Hearing footsteps, Jian Xun turned around. When he saw who it was, his beautiful catlike eyes sparkled, and he called out sweetly to the man.
“Meow!”
You’re done washing!
Shang Xuci stood tall and straight at the doorway, his features cold and striking, his expression calm. His handsome brows and eyes, usually composed, curved with faint amusement when he saw the little cat busily arranging the bedsheets.
He strode over with his long legs.
The kitty’s eyes grew even brighter, gaze fixed on Shang Xuci, tilting his head up with eager anticipation, waiting desperately to be praised.
His gaze followed Shang Xuci’s every move—until he noticed what the man had suddenly paused to look at: a small clump of shed fur on the floor…
Jian Xun: !!!
This time the kitten panicked. He leapt down to the floor to block the fur.
With his hind legs, he tried to kick it under the bed.
“Meow!”
Look at me, not at the fur!
He kept acting cute.
Hearing the kitten’s soft cries, Shang Xuci crouched down, picked up the tuft of fur behind him, and tossed it into the trash bin outside. When he came back, there was now a little bulge under the blanket on the bed.
It seemed the kitten had decided he wasn’t leaving tonight.
Shang Xuci didn’t chase Sui Sui away. Instead, he carefully inspected every corner of the room. Only when the floor was spotless did he wash his hands and get into bed.
Jian Xun poked out his fluffy little head and saw that Shang Xuci hadn’t closed his eyes. Instead, he was holding a book from the nightstand, slowly flipping through the pages.
At once, Jian Xun stretched his neck to peek inside too. The dense English text made the little cat dizzy.
Better to just go to sleep.
The small white cat sprawled beside Shang Xuci, limbs spread in all directions. One paw groped about until it hooked a corner of the blanket, pulling just enough to cover his round belly.
His pointed tail lightly tapped against the man’s wrist in greeting—
“Meow.”
I’m going to sleep now.
Shang Xuci’s arm felt itchy. He lowered his gaze to glance at the cat. The little fellow’s eyes were closed, his breathing even—he hadn’t started snoring yet—and his face looked pure and innocent.
Unable to resist, Shang Xuci looked for a couple more seconds, then gently pulled out the dried-fish plushie from the cat’s arms and tugged the blanket up to cover him.
In the quiet room, the sound of soft purring filled the air. The sweet rhythm of steady breathing, occasionally interrupted by a little lip-licking smack, drifted over like an invisible lullaby and wrapped around Shang Xuci. Once he finished the page he was reading, he slipped in a bookmark, closed the book, and let drowsiness take him.
Within minutes, sleep overcame him.
The sun rose, warm light sneaking through the gaps in the curtains, spilling a golden beam across the room.
On the bed, the little cat stretched his limbs and slowly blinked awake.
The room was empty. The sheets and quilt were a bit messy. Out of nowhere, a wave of indescribable loneliness hit him. With a start, he sat up like a human, then quickly hopped off the bed to look for someone.
Finding Shang Xuci seated in the study, Jian Xun finally let out a relieved breath.
The little white cat padded back to the bedroom and began tidying the bed again. He first jumped into the middle, then kicked the quilt to the foot of the bed. After that, he tugged the sheet from the center toward the headboard, using his “white gloves” to pull and straighten the wrinkles, then did the same at the foot of the bed. Finally, it was time to deal with the quilt.
Jian Xun had never tried folding the blanket with a cat’s body. He simply pulled it into place like the sheet, smoothed it out, then proudly marched a circle across the bed to inspect his work before trotting off to the living room for breakfast.
After eating, he scampered cheerfully back to the study to rub himself against Shang Xuci—restricted only to the man’s long legs.
Tap tap tap.
Once done rubbing, he bounded back to the living room, pulled open the coffee table drawer, and carried out the old tablet. Logging into the creator dashboard, he checked the stats.
Only a few hundred views. The little cat was on the verge of tears.
Why was it so hard?
Thankfully, the dashboard notified him he had made it onto the “New Creators” list. From today, his account would get traffic support.
All day long Jian Xun eagerly waited for noon, when the ranking refreshed. In the meantime, he even secretly found Shang Xuci’s stash of dried fish, carefully opened a packet, and began munching.
Crunch crunch crunch.
He lay sprawled on the sofa like an old grandpa, nibbling dried fish while scrolling through videos, occasionally sneaking glances toward the hallway.
After chomping down two or three fish sticks, his belly was already round and taut. By evening, when he logged back into the dashboard, he discovered that an anonymous user had tipped him dried fish—ten sticks in total!
Ten!
The very first tip of his life!
Overjoyed, Jian Xun spun around in circles on the spot, then ran ten laps on the cat treadmill.
I’m amazing!
They might only be virtual dried fish, but once he saved up 100, he could cash them in for 100 yuan!
Ten today, ten tomorrow, ten the day after… Soon, he’d be making money!
And if one video brought in ten sticks a day, then by posting several videos, he could gather dozens, bit by bit. Very soon, Suisui would be a proud little cat earning 100 yuan a day!
The kitten clenched his tiny fists, his upturned whiskers twitching with determination.
Time to reward himself with a cat treat!!
And so, after finishing his cat food, Jian Xun sneaked off toward the kitchen once more.
Shang Xuci came out to get some water. Hearing noise from the kitchen, he lightened his footsteps and walked over.
Something blocked his view, so all he saw was a fluffy white paw clawing at the gap of a cabinet door. One paw didn’t work, so the little cat used both.
Soon enough, the cabinet popped open.
A sneaky little cat shadow wriggled halfway inside, with a chubby round rump sticking out, tail wagging.
Shang Xuci’s eyelid twitched twice. Looking at the smooth, practiced movements, the proudly upright tail, and the cautious, guilty manner—
This was clearly a repeat offender.
As the kitten wiggled his hips and started backing out, Shang Xuci silently shifted to the side.
Now he had a clear view of what the cat had fished out—a cat treat stick.
Jian Xun placed the treat stick on the floor, then dove back into the cabinet to push back the items he had accidentally knocked out of place. Finally, he patted the door closed with his paw, grabbed the treat stick, and strutted toward the balcony.
Until… a familiar pair of slippers appeared in his line of sight.
The little white cat froze on the spot.
Look up?
Or not look up?
This was a matter of life and death.
In the end, Sui Sui chose not to look up. Step by careful step, he retraced his paw prints, put the treat stick back in the cabinet, and tiptoed out of the kitchen.
When he glanced back again, the slippers were still there. Lifting his little head at last, he mewed sweetly at the man.
“Meow~”
Why are you here?
He ran over, paw and foot moving in sync, and rubbed against Shang Xuci’s leg.
So close, so close—he’d almost been caught red-pawed.
Seeing the kitten’s adorable expression, Shang Xuci’s lips curved despite himself. With long strides, he headed into the kitchen to boil water. Passing by the food bowl, he instinctively glanced inside. Empty. Not a single kibble left.
Had Sui Sui’s appetite grown bigger lately?
As soon as Shang Xuci went upstairs and vanished from sight, the little cat lifted his head several times, watching until he disappeared completely. Then he spun around and bolted back into the kitchen, impatiently opening the cabinet again to grab the treat stick.
This was his self-awarded prize—he had to eat it!
Jian Xun hid the treat stick inside a cardboard box. One bite from his sharp little teeth, and the fragrant smell of the cat treat filled his nose.
Lick lick lick!
After licking his treat clean, he went back to refreshing the dashboard. An hour passed—no change in the numbers. Two hours later—still no change…
The little white cat’s belly was already full, but his mouth still itched to chew on something. Before his brain had even caught up, his body had already trotted over to the cabinet where the dried fish were kept.
Just one stick. That’s not too much, right?
The little cat started pawing at the cabinet again.
But eating like this came with consequences. Before bed, Jian Xun squatted over the litter box for so long that his legs went numb. Afraid Shang Xuci might close the bedroom door and keep him out, he pushed out one final effort, hurriedly buried the litter, then padded into the living room to grab a wet wipe. Standing on a chair, he wiped his paws clean. Once finished, he gave a little flick, and the tissue landed safely in the trash can.
Only then did the little white cat hop down to the floor.
Tap tap tap.
He ran off to the bedroom to sleep.
On a sunny day, Shang Xuci took the cat to visit his grandmother.
The old lady was completely charmed by the little white cat and even made him a special cat meal.
After lunch, Shang Xuci brought the cat for a check-up.
The moment Gu Ming picked him up, he exclaimed, “This… this really is bigger than before.”
“His appetite has grown a lot lately.”
“At this age, cats are still developing. A bigger appetite is normal. It’s just that… well, saying this in front of him might not be very nice.”
“Just say it.”
“He’s gotten a bit too chubby.” Of course, this was only in comparison to before.
Obediently hugging Dr. Gu’s neck, Jian Xun: ???
Meow meow meow?
Excuse me—what’s that supposed to mean?
Where exactly am I fat?
The little cat’s expression grew serious, his body stiff with protest, and he stared at Gu Ming’s face at close range, letting out a sharp, indignant meow.
Gu Ming set him down on the table, running his hands carefully over the cat. At last, his palm settled on the cat’s belly. His expression tightened slightly, and he let out a soft sigh.
Shang Xuci’s heart clenched. “What is it?”
Gu Ming shook his head with a laugh. “You’ve even managed to feed him a little potbelly.”
Shang Xuci: “…”
The air turned awkward for two whole seconds.
Jian Xun: !!
You said it once, then again—doesn’t a cat have any pride?!
Besides, he was still growing. What was wrong with eating a little more? He was already making his own money! It’s not like he was going to eat the boss into poverty!
Flustered and indignant, Jian Xun covered his belly and bared his teeth at Gu Ming.
Bad doctor!
Shang Xuci nodded in agreement. “Lately, after finishing a full bowl of kibble, he’ll sneak off behind my back to steal treats.”
“He never used to do that.” Taking advantage of this check-up, he reported all of the little cat’s recent “crimes.”
Jian Xun was utterly dumbfounded.
His eyes widened, his mouth slightly open.
Boss, when did you turn bad too?!
You actually betrayed me!
Ashamed and furious, Jian Xun clenched his paws and glared fiercely at the two of them, sucking in his belly with all his might.
The little white cat took a deep breath and held it in—but only for two seconds before his tummy puffed out again like a balloon, looking even rounder than before.
He tucked his paws against his chest, ears drooping slightly, mouth tugged downward. Even his white whiskers slanted sadly toward the floor, his whole expression pitiful.
Jian Xun: QAQ
“Aren’t you working out these days?” Gu Ming suggested. “You could bring Sui Sui along.”
“Alright.” Shang Xuci had just gotten a membership at a nearby gym.
Before they left, Gu Ming weighed him.
“He’s four pounds heavier than last time.”
Jian Xun’s mouth fell open in shock.
Being told he was fat hadn’t really sunk in before, but hearing that number broke him. He turned and caught sight of a mirror—his once slender frame now looked rounded.
Only then did Jian Xun truly feel it. He didn’t want to turn into one of those fat orange cats. Hearing Gu Ming suggest that Shang Xuci take him to exercise, he let out one soft, desperate mewl after another, his voice turning into a pleading squeak.
I want to go, I want to go!!
On the way home, Shang Xuci didn’t carry him. All the way back, Jian Xun sat in the cat bag.
Maybe it was Gu Ming’s words, but Jian Xun suddenly grew very sensitive. He felt like the boss was holding him less and less. Once, he even caught Shang Xuci looking at old photos of him.
Was he being disliked?
Jian Xun opened the tablet and searched: #What to do if your cat is disliked for being fat?#
The replies read: [Eat less,] [Control portions,] [Prone to illness,] [All it thinks about is food,] [Brain gets dull.]
The more he read, the more anxious the little white cat became. Finally, his gaze turned determined:
He absolutely had to follow the boss and exercise diligently!!