Chi Shuo wasn’t afraid of cats anymore. She hadn’t had any contact with cats for so many years, but now living with one, she felt it wasn’t bad.
He Lindi had given her previous cat to a friend. After the New Year passed, she bought another one. Before doing so, she asked for Chi Shuo’s opinion. Seeing how much He Lindi liked cats, Chi Shuo didn’t disagree, just thought she might need to keep her distance.
The memory of being bitten while feeding a stray cat as a child was too vivid; Chi Shuo still felt a phantom ache in the wound. But so much time had passed, and it seemed getting a cat to pass the time wasn’t impossible.
He Lindi bought the cat from a cattery owned by a friend. It wasn’t the most expensive one; it was a Munchkin American Shorthair with very round eyes. When it first arrived at their place, it kept backing up, hiding itself in a corner.
Chi Shuo was already keeping her distance, nervously afraid the cat would pounce and bite her. But seeing the little kitten, even more scared than she was, she couldn’t help but smile: “Kind of cute.”
He Lindi wasn’t hovering over the cat; she was setting up the litter box, food, and other things nearby. Hearing Chi Shuo, her lips also curved. “Kind of? I fell in love with it at first sight in the video because it was so good-looking.”
This room was originally a storage room, though nothing was stored there, but now it was being used as the cat’s room.
Chi Shuo swallowed and tentatively called out the name they had given the cat: “Kuku.”
This Munchkin American Shorthair was a male, just over two months old, and had its first vaccination. Right now, his face seemed to say “Don’t come near me.” Chi Shuo watched as, if she moved even slightly forward, his body, already pressed against the wall, would shrink back further.
The room wasn’t large; besides the litter box and things He Lindi was setting up, there wasn’t much else.
Chi Shuo smiled helplessly. “I’m not going to do anything to you, what are you hiding from? I’m your dad.”
He Lindi, who had just poured the cat food, looked over. “What?”
Chi Shuo stated matter-of-factly, “You’re its mom, I’m its dad. Is there a problem?”
“Yes.”
“We have to decide based on last night.”
Chi Shuo paused. “Last night…?” She remembered. “Weren’t we both giving and receiving last night? How do we decide?”
He Lindi waved her hand, not dwelling on the issue. “How about this, ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ sound too old anyway. You can be Big Sister, and I’ll be Second Sister.”
Chi Shuo had no objections. “Fine.”
They tacitly changed the subject. He Lindi had already crouched down, looking at Kuku in the corner, a gentle smile on her face, her voice like a cloud. “Kuku.”
They had decided on the name Kuku after some discussion. It was quite common and ordinary, but it didn’t matter; as long as they thought he was cool, that was enough, even though Kuku shrinking in the corner looked anything but cool right now.
Kuku’s eyes were very round, like marbles from childhood games. The markings on his forehead were very nice, making him look like a little tiger.
He Lindi moved forward slightly and slowly extended her hand, wanting to get closer to Kuku. But just before she reached him, Kuku’s short legs quickly moved, running to Chi Shuo’s feet.
Chi Shuo instantly froze as if under a spell, standing stock-still, her body tense.
It was still winter, and the outdoor temperature was somewhat low, but they had the air conditioning on inside, so Chi Shuo wasn’t wearing much. She could now feel the furry touch against her ankle.
Kuku was hiding by her feet, as if it were his warm harbor, but he was trembling, still not adjusted to the unfamiliar environment.
Chi Shuo swallowed, not daring to make any move. He Lindi watched her with a smile. “Seems like he really likes you?”
Chi Shuo shook her head. “No, no, he doesn’t like me.”
Just as she finished speaking, Kuku rubbed his head against her ankle.
Chi Shuo: “…”
He Lindi’s smile continued. “Ai, I’m so sad. This is the cat I bought, but he’s affectionate towards you and not me. I’m heartbroken.”
Chi Shuo looked miserable. “Save me.”
“What’s wrong?” He Lindi pretended not to know.
Chi Shuo stared at Kuku by her feet. “I’m not quite ready for this kind of contact with him yet.”
He Lindi comforted her. “I think he really likes you. Why don’t you try petting him?”
“I don’t dare.”
“No, you dare.”
After an internal struggle, Chi Shuo gradually wanted to crouch down and pet the cute little kitten. But Kuku sensed something, and just as she started to squat, he immediately darted away, hiding in his litter box.
Chi Shuo: “…”
He Lindi: “…”
But after getting a cat, life indeed became quite different. After work, the two often no longer went out to have fun, instead going straight home to feed the cat and scoop the litter box.
Cat poop smells terrible. Every time before scooping, the two would play rock-paper-scissors; the loser had to do it.
Two days after arriving, Kuku wasn’t so scared anymore. Sometimes he would even come out of his room and follow Chi Shuo around, looking very serious, much like an apprentice following their master to learn a craft.
Chi Shuo wasn’t as resistant to cats anymore either; in fact, she quite liked Kuku. She herself didn’t feel much change, but in He Lindi’s eyes, it was obvious.
Because every day after work, Chi Shuo didn’t sit on the sofa with her to chat first, but instead rushed to the cat’s room to play with Kuku.
After this continued for over a month, He Lindi’s mood sank. One day after work, she didn’t leave with Chi Shuo. Instead, she asked Chi Shuo to go back first to take care of the cat, saying she herself had dinner plans with her cousin that evening.
Chi Shuo didn’t think much of it, nor did she hesitate. When 5:30 arrived, she said goodbye to Xia Zhou and the others and went home.
When He Lindi got off work, she received messages from Chi Shuo—all about Kuku.
He Lindi’s eyes lowered, and she sighed softly, gathered her things, and left the company.
Having dinner with Yue Ke wasn’t fake, but using it as an excuse was true, because Chi Shuo clearly could have joined them, but He Lindi had asked her to go back first.
“Di Jie.”
“Is something bothering you?”
Only after dinner did Yue Ke ask. The two were now browsing in a supermarket because Chi Shuo had said they could buy some chicken breast for the cat, as they were running low at home.
He Lindi’s brows remained furrowed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah.” Yue Ke pushed the cart. “Did you argue with Shuo Shuo Jie?”
Yue Ke no longer called her “Biao Sao” because Chi Shuo felt it wasn’t necessary.
“No.”
“But I kind of want to argue with her.”
He Lindi’s answer made Yue Ke’s eyelid twitch. He pursed his lips and chose to shut up, not saying anything more on the topic.
He Lindi didn’t let him off, continuing, “You came to see Kuku before too. When you petted him, Chi Shuo was afraid you’d hurt him.” Her face fell. “It’s over, Keke. Your sister’s status is now lower than a cat’s.”
Yue Ke listened, bewildered. “Really?”
He Lindi nodded vigorously. “Really.” She expressed her displeasure to her cousin. “Every time she comes home, she sees the cat first. Before bed, she sees the cat. First thing in the morning, she sees the cat.”
Yue Ke felt she was pitiful but couldn’t laugh, keeping a serious expression. “Then what should we do? Maybe throw Kuku out?”
He Lindi: “…”
He Lindi’s face darkened. “What are you saying? This is my Kuku.”
Yue Ke immediately clarified for himself, “Wasn’t I just trying to relieve the pressure? Seeing you getting so jealous over him.”
He Lindi thought for a moment, turned to look at him. “Do you like Kuku?”
“Who?”
“You.”
“He’s alright, he’s too cute.”
“Alright then, come stay at my place this weekend. Chi Shuo and I will go stay at her place.”
Yue Ke hadn’t expected to be dealing with relationship problems, let alone having to make a sacrifice. “Sis, I don’t know how to take care of cats, I…”
He Lindi placed a bag of chicken breast in the shopping cart, smiling brightly. “No, you do.”
The time was thus set. Chi Shuo was somewhat surprised when she found out. She asked, “If Yue Ke comes, he can stay in the guest room, right? Why do we have to leave?”
“We haven’t been to your place in a long time,” He Lindi explained.
Chi Shuo said again, “Then we can bring the cat. The litter box and food can go in the trunk. I’ll tidy up the room at my place again. Can’t let him get wet; what if he doesn’t dry properly and gets a fungal infection?”
He Lindi’s face turned cold, her tone already tinged with anger. She even called Chi Shuo’s name: “Chi Shuo.” She held back tears. “Is the cat that important?”
“Isn’t he important?”
He Lindi couldn’t help sniffling. “Fine.” She stood up. “If you won’t go, I’ll go by myself, okay?”
Chi Shuo grabbed her hand. “I’ll go, I’ll go. I’ll wait for you after work on Friday.”
He Lindi pulled her hand away. “No need.”
The next day was Friday. Of course, Chi Shuo didn’t leave right after work; she went upstairs to wait for He Lindi.
At 6:10 PM, He Lindi came out of the office. When she emerged, her face was expressionless, radiating a cold aura that instantly lowered the surrounding temperature.
Chi Shuo felt it, but she didn’t know the reason for He Lindi’s anger. She approached, wanting to walk side-by-side with He Lindi, but He Lindi acted as if she hadn’t seen her, looking straight ahead.
Reaching B1, He Lindi held her car keys and walked straight towards the car. Chi Shuo wanted to drive, but just as she placed her hand on the door lock, He Lindi’s voice came from the side: “Take it off.”
Chi Shuo didn’t take it off. The parking lot lighting was too dim, but it didn’t affect the forcefulness of her voice: “I won’t.”
“…” He Lindi ignored her, turned around herself, and walked back towards the elevators.
Chi Shuo stood in front of her, blocking her path. “What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”
He Lindi didn’t give her a single glance. She pressed her lips together tightly, immediately turned back to the car, quickly pulled open the door, and got inside.
Chi Shuo was startled by her speed, then watched as He Lindi drove the car away, the car quickly disappearing around the corner.
Chi Shuo was somewhat bewildered, unsure how she had triggered He Lindi’s anger switch. She went up to the first floor, her phone signal finally returning.
Chi Shuo thought for a moment and sent He Lindi a message, but He Lindi was driving and couldn’t possibly reply immediately.
Chi Shuo hesitated for a moment, then called Han Yu, wanting Han Yu to analyze the situation.
“Did anything happen recently? No!”
“She and I were getting along very harmoniously, commuting together every day, going home to pet the cat together.”
“Speaking of which, Kuku is so cute. Next time I see you, I’ll bring him over for you to see.”
“No one can escape Kuku’s cute attack. You know I used to be very afraid of cats, but I don’t find Kuku scary at all.”
The topic immediately shifted to Kuku. Han Yu listened and noticed this detail. “Shuo Shuo,” she said, “Have you noticed that you can’t go three sentences without mentioning Kuku now?”
Chi Shuo: “…”
Chi Shuo suddenly realized. “I was wrong. I’ll take a taxi to her place right now to coax her.”
Chi Shuo slapped her forehead. “Damn, I’m such an idiot.”
She hung up with Han Yu, immediately hailed a taxi by the roadside, and gave the address.
On the way, she sent He Lindi a message, but He Lindi was still driving and didn’t reply. But half an hour had already passed; she should have seen the message by now. Still no reply, the meaning behind it was obvious—she didn’t want to talk to her, still angry.
Chi Shuo felt somewhat annoyed and anxious. She carefully recalled the past month; she indeed hadn’t interacted with He Lindi as much as before, and the topics often revolved around Kuku.
People don’t just get jealous of other people; they can get jealous of animals too. Moreover, she had indeed been paying too much attention to Kuku during this period.
Chi Shuo was afraid he wouldn’t sleep well, eat well, rest well, get sick, etc., putting a lot of energy into him, neglecting He Lindi’s feelings.
He Lindi also wouldn’t sleep well, eat well, rest well, but she hadn’t shown any concern.
After arriving, Chi Shuo ran quickly. By the time she reached her door, she was still panting.
Her lips were dry, but she couldn’t be bothered. After entering the passcode and opening the door, she didn’t see He Lindi.
Chi Shuo checked the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, but didn’t see He Lindi anywhere. She stood in the living room, drank some water, wiped her sweat, then tentatively called He Lindi.
He Lindi didn’t answer. Chi Shuo felt somewhat dejected. Chi Shuo felt the mistake she made this time was too serious.
This was essentially their second cold war.
Chi Shuo held her phone and called again. He Lindi still didn’t answer.
Chi Shuo felt very helpless. She decided to wait inside for He Lindi to arrive.
Time passed, minute by minute. It was already past seven, and He Lindi still hadn’t arrived.
Chi Shuo exhaled, her eyes already slightly red. She knew she was wrong, yet also felt wronged because He Lindi wasn’t giving her a chance to coax her.
Finally, at 7:30 PM, He Lindi called. Before she could speak, Chi Shuo cried out, “I was wrong, I won’t do it again. I’ll definitely focus on you.”
“…”
“You think I’ll believe that?”
