Chapter 35
When the busy Teacher Shao returned home, he was greeted by a floor covered in ketchup.
From the refrigerator to the kitchen counter, to the dining table, sofa, and rug, nothing was spared. Cats were energetic creatures, and even Mimi couldn’t avoid causing trouble sometimes.
The little cat spirit peeked out cautiously, observing the human’s every move.
Shao Sui, scrubbing the sofa cover on the balcony, said without turning around, “No clothes, no shoes?”
Mimi, looking like a mummy wrapped in a blanket, hopping around, replied, “Clothes in the bedroom, shoes at the entrance.”
Shao Sui rinsed his hands, carried Mimi, blanket and all, into the bedroom, tossed him onto the bed, wiped his feet clean, and then grabbed a clean set of loungewear: “Wear this.”
Mimi, still thinking he was a kitten, flopped into Shao Sui’s arms: “Aren’t you going to dress me?”
“What else can you do besides act spoiled?”
“I can also apologize.” Mimi said resolutely. “Teach me how to sweep the floor!”
“Just focus on finishing your nine years of compulsory education first.” Shao Sui, despite his cold words, quickly dressed Mimi. “I could have set up your phone as soon as I got home, but now I have to clean up this mess, a two-hour delay—still going to parkour next time?”
Mimi hesitated.
How could he not parkour? Going crazy was so much fun.
Mimi, unwilling to make a promise or lie, just nuzzled Shao Sui’s chin, “I’ll be more careful next time.”
Shao Sui’s gaze didn’t drop, he pulled up Mimi’s pants and swatted his backside, “Why did you get so many wrong answers on your homework today?”
The so-called homework was phonics and basic arithmetic, up to one hundred. Online courses these days were very professional, equipped with lesson plans and homework materials, parents just had to buy the course.
Mimi said honestly, “Because I was waiting for my phone, I couldn’t focus on my homework.”
He hadn’t even started playing with the phone yet and was already showing signs of severe internet addiction.
Shao Sui turned to leave, warning, “Let’s set some ground rules…”
Before he could finish, he felt a sudden weight on his back. Mimi had jumped onto him, clinging to his neck.
“Are you trying to strangle me?” Shao Sui choked, and afraid of dropping Mimi, who had just changed into clean clothes, supported his butt and adjusted his position. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t have shoes on.”
“…”
Shao Sui, ever the dutiful owner, carried the cat to the entrance to put on his shoes: “What do you want for dinner?”
Mimi’s voice softened, “Spaghetti with tomato sauce…”
Shao Sui laughed in exasperation, “Brother, you just spilled the ketchup everywhere, and now you want spaghetti with tomato sauce?”
“Why are you calling me ‘brother’?” Mimi held onto Shao Sui’s arm while putting on his shoes, confused. “Didn’t you say I’m your younger brother?”
Shao Sui said, “That’s what I tell other people.”
Mimi suddenly understood, “So I’m the older brother at home?”
“Wrong.” Shao Sui walked towards the balcony, continuing to scrub the sofa cover. “At home, you’re my cat, which makes you my son.”
“Then should I call you Daddy?”
“Yes.”
Shao Sui instantly regretted it, but the cat spirit, completely oblivious to the concept of “embarrassment,” immediately blurted out, “Daddy.”
“…”
Life with a cat was always a mix of pain and joy. Shao Sui, too lazy to cook, ordered spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner, suppressing his OCD. Afraid Mimi wouldn’t have enough, he also ordered a steak.
After dinner, Shao Sui went into the bathroom, firmly rejecting Mimi’s request to join him.
Mimi scratched at the door, “Why not?”
Shao Sui asked, “Why do you have to shower together?”
Mimi’s muffled voice came through the door, “To save time, I want to play with my phone.”
Shao Sui didn’t reply.
An hour later, both cat and human, freshly showered, were finally in bed, unpacking the brand new phone.
After a quick inspection to make sure it wasn’t damaged, Shao Sui activated it, registered an account, username Mimi, profile picture a beautiful long-haired calico.
Mimi poked the picture, delighted, “That’s me!”
“This is your user account, don’t worry about it for now.” Shao Sui taught Mimi how to use the phone. “This button on the right turns the screen on and off, these two buttons on the left adjust the volume.”
Mimi unconsciously snuggled into Shao Sui’s arms, his smooth, fair legs pressed against him, “I know, this shows the battery level.”
Shao Sui remained still, shifting his legs slightly, “Yes, you need to charge it when the number is below twenty.”
Mimi swiped the screen, asking, “How do I call you when I miss you?”
Shao Sui paused. He thought Mimi’s first instinct would be to scroll through short videos, not ask how to call him.
He took a SIM card from his drawer, his mother’s, which hadn’t been deactivated yet, and inserted it into the phone.
“Click this icon.” Shao Sui saved his own number and demonstrated. “Click on the only contact in your address book, that’s me.”
Mimi touched the screen, “Is this your name? When will I learn to read these characters?”
Shao Sui said, “If you study hard, you’ll learn them soon.”
“I understand.” Mimi suddenly jumped up, grabbed the phone, and ran off the bed. “I’ll be right back!”
“Put on your shoes!”
Mimi ran back, put on his slippers, and dashed out of the bedroom.
The bed suddenly felt empty and cold.
Shao Sui felt inexplicably lonely.
“Where did he go…”
He soon found out, because his phone rang, an unsaved number.
He answered the call, a crisp “Hello” from the other end.
Shao Sui’s expression softened, and he asked playfully, “Who is this?”
“It’s Mimi!”
“Who’s Mimi?”
“Mimi is your cat spirit! The one who lives with you and sleeps with you!”
Shao Sui said leisurely, “I can’t see you, how can you prove it?”
Mimi took the opportunity to complain, “I accidentally spilled the ketchup today, and you spanked me, it hurt a lot.”
“You have to be punished for making mistakes.” Shao Sui said, “That’s not enough proof.”
“Then, then…”
Mimi, hiding in the study, kissed the phone, then realizing Shao Sui couldn’t feel it, hurriedly ran back to the bedroom, jumped onto the bed, and gave Shao Sui a big kiss. “It’s me!”
Shao Sui held his phone, silent, his gaze fixed on the cat on top of him.
Mimi grabbed Shao Sui’s hand, “Touch me, it’s really me!”
After a long pause, Shao Sui said, “Okay, I know this number is Mimi.”
Mimi wanted to run back to the study, but was pulled into the bed by Shao Sui, “You’ll catch a cold if you keep running around, just call from here.”
“Okay.” Mimi cleared his throat. “Hello, Shao Sui.”
Shao Sui played along, “Hello, Mimi.”
Mimi asked, “How are you doing?”
Shao Sui chuckled, “Not very well, work is annoying. But there are good things too, like seeing my silly kitten when I get home.”
Mimi burrowed into Shao Sui’s arms, his eyes wide, “I’m not silly! Teacher said I’m very smart!”
“…”
How would the online teacher know if the student on the other end of the screen was smart or not? It was just standard encouragement.
Shao Sui said reluctantly, “Okay, then you’re a clever little cat.”
Mimi let out a proud “mm-hmm,” looking at Shao Sui while talking into the phone, “Your little kitten misses you, do you miss your cat?”
Shao Sui, lying on his side, looked at the cat so close to him, “I miss you a little.”
Mimi wasn’t quite satisfied, but still said, “If work is too annoying, you can quit, I can go hunting and support you.”
Shao Sui, following his words, asked, “What can you do?”
Mimi blurted out, “I can go to a cat ca… mmmph.”
Shao Sui covered Mimi’s mouth, “My cat can only be touched by me, understand?”
Mimi, struggling, let out a muffled protest, “We’re on the phone, you shouldn’t be touching me.”
Shao Sui wanted to pull Mimi into his arms and touch him all over, but he said, “Okay.”
Mimi continued, “Shao Sui, when are you coming home?”
Shao Sui said, “I’ll be home soon.”
Mimi then reported on his daily activities, like how he had just finished drinking his water, so Shao Sui shouldn’t punish him, how he was bored eating lunch alone, and whether he could kiss Shao Sui proactively when he got home tonight.
After finishing, Mimi fell silent, staring intently at Shao Sui, clearly waiting for something.
Shao Sui, unable to bear his gaze, looked away, “Have you forgotten what you spilled today?”
“You already spanked me, you can’t hold a grudge.” Mimi held up two fingers. “I also tied your shoelaces for three days, and you didn’t give me a reward.”
Shao Sui exhaled softly, his breath slightly shaky.
He caressed Mimi’s face, “Why don’t you have a beard?”
Mimi stroked his non-existent beard, “I don’t know, I used to have lots of whiskers.”
Shao Sui’s calloused hand was a bit rough against his skin, but also slightly pleasant. Mimi nuzzled against it, his eyes glancing at Shao Sui’s lips, as if asking, Aren’t you going to kiss me?
Completely forgetting he had just said they were on the phone and shouldn’t be touching each other.
Shao Sui lowered his head and kissed Mimi’s soft lips: “Open your mouth.”
Mimi obediently opened his mouth, letting Shao Sui’s tongue slip inside.
“Why are you putting your tongue in my mouth…”
Shao Sui was startled back to reality by the words he imagined Mimi saying. In fact, he hadn’t asked Mimi to open his mouth, nor had he invaded his oral cavity, just a restrained kiss on the corner of Mimi’s lips before quickly pulling away.
His heart was racing.
He was probably not far from becoming a true pervert.
Mimi, oblivious, only thought the kiss was a bit short, continuing, “While waiting for the phone this afternoon, I chatted with Milk Tea next door. She said her owner wouldn’t let her eat the dried fish I gave her.”
Shao Sui felt a twinge of displeasure, “Why are you talking to her again?”
Mimi said, “Because she’s very pretty, soft and fluffy, like a marshmallow.”
Shao Sui had never been described so affectionately by Mimi, and he felt a pang of jealousy, “Do you want to sleep with her?”
Mimi said, “No, I only want to sleep with you.”
The “sleep” in Shao Sui’s mind was a verb, the “sleep” in Mimi’s mind a noun.
Shao Sui said bluntly, “Isn’t your heat cycle over? Why are you still seeking out female cats?”
Mimi didn’t understand the connection, “Can’t I talk to her if I’m not in heat?”
Shao Sui choked. Normally, cats only sought mates during their heat cycle, were cat spirits different?
“Okay, we’ve been on the phone for a long time.” Mimi said, “Goodbye, Shao Sui.”
“…Goodbye.”
“Come home early, don’t get hit by a car, don’t fall into a manhole, don’t fight with anyone, and tell me if you’re going to be late—” Mimi rattled off a long list of warnings. “Because your cat is waiting for you at home, and he’ll be very worried if you don’t come back.”
Shao Sui’s heart melted. He kissed Mimi’s forehead.
He used to think Mimi the cat was aloof, never seeing him off to work or welcoming him home, but after installing the camera, he realized Mimi was just being tsundere.
Every day, two hours before he got home, Mimi would check the clock, and occasionally go to the door and peek through the peephole, even though he could clearly hear him coming.
And when Shao Sui actually arrived at the door, Mimi would quickly sit on the sofa, pretending to be nonchalant, as if he hadn’t been waiting at all.
Shao Sui said, “So you wanted to say so much to me every day?”
Mimi thought for a moment, “Probably more, but I’ve forgotten now, maybe I’ll remember tomorrow.”
The next day, Mimi called Shao Sui over thirty times, almost every half hour. Shao Sui was often in class and couldn’t answer. Mimi, thinking something had happened, would keep calling.
Shao Sui had to print out his class schedule, take it home, and tell Mimi when he could call and when he couldn’t.
From then on, whenever Shao Sui’s voice was hoarse from teaching, exhausted and worn out, he would receive a call from the cat after class, “Shao Sui, are you okay?”
Shao Sui would say, “I’m fine.”
The cat would then ask, “I miss you a lot right now, do you miss me?”
