Chapter 30

Chapter 30 — First Release on Jinjiang Literature City

Xie Chen lowered his eyes, looking at the ring held by Bai Li’s paws. Although the ring couldn’t be taken off, maybe if he tried, he could find a way to remove it.

But since he had been wearing it until now without removing it, probably it was also because he wanted the little guy to hold and play with it.

The car sped along the road.

Bai Li was sound asleep and still didn’t wake up after getting off the car. As usual, Xie Chen directly carried him into the room.

The clock already showed eleven o’clock. Xie Bo hadn’t slept yet. When he saw them return, Xie Bo went to make cat food as a late-night snack for Bai Li.

After Xie Chen finished showering and came out wearing a bathrobe, Bai Li was stretching and yawning in the cat bed.

“Li Li.”

Xie Chen casually hung up the towel he used to dry his hair, then walked a few steps to the bed. “Awake?”

“Meow meow.”

Awake.

Bai Li yawned until his eyes were wet with tears. He sat up in the cat bed and blinked when he saw the water droplets on Xie Chen’s collarbone that hadn’t been wiped dry.

“I want to take a bath too.”

Xie Chen naturally knew he would want to bathe at night. The little guy loved being clean and always washed himself before sleeping with him every night.

It had to be said, luckily this was not an ordinary cat.

If it were an ordinary cat, it couldn’t bathe so frequently. And Xie Chen, who was a cleanliness fanatic, definitely wouldn’t allow an unbathed cat on the bed, nor would he hold and touch it so often.

A little kitten who loved to bathe and wasn’t affected health-wise was very suitable for Xie Chen.

Bai Li was taken by Xie Chen to the bathroom, where his fur was washed clean and dried. Not long after being put down, Xie Bo came in knocking with the late-night snack.

“Li Li, come eat.”

Kittens eat a lot and get hungry fast. Although dinner was already eaten, Bai Li was hungry again by now.

A big bowl of food, plus half a bowl of water, was all quickly devoured by Bai Li.

After he finished eating, Xie Bo patted the little kitten’s furry head and left with a smile.

“Master, Li Li, go to bed early. Good night.”

“Good night.”

“Meow.”After saying good night, Bai Li, who had just woken up not long ago, didn’t feel sleepy at all.

Xie Chen leaned against the headboard, reading a book. The book was entirely in English. Bai Li came over to look but didn’t understand it.

“Meow.”

Master.

Not wanting to read the boring book, Bai Li climbed on Xie Chen, playing and occasionally calling out “Master,” trying to get Xie Chen’s attention. Xie Chen let him fuss, seemingly wanting to tease him on purpose.

The little kitten couldn’t hide his intentions; it looked like he wanted to talk to him.

After waiting a while longer,

Bai Li climbed onto Xie Chen’s shoulder. Seeing that Xie Chen was still reading and ignoring him, he couldn’t help himself and slid down from Xie Chen’s arm to bump the book in his hands.

The chubby little kitten had some weight. After pushing the book askew, he hurried to block it, not letting Xie Chen see.

“Meow meow!”

Master, come chat with me!

When Xie Chen’s gaze fell on him, Bai Li immediately sent out the invitation to chat.

After watching the little guy fool around for a bit, Xie Chen thought he had read enough.

“Alright then.”

He put the book on the bedside table, lay down on the bed, and let the little kitten come closer.

A few seconds later,

Bai Li rested his head on Xie Chen’s arm, facing him as Xie Chen lay on his side.

“Today I went to deliver seafood and met a kid named Yang Yang.”

Bai Li first reported to Xie Chen in meows about recent events.

After reporting about Yang Yang, the highlight was naturally about his third brother!

“Master, so many people want to sleep with my third brother.” Bai Li looked at Xie Chen eagerly, seeking advice: “What do you think, how should I protect third brother?”

Someone wants to sleep with Tan Yi...

The thing Bai Li wanted so badly to tell Master didn’t surprise him at all.

In this circle, that’s always been the case. Tan Yi is good-looking, so it’s perfectly normal for people to fancy him.

Not just Tan Yi; back when Xie Chen entered this circle, there were even more brazen people who wanted to sleep with him.

“The person next to third brother said that third brother will have trouble at work.”

Bai Li said sadly, “It’s so hard to find a job nowadays. What do you think, if third brother loses his job, will he still find a good one?”

“In our seafood shop, the boss only wants me—a single cat.”Xie Chen listened quietly to the little kitten’s worries. After a while, he looked up and gently patted the little kitten’s head.

“Li Li, if your third brother needs help, he can come to me.”

Xie Chen wasn’t a good person, nor did he have the habit of doing good deeds.

But ever since he picked up this little kitten, his principles kept getting broken.

“Why should third brother come to you?” Bai Li asked in confusion.

“He knows the reason.”

Xie Chen only said this much and didn’t explain further.

As for how to help Tan Yi, he certainly had other methods, like secretly pressuring the executives of Tan Yi’s company, or leaking information to help Tan Yi keep his job.

He was capable of doing all that.

But to help Tan Yi like this in private, without expecting anything in return — where would he get so much goodwill?

Those who didn’t know might even think there was something shady between him and Tan Yi based on his behavior.

“Li Li, if your third brother needs my help, tell him to ask me in person. Understand?”

Xie Chen reminded Bai Li once again.

Bai Li didn’t quite understand Xie Chen’s intention, but trusting Master unconditionally, he obediently nodded.

Anyway, Master would never have bad intentions!

The blindly trusting little kitten felt like he had helped third brother find a way out, and on third brother’s behalf, thanked the especially kind Master.

“Choo.”

Bai Li snuggled close to Xie Chen’s handsome face and quickly gave him a kiss.

After the kiss, Bai Li shut his eyes tightly, not daring to look at Master.

Warm moisture still lingered on Xie Chen’s cheek. He smiled at the little kitten who pressed his head against his chest, then lowered his head and kissed the furry head too.

“Li Li, good night.”

“Meow.”

Master, good night.

The two of them slept close together. Now, even the cat bed was no longer needed.

Bai Li was driving away the dark fog, so he hadn’t really fallen asleep.

After driving away the fog for a while, Bai Li made a magical discovery.

He realized that as long as he stayed by Master’s side, the dark fog seemed to gradually dare not come close!If this continues, from now on, as long as he sleeps with Master, he won’t have to get up to work overtime chasing away the dark fog, and Master can still sleep well.

This new discovery made Bai Li especially happy. When the temperature dropped in the latter half of the night, Bai Li directly curled up against Xie Chen’s chest, which was warm and not cold at all.

The next day.

After sleeping well, Bai Li got up and even voluntarily gave all his money to Xie Chen.

“Master, I’ve saved enough.”

Bai Li stacked all the money in front of Xie Chen, his beautiful amber eyes shining brightly.

Back when his cart was hit and he was stuck, Master who passed by stood up for him and quietly gave him a lot of money.

Thanks to the money Master slipped him, Dian Dian and Da Hui’s illnesses could be treated.

Bai Li had always remembered this money and wanted to repay it.

His parents in the mountains had said that it’s okay to eat meals paid for by others, but it’s not okay to casually ask for other people’s money.

“Li Li, what are you doing?” Xie Chen frowned when he saw the pile of money, some loose coins, some bills, and even a few steel coins, and asked.

“Paying back money.”

Bai Li said seriously, “Master gave me money. Dad said borrowed money must be repaid.”

Xie Chen: “...”

Looking at the money and then thinking of the little kitten working hard at his job,

“Keep it yourself.”

Xie Chen said coldly, “I’m not short of money.”

Bai Li stubbornly shook his head. Master gave him so much money, he couldn’t be a cat who defaults on debts.

The two of them standoffish, in the end, Xie Chen still couldn’t persuade the little guy.

“You…”

He casually threw the money on the table, picked up the little kitten, and said, “Didn’t expect you to be so stubborn.”

After repaying the money, Bai Li felt relieved inside.

He held onto Xie Chen’s finger, didn’t argue with him, just rubbed himself against him affectionately.

While Bai Li was focused on repaying the money, when he was carried out to eat breakfast, he didn’t realize at all that the money he worked so hard to save to repay was actually far less than the cost of one meal here.

“Xie Bo.”

While the little kitten was concentrating on his meal, Xie Chen spoke a few words with Xie Bo aside.

“Be more careful in the future, don’t let Li Li see the price tags on things at home.”

Xie Bo didn’t quite understand: “Why?”Xie Chen glanced at the little kitten not far away and told him about the repayment earlier.

“If Li Li knew the prices of the things he’s using, he’d probably have to get another job to pay it back.”

Xie Bo’s expression tightened upon hearing this.

“Don’t worry, Master, I won’t let Li Li find out.”

After waiting a while for Li Li to go out, he put the 2400-yuan-a-bottle water into empty mineral water bottles that cost one yuan each, and also checked the imported meats, tearing off all the labels and specifications.

The two of them spoke here, but Bai Li, focused on eating, didn’t know a thing.

He also didn’t know that Xie Bo, so as not to burden him, would quietly make the whole family live like an ordinary household from then on.

“Master.”

Bai Li, who had drunk most of the water, sat on the table and meowed at Xie Chen.

“Is it raining outside?” he asked.

“It’s raining.”

Xie Chen walked over and casually gave him some freshly fried dried fish to snack on.

The weather forecast was accurate; it said it would rain from the late night until now, and the rain hadn’t stopped.

Bai Li ran to the door to look, and seeing the rain pouring harder, he sat down gloomily.

Sigh.

With such heavy rain, how could the cat go to work?

Xie Chen looked at the little kitten watching the rain by the door, then took his phone, which had just received a message.

Within seconds, as expected, the call came through.

“Li Li, it’s the seafood shop boss calling.”

Xie Chen answered the call in front of Bai Li, and the boss’s cheerful voice rang out: “Xie Ge, tell Li Li, the rain’s heavy today, my wife and I are staying home and not working.”

Hearing the boss’s voice, Bai Li immediately turned around and moved closer to listen to the call.

“Because of the weather and my reasons, today’s a day off, no deductions in pay, and the salary will still be paid as usual.”

The boss resolved Bai Li’s biggest worry.

After the call ended, Bai Li finally felt at ease and didn’t have to go to work.

“This kind of weather isn’t good for going out. Li Li, do you want to play at home, or come with me to the company?”

Worried Bai Li would be bored at home, Xie Chen asked.

Bai Li tilted his head, thought carefully, and said, “I want to go see Mei Mei and the others and tell them we’re not picking up scraps today.”“Let’s check on Third Brother, I don’t know if he’s better yet.”

“After seeing them all, you’re coming with me to the company?” Xie Chen asked casually.

Bai Li still looked a bit hesitant.

He reached out his paw, tugged on Xie Chen, and nervously said, “Master, there are people at the company who don’t like me.”

Last time he went to the company, someone saw him and even wanted to hit him.

“That won’t happen. Everyone likes you,”

Xie Chen said as he picked him up, then asked Xie Bo to pack some snacks for him. After that, he took Bai Li out the door: “We’ll go see Mei Mei and Tan Yi, then finally to the company.”

“Okay!”

With Xie Chen’s arrangement, Bai Li only needed to curl up in his arms, being a cat who didn’t have to think at all.

Soon after,

Bai Li went to Third Brother’s house to remind Mei Mei, and since Third Brother hired someone at home, Mei Mei and the others were well taken care of.

As for the hospital, when Tan Yi saw Xie Chen with his precious little brother, his blood pressure rose.

“Third Brother, are you feeling better?”

Bai Li affectionately meowed next to Tan Yi.

Tan Yi stroked his brother’s head and, taking advantage that Xie Chen was human and wouldn’t understand cat meows, deliberately meowed a few times like Bai Li in front of Xie Chen.

“Meow, meow meow.”

Li Li, Third Brother thinks this Xie fellow doesn’t look like a good person no matter how you look at him.

“Meow!”

Bai Li puffed up his round little face and meowed seriously: “Master is a good person!”

His Master was a very good person.

Seeing his brother unhappy, Tan Yi hurriedly comforted him: “Meow meow.”

Li Li, don’t be mad, Third Brother is just worried you might get tricked and is even helping count money for others.

The brothers’ meowing made Xie Chen’s cold eyes narrow in amusement.

Tan Yi tried to criticize Xie Chen, but obviously, his Li Li was a steadfast fan of Xie Chen.

“Meow.”

Alright, alright.

Tan Yi tiredly waved his hand and meowed two more times: When I’m better, I’ll bring you back home.

No matter how good Xie Chen is to Li Li, since he’s neither related by blood nor marriage, what’s the point of always keeping Li Li?His biological older brother is still alive, let alone Li Li’s other biological older brothers and sisters—they are all alive, so it’s not up to Xie Chen to raise his little brother.

After meowing with his older brother, Bai Li didn’t forget to tell Third Brother what Xie Chen said last night.

Tan Yi heard that and refused without thinking: “No need.”

His little brother hasn’t seen the world. Tan Yi himself has been struggling in the deep entertainment industry for these years; how could he not understand Xie Chen’s intentions?

If he let Xie Chen help, then later his brother would never be able to fully get back what belongs to him from Xie Chen.

Thinking of this, Tan Yi gritted his teeth; the Xie guy clearly has a scheming mind.

Why can’t his brother see through it? Not only can’t he, but the silly brother is stuck on Xie Chen and can’t let go.

“Li Li, Tan Yi needs to rest, let’s go back.” Xie Chen, standing beside them, suddenly spoke.

Tan Yi: “???”

What the heck? Since when did I know I needed rest?!

Bai Li looked at Third Brother and also felt that being sick required more rest. He comforted Third Brother gently, then turned around, stretched out his paws at Xie Chen, asking to be picked up.

Tan Yi: “I’m so angry!”

Among these brothers and sisters, if someone else could take his place, the Xie guy would definitely be finished.

Like the always-absent Sixth Brother, young but very cunning.

Letting him deal with Xie’s scheming would definitely be effective.

Tan Yi didn’t dare contact the eldest brother, second sister, fourth and fifth siblings—these few would beat him up. But Sixth Brother…

He mischievously thought maybe he could find Sixth Brother.

After leaving the hospital, it was already past nine when they arrived at the company.

The security guards at the company entrance saw the little kitten in Xie Chen’s arms and respectfully greeted them.

“Good evening, sir. Hello, kitty.”

Bai Li felt a bit embarrassed when greeted and softly meowed back.

It was just the twenty-minute break time at the company, when employees came out in groups to get tea, use the restroom, or just walk around for a bit.

By coincidence,

Among the employees coming out, Bai Li immediately saw the person who had noticed him last time.

“Meow.”

Bai Li fearfully buried his head in the crook of Xie Chen’s neck, not daring to raise it.

Xie Chen noticed the little one’s unusual behavior and scanned the surroundings.“Sister Huang, is that the cat the boss is holding the same one you tried to chase out last time?”

A few meters away, someone was whispering.

The woman called Sister Huang glanced at the little white kitten and her face went pale.

She froze in place, feeling like there were nails in her feet, unable to move.

Last time a cat got into the company, normally it wouldn’t be her concern.

But that day she was in a bad mood and she didn’t like cats much, so she couldn’t help but take it out on the cat, even wanting to kick it a few times...

“Li Li isn’t afraid.”

Xie Chen withdrew his gaze from Sister Huang and looked back at his little kitten.

He gently coaxed the scared kitten in a soft tone: “Do you want some dried fish? Xie Bo fried it this morning, it’s still very crispy.”

With the double-layered temptation of the master and the dried fish, Bai Li cautiously raised his head.

Xie Chen held him, brushed past Sister Huang, and quickly entered the elevator.

The girl standing next to Sister Huang patted her chest, still shaken: “That scared me to death.”

“The boss seemed to be looking over here just now; that look gave me a bit of a fright.”

The girl sighed: “But when the boss looked at that little kitten, he seemed really gentle.”

“Sister Huang, did you hear? He even asked the kitty if it wanted dried fish.”

“Sigh, being a person is not as good as being a cat.”

Before the girl finished her rambling, Sister Huang’s face turned cold. She shook her off and strode back to her workstation.

Just a cat...

Although she had ill intentions, it was at most to scare the cat. She hadn’t done anything to harm it, so the boss definitely wouldn’t pursue it.