After finishing breakfast, Xie Xiaobao wandered around the house.
Worried about surveillance, he didn’t dare to change back even though He Yu wasn’t home.
So, he stayed in his cat form, wandering here and there.
The house was silent.
Because it was so large and spacious, it felt a little cold and empty.
After a couple of uneventful rounds, Xie Xiaobao ran back to the bed to curl up.
Cats always slept a lot, and the bed was soft.
Squinting his eyes, Xie Xiaobao lay down for a while, unknowingly falling asleep again.
He was awakened by the sound of the door opening downstairs.
Thinking He Yu had come back, he washed his face with his paws and trotted to the staircase, ready to find He Yu.
Being a cat was really boring.
However, the person downstairs wasn’t He Yu, but Fang Huaiyue, whom he had met a few times before.
Fang Huaiyue searched around downstairs but didn’t see the cat, so he headed upstairs—and happened to spot Xie Xiaobao looking down.
Xie Xiaobao tilted his head and meowed, a bit puzzled, unsure why Fang Huaiyue had come.
“Got you.” Fang Huaiyue stepped forward and petted the cat’s head.
Xie Xiaobao shrank back, dodging from under his hand, and meowed again, asking what he intended to do.
Fang Huaiyue smiled and said, “You look so well-behaved but won’t even let me touch you. Typical cat temper.”
Saying that, he stood up and went to the living room to check the cat bowl.
The cat food in the bowl hadn’t been touched, but the goat’s milk and canned food were almost gone.
Before coming, He Yu had instructed that the cat liked canned food, which was all stored in the drawer of the TV cabinet.
Fang Huaiyue pulled open the bottom drawer of the TV cabinet and indeed found it full of cans.
He cleaned up the leftover cans, washed the cat bowl, opened a can, and placed it beside the bowl.
Then he went to the kitchen to pour fresh goat’s milk, cooled it with cold water, and poured it into the bowl.
While he was busy, Xie Xiaobao followed nearby, neither too close nor too far, watching attentively.
Only then did he realize Fang Huaiyue had come to prepare his lunch.
He hadn’t expected He Yu, who seemed cold and distant, to be so attentive to the cat—truly a good person.
In his heart, Xie Xiaobao gave He Yu a “Good Person” card and took a few steps forward to lower his head and drink the milk.
After finishing, Fang Huaiyue, worried that He Yu might not rest easy, took a few photos and sent them to He Yu’s WeChat.
Once he finished feeding the cat, Fang Huaiyue locked the door and returned to the company.
As the president’s special assistant, his work was hardly light.
Only the president himself could make him put down a pile of unfinished documents and come to feed a cat.
Having drunk the goat’s milk, Xie Xiaobao glanced at the canned food nearby.
After eating it for two days straight, he was starting to dislike it.
Since he wasn’t very hungry either, he ran back to the sofa to curl up and think about how to get someone to come take him home.
Without a phone, and not daring to touch He Yu’s study computer, he could only think of the landline on the first floor.
After much thought, he only remembered the landline number at his older brother’s house.
Anxiously, Xie Xiaobao tapped his tail and trotted downstairs.
The phone sat neatly on the coffee table in the first-floor living room.
Xie Xiaobao didn’t dare to be too direct.
He pretended to casually stroll around the living room for a few laps, then acted very interested in the phone and approached it.
Although no one was around and he didn’t know if there was surveillance, Xie Xiaobao still looked around nervously like a guilty thief.
With a soft purr, he faked pressing the buttons casually and dialed his second brother’s house number.
The phone rang repeatedly.
Xie Xiaobao’s ears perked up sharply as he focused intently on the phone.
But the call went unanswered for a long time.
Remembering that his second brother had said they were on vacation, Xie Xiaobao meowed sadly and flopped down next to the phone.
Not finding his sister-in-law, he could only try his older brother.
But if his older brother found out, he’d definitely be punished with reciting the clan rules.
Xie Xiaobao was really traumatized by those clan rules, so he comforted himself:
‘At worst, wait another two days and have my sister-in-law come get me.’
That was what he told himself, but after the second unanswered call, Xie Xiaobao’s condition worsened dramatically.
***
His cat nose became dry, and his fur was no longer as smooth as before.
He Yu, a novice at raising cats, worried that Xie Xiaobao might be sick when he saw him listless, so that night he took the cat to the pet hospital.
The doctor asked about symptoms and dietary habits, then sighed with some disbelief.
“You’ve been feeding him too well, he’s overheated.”
“Usually, feed him more vegetables, carrots and greens are good.”
He Yu looked at the drooping Xie Xiaobao, still hesitant, “But he’s been so listless all day.”
The doctor clicked his tongue in disdain, thinking He Yu was overreacting.
“Everyone has times when they don’t feel well.”
He Yu picked up Xie Xiaobao and looked closely at him.
“Feeling down?”
Xie Xiaobao meowed in response, but anxious about not finding his sister-in-law, the entire cat was too worried to offer any comforting energy to He Yu.
After multiple checks, the doctor confirmed it was just overheating and recommended less meat and more veggies for a few days.
Only then did He Yu bring the cat home.
He placed the cat by his pillow and frowned at the motionless Xie Xiaobao.
Gently stroking his head, He Yu took out his phone and sent Xie Xiaobao a WeChat message.
[*Are you there?*]
[*Orange Bao seems unhappy today.*]
He Yu thought carefully about his wording, trying not to sound like he just wanted the cat to leave.
[*Could it be that he misses you?*]
After sending the message, He Yu held the phone, waiting, but there was no reply.
He put the phone away and softly said to Xie Xiaobao, “Xiaobao didn’t reply. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
The lethargic Xie Xiaobao suddenly stared at him in horror.
He Yu messaged himself?
He Yu tucked the cat in with a blanket and lay down beside him.
But the frightened Xie Xiaobao felt even worse, the anxiety making his condition more severe.
Over the next few days, probably worried about Xie Xiaobao, He Yu stayed at home noticeably more.
He even strictly limited Xie Xiaobao’s meat intake, worried he was eating too much.
Xie Xiaobao could only suffer, staring at the carrots and greens with big eyes.
The physical and mental torment finally made Xie Xiaobao choose to accept reality.
Unable to find sister-in-law, he reluctantly decided to ask his older brother for help as a last resort.
Since Xie Yan worked during the day, no one would answer the home phone, and He Yu was at home in the evening, Xie Xiaobao silently prayed He Yu would have plans to be out on the weekend.
Waiting day after day, finally, Saturday came.
But He Yu didn’t go out all morning.
He was either in the study handling work or reading by Xie Xiaobao’s side.
Xie Xiaobao anxiously paced in circles, meowing at him.
He Yu thought he was bored and wanted to play, so he grabbed a cat teaser and waved it in front of him.
Xie Xiaobao instantly puffed up, arched his back, and pinned the teaser under him, then looked up to scold He Yu with meows.
“Why does your temper keep getting bigger?” He Yu gently tugged the teaser.
When it wouldn’t budge, he gave up and scratched under Xie Xiaobao’s chin.
Annoyed, Xie Xiaobao bit his fingertip and ground his teeth, then dejectedly laid down, resting his head on He Yu’s leg, whining in displeasure.
Thinking today’s plan was ruined, He Yu suddenly received a call around five or six.
Xie Xiaobao listened closely and seemed to hear that He Yu was invited out to dinner.
Quietly happy, Xie Xiaobao anxiously tapped his tail, nervously watching He Yu’s face.
He Yu replied a few times and appeared to agree.
He put away his phone, came over, and petted Xie Xiaobao’s head.
“I’m going out for a bit. Be good at home.”
Xie Xiaobao obediently closed his paws together and meowed in agreement.
He Yu went back to his room to grab his suit jacket and headed out.
Once the door closed, Xie Xiaobao cheered.
He ran to the door, ears perked, listening for a while.
After confirming He Yu wouldn’t come back, he happily pounced on the phone.
Nervously, he pressed the number for Xie Yan’s house.
The phone rang repeatedly.
Xie Xiaobao’s eyes widened, tail anxiously tapping the coffee table.
Only when a familiar voice came through the phone did he finally relax and exhale a small breath.
“Hello?”
There was silence on the other end, so Xie Yan called out again, puzzled.
Xie Xiaobao realized and meowed “Big brother.”
“Xiaobao?” Xie Yan frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Lowering his head, Xie Xiaobao meowed and explained everything that had happened over the past ten days.
Xie Yan didn’t interrupt.
Feeling guilty, Xie Xiaobao’s voice grew softer and softer.
“Why didn’t you come find me sooner?” Xie Yan suddenly asked, hitting the point.
Xie Xiaobao hesitated for a moment, then softly meowed, “I was afraid of bothering you.”
Xie Yan chuckled.
Xie Xiaobao’s fur on his neck bristled, feeling like he’d angered his big brother.
Before Xie Yan said more, he quickly promised, “I know I was wrong. Next time, I’ll come to you first.”
“Mm.” Xie Yan gave a faint affirmative and asked where he was.
Xie Xiaobao gave him the address.
Xie Yan said he’d come back to pick him up tomorrow morning, and only then did Xie Xiaobao finally feel at ease.