A Aloof Beauty Becomes a Tiny Kitten / Transmigrated as the Disabled Tycoon’s Tiny Kitten - Chapter 10

While Xu Yi was speaking with the general store owner, Lin Xingmo had actually already woken up, but sensing the scent of that orange cat, he didn’t want to come out.

Only once they entered the residential compound did he poke his head out of the pocket again. It was nearly seven o’clock—the typical dinner hour—so there were few people walking about, though the sounds of spatulas clanking against pans drifted from the first-floor units.

He tilted his head back and saw stars flickering one by one against the dark blue canopy of the sky. Lin Xingmo lay quietly against the edge of the pocket, feeling quite hungry. Upon arriving at Xu Yi’s door and smelling the fragrance of food wafting from inside, he clearly felt his saliva secreting, and his stomach let out a growl…

Er, two growls?

In addition to the kitten, Xu Yi, who had been busy all afternoon, was naturally starving as well. He looked down at the little white cat gazing up at him, gently squeezed its tiny paw, and said, “Mom’s back… don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep you here.” With that, he fished out his keys and opened the door.

Du Hanrong had only been home for a short while. She got off work at six, and by the time she got back to the compound and finished buying groceries, it was already six-thirty. Fortunately, she had asked the fishmonger at noon to save a fish for her. Combined with a head of broccoli and a plate of scrambled eggs with green onions, it was enough for her and her son.

When Xu Yi returned, she was still busy in the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m home.”

Xu Yi greeted her, put the remaining balloons and cardboard away in his room, and then went into the kitchen to wash his hands. “Do you need help?”

Du Hanrong turned around, about to speak, but froze when she caught sight of the little white cat poking its head out of his pocket. Xu Yi, noticing her gaze, quickly scooped the kitten out and said with a smile, “I took the kitten out with me today. It was very good and even helped me.”

“Because the kitten was there, I even earned an extra yuan today.”

Du Hanrong knew about his after-school recycling. She didn’t ask him to hand over the money, letting him save it for his own use. Because of this income, Xu Yi rarely asked her for money despite his young age; except for major expenses like tuition, he bought his own stationery and exercise books.

Du Hanrong nodded but didn’t take his words to heart. After all, how could a month-old kitten possibly help?

“Put the cat down and go wash your face. Dinner isn’t ready yet; have a bowl of fish soup first to warm your stomach.” As she spoke, she lifted the pot lid and reached for a bowl.

Xu Yi pursed his lips but obediently left the kitchen. He placed the kitten on the sofa chair to avoid stepping on it while moving about, then went to the balcony to wash his face. When he returned, a bowl of steaming fish soup sat on the dining table with two pieces of fish meat inside. The aroma made him feel ravenous.

The boy opened a folding chair, sat down, and took two sips of soup. The warm broth was fresh and sweet, made extra savory with pickled vegetables and ginger; it was incredibly refreshing. He finished the soup in one go.

However, he didn’t rush to eat the two pieces of fish. He went to his room, brought out the cat bowl, washed it, and used his chopsticks to carefully debone the fish. He placed most of the meat in the cat’s bowl, keeping only a small piece for himself.

The kitten wasn’t allowed on the dining table—his mother would surely be angry—but he couldn’t bear to put it on the floor. It was winter, and the tiles were freezing; what if the kitten caught a cold?

So, Xu Yi brought over a low stool and placed the cat bowl on it. Only then did he pick up the kitten from the chair so it could eat beside him. Watching the kitten lower its head to eat seriously, the boy’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

Knock, knock, knock—

Sudden, urgent knocking sounded at the door, accompanied by the muffled sound of someone calling out.

Lin Xingmo looked toward the door, then at Xu Yi, wondering why he wasn’t opening it. He saw the boy’s face—flushed from the hot soup just moments ago—suddenly turn pale.

Xu Yi glanced toward the kitchen. The sound of stir-frying was loud; his mother clearly hadn’t heard. He pursed his lips, set down his bowl, and walked over. He hesitantly opened the inner door, and seeing the boy standing outside the security gate, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Xu Yi, open up! Look at the good stuff I brought you!” Lu Zhuokai stood outside, grinning as he held up a plastic bag.

“It’s you,” Xu Yi said.

“Who else would it be? Open up!”

Seeing him start to knock again, Xu Yi had no choice but to let him in. Lu Zhuokai walked in with practiced familiarity just as Du Hanrong emerged from the kitchen with the eggs.

“Hi, Auntie Du!” Lu Zhuokai greeted her brightly.

“Oh, Zhuokai. Why are you here at this hour? Have you eaten?” Du Hanrong said with a smile.

“Not yet. My mom told me to bring you something.” He placed the bag on the coffee table. “They’re sugar oranges grown by my grandma. They’re super sweet. Try some with Xiao Yi.”

Du Hanrong: “Oh, that’s too kind…”

Before she could finish, Lu Zhuokai waved it off. “It’s nothing. My grandma sent a huge box. They’ll go bad if they sit too long. Help us eat some so they don’t go to waste!”

Du Hanrong couldn’t refuse further and invited him to stay for dinner.

“No thanks, my family is waiting for me.” As Lu Zhuokai was about to leave, he spotted the white kitten on the low stool and froze.

“Hey, isn’t that the kitten from under the car?” He leaned in excitedly, reaching out to pet it.

Xu Yi, who was scooping rice, frowned but couldn’t scold him. However… the little white cat dodged Lu Zhuokai’s hand, jumped off the stool, and stood a short distance away, its face scrunched up as it stared at him with disdain.

Xu Yi was stunned, then his eyes filled with amusement.

“Ah, it’s still so timid!” Lu Zhuokai pouted. “It won’t even let me touch it. How stingy.”

My little treasure isn’t timid at all, Xu Yi thought. He followed me out to collect recycling all afternoon.

As for Lin Xingmo… his reason for dodging was purely because he was repulsed by the scent on the boy. Specifically, his hands carried a pungent, acidic citrus smell that he couldn’t stand.

Lu Zhuokai suddenly remembered something and blurted out: “You were late this morning—it wasn’t because of this little guy, was it?”

Receiving no answer, he looked up at Xu Yi, only to see his friend’s face had turned cold. Lu Zhuokai’s heart skipped a beat. Although Xu Yi was usually a bit of a loner, he was generally polite. It was the first time Lu Zhuokai had seen him look so grim.

Then he heard Auntie Du speak with a hint of severity: “Xiao Yi, you were late for school?”

Ah… Realizing he had caused trouble, Lu Zhuokai looked between them, wanting to plead for Xu Yi, but his friend didn’t give him the chance.

“Lu Zhuokai, you should head back now.”

Meeting the boy’s dark, heavy gaze, Lu Zhuokai was momentarily speechless. He could only nod sheepishly. “I’m leaving then. Bye, Auntie Du.”

Although Du Hanrong’s expression was grim, she was still gentle toward Lu Zhuokai. After seeing him out, she returned to find her son had already set the table and was eating as if nothing had happened. The white kitten had also returned to the low stool.

Du Hanrong paused, sat opposite him, and said seriously: “Xiao Yi, don’t you have something to explain to Mom?”

Xu Yi pursed his lips, eating as he spoke. “I was only a few minutes late.”

Du Hanrong frowned, looking at the ball of fur on the stool. “Did you find the cat on the way to school?”

Xu Yi: “Mm.”

Seeing the boy eating with his head down, Du Hanrong softened her tone. “Xiao Yi, it’s not that Mom absolutely won’t let you have a cat, but right now you need to focus on your studies.”

Seeing her son remain silent, she continued earnestly: “Next year you’ll be in the sixth grade. In another year you’ll have the middle school entrance exam. The workload will definitely be heavier.”

“Xiao Yi, you want to go to the best school in the city for junior high, right? You don’t want to be like Mom, working in a factory for a few hundred yuan a month, do you?”

Only then did Xu Yi set down his bowl. He looked up at her and said seriously: “I won’t let it affect my grades.”

Du Hanrong wanted to say more, but she saw her son’s eyes turning slightly red. “Mom, I just hope that when I come home every day… it’s not just me alone every time.”

He clearly felt wronged, but the boy was stubbornly suppressing it; aside from his reddened eyes, he appeared normal.

Seeing him like this, Du Hanrong’s tears fell instantly. She turned her face away, covering it with her hand. Xu Yi also lowered his head and continued eating. Silence fell over the living room.

Lin Xingmo squatted on the stool, watching the pair. Recalling the way the boy had said those words with red eyes, he felt a strange sensation in his chest. I hope it’s not just me alone… For some reason, that sentence kept repeating in his mind.

Before he could figure it out, the boy had finished his meal. As he was about to stand, Du Hanrong spoke again.

“Mom promised you that if you get first in the grade for the final exam, I’d give you a reward. About the cat… we’ll talk when you get first place.”

This was a concession.

Xu Yi sniffled, his voice carrying a slight nasal quality. “The final exam is over a month away. What about the kitten?”

Du Hanrong: “Just keep it for now.”

Xu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Mom.”

Du Hanrong waved her hand, looking exhausted. “It’s the end of the year and the factory is busy. Starting tomorrow… I have to work overtime every night.”

Overtime was from 7:30 to 10:00. She got off at 6:00 and the commute took an hour; if she came home to eat, time would be extremely tight.

“I’ll talk to Zhuokai’s mom. During this period… you should go to their house for dinner.”

Du Hanrong was already reluctant, and after hearing her son’s words, her heart felt even heavier. But these days, if you didn’t work overtime, you waited to be fired. “It’ll be better by Lunar New Year. Mom will have overtime pay and can buy you a new schoolbag…”

Xu Yi was silent for a moment. “What about you?”

Du Hanrong felt a pang in her heart. She turned away, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about Mom. The factory provides dinner.”

The boy nodded. “Mm. No need to bother Auntie Lu. I can cook for myself.”

With that, he picked up the kitten and the bowl and returned to his room. He put the kitten back in the box and sat dazed for a long time. Eventually, he regained his composure and left the room again.

His mother had finished eating and was washing dishes. Xu Yi went to the balcony to collect the laundry and prepare for a shower. When he pushed the bathroom door open with his change of clothes, he froze.

The little white cat had slipped in at some point and was crouching by the floor drain. As he noticed, the kitten happened to finish its business. It looked up at him, then walked away as if nothing had happened.

Xu Yi watched its little retreating back and shook his head with a smile. For some reason, his mood suddenly felt better. He resignedly bent over to clean up the traces left by the kitten.

Truly, being able to find the bathroom on the first day without being taught… you really are a good boy.

After rinsing the floor, the boy was about to close the door to shower when he saw the kitten waiting at the door, its eyes watching him quite seriously.

Then, it slowly walked up to him, and under his watchful gaze, it turned its back, pressed its front paws down, lowered its center of gravity, and… stuck up its little butt toward him.