A Aloof Beauty Becomes a Tiny Kitten / Transmigrated as the Disabled Tycoon’s Tiny Kitten - Chapter 8

The living room in Xu Yi’s home wasn’t large. Since there was no television, the saved space was used for a dining table and folding chairs, which kept the area from feeling cramped.

Du Hanrong and Xu Yi washed their hands and emerged from the kitchen to sit down for lunch. A smile had returned to the woman’s face.

“What delicious things did Xiao Yi make today?” she asked, lifting the covers from the dishes. Since the boy was young, his repertoire was limited; there was stir-fried pork with celery, steamed egg custard, and a large bowl of spinach and meatball soup. Simple as it was, it made Du Hanrong feel incredibly blessed.

“Xiao Yi is so capable. It smells wonderful,” she praised generously. She pulled the lad down to sit, filled a bowl with rice, and placed it before him.

Xu Yi picked up his bowl and ate in silence, his eyes cast downward. Seeing that he didn’t respond, Du Hanrong didn’t mind; she began her lunch in silence as well. After a busy morning at the factory, she was indeed famished.

When Du Hanrong was nearly finished with her second bowl, Xu Yi suddenly set his own down and looked at her. “Mom, you promised before that if I could get first place in the grade for the end-of-term exams, you would give me a reward.” He spoke very seriously. “Does that promise still stand?”

Du Hanrong paused. She looked up at him, then glanced at the little white kitten still waiting obediently on the sofa chair. She had indeed promised her son, and she truly wanted to give him a gift—but she never imagined he would want to keep a cat.

After a moment of thought, Du Hanrong silently withdrew her gaze. While continuing to eat, she said, “Xiao Yi, let’s talk about this tonight. Mom needs to take a nap after lunch.”

The visible exhaustion on her face silenced the boy. He nodded sensibly. “Okay.”

After the meal, Du Hanrong went to her room to rest. Xu Yi cleared the table and brought the dishes into the kitchen, presumably to wash them.

Lin Xingmo, crouching on the sofa chair and pretending to be a “good boy,” looked from one room to the other. He felt once again that his chances of staying were slim.

However, even if he couldn’t stay, he didn’t blame Little Xu Yi. After all, he was just a child, and it was only right to listen to his parents. He didn’t want to be the reason the boy got scolded. Lin Xingmo stared out the window, beginning to calculate the possibility of finding another “long-term meal ticket” in this residential building.

Suddenly, his ears twitched. Hearing a sound, Lin Xingmo looked behind him. The boy had walked over soundlessly, cradling a small bowl in his hands.

Xu Yi looked at the kitten sitting on the chair, a trace of heartache in his eyes. The kitten is so good; why doesn’t Mom like it?

He reached out to stroke the kitten’s head and whispered, “Sorry for neglecting you just now.” Then, he brought the bowl to the kitten’s mouth. “Quick, eat up.”

This was pork he had secretly set aside while cooking—boiled in plain water and finely chopped. Though it wasn’t as fragrant as the meat filling from the morning buns, he had heard that cats shouldn’t eat things that are too salty. Since the ham from this morning was left unfinished, he assumed the kitten didn’t like it.

Lin Xingmo blinked and looked up at the boy squatted before him. He was indeed hungry, but… for some reason, looking into the boy’s gentle, eager eyes made his chest feel strange. A foreign emotion was growing, leaving him a bit dazed.

“Not eating? It’s meat,” Xu Yi noted, frowning as the kitten stared blankly, as if it couldn’t even smell the meat under its nose. Is it too small to eat meat? But it ate the filling this morning just fine…

“You have to eat meat to grow up fast, okay?” he said patiently. He set the bowl on the coffee table, pinched a bit of minced meat into his palm, and held it to the kitten’s mouth.

Finally realizing this was food, and under the boy’s expectant gaze, the kitten lowered its head and poked out its tongue to lick.

During the process, the kitten’s tongue inevitably brushed against his palm. The little tongue was pink and, although it had tiny barbs, it was so small that Xu Yi only felt a ticklish sensation. He wanted to laugh but forced himself to stay still. He stared at the kitten, the tips of his ears slowly turning red.

Lin Xingmo, oblivious, focused on his meal. The meat was fresh, still warm from the pot, and surprisingly delicious despite the lack of seasoning. He cherished the food, and after finishing the meat, he carefully licked the juices from the boy’s palm, just as he had with the plastic bag that morning.

Once he finished, Xu Yi withdrew his hand and set the bowl down. Lin Xingmo looked at him curiously; for some reason, the child’s face seemed a bit flushed.

When the kitten stopped eating, Xu Yi became worried. Does it only eat when I feed it by hand? That wasn’t a good habit. He straightened his face, intending to reason with the kitten, but he ultimately surrendered to the attack of those innocent, cute eyes.

“This is the first and last time. You have to learn to eat on your own from now on,” the boy said seriously. He reached for more meat, but—the kitten lowered its head and began eating from the bowl on its own.

“Uh…” He withdrew his hand awkwardly, feeling a strange sense of disappointment.

The kitten’s head was smaller than the rim of the bowl. Watching it buried in its food, eating quietly and elegantly without any protective growling, Xu Yi’s heart melted. How can a cat be this well-behaved and cute?

Xu Yi wished he had a digital camera; he truly wanted to capture the kitten’s appearance as a memento. But he knew it wasn’t realistic. His mother’s monthly salary was only a few hundred yuan. They didn’t even have a telephone, let alone a digital camera.

“Little treasure, you really are so cute,” Xu Yi whispered, stroking the top of the kitten’s head. His gaze became determined. “I will definitely convince Mom to let you stay.”

He wouldn’t give the kitten to anyone else. This was his treasure; it belonged to him alone.

Lin Xingmo licked the bowl clean. Hearing the boy’s words, he looked up. After a few seconds of eye contact, for some reason, he opened his mouth and let out a soft, meaningless “meow.”

It was a tiny, soft “milk voice.” Lin Xingmo immediately shut his mouth, but the boy was delighted. He grinned, his eyes bright. “Thanks for the encouragement! I’ll take good care of you.”

Lin Xingmo, who had just made a random sound: “…”

The boy moved the bowl away, used a wet tissue to wipe the kitten’s mouth, and Lin Xingmo didn’t resist. He even stretched his neck to make it easier. He realized he was becoming a bit reluctant to leave this child. If it were any other family, would someone be this patient? Likely not.

After cleaning up, Xu Yi went to the kitchen. Lin Xingmo jumped down from the chair and followed, squatting at the kitchen door to watch. The boy was about ten, not yet in his growth spurt and quite thin. He had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the sink. He was efficient, clearly used to the work.

Xu Yi dried his hands. As he turned to go do homework, he saw the white ball of fur waiting at the door, watching him with innocent eyes. Being gazed at by such a “little elf” made his heart feel like it was melting.

His mother worked hard, leaving at 7:00 AM and not returning until 6:00 PM, often working night shifts. Most of the time, he was home alone. While he didn’t mind the solitude, sometimes… he wished for companionship.

Xu Yi squatted, scooped the kitten into his arms, and brought it into his room. He sat at his desk with the kitten on his lap. Feeling the soft, warm weight, he petted the fur contentedly before focusing on his homework.

Lin Xingmo felt the warmth from the boy’s legs. The boy’s scent was clean and fresh, which he liked. Soon, he felt sleepy again. A kitten’s body seemed capable of falling asleep anywhere, especially in such a comfortable spot. He curled into a ball and drifted off.

In his daze, he heard the woman’s voice.

“Xiao Yi, Mom is going to work. Be careful on your way to school and watch for cars.”

“I know, Mom.”

“Is there anything you want to eat for dinner?”

“I want fish soup.”

“Okay, I’ll make it when I get back.”

When the house fell quiet, he felt a small hand stroke his head.

“Little treasure, you’re having fish tonight—”

The joy in the boy’s voice was palpable, leaving Lin Xingmo confused. I’m the one eating fish; why is he so happy? He drifted back to sleep.

Around 2:00 PM, Xu Yi reluctantly left for school, leaving Lin Xingmo alone again. For some reason, the “dream” was lasting exceptionally long this time. Is this really just a dream?

Lin Xingmo sat on the balcony threshold, staring at the clouds. His tail flicked unconsciously. Suddenly, the tip of his tail moved into his line of sight.

Whap!

The kitten lunged forward and pressed its front paw onto the moving tail. He blinked, looking a bit dazed. He turned his body to look back; as he did, the tail escaped his paw and flicked again. He instinctively chased it, spun in a circle, got his legs tangled, and tripped over himself, falling onto the floor with a thud.

Lin Xingmo: “…”

Realizing what he had just done, he looked profoundly confused. He knew it was a tail—his tail—but his body had bypassed his consciousness and moved on its own. Even now, looking at that twitching tail tip, he felt a “shrewd” urge to pounce.

It was… truly insane.

At 4:00 PM, Xu Yi returned home to find the kitten huddled by the balcony door, looking somewhat “depressed.” He set down his bag and poked it gently.

The kitten looked up. The boy grinned; the feeling of having a “little treasure” waiting for him was wonderful.

“I finished my homework. I’m going out now—do you want to come? Meow if you do.”

Lin Xingmo: “Meow.”

The boy laughed, stood up, and tucked the kitten into his jacket pocket. He gave the pocket a gentle pat and whispered, “Stay in there and be good. Don’t go running off.”