Chapter 25: Raising Cub While Looking for Work

Chapter 25: Finding a Job with a Kitten

Eight o'clock in the morning.

Outside the window, the sunlight was bright and clear, green trees swayed in the breeze, and Suisui was fast asleep, curled up under the covers.

Little Meow kept his eyes shut, his pointed cat ears drooping over his forehead, thick eyelashes covering his eyelids, and his lips pressed together into a pout.

His little hands were soft and chubby, resting obediently against his cheeks, sleeping so softly and gently, like a doll.

Suisui was sound asleep when a gentle voice sounded in his ear, "Baby, the sun's warming up the little cat. Time to get up."

Suisui's eyelashes fluttered. He ignored the voice, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Fei Yu pulled open the curtains, and warm sunlight streamed in through the window.

The sunlight fell on his face, and Suisui's expression scrunched up. His small hands clenched into cat fists as he slowly opened his eyes.

Fei Yu peeled back the corner of the blanket like peeling a pod, digging the baby out from the depths.

Patting his back, he coaxed softly, "Little lazy cat, didn’t you say you’d go with Daddy to visit the university today?"

The baby had just woken up and was still booting up slowly. He had completely forgotten everything from last night after sleeping.

Suisui rubbed his eyes sleepily and asked drowsily, "University? Is that a school for big babies?"

Fei Yu confirmed, "That's right."

Who said a baby over two hundred months old wasn’t a baby?

"Okay, then the baby will go." Suisui nodded with a clenched fist, his soft cheeks jiggling with seriousness.

Fei Yu dressed the baby, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and set out the breakfast he had prepared.

Big Cat’s fish-flavored cat food, kitten’s kitten food, and two cups of goat milk—nutritious and healthy.

Fei Yu scratched his cheek and said apologetically, "Sorry, baby, there’s only cat food for now. Daddy will buy some cans in a few days."

Suisui generously forgave him: "It’s okay. The baby likes cat food."

As if to prove it, Suisui immediately scooped up a big spoonful and popped it into his mouth cheerfully.

The baby squinted his eyes, his soft cheeks puffing up, chewing slowly and contentedly, bite by bite.

Since Suisui had transformed from a little cat into a human-form kitten, Fei Yu had followed online tutorials step by step and quickly learned the various skills for taking care of a human toddler.

But cooking was something he wasn’t very good at. So far, he could only make plain congee and noodles.

In Catcat Village, they mostly ate cat food and canned food, occasionally dropping by their neighbor Siberian Forest Cat’s house for a meal.

Luckily, when it came to eating, Suisui was never picky. He had a great appetite and ate whatever was given—human food or cat food, all were welcome.

Even the poultry-flavored cat food that Daddy disliked, he ate with gusto.

After the meal, Fei Yu took the baby downstairs.

With limited savings, Fei Yu wanted to find a suitable job near the school so he could afford Suisui’s kindergarten tuition.

Even though his last job was three years ago, Fei Yu was confident.

Catfolk had plenty of strength and could do any kind of work. The coffee shop manager even praised him for being quick on his feet.

Besides, he now had work experience, so he was more competitive.

But when they arrived at the job posting center on Commercial Street and read the requirements, Fei Yu’s vision went dark, and his face fell as if the sky had collapsed.

The job requirements three years later were vastly different from before. Almost every posting was dense with educational qualifications. Even a bubble tea shop only hired college graduates with degrees!

Fei Yu thought he had misread.

But as he scanned the job postings on the bulletin board, the lowest educational requirement was a high school diploma.

A catfolk without a human diploma—considered illiterate—was truly shut out!

Fei Yu’s pupils trembled, and he muttered incredulously, "It’s only been three years… Is the job market for humans this bad now?"

Refusing to give up, he followed an address from a job posting and sought out a shop.

The manager was initially very satisfied with Fei Yu’s appearance and work ability.

But when he learned that Fei Yu didn’t even have a high school diploma, the manager’s satisfied smile vanished, and his face turned grim.

He mumbled something about waiting for a reply and then politely sent Fei Yu away.

Outside the shop, the rejected father and son looked at each other.

Their eyes met, and the baby pouted, wrapping his arms around Daddy's leg, his delicate brows knitting into a worried frown.

His soft, sweet voice was full of worry: "Baby doesn't wanna go to school. Daddy, let's go back to Catcat Village, Daddy. I miss Uncle Xisen and Auntie Jiang."

Fei Yu quickly lifted Suisui’s little bottom, cradling the baby in his arms, and gently patted his back.

He said dramatically, "Wow, Daddy’s acting is so good that even Suisui was fooled."

"Actually, Daddy did that on purpose just now. The manager at this shop had very strict requirements, and he seemed hard to get along with. Daddy didn’t want to work here, so he said that."

"Really?" Suisui wrapped his arms around Daddy’s neck, staring at him with wet eyes, seeking confirmation.

His eyes were red, tears swirling in them, about to fall.

"Of course," Fei Yu affirmed. "Baby knows that Daddy has a Cat School diploma. How could he be an uneducated cat?"

"Okay." Suisui broke into a smile, tears still on his face.

Catching sight of a convenience store across the street, Fei Yu quickly tried to distract the little guy: "Daddy is so hungry. Is the baby hungry too?"

"There’s a shop nearby that makes really good rice balls. Baby, will you go with Daddy to take a look?"

"Okay, baby wants rice balls." Suisui instantly felt hungry and agreed eagerly.

The triangular rice balls at the convenience store were still the same—thick rice shells wrapped around a scant meat filling.

Fei Yu put on plastic gloves, pinched the rice balls into small pellets, and popped them into the baby's mouth.

Suisui sat in the booster seat, gobbling down a big ball, holding it in his mouth and chewing slowly.

It was still class time, so there weren’t many customers in the shop, and they happened to sit by the window.

Outside, green trees swayed in the breeze, leaves making a soft rustle, and sparrows still hopped on the branches, chirping noisily.

It looked like it was still the same as three years ago, like nothing had changed.

Fei Yu got distracted while feeding, staring blankly out the window, inevitably recalling the times he had spent here with Song Ji three years ago.

Song Ji...

Is he still abroad? I heard the food there is terrible. Can he get used to it?

After having Suisui, Fei Yu's life was completely taken up by the little guy, and he rarely thought of Song Ji.

Maybe because he was back at A University, memories came flooding in like a dam had burst.

“Daddy, hungry.”

Suisui swallowed the little meatball and, after waiting a long time for more food, urgently waved his little fists to get his dad's attention back.

“Dad's here, baby.” Fei Yu snapped back to reality, holding the small meatball, moving it back and forth like an airplane, and brought it to Suisui's lips.

“Here comes the meatball airplane! Open wide, Captain Baby!”

With another big mouthful, the baby was finally satisfied, chewing the meatball and excitedly patting the tray of the high chair.

Fei Yu rested his chin on one hand, his gaze tenderly falling on his baby's chubby cheeks.

His eyes curved softly, and he couldn't help but smile.

The power of human genetics was truly amazing—Suisui's eyes and nose look like his dad's, and his mouth and chin look a lot like Song Ji's.

No matter how you looked at him, he was just a cute little kid.

After eating and drinking his fill, the little guy finally stopped thinking about his dad's work.

Holding his dad's big hand with his small hand, he wobbled forward on his short legs, curiously looking around.

Three years had passed, and the commercial street had completely changed, with lots of new stores.

Fei Yu walked past several beading shops, and when Suisui asked what the people inside were doing with their heads down, he could only scratch his head in confusion, saying Dad didn't know either.

Before he knew it, he had crossed the arched bridge and saw the coffee shop in front of him, Fei Yu stood there stunned.

Almost all the surrounding stores had changed, even the soybean milk place next door had turned into a self-service dessert shop with vending machines.

But the coffee shop had not changed at all.

The sign that said 'Spring Meeting Coffee Shop,' the cartoon coffee logo, and the several pots of succulents by the door were all still there.

Not only that, but everything—the walnut tables and chairs, the light brown curtains, the row of coffee machines against the wall—all the decor was exactly the same.

Fei Yu blinked, unable to believe it.

If it weren't for Suisui's hand in his, Fei Yu would almost think he was still working at the coffee shop three years ago.

Jingle jingle—the glass door of the coffee shop was pushed open from inside.

Seeing the big and small figures standing at the door, the person coming out stopped short, and a surprised look flashed across their face. “Fei Yu!”

Fei Yu exclaimed, “Lingling!”

Lingling used to work at the coffee shop; she was diligent and careful, often worked the same shifts as Fei Yu, and they got along really well.

Feeling ignored, Suisui looked up in confusion and tugged his dad's hand. “Lingling?”

Lingling's gaze dropped in surprise, and she finally noticed that Fei Yu was holding a child's hand.

The child was absolutely adorable, like a tiny, perfectly carved version of Fei Yu.

Lingling said, “This is...”

Fei Yu quickly introduced him, “This is my baby, Suisui. And this big sister used to work with me. Call her Sister Lingling.”

Suisui called out “Sister” in a sweet voice, then giggled shyly, “Sister Lingling is so pretty!”

Lingling beamed, bent down, and said to Suisui, “Suisui is so cute, and what a sweet talker! Don't call me sister—I'm Auntie.”

She waved at Fei Yu and said with a smile, “Are you busy? We haven't seen each other in years. Bring Suisui in and sit for a while.”

The three of them went into the coffee shop and found a table in the main area.

A staff member brought two cups of coffee. Suisui had never seen black milk before and curiously leaned in to look.

Before he could figure out what it was, he was immediately put off by the strong bitter smell, sticking out his little tongue and moving away.

“Baby can’t drink that—it’s adult milk,” Fei Yu said with a gentle smile, handing him the prepared goat’s milk.

“Baby drinks this!” Suisui happily grabbed the bottle and chugged it down in big gulps, looking very content.

Watching Fei Yu so skillfully take care of the baby, Lingling held her coffee cup and said wistfully, “I haven’t seen you in three years. I never thought you’d have a kid.”

Fei Yu glanced at her name tag and smiled, “Not bad yourself—you got promoted to store manager. Congrats.”

Lingling humbly waved her hand, “Just luck.”

She slowly recounted what had happened over the past few years.

At first, the coffee shop did close down, but not long after, another owner took it over.

This new boss was quite strange—paid up quickly, hardly ever came in, didn't care about sales numbers, and rarely interfered with the shop.

There was only one request: to keep the coffee shop as unchanged as possible.

Lingling said, “Nothing here has changed, except we're missing Pang Qiu.”

She said regretfully, “The previous boss went abroad, and I was planning to adopt Pang Qiu. But the day before the shop closed, he disappeared. I wonder where he is now.”

Fei Yu rubbed his nose nervously, “Pang Qiu is smart. He'll take care of himself.”

Pang Qiu was currently abroad refining his hand-grinding coffee skills; soon enough, he would be your colleague.

Lingling chuckled, “Yeah, he probably found a new meal ticket.”

“Oh, right,” Lingling remembered something and asked curiously, “When the coffee shop reopened back then, I sent you a message. Why didn’t you reply?”

Fei Yu said sheepishly, “On my way home, my phone was stolen.”

Lingling said, “Oh, I see. I thought you were focusing on going back to your hometown and didn’t plan to come out.”

She learned that Fei Yu had come to City A from the countryside specifically for Suisui's education.

Lingling asked with concern, "Have you found a kindergarten for Suisui yet? Can you pick him up from work?"

Fei Yu became even more embarrassed, his earlobes turning slightly red, and whispered, "I haven't found a suitable job yet. I plan to look around nearby."

Three years ago when he came to A University, he wasn't like this.

Lingling realized she had misspoken and fell silent.

She knew about Fei Yu's background—he grew up in the countryside, was naive, wasn't well-off, and didn't even have a high school diploma.

If it weren't for his good looks, the former store manager would have given up on him back then.

People marry early in the countryside. Now, after three years, Fei Yu has come to the city.

The environment is vastly different from before.

Moreover, he has a child under two, and in everything he said, he never mentioned the child's mother.

It's very likely that Fei Yu is raising Suisui alone.

If he can't find a job, the father and son's life will be extremely difficult.

Lingling's heart softened, and she said gently, "Fei Yu, I remember you used to ride an electric bike very well. Actually, our coffee shop is in need of a delivery driver."

"The requirements are low, the salary is good, and there are benefits including social insurance and housing fund. The schedule is flexible, but you'll be running around a lot, so it's a bit tough."

"If you don't mind, it could be a temporary solution."

Fei Yu's eyes lit up with delight, and he hurriedly said, "Of course I don't mind!"

After a moment, he worriedly added, "Will it be too much trouble for you, Lingling?"

Lingling gave him a reassuring smile and patted her chest. "I've made it to store manager. I still have this much ability."

Fei Yu said sincerely, "Thank you."

Suisui, who was beside him, saw this and chimed in, "Thank you, Sister Lingling!"

Lingling laughed and patted Suisui's head. "For the sake of the baby calling me 'sister,' it's worth it."

On the way back, Fei Yu held Suisui and said happily, "Baby, Daddy has a job. I can buy you some good canned stuff."

Suisui kicked his little legs and giggled in his father's arms.

Fei Yu looked at his good baby. Being a delivery driver on an electric bike, braving wind and rain, was too hard.

He couldn't bear to drag the little one along everywhere, but he also couldn't leave such a small baby at home alone.

What should he do?

A flash of inspiration struck Fei Yu, and he suddenly came up with a great idea.

He leaned close to the baby's ear and whispered a few words. Then he asked, "Can you do it, baby?"

Suisui nodded eagerly, raised his little fist and announced brightly, "Baby can do it!"

*

Song Group

As night fell, the top-floor

office was still brightly lit.

Behind the wide solid wood desk, a man in a suit sat with his hands clasped, eyes slightly lowered, listening to the manager in front of him report on the new quarter's plan.

The man's face was cold and stern, his jawline sharp. His well-tailored suit outlined a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted tall figure, projecting an air of authority and oppression.

At one point, the man frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

The pressure in the office plummeted.

The manager stiffened, bowed, and asked nervously, "Mr. Song, is there anything that needs improvement?"

The man called "Mr. Song" glanced at him, his dark eyes deep and cold.

After a moment, he tossed another file on the table and said coldly, "Manager Chen, if this is the best you can do, don't bother coming back."

A cold sweat broke out on Manager Chen's back. Confused, he opened the file and saw the original data he thought he had destroyed.

His vision went dark. Panicked, he kept saying, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."

The Song family's only son inherited the group three years ago. Soon after taking office, he changed the former chairman's gentle management style.

With ruthless measures, he cleaned up the company's chronic ills, and deadwood was all purged.

The group was in turmoil for a while. Not a few purged high-level officials cursed him for being heartless and lacking tact, saying he'd ruin the group sooner or later.

But now three years have passed, and the Song Group has worked hard and flourished instead, reaching new heights.

Manager Chen was a company veteran and a wily old fox. He is capable but usually did the bare minimum when he could get away with it.

Counting on his seniority, he secretly pulled strings for his cronies to get kickbacks.

After Mr. Song took over, people around him were purged one after another. Manager Chen was initially on edge for a while.

But after looking around and seeing he hadn't been targeted, he let his guard down and kept up his underhanded deals.

Who knew that he had pushed his luck too far? Mr. Song felt he hadn't made enough examples, and now it was finally Manager Chen's turn to be the scapegoat!

Manager Chen shook with fear, his suit soaked with sweat. He swore over and over he'd never do it again, and left looking like he'd been through the wringer.

The office atmosphere turned icy, but the man seemed accustomed to this kind of pressure. Without so much as a frown, he continued working.

A moment later, Song Ji's secretary, Zhou Xun, knocked and came in, placed a file on his desk. "Mr. Song, this is your schedule for next week."

Song Ji didn't look up and said lightly, "Go ahead."

Zhou Xun: "Monday: meeting with President Wang of Songhe Group at Manyue. Tuesday: Group monthly review meeting. Wednesday..."

"And one more thing," he paused and said softly, "Friday: a business forum at A University. You are cordially invited."

"What do you think? Should I decline again this time?"

Song Ji paused, the tip of his fountain pen forming a small black dot on the file. After a long pause, he lowered his eyes and said casually, "No need."

"Alright, I'll prepare immediately." The secretary nodded and left. The vast open-plan office fell into silence again.

The 80-story skyscraper stood in the financial center, offering a panoramic view that let the man overlook most of A City.

Outside the window, a ceaseless flow of traffic, and countless lights twinkle in the night.

The man behind the desk remained motionless for a long time, like a solitary, lifeless statue.

After an unknown amount of time, the man finally moved. He lowered his head, used his fingerprint to unlock, and opened the top drawer.

In the place that should have held files worth hundreds of billions, there was something else instead—a delicately crafted small box.

He carefully pressed the clasp at the front of the box and lifted the lid.

Nestled in soft cotton, a small, thumb-thick glass bottle lay quietly in the center.

What it held was unremarkable—just a few silk-like strands that gleamed with a soft, luminous sheen under the light.

The man gently lifted the glass bottle, his fingertips slowly gliding over the glass, as if trying to touch something through the glass.

The cold touch snapped him back to reality. Song Ji bitterly rubbed the icy bottle, his eyes dimmed.

Fei Yu…

How are you?

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Author’s note: The reunion is coming soon, hehehe. Let’s give President Song a status upgrade first so he can take better care of Yubao and Sui Bao.