The Cub Comes from Planet Meow 4

Chapter 4: Meow

Jing Mimi knew he seemed to be sick again.

But his body felt heavy, and Papa wasn’t by his side, so he could only curl himself up and try his best to endure it.

Even when he was a kitten, his health hadn’t been very good. He would easily get sick when the seasons changed. In the summer, if the air conditioning wasn’t controlled well, he would catch a cold. In late autumn and early winter, before the heating was turned on, if he lay on the floor for too long, his little belly would get chilled.

Sometimes he would vomit, sometimes he would have diarrhea. His papas had to be extra careful, dressing him in warm clothes to protect his tummy.

He didn’t want to be like this either.

He also wished he were a healthy kitten with a strong body, so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable and cause trouble for his papas.

Now he was no longer a kitten; he was a little human.

He hadn’t even seen Papa yet, and he was sick again.

His body was wrapped in many layers of clothes, feeling stuffy and breathless. Even though he felt hot, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Leaning against the door of his home, his consciousness became increasingly muddled. He didn’t know what happened after that.

When he woke up again, his body was wrapped in warmth, not cold at all. Although he still felt a bit uncomfortable, his consciousness had returned, and he felt somewhat better.

This bit of discomfort was nothing compared to the pain he endured before being euthanized as a kitten.

It was dawn. Cool white light spilled in through the corner of the open curtains, casting a hazy glow in the room.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Papa sleeping beside him, as if he were in a dream.

Kittens dream too. In their dreams, their favorite dried fish would appear, and they would smack their lips in their sleep.

But he shouldn’t be dreaming right now, because he wasn’t in his kitten form, but in the little human form the Cat God had molded for him.

If it were a dream, he should still be a kitten.

Jing Mimi blinked his eyes in disbelief for a long time, dazed. He reached out his small hand and tentatively touched Papa.

He had two papas, a Little Papa and a Big Papa.

Little Papa was named Jing Zhi. He was smaller in stature and made incredibly delicious cat meals.

Big Papa was named Jiang Suifeng. He was larger in stature and made exquisite kitten clothes and toys.

Before him was his Little Papa.

Overwhelmed by immense joy, Jing Mimi was no longer satisfied with just gently touching with his small hand. Following his lingering kitten instincts, he began to snuggle and rub against Papa.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t control this new body very well yet. He could only wiggle like a little worm beside Papa, happily rubbing his little face all over him, kicking off the thin blanket in the process.

The Cat God watched all of this. After thinking for a moment, it decided not to say anything to remind him.

It could be Mimi’s “cheat code,” but ultimately, it couldn’t pilot his body. Letting him interact with his papas in his own way was the most natural course.

As for how things would develop later—it would just go with the flow.

After snuggling and rubbing for a while, Mimi suddenly bumped into a pair of deep, dark eyes. His movements froze.

Because Papa had just woken up, his dark eyes didn’t focus instantly. He blinked rapidly a few times before truly meeting Mimi’s gaze.

Mimi’s heart beat faster, thump thump thump.

Papa was awake!

Papa saw him!

His body was controlled by surprise and nervousness. Reflexively, clumsily but quickly following his kitten instincts, he stuck his little bottom up in the air, attempting to raise a non-existent furry tail high—the highest etiquette for greeting Papa.

Four eyes met. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. The hospital room was extremely quiet, as if someone had pressed a pause button.

There was no familiar joy or delight on Papa’s face that usually appeared after seeing him act cute. There was only a very unfamiliar calmness and confusion.

Jing Mimi finally realized something, albeit belatedly.

He was no longer the kitten Mimi, and he didn’t have a furry tail anymore. No matter how high he stuck his little bottom up, there would be no tail standing tall, waiting for Papa’s palm to stroke from the base of his spine all the way to the tip of his tail.

He wasn’t particularly disappointed, though. As long as he could return to Papa’s side, losing his tail didn’t matter.

Before the stalemate between the big human and the little human could last too long, the door to the ward suddenly opened.

The father of the little girl from last night walked in carrying a hot breakfast.

The little girl and her mother hadn’t woken up yet. His footsteps were very light so as not to disturb the sleepers, but they inevitably attracted the attention of the big one and the little one who were already awake.

Two pairs of eyes looked over in unison.

The little girl’s father pushed up his glasses and smiled at them with a look of understanding.

Kids just loved doing this. His daughter was always squirming and rolling around like a caterpillar on the soft mats at home, striking all sorts of weird and cute poses, just like a little kitten.

His and his wife’s phone albums were already filled with countless photos of their daughter.

Jing Zhi felt a bit awkward under that gaze. He snapped out of it, propped himself up on one arm, and sat up in bed.

Jing Mimi’s gaze also fell back onto Papa. He stopped sticking his tailless little bottom in the air. To better look Papa in the eye, he used his small hands to support himself on the mattress and switched to a sitting position.

After adapting last night and this morning, he was quickly getting used to this new body.

However, perhaps influenced by psychological factors, to maintain his balance steadily, he habitually kept both hands propped on the mattress in front of him—a very common sitting posture for a cat.

Looking at the well-behaved little cub sitting upright in front of him, Jing Zhi briefly ignored his strange movements earlier. While picking up his phone from the bedside table, he asked, “What is your name? Where is your home? Do you remember your family’s names or phone numbers?”

The phone was unlocked with a fingerprint. A whole night had passed, yet there were no WeChat messages or texts from the little cub’s family contacting him, not even a single message providing a clue.

Strange.

Even stranger was that the little cub in front of him just stared straight at him without making a sound, let alone answering his questions.

Jing Zhi decisively put down his phone and met his gaze again.

He had to start with this little guy.

“You live in Happiness Community too, right?”

“Do you know which building your home is in?”

“Did you get lost last night?”

“…”

Several questions were thrown out one after another, but the little cub still didn’t give any answer. However, it was obvious he was a bit nervous; his two small hands propped on the mattress unconsciously clenched the sheets.

Jing Zhi assumed he was the kind of child who was too shy to talk to strangers. He felt a bit helpless, and his childhood friend’s words from last night—”Let Jiang Suifeng handle it”—inexplicably flashed through his mind.

If Jiang Suifeng were here, he would surely have coaxed the little cub into answering questions within a few sentences. His family had close ties, and every Chinese New Year, he would play with many children…

Jing Zhi quickly shook those messy thoughts out of his head, forcing himself not to think about that name or anything related to it.

Facing those beautiful amber eyes, Jing Zhi could only continue to coax him: “If you don’t answer, your mom and dad will be worried sick if they can’t find you.”

Children of this age should be sensitive to words like “mom” and “dad.”

Sure enough, as soon as the words fell, the little cub released his grip on the mattress.

The next second…

He lunged straight into Jing Zhi’s arms.

His head buried itself in Jing Zhi’s chest, and his small hands firmly grasped Jing Zhi’s clothes.

Jing Zhi: “…?”

Jing Mimi didn’t know how to answer Papa’s questions.

Or rather, he still didn’t know how to use this new body to make sounds.

He should be able to speak, but because his attempt to meow last night had failed, influenced by psychological factors, he was afraid to try speaking in front of Papa.

Plus, even if he could speak, he didn’t know how to answer these questions, so it was better not to say anything.

Four years ago, the kitten Mimi couldn’t speak either, yet Papa brought the kitten Mimi home.

The innocent little cub Mimi thought that four years later, Papa would still bring the mute little human Mimi home.

Papa was his destined Papa.

Hearing the words “Dad” and “worried” from his mouth, Mimi didn’t hesitate to throw himself into his arms.

Papa, don’t worry, Mimi is right here by your side.

Papa’s embrace was as warm and reassuring as ever. Mimi couldn’t bear to let go, just holding on like this, becoming a little pendant on Papa’s body just like before.

The little cub’s fever hadn’t completely subsided, so his body was still hot. It felt like a little hot water bottle had suddenly jumped into his arms, making one reluctant to throw it away.

Jing Zhi’s hand, which had instinctively risen to push him away, paused for a moment and then dropped back down.

He actually never had much interest in children. Because of some bratty kids, he even felt a bit repulsed by the demographic. Coupled with the fact that his sexual orientation wasn’t straight and he would never have children in this life, he felt even more indifferent.

But at this moment, his heart felt like it had been scratched.

Although he didn’t really want to dwell on it, he had to admit—the little cub’s eyes were round and that same amber color, reminding him of Mimi.

The little guy was well-behaved and soft. Even though he had nudged him awake and struck some inexplicable, weird poses, he didn’t feel annoying or bothersome at all.

Although he didn’t answer his questions and refused to speak, he was still very clingy, which showed he trusted him.

He was already sick and uncomfortable, so he decided to just go along with him for now.

If he couldn’t get any useful information out of him later, and no one contacted him to claim the child, he would just call the police.

Professional matters should be left to professionals; maybe they would find his parents in no time.

In the next bed, the little girl and her mother had woken up. Before they even had time to wash up, the family of three watched everything happening over here.

The little girl’s father and mother exchanged shocked glances.

They heard everything Jing Zhi said—so this little kid was lost? This man wasn’t his father or brother, just a stranger.

Both felt a bit guilty and apologetic because of their secret discussion on WeChat last night.

He was just kind enough to bring a lost and sick child to the hospital late at night, yet they had speculated that he became a father at a young age, had superior looks, and a colorful romantic history.

Truly shameful.

Not long after, the little girl’s father took the initiative to bring some breakfast over to Jing Zhi, who was holding the little cub. He said, “I bought too much breakfast. Do you want some? It’s a waste to throw it away. It’s all easily digestible porridge and steamed buns, bought from a breakfast shop outside. It tastes much better than what they sell on the hospital breakfast cart.”

Put that way, Jing Zhi really couldn’t refuse. He had to thank him and accept it, secretly sighing in his heart that these parents were really nice people.

He was indeed hungry at this hour.

But Jing Zhi didn’t dare feed him recklessly. Instead, he rang the bell for the nurse.

Children were like kittens, very fragile. They couldn’t be fed just anything while sick.

When the nurse arrived, Jing Mimi was still nestled in Jing Zhi’s arms. The difference was that he wasn’t holding onto Jing Zhi anymore; instead, Jing Zhi had adjusted his position and was holding him.

The reason was that Jing Zhi had tried to move him out of his arms, but a moment later, blinking his big eyes, he clung back on and continued hugging Jing Zhi.

Jing Zhi didn’t find it strange. Even as an adult, he became extra dependent on others when he was sick, let alone a little cub only a few years old.

With him being the only adult in close proximity, it was natural for the child to be clingy.

To allow the nurse to examine him better later, Jing Zhi had to try proactively holding him in his arms.

The good news was that after being held, the little cub stopped squirming and nestled obediently in his embrace.

During this time, Jing Zhi tried asking him a few more questions, but received no response. Whenever he asked, the child would burrow into his arms, hiding his expression.

After the nurse arrived and checked him over, she confirmed that his temperature had dropped compared to last night and he was improving. There shouldn’t be any major issues, so she told Jing Zhi he could try feeding him some light liquid food.

After the nurse left, Jing Zhi opened the porridge, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to the little cub’s mouth.

The little cub obediently opened his mouth and swallowed the porridge in one gulp.

Just like that, spoonful by spoonful, Jing Zhi fed him half a bowl of porridge.

For some reason, Jing Zhi inexplicably found it quite interesting.

It felt just like feeding a cute little animal.

Seeing that only half the porridge was left and Papa hadn’t eaten yet, Jing Mimi refused to eat any more, afraid that Papa would go hungry.

Jing Zhi assumed he was full and didn’t want to eat anymore, so he didn’t force him. He ate a few mouthfuls himself. Although he didn’t have much of an appetite and his stomach felt a bit uncomfortable from drinking so much yesterday, he forced it down, thinking it would be impolite to waste the food kindly given by the people in the next bed.

While Jing Zhi ate the porridge, Jing Mimi remained obediently nestled in his arms.

But soon, his body began to wiggle slightly, his little head turning this way and that, searching for something in the ward.

Jing Zhi looked down at the fluffy top of the head in his arms with confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jing Mimi didn’t know how to answer Papa. Racking his brains, he suddenly raised a small hand and started scratching at the bedsheet.

This was the motion a kitten made when burying its waste in litter.

Mimi needed to use the toilet.

***

Author’s Note:

Mimi: (Looking around) No litter box. (Looking around) No human litter box either. (Holding it in)