HCKSAB ~ 10

Chapter – 10

Shao Sui had awkwardly played the role of a “pregnant man.” Of course, it wasn’t nearly as taxing as a real pregnancy, but tucking his shirt into his waistband to carry a five-pound cat while doing dishes and cleaning—constantly having to hold the cat up with one hand so it wouldn’t fall—was exhausting enough.

No gym workout, yet it felt just as good as one.

Aside from his own bowl, the cat bowl also had to be washed clean and put away in the dish cabinet, to be taken out again at the next meal.

“Mimi?”

Shao Sui patted his own “belly.” This shirt was definitely going to stretch out of shape, but there was no helping it—the little cat was just too delicate.

He’d been a stray before, looking so proud in those photos, yet he was afraid of rain and thunder.

If he sent Mimi back to the area near Xiao Wu’s Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, would the cat be terrified into weakness every time a sudden storm hit, then bolt around frantically?

He was truly stuck.

The animal-disliking teacher sat on the sofa for a while and realized Mimi had long since fallen asleep.

The little guy was actually kind of good-looking—his facial markings were colorful and pretty, with a pink nose and pink mouth. His paw pads pressed warmly against Shao Sui’s abs, and from time to time, he let out faint little snores.

Little cats snored too. And they dreamed.

Tonight would surely be a good dream.

Shao Sui peered down through his collar at the tiny creature and criticized, “Just a few days, and all that wariness is gone.”

In this state, he couldn’t shower. Sleeping in the bedroom directly was out of the question too—he was sweaty all over and holding a cat.

Who would let a cat on the bed?

Shao Sui certainly wouldn’t.

He grabbed a sofa blanket and spread it over the couch, then lay down on his side facing the backrest. The kitten immediately collapsed into a small puddle inside his shirt, automatically finding a comfortable position to continue sleeping.

Shao Sui played on his phone for a while but still didn’t see the cat wake up, so he decided to sleep on the sofa tonight. His first class was tomorrow morning—he needed to rest early. Fortunately, he’d already finished his lesson prep that morning.

He reached back, picked up one of the cat’s toy balls, and tossed it at the light switch nearby.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, rain pouring in torrents. Inside, the light was dim, warmth radiating from the intertwined human and cat.

Late into the night, Shao Sui drifted in and out of half-sleep for a while. First, he felt a bit cold and remembered a window he hadn’t closed, but he was too lazy to get up, so he just hugged the cat tighter and went back to sleep.

Not long after, he felt too hot—as if there was a blazing warm furnace in his arms.

Shao Sui mumbled groggily, “Can cats get fevers too…”

He tried to feel for the cat’s position, but the moment he moved his hands, he sensed something in his arms… something much larger than a cat. He instinctively reached down and grabbed a soft, warm lump.

Shao Sui squeezed it on reflex, then heard a meow that didn’t quite sound like a cat’s meow—more like a petulant murmur startled from a nightmare.

Must be a dream.

The cat had grown bigger.

But where had all the fur gone…

Drowsiness clouded his thoughts, and he dozed off for another ten minutes or so. Then Shao Sui’s mind suddenly jolted—he shot upright in bed like a corpse rising from the dead, fumbled for his phone on the coffee table, turned on the flashlight, and checked in alarm—

Aside from the cat sprawled out in a long stretch beside him, there was nothing else.

Mimi opened his eyes and stretched: “Meow?”

Had a nightmare?

Shao Sui was still uncertain—the sensation from moments ago had felt so real, as if he’d been holding a person in his arms. But Shao Sui had been single for nearly thirty years, so he wasn’t sure what it actually felt like to hold a person.

“It’s nothing.” Shao Sui moved the cat into the crook of his arm, pulled the blanket over himself, and lay back down. “Go to sleep.”

“CRASH!”

A perfectly timed clap of thunder sent Mimi crashing into Shao Sui’s chest, leaving a long, thin scratch mark behind.

“Hiss… it’s fine.” Shao Sui was too tired to care, gently patting Mimi’s body to soothe him. “Don’t be scared—Daddy’s here. No one can hurt our Mimi…”

After a moment, a belated thought crept into Shao Sui’s mind?

Huh?

What had he just called himself?

It had to be Dr. Ren constantly calling him “Mimi’s dad” that brainwashed him.

Even with a discount on neutering, he wasn’t going back to that hospital.

……

Early the next morning, Shao Sui was woken up by the cat.

Mimi first sniffed around his nose, left and right, until a still-half-asleep Shao Sui covered his face with one hand: “My first kiss can’t go to a cat.”

Mimi broke free from his grip and started kneading his left pec.

Shao Sui had no choice but to open his eyes, grab his phone, and check the time—it was exactly 6 AM.

Normally, he’d be getting up around now too, but today he felt a bit dizzy and just wanted to keep lying there.

“What are you doing?” Shao Sui stroked the cat’s fur. “Little cat masseuses don’t make much money—can’t afford gold. Best you’ll get is a Churu.”

His nose felt a bit stuffed, and his voice had changed. Shao Sui self-diagnosed: a cold.

“Purrrr—”

Mimi grew bolder, standing atop Shao Sui, facing him. His hind paws braced against Shao Sui’s abs while his front paws pressed down on his pecs, alternately tightening and relaxing, left and right, with a rumbling purr emanating from his throat—a highly rhythmic massage.

When the muscles relaxed, they were soft, sinking under the warmth of the kitten’s paw pads.

But when the paws lifted, the claws would peek out, prickling with a bit of sting.

Still, Shao Sui couldn’t bear to push him away, stroking along Mimi’s spine instead.

After a moment, Shao Sui suddenly realized something and grabbed Mimi’s left front paw to inspect it: “The fracture’s healed?”

Hadn’t the vet said yesterday that it would take at least seven days to recover?

Shao Sui quickly sent a message to ask. Dr. Ren replied that it might be a case of exceptional natural healing—being able to knead meant it was healed. If he was worried, he could bring the cat in for an X-ray.

“It’s really healed?” Shao Sui was a bit surprised, kneading from the kitten’s thigh bone all the way down to his paw pads. “No pain anywhere?”

The Cat King declared proudly: “Meow-nyeh!”

Shao Sui’s feelings were complicated.

It had been decided that once Mimi’s injury healed, he would be sent away—even if the owner never came to claim him.

The little guy was completely oblivious, still purring away as he kneaded.

Shao Sui looked up why cats did this, and the answer netizens gave was that kittens knead to stimulate their mother’s milk production. If they keep doing it as adults, it’s most likely because they were taken from their mother too early and miss her.

“Treating me like your mom? I’ll spank your butt raw!”

Shao Sui scooped up Mimi and bundled him in his arms, joking, “How pitiful is Mimi? No mom since he was little. Should I take you to find her? Which neighborhood was she wandering in?”

“Meow? Meow!”

Mimi struggled, unable to understand what was wrong with this dumb human. He just wanted to knead—it felt nice, it made him happy.

After playing around for a bit, Shao Sui had no choice but to get up. He took a hot shower first, then changed clothes and made himself a cup of cold medicine.

Breakfast was simple—steamed two buns and two eggs, mashing the yolks into Mimi’s homemade food.

This morning’s flavor was fish and shrimp.

Perhaps knowing that no one would fight him for food now, and that he’d never go hungry, Mimi ate slowly and with great enjoyment.

Shao Sui bit into his bun and thought maybe he should buy a taller cat bowl stand.

The current bowl was too low—it looked like it might strain the cat’s spine.

But…

Shao Sui glanced at WeChat. Last night, Xiao Wu had sent him many more old photos of Mimi—sometimes squatting outside a braised-meat shop begging for food, sometimes lying lazily on the grass soaking up the sun.

Occasionally, he’d climb trees and doze off on a branch.

Xiao Wu: Isn’t he pretty?

Xiao Wu: We don’t mind that he’s a boy cat. Don’t feel pressured. If you really can’t keep him, just bring him back—we can even come pick him up. Everyone’s willing to chip in for the medical bills.

Shao Sui pretended not to see it.

He washed the cat bowl: “You stay home and behave. If you’re scared, find a place to hide. I’ve closed the balcony door too—lightning can’t get you, okay?”

Mimi rubbed against his legs in a circle: “Meow-nyeh~”

The rain outside had lightened up a lot now, but the weather forecast said there’d be another heavy downpour in the afternoon. Shao Sui hesitated, then sent Cheng Ke a message asking if they could swap classes.

After Cheng Ke agreed, Shao Sui rubbed the back of Mimi’s neck: “I’ll be back by one in the afternoon. Don’t be scared.”

He grabbed an umbrella and a mask and headed out, passing by the little flower bed where he’d found Mimi. Now there was a new resident—a tiny orange kitten.

It was huddled into a ball, using the shrubs to shield itself from the rain.

There had always been plenty of cat calls in the neighborhood, but Shao Sui had never paid them any attention before.

He couldn’t help thinking of Mimi. If he sent him back to wander near the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, would Mimi end up just like this little one?

Kittens can’t understand unpredictable weather—they only know fear and terror, not knowing when the storm will pass. If lucky, Mimi might find a small sheltered passage. If not, he’d be just like this orange cat, trembling in the bushes.

And Mimi had long fur—once soaked, it wouldn’t dry easily, and he might catch a cold or get sick.

Hadn’t that popular science article said that male calico cats have weak constitutions? A little rough treatment, and he might not even survive.

Shao Sui rubbed his brow, took a mask out of his bag, and carefully picked up the tiny orange cat by the scruff, setting it under the awning at the entrance of his building—at least it would offer some slight shelter from the wind and rain.

–

“Meow! Meow—”

Mimi stood by the sliding glass door of the balcony and witnessed the whole thing.

Even though that was just a kitten, very pitiful, Mimi didn’t want him getting close to *his* human. Even a temporary shelter—that was *his* human. How dare that cat lay a paw on him!

Would Shao Sui bring it home too? Would he make it cat food and hold it while sleeping?

Absolutely not.

The Cat King’s alarm bells were ringing. His human was already poor enough—if he brought another cat home, his food would definitely be split, and maybe even the kneading spot would have to be shared half and half.

Too terrible, meow.

Mimi felt uneasy. He ran to the bathroom, dragged out the white T-shirt Shao Sui had changed out of that morning and hadn’t had time to wash, and spread it on the sofa. He lay on top of it, waiting for his human to come home.

If he really did bring back another cat, he’d bite him to death, then leave this heartbreaking place.

In his agitated state, Mimi gnawed on the shirt to grind his teeth, already feeling sad over his own hypothetical scenario.

Time ticked by, minute after minute. Mimi yawned and burrowed into Shao Sui’s shirt, completely enveloped by the human’s scent. He fell into a deep sleep—until a clap of thunder jolted him awake.

“CRASH!”

Mimi sprang up on instinct, but smacked into the table. The pain made him hug his leg and blow on it—until he noticed his toes, round and smooth, just like a human’s.

“?”

Mimi instinctively tried to meow, but what came out was a human voice.

He could turn into a human!

Just like that tabby cat who stole the gold!

Why?

Mimi remembered what that tabby had said—if you want to become human, wait until you’re grown, find a human whose scent you really like, inhale a lot of it, and maybe one day you’ll transform.

Was it because of Shao Sui that he turned human?

Mimi wanted to go to the bathroom to see what he looked like, but walking was unsteady—he kept stumbling. He tried to crawl on all fours like he did as a cat, but human legs are longer than arms—four-wheel drive just didn’t work well.

So Mimi slowly recalled how Shao Sui walked, and learned step by step.

After more than ten minutes, having endured great hardship, Mimi finally reached the bathroom.

The mirror reflected the image of a completely unfamiliar human teenager—naked, with bruises on his waist and legs from all the bumps he’d gotten while learning to walk.

It was all that coffee table’s fault! And that dining table corner!

He’d make Shao Sui saw them off when he got back!

After venting internally, Mimi grew happy again. Now that he’d become human, could humans just push him around anymore?

But… I look so ugly.

Mimi was very dissatisfied. His beautiful fur was gone, replaced by black hair. He was shorter than Shao Sui, his body wasn’t as strong as Shao Sui’s, and everywhere he touched felt soft, lacking the firmness of Shao Sui’s build.

If Shao Sui still chased after him like he did yesterday morning, he probably wouldn’t be able to outrun him—and he’d lost his sharp teeth and claws, so he couldn’t fight back at any moment.

Thinking about it that way, maybe it was better to be a cat.

Mimi reached toward the mirror, wanting to touch the reflection of himself, but the glass surface stopped him.

He poked it several times but couldn’t get through, so he gave up and started making human expressions at the mirror—like smiling, like crying, like the occasional eyebrow raise Shao Sui did when he talked.

Mimi couldn’t raise his.

He reached up to try, attempting to make his eyebrows move, but they wouldn’t listen at all. Frustrated, Mimi started twisting his own brow: “—Mmph! That hurts like hell.”

Mimi cautiously shut his mouth.

He’d just spoken human words.

How strange.

Mimi imitated Shao Sui’s tone and said “that hurts like hell” again.

Later, when he saw Shao Sui, he’d say that to him—say it over and over.

He’d make Shao Sui saw off that terrible table corner and coffee table, and while he was at it, fix his eyebrows too.