The cat He Yanzhou held in his arms was indeed Pipi.
The orange cat nestled into a solid, heavy lump against his chest, its furry head resting weakly on his forearm. With its eyes half-closed, it let out a faint, pitiful whimper.
A few cat hairs clung to the front of He Yanzhou’s coat. His brow furrowed slightly; he was still not quite used to this sudden predicament, but his movements remained reasonably gentle.
The moment He Yanzhou stepped through the door, he spotted the pet carrier rolling at his feet and the two individuals locked in a tense standoff.
Cen Zihao was still simmering in the fury of being publicly humiliated. Seeing someone enter—especially a man with such an extraordinary aura—he instinctively adopted his typical arrogant playboy posture: “What are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen a fight before?!”
He Yanzhou did not reply. He had long since grown used to the overbearing attitudes of these wealthy young masters. As long as his own interests weren’t harmed, he chose to ignore it.
What drew his attention more was Qiao Yan, who was crouching on the floor.
Qiao Yan’s eyes were still rimmed with red, looking as though he had suffered an immense grievance.
“He Yanzhou? Pipi?”
Qiao Yan lifted his head. Looking at the orange cat in He Yanzhou’s arms, his expression turned rather spectacular.
“You’re Jiang Cai’s brother??!”
“Mm.”
???
Why hadn’t Jiang Cai ever mentioned this to him?
And why can’t this old man take proper care of a single cat?!
Jiang Cai should have told him sooner! If he had known her brother was He Yanzhou, he would never have handed Pipi over so easily!
Qiao Yan shot an accusatory glare at He Yanzhou. “What’s wrong with him?”
He Yanzhou paused. He looked at the work apron Qiao Yan was wearing, then at his lingering anger and red eyes, piecing together a rough idea of the dispute.
“Foaming at the mouth,” He Yanzhou stated succinctly. “His energy has been poor these past few days. He started vomiting this afternoon, and he was twitching slightly just now.”
“Twitching?!” Qiao Yan panicked instantly. He bolted upright so fast he nearly slammed his head into He Yanzhou’s chin. “And you’re just standing here?!”
Anxious, Qiao Yan reached out to take the cat, but his fingers froze right before touching Pipi’s fur. He looked up to glare at He Yanzhou, his eyes practically screaming, ‘Why are you so slow?’
He Yanzhou shifted his body to avoid Qiao Yan’s outstretched hands and walked straight toward the nurse who had just stepped out of the consultation room. “Emergency.”
Seeing He Yanzhou’s face, the nurse’s earlobes flushed slightly. She then professionally guided him inside.
Qiao Yan wanted to follow them, but Cen Zihao suddenly grabbed him by the sleeve.
“He… Is he really He Yanzhou?”
“Who else would it be?” Qiao Yan was exasperated to the point of laughter by Cen Zihao’s sudden cowardly display. He violently shook off Cen Zihao’s grip. “Sared now?”
With that, Qiao Yan turned on his heel and followed into the consultation room, leaving Cen Zihao completely stranded in the front lobby.
Cen Zihao didn’t dare cause any more trouble. His face turned ashen as he sat down, whipped out his phone, and began typing furiously—likely summoning Qiao Yunguang for backup.
Inside the consultation room.
The vet was performing a basic examination on Pipi. The orange cat lay prone on the examination table, looking thoroughly drained, occasionally letting out an uncomfortable whimper.
Standing before the table, Qiao Yan watched the vet’s movements without blinking. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his face was somewhat pale. All the ferocity from his argument earlier had vanished, replaced entirely by worry for Pipi.
He Yanzhou stood a bit further back, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Qiao Yan.
The youth wore a light blue apron that made his fair skin look even whiter. The apron strings were tied into a loose knot behind his back, accentuating his narrow waistline. His hair was a bit messy from the recent altercation, with a few strands of bangs draping over his forehead, swaying slightly as he leaned forward to observe the cat.
His profile was clean and beautiful, his eyelashes long and trembling slightly due to nerves. Perhaps because the heating in the consultation room was quite high, a soft flush bloomed on his cheeks, and tiny beads of sweat dotted the tip of his nose.
“The preliminary diagnosis is acute gastroenteritis, likely caused by eating something he shouldn’t have,” the vet said, straightening up after finishing the exam. “We’ll administer an anti-vomiting shot and nutritional fluids first. What has he been eating lately?”
He Yanzhou thought for a moment. “Cat food and canned food. Jiang Cai mentioned not to feed him random things.”
“Is it possible he sneaked something?” Qiao Yan suddenly chimed in, his tone urgent. “He’s incredibly gluttonous. When he was on the sports field, he used to dig through the trash cans all the time. He was scolded so many times but never changed.”
As he spoke, he wrinkled his nose, clearly recalling how the cat used to look completely unapologetic when caught red-handed.
He Yanzhou pondered. “He was indeed lingering around the kitchen door for a while.”
“Then he definitely sneaked something!” Qiao Yan concluded decisively, his beautiful eyes brimming with accusation. When he spoke, he habitually lifted his chin with an unconscious air of arrogance. “Cats cannot eat human food, especially things high in oil and salt. It can be fatal, do you know that?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Thinking about how lively Pipi used to be at school compared to the pitiful, limp mass on the table now, his heart ached terribly. Consequently, He Yanzhou looked less and less agreeable to him.
Sure enough, men are completely unreliable!
Can’t even look after a single cat!!
“Why didn’t you close the kitchen door? If you can’t raise him properly, then don’t raise him at all!”
He Yanzhou looked at Qiao Yan silently. Qiao Yan’s eyes were wide, making him look like a blustering kitten trying to act tough.
He truly hadn’t known he needed to keep the kitchen door closed, but that still didn’t give Qiao Yan the right to boss him around like this.
“I will close it next time.”
A hint of impatience crept into He Yanzhou’s tone.
When it came time to pay, Qiao Yan followed behind him like a little shadow, looking as if he wanted to say something but kept hesitating. He then shuffled over to some green plants, pretending to fiddle with the leaves, but was actually eavesdropping on the commotion inside the consultation room. Seemingly getting bored after a while, he pulled out his phone.
He Yanzhou withdrew his gaze. Jiang Cai always insisted that Qiao Yan was cute and kind, but in his eyes, it was merely the naivety of someone untouched by the hardships of the world, combined with a spoiled stubbornness indulged because of his good looks. Faced with true reality, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Suddenly, He Yanzhou’s phone vibrated.
A message popped up on Moyu.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy~ Are you busy~
Yan: No.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Has Daddy raised any small pets recently? Little Taotao saw someone else’s cat today, it was so cute!
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Cat’s heart being struck.jpg)
He Yanzhou tapped his fingers on the screen.
Yan: Yes.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Really!!! What kind of cat is it? Can you show Little Taotao a photo QAQ?
He Yanzhou scrolled through his album, selected a cute photo of Pipi, and sent it over to Qiao Yan.
Hiding behind the plants to secretly text, Qiao Yan felt a pang of sorrow the moment he saw Pipi’s photo.
This was supposed to be my cat.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Wow! It’s an orange cat! So round and cute. Did Daddy give him a name?
Yan: Pipi.
Qiao Yan: “……”
That was the name I gave him!!! He Yanzhou actually used it directly!!
He twisted his body in irritation.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Pfft, what a cute name~ But orange cats have rather sensitive stomachs. Daddy needs to watch his diet, don’t give him food that’s too oily or salty. It’s best to choose natural cat food, and canned food only two or three times a week. Also, remember to deworm him regularly…
His fingers flew across the screen, unloading all the experience he had accumulated from caring for stray cats, terrified that He Yanzhou—this unreliable novice cat owner—would cause more issues for Pipi.
Yan: Mm.
So cold! Did you actually take any of that in, ahhhh?!
Qiao Yan pouted and pulled his phone a bit further away, making a tiny face at the screen before continuing to type.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy is so busy with work, will you have time to take care of him? Have you considered finding a pet clinic for regular check-ups? Or maybe let the clinic’s front desk receptionist help look after him? Some clinics offer that kind of service~
This was Qiao Yan’s very devious plan. If He Yanzhou agreed, then as the clinic receptionist, wouldn’t he be able to see Pipi every day? Furthermore, by interacting with He Yanzhou offline, he could subtly figure out his preferences and strike with precision online.
It killed two birds with one stone.
Since he was showing such care and affection for the cat, surely He Yanzhou would have no reason to refuse!
However, He Yanzhou’s response instantly made his hair stand on end.
Yan: No need.
Yan: Just went to a clinic today. The front desk’s attitude was terrible. I don’t recommend choosing them.
Qiao Yan: “…………”
Who is he talking about? Is he talking about him???
His behavior today was clearly a special circumstance, and Cen Zihao was the one who provoked him first. What he did was called self-defense. For a sharp man like He Yanzhou, Qiao Yan refused to believe he couldn’t see through it.
Qiao Yan’s fingers trembled with rage, poking the screen several times before finally typing the words correctly.
To vent his anger, his other hand violently grabbed the drawstring of his hoodie, pulling it out incredibly long before releasing it. The string snapped back, smacking his neck. It hurt a little, making Qiao Yan even angrier.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Is that so QAQ… But maybe the front desk guy was just having a bad day? Won’t Daddy give him another chance? (Kitty pleading.jpg)
Yan: No need.
Yan: Highly unprofessional, with terrible emotional management. Unsuited for the service industry. I wouldn’t feel at ease.
???
Qiao Yan’s vision went dark.
Though he had a bit of a young master’s temperament growing up, he had always acted for the sake of justice. And now he was “unsuited for the service industry”?
Did he, Qiao Yan, even need to be in the service industry? If he hadn’t been kicked out of his house—
And who was to blame for all that?!
Wasn’t it you and your little green tea bitch!
New grudges and old hatreds surged into his mind. Qiao Yan felt a rush of blood fly straight to his head. Any plans of raking in cash or enacting grand revenge were completely thrown to the wind.
Right now, only one thought occupied his mind:
Tell this stuck-up, self-righteous, double-standard, hypocritical old man to get lost!
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Oh.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Then Daddy can figure it out himself.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Goodbye.
After firing off this cold trifecta, Qiao Yan slammed his finger onto the screen with lingering fury.
[You have removed Yan from your friends list.]
The world was finally peaceful.
Qiao Yan exhaled a long breath and stuffed his phone into his pocket. He shoved it in so hard that it hit his keychain, producing a sharp jingle.
He Yanzhou must have just seen Little Taotao’s messages; a look of confusion crossed his features. Disturbed by Qiao Yan’s commotion, he glanced over at him.
Qiao Yan glared right back without showing any weakness, sparks flying from his beautiful eyes.
What are you looking at? Haven’t you ever seen a handsome guy before!
He Yanzhou withdrew his gaze without a word and lowered his head to continue operating his phone.
Qiao Yan let out a cold snort and turned his face away.
Blacklisting someone brings temporary satisfaction, but continuous blacklisting brings eternal satisfaction.
As for the aftermath? Who cares!
This young master is done serving you!