Embarrassing… so embarrassing!
Jian Xun collapsed to the ground.
Shang Xuci helped him remove the things from his head and put the cat’s clothes back on.
The cat was already dead tired, its limbs sprawled out on the table, letting Shang Xuci do whatever he wanted.
That night, sulking at himself for not eating the dried fish, the cat squatted on the cardboard box to sharpen his claws.
His butt was no longer bare, and now he had something to protect him, so he should have been happy. But Jian Xun couldn’t be. Was he stupid in Shang Xuci’s eyes? He patted the cat’s head, then lay alone on the cardboard box, reciting multiplication tables.
Shang Xuci also had trouble sleeping. He took a book from the study and read it in bed, glancing at the bedroom door several times, but the cat didn’t come.
He recalled the moment he saw the cat after coming out of the bathroom. After he’d finished speaking, Sui Sui had completely shut down.
I didn’t expect cats to care about their pride, either.
Shang Xuci sighed inwardly. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have said it. If Sui Sui liked being a headscarf, so be it.
Even when the lights went out, Sui Sui still didn’t show up. Shang Xuci’s mind kept drifting outside. He closed his book, stood up, and went into the living room.
He squatted in front of the cardboard box, knocked gently on the door, and called Sui Sui’s name.
No meow came. Shang Xuci lifted the curtain and peeked inside. The cat was curled up in a ball, snoring softly.
A kitty’s worries are only fleeting, after all. Even if they’re sad, they won’t lose sleep.
Shang Xuci’s eyes softened with regret. He lowered the curtain and went back to his room.
The next day, Jian Xun had already accepted the situation. He squatted proudly at the bedroom door, waiting for Shang Xuci to wake up.
It was the weekend, and the boss wasn’t working.
When Shang Xuci opened the door, he saw the cat’s clear gaze and the dark circles under his own eyes reflected in the glass.
It seemed the cat had already accepted the headscarf. He meowed.
“We’re going to the ancestral home today. Do you want to come?”
Jian Xun stood up, front paws resting on Shang Xuci’s leg.
Meow!
Yes!
Shang Yi’s ancestral home.
Shang Xuci sat in the living room, holding the cat. He had just replied to messages from Chen Chi and Shen Huan on his phone. He pulled out cat supplies from his bag and began meticulously combing the cat’s fur.
…
Shang Yi’s front door.
The security guard saw Shang Yi and greeted him with a smile. “Hello, young master.”
Shang Yi noticed a car parked in a nearby space and asked, “Shang Xuci is back too?”
“Yes, the second young master arrived just over ten minutes ago.”
“Tsk.” Shang Yi floored the accelerator and sped inside.
Two minutes later, he got out of the car, turning the key as he walked in, subconsciously glancing toward the living room.
Shang Xuci sat on the sofa, casually combing the cat in his arms. Shang Yi couldn’t help but stare a few times, the familiarity growing until it clicked.
“Ah! It’s the cat from the crew!” a4x
Shang Yi immediately reached out to pet the cat and asked, “Is he your cat?”
Shang Xuci pressed the spray mode on the cat brush. Jian Xun closed his eyes in contentment, burying his head in Shang Xuci’s arms, kneading his legs and purring.
Looking indifferent, without even glancing at Shang Yi, Shang Xuci said, “That’s how Xu Rong taught you? Don’t you know any manners?”
Shang Yi clenched his fists. Ever since Shang Xuci had moved out of the Shang family, Shang Yi had become the most favored child, getting whatever he wanted. Shang Wei and the old man doted on him, and no one ever spoke harshly to him.
Who had the right to criticize his mother? Who had the right to call him impolite? Shang Yi snapped back, “Yes, my mother didn’t teach me well because I didn’t want to learn. Unlike some people who don’t have mothers…”
The man—white shirt buttoned to the collar, cuffs neatly fastened—lifted his head slightly, fixing him with a cold stare. An invisible pressure filled the room.
Shang Yi froze, instantly silenced. The other man’s dark gaze seemed to pierce straight through him, making his soul tremble. Fear washed over him, but he forced himself to meet that gaze.
At that moment, Xu Rong entered, one hand resting on her stomach. She had just overheard her son’s words and immediately scolded him. “Xiao Yi, how could you speak to your second brother like that? Why don’t you thank your second brother’s cat for saving you?”
A few days earlier, her youngest son had come home and, like a child, complained about how boring filming was and how he had nearly been injured. Feeling wronged, he told her about the sulfuric acid incident.
Xu Rong instantly realized it wasn’t an accident—someone had been trying to harm her son. Her nerves tensed as she asked about the investigation. How could plain water turn into sulfuric acid? It had to be a targeted attack.
Her mind immediately turned to Tang Manwen. For the past few days, Tang had been pestering her like a madwoman. Then, using some underhanded trick, she had driven her away. Could she have been behind this?
Still, these were only suspicions. Xu Rong narrowed her eyes, already planning to have a serious talk with Tang Manwen—ideally silencing her once and for all.
Seeing that her youngest son didn’t move, Xu Rong patted him gently. “Xiao Yi!”
Shang Yi’s face flashed with displeasure and impatience.
A cat wasn’t a lifesaver. Besides, given the circumstances at the time, even without the cat, that thing wouldn’t have actually splashed on him.
The young man hesitated and muttered, “I don’t want to.”
Xu Rong felt helpless. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the old man walking toward her and sharpened her tone.
Jian Xun felt the soft fingertips on his cat ears pause. He turned around and saw Shang Yi and Xu Rong glaring angrily.
Meow!
You bad girl again! And a bad boy!
Jian Xun hadn’t forgotten how, on their first day on set, Shang Yi had called him a lame cat. He had even told everyone they’d see him walk faster—infuriating him even more!
He didn’t like him. And now, mother and son, don’t even think about bullying the boss in front of him.
The little white cat arched its back, fur bristling, and growled a warning.
Shang Xuci stroked the cat. Seeing the mother and son putting on a show, he suppressed his impatience and anger. Instead of showing it, he smiled faintly, his tone laced with venom. “That’s enough. Stop being so hypocritical.”
“What’s wrong?” Shang Jue walked in.
Xu Rong quickly moved to support the old man, smiling. “Nothing.”
The old man’s sharp eyes lit up when he saw Jian Xun. He went straight to Shang Xuci and stared at the cat.
“Sui Sui, let Grandpa hold you?” Shang Jue took a red envelope from his pocket.
Shang Xuci coolly dodged the old man’s hand as he tried to pet the cat.
“Grandpa, he’s very aggressive. Better not hold him.”
Jian Xun’s furious eyes instantly brightened when Shang Jue pulled out the red envelope, and his expression changed in a heartbeat. He meowed sweetly and even extended his front paws.
Shang Xuci lightly flicked the cat’s head.
“Money is a big deal.”
Shang Jue chuckled and hugged the cat, speaking fondly. “Our Sui Sui is a lovely, brave cat. How could she be aggressive? Let Grandpa hold you. You’ll have a share of Grandpa’s fortune in the future.”
The casual tone made Xu Rong and Shang Yi’s expressions change.
Giving the family fortune to a cat? What a joke!
Xu Rong kept her thoughts to herself, not daring to speak, but Shang Yi blurted out, emphasizing, “Grandpa, he’s just a cat!”
“What’s wrong with a cat? Have you ever seen a cat that hates evil, bravely stands up for justice, and can spot a bottle of sulfuric acid, kick it away, and save your life?” Shang Jue said in a deep voice.
Shang Yi was taken aback. “Grandpa, you knew about that?”
“Someone told me. How could I not know?” Shang Jue thought Sui Sui was a smart, perceptive cat. After hearing about his heroic deed, he liked him even more—so much so that he even wanted to steal him from Shang Xuci and raise him himself.
Xu Rong didn’t know exactly what the old man had heard, but fearing it might implicate her youngest son, she said cautiously, “Our Xiao Yi was a little naughty, but he had no intention of harming anyone. I don’t know who could be so cruel as to want to harm Xiao Yi.”
Her tone carried genuine worry. Ever since she became pregnant, Shang Wei hadn’t paid as much attention to her as before, and their marriage had grown strained.
Shang Wei still held a grudge against her, leaving her with only Shang Yi and the child in her belly to rely on.
Xu Rong touched her stomach, her expression softening.
Shang Jue looked at her coldly and snorted. “You know what you’ve done.”
He wouldn’t let just anyone come to his house without reason. The old man’s gaze flicked to her belly. After all, it still carried Shang family blood.
He glanced around and asked, “Where’s Shang Wei? Didn’t I tell everyone to come back for dinner? I’m not asking you to dine with an old man like me every day, but don’t you have any filial piety?”
Xu Rong quickly replied, “A Wei is out of town on business. You only notified me last night, so I guess he couldn’t make it. He also asked me to spend more time with you, Father.”
“That’s not necessary. Young people have their own lives.” Shang Jue paused, then added, “Besides, you’re pregnant now. Take good care of yourself.”
Xu Rong smiled. “Okay.”
“That kid in Mom’s belly is very fussy. He kicks my belly every day. He’s obviously going to be a naughty one.”
“You’re the naughty one. And you have the nerve to call me your younger brother?”
“Me? What’s naughty about me?” Shang Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Okay, if you’re not naughty, then who is?” Shang Jue said. “Tell Uncle Yu if you need anything. If you feel unwell, have Shang Wei take you to the doctor. Work is important, but your wife and child are more important…”
“Ah.” Xu Rong suddenly groaned, clutching her stomach.
“What’s wrong?” Shang Yi and Shang Jue both tensed.
Xu Rong bit her lip and shook her head helplessly. “The baby just kicked me.”
Shang Jue turned to the housekeeper. “Have Doctor Fang come over later.”
Housekeeper: “Okay.”
Jian Xun, who was playing in the living room, froze when he heard Doctor Fang. He immediately padded a few steps toward the dining table.
Doctor Fang? That Doctor Fang?
His gaze swept over Shang Xuci before settling on Xu Rong, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
The three of them were talking to Xu Rong and her husband. It might have sounded like a lecture, but in reality, the old man was showing his concern and care for Xu Rong’s unborn child.
Jian Xun rested his paws on a stool, watching the boss sit there quietly like an outsider, head lowered, expression emotionless. His heart ached.
He trotted over to Shang Xuci, ignoring etiquette, and lightly leapt onto his lap. He grasped each of the man’s arms with his paws and buried his head against his stomach, without meowing or rubbing.
When the man’s touch turned gentle, more like a caress than a rejection, Jian Xun cautiously raised his head to meet the boss’s gaze.
His round, cat-like eyes fixed on him.
With undivided attention.
Only him.
Jian Xun extended his right paw, pressing the soft pad against the man’s chest.
Meow.
You still have me.