43: Chapter 43: Anyone who can't outrun me is just a freebie.

After night study ended that day, Shen Weiyue parted ways with Ye Lingtao at the fork in the road as usual.

He walked forward with long strides, his left hand in his pocket and a grilled sausage held up in his right. As he passed a utility pole, he noticed an old newspaper on the ground suddenly rustle and move.

"Holy crap..."

Shen Weiyue jumped backward abruptly, his whole body tensing up in fright.

Could there be spicy strips under that newspaper?

He carefully skirted around it, walked a few steps forward, but then suddenly picked up a stick and turned back.

If there really was a snake, what if Liang Yuting didn't notice it later and got bitten?

Even if it wasn't her, if someone else got bitten, it could potentially cost a life. Since he had encountered it, he might as well do a good deed and earn some merit.

Shen Weiyue reached out with the stick toward the old newspaper from a distance, prepared to beat it to death the moment he discovered it was actually a snake.

But the moment the newspaper was flipped away, his tension vanished without a trace.

That wasn't a snake at all; it was clearly a cute little kitty.

The kitten didn't look very big. Judging by Director Shen's experience raising cats as a child, it was likely just weaned.

The cat was a common local Dragon Li breed, except for a patch of white on its nose that extended up to its nose bridge, which looked quite comical.

"Mimi~ Squeak squeak squeak..."

Shen Weiyue crouched down, curled a few fingers on his right hand, and mimicked the sound of a mouse to attract the kitten.

The cat perked up its ears and looked at him, seemingly very puzzled because it hadn't found the mouse.

"Mimi, come here."

Shen Weiyue tried to call it over, but the kitten was very cautious, its gaze wary.

"Sigh, you Tom, you've already been reduced to scavenging trash, why the hell are you still hesitating? Come here and I'll take you to find a home."

Shen Weiyue chuckled and scolded it softly. It was clear this cat had no owner.

After teasing it for a while, the kitten wouldn't come over, so he proactively moved closer. The cat hurriedly backed away but didn't run off.

"Oh, did you smell the grilled sausage?"

Shen Weiyue bit off a large chunk of the grilled sausage covered in chili powder, then placed the remaining tail end on the ground to lure the kitten over.

The cat was probably starving. Smelling the scent, it hesitated for a moment before tentatively coming over. It sniffed the sausage and then began to gobble it up voraciously.

Shen Weiyue was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.

When the kitten was picked up, it didn't forget to keep biting the sausage, eating desperately while making whimpering sounds.

"Glutton, looks like you were truly starving."

Shen Weiyue had plenty of experience petting cats; in a few moments, he had the cat quiet down in his arms, and then he carried it toward home.

When he reached the alley at the entrance, he didn't see Liang Yuting, so he waited on the side.

Not long after, Liang Yuting appeared at the alley entrance, moving gracefully. Seeing him, she smiled beautifully: "Little Shen, how long have you been waiting?"

She walked closer and saw a furry creature in Shen Weiyue's arms: "Oh? What are you holding?"

"I just arrived too, Teacher Liang. I picked up a little kitten." Shen Weiyue smiled and revealed the cat's head.

Liang Yuting looked closely and saw it really was a kitten, but it looked clean, so she asked suspiciously: "Did you really find it?"

"Of course. Anything I can outrun is mine to keep." Shen Weiyue stroked the cat's head, and the cat purred comfortably.

"This definitely isn't a house cat. It was so hungry just now. I raised several cats when I was a kid; I can tell at a glance."

"Oh, let me see. Haha, this patch of white fur looks really funny."

"Right? I just think this white stripe looks very strange; it looks improper, no wonder it was abandoned."

Liang Yuting thought for a moment and realized what he meant. Her face immediately flushed red. She glared at him and didn't take the bait, instead saying: "Let me hold it."

"Okay, I'm ready. Come on." Shen Weiyue looked at her with anticipation.

"???" Liang Yuting was stunned for a moment, then spat: "Shen Weiyue, you're getting more and more outrageous! The cat!"

"Oh, I thought you were talking about a person... Be careful, don't let it scratch you, you'll need a rabies vaccine."

"If I get rabies, I'll bite you to death and we'll go down together."

Liang Yuting carefully took the cat and teased it happily, sighing: "So gentle, so cute."

"Cute, right? It's yours. Take it home and raise it."

"Ah?"

"No need to be so surprised. I'm renting, so I can't keep it. If you can accept it, you can raise it at your place."

Seeing Liang Yuting hesitating, Shen Weiyue added: "What are you struggling with? If it really doesn't work out, we'll just release it and let it fend for itself."

"I don't want to do that. Meeting it is fate. Look, it's even licking my fingers. It's so well-behaved; maybe it's destined to be my cat. Let's keep it."

Hearing that Shen Weiyue wanted to throw the cat away again, Liang Yuting immediately got anxious and walked forward while holding the cat.

Shen Weiyue followed her and praised: "Miss Liang Muzi is truly beautiful and kind-hearted. This cat is really lucky."

"Little Shen, I don't know how to raise a cat. What should I prepare?"

"Dragon Li cats are very easy to raise. It eats whatever people eat. It can even catch its own food if you don't feed it. Doesn't this old residential area have cockroaches and mice? This kind of cat can catch them all. They're super amazing."

"Then where will it sleep?"

"You can make a nest for it with a cardboard box... Forget it, for the rest of the month, I'll come over every day to check on it and help you look after it. When I leave, you'll still have a cat to keep you company."

Shen Weiyue said this casually, but it suddenly made Liang Yuting feel very lost, and her heart began to ache.

She hugged the kitten tightly, remained silent for a long while before giving a 'Hmm', and then asked softly: "Let's give it a name. What should we call it?"

"What are your thoughts?"

"Meow Meow?"

Liang Yuting's sudden imitation of a cat's meow made Shen Weiyue freeze. If they named it that, wouldn't calling it mean they would be meowing together?

He shook his head and said: "No good. It sounds like we're meowing."

"Then how about Little White? Its nose is white."

"Don't be like that. With that logic, it should be called Little..."

"Are you trying to die? Shut up!"

Liang Yuting interrupted Shen Weiyue, extremely embarrassed and annoyed.

Shen Weiyue stopped joking: "Forget it, don't overthink it. Let's just call it Mimi; everyone around here calls them that anyway."

"Uh, alright. You found it, so you name it." Liang Yuting stroked the kitten's head, "Little kitten, from now on you will be called Mimi."

The two entered the residential compound. Shen Weiyue naturally walked toward Building 5, saying as he walked: "I'll go make a little nest for it first. You probably won't know how to do it."

Liang Yuting watched him go upstairs as if he were familiar with the place, and then ask for her keys to open the door. In a daze, she had the illusion that they were a family.

Shen Weiyue entered the room and looked around, then decisively pointed to the balcony and said: "From now on, let it sleep here. Get some old clothes you don't need, and tomorrow go get some sand..."

"What do you need sand for?"

"As cat litter, for it to poop in. Cats are very particular about using the Restroom."

"Can't we train it to go in the Restroom?"

"I don't have that skill. You can try it slowly, but cats aren't as obedient as dogs..."

Shen Weiyue busied himself for a while, setting up a temporary nest for Mimi.

Mimi seemed to know it was for it to sleep in; after being placed there, it kneaded a bit, sniffed around, and lay down contentedly.