Only Liu Huan and the kitten remained at the table, and both man and cat let out a deep sigh of relief.
The kitten wasn’t in the best of moods either. He hastily filled his little belly, then yawned, ready for sleep.
But the kitten was still filthy all over, and if he wanted to sleep, he’d first need a proper wash, an order the Demon Lord himself had given.
Liu Huan patted the kitten’s head and coaxed him gently. “Xiao Niangao, don’t sleep just yet. Won’t you bathe first, and sleep afterward?”
The little tyrant had no intention of listening to Liu Huan. He climbed into her arms, yawned, flopped over onto his belly, and closed his eyes, clearly expecting her to carry him back to his room to sleep.
Watching the kitten’s display, Liu Huan felt utterly helpless. She didn’t dare defy the Demon Lord’s orders, and besides, the kitten was covered in dirt and grime from head to toe, there was no way she’d dare deliver a cat in this state straight to the Demon Lord’s own bed.
After much deliberation, Liu Huan decided to carry the kitten to Chong Yin instead.
At that moment, Chong Yin was in his study, marking up a memorial with sharp, furious strokes. The characters scrawled across the page were wild and jagged, betraying at a glance the writer’s simmering irritation, the force behind his grip on the brush was enough to nearly punch a hole clean through the paper.
The attendant tending the ink and brushes didn’t dare breathe too loud, keeping his head bowed and trying his best to fade into the background.
Yet the Demon Lord still caught sight of him at a glance, and suddenly asked, “Are all cats in this world this difficult to look after?”
The attendant blinked, startled, then quickly gathered his thoughts and answered, “From what this servant recalls, cats tend to see themselves as noble little masters, yet they’re also remarkably clingy. This servant once kept a cat that insisted on sleeping right alongside him every night…”
“Do you think I don’t already know cats are clingy?” Chong Yin cut him off with a sharp glance.
The attendant quickly bowed his head, not daring to say another word.
Chong Yin let out a cold snort, privately thinking that the cat he himself kept was plenty clingy as well, it was just that its temper left much to be desired…
Just as he was lost in thought, someone hurried in through the door. Chong Yin looked up to find it was Liu Huan, carrying the now-sleeping kitten in her arms.
The little furball looked to be sleeping quite soundly in Liu Huan’s embrace.
Chong Yin’s gaze fixed unblinkingly on Liu Huan, and in an instant, she felt sweat soaking through her back.
Liu Huan bowed with the kitten still in her arms and spoke up. “Your Excellency, Xiao Niangao has fallen asleep, but he hasn’t bathed yet. What should be done?”
Chong Yin’s eyes remained indifferent. “Simply toss him into the water. Why bother asking me about it? I don’t have time to concern myself with this little tyrant’s affairs.”
Liu Huan said, “…But the kitten is injured. It wouldn’t be wise to toss him into water.”
Chong Yin’s gaze fell on the bandaged paw of the sleeping kitten, and despite himself, his hardened resolve softened somewhat. After a moment of silence, he waved a hand. “Leave the cat here. You may go.”
Liu Huan’s expression brightened. She bowed, quickly stepped forward to set the kitten down beneath the Demon Lord’s desk, then hurried out.
Chong Yin glanced once more at the attendant tending his brushes and ink, who understood the cue at once and quickly withdrew as well.
Now the room held only the two of them, man and cat.
The sky outside had already darkened, a bright moon hanging over the treetops beyond the window. It truly was time to bathe and rest.
Chong Yin set down his brush, his gaze falling on the kitten sleeping soundly beside him. A cool night breeze drifted in through the unclosed window, and the kitten, seeming to feel the chill, quickly tucked his paws beneath his belly, curling his entire body into a tight ball.
Chong Yin let out a cold laugh. “If it weren’t for me taking you in, you’d be starving and freezing out there somewhere, likely already dead in some ditch. And yet here you are, still daring to throw tantrums at me.”
The kitten’s ears twitched, and he buried his head into his own paws, as though annoyed by the noise.
Chong Yin: “…”
He sighed, and after a moment, rose to close the window, then drew a soft handkerchief from his sleeve and gently draped it over the kitten.
Only then did the kitten seem to settle more comfortably, stretching out his four limbs, revealing the soft pink pads on all four paws as he rolled over to expose his round, soft little belly.
Chong Yin watched the kitten for a moment, let out a slow breath, and felt much of his earlier irritation and restlessness fade away. He picked up his brush again, dipped it in ink, and returned to processing the memorial in his hands.
Being Demon Lord, overseeing every affair of the Demon Realm, was no easy task.
He couldn’t fathom why that frivolous, pleasure-seeking man back then had ever fought so hard for this throne, there was really nothing enjoyable about it at all.
Chong Yin settled his mind and focused on his duties. He had no idea how much time had passed when he suddenly felt something stirring against his leg. Looking down, he found the drowsy kitten, eyes half-closed, searching his body for a comfortable spot to sleep.
Chong Yin raised an eyebrow, unable to help recalling the attendant’s earlier words, thinking that his own cat was every bit as clingy, insisting on sleeping right on top of him, too.
Except his cat was far too promiscuous, willing to sleep on just about anyone at all…
While Chong Yin was lost in thought, the drowsy, half-asleep kitten had already begun kicking with his short little legs, attempting to climb up to the crook of his neck, but the kitten was simply too small, and with one paw still injured, he struggled for a long while without success, growing increasingly frantic, swishing his tail and meowing in distress.
The corner of Chong Yin’s mouth twitched. He let out a sigh, then reached down, cupped the kitten’s rear end, and lifted him up, setting him against the crook of his own neck.
The kitten always liked sleeping tucked into the crook of his neck, likely because that spot was especially warm.
The kitten nuzzled against Chong Yin’s neck, shifted into a comfortable position, and drifted back to sleep.
But while the kitten slept soundly, Chong Yin, now supporting the little creature, found himself unable to continue reviewing his memorials.
Chong Yin clicked his tongue and, after a long moment, rose and made his way out of the study.
Fine. The memorials could wait until tomorrow.
…
Back in the bedchamber, Chong Yin looked at the filthy little kitten in his arms and found he couldn’t bear it for even a moment longer. He turned and carried the kitten straight behind the screen to the bathing pool.
Chong Yin set the kitten aside, undressed, stepped into the pool, then reached over and lifted the kitten from the edge, carrying him into the water as well.
He was careful to hold the kitten’s injured paw clear of the water, but the rest of the kitten’s body he plunged mercilessly beneath the surface.
Still deep in sleep, Bai Xiaonian felt something was wrong. He opened his eyes to find himself being held down in water.
Someone was trying to murder him!
The kitten’s eyes went wide with shock as he stared, disbelieving, at the culprit before him. It was Chong Yin.
He didn’t expect this man to be so utterly vicious.
Bai Xiaonian let loose a stream of furious curses at Chong Yin, only for what emerged to be nothing but a series of soft, helpless kitten mews, all his righteous fury draining away instantly.
Bai Xiaonian was absolutely furious.
The kitten thrashed with all his strength, desperate to break free of Chong Yin’s grip, but his strength was simply too insignificant compared to the man’s, and he couldn’t escape no matter how hard he struggled.
Chong Yin had no idea what had set the cat off so suddenly, the moment he’d woken, he’d thrashed about wildly, splashing water all over Chong Yin’s face.
Chong Yin wiped his face, his expression darkening at once, and he snapped angrily at the kitten, “Enough. Behave yourself.”