He Yu’s figure was much larger than his own, and the pajamas were particularly big as well.
Xie Xiaobao rolled up the sleeves twice, then cuffed the pant legs before he could barely manage to wear them.
Xie Xiaobao looked like a child who had sneaked into wearing an adult’s clothes, dragging his slippers as he dawdled toward the door.
“I’m done washing.”
He Yu was sitting on the living room sofa reading the newspaper.
Hearing the words, he looked up at him.
The pajamas were too loose, with the neckline opening into a V-shape down to his chest.
Although Xie Xiaobao had buttoned up all the buttons, a patch of delicate pale skin was still visible.
“Good.” He Yu cleared his throat lightly, his voice a little deep.
“I heated some milk for you. Drink a little milk before going back to sleep?”
On the coffee table in front of He Yu sat a cup of milk, steam curling gently from its surface.
“Thank you.”
Xie Xiaobao slowly walked over, picked up the milk, and obediently finished it.
Then he went to rinse his mouth before saying goodnight to He Yu and returning to his room to rest.
“Go to bed early.” Seeing him wrap himself in a thin blanket like a silkworm cocoon, He Yu couldn’t help but smile slightly.
After turning off the light in the room, He Yu closed the door behind him and went to wash up himself.
In the pitch-black bedroom, Xie Xiaobao suddenly threw off the quilt, sat up, and gasped a couple of deep breaths.
Then he rubbed his cheeks hard with the cool back of his hand.
His face was burning hot with fever.
If he could see himself in the mirror, he would definitely be bright red.
After slapping his face a few times, Xie Xiaobao lay back down, curling up under the quilt.
There was a faint, pleasant fragrance inside the blanket—he wasn’t sure if it was from the detergent or He Yu’s cologne, but it smelled nice.
He tossed and turned a few times, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t fall asleep.
He wanted to curl into a ball but then remembered he was at He Yu’s place and couldn’t just turn into a cat.
Frustrated, he hugged the blanket and rolled around twice.
After He Yu finished showering, worried that Xie Xiaobao wouldn’t sleep well, he gently pushed open the bedroom door and asked, “Are you asleep? Is it hard to get used to sleeping here?”
Xie Xiaobao froze mid-roll, obediently clutching the blanket without moving.
“I’m asleep, no problem getting used to it.”
He Yu chuckled softly, “You’re asleep and still talking. Get some rest.”
Xie Xiaobao buried his head in the blanket and gave a muffled “mmph.”
The door closed, the bedroom plunged back into darkness, and Xie Xiaobao, muffled in the blanket, eventually fell asleep without even realizing it.
When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
Rubbing his eyes and stretching lazily, Xie Xiaobao tidied up his crumpled pajamas before opening the door and stepping out.
He Yu, wearing the same pajamas, was still sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.
Seeing that he was awake, he stood and prepared to go downstairs.
“You’re up? How did you sleep last night?”
“I made porridge. Go wash up and then come eat breakfast.”
“Okay.” Xie Xiaobao was still a bit groggy and followed He Yu’s instructions without question, dragging his feet slowly to the bathroom to wash up.
Next to the sink, a toothbrush and rinsing cup had been thoughtfully prepared, with the toothpaste already squeezed out.
Xie Xiaobao stared at the toothpaste and couldn’t help but smile before starting his routine.
After washing up, he felt more awake.
Then he suddenly remembered he had forgotten to wash his clothes yesterday and would probably have to wear the dirty ones home today.
But after searching around the bathroom, he couldn’t find the dirty clothes he had changed out of.
“He Yu, where did my clothes go?” he asked anxiously, running to the stairwell and looking down.
He Yu was coming out carrying a bowl of steaming porridge.
“I washed them for you.” He Yu put the porridge on the dining table and looked up with a smile.
“Come down and eat breakfast first. I’ll bring your clothes after.”
Embarrassed, Xie Xiaobao nervously tugged at his shirt hem and shuffled down the stairs dragging his slippers.
“Why did you wash them for me?”
He Yu handed him a spoon and said, “I did it while I was at it. Try the porridge.”
It was century egg and lean pork congee.
The rice was soft and thick, clearly simmered for a long time.
Xie Xiaobao scooped a spoonful, blew on it gently, and then took a bite.
The congee was cooked until very tender; the flavors of the century egg and lean pork blended together with the rice, releasing a special fragrance.
After finishing the first spoon, Xie Xiaobao scooped another and mumbled that it was delicious.
“As long as you like it.” He Yu finally smiled and sat down opposite him, leisurely eating his own porridge.
After breakfast, He Yu went to the balcony to collect the clothes.
The ones washed last night were already dry.
At first, Xie Xiaobao had only felt a little guilty about causing trouble by making He Yu wash his clothes, but when He Yu brought the laundry in and handed it over, Xie Xiaobao saw the underwear on top and felt like he might explode into fireworks.
His face flushed scarlet, and in a barely audible voice he said, “You… you even washed my underwear…”
He Yu was completely unfazed.
“We’re both men; what’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Xie Xiaobao wished he could disappear on the spot, hugging the clothes tightly.
The more He Yu was casual about it, the more embarrassed he felt, until he couldn’t even speak clearly and finally just grabbed the clothes and hurried upstairs.
He Yu watched his ears turn red and smirked with satisfaction.
After changing clothes and going downstairs, Xie Xiaobao still hadn’t recovered, avoiding eye contact with He Yu and letting his gaze drift away whenever he spoke.
He Yu secretly sighed, ‘That was way too shy’.
But on the surface, he still had to play the gentleman and soothe him; otherwise, teasing him too much would backfire.
Nothing else happened on the way, and He Yu dutifully saw him off downstairs.
“We’re here,” He Yu stopped the car and reminded the dazed Xie Xiaobao.
Snapped out of his daydream, Xie Xiaobao exclaimed and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, stepping out.
After a few steps, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t said goodbye and turned back to do so.
“Thank you for having me. Next time, I’ll treat you.”
He Yu smiled and waved him off.
“Go ahead. I’m heading to the company.”
After saying goodbye, Xie Xiaobao hopped into the apartment like a rabbit.
Back at home, he let out a meow and transformed into a cat, rolling wildly on the soft carpet.
Today was just too humiliating—he had even let He Yu wash his clothes.
Like a little cannonball, Xie Xiaobao jumped up, leapt onto the sofa, and hugged a cushion, scratching furiously.
Only after venting all his shame did he stop, panting heavily, and flopped down like a salted fish, not moving.
After sulking for a while, Xie Xiaobao still hadn’t fully recharged when his phone started ringing again.
He grabbed it and saw it was Old Wang calling—probably work-related.
Reluctantly transforming back, Xie Xiaobao sat cross-legged, turned on the speakerphone, and placed it between his legs.
“Hello, Brother Wang.”
“Are you at home?” Old Wang’s voice was a bit noisy, as if he was outside.
“Yes.” Xie Xiaobao replied.
Knowing he was home, Old Wang proceeded to tell him about the matters discussed that day.
After confirming cooperation with Feng Sheng Entertainment yesterday, Old Wang had immediately contacted their representative.
The other side’s proposed terms were sincere, but Old Wang’s side had requested to replace the two originally planned animal actors, which made the other party unhappy.
Changing actors at any time was a small matter, but one of the animals confirmed was a black cat belonging to the male lead.
Yang Qifei, the male lead actor, was a rising star Feng Sheng had been promoting heavily.
The script for (Pet Fate) was tailored for his big screen debut.
When he heard the production needed a cat, he sent over his own Black British Shorthair.
Although the director hadn’t officially approved yet, with Yang Qifei’s current popularity, the director was unlikely to refuse a gift from him.
Feng Sheng’s representative didn’t want to offend the popular actor, so they politely but firmly rejected Old Wang’s request.
The first communication didn’t go smoothly.
The cast was set, and although the roles were just two animals, forcing the production to break the contract and replace them seemed unreasonable.
“The cast is already set,” the representative said.
“They can’t change it. See if you can accept it. If not, I’ll pull out and look for another script.”
Xie Xiaobao hadn’t expected this complication.
Though a little disappointed, he reasonably chose to give up.
“Since it’s decided, forget it. I’ll have to think more about Orange Bao’s side.”
Old Wang confirmed his decision and began checking for other suitable invitations while replying to Feng Sheng’s representative that cooperation would need further consideration.
The Feng Sheng’s representative didn’t say much upon hearing this.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the director of (Pet Fate) himself contacted the shelter.
The director’s name was Luo Qin, well-regarded in the industry.
His commercial films had all been both critically acclaimed and box office hits.
Feng Sheng had invested heavily to hire him for (Pet Fate).
Luo Qin messaged the shelter’s official Weibo directly.
At first, the girl managing the shelter’s Weibo thought it was a scam, but seeing the verified badge and then checking his page full of awards confirmed it was really Luo Qin.
Not knowing what to do, the operator contacted the Shelter Director.
Having never dealt with a big director before, the Shelter Director pondered and eventually reached out to Xie Xiaobao.
Luo Qin asked about the three cats from the commercial, including Orange Bao, who was Xie Xiaobao’s cat.
At least he should be informed.
Xie Xiaobao was so surprised when the Shelter Director called that he thought he’d misheard.
“The production said the cast was already decided. Why is the director contacting us now?”
The Shelter Director was equally puzzled.
“I don’t understand either. Maybe I should give him your Weibo so he can talk to you directly?”