Just as she was about to escape and curl up in a corner, Shi Xinyu stood her up on the sofa, holding her shoulders with both hands, her expression serious.
Being stared at with such a gaze, Ying Miaomiao subconsciously puffed out her chest and raised her head. She blinked. The little cat’s sapphire blue eyes were extremely clear and transparent.
Shi Xinyu’s expression softened a little, but the little cat had been acting strangely recently. As a guardian, although she always called herself big sister, she was actually no different from a mother.
But she needed to harden her maternal heart. Shi Xinyu cleared her throat, her amber eyes catching the light, very pale: “Miaomiao, listen carefully to what big sister is saying. If you understand, meow once.”
Ying Miaomiao thought that Shi Xinyu was a bit strange today, but to avoid being exposed, she just looked at her, and after waiting for a moment, she tilted her head appropriately.
Her ears twitched, seemingly deep in thought.
Shi Xinyu completely lost her composure. She sighed lightly and, as if throwing a tantrum, pinched Ying Miaomiao’s cheek. The little cat had some soft flesh on its face, so she could hold it.
“Don’t let big sister not be able to find you.”
Ying Miaomiao’s cheek meat was squeezed. Although it didn’t hurt, she showed two small fangs. She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
“Meow-woo—”
You made my face big by pinching it!
Shi Xinyu, this bad woman, is so childish.
…
Sunday, April 13th.
The company was currently in the midst of intensive recruitment, with a lot of miscellaneous people around.
Ying Miaomiao’s desensitization experiment on Shi Xinyu was already very successful. If she couldn’t see Ying Miaomiao for a while now, she wouldn’t be as anxious as last time.
Ying Miaomiao’s calculated time was perfect: one hour on the way, two hours seeing her mother, and one hour back, making four hours in total. If everything went smoothly, she could even come back for lunch.
She decided to scout the route today first.
Because there were many people for interviews, Ying Miaomiao easily hitched a ride down the elevator. However, there was one annoying thing about being a cat: she was small, and some people didn’t look where they were walking.
Several times, Ying Miaomiao was nearly stepped on her paws and tail.
She had a lot of complaints about this elevator.
During the morning rush hour, she often had to be careful not to have her shoes stepped on, and now that she was a cat, she had to worry about her white paws being stepped on ╰_╯.
After successfully getting out of the elevator, the rest of the path was quite familiar.
Ying Miaomiao chose her apartment for the convenience of commuting; it only took fifteen minutes to walk, or about twenty minutes for a stroll.
She slowly walked out of the company.
It had rained last night, so the road was a bit damp and muddy.
But the air was fresh. Since becoming a cat, Ying Miaomiao had a very comfortable life, except for the first two days when she was a stray.
It had been a long time since she had walked this route home.
The contact of her paw pads on the rough ground felt magical, like a massage.
Ying Miaomiao avoided the small, undried puddles and sharp pebbles. Her tail was held high, and she looked to be in a very good mood.
The little cat was wearing a blue leather collar around her neck. The original cat tag and the amulet acquired by Xi Qingyi and Ding Qiwen clinked together, making a muffled sound.
Ying Miaomiao walked on the sidewalk. When she was in human form, she somewhat disliked this road, simply because after every rain, it was like opening a blind box—no one knew if the next step would cause a brick to flip up and splash water onto their trousers.
But now that she was a cat, there was an advantage.
Although Ying Miaomiao was not thin for a cat, she was still very light for a person. Coupled with her light footsteps, those bricks never suddenly tilted up.
The traffic on the street was continuous. The morning rush hour was indeed quite busy.
The oily smoke from the street food stalls drifted over. Ying Miaomiao sniffed; it was the jianbing guozi (savory crepes) she loved.
She swallowed a mouthful of air, just comforting herself: Go, Miaomiao, transform back into a human and buy two jianbing guozi, one for myself, one for Shi Xinyu.
Damn it—she had clearly insisted that Shi Xinyu feed her because she was afraid of getting hungry, so why was she still craving it after having eaten once!
Ying Miaomiao quickened her pace. After turning the street corner, the crowd noticeably thinned out, not as congested as before.
Her steps were a little bouncy. When she stepped on the yellow, withered leaves, they made a slight crunching sound.
The rest of the way was very smooth, without the hardships Ying Miaomiao had anticipated, such as being blocked by stray dogs or chased by bad people… nothing happened.
When she reached the entrance of her apartment building, Ying Miaomiao felt a sense of déjà vu. Her spirits were high. She ran up to the eighth floor in one go, without the exhausting weakness she used to feel.
Seeing the familiar doormat, she cheerfully went forward.
Tomorrow, she could see Ms. Ying!
Ying Miaomiao had scouted the route and didn’t linger. She hurried back downstairs and towards the company.
The journey back was much faster than the journey there, though some idle children looked at Ying Miaomiao with predatory eyes. The children couldn’t speak yet, and seeing the little cat, they babbled incoherently, but still wanted to play with her.
Ying Miaomiao thought, It’s so wonderful not to work or go to school. Little cats are also very happy.
She deliberately got closer, using the white tip of her tail to catch the children’s attention, and then quickly left when the children became more eager.
“There’s nothing, Little Bao, be good…”
After playing with the children for a while, Ying Miaomiao slowly walked towards the company. She had planned too much time for herself; she could stroll over.
The weather was perfect today, neither cold nor hot. After some activity, it was inevitably a bit stuffy. But the morning breeze was just right, blowing gently, cool and refreshing.
It was probably past the morning rush hour, and the streets seemed a bit empty, with only a few sanitation workers sweeping up the fallen leaves.
A few breakfast stalls were still open, and the sweet aroma of soy milk wafted into her nostrils. Ying Miaomiao was craving food again. Besides jianbing guozi, she often ate soy milk with steamed buns, and occasionally a deep-fried dough stick (youtiao) if she woke up early.
She quickened her pace again, finally almost breaking into a run.
The wind whistled past her ears. Her long fur floated. The little cat’s running posture was very much like a leopard’s: lean and long, with the shape of muscles faintly visible as she ran.
The street scenery gradually receded in her peripheral vision. Ying Miaomiao found running like this incredibly satisfying.
After arriving at the company floor, Ying Miaomiao stopped. She was slightly out of breath, and her whole body was radiating heat.
There weren’t many people on Sunday, so she managed to get on the elevator.
The person in the elevator was a tightly wrapped delivery person. He was somewhat thin, wore a sun-protective mask, and nervously kept refreshing his phone.
Ying Miaomiao was alert. She looked at the floor number; it was the floor where she worked.
Following the delivery person out of the elevator, Ying Miaomiao didn’t go straight in. She followed him not too far, not too close, until she saw him hand a cup of iced Americano to a colleague and hurry away. Only then did Ying Miaomiao completely relax.
Perhaps she had been overthinking it just now.
This time, Ying Miaomiao didn’t wait for Shi Xinyu to look for her. She slipped into the office herself.
The sound of the keyboard was clattering. Ying Miaomiao checked the time. Her round trip, including the time spent along the way, totaled one hour.
Even calculating the slowest and most unfortunate time, the four hours she planned were more than sufficient.
This discovery greatly satisfied Ying Miaomiao.
After Shi Xinyu finished the work on her hands, she looked down and saw the little cat squatting nearby. She frowned slightly and picked up one of the little cat’s paws to examine it.
The originally pink paw was stained with a layer of gray, faintly mixed with fragments of fallen leaves.
“Where did you go to play?”
Shi Xinyu didn’t overthink it. She found a wet wipe and cleaned all four of Ying Miaomiao’s paws before saying, “Don’t run off to dangerous places, and don’t run around. If you run around, big sister will worry.”
Ying Miaomiao turned her head, not meeting Shi Xinyu’s eyes. She responded softly, feeling extremely guilty: “Meow-aoh.”
I will run around.
Monday, April 14th.
Today was the day Ying Miaomiao had long prepared for.
But since she went to sleep last night, she had a sense of unease. It became more obvious the closer she got to the company, and this uneasy feeling intensified when Shi Xinyu entered the office.
She hesitated for a moment and decided to wait, to leave after the meeting.
Everything today was still very ordinary. After Xi Qingyi and Ding Qiwen gave their opinions, it was Shi Xinyu’s turn to summarize. She didn’t like to speak formalities, only summarizing the week’s problems and assigning tasks to certain people.
‘Ding.’
The elevator chimed, and several people stepped out.
Ying Miaomiao recognized the leader; it was yesterday’s delivery person, but his state looked very unstable. He was holding a banner, and as soon as he came in, he dramatically unfolded it.
Such a large commotion caused most people to look over.
But the words written on the banner made Ying Miaomiao feel confused. Written in red on a white background were “Black-hearted Company, Disregard for Human Life,” the bloody words looking very chilling.
The person following behind them was holding a girl’s photo.
Sensing that the situation was wrong, Shi Xinyu quickly told someone to call the police and security, and she signaled everyone to stay away.
It was then that Ying Miaomiao clearly saw the leader’s appearance. He was thin and dark-skinned. When he opened his mouth to cry and shout, he exposed his yellowed teeth from years of smoking.
The security guards rushed over, but were pushed away by the man crying loudly, “My daughter was killed by them! She was my only daughter!”
The security guards were stuck, only blocking these people from moving forward.
Shi Xinyu took a deep breath. She had no experience with such a situation, but she couldn’t just let them cause trouble like this. She stepped forward two steps, approached the man who first brought out the banner, and said as calmly as possible, “Is there some misunderstanding between us? The company hasn’t had any such incident. Would you like to come to the office to talk in detail?”
Xi Qingyi had been recording the entire process since the banner was unfurled. Ding Qiwen walked beside Shi Xinyu, and she also chimed in: “Raising a banner like this won’t solve the problem, will it? Why don’t both sides calm down? After all, publicly displaying a banner is considered gathering to disrupt public order.”
The man at the head roared, and the sound of his crying lessened, but a few others were still sobbing. He pointed to the woman crying the loudest: “She only had this one daughter! She worked hard to support her through university, and she died because she worked here!”
“Now you want to shirk responsibility! I’m telling you—no way!”
His emotions became agitated again.
Ying Miaomiao was on high alert. She stood in front of Shi Xinyu.
The other party was overly agitated. HR was arranging for staff to be evacuated, leaving only a few key figures present. The large office area instantly became empty.
“Sir, please calm down. We can solve the problem through legal means.”
This sentence from the HR was like a drop of water in hot oil, making him suddenly boil over. He threw the banner aside, grabbed a mug from a nearby desk, and hurled it in their direction. His eyes were bloodshot: “If I can’t live well, neither will you!”
There was still coffee residue in the mug. The dark liquid splattered on the floor, and the sound of ceramic shattering was particularly harsh. The HR’s face was pale, but she strongly held back from screaming.
The sound of police sirens echoed from far below. Shi Xinyu stepped forward, shielding the frightened HR behind her. She sternly said, “Please calm down. If there are any issues, we will discuss them at the police station. If your claim is true, we will resolve it according to the law.”
Ying Miaomiao’s body was tense. For such an unreasonable person, talking was useless. She also had to guard against him impulsively trying to hurt someone.
The siren sounds were getting closer and closer. The man obviously heard them, and he grew increasingly anxious. His voice was rough, and he snarled, “You called the police!”
He muttered a few more words, but the scene was too chaotic for Ying Miaomiao to hear clearly.
No, something is wrong.
Ying Miaomiao arched her back, the long fur on her body bristling. She stared intently at the man’s movements, ready to attack at any moment.
His condition was very wrong. The moment the siren stopped, he clenched his teeth and pulled a switchblade from his pocket: “You make my life miserable, so I’ll make yours miserable too!”
He stabbed the security guard with the knife, and after the crowd scattered, he went after Shi Xinyu.
Shi Xinyu had the HR behind her, making it inconvenient to run. The moment the man charged, Ying Miaomiao pounced fiercely, her front claws raking hard across his neck, and her sharp teeth sinking into the muscle of his arm.
The man staggered back a step. He clutched his bleeding neck, his sharp switchblade flailing wildly.
The moment the switchblade cut her body, Ying Miaomiao didn’t whimper. She only let out a sharp, angry roar to intimidate the opponent.
Shi Xinyu found an opportunity, grabbed a keyboard from somewhere, and slammed it down on the man’s body. He howled ceaselessly, and the switchblade in his hand dropped.
Xi Qingyi seized the chance and kicked the switchblade away.
Shi Xinyu dropped the keyboard with a muffled thud. She didn’t care about any of that, rushing instead to check Ying Miaomiao’s injuries.
The little cat was cut from the shoulder to the back. Thick, crimson blood soaked the fur on her back. Shi Xinyu’s eyes turned red. She quickly took off her jacket to wrap Ying Miaomiao and ran towards the elevator.
…
Inside the pet hospital.
Ying Miaomiao was still under anesthesia and hadn’t woken up.
The wound on her back had been treated, and because it was somewhat deep, it required several stitches.
The doctor gave her an IV for anti-inflammatory medication, and she needed observation.
Shi Xinyu’s jacket, which was used to wrap the little cat, was already stained with Ying Miaomiao’s blood. She set the jacket aside, looking a bit haggard. Seeing the doctor come out, she quickly asked, “Doctor, how is the situation now?”
The doctor poured Shi Xinyu a cup of warm water and comforted her, “You don’t need to worry. The little cat is fine; it’s just a flesh wound. As long as the wound doesn’t get inflamed or infected afterward, it will be fine once it heals.”
Shi Xinyu took the warm water but had no desire to drink.
Seeing her so anxious, the doctor sighed softly and added, “Your little cat is in good shape and hasn’t had any unusual reactions so far. She must be an adult now, right?”
Shi Xinyu shook her head: “I found her in March. She should be around four or five months old now.”
The phone rang. Shi Xinyu put down the water cup: “I’ll take a call.”
The person on the other end was Xi Qingyi. Her voice carried fatigue, and the first thing she asked was about Ying Miaomiao, “How is the little cat?”
“She’s fine for now, but we need to monitor if the wound will get inflamed or infected later.”
The noise on Xi Qingyi’s end was a bit chaotic. She and Ding Qiwen were still at the police station. Their company’s legal team was strongly arguing their case.
“That’s good. The people who raised the banner are all at the police station now. They can be charged with provoking trouble, and the person who brandished the knife is facing more serious charges.
He has a criminal record and is also a deadbeat.”
Shi Xinyu’s amber eyes showed a hint of coldness. She ‘hmmed’: “Keep me updated on any further developments. I’m going to check on Miaomiao now.”
Ying Miaomiao lay on the bed, an IV drip attached to her paw. She felt a bit disoriented. After sleeping for a while longer, the effects of the anesthetic began to fade.
She moved the paw that wasn’t fixed and felt a bit weak and sore all over.
But when her consciousness returned, the first thought that crossed Ying Miaomiao’s mind was, Shi Xinyu should be fine, right? The second thought was, I’m doomed. I stood up Ms. Ying. Will she think I’m a liar?
Her reunion with Ms. Ying was truly a winding and slow journey.
The medicine in the IV might still contain some pain-relieving components. Ying Miaomiao didn’t feel much pain and was able to let her mind wander.
The nurse, while checking the drip, noticed that Ying Miaomiao was awake. She squatted down, observed her condition, and finding her okay, whispered, “Don’t be afraid. Your owner will come to see you soon.”
The surrounding environment was quite good. The air conditioning was on high, and the low temperature reduced the risk of infection. Ying Miaomiao looked around and found quite a few cats and dogs hooked up to IV drips like her.
This was quite a large pet hospital.
Soon after the nurse left, Shi Xinyu’s footsteps sounded, making the bored Ying Miaomiao, who was counting the patterns on the walls, suddenly look up.
The moment she saw Ying Miaomiao, Shi Xinyu’s eyes reddened. She squatted down and looked at Ying Miaomiao through the cage, “Miaomiao, don’t be so silly next time. Run as far as you can, little cat.”
As she spoke, Shi Xinyu lowered her gaze. She wanted to pet the little cat’s head but didn’t dare to use force, only gently stroking her fur: “Our Miaomiao is very brave.”
Ying Miaomiao actively rubbed her fingertips. If she were in her human body, she could fight three people like that man, no joke.
Despite being injured, Ying Miaomiao chose to comfort Shi Xinyu, this fragile human: “Meow meow.”
I’m fine, don’t worry.
She finally understood why she had become a cow cat: because she was—Black Cat Sheriff (a reference to a Chinese cartoon hero).