“I wonder if Teacher1 Chi is awake at this hour.”
“Oh, come on, awake or not, that’s the fun of it. Who knows, maybe we’ll even catch a glimpse of his abs on camera by accident.”
The staff joked among themselves for a moment, then pressed the doorbell and waited for someone inside to open up.
Unexpectedly, the door opened, yet no one was behind it.
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. As the door slowly swung open, their eyes all focused on the only living creature caught in the camera frame.
A long-haired white kitten.
It sat primly on the floor, its fluffy tail curled neatly around its little mangosteen-like paws. As if aware of being filmed and of all the gazes on it, the kitten tilted its head slightly, twitched its ears, and even lifted a paw to wave at them.
“Meow~”
—”Hello there.”
Staff : “……”
“………………”
*Tick tock tick tock*
For a moment, not a single person spoke. Even the live-stream chat paused, frozen mid-scroll.
Then—like a storm breaking loose—the comments exploded.
【What the heck is going on???】
【Waaaaa the kitten is so cute acting all cutesy!!!!】
【Where’s Chi Yan?! Why hasn’t he come out?!】
【Wait, don’t you guys find this creepy? Chi Yan isn’t here, so who opened the door for the crew?!!】
【OMG OMG OMG OMG!! Haunted!!】
【Who gets it—did that cat just wave hello to us?! What the heck!!】
【Some of you need to chill with the overthinking. It’s just a cat. Cats aren’t like dogs, their IQ isn’t that high. No way it opened the door.】
【If it really did, that’s definitely supernatural.】
【Probably staged by the production team to grab attention? After all, Chi Yan’s traffic hasn’t been as high as Fu Shilin’s lately.】
【So fake. How can they start with fakery, wasn’t this supposed to be live? Just like Chi Yan himself, fake!】
【???!! Who said it has to be fake? Just because you’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it’s not real. Some haters really think their view equals reality.】
【Where’s Chi Yan though? Still haven’t seen him.】
【Forget it, family. Our kitty is just as smart and good-looking as Brother Chi!】
【They say three- to four-month-old kittens are in their awkward phase. Mine was ugly enough to make people cry at that age. Why is this one so ridiculously adorable?? Waaa!!】
【Raising cats is like tending flowers! It’s all because Brother Chi treats his kitty so well!!!】
The staff glanced at the comments, stunned.
They had already expected high traffic once Chi Yan went live, because his status in the entertainment industry guaranteed that. But no one thought the numbers would skyrocket before he even appeared.
Even Fu Shilin, the one constantly compared against Chi Yan, had less than half the engagement in his live room right now.
All because of this kitten.
The staff exchanged looks. Realizing they’d stumbled upon the true traffic magnet, they quickly locked the camera on the kitten.
“Film the kitten, it’s way smarter than we thought.”
Li Wan saw their reaction and, guessing that her little ‘hello’ had worked wonders, happily swished her tail.
Chi Yan didn’t need to be afraid, this Master Cat would carry him to glory!!
Meow meow!!
The crew bustled with excitement for a moment, then quieted down at the team leader’s reminder not to startle the kitten.
Carefully edging closer, the leader softened his voice and asked gently, “Kitty, do you still remember me?”
Li Wan nodded and purred a low ‘grrrr’ in response.
The leader’s smile grew wider.
There were five celebrity guests in total, each paired with a group, and naturally there was competition between them.
At first, he had been unhappy about being assigned to Chi Yan’s group. Chi Yan didn’t seem like someone who liked animals, and this was a pet-themed variety show. Without good interactions with animals, how could they possibly attract traffic?
But now, this kitten was effortlessly pulling in attention!
It felt like heaven itself was giving him a promotion opportunity, sending him this lucky break!!
The more he thought about it, the more he looked at the kitten as if she were a golden goose bringing him wealth, and his tone grew even softer: “Where’s your Movie Emperor2 Chi? Why isn’t he here?”
【Oh my god, guys, it really was the kitten who opened the door!!】
【This kitten… looks kind of familiar.】
【Wait, I remember now. When I took the college entrance exam, it sat right behind me.】
【Come on, this is obviously scripted!!】
【That’s what I’m saying, can’t believe there are people dumb enough to fall for it!】
Li Wan let out a delicate “Meow,” signaling the staff to follow her.
She moved lightly up the stairs in just a few steps, and then, right in front of the camera, demonstrated once again how to open the door.
“Whoa, no way, did Teacher Chi teach her that?!”
The staff were once again full of amazement. The team leader quickly checked the barrage, and sure enough, it had gone blank for a moment, only to fill up again in no time.
【Getting slapped in the face yet, some idiots?】
【Little kitten : Big Sis is opening the door right in front of the camera just for you~】
【Sacred fire blazing, sacred fire shining, all my disciples, meow meow meow meow!!!】
Li Wan walked straight inside. She could go in, but the staff knew their boundaries and waited outside. They just knocked on the door.
“Teacher Chi?”
“Teacher Chi, we’re here now. Can we come in?”
According to the original plot, because of his childhood experiences, Chi Yan had always been extremely alert and a very light sleeper. So without people’s calling, and before Li Wan even got close, the man’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes.
Chi Yan found himself staring straight into the different-colored eyes of the little kitten.
He woke up fully at once, remembering what had happened last night.
But…
Blanket?
He clearly remembered that before he fell asleep, he hadn’t had anything on him. There was only that stray kitten who was lying in his arms.
The stray kitten?
Meeting his gaze, Li Wan gracefully sat down, stretched out her paw, and patted the back of his hand. “Meow.”
—No need to thank me, meow.
Just as she lifted her chin proudly, ready to receive her human’s amazement and praise, the skin on the back of her neck suddenly tightened. The next moment, she was lifted into the air and dropped onto the floor in the blink of an eye.
The man’s face returned to its cold indifference. “You got my bed covered in fur.”
Li Wan : “……”
The staff waiting outside picked up that line perfectly on mic.
【……As expected of you, Movie Emperor Chi.】
【He’s actually complaining about shedding while raising a cat. Guess Chi Yan doesn’t really like cats.】
【Don’t worry everyone, cat owners know. This is just temporary.】
【Just wait, Movie Emperor Chi is gonna get slapped in the face.】
【He really doesn’t seem like the type to like cats.】
【Our A’Lin is still the best. He loves dogs, and in just one week he already bonded super well with them.】
【If he doesn’t like cats, why join this variety show? I don’t get it.】
【Chi Yan’s always been good at pretending, hasn’t he.】
Everyone looked at the barrage on screen and then at each other. Someone glanced at the team leader. “So…”
The leader clenched his teeth. “Forget it, don’t worry.”
He believed in his lucky kitty, she’d never let him down!
Then the door opened, and the man’s breathtakingly handsome face appeared.
“Hello.”
He curved his brows and eyes slightly, looking nothing like a celebrity with a burden of image. Even though he had just woken up, he still carried the air of a refined, clear, and elegant young gentleman.
He continued, “Didn’t expect you so early. My apologies.”
Inside, the little cat who heard that voice : “!!!”
Well! This human really is a little demon, he had two completely different faces! He was nothing like last night!!
…But on second thought, she could still accept it a little.
After all, her two-legger was mentally ill. Being moody was perfectly normal.
The staff, of course, couldn’t accept his apology. The leader scratched the back of his head first and laughed. “It’s us who should be apologizing for disturbing you, Teacher Chi. Our livestream has already started. May we enter your room?”
Chi Yan nodded.
As the camera followed inside, they noticed the little kitten sprawled listlessly on the coffee table. She looked like she was sulking at Chi Yan. Hearing his footsteps, she deliberately turned around and showed him her butt.
【Hahaha, did the kitten understand Brother Chi and get mad about the shedding joke?】
【This is how it goes at the start of cat ownership—waiting for Brother Chi to get slapped in the face.jpg】
【Poor Brother Chi, I remember he has a bit of a cleanliness obsession, right?】
【Too tragic】
【If he doesn’t like cats, he shouldn’t have joined this show. Seriously. Who’s he acting for, our poor little kitty doesn’t deserve this.】
Of course, Chi Yan’s gaze only brushed past the kitten without pausing.
He turned to tidy up the bed, only to notice the medicine on the nightstand.
Hm?
Was it prepared by the kitten?
Li Wan noticed his gaze, twitched her whiskers, and proudly raised her chin. “Meow meow.”
—”Who else, duh? Of course your clever Master Cat prepared it.”
Chi Yan froze, his eyes shifting slightly.
He recalled last night’s events.
It was the first time that, when his illness flared, there had been some presence to comfort him.
And then the strange blanket that had been placed over him… This kitten was so smart, and even seemed to understand human speech. Maybe it really had been her…
His Adam’s apple rolled slightly. Remembering his earlier complaint about her shedding on his bed, his thin lips pressed together. He decided to casually give her some praise.
“Good cat3.”
He lifted his hand and patted the kitten on the head.
The blow nearly sent Li Wan tumbling off the coffee table. “……???”
Is this really something you’re supposed to say when praising a cat?!!
【Hahahahahahaha!!!】
【I’m about to laugh myself silly!! How did Brother Chi even come up with the term ‘good cat’?!!】
The scene where Chi Yan went to wash up wasn’t suitable for the camera. Li Wan thought for a moment, then walked up to the team leader and let out a soft meow.
The leader found every little thing about the kitten fascinating, and with the livestream traffic skyrocketing, he was now looking at the little cat as if it were a lucky charm. Smiling warmly, he asked, “What is it, kitty?”
Li Wan politely reached out her mangosteen-sized paw and tapped his knee. “Meow meow~”
—”Come with me.”
Leader: “……” Didn’t get it.
One of the staff peeked out from behind and guessed, “Is it telling us to follow it?”
Li Wan nodded. “Meow.”
A teachable little one indeed.
Everyone laughed and followed her downstairs.
Li Wan, feeling it was her duty as one of the hosts of this home, led them down and then hopped onto the sofa, treading on it lightly.
The leader froze for a moment. “Is it… telling us to sit?”
Li Wan : “Meow~”
—”That’s right, that’s right, don’t be shy.”
After gesturing for them to sit, she hopped down again, went to the little home bar, leapt onto the counter, and meowed twice. “Meow meow~”
—”Help yourselves to water.”
Everyone : “……”
The world really has turned magical. Now even cats know how to entertain guests.
- 老师 (lǎo shī) literally means ‘teacher’. In Chinese culture, the term 老师 is a broad honorific used to address anyone who is a respected professional, an expert in their field, or a mentor from whom others can learn. ↩︎
- 影帝 (yǐng dì), 影 (yǐng) comes from 电影 (diàn yǐng) which means movie/film, and 帝 (dì) means emperor. It is a title given to actors who have won ‘Best Actor’ award at Chinese film festivals/movie awards. ↩︎
- it’s like praising an well-behaved child as a ‘good boy/girl’ ↩︎