Bai Jimu heard every word of their conversation and, knowing he had messed up, guiltily avoided Fang Hong’s gaze.
Bai Yanzhou narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off.
Why does this guy look so guilty?
Every time Bai Jimu did something wrong, he would guiltily avert his eyes and refuse to make eye contact—just like he was doing now.
“Ahem.” Bai Yanzhou cleared his throat and said, “Little Bi, this is a staff member from Starry Entertainment. He wants to invite you… to become a trainee.”
Bai Jimu shook his head without hesitation. “No! I’m not going!”
Fang Hong hadn’t expected such a flat refusal. Unwilling to give up, he pressed on, “Our benefits and pay are excellent. No matter which round you get eliminated in, you’ll receive a large sum of money. All you have to do is participate in the show.”
Bai Jimu hid behind Bai Yanzhou, his face full of wariness. “I said no means no! I don’t want to be a trainee, and I don’t want to be on a show!”
Fang Hong looked at Bai Yanzhou with pleading eyes, hoping he would help persuade the boy.
Bai Yanzhou hadn’t expected Bai Jimu to be so resistant, and for a moment, he hesitated.
He had originally thought about tossing this little demon king out so he could enjoy a few days of peace and quiet, but if the little Beagle was this unwilling… then forget it.
“You really don’t want to go?” Bai Yanzhou tilted his head and patted the boy’s hair. “Then we won’t go.”
Seeing that Bai Yanzhou was on his side, Bai Jimu smugly stuck his tongue out at Fang Hong.
Fang Hong’s face flushed red, but he still wouldn’t give up. “Are you really sure? Sir, we can make your brother famous, I guarantee it!”
“No need.” Bai Yanzhou looked at Fang Hong. “I always respect my brother’s opinion. Besides…”
He paused. “For us, useless fame is nothing but a burden.”
Bai Jimu nodded frantically.
Exactly, exactly. I just want to live a quiet life with Bro.
Having grilled sausages to eat every day is happiness enough.
Seeing that he couldn’t sway them, Fang Hong sighed, his expression dejected. Still, he handed over his business card.
“Alright then. If you change your minds later, you can contact me anytime.”
Having said all he could, Fang Hong limped out of the shop once more.
Bai Yanzhou pursed his lips, then turned his expressionless face toward the smug Bai Jimu.
“Spill it.” Bai Yanzhou produced a ruler from nowhere and tapped it lightly against his palm.
“What exactly did you do when you went out yesterday?”
Bai Jimu felt a chill run down the back of his neck. He stiffly looked up at Bai Yanzhou’s face and offered an ingratiating smile.
“Bro, listen to me, I can explain…”
“Go ahead. I’m listening to your excuses.”
Bai Yanzhou was smiling, but the smile looked terrifying no matter how you sliced it.
Bai Jimu was all too familiar with that smile. The moment he saw it, he felt a phantom pain in his butt.
He was done for.
To avoid a worse beating, Bai Jimu chose leniency through confession.
Five minutes later, a Beagle could be seen lying at the front door, weeping with loud wer-wer sobs.
“Oh my, isn’t that Little Bi? Why are you crying?”
Passersby saw the tragically weeping Beagle and felt their hearts ache.
Uncle Li took a duck leg and placed it in front of Bai Jimu, stroking his head sympathetically.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Uncle is treating you to a duck leg.”
“Uncle Li, ignore him.” Bai Yanzhou leaned against the doorway, looking amused. “This guy sneaked out in the middle of the night and bit someone. Luckily, he didn’t break the skin. I’m punishing him.”
“Is that so?” Uncle Li patted Bai Jimu’s head disapprovingly. “Then you definitely deserve to be punished.”
Bai Jimu gave a resentful look and snorted through his nose.
“Still not convinced, are you?” The smile on Bai Yanzhou’s lips turned dangerous. “Uncle Li, take that leg back. Don’t let him eat it.”
Helpless, Uncle Li reached out and took the duck leg back.
“Little Bi, don’t blame me, okay? Dr. Xiao Bai won’t allow it.”
Watching his beloved duck leg drift away, Bai Jimu finally couldn’t hold it in. He stood up with a mournful howl and ran off without looking back.
As he ran, he let out sorrowful wer-wer cries.
Bai Yanzhou didn’t stop him. He just turned and went back inside.
He’d be back by tonight at the latest; no need to worry.
It wasn’t the first or second time Bai Jimu had run away from home. Adolescence, you know—it’s normal.
“Meow…”
A faint cat’s cry drifted into Bai Yanzhou’s ears, sounding as if it might fade away the very next second.
Bai Yanzhou instantly looked up, searching for the source of the sound.
A kitty!
Yes, Bai Yanzhou was an absolute cat fanatic.
Or, to be more precise, he loved all things fluffy.
As a cold-blooded creature, Bai Yanzhou had zero resistance to fluffy animals, especially kittens.
However, because he worried he wouldn’t have time to take care of one, plus having a demon king at home already, Bai Yanzhou had never entertained the idea of raising a cat.
But if there was a kitty offering free pets…
Thinking of this, Bai Yanzhou chuckled secretly to himself.
“Meow…”
Looking closely, he saw a small black kitten by the threshold, struggling to crawl inside.
It looked no more than three months old.
Bai Yanzhou covered his mouth with one hand, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the kitten.
“So cute!”
Splat.
The kitten lost its footing and tumbled onto the floor belly-up.
Bai Yanzhou didn’t waste another second; he immediately walked out from behind the counter and scooped the kitten up in his hands.
“Did you hurt yourself, little baby? Let big brother take a look~”
The sickly-sweet voice didn’t sound like something Bai Yanzhou was capable of producing.
The black cat in his hands stiffened, its large green eyes looking up at Bai Yanzhou in confusion.
“Meow-woo.”
The black cat let out a soft, adorable cry and squirmed uneasily.
“So skinny.” Bai Yanzhou carefully cradled the kitten in his arms. His hand habitually checked its abdomen and immediately felt ribs protruding from leanness.
Interpreting the kitten’s squirming as fear, he softened his tone even further.
“Don’t be scared, kitty. Big brother isn’t a bad guy. Big brother will get you something yummy.”
Humming a tune, Bai Yanzhou pressed down on his cushion to make a nest, placing the little black cat right in the center.
He turned and went upstairs, returning quickly with a small bowl of goat milk.
“Luckily, there was some left. You must be hungry. Come eat.”
Bai Yanzhou didn’t question how a kitten had crawled into his shop.
A guest is a guest, and since it was here, he would take good care of it.
The black cat wobbled toward the bowl, sniffing the aroma wafting from it.
The cat didn’t rush; instead, it drank in small, very reserved sips.
Bai Yanzhou rested his chin on one hand, his gaze sweeping over the black cat’s hind leg.
The leg was obviously deformed; it looked like a fracture.
Combined with the messy, dirty fur, he was almost immediately certain that this kitten was either abandoned or a stray.
A three-month-old cat is just a baby. Would someone really be cruel enough to abandon it?
“You poor little thing.”
Bai Yanzhou gently tapped the tip of his finger on the black cat’s head.
The cat wasn’t paying attention, and its whole head was dunked into the bowl, its face coming up covered in white goat milk.
“Pfft.” Bai Yanzhou couldn’t help laughing out loud. He quickly pulled a tissue from the side. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
For some reason, Bai Yanzhou detected a look of resentment on the little milk cat’s face.