Chapter 10. I think the senior is a little too authoritarian...

Jiang Luo sent another message: Senior, could you tell me the details, your needs and requirements?

Gu Shiyue: There's an automatic feeder at home. You can feed it some snacks as needed, but don't feed it too much. It's greedy, so don't spoil it.

Gu Shiyue: The main thing is to play with it and take it downstairs for a walk. It likes to go for walks, but the time spent playing and walking should not exceed one hour.

Jiang Luo: Received.

Jiang Luo: Are there any other requirements?

Gu Shiyue: No, that's all.

Gu Shiyue: Did Qi Xueying tell you how much it cost?

Jiang Luo: I already said, senior, three hundred is a bit too much, we don't need that much.

Gu Shiyue: As I said, feeding the cat is secondary; the main thing is to play with it.

Jiang Luo: We don't need that many. That's too much. It would cost a lot in hourly wages.

Gu Shiyue's payment already exceeded the value of Jiang Luo's labor, and Jiang Luo felt it shouldn't be that price. Although Qi Xueying said Gu Shiyue wasn't short of money and told Jiang Luo not to worry about the small amount on her brother's behalf, nobody's money grows on trees, right?

Gu Shiyue: If it's set at three hundred, then it's three hundred. If you feel it's not suitable, then we can terminate the transaction.

Jiang Luo: No, no, no

Jiang Luo: You just promised to hire me...

Gu Shiyue: Didn't you think 300 was inappropriate?

Gu Shiyue: If it's not suitable, then we won't hire it.

Jiang Luo: [Bitter][Bitter][Bitter]

Jiang Luo: Why are you like this, senior...?

Gu Shiyue: What about me?

Jiang Luo replied a minute later: Nothing, hehe.

There's no reason for Party B to argue with Party A, otherwise both sides will be uncomfortable. Jiang Luo was perceptive enough to go with the flow and changed his mind.

Jiang Luo: Appropriate.

Jiang Luo: Hire me.

Gu Shiyue wouldn't let him off the hook: Finish what you're saying, and then what will happen to me?

Jiang Luo sent a picture of a puppy with starry eyes, trying to brush it off: Can I not say?

Gu Shiyue: No.

Jiang Luo: If I told you, you wouldn't hire me.

Gu Shiyue: Do you think I'd hire you if you didn't tell me?

Jiang Luo: [Bitter]

After a while, Jiang Luo honestly replied: I think senior is a little authoritarian.

The word to replace it was "assertive," but that word sounded awkward when sent, so Jiang Luo changed it to "autocratic," thinking that it would have a slightly joking tone. But after sending it, he realized that the word also sounded awkward.

There's no point in withdrawing now, so let's just leave it as it is.

Gu Shiyue raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the screen.

Jiang Luo sent another emoji of a puppy pointing at its fingers, with the caption "[I'm sorry, I'm really sorry]", a cute and apologetic combo.

Gu Shiyue replied: Yes, that's how I am.

The next evening, Jiang Luo went to Gu Shiyue's house to feed the cats as soon as she got off work; the sun hadn't set yet.

Gu Shiyue lived very close to their school, just one subway stop away. Jiang Luo understood why Qi Xueying had said her brother was rich as soon as she arrived at the entrance of the residential area.

From the outside, you can tell at a glance that this is a high-end residential area, and a very high-end one at that. Each apartment has its own elevator, and you need to use your fingerprint to go upstairs. Jiang Luo couldn't use the fingerprint scanner, so she could only enter a numeric password.

As Jiang Luo opened the door and entered the house, she smelled a familiar, light fragrance. It was Gu Shiyue's scent. She had smelled it when she bumped into him yesterday. She couldn't describe the fragrance, but it was faint and very pleasant.

Gu Shiyue lived on the top floor. The lights in the room turned on as soon as Jiang Luo entered, as if it were motion-activated. He stood there and glanced inside, then heard a "meow." A particularly beautiful plush toy, tail held high, trotted quickly toward him. Upon seeing Jiang Luo, it slowed its pace, finally stopping about two meters away and tilting its head to look at him.

Jiang Luo was charmed by its cuteness and squatted down to talk to it: "Hello, cotton ball."

Cotton wagged its tail, meowed, and tentatively approached him.

Cotton Ball is gentle and unafraid of people. After confirming that Jiang Luo posed no danger, it walked up to him on its own.

"My name is Jiang Luo." Jiang Luo rubbed his fingers against its furry front paws. "Good evening."

The old fat cat immediately pressed itself against Jiang Luo, rubbing its face against Jiang Luo's knee.

"How can you be so obedient?" Jiang Luo hesitated for a long time, but finally took the initiative and hugged him, stroking him again and again.

The cat smelled nice, but not like Gu Shiyue. This was a two-way street; Jiang Luo enjoyed cuddling the cat to his heart's content, and Mian Tuan was also thoroughly enjoying herself, nestled comfortably in Jiang Luo's arms. Jiang Luo then sat cross-legged and played with Mian Tuan in the entryway for a while.

The old fat cat's weight was not to be underestimated. After lying on Jiang Luo's lap for a while, Jiang Luo's legs went numb, making it a little difficult for him to stand up.

This morning, Gu Shiyue sent Jiang Luo a WeChat message, telling him that the slippers were at the bottom of the shoe cabinet and that he should get them himself. If Gu Shiyue hadn't mentioned this, Jiang Luo probably would have just gone in barefoot today; he certainly wouldn't have just opened someone else's shoe cabinet.

Jiang Luo opened the shoe cabinet, took out the disposable slippers from the bottom shelf without even glancing at the top, and closed the cabinet door after taking the slippers.

Jiang Luo only realized how big the house was when she entered the living room. It was a large single-level apartment. Cheng Jiashu's apartment in Jinyuan was not small, but it was tiny compared to this place.

Cotton has its own room, with one wall transformed into a cat tree, next to which are a bed, a treadmill, and various toys for the cat to play with.

Cotton jumped onto the cat tree, lay down on the sleeping bag, and Jiang Luo pinched its paws, thinking what a happy cat it was.

The only unhappiness is probably that he will never be able to find a wife in this life—Cotton Ball is a neutered male cat.

Jiang Luo fed Mian Tuan treats and played with it for a while, also cleaning up the litter box. Then she put a harness on it and prepared to take it downstairs for a walk. A well-dressed cat needs shoes and a matching hat when it goes out, so Jiang Luo picked out a pink one for it and took it out on a leash.

Jiang Luo took several photos of the cotton ball and sent them to Gu Shiyue to keep him updated on the cat's condition. Gu Shiyue replied with an "Mm" after a long time.

Jiang Luo posted a photo of Cotton Ball taking a walk, with the caption: "Cat taking a walk."

Gu Shiyue replied: Dressed like this, she could be sent to a blind date.

Jiang Luo: Hahahaha, I picked it out from its wardrobe, didn't you buy it, senior?

Gu Shiyue: No

Gu Shiyue had the nanny buy all of Mian Tuan's clothes and toys; he didn't usually worry about these things. This little pink hat was the first time he'd seen it before; he'd never let Mian Tuan wear it before, and he wondered where Jiang Luo had found it.

Furthermore, Gu Shiyue rarely puts a hat on Miantuan when he takes it for walks; he doesn't have the patience for that. Despite Miantuan's exquisitely decorated room, Gu Shiyue doesn't actually take care of it that meticulously. If Miantuan is a little princess in Jiang Luo's eyes, then in Gu Shiyue's eyes, it's a little eunuch—no filters whatsoever.

Jiang Luo: Ah, you didn't buy it.

Jiang Luo: It suits me quite well, it gets a lot of attention.

Gu Shiyue: Is this annoying?

Jiang Luo: You mean cotton balls? Don't be naughty, you're so good.

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue have different definitions of "making a fuss". Gu Shiyue thinks that if the cat is always clinging to him, then it is making a fuss, but Jiang Luo thinks otherwise.

Gu Shiyue: Yeah, don't walk it for too long.

Gu Shiyue: If it refuses to go back when the time comes, don't indulge it.

Gu Shiyue: Drag it back if you have to.

Jiang Luo: Understood!

Gu Shiyue had anticipated the outcome. When it was time for Jiang Luo to go back, Mian Tuan was indeed unwilling. Jiang Luo led it back, but it stubbornly stood there and wouldn't move. After trying to coax it for a long time without success, Jiang Luo had no choice but to pick it up.

This doesn't happen when Gu Shiyue walks it, because Gu Shiyue never spoils it. Miantuan is getting a bit old; although it's healthy, it's not really suited for such long periods of activity.

Jiang Luo was carrying the big fat cat in his arms, its weight pressing down on him, and the journey home exhausted him.

Before leaving, Jiang Luo took one last picture of the cat and sent it to Gu Shiyue. A few minutes later, Gu Shiyue replied, "Did you behave today?"

Gu Shiyue's question was so abrupt that Jiang Luo was stunned when she saw the message, thinking he had sent it to the wrong person.

Jiang Luo: Huh?

Gu Shiyue: I'm talking about cats.

Gu Shiyue: Did you listen to me when you went back?

Jiang Luo: Oh oh

Jiang Luo: You predicted it! You wouldn't go back, so I carried you upstairs.

Gu Shiyue: Is it heavy?

Jiang Luo: It's quite heavy. My biceps are starting to take shape.

Gu Shiyue: Work injury

Jiang Luo: Hahahaha

After adding each other on WeChat, the two seemed to become familiar with each other inexplicably, chatting quite amiably. Jiang Luo discovered that this senior, Gu, wasn't as aloof as he had imagined. There was still a sense of distance, but he wasn't the kind of person who was aloof and unsmiling. Sometimes he would even crack a joke out of the blue, displaying a kind of dry humor.

Jiang Luo came the next day, and the process was similar to the first day. On the second day, Mian Tuan was even more affectionate towards Jiang Luo and would lie down on her own to let him touch her belly.

Jiang Luo fed the cat for two days and even experienced withdrawal symptoms. When she returned to her dorm and lay in bed, she was still thinking about the cotton ball.

Who wouldn't want such a beautiful and affectionate cat?

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue reconnected a week later, still about feeding the cat. This weekend, Gu Shiyue was going out of town to visit an air show, leaving Jiang Luo to take care of the cat once again.

Gu Shiyue is a senior in college. He doesn't have many classes and has relatively free time. He left on Friday. The group originally planned to return on Monday, but one of the members of the group was unwell due to the change in environment, so they decided to return early.

Unfortunately, just as the airshow ended, a sudden downpour hit, and the group got soaked despite rushing back to their car. Having already checked out of the hotel, and needing to catch their flight, they hurried to the airport in a disheveled state.

It was late summer and early autumn, and the temperature had already dropped. It was still a bit chilly after being soaked in the rain. It was raining heavily outside, and the windows couldn't be opened. If the air conditioner was turned off, the windows would easily fog up. Gu Shiyue was sitting in the passenger seat, and he didn't care that the air conditioner was blowing directly on him. Xiang Qin, who was sitting in the back, patted him on the shoulder and reminded him, "Move the air conditioner to the side, don't let it blow on you. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Gu Shiyue moved the air vent to the side. He usually exudes a chill, let alone now, as the rain made his coldness even more tangible.

When Xiang Qin touched him, it felt like touching an ice sculpture; his fingertips were ice-cold.

When the plane landed, Gu Shiyue's hair and clothes were almost completely dry. He turned on his phone and saw a missed call from Qi Xueying, so he called her back.

"Hello?"

"Why didn't you answer the phone?" Qi Xueying asked.

"Just got off the plane."

"You went out of town?"

"Um."

"Did you just get back or just go out?"

"Just got back. What's up? Is something the matter?"

Qi Xueying chuckled: "It's your birthday today, you forgot again, didn't you?"

Gu Shiyue and Qi Xueying's birthdays are very close together, so Qi Xueying remembers them quite clearly. After Gu Shiyue's mother passed away, he hasn't properly celebrated his birthday. His father's mind is all on the company, and it's common for him to forget his birthday.

He celebrates his birthday very casually every year. If he remembers, he'll treat his friends to a meal; if he doesn't, it's over.

I forgot about it this year.

Gu Shiyue said, "Hmm, I forgot."

"I've sent the gift to your home. I just wanted to let you know, but I couldn't get through when I called you."

"Okay, I understand."

"Happy birthday!" Qi Xueying said with a smile. "May you enjoy good health and live a long and healthy life."

Thanks.

Gu Shiyue needed to go home to get some things, so he didn't go with Xiang Qin and the others. Once he got into the taxi, he felt a heaviness in his head. He had been cold a moment ago, but now his body temperature had soared, and his palms were burning hot. He closed his eyes briefly; his limbs felt weak.

As soon as Gu Shiyue entered the door, the housekeeper greeted him, and the nanny took out slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them neatly on the floor.

Gu Shiyue changed his shoes and went into the house. The housekeeper followed behind and asked him if he would be home for dinner today.

Gu Shiyue shook his head and asked him, "Has anyone brought anything over?"

"Yes, there are." The housekeeper turned his head and gestured for the nanny to bring the items from the coffee table in the living room.

Gu Shiyue took the bag from the nanny. He looked a little listless. The housekeeper asked him with concern if he was feeling unwell, saying that he looked pale.

Gu Shiyue said "no" and was about to leave when the door suddenly opened. His father walked in from outside, unbuttoning his suit jacket, followed by his assistant.

Gu Hong paused, looking at Gu Shiyue without saying a word for a moment. There was more than one nanny in the house; another nanny quickly went to him and helped him take off his suit jacket.

"You still know to come back." Gu Hong finally spoke after half a minute, his tone flat.

A note from the author:

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