The Little Kitten's Crushing Defeat

It was no problem if he thought I was cute once or twice, but what about three or four times, or even five or six?

Surely he'd get sick of it.

Human patience had its limits. I knew that better than anyone, since I used to be human myself.

So Ruanruan pulled herself together and first let Lu Linyuan hold her obediently in his arms, fooling him into thinking she was being good for the moment and that he could keep holding her.

After fooling him for a while, she'd launch a surprise attack-hehehe.

Ruanruan pictured it in her head and began cooking up a wicked plan.

That's right, I'm the naughtiest little kitten of them all.

Oblivious, Lu Linyuan held Ruanruan in one arm while using the mouse on the desk with his other hand.

Ruanruan tilted her head up and watched intently as he opened emails in the company's internal mailbox one by one and reviewed the documents. If he thought one was acceptable, he clicked approve; if not, he clicked reject. Occasionally he gave a few reasons, but most of the time he gave none. After dealing with the documents in his inbox, he opened one electronic document after another.

When he needed both hands, he put Ruanruan on the desk and rattled away at the keyboard. The mechanical keyboard made crisp sounds, like mahjong tiles, only a little quieter. In any case, it sounded quite nice, and she couldn't resist twitching her ears as she listened.

Ruanruan still looked tiny on the enormous desk. She inched toward the keyboard, stopping every few steps to see if Lu Linyuan had noticed her moving. When she saw that he was focused on the computer, she felt safe enough to sneak a few more steps, until she was right beside the keyboard...

Just as she was about to raise a paw and wreak havoc, her body suddenly rose into the air-

Meow-Mommy, help!

It was Lu Linyuan who had picked her up and vigorously rubbed her head.

"Trying to make trouble again?" Lu Linyuan chuckled. "I've been watching you for ages. What were you trying to do, inching over there? Did you think I couldn't tell?"

"Meow-" You weren't even looking at me!

"You didn't think humans' peripheral vision just sat there unused, did you?" As though he could see through a cat's thoughts, Lu Linyuan considerately explained it to her.

As everyone knew, once humans started keeping cats, they automatically developed the habit of talking to animals without expecting an answer. Clearly, even a CEO couldn't escape it.

At that moment, Ruanruan knew the kitten had suffered a crushing defeat. Humans were too cunning!

Damn it!

He actually used his peripheral vision to catch me sneaking around. I let my guard down.

This time, instead of making little moves out in the open, surely I can do something behind his back?

Lu Linyuan fetched a cushion and placed it on his lap, then put Ruanruan on it. That way, he could free up both hands without letting the little creature cause trouble on the desk.

Ruanruan made a show of flicking her tail and surveyed the space under the desk for anything she could work with.

Good grief, the space under the CEO's desk was spotless. There wasn't even a cup holder. No, no, she couldn't stay curled up on this cushion forever. She had to return to the desktop!

Other people returned to Earth; Ruanruan would return to the desktop. She raked both paws over the CEO's shirt, making a ripping sound that would make anyone wonder if the fabric was snagging.

Lu Linyuan looked down. The shirt hadn't snagged, but the kitten wore an expression that said, "I'm not going to behave," and seemed unwilling to stay on the cushion.

"Meow, meow, meow-" Put me up there! I want to go up!

Lu Linyuan remained silent, saying nothing and showing no other expression. He looked very hard to deal with like that, as though he had a terrible temper.

Ruanruan suddenly lost her nerve. She wondered if she was being too troublesome, and hoped the CEO wouldn't get upset and toss her straight into the trash or something.

The thought made Ruanruan a little scared, but she still put on a show, letting out a meow and giving his shirt another little scratch, just for form's sake. Even if she was scared inside, she had to keep up appearances and couldn't let it show.

Lu Linyuan looked at the cat's eyes, which had suddenly turned pitiful. Their pale green irises were like frozen grapes, sparkling and sweet. He sighed silently to himself. Though he said nothing, he reached out and put her on the desk.

He had compromised.

Beauty was a powerful weapon, and so was cuteness.

He had just set her down and was about to say, "You'd better not touch things at random-"

But the next scene left him speechless.

When Ruanruan realized she had been put on the desk, she rejoiced inwardly. Sure enough, the kitten had come out on top. Pleased with herself, she grew bold enough to act on her wicked impulse. With a quick leap, all four paws left the desk, and she landed squarely on Lu Linyuan's mechanical keyboard.

Wild and unrestrained, with no one to stop her.

A crisp clatter rang out, and the computer screen flickered-

It happened so suddenly that there wasn't even time to reach out. Jumping onto the keyboard wasn't enough for the kitten; she bounced on it a few more times, as if playing the piano. She seemed to enjoy the sound of the keys so much that she was having too much fun to stop and wanted to step on them a few more times.

"Nicely done..." After a long moment, Lu Linyuan looked at the computer screen, which kept flickering as she jumped, and spoke in a low voice. It was impossible to tell exactly what he was feeling, but that definitely wasn't praise.

Ruanruan had achieved her goal. Looking at the constantly flickering computer screen, she broke into a delighted smile.

This round went to the kitten.

Lu Linyuan picked her up and set her on the floor. He stared at the computer screen for a few seconds and closed his eyes. What a capable little kitten.

Seeing that Lu Linyuan hadn't dealt with her, Ruanruan grew increasingly smug. She guessed the CEO must be furious, but his upbringing kept him from doing anything to a kitten. Still, he had to be ready to explode inside. She scampered over to the door and tilted her head up, straining to look at Lu Linyuan. Because of her height, she could only see his expression from there.

As she watched, she tried to guess what Lu Linyuan was thinking at that moment, wondering if she had achieved her goal this time.

He'll call Yiyi to come pick me up in a little while!

It was just like someone offering a pillow when you were sleepy. Before Lu Linyuan could call Lu Yiyi, Lu Yiyi called her brother first.

Hearing Lu Yiyi on the other end of the phone, Ruanruan's mighty frame trembled. Here it comes, here it comes! The CEO will definitely take this chance to say he's sending me away.

Say it, say it! I can't wait.

Lu Linyuan had no free hand to hold the phone, so after seeing the caller ID, he turned on the speaker and put the phone on the desk to answer. His hands never stopped moving as he continued working on the computer.

"Hello, brother, are you still at the office?"

"Mm."

"It's nothing, really. I just wanted to ask how the kitten was doing. Can you send me some videos of her when you get home? She's settling in pretty well, right?"

"She's doing well. She just crashed my computer."

"Huh? You took her to the office?" Lu Yiyi sounded surprised.

"Yes."

"Wow, you like her that much? You even brought her to the office."

"Meow-" Still chatting? Get to the point!

Hearing her, Lu Linyuan glanced at Ruanruan, who was pressed against the door with her head tilted up, looking at him. He said to Lu Yiyi over the phone, "She must have heard your voice. She keeps looking over at me."

Lu Yiyi's laughter rang like silver bells. "I heard her meowing. She's full of energy. Looks like you two are getting along quite harmoniously."

Lu Linyuan smiled inscrutably. Looking at Ruanruan, he told his sister over the phone, "Oh, we're getting along very harmoniously."

"All right, she didn't damage any important files, did she? Don't hold it against her. She's just a little kitten, after all. She's still young, so it's normal for her to be a little lively. You should teach her well from now on. Cats need an education too." Lu Yiyi put in a good word for Ruanruan.

"Mm, I'll make sure to educate her well from now on."

"Okay. Oh, right, the kitten needs her third vaccine shot in the middle of next month. I'll come get her then."

"Sure."

The siblings chatted about a few other things before hanging up. Throughout the entire conversation, Lu Linyuan never once mentioned sending her back.

Ruanruan looked incredulous and suspicious.

Why isn't he sending me away?

Why won't he send me away? I want my darling Yiyi!

Boo-hoo-hoo, this isn't how I imagined it would turn out.

I was so naughty. I broke the computer and crashed the files, yet he acts like it doesn't matter.

"The moment I hang up, you look utterly dejected. What, have I been shorting you on food or drink?" Lu Linyuan had fixed the computer problem in no time. When he looked up and saw Ruanruan's little expression, as listless as though she'd been abandoned, he couldn't resist making a couple of cutting remarks, regardless of whether she could understand him.

Are you that unhappy here with me?

Where did all that swagger you had jumping on the keyboard go?

In the end, Lu Linyuan couldn't bear to see Ruanruan so listless. He got up, walked over, and cradled her in the crook of his arm. As he had done a few times before, he gently stroked her back, smoothing her fur and rubbing her head to comfort her.

"Luckily, the files were all saved automatically, so nothing was lost. You mustn't be so naughty next time." Unlike the distinctive haughtiness of someone in a position of power, his words were especially gentle, with no intention of holding it against Ruanruan.

After saying that, Lu Linyuan added self-deprecatingly, "Even if there had been a loss, I couldn't do anything to you..."

Ruanruan turned her head in disbelief to look at Lu Linyuan. Seeing the faint smile on his lips, she suddenly felt she had gone too far just now.

The boss may look fierce, but he's actually super nice, okay?!

As soon as the thought popped into her head, she heard Lu Linyuan say something else.

"But I should still teach you a lesson. How about a few smacks on your bottom to help you remember?"

"Meow?" Hey, I take back what I just said!

The boss isn't nice at all!

Let me go! I want to go to Yiyi!

Meow-