25
A slightly chubby ginger cat landed silently and sat quietly before everyone.
It tilted its furry little head and licked its paw.
Usually lazy and a bit grumpy, this ginger cat now looked utterly adorable, even a little elegant.
As if the agile figure that had dashed over just moments ago wasn’t it at all.
It lifted a soft, furry paw, wiped its little face, and gently meowed toward Ye Susu.
“Meow~”
“Wow, Big Ginger!”
“The ginger cat~”
“Kitty!”
The children immediately whispered in awe. Even Xiao Pang, who had been stunned, now gaped.
Ye Susu smiled and tilted her head, snapping her fingers.
The ginger cat, with somewhat messy fur clearly a stray gracefully took two steps forward, slowly lay down, rolled over, and exposed its soft belly right in front of Ye Xun.
“Must be a coincidence.”
A flicker of envy crossed Xiao Pang’s face, but he desperately wanted to get closer. His little feet shuffled forward a step.
But his mother grabbed his hand, preventing him from moving closer.
“Aow~”
Ye Susu lifted her little face and called out softly again.
From the flower bed beside them came a rustling sound of crushed leaves.
Everyone turned and saw two small, furry, round heads peeking out from behind the trimmed round shrubbery.
One was black, the other a calico, and they meowed in response.
Everyone: “!???”
Meanwhile, the phone screen in Ye Xun’s backpack instantly lit up with a barrage of messages.
[What’s happening? I’m begging to know.]
[Can’t see the video, so frustrating.]
[Don’t tell me after the baby’s mom meowed, cats actually showed up?]
[I think I heard someone calling out to a ginger cat. Did I hear that right?]
[Hahaha, probably the baby’s mom feeds stray cats regularly. I have a friend who’s also very popular with the local strays because she feeds them at fixed times and spots. The cats approach her when they see her.]
Comments flooded the livestream.
And the scene at the kindergarten entrance wasn’t any calmer.
The children, who had been obediently heading home with their parents, chatting at most, were now completely out of control.
“Xiao Ye’s mom really knows cat language. So cool!”
“Dad, why don’t you know how to talk to cats? I want to learn that too.”
“Grandma, I don’t want to learn English. I want to learn cat talk… No, I don’t want to go home. I want to stay and watch the cats!”
“Let me pet it, kitty, don’t go!”
Children held by their parents began to struggle, throwing tantrums, desperate to approach the cats lying there asking for pets.
Xiao Pang, who had mocked Ye Xun earlier, rubbed his eyes again.
He even reached out his chubby little hand toward the ginger cat nearest to him.
“Mom, can I pet it?”
The woman in her early thirties standing beside him, dressed in office attire, immediately frowned.
“It’s filthy…”
Xiao Pang pouted, looking resentful. “Please, just one touch.”
The middle-aged woman wavered.
But a crisper, more resolute refusal cut in first.
“That’s right, you can’t.”
Firm and decisive.
“Cats don’t like playing with dirty little brats.”
After saying this, Ye Susu turned gracefully.
She waved a hand behind her.
The three cats behind her rolled over, got up from the ground and flower bed, and actually obediently followed her for a few steps.
Xiao Pang stared, mesmerized.
Ye Xun’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Ye Susu’s face, a faint hint of admiration in his gaze.
…
“Here, give these dried fish strips to Big Chubby, Second Chubby, and Third Chubby.”
“One bite for each.”
“Mm, they can’t eat too much salt. Next time, we should buy some cat food so they don’t end up with bald patches.”
Too much salt intake for cats not only leads to shedding but also increases the risk of kidney issues.
Only after reaching the corner did Ye Susu pull out the dried fish strips from her bag and let Ye Xun feed them to the three little ones.
Ye Xun then realized. “Mommy, so it was because you brought dried fish that they followed you.”
“Wrong,” Ye Susu denied instantly, shaking her head. “It’s because I’m a beautiful, elegant, and charming female. Attracting males is perfectly normal.”
Ye Xun let out a quiet sigh, secretly stroking the head of the ginger cat in front of him with his little finger.
His small eyes were full of regret.
So, Mommy didn’t actually speak cat language. He had almost believed it for a moment.
“Alright, say goodbye to the chubby ones. We’ll play with them again next time.”
Seeing that he had finished feeding them, Ye Susu took the water bottle from her bag and rinsed his little hands.
Ye Xun nodded, looking back reluctantly at the three cats.
Seeing them licking their paws after eating, he waved at them.
“Mew~”
After he turned around, the three stray cats looked up at him in unison, letting out a synchronized meow from their throats.
Hearing the sound, Ye Xun turned back, but all he saw on the empty ground beside the tree were fallen leaves, nothing else.
His face fell instantly.
“Noble cats are highly independent creatures. They have their own lives. We’ll play with them again next time.”
Ye Susu patted his head.
Ye Xun pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Mm.”
His dark, grape-like eyes held a distinct sense of lingering fascination.
At exactly 6 PM, the official end of the workday.
But outside the president’s office at Evergrande Center, the assistants were still busily typing away or organizing documents.
Usually, the boss worked overtime until after 8 PM, so the assistant team didn’t dare leave before him.
“Off-work time” was more of a concept than a reality here.
Lately, however, this pattern seemed to be shifting.
[Betting pool: Will the boss come out early today?]
[You’re dreaming, right? The boss always has private matters. No way.]
[Liu Zhen probably knows… OMG, he’s tidying up his desk! Preparing to leave, my friends!]
The assistant group chat buzzed nonstop.
After the last piece of good news popped up, sure enough, the next second, the door to the president’s office opened.
A pair of long legs, clad in tailored suit pants, strode out powerfully, each step carrying a chill.
All the assistants lowered their heads.
Silently, they posted the same message in the group.
[Wind level: Strong.]
[Boss’s mood: Not good.]
[Nobody report anything right now. It’s a powder keg.]
“Boss, the driver is downstairs.”
Liu Zhen, as the special assistant, followed immediately.
Li Yun stepped into the elevator without expression.
Only after the elevator doors closed did he narrow his eyes at the livestream room displayed on his phone screen.
His thin, tightly pressed lips finally uttered cold words.
“Liu Zhen, your daughter starts elementary school next year, six years old?”
“Uh… yes, six and a half.”
Liu Zhen nodded cautiously.
Li Yun narrowed his eyes. “Have you ever lied to her?”
“Huh?”
Liu Zhen scratched his ear.
Involuntarily, he thought of Ye Susu.
The boss hadn’t scheduled any meetings or talks from 4 PM onward every day lately.
He probably started watching the livestream as soon as the child finished school. Did he see Ye Susu deceiving a child?
“Sometimes, perhaps… but rarely. Occasionally, we explain things indirectly to children, as many adult matters are beyond their comprehension.”
He racked his brain, trying to answer as ambiguously as possible.
If the boss got angry, whether the child’s mother would suffer was uncertain, but he, being the closest, would definitely be the first to catch it.
Especially since the boss’s mood today had been like a rollercoaster.
He’d managed to brighten up a bit before the morning meeting.
But by noon, the child entrusted to his care by a friend, who was studying in the city, had skipped class and run away from home. In the afternoon, the boss personally went to the internet café to drag him back and sent him off to school.
The boss was already annoyed.
Liu Zhen looked up, trying to gauge the boss’s expression through the reflective surface in the elevator.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t discern anything.
“Hmm.”
Li Yun’s face remained expressionless.
But as soon as the elevator doors opened, he strode out, indicating that this answer hadn’t cooled his temper.
Liu Zhen sighed.
“Find a dog with a gentle temperament, suitable for accompanying a child.”
“Huh? Yes, sir.”
At six in the evening, as night gradually fell, the aroma of home-cooked meals drifted from various households in Sea Grape Court.
Tonight, Ye Susu had prepared grilled fish with reduced seasoning, water spinach, and steamed egg custard for the little one.
Just as they were about to start dinner, the electronic lock on the front door beeped, and the door opened from the outside. A tall, straight figure carrying a chill entered the foyer, wearing a high-necked black sweater with a trench coat draped over his arm.
Ye Susu looked up and immediately noticed his grim expression.
But she turned her head away in an instant.
Ignore him, ignore him.
This catnip was rebelling and throwing a tantrum, did he want to fly to the heavens?
Let him reflect properly!
But after she dipped the oily grilled fish into her water glass to rinse it before eating, she frowned slightly.
This guy must have had a setback.
That’s why he didn’t greet her like he had in the past few days and looked so gloomy.
Yes, just like Xia Ningmeng said repeated rejections, facing unemployment, the pressure causing emotional instability.
She pouted.
He better not be like that useless owner from her 54th life, always thinking about eternal sleep.
“Little one, you’re a polite child. Say hello to Uncle, okay?”
Ye Susu narrowed her eyes.
Right, she decided to ignore him, but she shouldn’t let it affect the little one and make him lack understanding of social norms at such a young age.
Li Yun, who had just walked from the foyer into the living room, paused mid-step.
The anger that had built up on the way home strangely ceased its ascent.
He looked toward the woman at the dining table with a complex expression.
When it came to child education, she was truly impeccable.
But Ye Susu didn’t even glance at him, instead pushing the plate of water spinach closer to Ye Xun’s small hand.
“…U-uncle… hello…”
Ye Xun’s face flushed.
Facing an uncle he saw several times a day, he still felt nervous.
Li Yun’s anger dissipated instantly, his tense handsome features softening immediately.
“Hello, little one. Having dinner?”
Ye Xun nodded slightly, but the small hand holding the spoon still stirred the egg custard restlessly.
He clearly didn’t know how to continue the conversation.
And Li Yun was still in the exploratory stage when it came to interacting with children.
“You’re so well-behaved. Eat up.”
He forced a smile and uttered the most clichéd line.
Ye Xun nodded again and again.
But soon, he shyly averted his gaze, not daring to look directly at him anymore.
Watching this, Ye Susu couldn’t help but sigh.
This little one had none of the street-dominating swagger she once had.
Still needed proper training.
But Li Yun admired the sight of his son eating obediently. No matter what, the boy looked utterly adorable, making his steps up the stairs feel noticeably lighter.
Once he left, Ye Susu’s eyes darted around thoughtfully.
Today’s tasks—1. Confess; 2. Have the little one do something for her.
Instantly, a plan formed in her mind.
“Little one, Mommy has a little surprise for you today. But first, do something for Mommy, okay?”
Ye Xun blinked, his dark grape-like eyes filled with confusion.
A surprise?
He’d heard Xiao Pang say that every birthday, his parents gave him surprises.
But today wasn’t his birthday.
Ye Susu propped her chin on her hand, taking three more bites of fish in quick succession. “We’re eating, but Uncle hasn’t eaten yet. Later, Mommy will steam some egg custard, and you take it to Uncle, okay?”
The little one really needed to build up his courage.
But she couldn’t let the little one go unrewarded either.
After a stick, you need a carrot and the carrot was her confession tonight.
Yes, that’s right.
She’d treat the ‘confession’ as a reward. That way, it wouldn’t feel abrupt at all.
If the little one didn’t respond, it wouldn’t be a blow to her great kitty pride.
And as for Catnip… of course it wasn’t because she pitied him and wanted to feed him.
It was to nurture the little one.
If not for the little one, forget egg custard, this overly proud guy… would only deserve a slap from a kitty’s paw!
“Mm, it’s decided then! Once you’re finished eating, go back to your room first. Mommy will call you when everything’s ready.”
Ye Susu narrowed her eyes, smiling, feeling she was a rare genius among cats.
Now she also had time to properly prepare what to say for the confession.
Ye Xun was slightly stunned, his hand holding the little spoon tightening instantly.
Interacting with unfamiliar outsiders still made him uncomfortable.
“Good boy, come on, take another big bite of rice, ah-umm.”
Ye Susu was extremely satisfied.
An hour later, after finally figuring out the wording for the confession, Ye Susu specially found a piece of pink paper and cut it into a heart shape.
She searched Baidu for English, Chinese, and Japanese phrases, then haltingly and unskillfully wrote three lines.
“Dear. I like you. You are like the little beam of sunshine that shines on kitty every day—warm, reliable, radiating your own heat, brilliantly driving away the lingering cold of the night. I really like you!”
After writing it, Ye Susu let out a long sigh.
So hard.
Mortal confessions were so difficult.
It practically used up all the brain cells in her kitty head.
Coincidentally, the kindergarten homework required teaching the child three sentences in a foreign language.
This way, she killed two birds with one stone.
“Perfect!”
Ye Susu rubbed her slightly sore wrist from writing, admired her work once more, then tucked the little heart-shaped note beside the small bowl of steamed egg custard in the kitchen.
The little one couldn’t read yet, but he could ask.
Later, she’d hide in the bathroom and not come out, letting him ask Catnip.
That way, Catnip’s mouth would speak the mushy confession words on her behalf.
She was so clever.
Catnip, to put it plainly, was just a tool for kitties!
If he didn’t behave, she’d eat him!
“Hehehe, little one, are you busy? Mommy has prepared the egg custard for Uncle. Take it to him while it’s still warm~”
Ye Susu entered the room as if nothing was amiss.
After saying that, she secretly clenched a victorious fist and dragged the Lego cardboard box that had been piled in the corner for days into the bathroom.
“I’m going to take a bath. Thanks for your help.”
……
Ten minutes later.
“The little one should have reached downstairs by now, right?”
“He must have seen it. Huh, why hasn’t the task been completed yet?”
“Mm, he must not know how to read.”
“He’ll go upstairs, he’ll go ask Catnip next door…”
Ye Susu poked holes in the cardboard box with her finger, one after another, while tilting her head and waiting for the task completion notification.
But minute after minute passed, and still no sound came.
“Why no movement yet? Could Catnip not understand English? But he should understand Chinese, right? There are online translators too. Is he even less capable than me, a kitty?”
Ye Susu was about to scratch the cardboard box bald.
Meanwhile, in the next room.
Li Yun looked down at the pink note in his hand.
Deep in thought.
The child had just said his mother asked him to bring this to him.
He was ‘like kitty’s… sunshine’? What kind of statement was that?
Was this woman confessing to him after knowing him for less than a week?
Li Yun’s brow furrowed slightly.
**
Susu: Sometimes when a kitty stretches out a paw, the owner thinks it’s love and honor… But actually, this kitty has no heart!
All tease, no responsibility—that’s a cat person for you!