Chapter 60: The cat has someone he likes.

Xie Xiaobao had been absent-minded for several days straight, looking lost no matter what he was doing.

The Assistant Girl waved her hand in front of him for a long time before he finally snapped back, “What’s up?”

Assistant Girl: “…So basically, you didn’t catch a word I just said.”

“Director Luo said Orange Bao and the others finish filming their scenes tonight, and tomorrow night everyone will have a meal together.”

The three little animals’ scenes were concentrated and all shot within this period.

After that, Xie Xiaobao could take the animals and leave the crew.  

If it were other main actors, there would definitely be a wrap party, but since it was three animals wrapping up, it felt a bit extravagant.  

However, no one objected.

To put it bluntly, even when hitting a dog you still need to see its owner.

With Xie Xiaobao’s status, plus his good nature and how much he’d helped everyone recently, this wrap party was justified.

“Alright,” Xie Xiaobao nodded.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll have Wang Ge go place the order.”

The Assistant Girl shook her head, “Director Luo said he’s treating. You just bring someone along.”

Xie Xiaobao agreed, though he felt a bit guilty letting the director pay.

So, he specially asked Old Wang to buy some fruit and snacks to share with everyone.

Xiao Hei finished her last scene, and Xie Xiaobao rested at the hotel for a day.

The next evening, he took them all to the wrap party.

The wrap party was booked at a private restaurant near the film base.

The place was very private, often favored by many stars or crews for meals.

This time, it was just the directors plus a few main actors.

Director Luo and Director Zhang were both mild-tempered, always smiling off-camera.

Once everyone arrived, they cheerfully invited everyone to order.

Xie Xiaobao was closest with Xie Feifei and Lu Xiaoyue; the three sat together.

Xiao Hei and the Cat-Shaped Paper Doll lay side by side on Xie Feifei’s lap, letting her stroke their fur, while Da Zhuang was with Lu Xiaoyue.

As the lead actors, they’d spent the most time with the three pets and had grown attached, especially Xie Feifei, who was quietly asking Xie Xiaobao if she could adopt or buy Xiao Hei.

Lu Xiaoyue overheard and said he wanted to adopt Da Zhuang.

Xie Xiaobao scratched his face awkwardly, “Xiao Hei and Da Zhuang are shelter animals. Whether they can be adopted depends on the Shelter Director.”

Xie Feifei was a little disappointed but understood.

“Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll go visit the shelter. Can I look for you then?”

Xie Xiaobao said no problem.

The three of them whispered quietly while Luo Qin and Zhang Fengnian chatted with two veteran actors.

The two veteran actors played the leads’ father and mother.

Though not popular, they were highly respected in the industry and had plenty of resources.

One veteran actor, noticing the three whispering nearby, quietly remarked, “Young people are just so good.”

Luo Qin smiled, “Yeah, I don’t have the energy to raise cats or dogs anymore.”

As they were talking, the waiter brought dishes one by one, and they ate while chatting.

The veteran actor who had been silent suddenly stared at Xie Xiaobao and said, “I have an old friend preparing a film. There’s a role that suits you very well. Do you have any free dates soon?”

Xie Xiaobao was stunned, “Me?”

The veteran actor, known for being serious and taciturn, nodded, “Yes. My friend is Liang Wenshan. He always asks me to keep an eye out for actors. I think you’re quite suitable.”

The others were surprised.

The veteran actor had long been in the industry and naturally had wide connections, but they didn’t expect the ‘old friend’ to be Liang Wenshan.

Liang Wenshan held a high status in the film industry.

Now over sixty, he won awards with his first low-budget film at twenty, and every project he touched became a strong contender for major awards.

Many stars, once famous, would first consider working with him to secure their place in the industry.

But Liang Wenshan’s health was poor, and he took a “less but high quality” approach to his films, making him rare and hard to approach.

He was also extremely strict in selecting actors.

Aside from trusted friend referrals, he would personally put great effort into finding suitable talent.

Everyone hadn’t expected such a big opportunity to come from the veteran actor.

Xie Xiaobao didn’t respond immediately, but Director Luo chuckled, “Teacher Li really keeps things low-key. If others knew, the crew probably wouldn’t have a peaceful day.”

The veteran actor waved his hand, “I’m just introducing. Whether it gets finalized is another matter. You all know his temper. For us introducers, it’s mostly losing face and no gain.”

That was true.

Liang Wenshan’s explosive temper was well known.

No matter if you were Best Actor or Best Actress, if he didn’t like you, you wouldn’t get a good look.

Sometimes when friends recommended someone, he’d reject them outright and even insult them, leaving the introducer stuck in the middle.

If the veteran actor hadn’t thought Xie Xiaobao was truly suitable, he wouldn’t have said anything.

Yet Xie Xiaobao didn’t accept the offer.

“Thank you, Teacher Li,” Xie Xiaobao smiled faintly, “But I’m not planning to develop my career in entertainment.”

No one expected him to reject such a great opportunity and were momentarily stunned.

Seeing everyone’s surprise, he scratched his face awkwardly.

“Being an actor is really exhausting. I’m not sure I can handle that kind of hardship.”

It was the truth.

Xie Xiaobao was an honest Cat, without grand ambitions or dreams.

As long as he could manage his own little world, he was content.

Besides, he hadn’t even entered the entertainment circle, but paparazzi were already staking out on him, making him afraid to go out casually.

If he became a star, being followed by reporters every day would be unbearable.

The veteran actor laughed and clinked glasses with him, “If you don’t want in, don’t go. This circle only looks glamorous from the outside.”

Since the topic was closed, the group moved on to other conversations.

The meal ended quite enjoyably.

After finishing, everyone went home to rest.

The next day, Xie Xiaobao took the three animals and left the crew to return home.

He didn’t tell He Yu the day they wrapped.

Facing He Yu still made him uneasy; he didn’t know how to act naturally around him, so he chose to avoid it like an ostrich.

Old Wang drove him home.

Xie Xiaobao didn’t ask to be seen upstairs; Old Wang had been with him on set for so long and deserved a rest.

Carrying the three animals upstairs, Xie Xiaobao reluctantly removed Xiao Hei’s collar amid her strong protests.

Without the restraint, the three animals frolicked in the living room.

Xie Xiaobao gave them canned snacks and refilled their water, then quietly slipped away to the balcony to sit and think.

It was already mid-December.

The weather in Shen City wasn’t very cold yet but was cooling day by day.

The sun hung lazily in the sky, no longer scorching summer heat but gentle and harmless.

Xie Xiaobao transformed back into a Cat, burrowed under the cushion in the hanging chair, only his head and tail visible, staring blankly at the distant sky.

His thoughts were messy.

He recalled the little details of meeting He Yu — from being afraid to speak at first to growing increasingly familiar and their relationship becoming closer.

He Yu was a very gentle person.

When Xie Xiaobao was with him, He Yu always took care of him, considered everything for him, and over time, Xie Xiaobao grew more and more dependent.

Happy or unhappy, he would share everything with He Yu.

He Yu was like gentle water, silently seeping into his life.

“Meowww……”

Xie Xiaobao anxiously covered his eyes with his paws, thinking more and more about how good He Yu was.

Frustrated, he flicked his tail, unsure what to do.

Should he confess to He Yu directly?

Xie Xiaobao was a little scared.

If He Yu rejected him, wouldn’t they fail even to remain friends?

He shook his head.

He couldn’t rush it; he had to take it slow.

He flipped over, belly up, staring at the ceiling.

His tail tapped on the cushion rhythmically.

Maybe he should first go ask Second Brother.

In their family, only Xie Qi had successfully found a mate; even the eldest brother was still single.

No sooner said than done, Xie Xiaobao rolled up, tidied his things, messaged Old Wang saying he’d stay home for a few days, then took a taxi to return Xiao Hei and the others to the shelter.

After dropping off the cat and dog, exchanging pleasantries with the Shelter Director, Xie Xiaobao made a detour straight to Jade Garden.

***

Jade Garden.

Xie Qi was currently in his big cat form, clinging to Qu Yanning and begging for treats.

Qu Yanning was pinned down by Xie Qi’s big paw on his shoulder, unable to move when the doorbell rang.

“Let go, I’ll get it.” Qu Yanning pushed off the big cat.

The big cat hummed low, resting his head stubbornly on Qu Yanning’s shoulder, refusing to let go.

The doorbell rang again and again.

Qu Yanning pushed hard, “Someone’s knocking!”

The big cat snapped his tail in annoyance, snorted, and reluctantly let go.

Qu Yanning quickly sat up, straightened his clothes, and made sure everything was in order before going to open the door.

Xie Xiaobao waved at him from afar, “Brother-in-law.”

Qu Yanning was surprised to see him back.

Remembering what had just happened, he cleared his throat and quickened his pace to open the door.

“Filming’s all done?”

Xie Xiaobao walked in with him.

“Yeah, wrapped yesterday, so I came back today.”

As they entered, Xie Qi had already transformed back into human form and was glaring at his younger brother with displeasure.

Xie Xiaobao was confused by the glare and quietly asked Qu Yanning, “Is Second Brother in a bad mood?”

“Don’t mind him,” Qu Yanning whispered.

“He has a toothache.”

Xie Xiaobao immediately looked at Xie Qi with sympathy.

Not caring if he was still glaring, he cheerfully greeted, “Second Brother.”

Xie Qi snorted through his nose.

“Second Brother.”

After putting down his luggage, Xie Xiaobao lingered and approached Xie Qi.

Xie Qi was angry at having his good mood interrupted; Xie Xiaobao wondered how to start talking.

The two cats sat together, neither speaking first.

After a long silence, Xie Xiaobao still felt shy asking such a thing from his brother.

Nervously twisting his fingers, he suddenly shifted back into cat form.

His original form had more fur, so it shouldn’t be obvious he was embarrassed, he thought.

Xie Qi glanced at his brother, who’d transformed into a cat and was trying to look cute, then coldly stared down at him.

Tilting his head, Xie Xiaobao lightly kicked his ear with his hind paw, then folded his paws neatly, sitting up straight and slowly said, “Um… I want to tell you something.”

Xie Qi looked at him askance, half uninterested, “What is it?”

Xie Xiaobao shyly pressed his ears flat and softly meowed, “I want to ask, how did you pursue Brother-in-law?”

“Hm?” Xie Qi was taken aback, then sat up straight, seriously staring at his brother.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

Xie Xiaobao’s ears flattened even tighter, his tail tapping uncontrollably on the floor.

“I—I like someone now.”

“I want to pursue him.”

Gathering all his courage, he finally said it, not daring to look at Xie Qi, unaware of the sharp glare now directed at him.

“Who is it?”

Xie Xiaobao felt his face burning.

If it weren’t for the fur covering it, he’d be bright red. He puffed and hesitated before timidly saying, “It’s He Yu.”

“He’s even been to our house.”

Xie Qi: “……”