name, he said it was “Mimi”.
What kind of decent person would name a cat that? What’s the difference between that and naming a human child “John Smith”?
The most ridiculous thing was, not only did he visit, he also brought chocolate for the cat.
Shao Sui sighed lightly: “He was already injured when I found him.”
The reason he brought chocolate was because he had once overheard Cheng Ke in the office mentioning that cats actually loved chocolate but could easily die from eating it.
And during the first few days of hospitalization, the doctor kept saying the little calico might not survive, so Shao Sui brought chocolate every time, thinking that since it was dying, it should at least be able to enjoy its favorite food.
Even death row inmates get a last meal.
Cheng Ke asked curiously, “So he’s a stray? Didn’t you tell the doctor he was yours?”
“I picked him up from the roadside,” Shao Sui said. “I was afraid if I said he was a stray, the hospital wouldn’t treat him properly.”
Cheng Ke didn’t know how to respond for a moment: “You’re quite…”
Shao Sui said casually, “I spent so much money, I can’t just let it go to waste.”
A very down-to-earth mentality.
As teachers, they worked their butts off and only earned so much a month.
It was a pity. If Shao Sui had said it was a stray at the time, the hospital might have given him a discount. But the money had already been spent, so Cheng Ke didn’t mention it to avoid making him feel worse.
“It’s good that he survived. Once his injuries heal and his fur grows back, he’ll definitely be very cute.”
Shao Sui glanced at the cat in Cheng Ke’s bag. Its fur was patches of gray and white, and with its round body, it didn’t look aesthetically pleasing at all.
Cute?
Not at all.
As if sensing Shao Sui’s assessment, the fat cat hissed at him several times.
Cheng Ke patted it and asked, “How do you know it had an owner and wasn’t always a stray?”
Shao Sui said, “He had a collar when I found him, and it looked new.”
It had been raining heavily that day. Shao Sui, holding an umbrella, was about to go to work. Having just been removed from his homeroom teacher position, he was busy handing over work to Cheng Ke and dealing with the head teacher’s lecture, so he wasn’t paying much attention to the road.
By the time he stepped on the kitten’s tail, it was too late. He instinctively apologized, but the startled cat, unwilling to forgive, bit his ankle through his sock.
Shao Sui ended up getting five rabies shots, which he hadn’t yet finished.
The most absurd thing was that the cat was already covered in injuries at the time, rainwater blurring a patch of blood, foaming at the mouth, and trembling uncontrollably.
Even in that state, it could still lash out and bite someone. Its temper was truly something.
After biting him, the cat collapsed at Shao Sui’s feet, clinging tightly to his trousers, not even blinking as rainwater dripped into its eyes, as if saying, “If you don’t take responsibility, I’ll just lie here and not get up.”
“You’re totally scamming me.”
Unable to remove the cat’s claws, Shao Sui could only roll up his trouser leg, scoop up the cat, and head to the nearest pet hospital.
That was Shao Sui’s most frustrating day recently. A lot of annoying things had happened at home; dirty water seeped into his shoe rack, cat hair stuck to his trousers, he was late for work, and when he arrived, he was lectured by the head teacher: “Xiao Shao, you must understand the current climate. Students can’t be wrong. If something goes wrong, it’s our problem as teachers. Do you understand?”
All of these contributed to Shao Sui’s extremely foul mood.
Furthermore, not only did the cat have external injuries, it also had several thin needles embedded in its body, a fractured leg, and it was poisoned. The doctor said the hospitalization, surgery, and emergency treatment fees would add up to seven or eight thousand yuan.
And the foot he stepped on it with didn’t cause any harm.
Shao Sui’s principle in life was to fulfill his responsibilities and have a clear conscience, never meddling in other people’s business, especially when it involved spending money. How much was his monthly salary anyway?
The doctor also gave him a warning: “We can’t guarantee its survival.”
As he said this, the kitten’s wide eyes narrowed, and its claws, tightly gripping Shao Sui’s sleeve, slowly loosened. It seemed to understand and even showed a hint of human-like despair.
Shao Sui could have avoided spending this money.
But perhaps because the doctor said they wouldn’t take care of it and he was in a hurry to get to class, or maybe his brain was waterlogged from the rain, he actually asked a cat, “Do you want to live?”
Even the doctor was stunned.
Shao Sui said, “Meow if you want to live.”
The dying cat lifted its wobbly head, like a dying traveler in the desert… a traveling cat suddenly seeing a can of cat food hidden in an oasis, and without hesitation let out a hoarse “Ah!”
Shao Sui, who disliked small animals, learned for the first time that not all cat sounds were “meow.”
