Cen Nian was packed inside a cat carrier, his big blue eyes looking outside with curiosity. As the door was pushed open, a breeze of freedom blew in. His vision was instantly captivated by a black Aston Martin DBS parked a short distance ahead, so handsome that even his little fluffy ears stood straight up.
He wondered in his heart what kind of person owned this car worth over 4 million.
The car door opened, and with a dazed expression, he was placed into the passenger seat of this 4-million-plus vehicle. Inside the car lingered a faint fragrance; even without sniffing carefully, Cen Nian knew it was the scent of money.
When the man got into the car, he smoothly unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand before sitting down, allowing the suit to hang smoothly without a single wrinkle or fold.
Cen Nian was just an ordinary male high school student. Both this car and this mature, elegant man completely dumbfounded him. A tiny spark of admiration began to sprout deep within his heart; after all, worshiping the strong is human nature.
Cen Nian: Man, you truly haven’t disappointed me.
Yu Shen leaned over, pulled the seatbelt across, and buckled the cat carrier securely. Just as he was about to set off, he noticed the little kitten inside staring straight at him with wide eyes, its tiny head turning along with his movements, looking a bit silly.
The car smoothly merged into the traffic flow, driving steadily without competing or rushing. The surrounding cars automatically kept their distance; what should have been a congested lane was a picture of peaceful calm around him.
Cen Nian couldn’t help but let out a “Meow.”
He was simply too happy. This must be what it felt like to hit the jackpot.
Yu Shen glanced at the kitten that had suddenly let out a milky meow. Did it dislike being in the carrier?
As he approached home, he received a phone call from He Zhiqiu. Putting on his Bluetooth earpiece, the other party’s cheerful voice came through: “Shen-ge, I’m back from S City and brought you some local specialties. Are you at home right now? I’ll swing by and drop them off.”
Yu Shen looked at the kitten again. The pet shop owner had mentioned that the kitten needed time to adapt to a new environment, and it was best not to get too close at first to avoid scaring it.
And He Zhiqiu was a very noisy, boisterous person.
“Tomorrow. Today isn’t convenient.”
“Alright, then I’ll bring them over to you tomorrow, Shen-ge.”
After hanging up, Yu Shen pondered for a moment. One night should be more than enough time to adjust. According to his mother, he himself had been sent to his grandmother’s house before he was even weaned, and he had adapted in just half an afternoon.
Considering the kitten might not be as resilient, giving it an extra night should be more than sufficient by any calculation.
Due to his limited field of vision, Cen Nian couldn’t see the outside world at all. As a tiny kitten, he stayed true to his role and slept through the latter half of the journey all the way home.
Feeling a slight jolt, he realized they had arrived. Half-awake, he whined softly, “Meow.”
The cat carrier unzipped, and he unsteadily propped himself up on his short little legs. Curiosity about his new environment snapped him awake instantly. Looking out at the leather shoes, he confirmed that the man was crouching right there, waiting for him.
He had to put on a good performance.
Crisscrossing his short legs, he took delicate cat steps forward. Next to emerge was his head, his blue eyes shyly locking onto the man above: “Meow.” (A meaningless high-pitched meow first to charm him to death.)
Yu Shen looked down at the little creature: “Come on out.”
Cen Nian meowed once more before slowly shuffling out. It wasn’t on purpose; his short legs simply made getting out of the carrier quite a challenge. Then he began properly sizing up his future home.
First off, the house was huge. A large floor-to-ceiling window offered a view of a yard with thriving green grass, and ahead stood a staircase leading upstairs. Unsurprisingly, it was indeed a villa.
The decor followed a frigid, minimalist style, completely devoid of any bright colors.
Cen Nian didn’t care about the decor at all. He was currently brimming with pride; with just one meow, he had instantly acquired a mansion.
He truly was a successful male high school student.
Unable to contain his excitement, he dashed forward. However, the tiled floor was extremely slippery, and his legs were both short and weak. His four paws slipped off in four different directions, essentially running independently of one another.
After scrambling wildly for about ten meters, his out-of-control body slid across the floor at a surprisingly fast speed. In the end, without his permission, he executed a face-brake. His chubby little body left the ground and nearly flipped over before slamming back down with a clack, his body jiggling duang-duang, and even his tail drooped flat.
Dizzy from the fall, Cen Nian thought: When on earth will I finally grow up?!
Having witnessed the entire scene, Yu Shen’s brow furrowed with faint concern. He began setting up the cat bed, litter box, food bowl, and water bowl in their appropriate locations.
Meanwhile, Cen Nian had already scrambled back up and was currently struggling with the bottom step of the staircase. Once standing, his tiny belly immediately stuck out as his two front paws tried desperately to grip the step.
Cen Nian: Watch me do a pull-up for you.
“Meow!” (It hurts!)
Yu Shen, who was busy working, heard the cry and turned to see the kitten lying on its side next to the stairs, frantically kicking the step with its hind legs; it had likely hurt itself.
Cen Nian gave up. As the saying goes, a little cat shouldn’t make life hard for a little cat.
He trotted over to the floor-to-ceiling window instead. The glass clearly reflected his appearance, and Cen Nian couldn’t help but inspect himself closely. He was a milk-tea-colored Ragdoll with slightly darker fur on his ears and tail. Around his eyes, the color was a bit lighter than on his ears, resembling a gradient or a gorgeous coat of eyeshadow.
He turned in circles, admiring his reflection.
I really am an extraordinarily gorgeous little cat.
Basically the Daji of the feline world,
Yu Shen finished arranging the kitten’s belongings and looked over at the little creature staring at the window with its head tilted. He couldn’t tell if it was just an illusion, but it seemed to be admiring its own reflection right now.
He sat down on the sofa and opened the notes app on his phone, which contained a list of cat-care rules he had compiled.
Step one of raising a cat: give it a name first.
Below were several names he had prepared in advance. He intended to call out each one, picking whichever the kitten responded to.
“Little Cat.”
He waited two seconds; the kitten gave no reaction.
“Meow Meow.” Still no reaction.
Cen Nian swished his tiny tail. He had wanted to raise a cat in the past, but his family hadn’t allowed it. Who would have thought he’d end up becoming a cat himself?
Yu Shen: “Jianqiang (Strong).”
All three prepared names had been called, and not a single one had worked, which was unexpected.
The kitten was still in front of the glass, raising its two front paws to scratch forward. Because it couldn’t stand steadily, its remaining two hind feet kept tiptoeing up and down.
Yu Shen: Strange movements, strange cat.
Cen Nian: Ha, I can even dance! It’s my backup performance, reserved for charming that man whenever I make a mistake.
Yu Shen spoke in a somewhat helpless tone: “Little Dummy (Xiao Bendan).”
Having finished his practice, Cen Nian lowered his paws and turned his head, intending to perfunctorily acknowledge the man he had neglected for half the day with a casual meow.
Yu Shen’s expression turned subtle as his fingers lightly tapped against his knee.
Is the name ‘Little Dummy’ really appropriate?
Yet, it was the cat’s own choice.
“Little Dummy, come here.”
Cen Nian tilted his head and looked at him blankly. Is he calling me? There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the house. He pitter-pattered over on his short legs, feeling puzzled inside: Why call me a little dummy?
Yu Shen watched the kitten trotting over. It truly did like this name, so that would be its name then.
Cen Nian scrambled over to Yu Shen’s legs. Once the name was settled, Yu Shen stood up and headed upstairs, intending to change his clothes before coming back down to feed Little Dummy.
Cen Nian blinked his eyes. This guy called him over and then just left; he hadn’t even petted his head! He let out a dissatisfied cry: Treating a little cat like this is way too much!
Am I not cute enough?
Moments later, Yu Shen returned downstairs wearing a comfortable set of casual loungewear, the cold aura about him softening somewhat.
The pet shop owner had mentioned that this kitten was in the transition phase from weaning to eating cat food. However, since he had just brought it home, it was best to let it drink goat milk powder for a few more days before gradually switching to solid food once it adapted.
Yu Shen prepared the goat milk powder: “Little Dummy.”
Cen Nian had no idea why the man kept calling him ‘Little Dummy,’ but to show how obedient he was, he still trotted over da-da-da. However, he charged over too fast. If Yu Shen hadn’t grabbed him by the scruff of his neck at the final moment, he would have plunged headfirst into the milk bowl.
Yu Shen felt more and more that this name hadn’t been chosen in error.
Having drunk a bellyful of milk, Cen Nian lay flat on his back on the floor with all four tiny paws raised in surrender. Every slight movement produced the audible sloshing sound of milk inside his stomach.
After lying there for a short while, he scrambled up in a panic. He glanced at Yu Shen, then at the litter box. Ever since transmigrating into a cat, he hadn’t pooped once.
As a cat, he could lick his paws, and he could lick his fur, but he would absolutely never lick his own butt.
That was his bottom line!
However, after drinking so much milk, he really couldn’t hold it in any longer. He had to resolve this first. Staggering over to the litter box, he was instantly dumbfounded; the litter box was taller than he was.
“Meow meow!” (Come look at what you bought! Isn’t this ridiculous?!)
His meows caught Yu Shen’s attention. Yu Shen walked over, picked Cen Nian up, and placed him inside the litter box. However, he had no intention of leaving; the pet shop owner had advised him to observe the kitten’s bowel movements.
Cen Nian endured it for a bit longer. Seeing that the man had no intention of leaving, he really couldn’t hold it back any further. His final struggle was moving to the innermost corner of the litter box to put some distance between himself and Yu Shen.
In all his years of living, for as long as he could remember, this was the very first time someone had stared at him while he used the bathroom, and a man, no less.
Cen Nian: The pressure is immense.
Fortunately, the cat litter helped block the view. His two tiny front paws were held neatly together in front of him, anxiously treading the litter a couple of times.
After finishing his business, he covered it up properly, mimicking proper cat behavior. The only remaining issue was how to handle wiping his butt. He looked up at the man, only to see a mobile phone thrust toward him, playing a video of a kitten licking its own butt.
Cen Nian stared at Yu Shen in absolute shock. He was actually trying to use a phone video to teach a tiny kitten post-toilet hygiene!
Cen Nian: You really are beyond outrageous.
Yu Shen looped the video five times. Seeing that Little Dummy remained completely motionless, he put the phone away with an unreadable expression and lifted Cen Nian out of the litter box.
Cen Nian was currently feeling panicky and deeply uncomfortable. As a human, not wiping after using the bathroom was truly unbearable. His big eyes drifted toward the water bowl Yu Shen had prepared for him; should I just sit in it and soak?
He’d probably just replace it with a fresh water bowl for me anyway, right?
Just as he was weighing the feasibility of this plan, his bottom suddenly felt a chill. Fortunately, a cat’s body was extremely flexible, allowing him to twist around to see what was happening.
The little kitten’s fur puffed up all over again.
The man was using a wet wipe to clean his bottom. His sharp, defined brows and eyes were focused intently, his large hands somewhat clumsy, yet his movements were remarkably gentle, carrying a subtle, unnoticed tenderness.
Cen Nian rolled his eyes upward: As a high school boy… what crime have I committed to deserve this?!
Once the butt-wiping ordeal was over, Cen Nian was thoroughly drained, his fluffy ears drooping dejectedly, looking as if life had lost all meaning. Outside, the sky had darkened.
Yu Shen cooked dinner for himself. Cen Nian was surprised to find that he actually knew how to cook.
After washing up, Yu Shen carried Cen Nian upstairs to the study. He began reviewing a case file he was currently handling, placing Cen Nian on the desk, a tiny ball that hardly took up any space at all.
Cen Nian regained a bit of his spirit. Watching the attentive man, he wondered if this dominant CEO was currently plotting how to ruin some rival company.
A moment later, a tiny cat head poked into Yu Shen’s line of sight, staring at the computer screen like a human. Under the light, one could see the round little head covered in fine, sticking-out fuzz, like a fluffball. Then, this fluffball began to tremble violently.
Cen Nian’s big blue eyes were filled with sheer terror. He had thought he would see contracts or similar business documents, but instead, he was greeted by a screen full of crime scene photos, bloody, high-definition, and raw.
A large hand suddenly covered his eyes, lifting him off the desk and placing him on the man’s lap. The hand that had never stroked him before now gently smoothed his fur, stroke by stroke, to comfort him.
Yu Shen: Turns out cats are afraid of this too.
Cen Nian: I wasn’t bought by some serial killer, was I?!