Xie Zhinan held himself back for a long time, but still couldn’t resist asking.
[Xie Zhinan]：…Then why did you say I needed to work overtime yesterday?
It made him worry all night, thinking he’d have to go back to the boss’s office and work like a mule. In the end, he just comforted himself by looking at the extra numbers in his account, thinking, “I’m working for the capitalists anyway, what’s the difference between working more or less?”
At most, he’d just avoid the person when the time came.
But today, he was told he didn’t have to go.
Wen Yun replied quickly, with no hint of hesitation.
[Y]：I was lying.
So casual.
So casual that Xie Zhinan kept staring at the phone screen, wondering if the phrase “I was lying to you” had some hidden meaning he didn’t understand. Maybe it was like an “unexpected” situation… or something else?
Otherwise, he couldn’t understand how Wen Yun could so casually say that he was lying to him!
Xie Zhinan stayed silent for five minutes, not replying.
Wen Yun’s message came again.
[Y]: Why aren’t you replying?
[Xie Zhinan]: 0.0
[Y]: Are you angry?
[Xie Zhinan]: …No.
[Y]: Oh.
A cold, indifferent “oh,” as if Wen Yun was unhappy that Xie Zhinan wasn’t angry.
Xie Zhinan took a deep breath.
He thought Wen Yun was being way too much.
It was just overtime, after all.
…But it shouldn’t have been like this.
[Xie Zhinan]: Then I’ll return part of the overtime pay to you.
He almost typed out a polite address, but just as he typed a formal “you”, he remembered Wen Yun’s sarcastic earlier messages. He quickly deleted and changed it to an informal “you”.
He didn’t know why he disliked using formalities with Wen Yun. He thought there should still be a polite distance between a boss and a subordinate.
Two minutes later, another cold message came from the other side.
[Y]: If you don’t want it, return it all.
[Xie Zhinan]:.
[Y]: And spit out last night’s dinner too.
[Xie Zhinan]: …
[Y]: 🙂
Xie Zhinan hurriedly typed that he needed to get to work and quickly closed the chat.
….
As autumn approached, the rain came in drizzles.
Wen Yun was on a business trip, and he hadn’t come to the office for a week. Xie Zhinan hadn’t contacted him in the past week either.
It rained for several days, and the last warmth of summer was carried away by the autumn rain. The temperature dropped sharply. Xie Zhinan, who wasn’t good with heat or cold, had already wrapped himself up tightly.
But last night, he didn’t cover himself properly with the blanket and got cold
He didn’t like to wear thick clothes while sleeping—it made him uncomfortable. So, no matter if it was winter or summer, he always wore short sleeves and shorts to bed.
He woke up that morning feeling cold.
He realized that his entire upper body was exposed, his arms were freezing, and his hands almost had no feeling when he touched them. He even wondered if this was what it felt like to touch a corpse.
The warmest part of his upper body was his neck, because Caramel had curled up there, snuggled against him and slept soundly, purring away.
He wondered if he had made the cat cold.
Xie Zhinan, a little worried, reached out to feel Caramel’s back. It was still warm, but his own hands were cold, so Caramel quietly shifted away from his icy hand.
Xie Zhinan smiled helplessly and tapped the cat’s little head with his fingertip.
Awakened by the movement, Caramel pulled its head out of Xie Zhinan’s neck, and just like its owner, Caramel had round, glistening eyes. The cat stared at him for two seconds, then nuzzled its head under his chin. The purring sound was right by Xie Zhinan’s ear, loud like an engine, accompanied by a few soft, spoiled mewling noises.
A feline charmer, a master of coquettishness.
Xie Zhinan couldn’t resist the cat’s charm and immediately bent down to take a few big whiffs of Caramel’s fur. But suddenly, he started to cough.
“Cough… cough cough…”
Caramel was startled by the noise and immediately leapt off the bed and under it, staring at him, confused and bewildered.
After two seconds, seeing him still coughing, Caramel hesitated briefly before hopping back onto the bed and anxiously circling around him.
After coughing for a while, Xie Zhinan finally caught his breath. He patted Caramel’s head and rasped, “I’m fine.”
The chill from the night before left his throat itchy and his nose slightly stuffed in the morning.
Feeling groggy, he got up and found a couple of packets of cold medicine at home. With only two left, he decided they would suffice and didn’t bother going to the pharmacy for more.
As usual, before heading out, Caramel accompanied him to the door. Xie Zhinan crouched down, rubbing its head and speaking in a hoarse voice, “Be good while I’m gone.”
Caramel nuzzled against his hand, as if responding.
A thought crossed Xie Zhinan’s mind—Caramel hadn’t meowed all morning.
Caramel was an incredibly clingy cat, a little ball of affection, often following him around with incessant meowing. Yet today, apart from a couple of soft hums earlier, it had been silent.
Before leaving, he paused for two more seconds. Caramel sat on the ground, tilting its head slightly in confusion.
It didn’t look sickly, though.
Xie Zhinan observed it for a couple of seconds but didn’t notice anything unusual. Finally, he ruffled its head and said, “Wait for daddy to come back tonight with your canned food.”
It seemed to recognize the word “canned food,” and for the first time that morning, Caramel let out a meow.
Only then did Xie Zhinan feel relieved enough to leave.
The cold medicine he brought with him seemed to work. He drank one packet in the morning and another at noon. By the afternoon, his throat wasn’t as itchy, though his head still felt a bit heavy. Based on experience, he figured a good night’s sleep would fix everything.
Throughout the day, Xie Zhinan felt uneasy about Caramel, so he checked his home surveillance two or three times. Caramel, as usual, wasn’t very active during the day—sometimes playing with toys in its bed, sometimes napping. It was well-behaved.
That day was no exception.
Everything seemed fine.
By the time he got off work, it had started raining again, accompanied by wind and a bitter chill. Thankfully, he had brought an umbrella, but it didn’t prevent him from getting damp. By the time he reached home, he felt cold all over.
Hearing the door open, Caramel immediately jumped off the sofa and waited by the door.
Holding takeout, Xie Zhinan walked in and saw Caramel obediently sitting on the floor. Unable to resist, he bent down to pat its head with his damp hand. Caramel immediately stood still and vigorously shook its head to fling off the moisture.
Heartlessly, Xie Zhinan laughed, only to be met with an indignant meow of warning from Caramel.
“Alright, alright, I’ll get you your canned food.”
He opened a can for Caramel and then began eating his takeout.
Not feeling well and lacking the energy to cook, Xie Zhinan had ordered a steaming bowl of rice noodles before heading home. Feeling both cold and hungry, he didn’t even bother taking a hot shower first and simply ate alongside Caramel.
Caramel seemed to have a poor appetite, leaving the canned food unfinished. Xie Zhinan checked its litter box and found everything normal. Later in the evening, he played with Caramel using its toys and observed it again. While it wasn’t particularly active, it didn’t seem lethargic either.
Caramel had always been a relatively low-energy kitten.
Satisfied, Xie Zhinan went about his nightly routine, washed up, and went to bed early, hoping his body would recover on its own after a good night’s rest. However, with his mind constantly worrying about Caramel, he didn’t sleep soundly.
In the middle of the night, he was suddenly startled awake.
The sound of Caramel vomiting echoed in his ears.
Xie Zhinan immediately sat up, turned on the light, and looked over. Caramel was crouched on the floor, still retching, with a puddle of vomit in front of it.
“Caramel!”
After vomiting, Caramel seemed deflated, sitting on the floor and staring at the mess it had made. Perhaps aware it had done something wrong, it let out a soft, guilty noise from its throat, sounding weak and pitiful.
Caramel had never been sick before, always perfectly healthy. Seeing it vomit snapped Xie Zhinan fully awake, and a wave of anxiety washed over him.
He felt a pang of regret and lightly knocked his forehead with his fist. He had noticed earlier in the day that something was off with Caramel’s behavior. Why hadn’t he paid more attention?
But dwelling on it now wouldn’t solve anything. Xie Zhinan calmed himself down, immediately picked up his phone, and searched for any pet clinics nearby that were still open.
Thankfully, there was one.
He quickly cleaned up the floor, grabbed the pet carrier, and Caramel obediently climbed in, curling up inside without moving.
Throwing on a random piece of clothing, Xie Zhinan rushed out the door.
At two in the morning, the location of their apartment complex was a bit remote, making it hard to hail a taxi.
After waiting ten minutes, no taxis passed by, and he couldn’t book a ride through any apps either.
To make matters worse, Xie Zhinan, exhausted and muddled before bed, had forgotten to charge his phone. Now it was down to 2% battery.
Though the rain had stopped, the night air was frigid. The cold wind carried a damp chill that seemed to seep into his bones.
In his haste, he had grabbed a lightweight jacket hanging on the coat rack. It turned out to be a thin summer sun jacket, completely unsuited for the cold.
Shivering, he held the pet carrier close to his chest, shielding it from the wind to keep Caramel warm, all the while frowning and thinking of what to do next.
Before he could come up with a plan, a familiar Maybach pulled up in front of him.
Xie Zhinan’s mind was foggy, his thoughts scattered. He couldn’t immediately recall why the car looked familiar. All he could think was how far he’d fallen to start recognizing Maybachs as familiar vehicles.
It wasn’t until the backseat window rolled down that he saw a cold and familiar face.
The man tilted his head, looking at him with indifferent eyes. His dark gaze was heavy, and upon noticing Xie Zhinan’s confused expression, his brows furrowed slightly.
He looked like he hadn’t gotten much rest. Perhaps it was his pale complexion, but the faint shadows under his eyes were obvious.
His expression carried a hint of fatigue, and his voice was slightly hoarse.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
