Reborn as a Kitten

In Yunlan City, the July sky was cloudless for ten thousand miles, and the sun beat down hard enough to make people pass out.

There were hardly any customers at the pet shop in the middle of the day. The air-conditioning was on full blast, and the kittens were drowsy, though a few mischievous ones meowed now and then.

Xue Yao was no exception. She lay on her back in a luxurious, spacious cat cage, basking with her belly exposed as she pondered her cat life. Before she knew it, she had been a kitten for a month.

She had never imagined she would become a kitten, much less one of a rather impressive breed. Was she a purple golden shaded or a blue golden shaded? She didn't really know. She had never owned a cat in her previous life. In any case, the shop assistants were always exceedingly careful with her, and everything they gave her to eat and use was the best in the shop. Clearly, she was one of the stars here, the kind certain to fetch a good price someday.

So Xue Yao's little life after her rebirth was as comfortable as could be.

A few days later, the owner she had been looking forward to finally came along. But instead of coming to the shop, pointing a finger, and saying, "I'll take that one," before boxing her up and taking her away, the shop assistant carefully groomed her, fed her well, and even urged her to poop. Then the assistant used a clean face towel to wipe its whole face-no, from head to tail, cleaning even her paws until they were spotless. A pale pink bow with silver edging was tied around her neck. She looked utterly exquisite, irresistibly cute, and innocent as could be. Once it was all done, she could even smell a faint fragrance on herself.

Once she was ready, the assistant put her in a cage and carried her to the car. They've dolled me up so nicely. Looks like the buyer's a big customer, she thought.

The boss drove personally, while the assistant sat in the passenger seat holding her.

"This is a major client, someone who lives in the villa complex over by Mount Lingyun. Don't go looking all over the place when we get there. Read the room, got it?"

"Mm-hmm. I've never been to Mount Lingyun before. I hear every inch of land there is worth its weight in gold. The people there are either big stars, super-rich tycoons, or top-tier influencers. Anyway, each one's richer than the last."

"True. I've been there once or twice, but before my backside could even warm the seat, the clients would look at the cats, decide they were satisfied, and I'd take my leave. I never got a chance to appreciate the place. I did drink their tea, though. It was pretty good, so I looked it up afterward. It was so expensive my wallet hurt for them." Both times he had gone, it had been through client referrals, and this client had also been referred by an old customer.

"How expensive?"

"The tea costs more than a month's wages for you."

The assistant sucked in a sharp breath. "A cup of tea costs more than a month's wages for me?" He could scarcely imagine it.

Xue Yao listened with relish from inside the cat cage.

Nice, nice. I can lie flat in comfort in this life. Heaven hasn't treated me badly. It saw that I kicked the bucket acting bravely for a just cause in my last life, so it let me be reborn as a precious little kitten and even get bought by such a rich family. Won't I be eating delicacies and drinking the good stuff from now on, waking up naturally every day?

The more Xue Yao thought about it, the happier she became. Looking back on her previous life... she had been an abandoned girl, raised in an orphanage and supported through university by school grants. She had only worked for a few years before leaving the world in the prime of her life, without enjoying any of its blessings. She had always felt it was a pity. Still, she didn't regret saving that child. She only hoped the child was all right, so her sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain.

This is good, very good. I'll lie flat and enjoy my cat life in this lifetime.

Inside the villa grounds was a large, lush garden, where flowers of every color competed in beauty.

The pet shop boss slowly pulled into a parking space. Then the two of them entered through a small gate beside the main entrance, with someone leading the way.

Once inside, they rode in one of those ball-collecting carts often seen on golf courses. After driving from the entrance for a while, they arrived at the door of a towering villa. There was a large pillar on either side of the door. Xue Yao couldn't tell what they were made of, but they looked precious. Even the patterns on the door were beautiful, with an indescribable quality to them.

She might not understand such things, but she could still tell when something looked impressive, extraordinary, and downright awesome. This family gave her that kind of grand, high-class feeling.

Though it looked impressive, it didn't have the gaudy, gold-plated splendor of a nouveau riche household. She tipped her head up against the cage, looking this way and that.

It's so big. That garden was beautiful too. Despite the July weather, the flowers in the garden were still blooming proudly, and the other plants were lush and green. Automatic sprinklers sent fine sprays of water into the sunshine, where little rainbows appeared.

There was also a large fountain in the very center, its water sparkling in the sunlight.

It's so beautiful, like a wealthy family's estate in an idol drama.

"Please come in." A gentle-faced, middle-aged female housekeeper smiled as she opened the door and welcomed the two inside. A servant in the house then led them to the living room and seated them.

Xue Yao clung to the cage and peered at the interior design. After looking all around, she had one word for it: spectacular!

The ceiling was incredibly high, and every piece of the enormous crystal chandelier seemed priceless. The leather sofa was so soft it felt like lying on a cloud. The assistant was inwardly speechless, but he still remembered what the boss had said on the way over. Keeping his eyes down and his mind focused, he held the cage at his side, not even daring to move his feet unnecessarily.

Before long, a pleasant chime sounded from the indoor elevator on the first floor, and a girl in her early twenties walked out in loungewear, smiling.

"Quick, open the cage. Let me see if it's even prettier than in the video."

Hearing that, the boss immediately stood, went over to the assistant, and bent down to open the cat cage. He gently lifted Xue Yao out and handed her to the girl.

"This is the finest specimen in the litter. You picked it out as soon as we posted it. It's lucky to have you."

Looking at the girl with bright eyes and gleaming teeth, Xue Yao felt a little thrill of excitement. Her eyes are so beautiful, and she has a dimple on her right cheek. One look and you can tell she has a super nice temperament. She must be my owner, right?

Wonderful! I love snuggling up to pretty girls.

The girl's name was Lu Yiyi. As soon as she took Xue Yao from the boss, she couldn't help exclaiming, "This color is so beautiful! Her eyes are lovely too. She seems so gentle and cute, and her nose is pink." One look was enough to make her feel she had fallen in love with the little thing.

Lu Yiyi stroked the kitten's back and smiled at the assistant beside her. "Pay the boss the remaining balance." Then she asked the boss, "Has the kitten had all her vaccinations?"

The boss replied, "There's one shot left. I was going to bring her over after the last one, but you were eager to have her, so I brought her now."

Lu Yiyi smiled. "I was impatient. She's so cute that I was afraid someone else would buy her if I waited even a second longer. It's fine. When it's nearly time for her shot, send me a message on WeChat, and I'll have my assistant take her in."

"All right, all right." The remaining balance reached the boss's account in seconds.

Besides carrying the cage, the shop assistant had also packed a large gift bundle of pet toys. They hadn't brought cat food or kitten food because the boss had said there was no need. The family had already prepared imported cat food and kitten food and wouldn't care for what the shop had. Seeing that the boss and Lu Yiyi were chatting happily, the assistant chose the right moment to hand the toy bundle to the assistant beside her.

The boss handed over the cat's pedigree certificate, a family tree showing the breeds in her lineage, and all sorts of other cat certificates, her vaccination booklet, and so on.

Lu Yiyi's assistant accepted all of them.

With everything done, the two got up to take their leave.

"If there's nothing else, we won't take up any more of your time, Miss Lu," the boss said respectfully.

Holding the well-behaved kitten, Lu Yiyi was in a cheerful mood. She said to them, "I had the housekeeper prepare some small gifts for you. Please take them home with you. Thank you for bringing me such a treasure today. She's so cute, and I like her very much." Her face showed complete satisfaction.

"Oh, we couldn't possibly accept that," the boss demurred.

"It's all right. They're just small gifts, nothing expensive. Take them home." With that, she eagerly turned toward the elevator. "I'll go upstairs first. I have to go out for something in a little while."

"Thank you. We won't keep you any longer, Miss Lu." After saying that, the boss accepted the gifts and left with the assistant.

Inside the elevator, Lu Yiyi held Xue Yao up, and the girl and cat gazed at each other for a moment.

Lu Yiyi gently swayed her little body. Looking at the tiny creature, her voice unconsciously dropped and softened. "Little cutie, little darling, how are you so beautiful, hm?" She rubbed her head against Xue Yao's, moving gently, as though Xue Yao were something fragile that had to be handled with care. She adored her utterly.

"Meow..." Xue Yao narrowed her eyes in a smile and acted as cute as she possibly could.

"Oh, you're too cute. You're so cute I don't even want to give you away."

Hm?

Xue Yao had been feeling delighted, but when she heard that, her narrowed eyes suddenly went wide, her face full of surprise.

G-g-give me away?!

No, pretty girl! I like you so much, and you like me so much too. We're a match made in heaven, so why would you give me away?

"Meow~" She let out a pitiful little cry, trying to soften the girl's heart.

Don't give me away. Meow, meow, meow.