Chapter 13: Kitty Language

Mu Jingyi held one of his hands, his fingers gently stroking its back, carefully guiding the cat’s emotions.

His own emotional stability was astounding; he wasn’t the least bit angry at the cat’s little tantrum.

He was not in a hurry, quietly waiting and keeping him company, murmuring a few soothing words even if none were answered.

Sir calmed the little cat until his chest stopped heaving violently and his breathing became steady and deep.

The tips of his toes, from crouching on one knee, gradually went numb, but he did not stop patting the back of the cat’s hand.

The young cat did not know how to handle his own emotions; his sadness and grievance were written all over his face.

Yet he dared not cry or throw a fit at Sir.

He lowered his head, at a complete loss, cautious even in his anger.

From time to time, the cat would glance over to check the man’s expression, afraid of finding even a hint of annoyance.

But there was none.

His Sir had weathered countless storms and faced innumerable difficult opponents at the negotiating table of the business world.

Peaceful, composed.

Matured by countless experiences, he gently tolerated all of the cat’s discontent.

“If you’re unhappy, do you want to vent your feelings on me?

You can tell me what’s wrong when you feel better.”

“No…”

The obedient cat mumbled softly.

More than angry, the cat was confused.

He was used to swallowing all his anxiety and sadness, never troubling others with anything.

As for venting his emotions, the cat didn’t know how, nor could he.

The greatest extent of Ning Jiu’s outburst was slapping the surface of the chair with his tail in protest.

He couldn’t bring himself to question Sir about why there was another cat outside this home.

Besides, what if Sir did get another cat?

It wasn’t as if he was one of a kind.

A pet was not unique.

Sir could attract one, two, or even countless cats with his catnip pheromones.

Ning Jiu secretly clenched the fabric of his pants, making up his mind.

He had to find that cat, to make it clear to the other kitty: Sir was very important to him, and it couldn’t just take his home away.

He needed this safe harbor.

He did not want to be sent back to the factory.

“Sir, I want to go out.”

It was already very, very late.

The occasional rumble of distant thunder heralded a heavy night rain, and the humid, oppressive weather was not suitable for going out.

The cat’s request was impulsive and reckless.

He looked extremely distressed, fidgeting in his seat, his brow furrowed in a way that seemed both aggrieved and pitiful.

His heart was already in turmoil, yet he obediently suppressed his emotions, making his request with caution.

Mu Jingyi’s heart softened in an instant.

He couldn’t bring himself to say no.

“Where do you want to go?

Shall I go with you?”

Ning Jiu shook his head, saying stubbornly, “Don’t come with me.

I’ll go by myself.”

The fingers stroking the little cat’s hand paused.

For a moment, Mu Jingyi felt a sense of disorientation.

The little cat he held so tightly was running away from him, getting farther and farther away.

For the first time, the president who had always been in control of everything was faced with a train about to derail.

The situation was gradually slipping from his grasp, and he still did not know why.

Mu Jingyi swallowed.

The hands that were lightly stroking turned into a tight grip, clasping Ning Jiu’s.

He held on to the cat, refusing to let go no matter what.

“Kitty, have I upset you so much that you want to run away from home?”

“…Run away from home?”

Ning Jiu’s eyes widened in surprise.

He shook his head, his cat ears blurring with the movement.

“No, no, I have important business to do.”

In the end, Mu Jingyi released Ning Jiu’s hand, no longer holding him back.

“Alright, go on.

I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Ning Jiu stood up eagerly.

“Thank you, Sir.”

He rushed into the cold wind without a backward glance, not even hearing Mu Jingyi call out to him from behind.

The wind outside was cold, the damp air carrying other scents.

Ning Jiu smelled the trace of his own kind that had been on Sir, a distinct cat scent.

Ning Jiu called out to his surroundings:

“Mu Ao!” (Come out!)

The sharp, rising meow was a threat in the cat world, but coming from Ning Jiu’s human throat, it sounded more soft than fierce.

A rustling sound came from the bushes to one side, and a young black kitten emerged.

It was pure black without a single stray hair.

If it blended into the night, only its pair of bright eyes would be visible.

Hearing the summons, it limped forward, dragging its body to Ning Jiu’s feet.

Its front legs couldn’t support its weight, and it collapsed to the ground.

A small patch on its ear was a bloody, burnt mess.

The little black cat let out two weak meows and then collapsed completely.

Ning Jiu’s dissatisfaction and anger vanished the moment he saw the severely injured kitten.

Kindness and pity took over.

He had been through painful days himself and felt sympathy and empathy for this injured little thing.

Ning Jiu crouched in front of it, touched its nose, and said softly, “Mi Ma’ao Oaw, Miao Wa’ao Muii.” (Don’t speak in dialect, I can’t understand you.)

The little black cat propped its head up, its eyes wide as it stared at the big cat before it, unable to look away.

It was the first time in its life it had heard such standard cat language—not only was it comprehensible, but it was as perfectly enunciated as standard human speech.

It sized up this “behemoth,” its eyes round as saucers.

‘What a huge cat!

This is the boss, this is the boss!’

It meowed anxiously, trying its best to make its language sound more proper.

The little black cat repeated “help me” over and over, then bit onto Ning Jiu’s white tail, which was many times its size, and tried to drag him in another direction.

“Wua Miao…” (Come with me…)

Ning Jiu followed it through the roadside bushes, the extending branches scraping against his thin body.

In a small corner outside a wall, Ning Jiu saw Sir’s expensive overcoat.

The costly fabric was simply left in the corner, piled into the shape of a nest.

The catnip scent on it was very, very faint; Ning Jiu had to get very close to smell a tiny bit.

The little black kitten, shivering from the cold, huddled under the thick overcoat, almost merging with the black fabric.

It exposed only a small part of its head, crying out in a small voice, “So cold, it hurts.”

“It’s Sir’s coat…”

Mu Jingyi had only given his expensive coat to this little black cat, making a small nest for it.

He hadn’t even brought the poor kitten home, likely considering that Ning Jiu, the original resident, would not be happy.

Ning Jiu murmured to the black cat in kitty language, “I misunderstood Sir…”

He meowed softly.

A human’s vocal cords were different from a cat’s, so Ning Jiu sounded more like he was imitating a cat’s meow.

But his non-human genes allowed cats to understand him and see him as a very powerful big cat.

In the little black cat’s eyes, Ning Jiu was a big cat, like a tiger.

The black cat sensed Ning Jiu was unhappy.

It climbed out from under the heavy coat and with great effort, lifted its head to rub against Ning Jiu’s fingers.

It offered a small comfort, “Don’t be sad, Boss.”

“You can’t go with Sir, you can’t take my Sir away, Sir can only have me as his cat…” Ning Jiu said, his fingers gently scratching the top of the black cat’s head.

The black cat rubbed against his hand, blinking pleadingly.

“I won’t take him.

I just want to live.”

A light rain began to fall from the sky.

The cold raindrops landed on Ning Jiu, and tiny ice crystals were faintly visible within them.

The sleet was close to freezing, and where it landed on his exposed skin, it stung like needles of ice.

Ning Jiu’s cat fur gradually became damp, and his white tail, dragging on the ground, was stained with dirt.

Water droplets clung to the little black cat’s small body, and it shivered with cold.

But it did not hide under the coat, instead staying by Ning Jiu’s feet.

‘The boss is sad, I have to stay with him…’

The little black cat thought.

Ning Jiu held out his palm, shielding the small space above the black cat’s head from the rain.

Cold water gradually collected on the back of his hand.

His hand grew stiff with cold, turning an unnatural reddish-purple.

The little black cat looked up, then staggered over to Ning Jiu’s tail and burrowed into the fluffy fur, poking its head out.

Ning Jiu’s tail was many times the size of the little kitten, covering the black cat like a warm, thick blanket.

Ning Jiu stared at the black cat for a long time, his gaze fixed on the dried blood on its ear.

He remembered that rainy night at the factory, how Sir had found him, a pathetic little cat, and rescued him, bringing him home.

He was just like this little black cat, just a pitiful little kitty.

“Sir… I was just being difficult with Sir… Will he be angry?

Will he not want me anymore…?”

Ning Jiu sneezed from the cold, speaking to the black cat in kitty language.

There were fewer defenses between their kind.

Using a language humans couldn’t understand, he poured out all his worries and sadness to this strange little cat.

The black cat, covered by the tail, was warm and felt more comfortable than ever before.

Its voice became lazy, and the frequency of its meows decreased significantly.

“Don’t be sad, Boss.”

A cold wind blew past.

Ning Jiu clenched his teeth, shivering from the cold just as the black cat had been.

He too hugged his own tail, relying on its thick fur for warmth.

A thick, plush blanket was draped over Ning Jiu’s shoulders, and a glass cup filled with hot water was pressed into his hands.

Ning Jiu looked up.

A familiar large umbrella was shielding him from above.

“You ran off without your coat.

What if you catch a cold?”

Mu Jingyi wrapped the plush blanket tightly around him and motioned for him to help hold the umbrella.

Mu Jingyi had wanted to lecture him a bit more, but seeing the cat’s cold-reddened cheeks and his shivering form, he couldn’t bring himself to say a single harsh word.

He sighed helplessly and cupped the red face with both hands, rubbing the tender cheeks with his warm palms.

He had searched for a long time before finding this secluded corner.

Seeing his coat reminded him of how a little stray had clung to him on his way home, and how he had used the coat to make a nest for it.

“I looked for you for a long time.

I thought you had really run away from home.”

Mu Jingyi had heard meowing from around the corner.

When he approached, he found it was his own cat “meowing” softly, perhaps engaging in some encrypted communication.

He couldn’t understand kitty language, but he could hear the sadness and sorrow in the choked voice.

His heart melted completely.

“Kitty, do you want to rescue it and bring it home?”

Mu Jingyi stroked his head and asked softly.