The pen in his hand fell to the floor.
Thud—
“What the hell?!” Shang Xuci nearly fell off his chair. Steadying himself, he looked down at his palm and saw a chubby white moth. His vision went dark.
Half of the moth’s wing had been damaged when Jian Xun caught it, so it couldn’t fly anymore. It just flapped its wings weakly, unwilling to give up.
Shang Xuci gasped sharply and, face darkened, stood up and quickly threw the insect out the window. Then he rushed to the bathroom to wash his hands.
He scrubbed his hands again and again with foaming soap. As he did, he thought about how he needed to properly teach the little cat a lesson—not to bring him a mouse next time from who-knows-where. He’d really lose it.
While thinking about how to start the conversation, something else suddenly occurred to him.
He hadn’t given the little white cat a name yet!
Back in the study, Jian Xun pouted sadly, sitting obediently in place without daring to move.
Why?
That was a gift the cat had caught with so much effort!
It was chubby and cute!
Could it be… the big boss doesn’t like bugs?
Jian Xun had seen with his own eyes how the man—usually calm and composed—looked startled when he glanced down at the bug.
That couldn’t be right. He hadn’t done anything bad to the big boss, and he wasn’t like those fake women with their two-faced behavior.
After thinking it over, Jian Xun could only conclude that the man must be afraid of bugs—otherwise, why would he throw it away?
Yeah, that made sense.
Cats and humans didn’t think the same way.
After turning into a cat, Jian Xun’s thoughts had started becoming more cat-like too. In his eyes, anything that moved was fun. That big moth had been flitting around, and he’d gone to great effort to catch it.
The sound of running water stopped.
Jian Xun’s tail twitched nervously as he stared unblinkingly at the study door.
Would Shang Xuci be mad at him?
He didn’t mean to upset him.
He just wanted the big boss to be a little happier.
But the little kitty didn’t have any real skills, so all he could do was show off his one talent—giving the things he liked to the person he liked.
But maybe that wasn’t the right way.
Sitting on the floor with his paws tucked in, Jian Xun began to reflect on his actions.
As soon as Shang Xuci came in, he saw the little white cat nervously watching him. As he approached, the cat began softly meowing.
I’m sorry.
I didn’t know you didn’t like bugs.
Shang Xuci couldn’t understand what the little cat was meowing about, and he didn’t care whether the kitten understood him or not. He spoke sternly:
“Little kitty, from now on, you’re not allowed to bring me any more bugs. If you do, I’ll confiscate your cardboard box. Got it? If you understand, give me a meow.”
So he really does hate bugs.
Jian Xun meowed without hesitation.
Don’t worry, I won’t bring you any more bugs!
Crisis averted, Jian Xun relaxed his body and stared longingly at the man’s legs. He really wanted to lie down on them and take a nap. He wondered what that would feel like.
Wanting to test the man’s attitude, Jian Xun moved closer to his hand resting on the table—pale and elegant, with long fingers. There was a faint scent of hand soap at his fingertips. The kitten sniffed lightly with his pink nose, then stuck out his tongue. He really wanted to lick it.
Shang Xuci ignored the cat’s affection. Instead of petting him, he took a dictionary off the shelf, sat down in the chair, and started flipping through it.
Time to pick a name for the cat.
He took out a blank sheet of paper and a pen, ready to brainstorm names.
Before that, he had messaged Shen Huan to ask whether there were any taboos when it came to naming a cat. She told him there weren’t—anything pleasant-sounding was fine, though it was better if it had some meaning. When naming her own kittens, she would write down several names and let the cats draw lots to choose one.
He decided to write down a few options first.
The little white cat was male, a white Persian-mix, currently under five months old, and liked cardboard boxes.
Shang Xuci figured he’d start by listing a few names based on the kitten’s preferences and traits.
As he picked up the pen, Jian Xun jumped onto the desk from his usual spot, his gaze following the motion of the man’s hand as he wrote.
Names like Xiao Bai (“Little White”) or Mimi were too common—he wanted something simple but pleasant.
This was the first time Shang Xuci had ever named a pet. He flipped through the dictionary over and over, but nothing felt quite right.
Jian Xun lay on the corner of the desk, head tilted. He thought the man was working, so he stayed quiet and didn’t disturb him. But then, to his surprise, the man asked:
“What kind of name do you want?”
A name?
Was he going to give him a name?
“Meow~”
Let me take a look.
Jian Xun stood on the table, his soft body curious as he stared at the dictionary. He instinctively sniffed it with his nose.
He really wanted to tell the man that he already had a name—Jian Xun—but he couldn’t speak, and he couldn’t write. All he could do was meow.
Shang Xuci raised an eyebrow—he hadn’t expected the little kitten to actually come over and look at the dictionary. So now he was picking a name for a cat… by flipping through a dictionary.
“Which character do you like? Pick one?”
Jian Xun looked up at Shang Xuci and brushed his paw against the man’s clothes, pretending to be innocent and clueless.
“Meow?”
I’m just a little kitty, I don’t understand what you’re saying.
But truthfully, Jian Xun did want to help pick his name. This was something the big boss and he were choosing together, so it was bound to be a good one.
Night crept in quietly. The room was peaceful, with only the sound of pages turning.
The little white cat stretched his paw out onto the book, his soft body squirming across the desk like a worm. Eventually, he pressed his face against the page, positioning himself just right so that his big, round eyes could see the top half of the dictionary entry.
Shang Xuci was intrigued. He flipped a page and watched the cat’s reaction. If the kitten’s eyes didn’t move, he’d flip again. But if the little paw landed on a page, he’d stop and check whether any character on that page was worth noting down.
Eventually, when he randomly flipped to the page under the S section, the kitten suddenly had a strong reaction.
Jian Xun lifted his upper body, his feline pupils locked onto the dictionary. When he saw a particular character, he suddenly flopped down on the book like Mount Tai crushing the top—completely spread out over the page.
Shang Xuci’s arm brushed against the cat’s fur—warm and soft. He quietly shifted his arm away, his pale fingers landing gently on the thin paper.
“You like this page?”
It was strange—he had this growing feeling that the kitten could actually understand him.
Jian Xun quickly pressed his paw on a specific character.
That was his childhood name.
Nicknames often carried an intimate, affectionate tone. He’d never cared much for it when he was human, but now, as a cat, he wanted Shang Xuci to call him that.
Shang Xuci moved the kitten’s paw to see what character it was.
“Sui” (岁).
“You like this one?”
“Meow~”
He looked at the man expectantly, his sapphire-blue eyes glistening.
“Sui Sui?”
The man’s voice was low and magnetic as he said the name aloud. Jian Xun’s entire furry body lit up with excitement. His ears perked up, his pink paws batted at the man’s hand, and his tail swayed happily.
Just one call of that name made him feel so blissfully content—his little face said it all. Clearly, the kitten really liked this name.
“Then from now on, you’ll be Sui Sui.” Shang Xuci cupped the little cat’s face in his hands. His tall, straight nose almost touched the kitten’s damp little nose as he spoke solemnly and sincerely:
“May Sui Sui always be safe and sound. From this day forward, may every day bring you peace.””
From that moment on, his life would no longer be lived alone.
“Meow~”
He was a kitty with a name now.
And it was a name given by the big boss!
Hooray!
…
It was the weekend, and Shang Xuci had to make a trip to the school. Before leaving, he filled a bowl of cat food for Sui Sui and checked to make sure the water fountain and smart litter box were working properly. He patted the cat’s head and told him he’d be back a little later.
“While I’m gone, no going into the study, no going into the bedroom, and absolutely no bug hunting. Just stay home and behave, okay?”
Jian Xun meowed sweetly: “Mii~”
Don’t worry—I’ll protect our home.
Still… before he left, shouldn’t he give the kitty a little cuddle?
Jian Xun tilted his soft little head upward, sweetly begging for contact.
His intentions were obvious—stretching out both front paws like he wanted a hug, letting out soft, gentle whimpers. Any normal cat owner wouldn’t be able to resist scooping him up for a few snuggles and kisses.
Unfortunately, the man in front of him wasn’t a cat slave. He simply bent down, shook the cat’s paw, gave the chubby little pads a gentle squeeze, and hesitated before leaving—unsure whether he should wash his hands now or later.
While their paws were touching, Jian Xun turned his head and rubbed against him, trying to leave his scent on the man. That way, if the big boss ran into any other cats while out, they’d know he was already taken!
After Shang Xuci closed the door, the only one left in the house was Jian Xun. Holding his head high and chest out, he strutted through every corner of the home, determined to leave his scent everywhere.
He carefully remembered Shang Xuci’s instructions: no entering the study or the bedroom. So he only played in the other rooms. As usual, he made his way to the balcony, where he could see the outside world through the glass window.
Jian Xun stepped onto the balcony, intending to climb up to the window. He looked up as he moved sideways with his feet.
Squelch.
Soft, slick, springy… what was that?
The little white cat looked down and saw that he had stepped on a small plastic bag that had fallen from a box.
The feeling under his paw was oddly delightful. Curious, Jian Xun lifted his foot and stepped on it again.
Squelch.
It was like he popped something.
Looking closer, Jian Xun realized he was stepping on tiny, puffed-up pockets on the plastic bag.
It was bubble wrap!
Intrigued, Jian Xun got serious about playing—using his paws to pop the bubbles one by one.
So fun!
He completely forgot about climbing up to the window and spent a long time playing with the bubble wrap. After popping all the bubbles, he found a new way to play with it. When he got tired, he went to eat, and after filling up, returned to playing. Only after burning off most of his energy did he finally walk back to his beloved cardboard box to sleep.
He hoped the big boss would be back by the time he woke up.
7 PM.
Jian Xun sat perched on top of the shoe cabinet, ears pricked up, tail swaying as he stared longingly at the thick front door, waiting eagerly for the big boss to come home.
Suddenly, his ears twitched.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. The little cat didn’t have time to identify who it was—he immediately stood up, spun around in a joyful circle, then stopped and stared expectantly at the door.
The sound of a key turning in the lock—click.
The door opened.
“Meow!”
The little kitten lifted his head happily to greet the returning man.
But instead, a faint scent of perfume drifted to his nose, and the hem of a long white dress came into view, reflected in his wide cat eyes.