Chapter Thirty-Four: The Life of a Cat

Lu Meimei set a plate of freshly steamed fish fillets before Maomao. The coffee table was now crowded, laden with four dishes and a soup, and, additionally, a cat bowl, occupying most of the available space.

Zhou Hai voiced no objection to Maomao joining them at the “table”; instead, he watched the cat nervously, waiting to see what verdict it would give after tasting the fish fillets.

Lu Meimei smiled, leaning against Zhou Hai, her gaze likewise fixed on Maomao.

Maomao sat upright on the coffee table, lowered its head, and sniffed the fish fillet with great care. It glanced up at Zhou Hai, then at Lu Meimei. Perhaps out of consideration for Meimei, Maomao flicked out its little pink tongue and gave the fish a tentative lick. After drawing its tongue back and savoring the taste, it made no further move.

Zhou Hai grew even more anxious. “Well? Is it good?”

Lu Meimei laughed aloud and echoed Zhou Hai’s question, “Is it tasty, Maomao?”

Maomao cast Zhou Hai a sidelong glance, then stretched out its tongue again. This time, it applied more force, the barbs on its tongue pulling away a bit of fish, which it nimbly rolled into its mouth and chewed.

“So, that means it's fine, right?” Zhou Hai asked.

“Yes. Let’s eat.” Lu Meimei picked up her chopsticks and bowl.

Zhou Hai exhaled with relief.

Maomao ate with remarkable elegance, nibbling and savoring until it had finished the entire fish fillet.

The cat bowl was left spotless.

Lu Meimei, gnawing on a chicken wing, was anything but elegant. She remarked in surprise, “You really picked out all the bones?”

“Of course. I checked very carefully. I told you, picking out all the bones is exhausting,” Zhou Hai replied with pride.

Maomao licked its lips, then groomed the fur on its face in silence.

After lunch, Zhou Hai seized the task of washing the dishes.

Lu Meimei lounged on the sofa, smiling as she watched Zhou Hai's back in the kitchen, her hand gently stroking Maomao’s back.

“Thank you for your hard work today,” Lu Meimei said. “Let’s eat out tonight.”

“What about Maomao?” Zhou Hai asked without turning around.

Lu Meimei laughed, hugging Maomao’s soft belly. “You made so much fish fillet; Maomao can keep eating it tonight. Maomao, did you like the fish?”

“Meow,” Maomao replied obligingly.

Zhou Hai emerged from the kitchen, drying his hands, and crouched by the sofa. “Does it know how to shake hands?”

Maomao nestled against Lu Meimei, squinting at Zhou Hai.

“Try it,” Lu Meimei whispered, barely suppressing a giggle.

“Come on, paw, Maomao.” Zhou Hai extended his hand with a friendly smile.

Maomao didn’t move.

Lu Meimei burst into laughter.

“It understands, doesn’t it? Is it just ignoring me on purpose? Is this that classic ‘humans are so silly’ cat look?” Zhou Hai pressed.

Lu Meimei only laughed.

“Can I pet it? I’ve been here so long and haven’t petted it yet,” Zhou Hai tried again.

Lu Meimei, still amused, replied, “Try it and see.”

Zhou Hai slowly reached out, his fingers approaching Maomao’s back.

Maomao flicked its tail, the tip snapping against the back of Zhou Hai’s hand with a crisp “smack”.

“Wow!” Zhou Hai was taken aback. “Is that a no?”

Lu Meimei collapsed on the sofa with laughter.

“Maomao, let me pet you, won’t you? Be good. I made you fish, didn’t I? Let’s shake hands—good friends?” Zhou Hai simply sat down on the floor, meeting Maomao’s eyes as an equal, and once more slowly extended his hand.

Maomao’s eyes opened, bright green and fixed on the hand approaching.

Suddenly, the music ringtone began to play.

Lu Meimei stretched out her arm to pick up the phone from the coffee table.

Zhou Hai, hand still outstretched, glanced at the phone and reflexively asked, “Who’s calling?”

Both their gazes briefly left Maomao.

Maomao’s tail, which was raised in the air, twitched. The fur bristled, standing on end without any wind, resembling the lure of a deep-sea fish or the threat display of some strange insect.

Between the bristled fur, the bare skin was suddenly revealed, and countless pitch-black eyes opened up, making the tail bizarre and terrifying.

At the same moment, Maomao’s pupils turned a deep, inky black. The darkness seeped from the pupils, spreading and swallowing the original emerald green.

“Unknown number, and it’s a landline from out of town…” Lu Meimei muttered in confusion, answering the call. “Hello, who is this?”

“It’s probably a scam call. Just ignore it,” Zhou Hai said, withdrawing his gaze.

Suddenly, Maomao raised a paw, pinned down its twitching tail, twisted its neck, and bit the tip of the tail, presenting Zhou Hai only with the back of its head.

Zhou Hai’s hand landed on Maomao’s head. Surprised, he softened his touch upon feeling the warmth, gently brushing his fingers through Maomao’s fur.

“…Yes.” Lu Meimei replied to something on the phone, and when she turned and saw Zhou Hai petting Maomao, she couldn’t help but smile.

Zhou Hai looked from Lu Meimei to Maomao in excitement, his fingers playfully scratching Maomao’s head.

Suddenly, the smile froze on Lu Meimei’s face.

Maomao’s ears pricked up, it released its tail, and with a swift motion, turned its head to fix its emerald gaze on Lu Meimei.

Startled, Zhou Hai followed Maomao’s gaze and saw Lu Meimei, face stern and eyes cast down, as if suppressing some emotion.

“Did I do something wrong?” Zhou Hai withdrew his hand uneasily.

Lu Meimei ignored him, her tone stiff. “I have nothing to do with you anymore. Please stop contacting me.”

“Miss Lu—” a man’s voice, shrill with emotion, came from the phone.

Lu Meimei hung up immediately.

Zhou Hai sat beside her. “What’s wrong, Meimei? Who was it?”

Lu Meimei gripped her phone, the recent call still displayed on the screen. “No one. It’s nothing important.”

“Oh… If there’s something you want to tell me, you should,” Zhou Hai said earnestly.

Lu Meimei smiled. “Of course,” she said, setting the phone down on the table. She picked up Maomao and raised one snowy paw. “Maomao, shall we shake hands with Zhou Hai?”

Zhou Hai extended his hand. “Best friends, hand in hand, friends forever~”

Maomao looked at Zhou Hai, its snowy paw placed in his palm, which he gently shook.

No sooner had Zhou Hai finished his words than Maomao snatched back its paw, twisted in Lu Meimei’s arms, tumbled onto her lap, and scampered up to perch on her shoulder.

Lu Meimei caught Maomao’s hindquarters, laughing. “Are you shy, Maomao? When you shook hands with Sister Ai Ai and the vet, you were so well-behaved!”

“That’s just a same-sex rivalry,” Zhou Hai quipped.

“Then you’ll have to work hard to get along with our Maomao,” Lu Meimei said, lowering Maomao again and presenting it to Zhou Hai. “How about a kiss for Zhou Hai?”

Zhou Hai puckered up, but Maomao promptly pushed him away with a paw.

Lu Meimei burst out laughing, hugging Maomao back and planting a kiss on its furry cheek.

“Our Maomao is just too cute,” she said, gazing into Maomao’s emerald eyes.

Maomao looked quietly back at her, patting her cheek with a paw, its nose brushing hers, and let out a gentle purr.

Lu Meimei lowered her head, burying her face in Maomao’s soft belly. “Maomao…”

For a fleeting moment, Zhou Hai felt utterly superfluous.

He lowered his head in resignation, only to meet Maomao’s emerald gaze.

The cat’s eyes, viewed upside down, seemed to regard him with a predatory intensity—a hunter assessing its prey.

…

In a darkened TV room, the doctor lounged in a bean bag chair, facing a massive projection screen.

The background on the screen was not an interior, but an outdoor scene: yellow earth, squat houses, lush green weeds, and neat fields stretching into the distance—all painting a rustic landscape.

It was not a picturesque countryside, but the sound of wind whispering through grass and a faint hint of melody suffused the air.

A kitten’s sharp cries—“mew mew”—cut through the living tableau, the bravado in its voice laced with desperation.

The camera pushed through the grass to find the flailing kitten. It was no bigger than a human palm, its fur standing on end, eyes tiny, and it reached out helplessly with its paws, only to topple over as soon as it managed to stand.

Far off, a little girl’s sobs—“woo… wuwu…”—grew nearer, until they all but drowned out the kitten’s cries.

Abruptly, the crying ceased, and the kitten’s plaintive mewling came to the fore once more.

A small hand parted the grass.

The camera pulled back to reveal a thin little girl, perhaps five or six years old, wearing a school uniform several sizes too big, her ponytail askew. Her sleeves and pant legs were rolled up, and she looked grubby. Her tear-streaked face was smeared with earth and dust, though her eyes, freshly washed by tears, shone bright.

“Kitty… Why are you here all alone? Don’t you have a mom or dad?” she murmured, squatting down to scoop up the kitten.

The kitten struggled, forcing the girl to cup it in both hands.

Its mews grew more desperate.

The girl, flustered, patted the kitten’s head. “Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you. I… I’ll find you something to eat, okay? You…” Her voice trailed off, awkward and helpless, her lips trembling as she fell silent.

The kitten, exhausted from crying, quieted.

“I’m sorry,” the girl whispered. “I can’t take you home… Auntie doesn’t like cats. My cousin doesn’t like them either. And I don’t have any food for you…”

Tears splattered onto the kitten’s face. She hurried to wipe the kitten, then to dry her own cheeks.

“Meow!”

The girl jerked her head up. That wasn’t the kitten in her hands, but it came from close by…

Cradling the kitten, she wandered the dirt path and fields, searching back and forth, the video slipping into a montage of shifting backgrounds, characters, and sound.

Suddenly, everything stilled—the sound, the light.

At last, the girl found a cat’s nest beneath a small mound of earth.

Inside lay a thin adult cat, and huddled at her belly were three or four kittens of various colors. They suckled hungrily, while the mother cat remained motionless, her emerald eyes fixed on the girl.

“Oh!” the girl exclaimed with delight, turning to the kitten. “I found your mama! Why did you wander off? Your brothers and sisters are all here!”

She spoke excitedly and placed the kitten with the mother.

The adult cat did not move, allowing the girl to place the kitten and the kitten to tumble from her rising and falling belly.

This kitten was smaller than its siblings. It flailed, unable to find its way.

The girl tried to help it nestle closer to the mother’s belly, but didn’t know how to help it nurse. Flustered and sweating, she finally gave up, bit her lip, and dashed off.

At that moment, stirring music swelled. The image of the cat’s nest was overlaid with an oil painting effect, and bold, artistic letters appeared on screen—The Life of a Cat.

Beneath her mask, the doctor broke into a broad, delighted smile.