At night, the villa had already quieted down. In the entire living room, only the little white-furred kitten and the Maine Coon beside her—whose body was a whole size larger—remained.
The two cats, one tall and one short, sat perched on the cat tree, casting two pointy-eared shadows on the floor.
Xixi didn’t really understand. “Did you make your Papa angry?”
Ever since this human and cat came back from the pet shop today, they hadn’t interacted much at all.
Yet this still-underage little kitten was usually the clingiest to that human.
Li Wan froze for a moment before realizing that ‘your Papa’ referred to the two-legger Chi Yan. She hesitated, then gloomily nodded. “I think so.”
Then something came to mind. She lay down, tucked her paws under her, her two pointy ears drooping. She tilted her head again. “But maybe not.”
She had lived as a human for over ten, nearly twenty years, yet now… she felt like she couldn’t understand Chi Yan anymore.
If she said he was angry, well, when Dahuang rushed at her, he still chose to protect her.
If she said he wasn’t angry, well… he really didn’t pay much attention to her during the day.
Meow.
Humans were really strange.
While grooming his fur, Xixi said, “So that’s why you still haven’t gone back to your room?”
Li Wan looked a little embarrassed and muttered softly, “I just don’t know how to face him.”
Xixi shook his head.
“I don’t get what you all are thinking.
“But I will say this—human thoughts are strange and all over the place. As noble feline kings, if we can tolerate them a little, we should.”
His fluffy big tail gently brushed the tip of her tail. “You’re already a grown little cat. You should learn to tolerate and understand the human you raise.”
*Meow.*
“……”
Li Wan was speechless.
At this moment, the stairway lights suddenly turned on. Du Qingqing, freshly showered and wearing pajamas, walked down.
“Xixi?
“There you are. Why did you suddenly come downstairs? Come back to the room with Mama and go to sleep!”
Xixi meowed softly, jumped off the cat tree, and padded toward Du Qingqing.
“I’m going first. You should go back soon too. It’s dangerous for a cat to be alone.”
Li Wan answered dispiritedly.
After they left, the villa’s living room returned to silence.
The little kitten flicked her tail unhappily. After spacing out for a long moment, she finally stood up and shook her fluffy fur.
She admitted Xixi wasn’t entirely wrong.
Her human lacked brain cells to begin with, and no one had taught him what he should or shouldn’t do. That was how his personality had turned out this way.
As a mature little kitten, she should learn to tolerate this clueless two-legger.
No need to fuss with him.
Fine.
Just for the sake of the pretty dress her human made for her, she would reluctantly forgive the foolish two-legger.
Having soothed herself, Li Wan became cheerful again. With light steps, she headed upstairs, ready to coax her ignorant human.
She had sneaked out earlier and planned to climb back through the window, but when she reached the door, she found the lights were off, and the door was left slightly open.
Li Wan froze.
Her two-legger was cautious by nature. He wasn’t someone who forgot to close his door.
So…
He left it open for her?
The kitten’s heart warmed, like a round little sun rising, lighting up the night.
Li Wan squeezed her head through the gap and slipped inside, then kicked the door shut with her hind leg.
The room was pitch black.
Fortunately, her night vision was excellent. Her gaze quickly caught the long, human-shaped figure under the blanket.
Had he already fallen asleep?
Impossible.
Thinking so, yet still instinctively lightening her footsteps, she quietly hopped onto the bed.
And met a pair of dark, peach-blossom eyes blended into the night.
The man’s gaze was indifferent. He grabbed the loose skin on her neck, lifted her, and tossed her onto the floor.
“I’ve told you many times. You shed.
“Don’t get on the bed.”
*Meow~*
Li Wan answered softly. Her heterochromatic eyes darted around. Seeing that the human had nothing else to say, she hopped back onto the bed.
Chi Yan’s expression turned even more openly disdainful.
Thankfully, Li Wan was a magnanimous kitten who didn’t fuss over foolish humans. She simply stared at him quietly, then leaned in to rub against him. *Meow.*
—”Alright, I forgive you already.”
Chi Yan couldn’t understand what she was saying. He placed a finger on her forehead and pushed her away. “Don’t rub against me.”
How cold.
Li Wan licked her nose, pretended not to understand, and rubbed against him again—this time even clingier, her fluffy mangosteen paws kneading at the blanket.
*Meow meow~*
—”Come on, Master Cat has already lowered herself to coax you. Don’t be mad anymore~”
Chi Yan’s expression stayed indifferent.
He wasn’t blind, he could clearly see this cat’s attempts to placate him.
But—
His gaze grew colder. “You don’t need to please me.”
Li Wan’s movements froze. She looked up at him in a daze.
The man didn’t lower his eyes. From her angle, his jawline looked razor-sharp, his bone structure carrying an inherent chill.
“You took out the letters between me and Fu Shilin because you don’t want anyone to be paired with Du Qingqing?”
Li Wan stared blankly, unsure whether to answer. After a long moment, she finally let out a soft, delayed *meow.*
—”Yes.”
Mama Qingqing is very kind. She deserves the lover who loves her most in this world, and the sweetest, most loyal affection.
“So—” the man’s voice sounded again, and before Li Wan realized it, she had already been lifted up by him. “You like Du Qingqing very much.”
You betrayed me for her. And betrayal is the one thing he cannot tolerate.
Of course, that last sentence was something Chi Yan would never say out loud. With his personality, he would never willingly show weakness in front of anyone.
Li Wan met those dark peach blossom eyes.
They looked as if ink had been poured into them, blending with the darkness of the night, yet they weren’t frightening. Instead…
She felt he looked a little pitiful.
As if the man had been walking alone in the cold, desolate night for a long time, his whole being eroded by silence and darkness.
For some reason, Li Wan suddenly felt sad.
Chi Yan said, “After finishing this show, I’ll send you back to the program team. They’ll find you a new adopter.
“Du Qingqing likes you too. Maybe you can go with her.”
Hm?
~(=^‥^)ノ！！！
Li Wan finally processed what he meant, froze for a second, then suddenly clung tightly to his hand. *Meow meow meow!!*
—”No! No! No!!”
She used both paws and feet to climb up his pajama sleeve onto his shoulder, rubbing her fluffy head against his cheek. *Meow!*
—“Not Mama Qingqing, I want you, you idiot!!”
She liked Du Qingqing, and didn’t want Du Qingqing’s love to be manipulated, that was one thing. But on the other hand, Du Qingqing was the heroine of this world!!
Anyone who treated Du Qingqing badly would meet a bad end, let alone Chi Yan, who was a villain!!
The man’s gaze grew deeper and darker as it quietly landed on the panic-stricken little kitten.
He didn’t understand why.
She clearly liked Du Qingqing. Compared to him—unliked by small animals, cold and tough underneath his façade—Du Qingqing should be a much better owner.
Today she even took risks for Du Qingqing, disregarding his will. Wasn’t that proof she valued Du Qingqing more than him?
Then why—
Why was she acting like she couldn’t leave him?
They hadn’t known each other long. Just a few days. Even for a creature with a short lifespan like a kitten, it should be an easily forgotten, insignificant part of her past.
Why was she so clingy?
As if… as if someone was choosing him so firmly.
For some reason, at that moment, something hot seemed to scorch the tip of Chi Yan’s heart.
The firm determination he’d had earlier to send the kitten away suddenly weakened.
But his expression stayed cold and hard.
He needed this cat to understand, what happened today must never happen again.
If she belonged to him, then her heart and body must be absolutely loyal to him.
After a while, Li Wan sensed her attempts at affection were working. Chi Yan finally reacted. “You don’t want to go?”
You finally get it!!
The kitten’s eyes lit up. She bounced back onto the bed, tilted her head up and stared at him obediently, nodding. *Meow meow!*
—”Exactly!!”
Mama Qingqing was wonderful, but her own two-legger was amazing too!!
He even made her pretty little dresses!!
The man seemed to ponder for a moment before reluctantly saying, “Alright.
“But what happened today, I don’t want it happening again.”
Li Wan hesitated. *Meow meow.*
But she couldn’t just watch her dumb two-legger do bad things!
Chi Yan seemed to understand. “You’re asking me not to deliberately approach Du Qingqing either?”
*Meow meow!*
—”Yes, yes!”
The kitten nodded repeatedly.
Chi Yan paused. Under her gaze, he finally nodded too. “Fine. I’ll promise you.”
He actually didn’t want to promise.
Using Du Qingqing to make Fu Shirlin lose his composure was easy and effective. Every time Fu Shirlin broke down, Chi Yan acted calm. But only he knew how satisfying it felt, like jumping off a ten-story building in exhilaration.
No one ever taught him morality. He didn’t have such a useless thing. He only knew it felt good.
Fu Shirlin owed him that.
But this was the kitten’s plea…
Everyone knew the saying about hitting someone with a stick then giving them a sweet date.
So he agreed, for now.
Great!!
She knew her owner wasn’t a bad person!
The kitten immediately brightened, rubbing against him again as a purring rumble came from her throat.
See? Everything can be solved if you just communicate properly!
Chi Yan said softly, “Go to sleep.”
This time, he didn’t make Li Wan get off his bed. The kitten successfully claimed one corner of the human’s bed, and feeling a bit cold, she wrapped herself in his blanket and rolled around.
*Meow meow!*
—”Goodnight!”
Her head wasn’t even the size of a palm, and she didn’t have many brain cells, so she fell asleep in no time.
She didn’t know that the whole night, until midnight, the man’s gaze had been fixed on her.
This cat really was very much like a human. Every movement, every action, as if she were a person transformed.
Chi Yan thought quietly.
If only she were human. The little kitten was so small, so simple-minded; she believed whatever he told her.
If she stayed by his side, then he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
But that thought only surfaced for a moment before he quickly pushed it down.
The man’s eyes grew cold again.
Forget it.
It’s better if she doesn’t become human.
Cats are good—tiny brains, easy to fool with a few words, and then they’d be loyal to him with their whole heart.
The first episode of <A Family of Furry Friends> was only filmed for one week, and next week the guests would all return to their own schedules.
So on Sunday night, everyone held a small party.
Everyone there worked in the entertainment industry, so each person had at least one talent they could perform.
Du Qingqing sang a song, and the whole room cheered. When she finished and prepared to step off the stage, Fu Shilin went up holding a bouquet, intending to give it to her, but she rejected it.
Next was Zhou Jia. Since he originally debuted as a singing-and-dancing idol, the atmosphere heated up again after his performance.
After that came Fu Shilin. After being rejected with the flowers, he played the cello, but the whole time he looked deeply at Du Qingqing.
Unfortunately, the gentleman was affectionate but the lady was indifferent. Du Qingqing didn’t spare him even a glance.
【Wuwuwuwu I’m dying, A’Lin really likes Qingqing so much】
【…If he really likes her, could he maybe stop bothering her all the time?】
The second-to-last performer was Li Xiaoyun. She did a comedic skit, saying she had just learned it, and Dahuang cooperated beside her. The two of them had everyone laughing.
Finally, it was Chi Yan.
When he walked up, Fu Shilin clicked his tongue, not even avoiding the camera, and said, “If you don’t have anything worth showing, get off early. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”