The Cub Comes from Planet Meow 13

Chapter 13: Meow

Jing Mimi was so scared that his heart pounded wildly, and his startled fingers swiped randomly across the phone screen, switching to the home screen.

A large hand swept past him and took the phone.

As luck would have it, this page of the home screen happened to display a familiar app—Happy Match.

Jing Zhi squinted slightly due to the light, quickly pressed the power button, and turned off the screen.

Darkness descended again.

Jing Mimi’s heart beat even faster.

Like a kitten secretly doing something bad suddenly getting caught by the tail.

Finally, a large hand scooped him up from underneath, hugged him, and flipped him over like a little burrito, back into a warm and reassuring embrace.

A gentle voice tinged with drowsiness sounded above his head again: “Sleep well.”

Although the tone was commanding, there was no harshness.

Jing Mimi’s heartbeat gradually calmed down.

His small hands proactively hugged Papa’s waist, his little face pressed against him, and he closed his eyes.

Jing Zhi also closed his eyes but didn’t fall asleep quickly. He put the phone under the pillow on the other side.

He wasn’t angry; he was more worried, worried that the little guy would get addicted to the internet.

Addiction to anything wasn’t good.

He had been there and knew that playfulness was a child’s nature. As a child, he knew he had to consciously adjust his time to avoid addiction, but as a parent, he didn’t know what to do.

He had no parenting experience and was afraid he wouldn’t raise the little guy well.

Raising a child and raising a cat were still very different.

He had to learn properly.

…

The next day.

The first sunny day after the snow stopped.

According to the appointment time, Jing Zhi underwent a gastroscopy accompanied by the care worker and Jing Mimi.

Painless gastroscopy involved general anesthesia. After the anesthetic was injected, he lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, Jing Zhi was lying on a mobile bed, already pushed out by the care worker. Jing Mimi was lying beside him, watching him eagerly, his round eyes filled with undisguised worry.

Seeing him wake up, Jing Mimi quickly called out “Papa.”

The care worker also asked, “Are you okay?”

Jing Zhi gave a soft “Mmhmm” and propped himself up with his arms.

The care worker hurriedly supported him and said while helping, “The police station contacted me just now.”

Jing Zhi paused, looked at her, and asked, “What did they say?”

Care worker: “They verified that you have no connection to the trafficking case, and Mimi cannot be directly confirmed as a child involved in the case. The temporary guardianship period has passed, and Mimi’s family hasn’t been found yet. Mimi has to be transferred to the welfare institute for care first, a search notice will be issued, and the search will continue nationwide.”

Jing Zhi listened carefully and asked, “What if Mimi’s family isn’t found even with the search notice?”

The care worker roughly guessed what Jing Zhi wanted to know and replied, “The notice period is usually 30 days. If they haven’t been found after 30 days, the adoption process can begin.”

“I understand.” Jing Zhi nodded.

It was similar to the results he had searched online before.

Jing Mimi listened in confusion. Seeing Papa getting off the bed, he immediately reached out his small hand to hold his.

Jing Zhi didn’t explain anything to him and went to check the gastroscopy results first.

The results were fine, just a bit of mild gastritis. Paying attention to maintenance in daily life would be enough; no major problems.

He could be discharged today.

Taking the report downstairs, without the heating, it was still cold despite the bright sun hanging high. Fortunately, the inpatient building was close, and it became warm again soon.

Back in the ward, Jing Zhi let go of the little cub’s hand and said to him, “Mimi, pack up your things. We have to leave the hospital.”

Jing Mimi’s eyes lit up instantly. His two small hands formed loose fists, his face full of anticipation: “Papa, are we going home?”

Jing Zhi pursed his lips, casually folded the report in his hand, looked away, then met his gaze again, somewhat unsure how to answer.

If possible, he also wanted to take Mimi back directly, but they had to follow the procedure; otherwise, he couldn’t give Mimi a legitimate identity and household registration.

The little cub seemed to sense something, and the light in his eyes dimmed a few degrees.

Jing Zhi finally thought of an answer and said, “We’re going to a place with many children like Mimi first. Mimi can make many new friends. If nothing unexpected happens, Papa will take Mimi home in a month.”

The care worker listened from the side and didn’t find anything wrong with this sentence. Coaxing children, she had said similar things many times; just coax them first.

Moreover, she could see that Jing Zhi was indeed good to Mimi. This kind of kindness couldn’t be faked, and Mimi was most clingy to Jing Zhi, truly treating him as his father.

If Jing Zhi really had the idea of adopting Mimi, that would be great.

Jing Mimi wasn’t fooled, though. He quickly grabbed Jing Zhi’s clothes. “Is Papa going with me too?”

Jing Zhi’s lips moved. He looked at the care worker packing things aside and asked, “Big Sister, does your welfare institute recruit volunteers?”

Care worker: “Huh?”

…

Sunflower Welfare Institute Volunteer Benefits: Includes one meal allowance, but not accommodation.

Jing Zhi used “special means”—the power of money—to secure a small staff dormitory for himself.

“Donated a hundred thousand?!” The care worker was shocked upon hearing this. “Little Jing, what do you do for work? So generous?”

Jing Zhi smiled at her and answered generally, “I work in self-media.”

The care worker didn’t know much about self-media but had heard of it. She sighed with emotion and didn’t forget to remind him: “Photos and videos taken in the welfare institute cannot be uploaded to the internet casually. Before, an internet celebrity came to visit the children and posted their photos and videos directly online. Many people criticized the children’s words and deeds. Fortunately, the children didn’t have phones…”

Jing Zhi nodded in understanding—rejecting cyberbullying.

Not long after, the ride-share stopped steadily at the entrance of the welfare institute. The people receiving them were already waiting.

There were people from the welfare institute and people from the police station. There should be some formalities to go through.

This wasn’t Jing Mimi’s first time in a car. When he was a kitten, he had ridden in his papas’ car. But the smell of leather in this car was very unpleasant. As soon as Papa helped him out of the car, he couldn’t hold it back anymore and vomited on the roadside with a “blech.”

Jing Zhi was startled and hurriedly took the little guy into the welfare institute to rest with the receptionist.

Just now in the car, he was busy dealing with welfare institute matters and talking to the care worker, so he didn’t notice the little cub’s condition. He thought the cub was resting quietly with his eyes closed leaning against him. He didn’t expect it was because of carsickness.

He felt better after vomiting, but his head was still dizzy. Jing Mimi leaned listlessly against Jing Zhi, listening to his nagging: “If you feel uncomfortable in the future, tell me immediately, understand?”

Jing Mimi gave a weak and obedient “Mmhmm.”

Jing Zhi patted his little head with heartache.

When the little guy was a kitten, he could endure physical discomfort very well. At that time, the kitten couldn’t speak and would only whimper when it really couldn’t bear it anymore.

Now that he had become a little human who could speak, he had to learn to speak up immediately when he felt uncomfortable.

It happened to be nap time, so Jing Zhi coaxed him to take a nap. Carsickness would be much better after waking up from a sleep.

Already dizzy from the car ride, Jing Mimi quickly fell asleep in a daze after being coaxed by Papa.

The welfare institute had already arranged a dormitory for Jing Mimi. Although Jing Zhi hesitated, thinking the little guy might fuss about sleeping with him, he still carried him to the dormitory according to the welfare institute’s arrangement first.

A dormitory had four beds, but currently, only one child lived in this room.

That child was also taking a nap, facing away from the door, so only the back of his head was visible.

Jing Zhi gently placed the little cub in his arms onto the assigned bed, covered him with a quilt, and left the room with the welfare institute staff.

As soon as the door closed, Jing Zhi couldn’t wait to lower his voice and say, “I’ll go back for a bit to get some daily necessities. If he wakes up and looks for me later, please give me a call. I’m afraid he’ll cry.”

The welfare institute staff nodded repeatedly.

Although surprised by the intimate relationship and interaction mode of this “father and son,” having worked in the welfare institute for so many years, he knew deeply how easily children lacking love could become dependent on someone, even a stranger they just met. It wasn’t strange at all.

Before, a volunteer came to the welfare institute and showed a little more kindness to a child, and that child easily developed a strong dependency, becoming even more fragile and sensitive after the volunteer left.

Although he didn’t know if this new child’s family could be found during the notice period, seeing this gentleman treating the child so well made him very happy.

Even if the family couldn’t be found, there was a backup plan.

…

Perhaps because of carsickness, Jing Mimi slept longer this afternoon.

When he opened his eyes groggily, Jing Mimi found someone standing beside him.

It wasn’t Papa; Papa wasn’t this short or small.

Jing Mimi blinked rapidly, and his vision finally focused.

It was a human child.

Black hair, a small scar on his face, skin darker than his, much taller than him, with jet-black eyes staring straight at him, holding a notebook and paper in his hand, as if drawing or writing something.

The kitten-turned-human wasn’t very good at initiating communication with strangers yet. He looked away, climbed out of bed, and subconsciously looked for Papa.

In a completely unfamiliar environment, Papa was gone.

There was only the child by the bed in the room. Jing Mimi could only try asking him, “Do you know where my Papa is?”

The child cooperated and responded, “What does your Papa look like?”

Jing Mimi thought for a moment and said, “Papa is very gentle, very good-looking, has black eyes, his hair is a little curly, and there’s a bit of white in the middle.”

After listening to his description, the child lowered his head and quickly drew something on the paper.

Jing Mimi tilted his little head in confusion, leaned closer, and found that he had drawn a puppy on the paper.

“What is this?”

“Your Papa, a Cockapoo.”

“?”

…

When Jing Zhi received the call from the welfare institute, he was sitting in the car returning to the welfare institute, about five minutes away.

“Hello?” Jing Zhi guessed Mimi woke up and was looking for him.

“Mr. Jing, Mimi and the child in the same dorm got into an argument.”

“Huh?” Jing Zhi was a bit surprised. “What did they argue about?”

He remembered that the child sharing the dorm with Mimi was one of the children rescued from this trafficking case, and also the only one whose family hadn’t been found.

“Uh, that child likes drawing very much. He drew a portrait of you based on Mimi’s description, but the child is young and only knows how to draw puppies.”

“Mimi is very angry, saying you are a kitten, not a puppy. We can’t calm him down.”

Jing Zhi: “…”

***

Author’s Note:

Mimi: Little Cat Mi’s Papa is also a kitten!!! (Super loud)

A tiny spoiler: The new friend comes from Planet Woof [Dog head holding a rose]