If Chen Nian knew that Li Yixun thought he didn’t like kittens, he would definitely laugh at her for not understanding him.
But she truly couldn’t understand this side of him, because he would never let her touch the cat, and he would even remove cat hair from his clothes before meeting her.
Actually, Chen Nian hadn’t always liked kittens; in fact, for a long time, he really disliked them.
When he was seven, Qi Hui got a three-month-old American Shorthair kitten named Tuotuo. It was very lively and playful, often causing trouble around the house, finding amusement in overturning various things on the table.
At that time, Chen Nian was also at that lively and mischievous age, and every day he would battle with this naughty kitten at home, as if they were competing to see who was more annoying in the house.
One day, he returned to his room and found the kitten running around, tearing paper all over the floor. His obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in, and he broke down, but he really couldn’t do anything about the kitten. After silently cleaning up the room, he slipped out to play, out of sight, out of mind.
However, in a nearby alley, he found a little girl who looked taller than him, crying loudly with her face covered.
She looked extremely disheveled, covered in dust from a recent fall, with a noticeable cut on her knee. Her hand had likely accidentally touched the wound, and because she felt it was unsightly to cry, she covered her face with it, resulting in a face a mixture of blood and tears, like something out of a horror movie. Seven-year-old Chen Nian would have nodded in agreement if you told him she was homeless.
Perhaps because she was crying so bitterly, Chen Nian felt compassion and overcame his germaphobia to talk to her. The little girl cried uncontrollably, her speech incoherent, unable to clearly state where she lived—no, where her grandmother lived.
Chen Nian had no choice but to accept his fate and take her home to have the nanny treat her wound.
When he asked her to come with him, he expected it to be a hassle, but the little girl, naive and innocent, followed him without any suspicion.
Midway through, she couldn’t keep up because he was walking too fast, and tried to grab his hand. Luckily, he noticed in time, preventing his hand from getting stained with blood and tears. He reluctantly tucked a corner of his shirt into her hand so she could hold it.
“I’ll definitely throw this shirt away when I get home,” he thought disdainfully.
After arriving home, the nanny treated her wounds, and he finally found out the address of her grandmother’s house.
It turned out she was the same age as him, even a few months older, and her grandmother’s house was in a nearby house. But Chen Nian thought she was obviously a bit dim-witted; not only was she completely trusting, but she also couldn’t find her way even though she knew the address.
The matter was supposed to end with the nanny taking her home, smoothly becoming a good deed for Chen Nian when he was 7 years old, but then his daughter Tuotuo made her grand entrance.
Tuotuo clearly liked Li Yixun’s scent, and without any shyness, she jumped into her arms and clung to her. Li Yixun was clearly experiencing such affectionate treatment from her feline overlord for the first time, instantly captivated by the soft, adorable kitten, andshe began playfully cuddling with it.
However, after only a few minutes, Li Yixun began to feel noticeably unwell, sneezing repeatedly, and her eyes uncontrollably turning red and watery.
This terrified the nanny and Chen Nian, who rushed her to a nearby hospital. Her symptoms lessened considerably after she was separated from the cat on the way. The vet, clearly experienced in this area, after questioning her about the substance she had come into contact with, made a preliminary diagnosis that Li Yixun was likely allergic to cat fur; a specific allergen test was needed for a definitive diagnosis.
In their short seven years of life, Chen Nian and Li Yixun were encountering the term “allergy” for the first time. The vet also explained that some people experience breathing difficulties or even asthma triggers due to allergies, emphasizing the need for extra caution and avoidance of allergens. This terrified the two little ones. They exchanged glances, both showing lingering fear. Chen Nian feared he might have harmed them instead of helping, while Li Yixun was gripped by a nameless dread about her illness.
When Chen Nian took Li Yixun home, he looked at her red nose and eyes, feeling a pang of guilt and awkwardness. What was meant to be a casual farewell was instead tinged with an invitation to “play together next time.”
In the world of children, there are no formalities. If he said “play together next time,” Li Yixun would genuinely seek out Chen Nian, and Chen Nian would genuinely feel guilty and take extra care of this girl his age.
Chen Nian had started disliking cats when he was 13. Before that, he and Tuotuo had a love-hate relationship. On the surface, he and Tuotuo were constantly at odds; he seemed to dislike this mischievous kitten, but in reality, he was the one who loved opening Tuotuo’s canned food the most, even though Tuotuo didn’t particularly like cat food.
That day, the math tutoring class teacher had an emergency and let them leave early. Chen Nian didn’t wait for the driver and walked home himself.
When he got home, he found the house empty. He didn’t know if the nanny had gone out to buy groceries or somewhere else. Chen Nian didn’t think much of it, washed his hands, and looked around for Tuotuo to feed it.
Tuotuo loved to sleep in dark corners. Chen Nian tiptoed around and finally found it under the sofa in the study.
Tuotuo was startled awake by the noise. It opened its eyes slightly, glanced at him, and, after confirming it was someone familiar, rubbed against his hand and went back to sleep.
Chen Nian mischievously scratched its belly, but only received a few scratches from the cat; it was still sleepy and didn’t want to get up. Chen Nian picked it up and gently stroked its fur, and Tuotuo purred contentedly.
Suddenly hearing voices outside, he assumed it was his mother or the nanny returning. Holding his cat, he looked out, only to find his father, dressed in a suit, and his female secretary coming back to collect something. Chen Nian didn’t think much of it; this was a common occurrence.
However, he didn’t intend to speak. He had argued with his father about participating in the math Olympiad, and he was still feeling a bit resentful.
“Why is no one home?” the secretary asked, puzzled, not noticing Chen Nian’s silence upstairs.
“Qi Hui is probably at her foundation right now. Chen Nian is probably in class because he insists on participating in the math Olympiad. Sister Wang is probably out grocery shopping…” Chen Gong didn’t pay much attention and headed upstairs to the walk-in closet. Chen Nian quickly grabbed his cat and retreated to his study.
“We’re going to Toronto this time. It’s very cold there. I brought you several thick coats.” The secretary followed him upstairs.
“Alright, you too. Don’t be vain and prioritize style over warmth, or you’ll cry to me when you’re sick.” It was still his father’s familiar voice, but the intimacy in his words shouldn’t belong to a superior and subordinate.
Chen Nian keenly sensed that something was wrong. Even if the nanny wasn’t home, it shouldn’t be a female assistant helping him tidy his clothes.
But in previous meetings, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual between his father and this female secretary. Moreover, his parents’ relationship had always been very good. His mother always emphasized that she had married down to his father, and his father seemed to cherish and spoil her because of this; they even kissed each other on the cheek every day before leaving the house.
As their only son, Chen Nian had grown up surrounded by love. His parents would openly say he was their most beloved child in the world, and although Chen Nian felt awkward, he would still quietly reply, “I love Mom and Dad the most, too!”
Chen Nian never had Li Yixun’s worries. When Li Yixun was busy fighting against the world and told him she felt unloved, he was even more surprised, wondering if she was just being overly sensitive during puberty. How could parents not love their other child?
Although the walk-in closet and study were not far apart, Chen Nian no longer heard Chen Gong’s conversation with the secretary.
Chen Nian curled up behind the study wall, clutching the kitten, his back hunched, trying to control his heavy breathing, his heart pounding.
He had a bad feeling; he should go out and investigate, even if the truth wasn’t what he thought. But he hesitated in the study, clinging tightly to Tuotuo, hoping for some sense of security.
Those who live in happiness and tranquility for too long lack the courage to face challenges and shatter illusions.
Father would never do anything to betray them; he loved Mother and him so much, he wouldn’t. Thirteen-year-old Chen Nian repeated this to himself over and over.
Perhaps his tension was transmitted to Tuotuo, or perhaps his grip on Tuotuo was unconsciously too tight and forceful, because Tuotuo suddenly bristled, howling and scratching his hand. Chen Nian barely felt the pain and looked down before Tuotuo had already broken free.
It hopped a few steps and leaped into the hallway. Ignoring the injury on his hand, Chen Nian followed quietly. Before he could stop it from making a sound, it began to meow incessantly.
Chen Nian’s back stiffened, and he felt as if his breath had stopped.
The two people in the dressing room also heard the unusual meowing. Chen Gong came out to investigate, only to find a cat and a person standing silently in the hallway, creating a strange standoff.
“Niannian? When did you get back?” Chen Gong panicked for a moment but quickly regained his composure, turning to the side and casually raising his hand to cover his nose as if in discomfort.
Chen Nian didn’t miss it; he clearly saw the lipstick mark on his father’s lips.
The bright red color was as bloody as the scratch on his hand.
“Just now,” he heard his own hoarse voice.
“Go back to your room and do your homework. Dad’s packing; I have to go on a business trip to Toronto later. If you want anything, just tell Dad.” Chen Gong wasn’t sure if his son had discovered anything, so he could only give him the usual instructions. He even forgot that he and Chen Nian had just argued, and Chen Nian hadn’t been paying much attention to him for the past few days.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and Chen Nian struggled to speak, “You sneaked food and didn’t even wipe your mouth?”
The gloom and mockery in Chen Nian’s eyes almost pierced Chen Gong. He was uncharacteristically stunned, his hands stiffly falling to his sides, his eyes filled with complex emotions. “Nian Nian, it’s not what you think.”
“You say you love me, you say you love Mom, you say you love this family, but do you love her too? Your love is so hypocritical.”
“Nian Nian… your mother can’t stand it. Don’t tell your mother.” At this point, Chen Gong stopped arguing and could only plead with his son, who was now almost as tall as him, to maintain a shred of dignity.
“Then don’t do such things!” Chen Nian roared hysterically, not wanting to look at him again, and turned to walk towards his room.
The cat seemed to sense its owner’s bad mood and followed him, trying to get his attention.
Chen Nian, however, took his anger out on Tuotuo as well, refusing to let it into his room. “Go away!”
Tuotuo blinked its innocent brown eyes, seemingly not understanding why its little master was so angry. Then the door in front of it was slammed shut, leaving the cat alone and abandoned in the hallway.
That was when Chen Nian hated cats the most. He hated his father and even hated the cat that had unintentionally led him to see his father’s true colors.
He still told his mother about his father’s infidelity, and then he watched as his mother’s always calm and composed image as a wealthy lady crumbled, turning into a desperate woman like those in TV dramas, smashing things hysterically.
“Chen Gong, how dare you treat me like this!”
“When you married me, you promised you’d only love me, that I’d be your only love for the rest of your life.”
“I almost fell out with my parents just to marry you…”
Chen Gong, seemingly having endured enough, retorted fiercely, “Stop putting on that superior act, and stop repeating that you married down. Am I living off your family? Aside from the initial startup capital for the company, which was given by your father, I’ve never asked him for any money since!”
“Don’t even mention love. You were the one who said you loved me first, you were the one who wanted to marry me!”
Qi Hui had never felt so humiliated in her life. “Is it wrong for me to say I love you first? Is your love based on my love for you?”
“Yes! If you hadn’t extended an olive branch to me, I would never have been with you, let alone married you.”
…
Chen Nian sat crouched in the corridor, his face gloomy as he listened to the hysterical argument.
From the happiest, most perfect family in the world, as described in his essays, to a family torn apart by parental discord, it all happened in such a short time.
That year, his mother’s makeup was ruined by tears, her hair was disheveled, and she even lost one of her slippers. Completely unlike her usual self, her eyes were filled with the madness and despair of a broken love. Chen Nian still remembers that terrifying scene many years later.
The cat lay beside her legs, offering its owner its own way of comfort and solace.
“Let’s get a divorce, Mom. Let’s leave him,” Chen Nian said, unable to bear it any longer, looking at his mother with heartache.
Qi Hui raised her face, her bloodshot eyes filled with despair and heartbreak, her voice laced with a bitter, clenched hatred, “No, I’ll drag him down with me! I want him to only ever have me as his wife, until the very end!”
“Chen Nian, never give your heart to anyone! Never say ‘I love you,’ it will only become a weapon to hurt you.”
Without deep love, there is no deep hate; without giving your heart, you won’t be shattered. Just as his mother hated his cheating father, and just as he hated his father, who betrayed the family, 13-year-old Chen Nian understood this perfectly.
Chen Nian chewed up those sorrowful emotions, swallowed them deeply, and warned himself never to fall into the entanglement of love and hate again.
Before the age of 13, when little Chen Nian was asked who his favorite person was, he would hesitate for a while before saying softly but firmly, “I love Mom and Dad the most!”
After the age of 13, like his mother, Chen Nia was afraid of being hurt, closed his heart with indifference, and never uttered the word “love.” Even though he still deeply loved his mother, he no longer expressed it, keeping it hidden in his heart.
Chen Nian was so troubled by what happened that year that he refused to be close to Tuotuo anymore, even though he knew it was innocent. He ignored its presence at home.
Small animals are always very sensitive, and Tuotuo seemed to know it was no longer loved, so it stopped clinging to him.
Many years later, before Tuotuo passed away due to illness and returned to Cat Planet, Chen Nian finally found peace and solemnly apologized to the cat who had been with his mother for so many years, “I’m sorry for all the resentment and indifference I’ve shown over the years, and thank you, thank you for always being by my mother’s side.”