Chapter 99: Long Time No See

Chapter 99: Long Time No See

Xu Moxing spent a long time selecting photos before posting on his Moments.

He had taken many photos of the two kittens over the past few days, all so cute that it was hard to choose.

After agonizing for ten minutes, he finally picked nine photos and started composing his post.

—Looking for an adopter! Someone abandoned two kittens near my rental place. Not sure how old they are, but they can eat solid food, so they don't need milk anymore. One is a tabby, the other seems to be a tuxedo cat. I’ve temporarily taken them home. They’re in good condition, very affectionate, clingy, and adorable. If anyone is interested in adopting, please DM me.

A few hours later, Xu Moxing received seven or eight comments, but no one offered to adopt.

Xu Jianqing: So cute, but I don’t have time to keep them.

Happy Little Horse: I already have a Ragdoll.

There was also a former colleague who commented: Moggies? No wonder they were abandoned.

Colleague 2: Abandoned at such a young age—maybe there’s something wrong with them and the owner didn’t want to spend money on treatment.

Colleague 3: I don’t want a tuxedo or tabby. Got an orange cat?

People said all kinds of things, but no one offered to adopt.

After reading the comments, Xu Moxing put down his phone and looked at the two kittens curled up on his lap.

They had just eaten and were licking their paws.

They wouldn’t really end up stuck with him, would they?

This was Xu Moxing’s first time dealing with this kind of situation, his first time rescuing animals. He really had no clue and had thought finding adopters would be easy.

After all, from browsing online, it seemed like everyone loved cats and dogs.

But in reality, no one seemed interested.

The cat cage arrived, and so did the litter box and cat bed, but still no one came forward to adopt.

Xu Moxing posted on Moments every day, sharing cute photos of the two cats, hoping their cuteness would attract someone to take them in as soon as possible.

As expected, kindness comes at a price.

Now, every morning before leaving for work, Xu Moxing prepared their meals first, and when he came back in the evening, the first thing he did was prepare their food before making his own.

He crouched beside them while they ate, feeling worried.

To be honest, the kittens were pretty cute, but he really hadn’t prepared himself to take responsibility for two lives for a lifetime.

One moment of soft-heartedness, and now these two little lives might end up stuck with him.

Actually, if he hadn’t taken them in back then, someone else might have adopted them later.

Xu Moxing shook his head again. They had been at the stairwell for days; if anyone had wanted to adopt them, they would have done so already. If he hadn’t taken them in, they might have died there.

There was no “what if.” Xu Moxing could only keep trying to find them a home.

Xu Moxing usually only occasionally scrolled through cute animal videos online. He had no rescue experience and no experience with cats. He had no idea that rescue organizations even existed.

Besides, those organizations can't just take in any stray cat. There were far too many strays to save.

On the fifth day, while heading to work in the morning, Xu Moxing saw a message.

Su Lichen had messaged him last night a little after ten: “Mo, are the kittens still available? I can adopt them.”

Xu Moxing hadn’t been asleep at that time, but he had muted Su Lichen's messages, so he didn’t see it right away.

He never expected Su Lichen to see that post, let alone to reach out and say he wanted to adopt.

“They’re still here. Are you sure you want to adopt? If you’ve really thought it through, you can come take a look, and if it feels right, you can take them home.”

Xu Moxing thought it better to meet in person—see if there was chemistry, if the kittens liked Su Lichen and were willing to go with him.

Even though he had been hoping someone would take them, he didn’t want to force it. Otherwise, if it didn’t work out, they might get abandoned again.

Su Lichen replied almost instantly: “Okay, I’ll come by after work tonight. What time are you free?”

“After 7 PM.”

“Alright, see you at seven.”

Xu Moxing sent him his rental address.

“If you can’t find the building number at the intersection, call me, and I’ll come out to pick you up. Parking is tricky around here—if you can’t find a spot, let me know too.”

“Got it.”

Su Lichen was ecstatic. He couldn’t help smiling in his office.

But then he remembered—Mo already has a love interest. Over a month had passed, and maybe they’ve already made it official. His smile faded.

Su Lichen smelled himself. He’d been smoking quite a bit lately. He wondered if he should go home for a quick shower before heading to see Mo.

After work, Xu Moxing went grocery shopping as usual. Ever since he temporarily took in the two kittens, he had been putting effort into cooking for the cats every day.

When he got home, the kittens were meowing from their cage.

He had bought a large two-story cat cage. They hadn’t grown up yet, so they could climb up and down inside and play.

“Alright, alright, hungry, huh? I’ll cook for you two right away.”

He cooked their food first, fed them, and crouched in front of the cage and watched them eat for two minutes before getting up to cook his own dinner.

Su Lichen went home, took a quick shower, freshened up, and drove to the address Xu Moxing had given him. Parking in the area was indeed tricky, but after years in Shencheng, Su Lichen managed to find a spot.

He walked to the building Xu Moxing lived in. The apartment gate was locked, so he couldn’t go up. He pulled out his phone and called Xu Moxing.

“Hello? You’re here? Where are you?”

Xu Moxing’s tone sounded like an old friend on the phone, and Su Lichen felt a little happy, as if he still had some hope.

None of this was Xu Moxing stringing him along. It was Su Lichen brainwashing himself, leading himself on.

“Mo, I’m at your building. The gate is locked; I can’t get in.”

“Okay, I’ll come down and get you.”

Xu Moxing hung up and glanced at the time: 6:40.

He was still cooking. He hadn’t expected Su Lichen to arrive so early—he thought he would come around seven or even eight.

Xu Moxing turned off the induction cooker and, still wearing his apron, went downstairs to open the door for Su Lichen.

On his way down the stairs, Xu Moxing thought to himself, "He's so eager to come over—does Su Lichen really like cats that much? I never noticed he liked cats before?"

He quickly reached the bottom floor and opened the door. Su Lichen stood at the entrance, carrying the familiar scent of body wash that Xu Moxing knew well.

In Su Lichen's hand was a cat carrier, which he had bought on a whim.

The two exchanged a glance. Xu Moxing looked away first, his eyes dropping to the ground.

"Hey, Mo, long time no see."

Su Lichen kept his eyes fixed on Xu Moxing, trying his best to restrain his gaze, but he couldn't help scanning him up and down.

"Hey, come on up. Come see the cats."

Without looking at him, Xu Moxing turned and led the way upstairs, totally unaware that the man behind him was now staring at his back even more brazenly.

Su Lichen followed behind like a stalker, his eyes glued to Xu Moxing's back.

He had taken a look at Mo and noticed his complexion seemed rosier—he seemed healthier than before he moved out. He also seemed a bit more tanned. Was it because he lived closer to the office now and walked to work every day, getting more sun?

Su Lichen stared at Xu Moxing's apron. So he was still cooking, and he came down to open the door as soon as he got the call. Maybe he could even have dinner with Mo tonight?

Neither of them tried to make conversation. They climbed the stairs in silence.

Su Lichen was afraid that if he started chatting, Xu Moxing would turn around to look at him and disrupt his secret observation, so he kept quiet.