Despising the Detestable Zhou Bapi

At that, Lu Linyuan's expression turned aloof, and he pressed a button, about to put his phone away. Su Qingzhi stopped him. "Come on, I haven't seen enough yet. The more I watch this kitten, the cleverer she gets."

Hearing that, Lu Linyuan suddenly lost interest in dealing with Chen Xiao, who wanted to kidnap Ruanruan. He looked straight at Su Qingzhi, a hint of disagreement appearing in his usually impassive eyes. He chuckled. "You call her clever?" This silly little cat was greedy and hopelessly dopey, always tumbling over. For a while, he had wondered whether she could even grow up safely.

"How is she not clever? She's still a nursing kitten, and she already knows to climb onto the robot vacuum for a ride. Look how comfortable and relaxed she was sprawled out on it. She knew exactly what she wanted; she was just a little slow getting there. What can you do? She's a kitten, and she's still drinking milk." Su Qingzhi wore an expression that said Lu Linyuan ought to cut her some slack.

Ruanruan actually hadn't drunk any milk during her last few days at the pet store. She hadn't expected to get it again after coming to the Lu Family home, and she happened to be a little hungry right then. So she couldn't resist drinking it. To her surprise, it was worlds apart from the milk at the pet store. It tasted wonderful, fresh and sweet beyond words. The sweetness didn't come from anything added to it; it was a quality of the milk itself. So goat's milk could taste this good!

Meow, meow, meow, I'm going to finish this whole bottle-

The men watched Ruanruan's eating broadcast and saw the maid clean her up. Only after watching her roll around in her enormous cat bed and finally fall dead asleep, paws splayed and belly exposed, did they turn off the surveillance feed.

Chen Xiao pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Lu Linyuan. He took it and held it between his fingers without lighting it. He wasn't addicted to smoking and didn't particularly feel like it, so he just held it.

Su Qingzhi was addicted, though. Chen Xiao had only just lit his cigarette, and Su Qingzhi had almost finished his.

"Is that case in Country X settled?"

"Yeah."

"The people over there are a real pain in the ass." Su Qingzhi looked thoroughly fed up with dealing with them. He took one last deep drag, breathed out a curling cloud of smoke, and stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray.

"They're just meticulous about their work." Lu Linyuan didn't complain; there was even appreciation in his voice.

The three men began talking about work, casually mentioning deals worth billions as though they were jianbing they could pick up at any roadside stall.

The Su Family and the Lu Family were both established clans. The Lu Family had been in business for generations, while the Su Family's genealogy records went back three hundred years. One of the country's famous private gardens belonged to the Lu Family. Their businesses were vast, but even setting those aside, the antiques and original artworks inherited from their ancestors were enough to leave people dumbstruck. Some had been donated to the country, and some were on display in the national museum. Chen Xiao was the Asia-Pacific president of a multinational corporation and came from a scholarly family; both his parents were university professors. Naturally, any projects the three of them discussed were out of the ordinary.

The noise and bustle in the private room brought a trace of fatigue to Lu Linyuan's eyes. After another couple of drinks with the other two, he rose to leave.

As he was leaving, Chen Xiao kept going on beside him.

"I mean it. That cat of yours is really something. If you don't want to keep her, I'll make time to come over and carry her back myself." He really had set his sights on her.

"Get lost."

With that, he walked out of the bar. The driver had parked the car at the entrance, and a bodyguard swiftly opened the door. Lu Linyuan got in and left at once, not bothering to say another word to the two of them.

When Lu Linyuan got home, he first took a shower and changed into his pajamas. He had originally meant to go to his study, but as he stepped out of his room, his feet turned toward the cat room on their own. He stopped at the door, and three seconds later, pushed it open without hesitation. The night-light was still on inside.

The light wasn't bright, but it was enough to make out Ruanruan in her cat bed, paws spread and belly exposed. Her stomach rose and fell with each breath, and one look at its roundness showed she had drunk plenty of milk. She was clearly sleeping soundly, even smacking her lips now and then, as though she were eating in her dreams.

She really was a complete little foodie.

Lu Linyuan moved closer and crouched in front of the cat bed. He reached out and stroked her round belly. No reaction. He touched her little paws and their pink pads. Still nothing.

She was sleeping deeply.

Seeing her sleeping so soundly, Lu Linyuan found his usually excellent self-control weakening. He wrapped one hand around the kitten and lifted her up. She still showed no sign of waking. Her head even lolled backward, and her four paws hung askew. She was as limp as if she had no bones.

She won't wake up even now?

As soon as the thought arose, Lu Linyuan asked himself another question. It was already midnight, so why should he wake her up? He was even hoping she would wake up. After turning the question over in his mind, he silently put the boneless little creature, sleeping so deeply she didn't know what day it was, back in her bed.

After Lu Linyuan left, Ruanruan rolled over and continued sleeping soundly. In her dream, she was gnawing on a chicken leg and having the time of her life. She smacked her lips and gobbled away, drool once again trickling out without her noticing.

In the middle of the night, she woke with an urgent need to pee. Eyes closed, she struggled down from her bed and moved across the floor in little surges, like an octopus swimming through the sea. Along the way, she opened her eyes to check the direction of the litter box. Once she was sure she was still on course, she closed them again and pressed on. Only when her head bumped into it did she open her eyes with a yawn, lift her upper body, and laboriously scramble inside. There were actually little steps beside it, installed especially for a nursing kitten, but she couldn't be bothered to move any farther and climbed in from the other side.

"Climbed" was generous. She actually fell in headfirst, then rolled over and got up to do her business.

Feeling a little more awake afterward, she shook out her fur and came out of the litter box. She rubbed her paws and her little butt on the towel hanging beside it, being a clean and hygienic little kitty.

Ruanruan swept her big eyes around, then padded over to her bowl. Seeing a small amount of wet food inside, she lowered her head and ate with satisfaction. After polishing it all off, she licked her mouth clean and happily returned to her bed to catch up on sleep.

It was only just getting light, which meant it was still very early. Besides, a kitten was still growing, so it was perfectly normal to eat and sleep a whole lot. With that thought, Ruanruan slowly closed her eyes and spread out all four paws. Looking almost as though she were smiling, she contentedly and comfortably went off to meet the Duke of Zhou.

She slept until the maid came in to clean, then opened her eyes for a look. Finding that there was no food involved, she went back to sleep. Once the maid was done, she prepared some goat's milk for Ruanruan. All it took was a wave of the bottle under the kitten's nose for her to open her eyes automatically. Ruanruan went one better: without even opening her eyes, she opened her mouth, latched onto the nipple, and began gulping away. The sight melted the maid's heart like snow in water, leaving it utterly soft. Unable to resist, she reached out as she fed Ruanruan and smoothed the fur that had become a little messy in her sleep. She also tucked a small pillow behind the neck of Ruanruan, who was reluctant to get up, so she wouldn't choke on the milk.

"You really are an adorable little thing," the maid said.

Ruanruan heard her in a sleepy haze and instinctively replied in her heart, Of course. I'm just that adorable. Hehe.

When Lu Linyuan came in, Ruanruan was still drinking her milk with her eyes closed. The maid saw him and was just about to get up and greet him when he waved for her to stay where she was. Then he took her place and personally held the bottle, feeding Ruanruan as she lay in her bed.

Ruanruan enjoyed the pleasure of a fresh supply of milk while her body was massaged, until she heard a familiar, critical remark.

"You really know how to enjoy yourself. For some reason, I can't stand seeing you so comfortable." As he spoke, Lu Linyuan lifted Ruanruan into his arms and stroked her chin again and again, as though that made him comfortable too.

Ruanruan opened her eyes only to find herself lifted into the air. She instinctively clung on tight, afraid of falling, before landing in a sturdy crook of an arm. The man's warm, dry fingertips brushed her chin and neck, and Ruanruan caught a faint minty scent from him. It was probably his facial cleanser. After rubbing her neck, he gave her little paw a squeeze. She couldn't tell from his expression, but his movements already showed he couldn't bear to put her down. Remembering how badly the man had treated her yesterday, Ruanruan haughtily pulled her paw away so he couldn't squeeze it.

Don't disturb me while I'm eating!

It was a perfectly good reason.

Ruanruan stared at Lu Linyuan with wide eyes. Anyone could see from her furrowed brow that she was displeased.

Lu Linyuan simply took the bottle away and said with great solemnity, "You don't want any more?" His tone made it clear that if she really didn't want it, he would take it away.

Ruanruan's brow furrowed even more fiercely, but then she remembered there was still almost half a bottle of milk left. How could she not want it? So she lowered her head and pretended to be good, touched the bottle with a little paw, and gave a soft, whimpering meow, coquettishly calling out in a tender voice, "Meow~~"

Her brow was no longer furrowed, her voice had turned sweet, and her movements had grown docile.

Very good.

Satisfied, Lu Linyuan let Ruanruan take the nipple in her mouth again. This time, Ruanruan didn't enjoy her breakfast so leisurely. Afraid the young master would tease her again, she drank even faster, gulping it down and sucking frantically until the tips of her ears broke out in a sweat. The poor child was worn out.

Detestable capitalist, Zhou Bapi! You even make me act cute and coquettish just to drink my milk. I despise you!