Chapter 60
Side Story 4
Shao Sui wasn’t sure if the association’s marriage registration had any legal validity, but Mimi seemed happy, so that was enough.
There was no time like the present, they decided to go to the base that afternoon. After messaging Guan Jiu, Shao Sui told her they were nearby and could give them a ride.
A few minutes later, a black car screeched to a halt, James in the passenger seat rolling down the window: “Get in.”
Shao Sui and Mimi sat in the back. Guan Jiu turned around and handed them some documents, “You can read these on the way, make a decision after you’ve thought it through.”
Shao Sui scanned the documents. Mostly about the responsibilities and obligations of a registered human-cat spirit couple, like sharing household chores and financial responsibilities, and that after registration, neither Shao Sui nor Mimi could legally marry a human of the opposite sex, a form of protection for both parties.
And, most importantly, the association’s registration didn’t restrict partners based on gender.
Shao Sui flipped to the last page, which stated that if their relationship ended, they shouldn’t harm each other and could come to the base to cancel the registration, their assets divided based on their income and contribution to the household. If one party became ill during their relationship and the illness persisted at the time of separation, the asset division ratio would be adjusted accordingly.
Shao Sui considered it. If they really did break up for some reason, he could give all his money to Mimi.
How could a silly kitten who couldn’t even understand junior high curriculum survive in human society without money?
The agreement seemed fair and unbiased. And since humans and cats couldn’t reproduce, there wouldn’t be any custody battles even in a heterosexual human-cat relationship.
“Should we sign it now, or at the base?”
“At the base during registration.” Guan Jiu glanced at Mimi through the rearview mirror, “You should also read it.”
Mimi didn’t care about the terms and conditions. As long as Shao Sui agreed, he would sign it even if it was a trap.
He suddenly asked Guan Jiu, “Did you also register with your human?”
A cat spirit’s sense of smell might weaken after transforming, but it was still sensitive. Since early that morning, he had detected another human’s scent on Guan Jiu, a female human.
“No.”
“Her wife doesn’t know she’s a cat spirit.” James said languidly. “I don’t understand you guys, why bother with a fixed partner?”
Mimi said seriously, “Because of love, I don’t want to share him with other cats or humans.”
James said he didn’t understand what “love” felt like.
Most cat spirits were casual, having human bodies but retaining their feline nature. However, their sexual partners were usually other cat spirits, rarely humans.
Even if they accidentally had kittens, the base would take care of them.
Guan Jiu said, “Cat spirits raised at the base undergo social training from a young age, they would never reveal their identity, not even to their loved ones.”
It was understandable, not everyone could accept it, no need to create unnecessary trouble.
After arriving at the base, Shao Sui and Mimi first took a picture together, a wedding photo of sorts. They stood close together, the photo capturing their intimacy.
Then, Guan Jiu led them to a solemn room, “Everything from now on will be recorded.”
Mimi looked around curiously, spotting a video camera in a cat spirit’s hand. He immediately hid behind Shao Sui, taking out his phone to check his reflection, relieved to see his hair wasn’t messy.
The human and cat stood in front of a podium.
Guan Jiu held a stack of forms, “Due to your special circumstances, we will conduct annual home visits after your registration, is that acceptable? The content will be similar to the questions I’m about to ask, it’s related to asset division in case of separation, so please answer carefully.”
Mimi held Shao Sui’s hand, “We won’t separate.”
Guan Jiu said, “It’s just a hypothetical scenario.”
Mimi didn’t like such hypotheticals, but it was part of the registration process, he couldn’t change it.
Guan Jiu flipped to the first page, “These are individual questions, Mr. Shao, do you have a job?”
Shao Sui: “Yes.”
Guan Jiu asked, “How many hours do you work?”
Shao Sui said, “From about 7 AM to 5 PM.”
In reality, it was much longer than that, he still had to prepare lessons, grade papers and homework after returning home, sometimes even working overtime on weekends.
“Do you have any hobbies?”
“Working out, reading.” And playing with his cat, but he couldn’t say that out loud.
Guan Jiu asked Mimi similar questions.
The little cat spirit said honestly, “No job, my hobby is kissing Shao Sui.”
Guan Jiu: “…That doesn’t count, hobbies are things you do besides spending time with your partner.”
Mimi thought for a moment, “My recent hobbies are reading novels and doing jigsaw puzzles.”
Guan Jiu asked, “Okay, so Shao Sui is solely responsible for the household expenses?”
Mimi promised solemnly, “Yes, but I’ll buy Shao Sui a bigger apartment in the future.”
Shao Sui glanced at Mimi, the promised big villa had been downgraded to a bigger apartment.
Guan Jiu continued, “Describe your typical daily routine.”
Mimi rattled off his schedule, “Wake up at 6 AM, play with my phone and wait for Shao Sui to wake up, brush my teeth, then kiss him. After breakfast, two hours of online lessons, I have to drink a glass of water in between, then maybe do a jigsaw puzzle or watch videos while waiting for lunch. Nap after lunch, another hour and a half of online lessons in the afternoon, another glass of water, then homework. Sometimes we go for a walk after dinner, if not, we watch TV, do puzzles, and if we’re tired, we kiss and go to sleep, if not, we make love—mmmph!”
Even though Shao Sui covered his mouth quickly, Mimi still managed to reveal too much.
Mimi pushed Shao Sui’s hand away, asking unhappily, “Did I say something wrong?”
Shao Sui: “No.”
“These are household-related questions.” Guan Jiu coughed, “Please be more specific, like, on average, how many times do you do it, and how many times does he do it.”
Mimi: “…We don’t cook, we order takeout.”
Shao Sui said, “I usually cook.”
Guan Jiu marked a check next to Shao Sui’s name: “Who washes the dishes?”
Mimi: “Shao Sui used to, now we have a dishwasher.”
Guan Jiu asked, “Then who cleans the dining table after meals?”
Mimi: “Shao Sui.”
“Who sweeps and mops the floor?”
“I picked up a hair from the floor this morning.”
“…Who does the laundry?”
“Shao Sui.”
After the questions, there were two neat columns of check marks, all next to Shao Sui’s name. The checks indicated he was solely responsible for those chores. If both of them contributed, the points would be divided proportionally, adding up to ten.
Mimi’s column was empty.
Guan Jiu confirmed again, “So you’re not responsible for either financial contributions or household chores?”
“That’s not true.” Mimi, feeling slightly embarrassed, couldn’t help but defend himself, “Your questions aren’t comprehensive.”
Guan Jiu asked patiently, “Then what household chores did I miss?”
Mimi counted on his fingers: “I tie Shao Sui’s shoelaces before he goes out, warm his bed, and throw snack wrappers in the trash…”
Guan Jiu asked, “Who eats the snacks?”
Mimi lowered his head, “Me…”
Guan Jiu said, “Out of a hundred points, I’ll give you one, Shao Sui ninety-nine, any objections?”
Shao Sui chuckled, “No objections.”
This pre-registration survey was incredibly detailed, even asking about how they addressed each other.
“Mimi or baby.” Shao Sui felt a rare twinge of embarrassment, then thought, wasn’t it normal for people to call their cats “baby”? Nothing to be embarrassed about.
“I call him Shao Sui.”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit distant?” Guan Jiu suggested, “You can consider using more affectionate terms.”
Mimi was lost in thought.
Guan Jiu: “Do you hug often?”
Shao Sui said vaguely, “Quite often, we’re always together when we’re free.”
Guan Jiu: “How often do you kiss?”
Mimi looked up and asked seriously, “With tongue, or without tongue?”
Guan Jiu: “…Both count.”
Mimi started replaying their kisses in his mind, carefully calculating. Shao Sui quickly answered, “Every day, at least once in the morning and once at night.”
“Okay.” Guan Jiu quickly moved on to the next question, “How often do you have sex?”
Afraid Mimi would ask, “Penetrative sex, or non-penetrative sex?” Shao Sui quickly replied, “Recently, every one or two days.”
“How often do you travel together?”
“We haven’t gone anywhere together yet.” Shao Sui said, “But we’ve already planned our first trip, leaving tomorrow.”
Mimi’s ears twitched, and he looked at Shao Sui – How come I don’t know about this!?
Guan Jiu said, “Then that counts as your honeymoon.”
Shao Sui held Mimi’s hand and chuckled, “Mm-hmm.”
After a series of questions, it was time for the vows, similar to human wedding vows, mostly clichéd promises of eternal love.
But Mimi spoke with utmost sincerity, his eyes filled with Shao Sui, “For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, I will love and cherish Shao Sui, until death do us part.”
“You may exchange rings now.”
Mimi, due to budget constraints, had only bought one ring, while Shao Sui had prepared a pair, so they used Shao Sui’s rings.
Mimi, who usually disliked anything restrictive, loved the ring, putting it on and admiring it.
Then, James and Tian Miao burst in, confetti exploding, “Congratulations! You are now officially recognized as partners by the association!”
Guan Jiu said, “Sign here, and then you can collect your certificate at the window.”
The certificate issued by the association looked very similar to a human marriage certificate, only the seal was different. After posting it in the cat spirit group chat, everyone sent congratulatory red envelopes, earning Mimi a small fortune, his lips curving upwards.
“I’ll give you half.”
“No need.”
“Yes.” Mimi insisted, “This is our marital asset.”
Shao Sui chuckled, “Then I’ll accept it.”
The base was crowded today, perhaps because of the New Year, many cat spirits without permanent residences had returned. Guan Jiu invited them to stay for dinner.
Shao Sui had no objections.
Mimi suddenly remembered something, “When did we decide to go on a trip? Did I lose my memory?”
“I made the decision unilaterally.” Shao Sui said, “I was calling the hotel this morning.”
“You lied to me again, you said it was your grandparents.” Mimi had actually believed him.
“I didn’t lie, they called first, then I called the hotel after hanging up.”
School was starting late this year, and the weather was cold, so Shao Sui wanted to take Mimi to the south for a vacation, to see the ocean, and also find an opportunity to give Mimi the ring, never expecting Mimi to propose first.
“Don’t you want to go?”
“I do.” Mimi was slightly apprehensive about traveling far, but also excited about going with Shao Sui, “Dinner is still an hour away, do you want to see where I trained?”
“Sure.” Shao Sui put away their marriage certificate and readily agreed.
The social training area was quite large, and since it was the holidays, it was empty. Holding hands, they walked across the field, whispering to each other.
“Besides daily life skills, what else did you learn?”
“Hmm… like maintaining a regular schedule, humans work during the day and sleep at night, so we can’t just nap whenever we want after transforming into humans.”
“Also desensitization training to noises like car horns, human arguments, children playing…”
Mimi listed many details of human life, things people usually didn’t pay attention to, but these details could help cat spirits blend in, making them less likely to be discovered.
Mimi pointed at a large tree in the distance, “Whenever I missed you, I would climb that tree, look at the road we came from, and imagine you, like the Monkey King, suddenly appearing on a colorful cloud to take me home.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” Shao Sui hugged Mimi, “I wasn’t considerate enough, I should have given you some time to adjust.”
He felt increasingly guilty. Mimi wasn’t human, his sense of security entirely dependent on Shao Sui, and being suddenly sent to an unfamiliar and enclosed environment, he must have been terrified and heartbroken.
Until the moment he saw Shao Sui, Mimi had been worried he didn’t want him anymore.
Mimi, buried in Shao Sui’s arms, said muffledly, “Don’t do that again, okay?”
Shao Sui’s heart melted, “Okay, I promise, never again.”
Mimi looked up, satisfied, “Shao Sui, Guan Jiu said calling you by your name is too formal, can I call you…”
He suddenly stopped, a familiar figure running towards them.
“Shao Sui, let’s not eat dinner here.”
“What’s wrong?” Shao Sui asked, puzzled.
Mimi wanted to run, but it was too late, an exasperated voice yelled, “Shao Mimi! I knew you were being too helpful, trying to connect me with the association, it was all for the twenty thousand yuan reward! Why should you get the money!? I could have turned myself in! You asshole, you ungrateful wretch, give me back my betrayal money!”
“It’s He Yonggan!” Mimi covered one ear and grabbed Shao Sui’s hand, “Run!”
The human and cat sprinted across the snow-covered field, a persistent cat spirit chasing after them, cursing, as if they had committed some unforgivable crime.
Mimi, without looking back, yelled, “There’s no reward for criminals turning themselves in!”
He Yonggan yelled angrily, “You’re the criminal, your whole family are criminals! Give me back my money!”
