Chapter 13 – Recognizing an Owner
cx Little Angel: [Stop dreaming.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [And you even folded the clothes—be glad no one gave you a beating.]
Lin Yan found it hard to believe. But when he opened the wardrobe, it was just as unbelievable.
Could this really have been done by a cat?
There was no one else in his apartment—just him and a small cat.
The more Lin Yan thought about it, the stranger it felt.
He took a photo, then snapped another of Meiqiu standing behind him, looking smug, and sent both to the group chat.
cx Little Angel: [What exactly are these two photos supposed to show?]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~: [I’m pretty shocked too, because I know for a fact my wardrobe couldn’t possibly be this tidy.]
Wang Hao Is a Handsome Guy: [You haven’t been working enough overtime, have you? You’re starting to hallucinate.]
yy Genius Representative: [Just work a bit longer and you’ll be fine.]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~: [No, really. It’s true. My wardrobe is abnormally neat.]
yy Genius Representative: [Are you trying to trick someone into going to your place to see your cat?]
Lin Yan Yan Yan Yan~: [No, I really wasn’t—]
Who could understand the helplessness Lin Yan felt at that moment?
He didn’t argue any further. He had absolutely no memory of folding those clothes himself.
Ahhhhhh.
Had he sleepwalked and done it?
But how could he prove that?
Lin Yan felt he needed a camera.
He had briefly considered whether someone else had come in, but dismissed the idea. He had recently changed the door lock—every time it was opened, the data was uploaded to the cloud, which he could monitor in real time.
There were no records of anyone entering from outside.
And inside, there was only Meiqiu.
So no one had come in at all.
Still, that didn’t completely rule out the possibility of an occasional malfunction.
Lu Heng lay behind Lin Yan, thinking smugly, Aren’t you going to praise me?
Lin Yan turned his head. Meiqiu was lifting a front paw, grooming himself.
Sensing Lin Yan’s gaze, Meiqiu put his paw down and sat upright properly.
Lin Yan felt this was all far too unbelievable.
He must have tidied up the wardrobe himself while sleepwalking.
Yes—definitely that.
Anything and everything had to make logical sense. Only then could it be right.
So, after twenty-eight years of life, Lin Yan learned for the first time that he apparently had a sleepwalking problem.
Lin Yan lowered his head and rubbed his face against Meiqiu. This little guy was practically the benefactor who had helped him discover his “illness.”
Meiqiu: See? You really should thank me.
After everything that had just happened—the oddities in the apartment—although no real damage had been done, Lin Yan felt he should still install surveillance. What if someone really did come into his home?
Meiqiu was just a small, weak cat. How could he possibly defend against outside threats?
Lin Yan opened a shopping app and started browsing security cameras.
Unfortunately, Lin Yan was a hardcore tech enthusiast. Whenever he bought electronic products, he always compared brands meticulously. If a friend recommended something, that was fine—but without recommendations, he wouldn’t place an order unless he found something he was completely satisfied with.
As a result, Lin Yan ended up researching security cameras all the way until three in the morning.
Originally, Lin Yan had wanted to buy one of those cameras that could follow pets around, so that when he was at work and missed Meiqiu, he could watch him.
But that kind of camera didn’t quite meet Lin Yan’s requirements.
First, it needed to be charged all the time.
Second, it was too expensive.
The second drawback was completely unacceptable to Lin Yan.
So he looked at other options. In the end, he placed an order for one that couldn’t move freely, but could be controlled from his phone, could connect to multiple devices, and could upload footage to the cloud.
The only problem was that it was still in pre-sale and wouldn’t ship until the end of the month.
Buying it now wasn’t impossible, but it was full price. Lin Yan couldn’t bring himself to spend that much—he had already bought too many things after getting his salary, and on top of that, Meiqiu had been sick and needed a trip to the hospital.
Big and small, everything cost money. Lin Yan and his cat still had to eat and live their daily lives—he couldn’t afford to waste more.
So Lin Yan paid a fifty-yuan deposit and would pay the rest later.
All he could do now was wait. There was no rush; he just needed to be extra careful these next few days.
…
The next day, when Lin Yan arrived at the office, everyone was once again discussing the topic he had brought up yesterday.
Lin Yan yawned nonstop, but still described everything vividly.
“You’re saying you sleepwalk?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Yan nodded very seriously.
“You’re something else,” Yang Yang said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Chen Xin brought over a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The aroma instantly filled the air, and Lin Yan felt himself wake up a bit.
“Didn’t you also tell us your cat folds clothes?”
“Misjudgment, misjudgment. How could a cat possibly fold clothes?”
Lin Yan took a sip of coffee and smacked his lips in satisfaction—just as enjoyable as the kiss he’d given Meiqiu before leaving home that morning.
After spending these past few days together, Lin Yan felt as if his soul had been completely stolen by the cat.
He had to give him a kiss before leaving the house, or he wouldn’t have any motivation.
“But sleepwalking is dangerous. What if you suddenly go outside and the cat slips out?” Chen Xin reminded him.
“Ah, you girls are always so careful,” Wang Hao agreed. While his girlfriend was on a business trip, the first thing she did during every video call was check on the cat—she didn’t even care about him.
“Probably not,” Lin Yan thought about it. Even if he ran outside, my Meiqiu would come back on his own.
“How could it not happen? I’m telling you, cats are most likely to run away when they’re in heat.”
“Ah—what do you do when a cat is in heat?” Lin Yan asked.
“Only neutering,” Chen Xin said, sipping her drink. “A lot of stray cats get lost because they run off when they’re in heat.”
“Really?” Lin Yan thought for a moment, then asked, “The vet said Meiqiu is four years old. Could that be why he ran outside?”
“Very possible. So you really need to keep an eye on him. What if he goes into heat and runs away?”
“How can you tell if a cat is in heat?”
“See if he yowls at night.”
Lin Yan thought back. Meiqiu hadn’t made any noise these past few nights—so he probably wasn’t in heat.
Thank goodness.
Lin Yan felt he really had to make sure the door was properly locked. He couldn’t let Meiqiu get lost because of his own carelessness.
The four of them were chatting before work.
Suddenly, two people walked past outside the office.
Through the glass it was hard to see clearly. The one in front was very tall. Lin Yan squinted, and when he finally made him out, he felt the person looked a bit like President Lu.
Why was Lu Heng suddenly in their department?
Lin Yan immediately turned and signaled the others with his eyes. Everyone understood at once, hurried back to their desks, and stared at their computers obediently.
Working while constantly on edge felt just like when they were students—chatting together and suddenly getting caught by the homeroom teacher.
Lin Yan even spilled a few drops of coffee. He pulled out some tissues and wiped the stain off his pant leg.
“President Lu, what brings you here?”
Zhao Ming had just arrived at work and happened to see the boss storming into their department.
Earlier that morning, right after Lin Yan left home, Lu Heng had rushed to the company. In the car, he changed his clothes and sent messages to his housekeeper and maid, telling them to prepare several clean sets of clothes for him, along with a spare phone, and place them in a 50×45×18 storage box. If one box wasn’t enough, they could prepare two.
That morning, Lu Heng had even measured the space under Lin Yan’s bed.
He really should keep some clothes there. Otherwise, it would be extremely inconvenient.
Deep down, he subconsciously believed he would be staying there for a long time.
Giving instructions in advance—this was always Lu Heng’s way of doing things.
Hearing Zhao Ming’s voice, Lu Heng stopped in his tracks.
How had he ended up walking straight into Technical Department Four?
Zhao Ming jogged over and stood beside him.
“I… I came to deliver some documents.”
Lu Heng didn’t even know what had come over him. After getting the documents and seeing they were for Lin Yan, he had stood up and come over immediately.
He hadn’t realized that this was the office—it was inappropriate for him to deliver them to Lin Yan personally.
Lu Heng pressed his lips together and handed the documents to Zhao Ming.
“These are for your department.”
“President Lu, you could’ve just told me and I would’ve gone to get them. How could I let you make the trip yourself?”
Lu Heng accepted that. Zhao Ming was right. He didn’t know what had gotten into him today—he had simply come over without thinking.
Secretary He had even offered to deliver them.
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Heng had already left the office.
That move was indeed poorly considered.
He said nothing more and turned to leave. As he did, Lu Heng glanced through the glass and caught sight of a familiar back of the head.
Author’s Note :
President Lu has something to say.
Lu Heng: It’s Valentine’s Day. I wanted to see my wife.
Lin Yan: Meiqiu might even cook me two dishes today.
Author: No, President Lu. Right now your “wife” only recognizes you as Meiqiu.
Lu Heng: Then let him get to know me.
Author: Are all domineering CEOs this kind of style?