Sang Biao the Kitty and the Baby

Lin Mi took out a little grape-flavored cake.

It was part of her delivery order. She had smelled a lovely grape fragrance earlier, and this one had caught her eye when she ordered a little cake.

Then, under her coworkers' envious gazes, Secretary Lin lifted her chin slightly and walked into the office in her high heels.

Qin Yan was the only one in the enormous office.

Curled into a tiny bundle with a little pillow in her arms, she continued watching her cartoon.

"Baby, I'm coming in~"

Secretary Lin really put on a sweet voice.

Qin Yan stole a glance at her, the little pillow hiding the lower half of her face.

"Mm, okay."

Her voice was soft and sweet, like a little cake.

"Do you like cake? Auntie bought you a little grape-flavored cake."

More of Qin Yan's pretty little face emerged as she gazed longingly at the incredibly tempting cake in her hand.

"I do."

Secretary Lin walked over and placed the cake in front of her.

But she did not approach rashly.

The kitten was very timid. She had to be patient.

Qin Yan put down the pillow and held the little spoon, looking at Secretary Lin, then at the cake.

"Is it for me?"

She asked again, as though she could not quite believe it.

"Of course. I bought this especially for you."

Qin Yan was not so scared anymore.

"Thank you, big sister."

She thanked her very politely.

Secretary Lin was instantly overwhelmed by her cuteness and desperately wanted to hold the pretty kitten and nuzzle her little face.

No, that would be too creepy. I can't scare the baby away.

Holding her little spoon, Qin Yan scooped up the fragrant cake herself and began eating.

So yummy!

Eating made her happy, and her eyes sparkled like exquisite gemstones beneath the lights.

Her short little legs swung gently, too.

Qin Yan ate her little cake while watching the cartoon, feeling much more relaxed.

"Big sister, sit here."

Seeing Secretary Lin standing beside her made Qin Yan feel bad.

Lin Mi felt as though her heart had been struck. The baby had called her big sister.

What a sweet, polite kitten.

Ah, the baby is even prettier up close.

Her little face is so soft, her skin is so fair, and the ends of her hair look a little naturally curly.

Qin Yan grew embarrassed under her stare. Pressing her little lips together, she scooted her bottom to the side.

Secretary Lin noticed and inwardly chided herself for staring too intensely.

She began telling Qin Yan about the company and a few things about Fu Yunting.

Gradually, Qin Yan became engrossed in her stories.

"Our company kept doing better and better, so people from other companies started sabotaging us."

Qin Yan looked at her nervously. How did they sabotage things? Did they bully Uncle?

"We have several money trees in our company, and they were growing beautifully. Those people thought it was because we took such good care of our money trees. Someone snuck in and poured loads of water on them-hot water, too-to drown them."

Qin Yan's eyes widened.

"So mean."

She muttered in her babyish voice, her little face puffing up like an adorable little pufferfish as she bristled on her eldest uncle's behalf.

Secretary Lin nodded along. "Exactly. And that wasn't all. After we caught them, they simply changed tactics. They actually snuck in and plucked the leaves off our money trees until those perfectly healthy trees were bald."

Qin Yan's little brows furrowed as she listened.

"But don't worry. After Mr. Fu found out which company was behind it, he took a net over and scooped up all the koi in their company's pond and brought them back."

Qin Yan said, "Eldest Uncle is amazing."

This pretty baby had quite the double standard, too.

Secretary Lin could not help laughing.

By the time they finished talking, the little cake was gone.

Qin Yan fed Tuantuan some fruit.

By now, she was no longer afraid of Secretary Lin at all.

When Secretary Lin got a clear look at what she was holding, her eyes widened.

"A Slime?!"

Qin Yan nodded. "Mm. Its name is Tuantuan."

Secretary Lin watched the Slime eat fruit, looking dazed.

These things had appeared in the world three years ago, and no one knew how they had come into existence.

But they did not pose much danger to humans. At first, everyone had panicked and come up with all kinds of theories, and there had even been a period of chaos. Later, however, they realized the world was running normally and there was no apocalypse, so everyone calmed down.

Still, although everyone knew about these things, they were rarely seen in everyday life.

"Don't Slimes eat garbage? Why does this one eat fruit?"

Qin Yan said, "Tuantuan doesn't eat garbage. Dirty."

Secretary Lin slapped her forehead.

Right, this Slime clearly belongs to the baby. How could it eat garbage?

A filthy Slime wouldn't be worthy of such a pretty, clean baby.

"Watching cartoons for too long isn't good for you. Baby, shall we go out for a walk?"

Qin Yan nodded.

"Grandpa said I have to protect my eyes."

She obediently turned off the tablet, then did her eye exercises.

The doctor had taught her these.

Only after carefully massaging her eyes did Qin Yan climb off the couch with Tuantuan in her arms.

Secretary Lin showered her with praise.

"You're amazing, baby! You even know how to do your eye exercises yourself."

"And you turned off the tablet all by yourself without having to be reminded over and over."

Although all the praise made Qin Yan very embarrassed, it also made her a little happy.

After all, who did not like being praised?

Especially a baby starved of love. She liked it most of all.

The corners of her mouth lifted, and her slightly round eyes curved like two plump little crescent moons.

When Secretary Lin said she would hold her hand and take her out, she obediently offered her little hand.

The child's hand was soft, hardly any different from a kitten's paw.

Once they left the office, Qin Yan felt lots of people looking at her again.

The kitten immediately grew a little wary and timidly hid herself away.

Secretary Lin smiled at her coworkers.

"I'm taking the baby out for a stroll. If the boss comes back and asks for her, remember to message me."

She led Qin Yan away in the elevator again.

Qin Yan was very curious about the elevator.

It was made of glass, allowing her to see the scenery outside, and it had been cleaned very thoroughly.

Knowing she was a little afraid of crowded places, Secretary Lin took her to play in the landscaped park around the office building.

"Kitty."

As soon as they reached the ground floor, Qin Yan spotted a cat sprawled on a nearby flower bed, basking in the sun.

It was sunny today, though the sunshine was not very warm.

"There are quite a few stray cats around here. Would you like to see them, baby?"

Qin Yan nodded. She wanted to.

She liked cats, and she liked big dogs, too.

Back in the village, when she had nothing to eat, the cats and dogs had gone into the mountains to find fruit to feed her.

When she had been even younger, not yet a year old, she had needed milk.

That family would not feed her. She had been nursed by a dog in the village who had just given birth to a litter.

Otherwise, she would have died long ago.

"Meow~"

The Tabby Cat sunning itself on the flower bed stood up and shook out its fur, then suddenly ran over and began rubbing against Qin Yan's legs, purring away.

Secretary Lin said, "Bro Biao, you don't treat us like that!"

This Tabby Cat was called Sangbiao Number One.

There was a scar on his face, left from a fight.

He was rather fierce and did not like getting close to people.

All the Tabby Cats around here were called Sang Biao, but they were numbered.

Because the other Tabby Cats were all equally entitled to the name Sang Biao, too.

Qin Yan crouched down and stroked the kitty's furry chin.

The fierce-looking Sangbiao Number One was already sprawled across the tops of her feet, exposing his soft belly. His tail curled teasingly around the fragrant little human's wrist, as though enticing her to rub his tummy.