Chapter 7: Meow p1
Jing Zhi felt his stomach hurt even more.
If it were anyone else, he would definitely think they were joking, but the other party was a police officer. He couldn’t suspect a police officer of joking about something like this.
The hand with the IV needle subconsciously pressed on his stomach. Jing Zhi said word by word to the other end, “Is there a mistake? I’m gay and have only dated one boyfriend. It’s impossible for me to have a child.”
He was someone with a strong rebellious streak. The more his family couldn’t accept him coming out, the less he cared about letting others know his sexual orientation.
This was actually better. Those who knew his sexual orientation and were still willing to interact with him were less likely to cause trouble later.
When he was a freshman in college, he didn’t tell his roommates about his sexual orientation. Later, it was accidentally discovered. One roommate was extremely homophobic and couldn’t accept it, causing a lot of drama and trouble for him.
It was precisely because of that roommate that he submitted an application to change dorms. At the start of his junior year, he was unexpectedly assigned to a graduate dorm and became roommates with Jiang Suifeng, who had just started his master’s degree at the time.
The police officer on the other end of the phone was obviously caught off guard, not expecting such an answer.
To be honest, after realizing that the “Papa” the little guy was talking about was Mr. Jing, he was also a bit confused. This case suddenly became weird.
Now hearing Mr. Jing say he was gay, he instantly imagined many melodramatic scenarios.
However, as a police officer, he should seek truth from facts and not solve cases based on imagination.
Both ends of the phone fell silent for several seconds.
Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice, choked with sobs, broke the silence.
“Papa…”
The police officer snapped back to reality and looked at the little cub, who was looking at the phone with tear-filled eyes.
“Uh, Mr. Jing, where are you now? How about I bring him over and we talk face to face?”
…
A few minutes later, Jing Mimi was carried by the police officer from the children’s inpatient building to the gastroenterology inpatient building. It was just a short elevator ride away, very close.
Because they were in a rush, the police officer hadn’t had time to wipe the tear stains off the little cub’s face. When the door was pushed open, the little face was scrunchy, eyelashes were wet and stuck together, and his eyes were very red. If he cried any longer, they would definitely swell up.
Jing Zhi was leaning on the hospital bed, staring blankly at an unknown spot.
When their eyes met, the face that was scrunchy a moment ago instantly broke into a smile through the tears, and his eyes sparkled like stars.
“Papa.”
“…”
Jing Zhi didn’t respond, but he still got out of bed and borrowed two tissues from a couple in the next bed.
The patient in the couple was the guy, and the girl was there to keep him company. Ever since Jing Zhi said on the phone that he was gay, she had been secretly glancing at him from time to time. But there was no malice in her eyes, just a bit of curiosity and inquiry.
In this era, more and more young people accepted other sexual orientations, and inclusivity was growing stronger.
Holding the tissues, Jing Zhi looked at the little cub who had been placed on his hospital bed by the police officer. After thinking for a moment, he personally wiped away the tears for him.
Soon, the little face became much drier and fresher.
Amber eyes gazed at him brightly, as if they could speak.
Once upon a time, there was also a pair of similar eyes that always gazed at him like this.
And he always called himself “Papa” in front of it.
“Mimi, let Papa hug you.”
“Mimi, give Papa a kiss.”
“Mimi, Papa’s favorite little kitty.”
…
How was that possible?
He was really losing his mind.
This little guy probably trusted him too much because he had been taking care of him since waking up, or maybe he was delirious from the fever. Children’s brains could easily be damaged by high fevers.
He was a firm materialist. He had lived in the countryside for a while when he was young, running around with his childhood friend Fang Yuan, even walking through graveyards at night, and never believed in ghosts or reincarnation.
Moreover, the little cub in front of him was at least three or four years old. How could someone be reincarnated into such a big child?
Possession was more like it… wait, possession?
Uncontrollably, everything that happened after finding the little cub replayed in his mind.
Light yellow hair, amber eyes, the action of scratching the bedsheet before using the toilet, the very realistic cat meows…
Jing Zhi pressed his lips into a straight line, trying hard to suppress the wild beating of his heart and the strange feeling inside. He spoke as calmly as possible: “I am not your father. We don’t know each other. Don’t call people randomly. Tell us your name, and we will help you find your real father.”
Although he said this, a small part of his heart openly hoped for a rebuttal or explanation.
But there was none.
His waist suddenly tightened as warmth pressed against his stomach through his clothes.
The little guy hugged him silently again, refusing to answer.
Although he knew Papa didn’t recognize the little human Mimi, Jing Mimi couldn’t help feeling a bit wronged in his heart.
He was his Papa.
The Cat God had disappeared somewhere, and no cat told him what to do. A kitten that had just turned into a human was clumsy and could only follow his instincts to stay close to Papa.
But he still remembered the Cat God saying he couldn’t admit his identity as a kitten, so he hugged Papa’s waist and buried his face in his chest.
When he was the kitten Mimi, he loved to burrow into Papa’s arms. Sometimes when guests came to the house and wanted to tease him or poke his drooping ears, he would bury his face in Papa’s arms if he didn’t want to deal with them.
Now that he had become the little human Mimi, it didn’t affect his performance.
Indecisive? Bury face.
Jing Zhi subconsciously looked at the police officer beside him.
The police officer was also looking at him. After their eyes met, he spoke slowly: “Mr. Jing, please cooperate with a DNA test.”
Jing Zhi: “…”
Jing Zhi: “Fine.”
The police station had an expedited channel, but it would still take at least half a day to get the test results.
It got dark early in winter, and snow began to fall outside again. As the end of the year approached, everywhere was busy and lively, including the hospital.
But the busyness and liveliness of the hospital were mostly somber, bleak, and depressing.
Because Jing Mimi refused to leave Jing Zhi and wouldn’t answer any questions other than saying “Meow,” “I want,” and “Papa,” the police officer had no choice but to let him rest temporarily in Jing Zhi’s ward.
Jing Zhi pulled the little guy out of his arms and stared at him for a moment.
Even though the little guy had brought him so much trouble, he didn’t feel annoyed at all.
Just like when he first picked up Mimi. The kitten didn’t know how long it had been wandering; it was dirty, had many physical problems, was fragile, delicate, and clingy. It was quite troublesome too, but he enjoyed it.
The suspicion in his heart wasn’t dispelled by the little cub’s evasive hug, but with the police present, he didn’t want to ask the little cub if he was possessed by Mimi in front of them, fearing he would be treated as a mental case.
He was already under suspicion; asking that would make it even harder to explain.
Seeing the cub’s soft hair messed up from rubbing, Jing Zhi raised his hand and smoothed it for him.
Jing Mimi thought Papa was petting his head and smoothing his fur like before, so he squinted his eyes happily.
Unfortunately, the little human throat couldn’t make a comfortable purring sound.
Seeing this, the police officer beside them couldn’t help but reach out and touch the little cub’s head too.
He actually always liked children. This little friend was born beautiful and cute, making his heart soft just looking at him.
However, Jing Mimi’s eyes returned to their original round shape, looking at him with confusion and even some dissatisfaction because he suddenly reached out, occupying Papa’s position so Papa stopped petting him.
The police officer withdrew his hand resentfully and glanced at Jing Zhi.
Jing Zhi paused, as if he “got” something, and tried rubbing the little guy’s head again.
Jing Mimi became happy again.
Police Officer: “…”
Jing Zhi: “…”
Jing Zhi silently withdrew his hand and looked away, afraid that if he continued petting, something would really be confirmed.
Not long after, a care worker arrived, and the police officer left first.
The care worker was a gentle-looking woman who said she was from the Sunflower Welfare Institute, arranged by Captain Chen to take care of the little guy.
Jing Zhi didn’t know who Captain Chen was, but he vaguely remembered that there didn’t seem to be anyone named Chen among the police officers he contacted today.
But he didn’t think too much about it. After all, this little cub was too strange. The police probably thought there was something wrong with him too, so they were investigating him as well.
This care worker said she was here to take care of the little cub, but she was actually here to “monitor” him too, right?
Check away, check away. He wanted to know the answer too.
The care worker tried talking to the little cub for a while. After getting no response, her attention turned to Jing Zhi, and she casually asked him what was wrong.
Jing Zhi answered briefly: “Nothing much, just some stomach problems. Had an X-ray, the doctor suggested a gastroscopy. Need an appointment, hospitalization is more convenient, and medical insurance covers a lot.”
The care worker nodded and sighed, “More and more young people are getting stomach problems nowadays. Is work pressure too high? You need to take care of your health.”
She seemed like a warm-hearted person.
Jing Zhi smiled and nodded without answering.
Just then, the care worker’s phone rang. It was a song by Phoenix Legend, a favorite of the older generation. The voice was loud and clear, startling Jing Mimi, who subconsciously pressed closer to Jing Zhi.
Jing Zhi paused, but still whispered comfortingly: “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a phone call.”
Seeing this, Jing Mimi looked at the care worker auntie’s phone with confusion.
The care worker glanced down at the screen, hung up quickly, and muttered, “So many spam calls, always trying to scam money every day.”
Jing Mimi watched all of this.
When he was a kitten, he was curious about many things, but a kitten’s IQ wasn’t high enough to understand much. Now that he had become a little human, it was as if his intelligence had been unlocked. He could vaguely understand many things he couldn’t before.
For example, phones could make calls. Big Papa used to talk to Little Papa on the phone, and he could hear Papa’s voice on the other end.
For example, calls weren’t necessarily from people you knew; they could be wrong numbers or bad calls like this one.
It was getting late. Leaning against Jing Zhi, Jing Mimi suddenly yawned.
He was already sick, had cried a lot, and went through twists and turns to return to Papa’s side. His body was tired long ago.
Seeing this, the care worker said, “It’s getting late. Little baby is sleepy, right? Wash up and go to sleep.”
The care worker brought some daily necessities, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, basin, and towel.
Jing Zhi had no experience taking care of children. From last night until now, he had only used a face towel to wipe the cub’s face and hands. He nodded to the care worker and said, “Sorry to trouble you.”
The care worker immediately picked up the little cub clinging to Jing Zhi and said to him, “Auntie will take you to wash up. Once you’re clean, come back and sleep.”
A flash of panic crossed Jing Mimi’s eyes, but he quickly calmed down and didn’t struggle or resist.
After all, when he was a kitten, his papas would also take him to the pet shop for a bath. The uncles and aunties at the pet shop would carry him to the washing room on the other side, wash him clean and fragrant, and then dry his fur in the dryer until it was fluffy and soft. His papas would kiss him lovingly for a long time.
He was a kitten who liked baths.
Human washing was a bit different from kitten washing, but the care worker was patient, and Mimi was cooperative, so everything went smoothly.
The care worker had dealt with many children and had encountered ones like Mimi who didn’t like to talk to people, so she didn’t think much of it.
…
