Chapter 1 – Picking Up a Cat
Read more: Adopted by an Overworked Office Worker After Turning into a Cat – Chapter 1
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Lin Yan was walking home.
At 11 p.m., Lin Yan shut down his computer and hurried out of the office. Before leaving, he glanced at his phone one last time. After confirming there were no more messages, he finally closed the office door.
He hadn’t even walked far after leaving the building when his phone started ringing nonstop.
I’m screwed, Lin Yan thought.
Sure enough, as soon as he answered, a coworker informed him that there was an error in the code and the project proposal hadn’t been submitted yet.
Lin Yan’s company had a psychopathic CEO named Lu Heng.
Their boss was famous for being a control freak — every big and small matter had to pass through his hands. Every rule he set after taking office had to be followed strictly. Miss a deadline and you’d get verbally abused at best, fired at worst.
Just last week, he fired a programmer whose code was a complete mess. A few days ago, he fired an office clerk who forgot to print the documents for a client meeting.
Lin Yan believed that if he couldn’t even do his own job properly, getting fired was only a matter of time. He depended on this job to survive in the big city — he absolutely could not afford any mistakes.
Fortunately, the project deadline was tomorrow, so there was still time to fix it.
“Alright. I’ll revise it and send it tomorrow.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
“Um… the boss wants it tomorrow morning.”
Lin Yan pressed a hand to his forehead. Why didn’t they wait until tomorrow to tell him? He clearly remembered being told yesterday that the project had a two-day deadline.
Not even a full day, and now it was due.
Lin Yan understood immediately.
That bastard Sun Ning had deliberately hidden the real deadline.
Fine.
Lin Yan ground his teeth.
“I told you yesterday,” the person on the phone said, still sounding accusatory.
Lin Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue.
“Send me the revised file.”
After hanging up, Lin Yan sighed. He slung his backpack over his shoulder; the faint lines at the corners of his eyes seemed a little deeper. Work aged people quickly. Luckily, Lin Yan had good looks to begin with — even with the exhaustion, his handsome face was still hard to hide.
Nine to five, no weekends, no life.
When would this ever end?
Life as corporate livestock was brutal.
Lin Yan turned around and looked at the company building. His back somehow felt a little more hunched than before. He hesitated, wondering if he should go back to the office.
If he returned now, who knew when he’d get home — maybe he’d have to work through the night.
Better to go home and do it. At least he could rest a bit.
The big city glowed with neon and noise. Even close to midnight, there was no sign of quiet. Lin Yan’s apartment wasn’t far from the office — just a ten-minute ride on a shared bike.
But the glittering night of the big city was about to teach Lin Yan a lesson.
At this hour, how were there no shared bikes left?
And just at that moment, heavy rain started pouring down. Lin Yan gave up on looking for a bike, pulled an umbrella from his bag, and walked to the intersection to hail a cab.
He opened the Didi app, ready to call one.
The moment it loaded — twenty yuan minimum.
Lin Yan sucked in a sharp breath.
It was only a short distance, yet it was that expensive. He looked at his three-digit balance and sighed.
He had even been thinking about installing an electronic lock on his door. The landlord’s lock was terrible — it often wouldn’t open — but the landlord refused to replace it.
He had just been officially hired recently and had only moved into this new rental not long ago. Between buying smart home devices, he had already spent quite a lot of money. At this point, the cash in his pocket would only last him until next month’s paycheck.
He thought about it.
I’ll just walk home. Call it exercise.
He hadn’t gone far when he stopped.
It felt like he had heard something.
He stood still and listened carefully.
Nothing.
So he started moving again. After a few steps, he stopped once more.
Yes.
A cat’s cry.
Lin Yan looked around instinctively, especially toward the corner and the clump of grass, but he couldn’t see any cat.
Maybe I imagined it.
He kept walking.
Then the sound came again.
Lin Yan stopped and began searching for the source of the meowing, turning his head toward where it was loudest.
His gaze swept past the streetlamp, past the trash bins—
—and under the traffic light, he actually saw a cat.
Who would’ve thought the cat was waiting at the intersection?
Lin Yan found it strange.
Do cats… watch traffic lights?
What a well-behaved cat.
He walked over.
The light turned green.
The kitten started crossing the road.
Lin Yan: This is unreal. It really knows how to follow traffic lights.
The next second, a motorcycle came speeding toward them. A bad feeling hit Lin Yan instantly. He rushed forward. The rider saw him and slammed on the brakes.
Because of the speed, the sudden stop sent the rear of the bike spinning.
Lin Yan grabbed the cat and jumped backward, tripped over a roadside stone block, and rolled twice.
“Ow—d*mn it.”
“Are you blind?!” the rider shouted at him.
Lin Yan’s hand was scraped raw, little red spots appearing on his skin, and his clothes were soaked. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he didn’t feel any pain at all. He scrambled to his feet, still clutching the cat tightly to his chest.
Seeing the cat in Lin Yan’s arms and the blood on his hand, the rider’s earlier arrogance faded by half.
“Watch where you’re going.”
Lin Yan nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“Meow.”
The kitten squirmed in his arms, clearly uncomfortable with the way he was holding it, and let out a small protest.
“Easy, easy. It’s okay now.”
The rain that had just started had already soaked the kitten. If Lin Yan hadn’t noticed it, the consequences would’ve been unthinkable.
Lin Yan adjusted his grip, supporting the kitten’s dangling legs. The street was empty — had this kitten wandered out on its own?
He waited for a while.
No one came.
Lin Yan decided to take the kitten home first.
After walking for more than twenty minutes, he finally reached home. He set the kitten down and used a freshly washed bath towel to dry it. Since the kitten had just been caught in the rain and the hot water hadn’t heated up yet, Lin Yan didn’t dare give it a bath directly.
He had read before that kittens dislike bathing — getting wet can easily cause stress, and once a cat becomes stressed, the consequences can be serious. So all he could do for now was carefully dry the water from the kitten’s fur.
During the drying process, Lin Yan gently held the kitten in place. The kitten struggled a little at first but soon stayed completely still.
Watching the kitten not move at all, Lin Yan’s heart melted.
How could it be so well-behaved?
After that, Lin Yan released the kitten and took out the ceramic cat bowl he had bought some time ago, pouring some water into it.
Lin Yan had always wanted to raise a cat. Not long ago, he had applied for adoption. The organization he applied to was very formal — they assessed the adopter’s financial situation and work schedule before deciding whether to approve the application.
When they saw that Lin Yan worked at a tech company — one of those so-called internet giants — they rejected him on the grounds that his working hours were unstable. On top of that, he had been extremely busy lately with work and moving, so he hadn’t had time to think about it anymore.
The only thing he had done was buy a bowl for a future cat.
Now it finally came in handy.
Under the warm yellow light of his apartment, Lin Yan could clearly see the kitten’s appearance: short silver-gray fur, big round eyes, and as it drank water, its tail swayed from side to side.
Was this the power of fluff?
In less than an hour, Lin Yan had already made up his mind — he would take responsibility for it and raise it for the rest of its life.
He leaned down for a closer look, lying almost flat on the floor. The kitten was very clean and wore a leather collar around its neck. Lin Yan looked all around it but couldn’t find any owner’s contact information on the collar.
Logically speaking, a clean kitten with a collar should belong to someone.
Lin Yan took several photos of the kitten and posted them in a few stray animal groups he had joined.
Everyone in the groups was very enthusiastic. Several people replied that they hadn’t seen the cat before, and some even helped repost the photos on other social platforms.
After more than ten minutes with no one coming forward to claim it, Lin Yan thought for a moment. Without the slightest hesitation, he placed an order for cat supplies: cat litter, a litter box, a bag of cat food, and a teaser wand. After picking and choosing, he spent several hundred yuan.
Lin Yan made a decision.
He would be eating instant noodles next week.
The kitten sipped the water one mouthful at a time. Its whiskers were long and got pushed up by the edge of the bowl, making it a little uncomfortable, but it was far too thirsty to care.
When it noticed the person lying on the floor watching it, the kitten lifted its chin proudly and looked the human up and down.
Cat: This guy… looks kind of familiar.
Seeing the kitten raise its head, Lin Yan stood up and squatted. As he moved, the work badge hanging around his neck slipped into the kitten’s view.
Future Technology Company
Programmer: Lin Yan
The kitten stared at the words very seriously.
Lin Yan couldn’t help laughing at how focused the kitten looked and reached out to pat its head.
“So cute.”
…
Lu Heng was the CEO of Future Technology Company. He had only been in the position for three months. Since childhood, his father had raised him with almost obsessive strictness, training him to do everything by the book.
But he had a secret.
He was a cat.
More precisely, whenever he stayed up too late, he would turn into a kitten.
He had just taken office, work was overwhelming, and staying up late was the norm. So by day he was the cold, serious CEO; by night, he became a silver tabby cat.
Although he wasn’t very big as a cat, when he was human, he stood at 188 centimeters tall.
This condition had lasted for a long time. At first, Lu Heng tried to fix it by simply getting a good night’s sleep and returning to normal.
But life worked that way — the more he wanted something, the harder it was to achieve. Eventually, Lu Heng gave up.
When he couldn’t sleep at night, he would turn into a cat and wander around.
Gradually, he also discovered a pattern: as long as he didn’t fall asleep before 11 p.m., he would immediately turn into a cat. The next day, shortly after getting off work, he would turn into a cat again.
That was the rule he had figured out so far.
Lu Heng’s workload piled up every day, and his sleep had never been good to begin with. Trying to fall asleep before 11 p.m. was nearly impossible.
Of course, the pattern didn’t always hold. A few times, he transformed into a cat without any warning.
To avoid embarrassment, he had a small room built inside his office, filled with cat supplies. Whenever he suddenly turned into a cat at work, he would hide in there to avoid being discovered.
After that, he added a new rule: anyone entering the CEO’s office had to knock and only come in after receiving a response.
Fortunately, his secretary was extremely capable. Whenever someone came looking for him, the secretary personally checked first. Without a reply, no one was allowed to enter.
Tonight, a little after 11, Lu Heng transformed into a kitten again. He checked the time — there shouldn’t be anyone left in the company at this hour. He didn’t want to stay in the office.
He padded downstairs on light paws, lifted his little head proudly, and then dashed toward the company entrance.
According to his usual plan, he would cross the street and go to the small grove across the road.
Before he could even cross—
he was suddenly grabbed.
At first he tried to struggle, but the person holding him rolled twice on the ground, and when Lu Heng opened his eyes, he felt dizzy.
Then he realized—
the person had been trying to save him.
Little Cat Heng didn’t even have time to say thank you. He had to get away quickly — falling into the hands of a bad person would be disastrous.
Just as he stretched out his legs, the man clamped them tightly.
Plan failed.
All four limbs were trapped, and Little Cat Heng couldn’t move at all.
After struggling for a long while, he exhausted himself without managing to shift even an inch.
And that was how he ended up following Lin Yan all the way home.
Lin Yan watched the kitten sit obediently by the door. Once the supplies arrived, he immediately began arranging everything for the cat. He spent ages setting up the tent-style cat bed, but the kitten refused to sleep in it, choosing instead to curl up near the door every time. Lin Yan figured it was probably still unfamiliar with the place.
Little Cat Heng thought it over for a long time.
Why wasn’t this person going to sleep?
His original plan was to run away the moment the man went to bed.
But it was nearly 1 a.m., and this man was still working overtime in front of the computer. Every time the kitten so much as twitched, the man’s gaze immediately locked onto him. Back and forth, several times — Little Cat Heng never managed to get anywhere near the door.
He had barely taken two steps when the man came over holding a cat teaser.
I am not a cat who gets distracted so easily… unless I absolutely can’t help it.
Lin Yan was working the whole time, but his mind was completely on the kitten. The moment the kitten moved, his eyes followed. If he weren’t rushing to finish this module today, he would definitely be cuddling the cat right now.
The newcomer wasn’t familiar with the environment yet and needed his company. So Lin Yan hammered at the keyboard with one hand while using the newly delivered teaser wand to play with the kitten.
On the verge of tears, Lin Yan cursed Sun Ning’s ancestors eight hundred times in his heart. If it weren’t for that bastard, he would be one of the happiest people alive right now — because he’d be holding the cat and giving it a proper cuddle.
After playing back and forth for more than ten minutes, the kitten finally curled up beside him and fell asleep.
There was a warm little life resting on Lin Yan’s leg. It kept making soft purring sounds. Even while working overtime, he didn’t feel tired at all.
Early the next morning, Lin Yan woke up to find himself sleeping on the couch with the kitten in his arms. When he turned over, the movement woke the still-sleepy cat. The kitten yawned and lazily stretched, clearly having slept very well too.
Lin Yan checked the time. There was still a bit before work, but he needed to send the project to Sun Ning early. He hurried through washing up and said goodbye to the kitten.
As he was leaving, the kitten followed closely behind him.
Lin Yan waved.
“I’m going to work. Bye-bye, Mimi.”
He looked back several times before finally closing the door.
The moment the door shut, the kitten sniffed the air. After confirming that the scent was fading, it immediately transformed into human form.
He was completely naked — and then he suddenly remembered something.
The kitten reappeared, now wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit. The pant legs were far too short, and the shoulders were tight, but they were the only wearable clothes he could find in the closet.
Lu Heng tidied up Lin Yan’s wardrobe, then calmly walked out the door.
…
Lin Yan rushed into the elevator, a steamed bun still in his hand. Once inside, he opened the plastic bag and took a big bite. The rich aroma of meat instantly spread through the air.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone outside stopped them.
The doors opened.
Their gazes met.
The man outside was wearing an expensive suit. The tailoring was flawless, outlining his figure and making him look striking and imposing. One hand held the elevator door while the other rested in his pocket. His strong presence made Lin Yan, standing inside the elevator, feel slightly intimidated.
The newcomer’s tousled bangs rested lightly against his forehead, making his features appear even more refined. He lifted his eyes, casually and without expression, toward the person inside the elevator.
Lin Yan immediately pulled the bun away from his mouth.
“President Lu,” he said around the mouthful of food.
Lu Heng seemed momentarily surprised, then gave a small nod.