Chapter 41
Mimi asked with concern, “Are you okay?”
Shao Sui said, “I’m fine, I just need to… process this.”
“Don’t abandon me after you’ve processed it.” Mimi said worriedly, “Although I can’t be your partner, I still want to be your cat.”
Shao Sui was both amused and exasperated, “Don’t worry, no matter what happens, you’ll always be my cat.”
“Thank you!” Mimi gave him a big kiss, the non-biting kind.
“…” Shao Sui really wanted to shut himself away from the world.
If Mimi was a normal human, Shao Sui could consider pursuing him, or if that failed, distance himself. But Mimi was a cat. Firstly, he couldn’t distance himself, otherwise, the little fool would be taken advantage of in human society within three days.
Secondly, it wasn’t about sexual orientation, Mimi hadn’t even considered being with a human, his preferred partners were female cats.
He needed to reorient Mimi’s species preference first.
Shao Sui took a deep breath, “Let’s go to the night market downtown.”
Mimi was even more touched.
Shao Sui, rejected, was still willing to take him out, what a good person.
The night market was a bit far, but Shao Sui rarely went out and didn’t know much about the city’s entertainment scene, so he could only choose places he was familiar with.
Mimi got into the passenger seat, asking while buckling his seatbelt, “How did you find me?”
Shao Sui said menacingly, “I have special powers, I can find you even if you run to the ends of the earth.”
“Really?” Mimi was skeptical. The internet didn’t mention this. “Is it always accurate?”
Shao Sui scoffed, “Most of the time.”
As long as Mimi had his phone with him.
Mimi wasn’t scared at all, feeling reassured instead, “That’s great! Then you can save me no matter where the bad guys take me.”
Shao Sui: “…”
The little cat spirit always had a way of softening his heart. Perhaps that was a cat’s nature.
Shao Sui parked the car, the distance between his car and the parking lines perfectly equal. Mimi was amazed, “You’re so incredible! Other people always park crookedly.”
Shao Sui didn’t know how a straight car could be considered crooked, “It’s alright.”
Mimi had learned how to unbuckle his seatbelt and got out of the car before Shao Sui even walked around, naturally taking Shao Sui’s hand.
“…”
Mimi tugged on his hand after taking a few steps and looked back, “What’s wrong?”
Shao Sui gritted his teeth, “No-thing.”
What a manipulative cat.
Although he rejected the human’s affections, he still expected cuddles and kisses.
It was a weekday afternoon, so the night market wasn’t crowded, many stalls not even open yet. There was a pedestrian street nearby, so they could stroll around first. Two men holding hands wasn’t uncommon these days, they might attract a few glances, but no one really cared.
Mainly because Mimi was too eye-catching, with an indescribable air of innocence about him, making people want to… corrupt him.
Shao Sui suddenly thought of a serious question, “Did you have lunch?”
Mimi said honestly, “I forgot.”
Shao Sui had received two linked payment notifications that morning, assuming Mimi had bought food, but now it seemed it was for the taxi fare and the cat cafe entrance fee.
He instructed, “Besides the blue taxis and the long buses, don’t take any other vehicles, you might encounter bad people, understand?”
When it came to his safety, Mimi was always obedient, “I can take your car.”
Shao Sui said, “There’s also a bad person in my car.”
Mimi asked, “Where? I didn’t see anyone.”
Shao Sui said, “Right in front of you.”
Mimi paused, “You still remember that? I only said you were a bit bad when you hit me, not that you’re always bad, don’t hold a grudge.”
Shao Sui said, “I’m always bad, I might even bully you in the future.”
Mimi thought for a moment, “Bully me how?”
Shao Sui couldn’t help but chuckle, “We’ll talk about that later. Want some beef hotpot?”
Mimi, like a miser, asked, “Is it expensive?”
Only after Shao Sui said it wasn’t did he agree to go in.
Shao Sui chose a corner booth, wiped down the table and chairs, and then sat down with Mimi, starting to order, “Snowflake beef, hanging tender, spoon handle, beef tongue, one portion each, also a platter of meatballs and vegetables…”
He asked Mimi, “Want some pig brain?”
Mimi shook his head vigorously.
After the waiter left, Mimi said, his face filled with horror, “Humans are so scary, eating beef, even the tongue, and even pig brains!”
Shao Sui said, “Some people also want to eat kitten tongues.”
Mimi’s pupils dilated, “Who!?”
Shao Sui teased him, “Me.”
Mimi was silent for a moment, deciding to keep his mouth shut during kisses in the future, what if Shao Sui couldn’t resist eating his tongue?
Thinking about it another way, Shao Sui wanted to eat his tongue, but he had always held back, it meant he really loved him.
“Thank you.”
Shao Sui, receiving another kiss, was confused, What did I do to deserve his gratitude?
“A cat’s tongue is too small and doesn’t taste good, choose something else you like.” Mimi said seriously. “Is that how you want to bully me?”
Shao Sui said, “Sort of… not entirely.”
Mimi asked, “What else?”
Shao Sui said seriously, “That’s not suitable for kittens, only my partner can know.”
Mimi felt a pang of unease. He Yonggan was right, the relationship between human partners superseded the relationship between owner and cat. Secrets cats couldn’t know, partners could.
The little cat spirit looked down, dejected.
Shao Sui patted his head, not saying anything.
They lingered in the hotpot restaurant for two hours. It was almost 4 PM when they left. Mimi really was just window shopping, saying he didn’t want anything whenever Shao Sui asked.
Shao Sui asked, “Not even milk tea?”
Mimi hesitated.
Shao Sui coaxed gently, “What’s wrong? Not happy?”
Mimi shook his head, “We shouldn’t be extravagant.”
Shao Sui led him to the milk tea shop, “This isn’t extravagance, this is a daily necessity.”
Mimi, waiting for his milk tea, sighed.
“?” Shao Sui, puzzled, asked, “Why are you sighing?”
Mimi had learned it from him, “You always sigh when you’re unhappy.”
Shao Sui coaxed, “So why is our Mimi unhappy?”
Mimi, anxious, finally asked, “Shao Sui, how can I get an ID card?”
Shao Sui’s heart skipped a beat, “Why do you want an ID card?”
Mimi decided to confess, “Because I want to find a job, earn money to support our family, so you can quit that job that makes you unhappy.”
Shao Sui was speechless for a long moment, “…You went out today to look for a job?”
“Yes.” Mimi quickly clarified, “I didn’t consider the cat cafe, I was just passing by and He Yonggan called out to me, so I went in to take a look, and He Yonggan said cat cafes don’t pay their cats, I can’t earn any money there.”
Shao Sui’s heart melted, “You want to take care of me?”
Mimi nodded vigorously, “If I find a job, you can stay home and play with your phone, you don’t have to work so hard.”
Shao Sui didn’t usually bring his work frustrations home, but there was still visible fatigue in his demeanor, which the kitten noticed.
“I just want you to be happy, and to kiss me when you leave and come back.” Mimi said. “Then I won’t have to worry about you every day.”
Kittens knew how to tug at a human’s heartstrings. Shao Sui hadn’t felt this emotional in a long time.
He hugged Mimi tightly, his voice hoarse, “Whose kitten is so sweet?”
“Definitely not me, I didn’t do anything sweet.” Mimi, nestled against Shao Sui’s neck, asked nervously, “Have you met other cats?”
“No, just you.” Shao Sui said after a moment, “Don’t worry about finding a job, I’m just a bit stressed lately, it’ll be fine once it’s resolved.”
Mimi was still worried, “Really?”
Shao Sui responded with an “mm-hmm”: “Every family member has their responsibilities, my responsibility is to go to work and earn money, your responsibility is to drink your water obediently and finish your nine years of compulsory education…”
Mimi added, “And keep your bed warm, and tie your shoelaces!”
Shao Sui smiled, “Right, as for the ID card, it’s indeed very important, but it’s not easy to solve…”
Even for homeless children applying for ID cards, they needed proof of residence and past activity records. And Mimi was like a person who appeared out of thin air, easily raising suspicion.
Since cat spirits existed, there must be records somewhere, there must be other kittens who had recklessly exposed themselves to humans… like Mimi.
If those people discovered Mimi was a cat spirit, Shao Sui didn’t dare to imagine the consequences.
He suddenly remembered, “Who’s He Yonggan you mentioned earlier?”
“The fat orange cat who scolded me…” Mimi realized he had let something slip and quickly changed the subject. “He’s also a cat spirit, but very old.”
“I see…”
Shao Sui pondered, could this He Yonggan know how to get an ID card for a cat spirit? It didn’t make sense for all adult cat spirits to be undocumented. There seemed to be quite a few, he knew of three already.
Shao Sui said, “We’ll visit him next time.”
Mimi froze, heartbroken.
He had been so careful, yet he still failed? Was this the power of a cat cafe’s star attraction? Attracting human attention without even trying, even Shao Sui wasn’t immune?
Mimi wanted to clean his eyes with tears, how could he prevent He Yonggan from invading his home?
His distress made even the milk tea taste bland. They didn’t buy anything at the night market, and as night fell, Mimi pulled Shao Sui home.
After showering and getting into bed, Mimi lay on his side, far away from Shao Sui.
Shao Sui sighed, “Does my liking you bother you that much? You’ve been unhappy all afternoon.”
“It doesn’t bother me.” Mimi, after a moment, replied, “Are you talking about the kind of like between partners? It doesn’t bother me either.”
“Then why are you unhappy?”
“No reason.” Mimi took a deep breath and sat up seriously. “Shao Sui.”
Shao Sui also sat up, feeling like he was about to receive a death sentence, “Go ahead.”
Mimi said bluntly, “I don’t want you to have other cats.”
Shao Sui was puzzled, “When did I say I wanted other cats?”
Mimi said, “You said you were going to see He Yonggan.”
Shao Sui was both amused and exasperated, “That’s to ask him about how cat spirits get ID cards.”
Mimi froze, “…Oh.”
Misunderstood, what to do, so anxious, so embarrassing!
He wanted to lick his paws, but then remembered these were human hands, not suitable for licking.
“Anyway, you can’t have other cats.” Mimi said coldly and possessively. “If there’s a second cat in this house, I’ll kill it! I just checked online, cats killing cats isn’t illegal!”
Shao Sui chuckled, “So fierce?”
Mimi defended himself, “I’m a very good fighter! No, wait, no cat dares to fight me!”
What could he do with his own cat? Spoil him, of course.
“Okay.” Shao Sui indulged him. “If I ever get another cat, you can kill it, and kill me too.”
It felt like making a vow to be punished if he cheated after marriage.
Mimi, however, said, “I can’t bear to kill you.”
“…”
Although the little cat spirit didn’t want to be Shao Sui’s partner, he wasn’t stingy with his “sweet nothings.”
Shao Sui, recalling everything that had happened, including Mimi’s outing of him earlier, asked again, hopefully, “If I don’t get other cats, can I have other… partners?”
Mimi said without hesitation, “That’s not allowed either.”
Shao Sui said deliberately, “That’s not fair, you can find other cats, but I can’t find other humans?”
Mimi took a deep breath, conceding significantly, “How about this, I won’t find other cats to have kittens with, and you can’t find other humans, is that fair?”
“…”
It seemed logical, yet also illogical.
Shao Sui sighed dramatically, “Then I’ll die from… deprivation, never able to bite anyone’s lips, touch anyone, or sleep with anyone…”
“Aren’t you sleeping with me? I’m human now.”
“Not that kind of sleeping.” Shao Sui decided to be more explicit. “The kind of thing male and female cats do during their heat cycle.”
Mimi was confused, “Then… I didn’t find a female cat last time, and I didn’t die.”
Shao Sui couldn’t help but say, like a true scumbag, “Humans are different from cats, if they’re not satisfied for a long time, they’ll cheat. Just like if you don’t pet your cat, it’ll find other cats to rub against.”
Mimi, making a decision, said, “Then let’s do it!”
“?” Shao Sui felt dizzy, pulling Mimi into his arms. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, just putting that… into that… mmmph!!”
Shao Sui covered Mimi’s mouth, “You learned this online too!?”
Mimi bit Shao Sui’s hand to free himself, “No, when cats are in heat, they’ll find any cat of the opposite sex and do it in the grass, I’ve seen it.”
Shao Sui: “…”
Mimi asked curiously, “Haven’t you seen others do it?”
Shao Sui was speechless, “How would I see it? Climb up drainpipes and peek into other people’s homes?”
“Okay.” Mimi tilted his head up and kissed Shao Sui’s chin, rubbing his lips against his. “Anyway, don’t find other people, if you’re… dying from deprivation, you can bite me, do me!”
Cats weren’t picky, they didn’t care about these things.
