The big cat gave an aloof nod, then took a bite of the bread in Mary’s hand.
After one taste, its eyes went wide with delight.
After gobbling down the bread from Mary’s hand in just a few bites, it imperiously pulled all the bread from the shopping bag and clutched it to its chest.
Cheng Xi had been amused watching the big cat eat with such gusto, but its next move made her eye twitch.
She lunged for the bag.
“That’s mine!”
“GRR?” ‘What does this human think she’s doing?’
Cheng Xi pointed to the bag, then to herself, making it clear that the bread was hers!
‘Insolent!’ Hart’s eyes widened in fury.
‘No one has ever dared to snatch food from me!’
“GRR!” Despite his chubbiness, he was surprisingly agile.
In a flash, he had the bread bag clamped in his jaws.
Cheng Xi was stunned by his attempt to steal the bread.
“You’re actually trying to steal it!”
“If you want some, get your brother to buy it for you. Stop bullying a pet, will you?”
However, no one could understand her.
Mani tried to mediate.
“Lord Hart, that bread belongs to Cheng Xi.
If you want some, why don’t we have the Duke buy you your own, okay?”
“GRR!
GRR!” ‘No!
I want this one.’
The big cat refused to release its jaw, and Cheng Xi refused to let go.
The stalemate lasted only a few seconds before the bag was ripped apart by sharp teeth, sending bread tumbling all over the floor.
Before Cheng Xi could react, a black shadow zipped past, and every last piece of bread on the floor was trampled under his paws.
Cheng Xi’s heart ached at the loss.
Angrily, she yelled, “You bad cat! You’re such a bully!”
‘The hairy spider was finally gone, and now there’s this big black cat!
And he’s my unscrupulous master’s brother, to boot.
Why does everyone love to bully me?!’
In contrast to Cheng Xi’s anger, Hart smugly claimed all the bread for himself, shooting her triumphant glances as he ate.
Mary Mani had no choice but to go and comfort the upset Cheng Xi.
“Uh, little Cheng Xi, please don’t be angry. Little Lord Hart is only three; he’s just at that mischievous age. How about we have the Duke buy you some more bread later?”
‘What?
This big cat is just a three-year-old brat?’
Half of Cheng Xi’s anger instantly dissipated.
‘As an adult, I shouldn’t squabble with a little kid, right?’
‘Still, my food is gone.
I’ll have to make the culprit’s older brother pay me back.’
She grabbed Mani and, holding the torn bag, went upstairs to find Hotte.
‘After all, I need to bring a translator, right?’
After checking several rooms upstairs, she finally found him in the study.
The door was open, so she sauntered right in.
She slapped the torn bag down on his desk.
Hearing the story, Hotte couldn’t stop his mouth from twitching.
‘Why do I feel like I’m dealing with a squabble between kids?’
‘When did my Duke Mansion turn into a kindergarten?’
But seeing his little pet’s wronged expression, he gave a magnanimous wave of his hand.
“Come on,” he said grandly, “I’ll take you to the human pet supermarket right now. Pick out whatever you want. No limit.”
Cheng Xi’s resentful expression instantly brightened.
‘My master is so generous after all!’
They had been home for less than half an hour, and now they were heading out again.
This time, however, the group was rather large.
Besides the master and his pet, Mary Mani and the big black cat were also coming along.
Along the way, Cheng Xi got a real taste of Hart’s “liveliness.” The moment they boarded the ship, he started acting up for an audience, tearing all over the place.
Annoyed, Hotte couldn’t resist giving him a “loving” toss.
The sight made Cheng Xi’s heart leap into her throat.
‘He’s only a three-year-old kid!
Is it really okay to be so violent?!’
As it turned out, there was no problem at all.
After being tossed by his brother, Hart simply did a roll on the floor and bounced right back up, fully revived.
He did calm down a lot, though.
He stopped running and jumping around, and instead sidled up to the women.
One moment, he was batting at Mary’s hair with his paws; the next, he was playfully gnawing on Mani’s arm.
When he got to her, he held his tail high and began rubbing against her calves.
Aside from his size and appearance, which weren’t very cat-like, he was otherwise no different from a cat.
But Cheng Xi’s intuition told her that Hart was definitely not a cat.
She’d always had a soft spot for fluffy animals, and with the big black cat rubbing against her legs, her hands started to itch.
Unable to resist, she suddenly pushed him to the floor.
Then she gave his back a couple of good scratches.
Caught off guard, the pinned-down Hart tensed up reflexively, as if ready to bolt at any second.
‘But after a few pets…
this actually felt…
kind of good?’
He slowly relaxed and lay still, half-closing his eyes in what looked like pure enjoyment.
He would occasionally glance at her, seemingly very satisfied with her massage services.
The sight left Cheng Xi not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
‘Still, I’m not losing out on this deal,’ she thought.
‘I’m getting to pet him to my heart’s content, haha!’
By the time they disembarked, Hart still seemed to want more.
The tension from their first meeting had completely vanished.
‘That little brat…’
…
They arrived at the human pet supermarket.
Since it exclusively sold items for humans, the moment they entered, they saw many pairings of humans and their Alien masters.
A large group like theirs, on the other hand, was unusual, and they attracted quite a few stares as soon as they stepped inside.
Cheng Xi ignored the curious stares and enthusiastically grabbed a shopping cart.
Hart, taking it as his due, hopped right in.
Wherever he pointed his paw, she pushed the cart.
‘She’d never been here before anyway and wanted to explore the whole store, so it didn’t matter where they started.’
Mary Mani were also excited.
They grabbed their own cart, and whenever they saw something fun or nice-looking, they’d ask Cheng Xi if she wanted it.
If she did, into the cart it went.
If not, they moved on to the next item.
The three women and one “cat” browsed the supermarket at a leisurely pace.
Not having to worry about money, buying anything they fancied—could any feeling be better?
Hotte, on the other hand, was completely ignored.
As he trailed slowly behind them, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
‘Me, a great Duke…
when did I get demoted to being the one who just pays for everything?’
…
The shopping continued.
Mary Mani’s cart was filled with all sorts of non-essential household items, while Cheng Xi’s only had a few things.
After finishing the household goods section, they came to the food aisle.
The products here were all from Outer Space.
There were only purified raw ingredients and fruits; things like baked bread or other snacks were nowhere to be found.
Cheng Xi had come specifically for the food, so she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when this was all she saw.
‘But raw ingredients are fine, too,’ she thought.
‘I can cook for myself.
Anything is better than eating that paste.’
She loaded her cart with some flour, rice, vegetables, and other ingredients—a little bit of everything she could use for cooking.
Seeing her grab so many raw materials, Mani rushed over.
“Cheng Xi, you shouldn’t buy these. They taste awful raw, and Mary and I don’t know how to cook human food with them.”
Hearing this, Cheng Xi waved her hand at them, signaling that they shouldn’t worry.
“It’s fine,” she said.
“I know how to cook.”