“Um, Brother, why don’t you try holding him?”
Shi Song’s attention was instantly diverted.
Speaking of raising a cat, Shi Song was actually a bit proud. He had never taken care of such a tiny creature before, and out of fear that he wouldn’t be able to keep it alive, he had looked up quite a few tutorials.
In the beginning, Orange Treasure liked to quietly curl up inside the house. Later on, he grew bolder and started to stir up trouble, bringing along a much better appetite; he wanted to eat whatever he could catch.
Seeing Orange Treasure slowly grow healthier, Shi Song understood for the first time why other people constantly posted photos of their kids, and he had even broken his usual rule by posting a nine-photo grid on his WeChat Moments.
He squatted down, picked up little Orange Treasure from the floor, and placed him on Wei Huaichen’s desk.
“Meowu.”
Upon seeing Wei Huaichen approach, the little milk cat bared its tiny milk teeth and stared at him.
But it was just too small. Even though it tried its best to put on a fierce expression, it still looked like a tiny, palm-sized doll, like a piece of dough that could be kneaded right in the palm of one’s hand.
Because he had just been inside the pet carrier, the fur on Orange Treasure’s body was a total mess, giving him a frantic little appearance.
Wei Huaichen extended his finger and gently scratched underneath its chin. The little kitten was instantly so startled that it froze completely.
Looking at the way the little fur-ball was frozen in place, the smile in Wei Huaichen’s eyes grew a fraction more obvious: “Mm, I didn’t see wrong just now. He really has gotten fatter.”
Tonight, Shi Song was going to sleep at home, though he brought quite a few more things back with him this time.
Wei Shuyun actually happened to be home tonight as well, but she stayed in her own room the entire time. Shi Song only went over to greet her before coming back out.
Even so, Shi Song still felt a bit uncomfortable.
Originally, he wanted to brainstorm how to draw his assignment for a while, but as he thought about it, his hand uncontrollably opened Weibo. By pure coincidence, he scrolled onto a video about making drinks.
“Look, he’s so good at this.”
Shi Song lay prone on the desk. Right next to his hand was Orange Treasure, who was obediently curled up into a ball.
As if highly interested, Orange Treasure also tilted his little head, his light-green eyes sparkling bright.
“Meowu?”
Suddenly, a thought struck Shi Song’s mind.
Since he wanted to build a good relationship with Wei Huaichen, wasn’t this a perfect opportunity?
“Be good.”
Shi Song rubbed Orange Treasure’s little head, then turned around and headed downstairs.
He opened the refrigerator to take out some milk, then pulled tea leaves out from the cabinet and simmered them over a low flame.
After brewing, he followed what the tutorial said and tossed a few types of fruit inside. When it came to adding sugar, he hesitated for a moment and only poured in a tiny bit.
Shi Song liked to drink sweet things, but considering he wanted to give this to someone else, he felt it was better to accommodate another person’s palate.
“What are you doing?”
Wei Huaichen happened to come downstairs. Seeing Shi Song inside the kitchen, he asked casually.
He was wearing a set of loungewear. The fabric, which possessed an excellent drape, fell loosely over his plush slippers, making his entire being exude a lazy and leisurely aura.
His dove-gray eyes carried a trace of coolness. When those eyes landed on him, Shi Song felt a slight numbness spread across his skin.
“What a coincidence.”
Shi Song curved his eyes into a smile. He picked up the two cups of drinks and walked out of the kitchen, looking up at Wei Huaichen: “I just happened to mix some milk tea. Brother, do you want to be my guinea pig?”
When he smiled, his eyes would crinkle up completely, and his tone of voice was very affectionate.
Wei Huaichen felt as though his heartstrings had been lightly tugged.
His gaze shifted downward, landing on the two vibrantly colored items in Shi Song’s hands.
“Milk tea?”
“Uh-huh,” Shi Song took a few steps forward, holding the items out a little further. “Do you want to try it?”
His eyes were incredibly bright. When being looked at like this, no one could refuse any request of his.
Wei Huaichen finally stepped forward.
He still carried a trace of an intimidating aura around him. When he drew close, it caused Shi Song’s eyelashes to tremble slightly.
He took the cup from Shi Song’s hand and took a shallow sip.
Wei Huaichen’s brows knit together slightly.
Shi Song felt a bit anxious: “What’s wrong? Is it not good?”
He had never tasted such a peculiar thing before.
It was a bit sweet, very rich upon entry, but it quickly took over his entire palate.
When it slid down his throat, the flavor became increasingly fragrant and sweet, carrying threads of warmth.
Wei Huaichen felt a strange sensation rise up in his chest.
He took another two sips before lifting his eyes to look at Shi Song: “No, it’s very delicious.”
“That’s wonderful!”
Shi Song’s mood instantly turned brilliant. In a lighthearted voice, he said, “Then take it and drink. I made it specifically for you.”
“Specifically?”
Wei Huaichen raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at Shi Song.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Shi Song’s body relaxed, and he leaned against the kitchen door behind him. “Let me tell you, I’ve never made this for anyone else before—”
“What are you two standing here for?”
Right at that moment, Wei Shuyun’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
Her voice was very cold if one listened closely, it was even colder than usual, hiding an indescribable emotion within it.
Shi Song was startled: “Mom?”
He could faintly perceive that Wei Shuyun didn’t really want him to have contact with Wei Huaichen, but he didn’t know why.
Wei Shuyun took a few steps forward, her brows tightly furrowed: “It’s already night. If there’s nothing else, you should both go to sleep.”
“Oh, alright.”
Shi Song forced a slight smile. “Then I’ll head back right away.”
Wei Huaichen’s gaze fell faintly upon her, and then he turned around, walking away without a single word.
After returning to his room, Shi Song received a message from Wei Shuyun, something that hadn’t happened in a long time.
Mom: Don’t get too close to Huaichen.
Shi Song: Why?
Shi Song hesitated for a moment but still sent the message back.
He felt that Wei Shuyun’s attitude was truly too abnormal.
As the person who single-handedly supported the Wei Corporation, her years of decisive execution in the business world had already trained her to keep her emotions locked down. Yet tonight, Shi Song could clearly sense a few notes of abnormality from Wei Shuyun’s attitude.
However, just as Shi Song expected, Wei Shuyun didn’t say anything further.
Looking at the completely empty message interface, Shi Song couldn’t help but question life a little bit.
Was she afraid he would corrupt Wei Huaichen?
Realizing that overthinking was useless, Shi Song let out a soft sigh and finally put away his phone, deciding to sleep first.
He got up to draw the curtains.
When he looked up, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse outside, the wind blowing with a continuous, refreshing chill.
The tree branches extending beside the window were somewhat bare, with one or two crows perched on them. They seemed to be startled by the sound of the curtains pulling shut in the room, flying away in a sudden flurry.
The next day, Shi Song asked Wei Huaichen for a favor to drop him off at the pet hospital.
While in the car, Shi Song was noticeably more talkative. Wei Huaichen listened with a smile throughout the entire ride, occasionally responding with a word or two.
They were just like ordinary brothers.
Shi Song really liked this kind of feeling.
Very quickly, he tossed Wei Shuyun’s inexplicable words from yesterday straight to the back of his mind.
Once they arrived at the pet hospital, the doctor actually still remembered both Wei Huaichen and Shi Song. She said to them with a beaming smile, “You’re here? Let me see little Orange Treasure.”
“Meowu!”
The moment he was let out of the pet carrier, Orange Treasure let out a clingy, spoiled cry, rubbing against Shi Song and exposing his belly to him.
Even the doctor couldn’t help but laugh: “I’ve never seen such a clingy little stray cat before.”
Without any mercy, she scooped up Orange Treasure, who was currently acting spoiled toward Shi Song.
“Meowu? Meow, meow, meow!”
His coddling interrupted, Orange Treasure desperately flailed his little paws in an attempt to resist.
However, the doctor was already highly experienced. After performing a thorough examination, she said, “There are no major issues anymore. I’ll give him a bath in a bit.”
In the meantime, Shi Song waited outside the door with Wei Huaichen.
Shi Song was idly scrolling through his phone when he suddenly let out a soft “Ah.”
Across from him, Wei Huaichen lifted his eyes: “What is it?”
Shi Song hesitated for a moment: “I forgot. We need to have a registered internship of over three months to graduate, and I haven’t even started looking yet.”
He was in the late stages of procrastination. Although he had seen the requirement for an internship certificate before, his heart kept telling him there was no rush and he could wait a bit longer, so he had casually thrown the matter to the wind.
As a result of that toss, he had completely forgotten about it.
Now, it was already a bit late.
A few traces of annoyance surfaced on Shi Song’s face.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, his eyes instantly lit up: “Oh right, Brother, does your company lack art positions?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go through the standard recruitment process to get hired. I absolutely won’t make you lose face.”
“An art position?”
Wei Huaichen sat in his seat, his hand resting on his knee.
“I’ll ask around when I go back.”
Shi Song’s mood turned splendid in an instant, and he nodded repeatedly: “Thank you, Brother!”
Going to the Wei Corporation could bring him internship experience while also increasing his opportunities to interact with Wei Huaichen it was simply killing two birds with one stone.
Right at that moment, the nurse suddenly came out and called, “Who is Orange Treasure’s dad? Orange Treasure is all done with his bath.”
“Coming, coming.”
Shi Song quickly walked forward.
Wei Huaichen waited right beside the door.
He tilted his chin up, looking outside through the window in the hallway.
The clear sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, tracing a faint halo in the air.
But if one looked closely, many tiny particles of dust could be seen floating within the air.
Wei Huaichen averted his gaze, the aura around his entire body turning cool inch by inch.
Suddenly, the door beside him opened.
A boy with a clear, beautiful face poked his head out from inside, catching Wei Huaichen’s gaze perfectly.
Shi Song’s eyelashes flickered a couple of times, and then he smiled.
He raised Orange Treasure right in front of his face, blocking half of his profile, and said with a chuckle, “Brother, look.”
The little kitten had just been blown dry and was clearly still in a daze. His light-green eyes followed Shi Song’s movement and also landed on Wei Huaichen.
“Meowu?”
He tilted his head.
From Wei Huaichen’s angle, the first thing he saw was the soft crown of Shi Song’s head, his slightly long hair, and then his bright, thoroughly smiling eyes.
The youth’s voice was lighthearted as he smiled and said to Wei Huaichen, “Our Orange Treasure has become so clean.”
His skin was fair, and his features were gorgeous.
There was even a tiny dimple right by his lips.
Wei Huaichen stared at him fixedly.
His heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
“Meow! Meow, meow, meow!”
Orange Treasure seemed to have finally reacted. He was somewhat unwilling to be held by Shi Song like this, and he desperately tried to turn his head away.
His pink paw pads flailed in the air, struggling out a succession of stubborn arcs.
“Whoa…Orange Treasure.”
Shi Song didn’t understand why the little guy suddenly started struggling, and he scrambled to hold him steady.
Right at that moment, a clean and pale palm extended right in front of Shi Song.
Wei Huaichen firmly supported Orange Treasure. His fingers were very long, buried underneath the shallow fur, almost enveloping the little guy entirely within them.
“Mm,” Wei Huaichen let out a low chuckle, speaking softly.
“He really has become very clean.”