“I’m sorry, Niannian. Brother didn’t mean that,” Lu Huai coaxed him. “Being a wife, I’ll listen to you, okay? Don’t cry.”

The little cat pouted and didn’t speak.

Before Lu Huai could coax him further, the little cat’s eyes suddenly lit up. “I’m not cultured, but brother can be my wife!”

“…” Lu Huai almost felt his vision go black.

But looking at Niannian’s red eyes, he could only grit his teeth. “Fine, I’ll listen to you.”

Finally coaxing the cat, Lu Huai changed his clothes and prepared to cook. Niannian, no longer pretending, immediately threw down his pen and followed Lu Huai, just like when he was a cat, following him step by step.

He poked his head out. “Wife, what’s for dinner?”

Lu Huai’s hand trembled, almost dropping the kitchen knife.

He said painfully, “Don’t call me that, Niannian. Just call me brother.”

The little cat tilted his head. “Why?”

Lu Huai didn’t dare say more, afraid of making the cat cry again. After careful consideration, he said solemnly, “You haven’t learned yet. Do you know classical Chinese? ‘Brother’ and ‘wife’ sound similar.”

…

Niannian had always been so clingy, especially when he was first brought home. His little nose was so big, Lu Huai walked carefully around the house, afraid of stepping on him.

Sometimes, when cooking, Lu Huai would cook while holding him.

Now that he was human, it was the same. After Lu Huai cooked, he would follow him to the dining table, even pulling out the chair for Lu Huai.

Lu Huai coaxed him like a child, his compliments never repeating.

Just as he was about to sit down to eat, the doorbell rang. Lu Huai frowned, getting up to open the door. Niannian also quickly got up from the stool and followed him.

Opening the door, Chen Fei’s face appeared. “Hello! I wanted to see the child prodigy…”

“Bang!”

The door slammed shut.

Chen Fei’s face almost hit the door.

He was stunned with anger, banging on the door. “Lu Huai!! What do you mean?!”

Lu Huai took a deep breath and turned to look seriously at Niannian. “Do you remember Brother Chen Fei?”

Niannian frowned, grumbling a muffled “Mm.”

“He’s here. You can’t let him know you’re a cat, understand?” Lu Huai looked at the little cat’s expression and couldn’t help but smile. “You hate him that much? Doesn’t he always bring you delicious things?”

The little cat whimpered. “He always hugs me and makes me smell his farts.”

“…”

Lu Huai said with difficulty, “Then he’s really bad. Don’t pay attention to him when he talks; just act cold.”

The little cat nodded vigorously, clenching his fists. “Ignore him!”

After waiting for almost five minutes, the door finally opened slowly. Lu Huai lifted his eyelids and asked coldly, “Why are you here?”

Chen Fei gritted his teeth. “Why? Is it wrong for me to see the child prodigy, to see Niannian? Or are you hiding someone in your house?”

He angrily pushed Lu Huai aside and strode inside. After a few steps, he saw the furious Niannian and froze, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat.

Lu Huai walked over from behind, ignoring Chen Fei, putting his arm around Niannian’s shoulders, his voice softening. “Sit down and eat. It’ll get cold.”

Chen Fei was stunned for two seconds, quickly following. “This, this, this… this must be your brother. He’s so good-looking, even if he’s not a child prodigy, he could be a star.”

Lu Huai didn’t respond, raising his chin. “Serve yourself.”

“Got it.”

Chen Fei had come over to (freeload meals) several times before to see Niannian.

Sitting down with his bowl, Chen Fei looked around. “Hey? Where’s Niannian Piggy?”

The little cat slammed his chopsticks down and glared fiercely at Chen Fei.

Lu Huai patted the little cat’s leg from below, his tone calm. “He’s staying at a friend’s house for a couple of days.”

Chen Fei nodded, just about to pick up his chopsticks, suddenly remembering something. “That’s not right. You don’t have any friends.”

“…”

Chen Fei widened his eyes, realizing something. “Did something happen to Niannian?”

The little cat could no longer bear it, slamming the table hard, fiercely saying, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Chen Fei was startled, looking at Lu Huai’s furrowed brow, quickly saying, “Okay, okay, I was talking nonsense.”

This child prodigy brother is quite fierce.

But Niannian should be fine; otherwise, with Lu Huai’s pampering of his cat, he wouldn’t be so calm.

He started eating with peace of mind.

Lu Huai was a good cook. Although the meals he’d had before were mostly vegetarian, they were still delicious. Surprisingly, there was a plate of cola chicken wings on the table today, brightly colored, sprinkled with white sesame seeds.

He was delighted, reaching out to grab one. Niannian was unusually eager to eat, quickly snatching the chicken wing before Chen Fei could, directly putting it into Lu Huai’s bowl.

“Hey, you!” Chen Fei glared angrily.

The little cat happily wagged his little legs.

Chen Fei laughed angrily, reaching for another wing with his chopsticks. The little cat immediately followed, snatching the chicken wing again and trying to put it in Lu Huai’s bowl, but this time Lu Huai didn’t let him, moving his bowl slightly. “Be good, you eat.”

Chen Fei was dumbfounded.

This was the first time he’d seen this brother, and he didn’t seem to have done anything to offend this pretty boy. And Lu Huai, when had he ever spoken so softly, even saying “be good”… Ugh!

Chen Fei simply stopped trying to get the chicken wings, propping his chin up. “Brother, I feel like you’re targeting me. Or is it that you child prodigies, naturally resist us scholastically challenged?”

What challenged?

Brother had fried him pork crackling a few days ago, and it was quite delicious.

Remembering his brother’s instructions, the little cat turned his head and ignored him.

Lu Huai served Niannian food, his tone calm. “Child prodigies usually have big tempers, cold personalities, and don’t like to talk.”

Chen Fei nodded. “I understand.”

He couldn’t help but ask again, “Brother, have you started self-studying university courses? It must be pretty difficult.”

The little cat chewed on the chicken wing, thinking for a moment. Memorizing the multiplication tables was pretty difficult; he’d memorize them and forget them, then forget and memorize again.

He nodded with feeling. “As difficult as ascending to heaven.”

Author’s Note:

Making a little cat smell farts is really bad!!!

After dinner, Chen Fei still wouldn’t leave, saying he wanted to get closer to the little child prodigy and have him tutor him.

Difficult.

After all, the little child prodigy had only just learned third-grade textbooks.

Lu Huai didn’t dare let them talk much, afraid they would reveal the secret.

He urged Chen Fei to go home. “He needs to study. Don’t disturb him when he’s studying.”

“What’s wrong? Even child prodigies need to relax,” Chen Fei shamelessly leaned on the sofa. “Let me play a game with your brother.”

Although Niannian usually disliked Chen Fei, at this moment he didn’t want him to leave. From his brother’s tone, Chen Fei would make him go back to his room to study once he left.

The study-averse little cat quickly grabbed Chen Fei’s sleeve. “Okay, play games.”

Chen Fei gave Lu Huai a triumphant smile, turning to take out his phone and ask Niannian, “Brother, what games do you usually play? PUBG?”

“Puzzle games,” the little cat said seriously. “I like PUBG, but brother doesn’t.”

Chen Fei sighed. “He definitely doesn’t like it. He only likes studying.”

They could still chat even though they were talking past each other.

Lu Huai’s face was numb from listening. Seeing Chen Fei take out his phone, the little cat immediately leaned over, almost pressing his little face against the screen.

Chen Fei was stunned. “You’re playing games too? Let’s play together.”

“I don’t have a phone,” the little cat said. “I’ll just watch you play.”

“…”

Niannian was a control-freak calico cat, as evidenced by his puzzle game playing.

“If you clear these, you’ll get a bomb.”

“This item can add time.”

“Click this first, it clears more.”

Chen Fei looked numb, pushing the phone to the little cat. “You play.”

The little cat immediately sat back down obediently, very polite. “Your phone, you play.”

“…” Chen Fei, “I don’t want to play anymore either. I need to go back to study.”

Although the little cat wasn’t very happy, he didn’t say anything. As soon as he heard that Chen Fei was leaving, he quickly got up from the sofa, ignoring him, and clung to Lu Huai again.

What a user.

Chen Fei wiped his face, greatly shocked, and left Lu Huai’s house.

After he left, Lu Huai couldn’t help but pinch the little cat’s face. “You were very good today.”

Niannian immediately seized the opportunity. “Then can I sleep with brother?”

“Don’t we sleep together every night?”

Mainly because the rented apartment only had one bed.

The little cat became anxious, hugging Lu Huai’s waist and looking up at him longingly. “Like before, you hug me to sleep.”

Sharing a pillow and a blanket.

Lu Huai was silent for a moment, stroking Niannian’s hair. “No, the blanket is too small, it can’t fit two people.”

Niannian’s expression visibly drooped.

Lu Huai felt uncomfortable but could only look away, pretending not to see.

The little cat was sulking a little.

But his temper was only as big as a fingernail; at most, he would lower his head and sulk silently. Lu Huai would have to say two or three sentences before he would answer one.

When it was time to sleep, he wrapped himself into a little cat burrito, sleeping with his back to Lu Huai.

Lu Huai patted the little burrito. “Stick your head out, don’t suffocate yourself.”

After a couple of seconds, a head of black hair poked out.

Lu Huai stared at him for two seconds, feeling an itch in his heart. He hadn’t petted a cat in a long time; to say he didn’t want to was a lie.

He restrained himself, looked away, and lay down with his eyes closed.

In the middle of the night, it started to rain.

A sudden clap of thunder split the sky. The old house had poor sound insulation; the rumbling sound was like it was right next to his ear.