Who Needs a Relationship When You Have a Cat?

Chapter 38

Ai Qing had rarely been scolded by his parents while growing up.

In his memory, Ai Zhongguo and Yao Qiang never really attacked or belittled their son with words.

It wasn’t because Ai Qing had always been obedient.

On the contrary, he’d been a lively, mischievous kid who’d piled up one headache after another.

Probably because Ai Zhongguo had been a reporter for years, he disliked direct scolding. Instead, he’d hunt down a news story that mirrored whatever Ai Qing had done and walk him through the whole cause and effect.

As for Yao Qiang, Ai Qing remembered her being less busy when he was small. Back then she’d been the classic stay-at-home wife, doing every scrap of housework. Later, with her husband’s support, she’d stepped through the front door and into the workforce, gradually becoming the powerhouse she was today. Yet the moment she came home, she was still the gentle mother.

Growing up in that environment left Ai Qing with edges that weren’t especially sharp; he didn’t anger easily.

It was, in fact, the perfect temperament for raising cats—plenty of tolerance and patience for creatures that can’t understand a word you say.

Cats love knocking small objects off tables.

They’ll claw walls or curtains for no reason, ignoring the scratching post you bought.

What annoyed Ai Qing most was Xiao Yu’s habit of lounging on the windowsill. During the day it didn’t matter, but when she took a midnight stroll the curtains parted, and at dawn the sun slammed straight into his face—utter misery.

Beyond that, there was litter flung everywhere, the occasional puddle in the wrong corner, and the inevitable crash of something fragile.

And then there was snack theft...

Ai Qing had seen the videos.

But he kept his treats locked in a cabinet Xiao Yu couldn’t open, so until now they’d lived in peace.

Yet today marked one full month since the first time he’d discovered she could turn human.

Ai Qing glanced at the calendar on his phone—April 1—then at the sheepish Little Kitty crouched on the sofa, and sighed.

“Did you eat this?”

He tapped the lid of the freeze-dried treat box.

Xiao Yu stared at him, blinking innocently.

“I advise you to tell the truth—no hiding, no lying, understand?” He tapped again. “I know you can more or less follow what I’m saying, so don’t play dumb.”

Seeing he wouldn’t be fooled, she drooped, lowered her head, and gave a tiny nod of confession.

“And this?” Ai Qing picked up a cat treat stick. “Did you eat one of these?”

She looked at the stick and shook her head hard.

She’d watched him open them before; it looked easy, but she’d never managed it herself. To save time she’d given up and eaten two extra dried fish instead.

Learning to weigh pros and cons—evidence that Little Kitty was getting smarter!

“No need to ask about this, right?” Ai Qing rested his hand on the dried fish bag and gave it a shake.

Only one lonely stick remained, rattling inside the wrapper.

Xiao Yu flattened herself, tucking her cat head under both front legs.

The pose cracked him up.

He pried her paws apart so he could see her eyes. “Why so scared? Did I say you were wrong?”

He scooped her onto his lap as he sat down, choosing words he hoped she’d grasp. “Liking dried fish isn’t a crime.

Now that you can turn human, you’ve learned new tricks—walking, opening doors, trying the cabinet. That’s understandable.

So do you know what the real problem is this time?”

Cradled against him, she cautiously lifted her head. Seeing he wasn’t angry, she began to think.

Smart Little Kitty—already learning to reflect.

“The problem is, you took the fish without asking and ate way too much, all by yourself.

First: asking is respect.

Second: no self-control means you don’t value your own health.

I don’t know how much of this you grasp yet, but I’m saying it anyway. You’ll understand piece by piece.”

Lecturing a cat would look bizarre to anyone else, but there was only the two of them—man and cat—one speaking calmly, the other listening earnestly.

When he finished, he set her aside, stood up, and returned the freeze-dried treats, sticks, and last dried fish to the cabinet.

Then he sat at the dining table and added, “I’m not locking it. You’re not an ordinary cat anymore.

I used to treat you as just a pet, but from now on I’ll try to see you as a person.

So if you want snacks, take them—just tell me first.”

He was ready for lunch.

Xiao Yu hopped onto the table, rubbed her cheek against his, then padded to the automatic feeder, crouched, and stared at him with huge eyes.

“What now?” Ai Qing blinked. “That bag had fifteen sticks; we’d only eaten three or four, and now there’s one left.

The freeze-dried tub was three-quarters full—now it’s half.

You’re still hungry?”

Xiao Yu blinked, pushing the little pool of warmth she’d saved in her head, struggling to parse his words.

Then she shook her head hard, but not knowing how to explain, she glanced at the feeder, then back at him.

Ai Qing fell silent.

He knew her appetite wasn’t usually big. Thanks to his careful feeding she’d stayed sleek, never turning into a butterball.

After all those snacks she should be stuffed—unless...

The snacks had been eaten by human-shaped Xiao Yu, and whatever went into that body didn’t carry over to her cat one.

That might explain her “perfect washing-machine” effect: maybe the feline and human bodies were separate.

Perhaps she hadn’t transformed from cat to human at all; instead, the cat’s soul had simply moved into a human shell.

Then another thought struck him.

She’d been able to turn human for a month now, yet he’d never seen her need the bathroom in that form.

The time she’d wedged herself in the litter box had probably been pure play, or fear—seeking a familiar scent for comfort.

But if he fed or gave water to human Xiao Yu... would that body eventually need the toilet too?