Xu Tutu: “Okay.”
“That guy behind you is a stranger, really handsome. Is he your friend?”
“My brother.” Xu Tutu quickly pulled Jian Xun into the hallway.
“Every time I see the landlord, something bad happens,” Xu Tutu complained, pulling his keys from his pocket and unlocking the door.
Jian Xun, following behind him, took off his hat, lowered his gaze, and pinched his cat ears.
Back home, Jian Xun pulled out his phone, connected to the upstairs internet, and began looking for jobs.
Because he had no education or ID, he only searched for part-time work—preferably ones that paid in cash, since he didn’t have a bank card.
After browsing various online social apps, he stumbled across a job posting for a large factory.
They produced pet food.
Mustering up the courage, Jian Xun sent the contact person a private message and arranged an interview.
He planned to check out the area in person.
While strolling down the street, Jian Xun noticed a sign in front of a small private restaurant: “Hiring Dishwashers” — salary 4,000 to 6,000 yuan per month, no education or experience required.
He peeked inside. It wasn’t lunchtime, so there were only a few customers. Pushing the door open, he walked in. The owner, speaking with a local accent from the kitchen, asked, “What would you like to eat?”
Jian Xun walked slowly over, placed his hands on the cash register, and whispered, “I’m not here to eat. I’m looking for a job. You’re hiring dishwashers, right?”
The owner glanced at the delicate, slender boy, then lowered his eyes to Jian Xun’s smooth, fair hands. He paused for a moment before calling for his wife.
The boss’s wife, noticing the boy’s gentle demeanor, guessed that something might have happened at home and that he was now looking for work.
The boy was truly adorable—his large, watery eyes fixed intently on her, intelligence shining in them, making it impossible to say no.
She had a child about Jian Xun’s age and told him to give it a try, explaining that dishwashing wasn’t as easy as it looked.
In the back kitchen, a large iron basin sat full of greasy plates and bowls.
Jian Xun sat on a small stool, rolled up his sleeves, put on dishwashing gloves, and began working. At first, everything went smoothly, but when he tried to speed up, his hands slipped and he accidentally broke a few dishes.
The crash of shattering plates was so loud that Jian Xun froze, startled. The boss’s wife came over to comfort him.
Half an hour later, Jian Xun stood on the street, looking dazed.
His job search had failed.
Two days later, Jian Xun’s interview day arrived. He planned to give it a try, but if it turned out to be a scam, he would run.
The main reason he chose this job was because it was close to Xu Tutu’s home, making both day and night shifts convenient. Jian Xun saw it as a temporary job—once he got his ID card, if it didn’t suit him, he would leave.
He waited until Xu Tutu had gone to work, then dressed and headed out himself.
With no money in his pocket, Jian Xun used his phone’s navigation and walked for about forty minutes.
His destination was a run-down, vacant lot under construction next to a high-rise commercial district. Construction had stopped for the day, leaving the old building empty except for the office. It was unusually quiet, the air heavy with a damp, musty smell from being uninhabited for a while.
After confirming the address again, Jian Xun adjusted his clothes, took a deep breath, and pressed the elevator button.
When he stepped out, the hallway was deserted.
Nervous, Jian Xun felt the urge to use the bathroom. He glanced at the clock—he still had half an hour before the interview—so he went. Afterward, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. It looked almost identical to his human self, except for his blue eyes and a pair of furry ears.
He blinked. He had put on black contact lenses before leaving, and still wasn’t used to the sensation.
He poked at one of his ears, then forced it down.
It would only stay that way for a short time—hopefully long enough to get through the interview.
“Excuse me, is this Greedy Cat Pet Co., Ltd.?” Jian Xun found the door number, cast a furtive glance, then traced the character 人 on his palm, “swallowed” it for luck, and knocked softly on the door.
Five or six people in the office looked up. Jian Xun pursed his lips and said, “My name is Jian Xun. I’m here for an interview.”
A middle-aged woman’s eyes lit up. “It’s Jian Xun.”
“Yes.”
“Come in and fill out the forms.” The HR representative handed him an information sheet and a pen, poured him a cup of hot water, and returned to her work.
“Thank you.” Jian Xun took a sip, scratched his head, and began filling out the form.
When he reached the family section, he hesitated, then wrote down Shang Xuci and Xu Tutu’s names—one as father and son, the other as brother.
For the address, remembering Xu Tutu’s warnings about safety, he filled in a vague, fake one.
He left the rest of the fields blank.
A few minutes later, the HR representative came over and asked, “Have you filled everything out?”
“Yes.” Jian Xun sat upright, trying to suppress the twitch of his ears.
Just a little longer… just a few more minutes.
The HR took a quick glance at the form and asked him to introduce himself. Jian Xun repeated, word for word, the self-introduction he had found online.
Not skilled at lying, when they asked about his education and family, he replied bluntly, “I don’t have any education. I already told you that when I messaged you yesterday. As for how many family members I have and what their occupations are… how is that relevant to the job?”
Jian Xun didn’t understand, so he simply asked.
His large, clear eyes and soft voice practically awakened the HR representative’s motherly instincts.
“Um, it’s okay. If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. We don’t require a degree to work at our factory. To cut to the chase, I’ll just ask you a few questions.”
“Okay.”
“Have you heard anything about our company?”
“I know you specialize in pet snacks, mainly for cats and dogs.”
“Not bad.”
“Do you like fish?”
Jian Xun’s eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he said, “Yes!”
His voice was soft and sweet, and his response was full of energy.
The HR representative smiled. “The position we’re hiring for involves making dried fish for cats. You’ll be around the smell of fish every day. You like fish, but can you handle the smell of dried fish?”
An employee had once vomited while packing dried fish, claiming the odor made him sick. He quit after just two days.
Jian Xun nodded enthusiastically, his tone light and airy. “Ah, I like it. I really like it.”
He quickly wiped away the saliva at the corner of his lips while the woman lowered her head to jot down notes.
This felt like a truly blissful job!
Seeing his happy, expectant expression, the HR representative was very satisfied. “Excellent! You meet our recruitment requirements. We’d like to hire you. Since you’ll be working part-time, we’ll sign a contract. We won’t provide social security, but we will schedule your shifts, provide meals, and pay you by the piece. If you’re happy with that, sign the contract and start next Monday.”
“…That’s about it. Do you have any questions?”
Jian Xun shook his head and said sweetly, “Thank you, sister.”
The HR representative was so charmed by his cuteness that she felt younger herself. “Since you’re inexperienced and still young, I’ll start you on the day shift, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for the first few months. Is that okay?”
The young man smiled sweetly. “No problem.”
Jian Xun walked out of the building feeling light and carefree. He hadn’t expected to find a job so easily. Although it was manual labor on an assembly line, it required little thinking and wasn’t physically demanding—already quite a good find.
He also wanted to experience working life.
And—there would be dried fish for the cats!
Saliva slipped down his cheek again, and his tail wagged happily.
It was fine. Once he earned enough money, he would give Xu Tutu his share and use the rest to buy dried fish—if it tasted good.
Jian Xun missed the feeling of chewing.
That evening, Jian Xun excitedly told Xu Tutu about the job. Xu Tutu was also surprised. After confirming the factory was legitimate, he said firmly, “Give it a try. If you like it, work for a while. If you don’t, run. Your brother Tutu will always be here for you.”
“Brother Tutu, you’re so kind! If I were a little female cat, I’d definitely fall in love with you.” Jian Xun was so moved that his eyes filled with tears.
Xu Tutu raised his chin proudly. “You’re my little brother. It’s only natural.”
Jian Xun ran over to fix it.
While cleaning the house, he spotted two glass beads amidst a pile of miscellaneous items.
“Brother Tutu, is this the glass bead I traded with you at the flower tree?!”
“Yes.”
Jian Xun held it in his hand.
It was his first official day at work.
He arrived at the food processing factory, clutching his small backpack, and surveyed the place curiously.
The factory was neither large nor small—spacious, bright, and comfortably temperature-controlled. About a hundred people sat at intervals, wearing standard sanitary uniforms and blue dust caps, arranged in rows along both sides of the assembly line.
The roar of the machines mixed with occasional whispers from the employees. Even when their minds wandered, their hands never stopped moving—their motions quick, skilled, and rhythmic.
On the assembly line, various dried fish awaited packaging, moving slowly along the belt. Employees deftly manipulated the pieces, placing the different varieties and flavors into boxes, which were then quickly sorted by the machine next to them.
The next person checked the seals and organized the bags by color and flavor. At the end, the packaged products were neatly stacked, ready for the next step.
Innocent Jian Xun’s first impression: What fun!
The supervisor, a serious woman in her forties, immediately assigned the new employees to their respective teams.
Jian Xun appeared well-behaved, perfectly obedient, so the supervisor placed him in the team responsible for boxing.
Sitting in his internship seat, Jian Xun felt a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
Working—what a novelty!
The team leader guided them to the changing room. Jian Xun memorized the maze-like layout, noting the locations of the cafeteria, restroom, and locker room—a little dizzy from all the new information.
He also glimpsed someone in the office next door, doing nothing but drinking tea.
Might be the boss.
Jian Xun pondered silently and couldn’t help thinking of Shang Xuci. He was also a boss, but extremely busy and working from home. It must be very hard.
It was his first day, and he was eager to try something new. He gained a general understanding of the process and familiarized himself with the tasks he would be assigned.
By six o’clock in the evening, Jian Xun returned home with a basket full of vegetables and opened the refrigerator to prepare dinner.
Feeling a little lonely, he turned on the TV and happened to see Shang Xuci. The man, dressed in a white shirt and black suit, looked neat and refined, leaning slightly to the side as he listened attentively to the reporter’s interview.
He answered questions flawlessly about his work. Later, when reporters hinted at his personal life, Shang Xuci stared back, eyes devoid of emotion, and calmly said, “Indeed, Jiang Yuanqing and I have broken off our engagement.”
“What about Miss Meng Jingxue?”
Jian Xun felt a sudden surge of anxiety in his stomach.