Chapter 15: Once You Have One, You Can’t Settle for Anything Else…
“Hmm… clingy, huh.”
Lin Ling hadn’t expected Shi Changyuan to make such a request. It put him in a difficult position.
After all, personality wasn’t like fur color; you couldn’t see it from birth.
“That can only be cultivated, right?”
“It can be, but it also depends on the kitten’s own willingness.”
Shi Changyuan’s hand rested on the sofa, his fingertips tapping lightly, carrying a subtle hint.
If it were any other human, they might have understood, but unfortunately, the one before him was a little zombie.
“True, you’re right!”
The two continued their conversation at cross-purposes for a while. One thought his hints were perfectly clear, while the other thought he had gathered all the necessary information. With their own secret plans, they said their goodbyes and went to their rooms to sleep.
The next morning, in order to find out who had kittens, Lin Ling skipped breakfast and squatted by the elevator to ask people.
He rode the elevator more than a dozen times, and his efforts finally paid off!
There were several litters of kittens upstairs looking for owners. Some were newborns that hadn’t been weaned yet, while others were ready for adoption. He just didn’t know if they had the color Lin Ling was looking for; he would have to go pick one out himself.
“Where were you so early in the morning?”
When the little zombie returned to the lab, he saw Shi Changyuan holding a breakfast, seemingly waiting for him.
Sure enough, the still-warm beef sandwich and milk ended up in Lin Ling’s hands.
“I went to prepare a surprise for you.”
Lin Ling was completely open about it, with no intention of hiding anything, which actually made Shi Changyuan freeze for a moment.
He couldn’t help but think of their conversation last night.
The corners of Shi Changyuan’s lips immediately curved up. He ruffled Lin Ling’s hair. “Alright, then I won’t ask.”
The little zombie: ?
Why isn’t he asking?
He was planning to use this as an opportunity to suggest they go see the kittens together.
Although the ideal color was important, what if he saw one that he liked even more?
“Alright.”
Although Lin Ling didn’t understand, he felt that Shi Changyuan must have his reasons for doing so. So, during the lunch break, he could only go see the kittens by himself.
“I’m going to prepare your surprise. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
The little zombie extended one last invitation before leaving, but Shi Changyuan just smiled, his tone firm.
“You go ahead. I won’t follow.” Shi Changyuan took Lin Ling’s plate to the kitchen and made a special point of saying, “If Lingling can’t make it back this afternoon, remember to let me know.”
“It won’t count as an absence.”
Is he really that nice!
“Okay, okay.”
Lin Ling immediately agreed. Although he didn’t understand why Shi Changyuan wouldn’t go see the kittens, he seemed to be looking forward to it too! He even gave him time off!
Is he this happy about getting his own little kitten?
The little zombie thought happily, My plan was correct after all.
Chestnut-colored kittens were hard to find. It was said that only the British Shorthair breed could produce a rare-colored “mystery box” kitten. They were a milky brown color as kittens, and their fur might darken or lighten as they grew up.
A mystery box cat.
In short, the probability was very, very small.
“My friend has a litter of Golden Shaded kittens. Do you want to go take a look? They seem to fit your description of a chestnut-colored kitten better.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and this litter is ready to leave soon. Many have already been reserved. If you want to take one home, you should go take a look quickly.”
The little zombie was very lucky. There was exactly one kitten left that hadn’t been claimed.
“Wow, so beautiful. It really looks like it’s chestnut-colored.”
Holding the kitten in his arms, the little zombie felt a warmth that was even warmer and more fragile than a human’s.
So soft.
Lin Ling secretly squeezed the kitten’s brand-new little paws.
The newborn kitten wasn’t afraid of the zombie. It sniffed at Lin Ling, then curled up in the crook of his arm and stayed still, letting out a purring sound from its throat.
The sound was a bit loud, like a tractor.
The inexperienced little zombie: !!!!
Is this! A clingy kitten!
Shi Changyuan will definitely like it!
“Can I take it home today?” Lin Ling was almost bursting with impatience. The moment he saw the cat, a string in his mind called “reason” snapped with a “twang.”
“Of course.”
The cat’s owner was very easygoing. He immediately packed some cat food for Lin Ling and said he would have a robot deliver the other supplies later.
And so, Lin Ling, holding the kitten, didn’t even take the elevator. He skipped down the stairs.
“Shi Changyuan, I brought back your surprise! Close your eyes first!”
Before he even entered, Lin Ling’s voice came from the main door.
“What kind of surprise requires closing my eyes?”
Hearing the word “surprise,” a smile had just begun to form, but it was immediately followed by confusion at the request to “close his eyes.”
According to his description yesterday, if Lingling wanted to express affection and clinginess towards him, it should be…
He was about to turn around, but the young man behind him repeatedly urged him to close his eyes. Shi Changyuan lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and finally, slowly closed them.
“Are your eyes closed properly?”
Lin Ling changed his shoes and walked in. He even peeked to check, and seeing that the other had indeed closed his eyes, he immediately held up the kitten and brought it in front of Shi Changyuan.
“Alright, alright, you can open your eyes now!”
Shi Changyuan, listening to Lin Ling’s words and anticipating what the surprise could be, came face to face with a cat’s head.
A poop-yellow cat head.
The little kitten, seeing Shi Changyuan’s eyes open and staring at it, even let out a trembling “mew.”
So weak and timid.
“Look! This is the chestnut-colored kitten I found for you, based on your ideal type!”
“And it’s very well-behaved. It won’t run around.”
Shi Changyuan looked at the orange-yellow fur, which was close to the color of dirt, with a few tufts of black fur on its back and tail. He found it really hard to connect it with the “chestnut color” the little zombie was talking about.
“Didn’t you want it to be a bit more clingy? We can name it Sticky Cake. If it understands, it will definitely be very clingy!”
Shi Changyuan looked at the kitten, then at Lin Ling behind the kitten. He understood in an instant, but his tone was still filled with disbelief.
“So when you asked me what kind of pet I liked yesterday, you were really planning to find me a cat?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The little zombie nodded repeatedly. “Wasn’t I obvious?”
Shi Changyuan: …
It wasn’t that he wasn’t obvious; it was that he was too obvious. He had never even considered that possibility.
He was at a loss for words. Finally, he decided to skip the topic of their conversation at cross-purposes and looked at the kitten in Lin Ling’s arms, finding fault with a sour tone.
“Besides, this is a poop-yellow ugly cat. It’s not the chestnut-colored kitten I wanted at all.”
Lin Ling was shocked by the vicious term “poop-yellow.” He held the kitten and looked at it again and again. It was just a little cat with a mix of gold and black fur. How could anyone call it poop-yellow!!!
He immediately covered the kitten’s ears, refusing to let it hear such malicious words.
“Then what do you mean by a chestnut-colored kitten? There’s no such thing as a chestnut-colored kitten in this world!”
Lin Ling argued indignantly.
He had already asked around. At most, there were only brown kittens, but that was a very rare color, something you couldn’t just find.
“There is.”
Shi Changyuan’s tone sounded very firm as well.
“Where is it? Find it and show me.”
Lin Ling’s cheeks puffed out in anger. He was determined to be stubborn with the person in front of him to the very end.
Hearing this question, Shi Changyuan, for some reason, smiled again.
“This chestnut-colored kitten, isn’t it right in front of me?”
“You just said this was…”
The little zombie stopped mid-sentence, as if he had just belatedly realized. He looked a bit dazed. “Are you saying that the obedient but not-so-obedient chestnut-colored kitten you were talking about was me?”
“Mm.”
Shi Changyuan’s reply was swift, but Lin Ling was like a malfunctioning robot, confirming once again, “Then when you said you hoped it would be more clingy, you were also talking about… me?”
“Of course.”
Shi Changyuan looked at the young man who seemed to have realized he had made a huge blunder. His eyes darkened, and he said with a half-joking, half-serious smile, “From the very beginning, the one I wanted to keep was Lingling, wasn’t it?”
“I’ve already brought back my favorite one for myself. Once you have one, you can’t settle for anything else.”
The farce was over. Shi Changyuan looked at Lin Ling and, as usual, reached out to ruffle the top of his head, but this time with a little more force.
“Alright, now, first, send this little kitten back.”
“And then we’ll talk about what Lingling promised me.”
“What did I promise?”
The little zombie seemed to sense something was wrong. He instinctively wanted to take a step back but was held firmly in place.
“Of course, the matter of being a bit more clingy to me.”
