You Must Have Missed Me

Ruanruan actually had no idea Lu Linyuan was watching the security feed. She had simply spotted the camera in the room and was looking it over curiously. She had never noticed it before.

"Meow..." There's a camera here too.

Did the young master often check the security feed?

Whatever. I'll act cute first. Maybe when the young master sees it, he'll be so happy that he'll bring me a pack of tasty dried fish or something when he gets home from work.

The more she thought about it, the happier she became, until her eyes crinkled shut in a toothy grin.

Lu Linyuan took a screenshot and shared it in the three-person group chat.

Lu Linyuan: My cat. "Image."

Su Qingzhi: You're not charging us for a look, are you?

Chen Xiao: So cute. Day n of wanting Ruanruan.

Lu Linyuan: Is it that hard to get a cat of your own?

Chen Xiao: After seeing Ruanruan, any other cat would just be settling.

Su Qingzhi: ?

Lu Linyuan: No need to go that far.

Su Qingzhi: Exactly. Let Ruanruan shine, but don't snuff out other cats' lamps. All kitties are super cute!

Chen Xiao: You don't understand at all. No matter how cute other cats are, Ruanruan is the cutest in my heart. Lu Linyuan, when are you going on your next business trip? I'll take care of Ruanruan for you while you're away.

Lu Linyuan: I probably won't be going on any more business trips this year.

Chen Xiao: ...

Su Qingzhi: Laughing wildly gif.

Lu Linyuan ended the group chat and went back to checking the security feed.

By then, Ruanruan had finished eating and was watching TV.

Seeing how absorbed she was, he closed the feed. After finishing his work that afternoon, he opened it again and found that she was still watching TV.

Lu Linyuan couldn't help asking a professional: Will watching TV all the time hurt a cat's eyes? Can it make them nearsighted?

The professional replied: No, because cats are nearsighted to begin with.

Oh, then it was fine.

Actually, Ruanruan hadn't been watching TV nonstop from noon until the afternoon. She had slept for a while in between. Perhaps because she was a little kitten, she got sleepy after eating and was always either on her way to sleep or on her way to eat.

After waking up, she played for a while, sharpened her claws on the scratching board, ate some snacks, and lay on the robot vacuum like a salted-fish cat. Only then did she go back to watching "Tom and Jerry." Honestly, even if she weren't a little kitten, she could never get tired of this cartoon as a human.

It was so good.

But being home alone as a cat really was boring. She wondered when the young master would be back.

As she watched, her mind began to wander. Tom and Jerry were still PKing in the background, but Ruanruan had turned her back to the TV and was staring at her paws in utter boredom, occasionally swatting at her tail.

When Lu Linyuan opened the security feed again, he saw the kitten playing with her tail out of boredom.

She looked small, pitiful, and helpless.

Actually, he should have brought Ruanruan to the office today too, but she had been sleeping so soundly that Lu Linyuan couldn't bear to wake her. He didn't want to put her through the trip to the office, either. His keyboard was a little noisy when he worked, and he worried it would disturb her sleep.

"Meow-"

A meow came from the video, interrupting Lu Linyuan's thoughts. He looked at the screen.

In the video, Ruanruan had gotten up from the cushion and was meowing at the camera.

"Meow-" Boss, can you hear me?

"Meow-" I'm so bored. I want to be an office cat.

But that definitely wouldn't happen today. It was almost time to get off work, after all. She could only hope the boss would take her along tomorrow.

Sob, sob, sob. Even if I'm asleep, please take me with you, okay? I love looking at the scenery outside the tall building.

Lu Linyuan tapped the voice button on the page, and his voice traveled electronically to the cat room.

"What's wrong?" He was talking to Ruanruan.

Ruanruan hadn't expected the boss to hear her, much less ask what was wrong. She jumped in surprise, then came to her senses. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she wagged her tail like a little puppy.

"Meow!" she answered.

"What, are you bored at home all by yourself?"

"Meow, meow, meow!" Yes, yes, yes!

"All right, I'll take you to the office tomorrow, even if you're asleep."

"Meow!" Yay!

Of course, Lu Linyuan couldn't understand what Ruanruan was saying. He had simply told her his plans on instinct, as a way of letting her know that next time, no matter how soundly she was sleeping, he wouldn't let it stop him.

It was a skill that came with owning a cat: from then on, he would find himself talking to her without realizing it.

Some people even thought their cats could understand them and that they could communicate with them without any trouble.

Only after he finished speaking did he realize how silly he must have looked.

After a pause, he thought that he was alone in the office anyway, so no one could see him. It didn't matter whether he looked silly or not.

Watching Ruanruan on the security feed, he saw that she was visibly less listless after hearing him. Lu Linyuan began to wonder if his cat could understand what he was saying.

Thinking of the cat at home, he even began working overtime less often in the evenings. He left work right on time and went straight home. Fortunately, he lived nearby and got there in ten minutes.

Ruanruan heard the commotion and came trotting out of the cat room to wait by the elevator.

As soon as she saw the boss step out, she came right up to him, asking to be picked up.

She was as affectionate as if she were seeing her folks back home.

Lu Linyuan picked up Ruanruan, who was circling his feet, and rubbed her head.

"You're so enthusiastic. Did you miss me?"

"Meow!" I missed the dried fish. Take a hint and hurry up and open a pack for me first!

Ruanruan rubbed her head furiously against his palm.

"You really did miss me." Otherwise, would the little one have been so enthusiastic?