Chapter 12
The child remained silent, leaving Shao Sui at a loss.
He looked about eighteen, wearing an ill-fitting school uniform, the trouser legs dragging on the floor. His heartbroken expression held a hint of naiveté, making it impossible to be stern.
Shao Sui was anxious to get back to check on the cat, but he couldn’t just ignore a student.
He tilted the umbrella towards the teenager, exposing his own shoulder to the rain, and kept a distance: “Were you scolded by a teacher, or did you have a fight with your parents?”
Mimi said dejectedly, “…He doesn’t recognize me.”
A clear, youthful voice, but the pronunciation wasn’t quite standard, slightly slurred due to his distress, as if his vocal cords were damaged, or he had only recently learned to speak.
“Who?” Shao Sui frowned. “Your mother? Your father?”
The child fell silent again.
Shao Sui sighed, noticing a trickle of red on the ground. He bent down and lifted the child’s trouser leg, discovering he wasn’t wearing shoes.
“Where are your shoes?”
Silence again.
“I’m a teacher from the junior high, have you seen me before?” Shao Sui tentatively pulled the teenager, and seeing no resistance, led him towards a nearby supermarket. “No matter what problems you encounter, you have to take care of yourself first. Sulking with your parents or teachers is pointless. Don’t do this again.”
Mimi tried to pull his hand away with a hesitant twist.
Shao Sui didn’t let him go and soon arrived at the supermarket entrance.
The child was drenched, his hair plastered to his forehead, his eyelashes clumped together. Water streamed down his pants, leaving a trail of puddles. It wasn’t convenient for him to enter the supermarket like this.
Shao Sui closed the umbrella and said, “Wait for me here.”
Mimi fidgeted with his hands. I’m not waiting!
I’m leaving!
As if reading his mind, Shao Sui took two steps and then turned back: “If I come out and you’re gone, I’ll call the police, understand?”
“…” Mimi turned his head away irritably.
Shao Sui took the opportunity to snap a picture of his profile and sent it to Director Cao, asking him to inquire with the senior high teachers which class this student belonged to.
The child had distinctive features, especially his eyes, large and round, with upturned corners… Shao Sui couldn’t help but take another look. He looked a bit like Mimi, their eye color very similar, a bright hazel with a hint of green.
Shao Sui felt an even stronger urge to go back to his cat.
He bought a set of men’s T-shirt and shorts, a towel, and an umbrella at the checkout, then asked the staff, “Could I borrow your storage room? For that child to change his clothes.”
The cashier readily agreed: “No problem.”
After receiving permission, Shao Sui told the unknown student, “Go inside, dry your hair and body, and change into clean clothes.”
According to Shao Sui’s habits, he would never wear newly bought clothes without washing them first. After all, they hung in the supermarket, possibly touched by many people, covered in germs.
But he had no choice now. Germs were better than wet clothes, and this child wasn’t entering his home.
Mimi snatched the clothes and went into the storage room, almost tripping over the threshold. He angrily threw the clothes around, wanting to tear them to shreds.
…
Shao Sui checked the time. Changing clothes takes that long?
He asked the staff, confirming there was no back exit, and felt relieved. Just then, the child pushed open the door and walked out, barefoot, not even glancing at him, without a word of thanks.
Shao Sui didn’t mind: “Wait a minute.”
Mimi’s nonexistent tail twitched.
Finally recognized me?
Mimi could magnanimously give Shao Sui a second chance.
However, Shao Sui simply handed him slippers and a few waterproof bandages: “Apply some iodine when you get back, and take the umbrella, don’t get rained on again.”
Mimi stared at him blankly.
Shao Sui asked patiently, “Anything else you need?”
Mimi: “You put them on for me.”
“…”
This was too much for Shao Sui.
If being a teacher required him to apply bandages to students’ feet, then he’d rather not be a teacher.
He refused without hesitation: “Feet are also a private area, inappropriate for others to touch.”
Mimi opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to hiss at Shao Sui.
That wasn’t what Shao Sui said when he was pinching his paws two days ago! He had meowed in protest, but Shao Sui, under the pretense of cleaning his paws, kept pinching them!
Mimi was furious, turning to leave. At the entrance, he tried to open the umbrella, but his hands wouldn’t cooperate. Finally, Shao Sui walked over and opened it for him.
Mimi glared at Shao Sui, snatched the umbrella, and turned to leave.
“I’m never talking to you again!”
“…?”
Teacher Shao was utterly bewildered, feeling inexplicably upset.
But to him, this was just a random student he had encountered, someone he had no direct responsibility for. Having done this much was already fulfilling his duty.
He hurried towards his apartment complex, stopping by a pharmacy to buy some cold medicine.
He hoped the kitten wouldn’t check the time, otherwise it would throw another tantrum.
Reaching the entrance of his building, Shao Sui heard a meow. It was the little ginger kitten from that morning. It seemed afraid of him, shrinking back against the wall.
Shao Sui didn’t stop, going straight into the elevator.
His priority now was to check on his own cat – he couldn’t care for other cats when he hadn’t taken care of his own.
After appeasing Mimi, he could bring down the dry food it wouldn’t eat and give it to the little ginger.
Shao Sui noticed a trail of water leading to his apartment door. He frowned, inserted the key into the lock, and then checked the message from Director Cao.
—The senior high said no student skipped class, and no one recognized the child in the photo.
—And the uniform he’s wearing is an old design. The senior high switched to the new design five years ago, along with us.
Shao Sui was stunned. He had also attended that senior high, which was why he immediately recognized the uniform. He wasn’t familiar with the others.
There was only one junior high and one senior high in the area. Since the teenager wasn’t a student, Shao Sui dismissed it, putting it out of his mind.
He opened the door and called out, “Mimi.”
At first glance, there was no sign of the kitten.
While changing his shoes, he called out again, “Mimi—”
Still no response.
Shao Sui’s heart sank.
After changing his shoes, ignoring his still-damp clothes, he hurried into the living room and started searching.
Under the table, behind the sofa, every corner of the balcony, the kitchen, the study, Shao Sui even opened the toilet tank and the rice cooker. No sign of the cat.
The cat was gone.
Shao Sui checked the doors and windows, they were all secure. He hadn’t even opened the screen windows before leaving to minimize noise.
It couldn’t have opened the door itself…
At the thought of this possibility, Shao Sui rushed out without even changing his shoes, going down the stairs: “Mimi! Mimi?”
He reached the first floor without seeing any sign of the cat.
Outside, the rain poured down. Shao Sui, having forgotten his umbrella, searched through the bushes: “Mimi? Mimi…”
He searched all the flowerbeds, startling several cats sheltering from the rain, who hissed at him.
He was completely soaked.
Shao Sui hadn’t been this dishevelled in years, and it was all because of a cat. He wiped his face and returned to the building entrance. Some residents on the lower floors, hearing his calls, poked their heads out the windows to watch: “What kind of cat name is Mimi? So unimaginative…”
Shao Sui ignored them. Just earlier, he had been thinking that even if he had to send Mimi away, he would at least wait until it finished the homemade cat food. And it took time for bones to heal, Mimi’s leg might seem fine, but it probably needed more time to recover.
Now, it was all moot.
The cat was lost, he didn’t have to worry anymore.
Teacher Shao felt an inexplicable pang of sadness. Just as he was about to message Cheng Ke for advice on lost cats, he met the gaze of the little ginger kitten.
He sighed, “Do you know where my cat went?”
The little ginger kitten shrank back and meowed towards the space behind Shao Sui.
Shao Sui’s heart leaped. He turned around, but saw nothing, only disappointment. Just as he was about to give up, he noticed movement in the nearby bushes.
He immediately walked over: “…Mimi?”
The little ginger kitten meowed.
Shao Sui broke into a run. The figure in the bushes darted away, and he caught a glimpse of its markings – definitely a calico.
He chased after it, calling out, “Mimi!”
But the calico seemed to be avoiding him, running non-stop, rustling the bushes as it went.
“Mimi! If that’s you, stop running—”
The cat, cornered in the last flowerbed, finally stopped.
Shao Sui slowly approached, coaxing gently, “Daddy’s here, don’t be afraid.”
He used to find it ridiculous when people called themselves “mommy” and “daddy” to their pets, but now he was one of them.
Through the gaps in the branches, Shao Sui clearly saw that it was indeed Mimi.
The little creature was huddled up, its wet fur clinging to its eyes, looking utterly pitiful. It hid in the corner, hissing at Shao Sui.
Shao Sui’s heart sank: “You don’t recognize me anymore?”
He stepped into the bushes, and before he could reach out to grab it, Mimi quickly climbed up a nearby tree.
“…”
Shao Sui looked up at Mimi in the branches, feeling that it still recognized him.
“Are you angry at me?” Shao Sui reflected. “I didn’t mean to come back late. I encountered some danger while hunting, so I was delayed.”
Mimi’s ears twitched.
What hunting? That was just something they told silly kittens! It knew humans went to work!
But by working, they earned money, and with money, they could buy food, so it could be considered hunting, in a way.
Mimi looked at Shao Sui with its round eyes, detecting a faint scent of blood.
“Come down, let’s go home, okay?”
The Great Meow King hesitated.
The male human looked pitiful, sick, injured, and pleading.
It was cold outside.
There was no delicious canned food out here, only dangerous humans.
Mimi finally climbed down, but before it could reach the ground, Shao Sui scooped it into his arms. Mimi struggled and punched him: “Meow!!”
Shao Sui soothed, “Hit me more if you’re angry.”
Not only did Mimi not extend its claws, even if it did, for the human who had just found his lost cat, it would only be a reward.
A soaking wet Shao Sui, holding a soaking wet cat, returned to the building entrance. The little ginger kitten, trembling on the steps, backed away in fear at the sight of them.
Mimi, clinging to Shao Sui’s neck, hissed at it: “Hiss—”
Shao Sui bent down and began to negotiate: “Let’s take it back—”
Before he could finish, he received a cat punch.
Shao Sui held Mimi’s paw: “Just to dry its fur, okay? It just told me where you were, we should thank it.”
Mimi struggled for a moment, but didn’t hit him again, seemingly agreeing.
Shao Sui tentatively picked up the little ginger kitten by the scruff of its neck, and Mimi didn’t protest.
Relieved, he carried both cats into the elevator and went straight to the bathroom.
However, as soon as he put them down, Mimi ran out. Shao Sui’s heart almost stopped. He chased after it and found Mimi by the coffee table in the living room.
Mimi had left a trail of water on the floor, but Shao Sui didn’t care anymore. As long as the cat was back, he could clean the mess later.
“Let’s dry your fur first—”
Before Shao Sui could finish, Mimi punched the coffee table a couple of times.
“…?”
Shao Sui was puzzled, but Mimi’s cold stare told him he should do something. Hesitantly, he punched the coffee table.
Then, Mimi jumped onto the dining table, swiped at the table corner, and continued to stare coldly at Shao Sui.
Shao Sui couldn’t understand a cat’s logic, but appeasing a cat meant following its lead.
Shao Sui raised his hand and slapped the table corner: “Smack! Smack!”
With sound effects.
Mimi seemed somewhat satisfied. It jumped off the table, walked to the door, and looked expectantly at Shao Sui.
Shao Sui, still slightly apprehensive, said, “We can’t go outside, it’s dangerous.”
Mimi insisted: “Meow!”
Unsure what the cat wanted, Shao Sui scooped it into his arms, holding it tightly, and carefully opened the door.
Mimi didn’t struggle, just extended its paw and punched the door lock repeatedly, then looked up at Shao Sui.
“…”
Shao Sui wondered how the lock had offended the cat. It couldn’t have opened itself and locked the cat out.
Mimi urged, “Meow!”
Hit it!
Its cute, demanding manner was irresistible. Shao Sui immediately played along: “Does our Mimi hate it? We’ll replace it tomorrow!”
Mimi, the cat consort, was very satisfied. It jumped down from Shao Sui’s arms, returned to the bathroom, and on the way, punched the little ginger kitten.
Teacher Shao closed the door, followed it into the bathroom, picked up the sprawled-out ginger kitten, and said, puzzled, “How do you even manage to flip over just walking?”
The little ginger kitten dared not complain.
