Duan Xiubo’s plan to use the cat to attract Luo Ding’s attention and strengthen their relationship clearly failed.
Luo Ding didn’t like animals!
Though, to be fair, the cat really was a bit of a nuisance…
But despite his dislike for the cat, aside from the first day when he saw the mess it had made and lost his temper, Luo Ding didn’t do much else to reject it. Essentially, his attitude was, “Duan Xiubo brought it home, so Duan Xiubo can take care of it,” while he simply ignored the cat’s existence.
As a result, Luo Ding’s time spent outside his room decreased even more. Most of his time was now split between his bedroom and study, rarely venturing into the living room—the cat’s territory.
Duan Xiubo was helpless. After all, he had already brought the cat home, and it wasn’t like he could just throw it out. The poor thing had been in rough shape when he found it, scared of everything and as thin as a skeleton. It was so weak it could barely meow, and it couldn’t even drink milk on its own. Not to mention the pile of illnesses—just one of its ears took nearly two weeks to treat.
With a steady diet of milk and mixed cat food, the kitten started gaining weight quickly. Its appetite grew as well, and soon enough, its proud nature began to show. To the kitten, Duan Xiubo was nothing more than its servant.
The kitten was also quite mischievous, scratching at the sofa and table legs. Thankfully, Luo Ding rarely came to the living room anymore. If he saw the damage to the leather sofa and table legs, he’d probably blow a fuse.
Luo Ding began noticing that the house seemed to accumulate more and more cat-related items each day.
First, there were the cat trees—one, two, then three.
Next, the food bowls—small, large, then automated ones.
The water bowl was replaced by a drinking fountain, then upgraded to a more advanced model.
Everything kept getting fancier, more professional. Was Duan Xiubo treating the cat like his own child?
Luo Ding wasn’t a fan of pets like cats or dogs. When he was a child, his family was poor, and stray dogs would often chase after the kids who were dressed in ragged clothes. Luo Ding had been bitten by dogs twice. At that time, they couldn’t afford the vaccines. When his parents were alive, they would take him to confront the dog owners, but after they passed, he had to suffer in silence. Thankfully, he didn’t contract rabies, or there would have been no future for the now-famous Cao Dingkun.
This experience made Luo Ding wary of animals with fur, sharp teeth, and a taste for meat. But since Duan Xiubo had already brought the cat home, it wasn’t worth starting a fight over it. It was just a cat, after all. If Duan wanted to keep it, that was fine—just as long as it didn’t bother him.
Over the next few days, Luo Ding would often hear Duan Xiubo complaining about how naughty and troublesome the cat was, which didn’t leave a good impression of their new household member.
One evening, Luo Ding called out for Duan Xiubo when he got home, but there was no response. Glancing at his watch, he figured Duan was probably still out filming a show.
Bending down to put on his shoes, his gaze fell on the slippers, now covered in a tangled mess of cat fur. Luo Ding took a deep breath and reluctantly slid his feet into them.
All he could think was to hurry back to his room.
But just as he was about to step forward, a soft meow stopped him in his tracks.
At the entrance, a head about the size of an apple peeked out. It was the yellow-and-white-striped cat, its large round eyes staring intently at Luo Ding’s face, its plump body almost entirely made of fat now.
The cat’s meow had gained some strength since it first arrived.
Luo Ding stared at the cat. He wasn’t sure whether it was male or female, but he had heard that it ate a lot. A whole chicken breast or a full-sized fish could disappear in one meal, followed by more cat food as snacks throughout the day. In just a month, the cat had grown to its current size. It had short legs and a body that wasn’t long but rather wide—so wide that it could no longer climb onto the couch or squeeze into tight spaces.
Duan Xiubo often remarked that the cat was cute, but no matter how Luo Ding looked at it, the cat seemed to have grown from sneaky to downright silly. It reminded him of Wu Fangyuan—where was the cuteness in that?
Deciding to ignore the cat’s presence, Luo Ding thought to himself that the house was big enough for both of them. They could coexist without interfering with each other.
But the moment Luo Ding took a step forward, the cat, showing its eagerness, trotted over and began circling around his legs. Its long tail wrapped around his ankles like a flexible snake, brushing against his leg as it moved.
“…” Luo Ding resisted the urge to kick it away, shaking his leg instead. “Move.”
“Meow~” The cat’s meow was noticeably deeper than when it first arrived. Its paws gently patted Luo Ding’s pant leg as it rubbed its head against him. “Meow~”
Seeing that the cat wasn’t going anywhere, Luo Ding sighed and bent down to pick it up. The cat went limp like a noodle in his hands, docile as ever.
He carried the cat to its food bowl, put it down, and quickly walked away. After taking a few steps, he glanced back and saw the cat sitting there like a dog, staring at him.
Under normal circumstances, this would have annoyed him, but today he felt surprisingly calm. If the cat wanted to follow him, then so be it.
His determination not to care gave way to reality.
After climbing a few steps up the staircase, Luo Ding looked back and saw the cat struggling to follow him.
The cat wasn’t fully grown yet, with legs shorter than most cats, and every step looked like a challenge. It would leap to get its front legs onto the next step, then pull itself up while its back legs flailed behind. Once it finally hauled itself up, it would roll around on the step, stand up, and proudly shake itself off.
This pattern repeated itself.
For some reason, Luo Ding found watching this clumsy kitten climb the stairs strangely entertaining. So, he decided to stop and see how long it would take for the cat to reach him.
The cat clearly wanted to follow him but was too fat. After climbing about ten steps, it rested its chin on the next stair, helplessly meowing, its head swaying and occasionally glancing up at Luo Ding.
Luo Ding watched, amused, rubbing his chin.
Realizing that playing the fool wasn’t going to earn it any sympathy, the clever cat quickly understood it would have to rely on itself. Staring up at the seemingly endless staircase, it hesitated for a moment and looked down.
Maybe it should give up?
It then tried lying down on the step, kicking its back legs in a futile attempt to descend. Its round body, soft as a noodle, slid down a few steps, and the cat let out a pitiful yowl.
Luo Ding sighed and, unable to watch any longer, picked up the trembling kitten.
No wonder he had never seen the cat upstairs before—it wasn’t that it didn’t want to, but rather that it physically couldn’t. People always said cats and dogs were smart, but why was this one so dumb?
As he thought about it, he held the cat away from his chest to avoid getting covered in fur.
******
That night, Duan Xiubo returned home, calling out, “Cat!” He hadn’t given it a name yet, just calling it “Cat.”
But to his surprise, the little tyrant who usually pounced on him the moment he walked through the door, scratching and rolling around, was nowhere to be found. Duan paused, quickly becoming alarmed.
Where was the cat? Had Luo Ding thrown it out?
He checked the food bowl—empty! The litter box—nothing! The water dispenser—also empty! And it couldn’t fit under the sofa anymore, so no luck there either.
The cat was really gone! Nowhere to be seen! Oh no!
Sweat broke out on Duan Xiubo’s forehead. Despite how much trouble the cat caused him daily, he had started to care for it like his own child. Now, its sudden disappearance was enough to make him panic.
His first instinct was to ask the building’s security. They told him that Luo Ding had come home but hadn’t gone out again.
Since Duan had left home later than Luo Ding that morning, it seemed unlikely that Luo Ding had gotten rid of the cat. Besides, Duan didn’t believe Luo Ding would do something like that.
So where could the cat have gone?
Head pounding, Duan scoured the apartment. The balcony doors were shut tightly, and all the windows were closed. There was no way the cat could have fallen out.
Though he knew Luo Ding didn’t like the cat, Duan had no choice but to ask if he’d seen it.
Opening the door to the study, Duan was momentarily blinded by the sight before him.
The softly lit study was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, filled with books collected by the original owner and those Luo Ding had added over time. The entire room was surrounded by the scent of books, giving off an undeniable sense of scholarly elegance.
In the center of the room sat a large mahogany desk, a laptop open in front of Luo Ding. He was typing on the keyboard but paused when he heard the door open. Slowly, he turned around, offering a smile. “You’re back?”
“Uh…” Duan Xiubo responded slowly, his gaze shifting from Luo Ding’s face to the fat cat lounging on the desk, licking its paws. The cat lazily lifted an eyelid to glance at Duan before letting out a casual “meow…”
After licking its paws clean, the cat flopped onto its back, belly up, stretching for a moment before mischievously reaching a paw toward a stack of books next to it.
“Don’t touch that,” Luo Ding said coldly, and the cat immediately retracted its paw, resting it lightly on the stack instead.
Duan Xiubo rubbed his eyes—he must be seeing things. Was this well-behaved creature really the same troublemaker he had brought home?
He thought back to all the times he had chased the cat around, shouting at it while it continued to scratch up the sofa. Now, here it was, behaving so obediently!
Wait, why was the cat in the study with Luo Ding in the first place?!
Hesitating, Duan asked, “Did it bother you? I hope it didn’t interrupt your work.”
Luo Ding shook his head, responding casually, “It’s not as troublesome as you said. Actually, it’s fine. There’s a spare room on the second floor, isn’t there? Clear it out and make it the cat’s room. Move the climbing frames and food bowls up there. The living room looks too cluttered, and it scratches everything.”
Duan Xiubo was stunned. He had never imagined that one day the cat would get along so well with Luo Ding. The cat was always so mischievous that even someone like Duan, who loved animals, found it hard not to want to give it a scolding. If it ever dared to act up in front of Luo Ding, he would definitely put it in its place. But seeing them now… could it be that the cat only misbehaved around certain people?
On one hand, Duan was overjoyed. After all, when you bring a pet home, you hope your partner will like it too. Luo Ding’s softened attitude meant a more harmonious household. They couldn’t have children, so this setup was starting to look like a happy little family.
Duan was practically floating with happiness over the next few days, only to soon find himself cursing under his breath.
This cat was clearly getting out of hand!
Every morning, his face would be stomped on like a pillow as the cat walked back and forth over it. Duan would open his bleary eyes just in time to catch another paw smacking him squarely on the cheek. With a heavy sigh, he swatted the paw away. The cat let out a defiant “meow!” before curling up on the pillow to lick its paws.
Luo Ding, awoken by the commotion, yawned and glanced at the clock. It was only six in the morning. The cat gently nudged its head against his, and Luo Ding brushed it away, asking Duan, “Did you forget to close the door again?” Every time they left the door open, the cat would come in like clockwork to cause a ruckus.
Duan Xiubo regretted everything. Why had he brought this troublemaker home in the first place? Not only did he have to take care of it, but he also couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. High intelligence in mammals was impossible to see most of the time, but when it came to sneaking in and opening doors, the cat was a genius.
It could open doors! And knock on them too!
If they left the door open, it would sneak in at most. But if they kept it closed, the cat would start knocking—one paw tap after another, starting at six in the morning and going all the way until eight-thirty, demanding someone let it in.
*Damn thing’s turning into a little demon.* Duan had been woken up by the knocking so many times that he gave in and left the door open, leading to this exact situation. Now, when Luo Ding asked, he didn’t even know what to say.
The cat, with a body temperature higher than a human’s, felt warm as it pressed its head against Luo Ding’s neck. Luo Ding didn’t mind the feeling, petting the cat gently. The cat responded with a content “meow~” before moving to curl up on Luo Ding’s stomach, making itself comfortable.
Luo Ding, half-awake now, sat up and cradled the cat in his arms. He didn’t seem to mind the shedding anymore, pulling open the curtains and sitting on the window seat to watch the sunrise. The sunlight poured over them, warm and peaceful. Both man and cat seemed completely at ease.
Duan Xiubo, who had gotten out of bed, grabbed his phone and took a picture of the two. Luo Ding, dressed in light gray pajamas, gazed into the distance as the early morning light bathed him, giving him an ethereal glow. The cat lay quietly in his arms, both of them looking in the same direction.
Duan thought to himself, *How cozy.* He put his phone down and leaned in for a kiss, puckering his lips as he moved toward Luo Ding.
The cat let out a shrill cry and whipped its tail across his face. It didn’t hurt, but it certainly stopped him in his tracks.
Duan Xiubo: “…”
Luo Ding laughed as he stood up, shooting Duan a glance. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m taking the cat back to its room. If you’re still tired, get some more sleep. I’ve got work to do, so I’ll be heading out soon.”
Duan Xiubo: “QAQ”
This sort of situation only became more frequent over the following days.
It seemed like Luo Ding had suddenly become very fond of the cat, taking on the responsibility of caring for it himself. He had done a complete 180 from his previous hands-off attitude and even went out to buy a book on raising cats. Whenever he had free time, he’d flip through the pages.
He also started taking selfies with the cat, not only for his own enjoyment but also to share with his fans online.
And Duan didn’t get the same treatment!
One day, while scrolling through his secret fan account, Duan saw a flood of posts featuring a new picture of Luo Ding with the cat, cheek to cheek. Boiling with anger, he saw that he had been tagged.
Luo Ding Fan Club: “OMG OMG A-Da! You have to check out this new pic—it’s so cute I could die!”
I’m Obsessed with You: “Ugh! The perfect combo of my idol and a cat. My heart’s melting!”
Luo Ding’s Mom Fan: “Well, I guess I’m less important than a cat now. Whatever. I don’t get it.”
Luo Ding Fan Club: “Hey, A-Da, have you seen it yet?! We need your thoughts! By the way, what breed is Luo Ding’s cat? It looks familiar.”
I’m Obsessed with You: “Probably a stray. Officially called a Chinese Domestic Shorthair, or a tabby. My grandpa used to keep one to catch mice.”
Luo Ding Fan Club: “Our idol really keeps it real, huh? Forget fancy breeds—stray cats are where it’s at! I’m adopting one too!”
Once they found out the cat was a stray, the fan community was swept up in a stray-cat adoption craze. Pictures of all kinds of tabby cats started flooding in, but none were as fat as Luo Ding’s.
And none were as crafty either.
With no response from his secret account, Duan’s fan club started spamming him for input. Watching as the comments spiraled into a discussion about how Luo Ding and his cat were the perfect match, Duan got fed up and took a solo photo of the cat at his house, posting it himself.
Stray cats were easy to find, and yellow-striped tabbies weren’t rare either. But a cat as fat as Luo Ding’s? Only Duan could post such a unique picture.
The fan community went quiet for a moment before the likes started rolling in.
Luo Ding Fan Club: “Wow, A-Da! How did you find one that looks exactly the same?!”
I’m Obsessed with You: “You’re something else, A-Da.”
Luo Ding’s Mom Fan: “Classic A-Da!”
Duan’s battered heart felt momentarily healed. When he returned home, Luo Ding immediately walked briskly toward him, and Duan, feeling smug, was about to lay on some sweet talk.
Instead, Luo Ding reached out and grabbed the cat from Duan’s arms. As he walked away, he muttered, “You scared me—I thought you’d lost it.”
The cat, clearly annoyed from being posed for the picture, let out a loud meow before burrowing into Luo Ding’s embrace. They were as cozy as could be.
Left standing alone, Duan could do nothing but silently weep.
He clapped his hands together, making a firm decision: No! This cat has to go!
Author’s note:
First, I have to tell everyone something. I’m afraid I won’t be able to fulfill my previous promise.
The current regulations on publishing have become too strict, and there are people reporting romance authors to the cyber police. Whether it’s custom content within JJWXC or independent personal publications, explicit material is now prohibited.
The consequences could be severe.
So, for now, I’m still debating whether to continue. If I do, there will be extra content, but it won’t include the “spicy” parts anymore…
Apologies to everyone once again.
Next chapter might be an extra about a concert.
R : Ngl.. it was such a disappointment
Keep me fueled with caffeine! Support me on Ko-fi! It helps a lot ! Thank you so much ♡(´･ω･)(･ω･`)♡
