Li Wan waited on the table for quite a while, her gaze gradually settling on the ballpoint pen quietly lying there.
In just two seconds, the little kitten was certain: that flirty little pen was trying to seduce her.
Li Wan perked up her ears, making sure the sound of running water in the bathroom continued, meaning her two-legger wouldn’t be coming out any time soon. Then, she cautiously and ever so slowly stretched out her mangosteen-like paw and gave the pen a gentle bat.
The ballpoint pen rolled with a *clatter* in a small circle and came to a stop.
The kitten’s round eyes followed the pen’s path, turning once before locking on their target again.
How annoying.
This is way too much fun!!
She twitched her whiskers, crept forward again with her little rump sticking up, and reached for the pen a second time.
This time she used more force: the pen rolled right to the edge of the table.
Exactly what she’d been waiting for!
The kitten wiggled her hips from side to side, gauged the angle; the pupils of her odd-colored eyes narrowed to slits. Then—hind legs pushing off with a sudden burst of power!!
*Thud*!
The ballpoint pen rolled off onto the carpet. The carpet’s friction was far greater than the smooth tabletop, so the pen wouldn’t roll any farther.
Li Wan flicked her tail leisurely, feeling rather proud of her hunting instincts. While her clueless butler was still showering, she set her sights on a new target: the water glass on the other side.
Bigger, rounder, and with water inside.
That would roll nicely if it tipped.
The kitten gave a soft, delicate “meow~,” as if politely announcing that she was helping herself. She dipped a paw into the glass, touched the water, and then bent her head to lick it twice.
Tasted just like the water in her own bowl. Boring.
She withdrew her paw, only mildly disappointed. That wasn’t the real attraction anyway.
She stealthily glanced around, pretending she was hunting in the wild, then sprang up with both front paws raised—
*Clang*!
The glass toppled. Water spilled all over the tabletop.
Li Wan wrinkled her nose, annoyed that her paws were now wet. Shaking each foot after every step, she tiptoed over to the fallen glass and kept amusing herself.
By the time Chi Yan came out, the only thing left on the table was the laptop—
The computer was too heavy for the kitten to budge.
He paused, staring at the scattered mess on the floor, briefly suspecting a break-in.
“……”
Two seconds later his eyes found the little cat perched on the back of the sofa, calmly licking her fur. “Was this you?”
Li Wan stiffened, feeling a twinge of guilt. Her fluffy tail gave a flick and she softly mewed, “Meow meow!”
—”Nope, how could such a well-behaved kitten be that naughty, meow~”
Chi Yan said nothing.
Right now he was convinced his earlier suspicion—that this cat was actually a human in disguise—was completely absurd.
What kind of normal person could be this mischievous?
Still, though a little speechless, he wouldn’t stoop to arguing with a cat. He crouched down to start cleaning up.
Li Wan heard no sound from him and, still feeling guilty, risked a glance over her shoulder. But at just one look, it was as if someone had stepped on her tail—she let out a sharp “Meow!” and covered her eyes with her paws!
Meow meow meow meow!!
How awful, how awful, how awful!!
The little kitten was traumatized!!!
How could he be so shameless! He’d come out of the shower without putting on any clothes!!!
Chi Yan : “……”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. He stood up and walked over to the kitten. “You’re actually shy?”
He paused, then teasingly pried away the paws covering her eyes, boldly saying, “Aren’t you also not wearing any clothes?”
How could that possibly be the same?!!
Li Wan whipped her tail across the man’s face, then leapt up onto the bookshelf, swiping two books off the top shelf.
Not enough. With her eyes squeezed shut in righteous fury, she let out an indignant, “Meow meow meow!!”
Hurry up and put some clothes on!!!
If her face weren’t covered in fur, her whole head would surely be scarlet by now!!
Chi Yan went silent for a moment, then gave a low laugh. After he’d had his fill of amusement, he sat down, opened his laptop, and clicked into Weibo.
He despised Fu Shilin and had been following that guy with a side account for a while.
If his guess was right, after Fu Shilin’s huge scandal about abusing a dog earlier, the director—though unable to cancel his contract outright because of the man’s powerful family—would definitely demand he clear things up quickly.
That meant tonight.
Chi Yan poured himself a glass of water, settling in to wait for Fu Shilin’s livestream. But when he lowered his head to take a sip, he found a few cat hairs in his mouth.
Tch.
Expressionless, he shot another glance at the little kitten, who was still too embarrassed to look at him, then got up to rinse the cup.
Sure enough, he’d guessed correctly. By the time he returned and sat down, his side account had already received a notification: Fu Shilin had gone live.
Chi Yan’s eyes darkened, the corners of his mouth curving without a trace of a smile as he clicked the link.
On the screen appeared Fu Shilin’s disgustingly smug face. “Good evening, my dear fans.”
He looked both guilty and regretful. “I’m starting this livestream now because I want to explain what happened tonight.”
Though he’d already lost quite a few followers over the incident, it hadn’t been long since it happened. Many fans still hadn’t heard the news.
Coming out quickly to give his side of the story was the best way to salvage his public image.
The live-chat barrage was already buzzing.
【Still explaining? What’s there to explain, why you abused the dog? Gonna livestream your ‘dog-abuse strategy’?】
【Ugh, disgusting animal abuser, blacklisted for life.】
【Haters, can you not be so extreme? Something happened, why can’t he explain?】
【Brother A’Lin, don’t blame yourself. It’s just a dog, humans will always be above any other creature!!】
【Ugh.】
【Figures, fans are just like their idol.】
【Passers-by, don’t believe it, that one was obviously a hater pretending.】
【A’Lin isn’t like that, everyone listen to his explanation.】
Li Wan twitched her ears at the noise coming from the livestream.
She kind of wanted to sneak a look, but hesitated. Her butler still wasn’t wearing any clothes.
Cat face: completely droopy.jpg
After a moment’s struggle, temptation won. She leapt from the bookshelf onto the bed, gripped her human’s clothes in her teeth, and with effort hopped onto the desk.
Squeezing her eyes shut, the little cat pawed at the clothes: “Meow meow meow.”
—“Put them on, put them on!!”
The sight was so funny that even Chi Yan’s usually cold gaze softened a little.
Since the kitten had dragged the clothes over, he gave her some face and actually put them on.
Only then did Li Wan open her eyes and lean toward the computer.
On the screen, Fu Shilin’s expression looked painfully fake. Li Wan thought he’d even looked more natural back when he was ‘abusing Qiu Tian.”
Fu Shilin spoke in a low voice: “I feel deeply guilty and sorry to all the fans who have always supported me. I’m truly sorry.”
【Aaaaah, why are they doing this to my A’Lin!!】
【He was always so defiant, so proud, aaaah!】
【Ugh, can you stop being so gross, showbiz people?】
【…Nope, we are normal fans.】
【Our Qingqing’s fans are normal too…】
Fu Shilin ignored the barrage and continued, “I admit I used electricity to control Qiu Tian, and I’m sorry to it too.
“But please believe me: before this I didn’t know the collar controlling Qiu Tian used electricity!
“When I had it custom-made, the seller only told me that if I pressed this button, the collar would simply tighten—like a leash, just a way to keep it under control. That’s why I agreed to put it on it.
“I really like QiuTian. I joined this variety show to raise a pet; meeting it was fate. When I found out the collar was shocking it, my heart hurt like a knife. How could I possibly want to hurt it?”
Yeah, right, Li Wan thought, pursing her lips.
Plenty of viewers were skeptical too:
【You didn’t know? The vet already checked, how could you not know?】
【Qiu Tian was clearly in pain from the shocks, obvious to anyone, yet you claim ignorance?】
【Hahaha, folks, this ‘clarification’ just proves he’s guilty.】
【If you didn’t know, then explain why you kicked him during the livestream.】
Fu Shilin looked at that comment and delivered his pre-planned line: “I didn’t mean to… Qiutian suddenly lunged at me and I just reacted. It was pure reflex to kick out. If I’d been able to control myself I definitely wouldn’t have.”
That, at least, sounded barely plausible, and the barrage started showing more sympathetic voices:
【Qiu Tian’s a fierce breed, guys. Anyone would be scared.】
【That’s just a normal human reflex, right?】
【Remember what Professor Zhang said about the emergency-avoidance principle? When you’re cornered you could even attack a giant panda—so of course Fu Shilin might hurt a dog to protect himself.】
【Makes sense.】
【Then how do you explain what we heard—you saying, “A beast is just a beast”?】
【Don’t deny it, the show’s livestream can be replayed.】
Fu Shilin’s expression twisted, but he forced a strained smile for the camera.
“I was trying to get Qiu Tian to take his medicine. He understood me, but he was probably still mad about this afternoon and deliberately refused to cooperate.
“So I…
He reined in his face and put on an earnest look. “I’m sorry, everyone. I know I was wrong. I won’t say that kind of thing in public again.”
Since his public image had always been crafted that way, his fans were ready to accept it.
【It’s okay, A’Lin, we love your personality. You don’t have to change to please the masses.】
【You’re a genius singer-songwriter; having your own thoughts is what makes your music good.】
So easy to fool, Li Wan thought.
A flash of triumph flickered in Fu Shilin’s eyes, though he kept his face neutral. “No, as someone in the public eye I have to take responsibility.
“This time I was indeed wrong. As for why the vet didn’t find evidence of the electric shocks, I’ve already called the police to investigate.
“And although I’ve clarified things, my actions still hurt the show’s reputation. Whatever punishment the production team decides on, I’ll accept.”
Of course, by this point, if the show tried to punish him, fans would accuse them of being heartless and bullying Fu Shilin.
Soon the barrage was almost entirely filled with supportive comments.
Though a few skeptical voices remained and some fans really did unfollow, the fallout had effectively been contained.
I hope Qiu Tian wont be hurt anymore