Cen Nian ran into the courtyard with a little bounce. The crisp, cool autumn afternoon sun felt extremely comfortable, together with the gentle breeze. Just then, he heard chirping coming from the only tree in the yard.
“Ooh, look, a little squirt came by.”
“How rare. I never expected that he would actually keep a cat.”
“Hey, little squirt, what’s your name?”
Cen Nian transformed from a little dummy into a little squirt. He raised his head to look at a sparrow in the tree: “My name is Cen Nian. Are you building a nest?”
Judging by its appearance, this bird must be an original resident here. Perhaps he could dig up some intelligence from it.
The black-feathered sparrow stood on a branch. Right next to it, against the tree trunk, was a nest that wasn’t finished yet, and two small, featherless heads poked out from inside one after the other.
Cen Nian squinted in the bright sunlight to look at them. So it turned out to be a mother bird.
The sparrow spread its wings and, with a snap, slapped both little heads back inside. Then, with a beautiful motion, it flew down and circled Cen Nian: “Yeah, building a nest. The chicks didn’t hatch at the right time, so we can’t fly south for the winter this year.”
The sparrow landed on top of Cen Nian’s cat head and looked down at him: “From now on, we’re neighbors, little squirt.”
It stretched one of its wings downward, looking as if it wanted to shake hands with Cen Nian.
Upstairs, Yu Shen had already learned the full story behind what happened. No wonder the little dummy had been so fierce toward He Zhichiu. It was just that he hadn’t expected He Zhichiu to actually do such a thing.
Carrying his teacup as he prepared to leave the study, his gaze inadvertently swept past the window to the outside, where he caught sight of an interesting scene. He ambled over to the window.
In the yard, bathed in the bright, gleaming sunlight, a little cat was pouncing at a sparrow. The sparrow didn’t fly very high, seemingly teasing the kitten on purpose as it circled it.
The little cat pounced to the left, then to the right, before rolling on the ground with a tumble, letting out little meow meow meow cries.
The scene was so lovely it resembled a vivid, living oil painting, making Yu Shen pause in his tracks.
Cen Nian crouched on the grass, then leapt with gathered strength. Leaving the ground, he waved his tiny paws toward the sparrow, only to catch nothing but air again and crash back down onto the grass. Crestfallen, he no longer wanted to continue.
“Aiya, I can’t catch you anyway. Why don’t you just tell me, what kind of job does he actually do?”
Cen Nian rolled over and got back up: “In exchange, I’ll find you warm things suitable for nest-building.”
Seeing how silly and amusing the little squirt was, the sparrow landed on the cat’s head once more to tease him intentionally: “Alright then, but don’t get scared. He, you see, is a big bad guy. That’s all I can tell you; you’d better be careful yourself.”
Flapping its wings, the sparrow flew off to forage for food.
It left behind Cen Nian, who had been completely duped and foolishly believed it. With a look that said, as expected, he thought to himself that the man really was a big villain. Underneath the vast, bright sun, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Following a sudden instinct, he jerked his head up toward the second floor. The window was open, blowing the dark curtain beside it, but there was no sign of anyone there.
Cen Nian tilted his head to the side.
Behind the wall next to the window, Yu Shen held his teacup, feeling bewildered.
Why did I just hide?
When Cen Nian took his afternoon nap, he felt as though someone was constantly stroking his back. However, he was so sleepy that he refused to open his eyes. Besides, it felt so comfortable that it actually helped him sleep even more soundly.
Yu Shen gently rubbed him. Judging from the video, that was where the kitten had fallen. Afterward, the little dummy had moved around nimbly, and feeling his bones showed no issues either, so he shouldn’t be injured.
When Cen Nian woke up, he found himself alone on the sofa. Sure enough, someone petting him had just been an illusion.
A little while later, another group of people arrived. He stayed well-behaved on the couch, watching them build a narrow slide over the staircase. Yu Shen, that big villain, placed a large, soft cushion at the bottom of the stairs.
Next, he was picked up by Yu Shen and carried upstairs. Before Cen Nian could even react to what he was about to do, he was placed onto the slide. The light, tiny kitten went swoosh and shot right down.
This height and speed were still a bit too thrilling for a tiny kitten. Cen Nian was scared into pinning his ears back into airplane wings. Before his cries could even stop, he had already reached the bottom and landed on the soft cushion. The next second, he flopped face-down onto it, his little butt sticking up in the air, with a fluffy little tail pointing straight up into the sky. He let out an aggrieved “Meow.”
He’s really picking on a cat.
Cen Nian struggled to straighten his body out. Although he was a bit annoyed, the man had built him a huge slide. Turning his head, his large blue eyes gazed at the slide. When he was little, wanting to play on a slide was such a hassle; he had to go to a park far away from home, where there were always crowds of kids, and he could only get a turn after a really long wait.
Now, such a massive slide belonged entirely to him, so inside, he was still feeling happy and excited.
He looked toward Yu Shen to express his satisfaction, only to be rendered speechless by the man’s expression. That look clearly conveyed a single question: Do you get it now? Have you learned? Do you understand?
Cen Nian raised a paw, turning what was meant to be a sweat-wiping gesture into a cheek-scratch instead. There was no helping it; his tiny paws were too short to reach the top of his head. Luckily, it was he who had transmigrated over, so he could understand what the man meant. If this were a normal little kitten, how could it possibly understand so quickly? It definitely would have been treated like a little dummy.
“Meow meow meow, ” Giving Yu Shen a perfunctory response, he trotted off to play on his own.
When evening came, Cen Nian experienced having his bottom wiped once again. Completely resigned to his fate, he was carried upstairs by Yu Shen and placed beside the pillow. Listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom, his eyes slowly shifted around.
I want to die. Wuu wuu wuu…
He was now a high school boy with zero dignity left.
The bathroom door opened, and a fresh-out-of-the-shower “wild” man walked out.
Cen Nian looked over. It was truly a body overflowing with wildness; his wheat-toned skin was beaded with water droplets that left sparkling trails under the light. Atop his pronounced muscles were scars that carried the faint scent of blood.
Broad shoulders, a wasp waist, and long legs. Faint blue veins extended upward from the edge of his underwear, radiating a strength capable of driving someone to exhaustion.
In particular, that object swaying with every step he took was exceptionally eye-catching. Cen Nian closed his eyes as fast as he could, burying his cat head into the pillow, unable to bear looking at it.
Yet he couldn’t help but complain internally: Isn’t that size way too exaggerated?
Compared to when I was still a human…
Once again, Cen Nian felt utterly hopeless about life.
Yu Shen glanced at the little cat exposing only its tiny butt, paid it no mind, and pulled another pillow over to rest his head on.
The night passed very quietly. However, when Yu Shen woke up, he felt a slight itch on his cheek.
Without rushing to move, he looked over first. A fluffy little cat’s head was resting against his cheek, its small body pressed tightly against his shoulder and arm. One tiny paw was even wrapped around him in a proper embrace, while its pink, three-lobed mouth puffed warm air onto him, leaving his face feeling a little moist.
Yu Shen gently poked Cen Nian, earning a milky, soft growl-meow in return, as the kitten snuggled even closer toward him.
Yu Shen’s thin lips curved upward in a slight smile. This was the second day the little thing had slept beside him. At this rate, it would be riding on top of his head by tomorrow.
When Cen Nian woke up, the bedroom was empty as usual. Following his routine, he stretched and stretched on the bed. After leaving the bedroom, he was ready to play on his big slide, but stopped suddenly as he passed by the door of the study.
He tilted his head and listened for any sounds downstairs.
That guy was a big bad guy. Even though he treated him very well, he was still a big bad guy. Maybe one day he would go out, murder someone, and come back. A bad guy like that couldn’t be allowed to stay at large outside the law.
Cen Nian stood frozen in place, feeling torn. But the man was really good to him, laying down carpets, building a big slide, wiping his bottom, and neither hitting, yelling at, nor obsessively snuggling him.
Would it be too heartless to betray him?
He looked at the open door of the study. The sense of justice in his heart drove him to walk inside. I’ll search for evidence first to see if there’s any. If he really was an unforgivable person, then he ought to take responsibility and pay the price for his crimes, which he should have understood the moment he committed those wicked deeds.
Entering the study, Cen Nian looked at the laptop sitting on the desk. The desk was a bit high, and he couldn’t jump up there for the time being, so he needed to find a new route. Coming beneath the desk, he looked at the lower chair; he would start from here.
Backing up a few steps, he took a running start and jumped. Cen Nian’s large blue eyes shone with excitement as he realized he was jumping higher than before.
Thump. A good sound means a good head.
He indeed jumped higher, smacking directly into the underside of the desk and falling back down miserably. The pain made him meow loudly as he struggled to cover his head with his tiny paws.
He definitely had a concussion this time, no doubt about it.
Downstairs, Yu Shen heard the noise, glanced upward, and got up to go upstairs.
Contender Cen Nian had already scrambled back up. He was just that unyielding, and he now had an even bigger target. Since he could jump this high, jumping straight onto the desk shouldn’t be a problem either.
A familiar running start, a jump, two front paws stretching forward with all their might, and large eyes staring fixedly ahead. Then, his cat paws slipped right against the edge of the desk. The cat’s head that had already cleared the edge, instantly morphed into a panic meme, followed by crashing right into the desktop, his little tongue flopping out. Then, he fell squarely onto the floor, tumbling and rolling four or five meters away before coming to a stop.
Cen Nian felt the entire world spinning around him. As it spun and spun, a pair of slippers spun into view. Looking further up, there was a pair of endless long legs.
With his head dizzy, his thoughts grew bold too.
How does he manage to hide something that big inside his pants without making it too obvious?
That must be a skill in itself.
Yu Shen had witnessed Cen Nian’s fall from the desk with his own eyes. Although he didn’t know why the little dummy had run in here, cats truly were creatures that secretly caused trouble and wrecked the house.
Picking up the little thing that had knocked itself silly, he seemed to think he would have to keep the study door closed at all times in the future. After all, there were many important documents stored here.
While holding Cen Nian and walking downstairs, he rubbed the little head that had been bumped silly. Cen Nian whimpered the whole way down, so dazed he didn’t even want to go down to eat his meal. His head couldn’t leave the man’s hand now; it had to be constantly rubbed to keep from hurting.
Seeing that the kitten kept rubbing against his palm, Yu Shen didn’t put him down either. This rubbing went on for over an hour, until he actually lulled Cen Nian back to sleep.
The next time he woke up, he was awakened by hunger. His head no longer hurt, so he completely forgot about the previous bump. Leaping down from Yu Shen’s lap, he ran over to his food bowl, stood straight, and faced Yu Shen.
“Meow” (I’m hungry!)
Yu Shen set down the book in his hand. The little dummy could be quite smart at times. He went to warm up some milk for Cen Nian.
While Cen Nian was gulping down a bowl of powdered goat milk, the front door of the house suddenly opened. Surprised, he looked over to see an intellectual-looking woman in her fifties walking in, carrying a bunch of things in her hands. Her very first words were: “Son, quickly come take these from me.”
Yu Shen, who was washing Cen Nian’s food bowl, walked out of the kitchen: “Mom, why are you here?”
As he spoke, he took the things from her.
Tan Ya shook her aching hands: “What kind of talk is that? This is your house; why can’t I come to my own son’s house? Why did you lay down carpets here?”
She looked around in confusion and locked eyes with Cen Nian at the other end of the carpet. After freezing for a few seconds, she expressed great surprise: “You actually got a cat!”
Full of interest, she walked over to Cen Nian’s side and picked him up.
“What a gorgeous little cat. I must say, son, you really have great taste.”
Having been praised, Cen Nian felt very proud. Of course, he was the most adorable and beautiful little kitten around.
Tan Ya lovingly held Cen Nian as she sat down on the sofa, scratching his chin, poking his nose, pinching his ears, and rubbing his tummy, liking him to bits.
“This little cat is so well-behaved.”
Being petted like this for the very first time left Cen Nian feeling a bit dazed; he was somewhat overwhelmed by this flood of affection.
Yu Shen put away the items, came over, and looked at the dazed kitten being overwhelmed by “affection.” Out of mercy, he retrieved Cen Nian.
Returning to the familiar lap, Cen Nian instantly felt much more comfortable. He had to admit, he really liked the fact that this man didn’t overly pet or obsessively snuggle him.
Tan Ya didn’t try to snatch Cen Nian back either, as she had actual business coming over today. She got right to the point: “You’ve been out for so long this time, and now that you’re finally back, you’re not getting any younger either. In a few more years, you’ll turn into an old cucumber. You need to know that painting an old cucumber green might make it look young, but it can’t change the fact that an old cucumber is wilting.”
Cen Nian’s cat face was filled with shock; he suspected she was making an innuendo.
However, he really wanted to say: Don’t worry, auntie, your son is still very far from wilting.
Seeing that Yu Shen wasn’t responding, Tan Ya picked up a teacup from the coffee table and took a sip: “Ahem, Zhichiu came over yesterday, right? You’re familiar with Zhichiu, having known him since you were little, and we watched him grow up…”
Yu Shen: “He intentionally dropped the little dummy.”
Cen Nian: Who is the little dummy?
Tan Ya: “Who is the little dummy?”
Yu Shen poked Cen Nian, who was staring at him: “Him.”
Cen Nian: What? I’m the little dummy?!
Tan Ya: “His name is Little Dummy?”
Tan Ya looked at the cat that was about to bare its teeth. It had been so well-behaved just now, but now it looked as if it understood her words and was getting angry: “He’s not a little dummy! What kind of terrible name did you give him?”
Yu Shen: “Little Dummy.”
Cen Nian: “Meow!” (Cursing incessantly.)
Yu Shen raised his gaze, a trace of smugness shining beneath his cold, handsome face: “See, he likes this name. Every time I call him, he responds.”
Cen Nian: I don’t; I didn’t. You’re talking nonsense.
A triple denial, yet he didn’t dare show that he actually understood. He could only swallow his grievance and anger, secretly noting down this grudge in his heart.
No matter how Tan Ya looked at it, that didn’t seem like a response at all; it looked more like he wanted to scratch someone.
However, that wasn’t the main point: “You said Zhichiu intentionally dropped the little dummy?”
Cen Nian looked at Tan Ya in utter disbelief, using the gaze one would use on a traitor. Auntie, how could you defect to the enemy so quickly?
Yu Shen nodded calmly.
Tan Ya didn’t ask any further, merely muttering, “I really didn’t expect that child to act like that.”
Still, she wasn’t about to give up on pushing him to marry. Her son worked such a dangerous job with so much pressure, and he was turning 27 this year. If he didn’t have someone who shared his heart, someone to talk to, someone caring to keep him company, coming home to an empty house all by himself…
As his mother, her heart ached for him.
“It doesn’t matter. I know plenty of people I can introduce you to.”
“No need. I have no such intentions for the time being.”
Yu Shen refused very dryly, so dryly that he didn’t give his mother an ounce of face or leeway. Cen Nian could feel the atmosphere instantly turning cold. Being timid, he snuggled deeper into Yu Shen’s chest. Please don’t let this drag an innocent little kitten like me into the crossfire.
He just hadn’t expected that even a psychopathic killer couldn’t escape the fate of being urged to get married.
How terrifying.
Tan Ya took a deep breath. Cen Nian thought she was trying to suppress her anger, but he never expected her to make his jaw drop in the very next second.
Tan Ya scolded furiously: “No intentions, no intentions! How can a normal man in the prime of his youth have no intentions? This one won’t do, that one won’t work, are you planning to spend the rest of your life alone?!”
She was so angry her earrings were shaking wildly. Having too much to say, she didn’t know where to start, until her eyes caught sight of that beautiful little cat: “Then go spend the rest of your life with this cat! Let it be your little wife!”
Cen Nian’s cat face couldn’t show a blush, but internally he was screaming: No way, absolutely not!
Compared to Tan Ya’s explosive temper, Yu Shen remained calm and composed: “He’s a male cat.”
Tan Ya sneered with her lips curled: “So what if he’s male? Same-sex marriage has been legal for almost a hundred years!”
Yu Shen looked at Tan Ya with a helpless gaze: “The point of him being a male cat is that he is a cat.”
Cen Nian patted Yu Shen’s body with his tiny paw, brimming with tearful gratitude: Thank you, thank you for remembering that I am a cat, and thank you for not being that crazy!