Author: 长洱 / Chang’er

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 302

Adopting Xiao Wang was a wonderful accident.

It was pouring that day, and Wang Chao went out to the internet cafe to play games, coming back home drenched like a drowned rat.

As he was shaking his hair under the eaves, he saw a cat, soaked and muddy, crouching by his feet, shaking off the water with him.

“Wow, I think this is a wonderful fate, so I took it in!” Lin Chen opened the door to find a soaked teenager pointing at the soaked cat at his feet saying this.

There was muffled thunder in the sky, and dark clouds pressed low.

Everything, including the pond’s koi, was gloomy and damp, and only the teenager’s smile was brilliant.

Lin Chen crouched down and petted the cat lying on its back, showing its belly, and found it to be a similarly brilliant orange cat, so he had no reason to refuse.

Lin Chen turned and led the two wet comrades into the house.

He found a fluffy large bath towel from the wardrobe to wrap the cat, while Wang Chao had already shouted “so cold” and rushed into his bathroom.

Lin Chen held the cat by the window to dry it.

Outside the window, the rain was heavy, turning the river into black mud. The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom. The room was filled with the unique chill of the southern region, but when holding the cat, everything was peaceful and warm, even carrying the unique warmth of small animals.

In short, the connection between cats and people always caught one off guard. Often, you wouldn’t think much before going out, but when you came back, suddenly you were a person with a cat.

However, for Wang Chao, this serendipity lasted only until Xing Conglian came back from duty.

Xing Conglian came in and saw the cat sleeping on the rush mat while closing his umbrella, so he threw the umbrella at the door, and excitedly went to Lin Chen, exclaiming, “Wow, do we have a cat now?”

Wang Chao, hiding in the corner playing mobile games, heard this and jumped up, shouting, “It’s not ‘we’, thank you. This is my cat!”

But Xing Conglian paid no attention to what Wang Chao said, as the view by the window was too good.

Lin Chen was sitting cross-legged on another rush mat, holding his chin in one hand and looking at his phone, showing a serious and thoughtful side face and a delicate, flexible neck.

His other hand was slanting by his side, with the fluffy head of the orange cat resting on the back of his hand, leaving only his fingertips lightly touching the edge of the rush mat, as if trying to maintain balance, afraid to pull his hand away carelessly.

Xing Conglian quietly came over, crouched down next to Lin Chen, and looked at the round orange cat, clicking his tongue in admiration. He was so happy he didn’t know what to say.

He leaned over and kissed Lin Chen’s ear, then asked in a low voice, “What should we name our cat?”

Lin Chen did not answer but looked at the irate Comrade Xiao Wang next to him.

The teenager immediately came over and seriously gave his opinion. “I’ve thought about it. Let’s name it Pikachu! The color, the cuteness, it’s all very close!”

Probably because Wang Chao’s voice was too loud, the orange cat suddenly lifted its head and looked at him in confusion with its green eyes, not knowing what was going on.

“What?” Xing Conglian didn’t understand.

“It’s Pikachu from ‘Pokémon’!”

“Did you say Mantis Shrimp*?” Xing Conglian asked back.

*Clarity: Pikachu (皮卡丘) vs [Pipixia] (皮皮虾)

“That joke’s outdated, Boss. You older people’s pop culture sense is so embarrassing,” Wang Chao said seriously.

Xing Conglian was about to grab Wang Chao’s scalp.

Lin Chen relaxed his palm and scratched the orange cat’s fluffy forehead with his fingertips, staring into the cat’s eyes, and seriously asked, “Xiao Wang?”

The orange cat meowed softly.

“Eh?” The teenager was quite bewildered.

Xing Conglian stared at Lin Chen’s finger, reacting faster. “Calling it Xiao Wang is good. How about adding an eight*?”

*Clarity: The joke is [wang] (王) combined with eight (八) becomes bastard/son of a bitch (王八). So it’s like Little Bastard (in reference to Wang Chao).

“Why, what kind of joke is this?” Wang Chao was dissatisfied.

“Because it’s similar,” Lin Chen casually replied, looking at the teenager in front of the sofa and then at the clever orange cat on the rush mat.

The heavy rain came and went in haste.

Wang Chao was tangled in a matter regarding the name for a while, but the rain stopped, and the sky revealed a pale gold hue at dusk.

Lin Chen put his mobile phone back in his pocket, finally stood up, found a canvas bag at home to put the cat in, and prepared to leave with it on his back.

Seeing this, Xing Conglian went to the door ahead of time and stood in front of Lin Chen. “Consultant Lin, can we still be with people with a cat?”

“A’Chen Gege, where are you taking Xiao Wang?” Wang Chao asked from behind.

Lin Chen put on his shoes and waved his phone at them. “The encyclopedia says, if you find a stray cat, first take it to the vet for a check-up…”

He picked up the bag, walked a few steps, and looked back at them. “Why don’t we have teppanyaki for dinner?”

Wang Chao cheered while Xing Conglian took the bag holding the cat from Lin Chen but didn’t seem very pleased.

They walked along Yanjia Lane.

After a downpour, the river had risen considerably, and households along the street began to cook; the fragrance of cooking oil wafted everywhere.

Black tiles, white walls, green trees, yellow flowers, humid air.

Xing Conglian put a cigarette in his mouth but, realizing he was still carrying the cat, didn’t light it.

Lin Chen walked beside him and naturally held his other hand. Xing Conglian quickly grasped it, feigning seriousness on his face.

“Captain Xing, what are your demands? You can raise them now,” Lin Chen casually asked.

“When can we have a world for just the two of us, without any third wheels?” Xing asked.

Xing Conglian looked back at the mentally handicapped teenager, who was walking a long way behind them and was still playing with his phone while yelling. He was quite upset.

“When we sleep,” Lin Chen said seriously.

“That’s restrictive too. You’ve been very suppressed lately, Consultant Lin. It’s not good for your health in the long run, right?” Xing Conglian approached while asking with a smile.

“Don’t you like this style?” Lin Chen’s dark eyes lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Such a light smile, yet Xing Conglian felt his heart touched by a soft feather.

He immediately thought of Lin Chen’s restraint and suppression, even curling his toes in his sleep, and wanted to throw both the cat and Wang Chao away and take Lin Chen home immediately.

Lin Chen was clearly teasing, saying, “But we have a cat tonight, so it might not work.”

The cat was uncomfortable in the canvas bag, peering out, not understanding what they were saying.

Xing Conglian held up the cat, looking at its fluffy paws and head. Although the cat was… utterly adorable, having those eyes watch them at night during their passionate times seemed inappropriate…

With resolve, he shouted, “Wang Chao, get your ass over here.”

The teenager ran over instinctively, braking suddenly when he realized he was being too obedient, and yelled, “What for, Boss!”

Xing Conglian was heartbroken, but Lin Chen slightly lowered his head, looking regretful.

He could only bear the pain and hand the canvas bag to Wang Chao, emphasizing, “Your cat!”

Wang Chao was shocked. “What!”

“Only yours at night!” Xing Conglian stressed.

The pet hospital was where Duan Yang once worked.

Time had changed, and the doctor was now a very cute girl. She patiently examined the cat, gave it a bath, dewormed it, and told them to come back for vaccinations in a few days.

Apart from being overweight, their cat had no problems, which greatly pleased Xing Conglian.

Wang Chao, to assert his authority over Xiao Wang, paid all the examination fees and bought various cat supplies, insisting he could carry the cat litter, cat food, litter box, and the cat itself back home without any issues.

Xing Conglian had no objection.

It was already dark. Lin Chen was still holding hands with him; his handsome face held an indescribable meaning in the hazy night.

Xing Conglian thought back to Lin Chen’s reaction to the cat and suddenly realized he might have overlooked something.

“You… don’t actually like cats?” he asked.

Lin Chen looked at him helplessly. “No, I like them.”

“Then…”

“Why didn’t I help you and instead let you give the cat to Wang Chao?” Lin Chen asked.

“Mm.”

Lin Chen smiled, stopped, and ruffled Xing Conglian’s hair.

Under the dim streetlight, this simple gesture almost made Xing Conglian’s heart leap out of his throat.

Just then, Lin Chen leaned forward. His gentle breath brushed Xing Conglian’s ear.

“Because, the only one who can sleep with you is me, Captain Xing.”

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