Kitten

Sunlight filtered faintly through the curtains into the room, bringing a sense of warmth.

Everyone sat at the dining table, enjoying breakfast, while the kitten ate its own portion beside the sofa.

Ji Yaozhi suddenly thought of something and said helplessly, "After today, we'll have to go out and earn money."

Chewing her food, Yun Bingxia mumbled, "It's fine, it's fine. Worst comes to worst, we can be street performers." With that, she buried herself in her food again, not caring about her image in the slightest.

Watching Yun Bingxia, Gu Nian'an couldn't help finding her rather cute. He was just about to set down his chopsticks.

Suddenly, a warm sensation brushed against his foot. A tingling feeling instantly spread through his whole body, and Gu Nian'an couldn't help letting out a "Mmnh," his chopsticks falling to the floor.

He clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to hide the sound, but a scarlet blush spread from his ears across his entire face.

Startled, everyone hurriedly looked at him, only to freeze for a moment at the sight of the boy's expression.

Then they saw a little black kitten beside Gu Nian'an's feet, looking at them with its head tilted. It even gave a puzzled "meow."

Mu Chen's eyes darkened. He rose and carried the kitten back to the sofa.

Gu Nian'an remained in his seat, trying hard to pretend he didn't care, but his flushed face and the silence at the table gave him away.

The boy hung his head, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it right away.

Amid the silence, Mu Chen walked over and patted his back. With amusement in his eyes, he said gently, "So you're ticklish, Nian'an. I was wondering why you didn't dare touch that cat yesterday."

Ji Yaozhi also came back to his senses and hurriedly smoothed things over. "Exactly, exactly. What's there to be embarrassed about? Come on, let's eat." As he drank his soy milk, he kept glancing at the boy's flushed cheeks from the corner of his eye, his gaze flickering.

Gu Nian'an merely blushed and murmured an agreement.

Ji Baiwei silently glanced at Ji Yaozhi, said nothing, and continued eating in silence.

Breakfast ended in that strange, awkward atmosphere.

[Girls, my phantom dick is up.]

[Mine too.]

[Fuck, I was watching the variety show while eating with my family, and then that sound came out of nowhere. I want to die on the spot.]

[Waaah, help, Mommy, my maternal love is about to turn into something else. Baby sounded so lewd.]

[So sensitive. Licked.]

[You above! Licking everything will only ruin you!]

[I'm not listening, not listening, not listening, not listening! What's wrong with letting me lick my wifey?! What's wrong with it?! What's wrong with it?!]

[Passing by, confused, making some noise, taking my leave.]

[Hello, is this the police? I'd like to report someone posting porn here.]

For some reason, the kitten seemed determined to pester Gu Nian'an. It followed him wherever he went and meowed nonstop whenever Yun Bingxia held it.

The moment she put it down, it eagerly scrambled toward Gu Nian'an.

When Mu Chen tried to keep the kitten away, it would look at him with wide, watery eyes, all aggrieved.

[Gu Nian'an!!! Hurry up and pet it! Hurry up and pet it!]

[I suspect Gu Nian'an is a special forces soldier.]

[Mu Chen! Let go of that kitten! Don't touch it! Let it go!]

[I can't take it anymore. Is Gu Nian'an some special forces soldier who came to the entertainment industry as a spy? How can he resist? How can he resist?!]

In the end, everyone still succumbed to the kitten's pitiful gaze, and it finally got its wish, settling into Gu Nian'an's arms.

Seeing how stiff the boy looked, Ji Baiwei asked curiously, "An'an, are you afraid of cats?"

Gu Nian'an merely shook his head lightly in silence, letting the kitten sleep in his arms.

Watching the boy's movements, Mu Chen asked softly, "Have you ever had a cat before, Nian'an?"

The practiced way he held it couldn't be explained by fear.

Gu Nian'an froze slightly and raised his head to look at the man. Expressionless, he said, enunciating every word, "Never."

After speaking, seemingly realizing that his tone had been a little harsh, Gu Nian'an froze again and wanted to say something. In the end, however, he lowered his head and stayed silent.

"Oh, I see. Haha, you looked so used to holding a cat, Nian'an. I thought you'd had one before." Mu Chen waved a hand as though he didn't mind and gave a faint smile.

He glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye, a trace of understanding flashing in his gaze.

Gu Nian'an lowered his head without a word.

Yun Bingxia and Ji Yaozhi exchanged a look. Ji Yaozhi took the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere. "Oh no, I think I'm having an allergic reaction."

With that, he began scratching his arm.

Ji Baiwei looked at her nephew in confusion. Yun Bingxia gently tugged at the hem of her clothes, and Ji Baiwei instantly understood.

"Director, pause the livestream for a moment. Yaozhi seems to be having an allergic reaction."

The director on the other end didn't dare offend this diva-level singer either, so he paused the livestream.

[Why is Yaozhi having an allergic reaction? He didn't even touch that cat.]

[Maybe he touched some cat hair on the sofa.]

[Hard to say what to make of this.]

[Anyway, don't you think something's really off with Gu Nian'an?]

[You above, elaborate.]

[Best Actor Mu said Gu Nian'an looked very practiced at holding a cat, but he didn't dare touch that kitten. Yet later, when the kitten kept clinging to him, he wasn't afraid. Instead, he was...]

[It felt a little like the unreality of regaining something he'd lost. Is that what you meant?]

[Amazing, that's exactly what I wanted to say. I just couldn't think of how to describe it.]

[I know a little psychology. Judging by Gu Nian'an's expression and movements when he first saw the cat, that sense of loss mixed with traces of joy fits how someone looks when something they lost suddenly returns to them.

Based on my analysis, Gu Nian'an may have had a similar cat in the past, but that cat is no longer around, and it had a huge impact on him. That's why he looked so lost when a cat that looked exactly like it, or very similar to it, appeared.

There was a part where Yun Bingxia was petting the cat and the others were watching. Only Gu Nian'an was silently staring into space, looking very much as though he was lost in his memories.

The practiced way he held the cat later, and how much he attracted its attention, fit that too.]

[Master, I get it now.]

[I've automatically imagined a whole story about a poor little thing growing up in an orphanage who finally found a kitty friend, only for that friend to suddenly die.]

[To add to that, Best Actor Mu is an actor, and actors need to portray different roles, so he must know a lot about this stuff too. He covered for Gu Nian'an both times, so he must have understood what he was thinking.]

Before long, afternoon arrived. Ji Baiwei and the others sat around the table, discussing the kitten.

Ji Baiwei glanced at the boy lying fast asleep on the sofa and asked worriedly, "Did something happen between An'an and a cat?"

After the boy's illness last time and the days they had spent together, Ji Baiwei had unconsciously come to regard him as something of a son.

Seeing that Gu Nian'an was in low spirits now, she couldn't help worrying.

Propping her head in her hands, Yun Bingxia, who had finished reading the comments, said glumly, "It feels like so much has happened to Gu Gu, but I don't even know how to help him."

Even the enormous bow clipped to her head drooped with her movements.

Ji Baiwei gently stroked the back of her hand and comforted her. "It's all right. He's very strong."

Mu Chen quietly drank his tea, his expression composed. Having once played a psychiatrist, he had thoroughly studied psychology.

He glanced at Gu Nian'an, who was reclining on the sofa, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. He had almost figured out what had happened to him.

He sighed softly and set down his teacup.

As for Ji Yaozhi, he had been watching Gu Nian'an ever since he fell asleep, his thoughts unknown.