The two-month schedule was forcibly compressed into just half a month by Shang Xuci.
After several sleepless nights, he finally finished his work. For the rest, he only needed to handle things through remote meetings.
With the remaining two days, he went to the shopping district to buy the gifts he had promised Shen Huan, as well as presents for Sui Sui.
Thinking of the little white cat, Shang Xuci’s gaze softened, his face filled with tenderness. He wondered if the little one had missed him. When he returned home, would it still be waiting for him at the door?
After that week of sleeping with the kitten in his arms, and considering how he had to rely on medication to fall asleep here, Shang Xuci came to a conclusion: Sui Sui could help him sleep.
He thought, this time when he went home, if Sui Sui was willing and still wanted to climb onto his bed, he would make an exception and let it.
He had already slept with it once—why should he be afraid of a second time? Besides, it wouldn’t just be the second time. As long as he changed the sheets diligently every day, it would be fine.
Before he knew it, more than half of his shopping bags were filled with cat toys.
The corners of the man’s lips curved slightly, and his steps grew light.
As soon as he returned to the country, Shang Xuci was dragged by his grandfather to attend a banquet. Afterward, the old man had him, already drunk, brought back to the Shang family estate.
Shang Xuci refused. “I’ll just go back to my apartment.”
“You’re in a relationship? Someone waiting at home?” Shang Jue asked, displeased. Compared to Shang Ye, he had always valued Shang Xuci more. His ability and vision far surpassed that illegitimate child’s. The only problem was that he had been weak and sickly since childhood and had always been raised outside the family. Shang Jue had once cherished this grandson deeply, but the family did not lack heirs.
The banquet hosted by Xu Rong last time had embarrassed him, but it also brought his legitimate grandson, Shang Xuci, into the spotlight. That very day, the moment Shang Xuci stood before him, with just one look, Shang Jue had already decided who the successor would be. He had resolved to bring Shang Xuci into more of the family’s business affairs in the future, while also nurturing their bond.
Yet, who would have thought Shang Xuci would show no appreciation? Reeking of alcohol, he still insisted on going home. Shang Jue frowned.
Despite being drunk, Shang Xuci remained composed, his demeanor elegant and calm, far too clear-headed for someone supposedly intoxicated.
He said, “I have a cat at home.”
“A cat?” Shang Jue was baffled, staring at him in surprise. “You really have a cat?”
The Shang family had kept dogs before. Shen Yanran had loved cats the most and once asked young Shang Xuci for his opinion. Little Shang Xuci had shaken his head decisively: “No.”
So Shen Yanran never kept cats again. Even the family dog rarely appeared in Shang Xuci’s sight—one of the ways she expressed her boundless love for her son. Even Shang Jue, a secret lover of cats and dogs, remembered this vividly.
And now, he actually had a cat!
“My car’s here. Uncle Shi, please see that Grandfather gets home safely.”
Shi Lin nodded.
After the old man’s car had driven away, Shang Xuci finally got into his own car and reported the destination.
It had been a long time since he’d drunk alcohol, and now his head was splitting with pain. He desperately wanted to close his eyes and rest, but the thought of the little cat waiting at home made him unwilling to let them shut.
From the elevator to entering the code at the door, Shang Xuci maintained his composure the entire way. But the moment he truly stepped inside, his gaze instinctively swept across the entryway.
He didn’t see the kitten—yet only two seconds later, the little white ball of fur came darting toward him, clinging to his leg and meowing anxiously.
Shang Xuci’s lips parted slightly. He crouched down to stroke the kitten’s head, but before he could even call out “Sui Sui,” he collapsed into drunken sleep.
In a haze, he felt his body being shifted, then laid onto something soft. His throat was forced to swallow some strange-tasting liquid. Through it all, the only sound he heard was constant meowing—sometimes short and sharp, sometimes sticky and lingering, sometimes full of plaintive sorrow.
After drinking the liquid, the pounding in his head eased, and at last the meowing fell silent.
The quiet was replaced by the sound of a boy’s muffled sobs.
Shang Xuci tried to open his eyes, but his limbs felt as if they were stuck in a swamp. He couldn’t move. His chest was heavy, as though a great stone pressed down on it.
In the middle of the night, he managed to pry his eyes open once. On his hands, on his neck, there was a warm, strange, slippery-smooth touch… His gaze shifted down toward his chest—his pajama collar was damp and warm. Resting against him was a furry head with a pair of animal ears. The boy’s long lashes trembled faintly, as though he were sleeping uneasily.
Shang Xuci frowned. Was he still dreaming?
His heavy eyelids dropped again, and he sank back into the dream.
The next morning, when Shang Xuci suddenly opened his eyes, his first instinct was to look down at himself. But there was no silver-haired, cat-eared boy—only a little white ball of fur curled against his neck, sleeping soundly.
The kitten’s soft purrs rumbled like a tiny motor. Listening to it gave Shang Xuci an unexpected sense of peace, as if all his weariness had been washed away in that moment.
He gently stroked the kitten’s silky fur, and a tender smile rose unconsciously on his lips. He had never realized petting a cat could be so relaxing, so joyful.
Recalling the night before, all he remembered was opening the door and Sui Sui running over to rub against his leg. He crouched to pet it, but then, unable to fight the combined weight of alcohol and exhaustion, he had collapsed right there in the entryway.
He had no idea when he ended up in the bedroom. Sui Sui’s soft meows had lingered by his ear, and the nausea in his stomach had made him want to vomit more than once—yet somehow, he had drunk something, and the pain eased.
And then, he had dreamed of Sui Sui turning human, silver-haired with cat ears, crying in grievance.
“Meow~” The kitten in his arms rubbed its face against his chest, licked its lips, then rested its chin on his shoulder and continued to sleep, showing no sign of waking.
The solid, furry warmth beneath his hand shattered the dreamlike fantasy.
He must be crazy—he had actually thought that this little ball of fur had taken care of him last night.
Sui Sui was so tiny; how could it possibly move him?
Still, the kitten really had been watching over him.
Carefully, Shang Xuci shifted the cat to the side, tucked the blanket around it, and then got out of bed to head for the bathroom.
“Splash, splash—”
Jian Xun rolled over. His little paws instinctively reached out to hug something. The soft pink pads groped left and right, but found only empty space.
“Meow??”
He opened his eyes. Unlike the other times when he would see the man beside him, this time the bed was empty. There was only a blanket covering his own body.
Jian Xun: !!
The big boss’s bed!
The kitten sprang up in alarm and hurriedly scrambled off, searching everywhere for Shang Xuci.
His gaze finally fixed on the figure inside the bathroom.
He plopped down at the doorway, staring, unwilling to leave.
The man inside was still showering. Jian Xun’s eyes stayed fixed on the bathroom door, but in truth, the little cat’s whole body was growing heavy and drowsy.
Why did he feel so exhausted, so sleepy?
He remembered—last night he had turned human!
Even if it was only for a short while.
Jian Xun quickly checked his points: ones, tens, hundreds…
Thankfully, nothing was missing. He had thought that maybe transforming into a human had cost him points. That would’ve been far too unprofitable.
He had no idea how he had suddenly turned into a person and then just as suddenly turned back into a cat. He didn’t understand the reason at all. He decided that the next time he met big brother Xu Tutu, he would ask.
As for becoming human—he only thought about it for a moment before brushing it aside.
Another matter weighed much heavier on his mind.
Jian Xun stared intently at the bathroom door.
When Shang Xuci came out in a bathrobe, the steamy air from the bathroom immediately filled the room. Spotting the little white ball on the step, Shang Xuci called out:
“Sui Sui.”
He reached out, wanting to pet the cat—only to find the kitten dodging away.
Shang Xuci’s long, narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. He withdrew his hand.
Wherever he went, there was now a little shadow trailing after him—not clinging to his leg to rub against him, but always keeping just a little distance.
When he went to the study to fetch something, Sui Sui sat squatting at the doorway, watching him.
When he went to the bathroom to blow-dry his hair, Sui Sui perched on the toilet lid, staring at him.
When he went to the balcony to hang clothes, Sui Sui hopped onto a small stool and fixed its eyes on him.
…
Such a clingy little cat.
After breakfast, Shang Xuci accepted a delivery. Once he finished setting up the surveillance camera in the living room, he went to the toy box, pulled out a ball, slipped it into his pocket, and with long strides headed to the bedroom to change clothes.
This time, the kitten didn’t follow him—not even to squat at the doorway. Instead, it hid by the wall corner, sticking out its little furry head to secretly peek at him.
Shang Xuci didn’t close the door. He simply grabbed fresh clothes and changed. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the kitten, wide-eyed, staring motionlessly at him.
Being watched like that, Jian Xun finally relaxed when he saw Shang Xuci change into loungewear.
So the big boss wasn’t going out today.
In that case… then Sui Sui could finally be angry!
He cast one last glance at Shang Xuci in the bedroom, then darted back into his cardboard box without looking back, curling up with his tail in his arms.
Hmph. The big boss is a terrible man. Not only did he fail to thank me for taking care of him, but when he got up this morning, he didn’t even greet me. And now that he’s finally awake, he doesn’t bother to check if I’ve gotten fatter or thinner, doesn’t comfort me, doesn’t talk to me at all…!!!
They’d been apart for so long—did he really not miss me even a little?
Didn’t he know that a cat’s heart is fragile?
The little white cat drooped its ears and buried its head even deeper.
…
In the study.
Shang Xuci sat staring at his computer, though his gaze kept straying toward the doorway—five times already. In his pocket, he squeezed the small ball, gripping and releasing it.
He tried to focus, forcing himself back into work.
But before long, he couldn’t help glancing toward the doorway again, checking the time.
Only one minute had passed.
Just one minute.
His fingertips tapped against the desk. Finally, Shang Xuci stood up and walked toward the living room.
First, he checked the cat bowl. Kibble mixed with freeze-dried treats—an entire bowl, untouched.
No sign of the little white cat on the cat tree, in the cat bed, on the scratching board, or on the sofa.
Carrying a pack of dried fish snacks, Shang Xuci walked over to the cardboard box. Peering through the hole, he spotted the kitten curled up inside. He crouched down and gently tapped on the “door” of the box.
“Sui Sui, want some dried fish?”
The moment the man tore open the bag, the kitten knew he had arrived—and that he was holding Sui Sui’s favorite treat.
Staring at the dried fish being dangled at the entrance of the box, Jian Xun licked his lips. His little paws clutched the blanket tightly, trying to cheer himself on.
Sui Sui has dignity too!
Don’t think you can win me over with just one piece of dried fish!
Resolute, Jian Xun clung to his principle: if the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move either.
Seeing no response, Shang Xuci pulled out a second dried fish, placed it on a dish, and slid it toward the entrance of the box.
Jian Xun’s mouth smacked twice of its own accord, and he swallowed hard.
His other paw clutched the blanket tighter, tail swishing back and forth.
Three won’t work either!
Soon, the dish held three pieces. Sui Sui’s beautiful cat eyes were locked onto the man’s concessions—and the fish. The scent at his nose grew stronger and stronger, and he was about to give in.
Just as he secretly shifted one paw forward, those slippers moved.
The dish of dried fish was lifted away. !!
Jian Xun’s heart clenched with regret. Without hesitation, he darted out of the cardboard box. Spotting Shang Xuci by the trash can, the kitten slid across the floor like a soccer tackle.
“Meoooow—!!”
Stop! What are you trying to do to my dried fish!!!