11: Cat, Ye-ye, and Human
Tang Yu completely froze.
He looked like a robot that had suddenly glitched, standing stiffly in place, silent, not even a flicker in his eyes.
He stared blankly for a long moment, long enough for Xia Moyè to start hopping in front of him like a rabbit, waving both hands until he finally came back to himself.
When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “...Little one, that’s not something you can just say at random.”
He tried patiently to reason with him, to make the boy understand a simple fact.
“Uncle’s a man. I can’t exactly be a jiùmā.”
But Xia Moyè wasn’t the type of kid who’d be scared into silence by a mere human lecture.
A Samoyed who once ran sleds across the Siberian plains couldn’t possibly be cowed by that!
It was fine to be wrong once since dogs lived to try again.
If “Aunt-Uncle” wasn’t right, Ye-ye would happily offer a new answer!
He thought for a moment, and oh, what a big mistake! The more he thought, the funnier it got.
He changed his words. “Then... jiùbà?”
Tang Yu sighed and rubbed his head, speechless.
“If you didn’t look so sincere,” he muttered, “I’d think you were teasing me.”
But Xia Moyè’s face was pure sincerity, not a trace of mischief. It was impossible to be angry. Tang Yu could only give in with a helpless smile.
“I’m just your uncle’s coworker,” he explained. “I wanted you to call me something normal like ‘uncle,’ ‘gege,’ anything, but you really went off the rails there.”
He pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.
Xia Moyè couldn’t read the nuance behind his tone. He only saw the smile and that was enough to make him happy. He wriggled closer, tail-wagging enthusiasm in every motion.
Tang Yu humored him, played with him for a bit, praised him, even told him a story about the Wangwang Puppy Police Squad.
He was gentle and endlessly patient, exactly the kind of grown-up who knew how to handle kids. It made the little Samoyed completely star-struck.
Just when Xia Moyè’s admiration hit its peak, Tang Yu asked softly, “So, are you an honest little boy?”
“Of course! Totally honest!” the dog-boy said, nodding hard.
“Then if I ask you something,” Tang Yu continued, voice light as a drifting cloud, “you’ll tell me the truth, right?”
“Uh-huh!”
Tang Yu smiled faintly. “Have you... ever called anyone else jiùmā before?”
He seemed to be testing something, but Xia Moyè didn’t notice at all.
How could he? This uncle was one he’d only tricked into helping yesterday!
So the question was easy.
He answered crisply, without hesitation, “Nope!”
His face was full of conviction, leaving no room for doubt.
Hearing that, Tang Yu praised him a few more times, then fell quiet, lowering his gaze slightly.
Inside the classroom, meanwhile, Sang Zhao wanted to speak, but the homeroom teacher simply would not stop talking.
There was no space to get a word in. None.
“As Moyè’s guardian, you really need to pay more attention to the child’s academics. Moyè doesn’t favor any particular subject. Every subject has huge room for improvement. Do you know what that means?”
Sang Zhao: It means he’s bad at everything, doesn’t it?
“We’re in third grade now. After summer break comes fourth grade, then fifth, and by the end of sixth, he’ll be taking his entrance exams for middle school. Do you understand how much pressure that is?”
Pressure? What pressure? He’s a Samoyed!
“Our top students get direct admission to our affiliated middle school. Moyè’s uncle, you really need to think about how different those educational environments are.”
Finally, a pause. Sang Zhao seized his chance.
He sighed dramatically. “But, Teacher, with my nephew’s learning ability... do you really think there’s hope?”
The teacher, a true believer in education, replied earnestly, “Please, have faith in every child’s limitless potential.”
Sang Zhao clenched his jaw and nodded furiously.
Yes, of course he believed! Look! Dogs could turn into humans! If that wasn’t “limitless potential,” what was?
Still, the teacher felt this “uncle” didn’t seem very invested in the child’s future. He looked young himself, too.
“Please give me the parents’ contact information,” she said. “Moyè’s been here two months since transferring, and I still don’t have any way to reach them. They’re not even in the class group chat.”
Her brows knit together. “Busy or not, parents must make time for their child’s education. Otherwise, why have children at all? You have to take responsibility for their future.”
Sang Zhao stared at her, brain blank.
His contacts list currently included exactly two categories: coworkers... and one black panther.
Who was he supposed to hand over to this teacher?
If only... if only he’d just acknowledged the kid as his own son from the start!
His heart was pounding like a drum.
If he were in cat form, his fur would’ve been flying across the classroom by now.
He stayed silent.
The teacher frowned. “Hmm?”
Sang Zhao took two small steps back.
The teacher blinked. “...?”
He forced a smile, gripping his phone. “How about... uh, how about I add you on WeChat first? You can pull me into the group chat. I’ll, uh, pass along your message to his parents later.”
The teacher sighed inwardly. So much trouble.
But she’d met all kinds of families. Maybe the parents worked for a confidential agency or were abroad... or in prison. Who knew?
So she didn’t press, and just nodded, adding him on WeChat.
At long last, Sang Zhao escaped from the classroom, utterly drained.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, he spotted Xia Moyè happily playing with Tang Yu and his tail practically puffed up.
Oh, great. He’d just survived the teacher’s lecture from hell, and here this mutt was, flirting with his cat-tormenting boss?!
Unbelievable. This dog!
He stomped over, smiling stiffly. “Having fun, huh?”
The kid turned around, confused, only to have his soft cheeks immediately squished.
Sang Zhao’s smile sharpened. “Do you even know what your teacher just said to me?”
Tang Yu flinched slightly.
...Why did that opening sound so familiar?
He couldn’t hide his amusement. Not that he was gloating, he just suddenly remembered his own childhood, and the exact same tone from his parents.
It was oddly heartwarming.
Meanwhile, Sang Zhao lifted the boy by the collar, scolding him. “Next time, could you maybe do better? Just a little better? Your teacher said you have an especially large room for improvement, you know!”
Xia Moyè wriggled, grinning sheepishly. “Uncle, wanna drink Yidiandian?” he pleaded. “I’ll buy you an ice-cream milk tea with pudding!”
Sang Zhao had been fuming, but that cooled him down a bit.
Fair enough. Ye-ye didn’t have to worry about entrance exams. What was one bad grade? He could still drink milk tea.
That was when Tang Yu spoke up. “I’ll drive you two home.”
Honestly, Sang Zhao wanted the ride.
A car was way comfier than the subway anyway.
But he also knew that more time with Tang Yu meant more chances to blow their cover.
Still, turning down such kindness would look suspicious... and it wouldn’t be good for their “pretend human” act.
Fine, fine. A ride it was.
...Except now he realized he didn’t even know what address to give.
He and the dog traded frantic glances.
“Let him take us back to the apartment? But one cat and one dog sharing a tiny one-room loft? That’s even more suspicious!”
“What do we do then? Ye-ye and Cat-cat don’t have any other home...”
Everything was risky. After a long silent debate of eyebrows and tail twitches, they decided to ask Tang Yu to drop them off at the nearest subway station instead.
Tang Yu didn’t understand, but respected it, figuring they had other plans.
The whole ride, Sang Zhao sat stiffly in the passenger seat. The seatbelt pressed across his chest; he stayed so quiet, you’d think someone had pressed his “mute” button.
If Li Zhuren saw him behaving this obediently, she’d probably faint.
Xia Moyè sat primly in the back, hands folded on his knees.
Tang Yu wasn’t a strict man. Seeing the kid bored, he said, “There’s a bag of cheese sticks in the net pocket behind my seat. You can have some if you want.”
Instant sparkle. “Really, Uncle? You’re the best!”
Sang Zhao, pretending to sound casual, asked, “How many are there?”
Tang Yu’s eyes gleamed with amusement, but he didn’t answer him directly. He teased instead, “Well, your uncle’s asking you—how many, Moyè?”
The boy counted carefully. “One, two, three... seven!”
“Then eat one and give me six,” Sang Zhao blurted.
The kid howled in protest. “What?!”
That little yelp sounded exactly like a puppy whining.
Even Tang Yu, still driving, was momentarily stunned by their logic.
Then Sang Zhao turned toward him, eyes hopeful. “It’s okay, right, ge?”
Tang Yu’s throat bobbed. He hid a smile, choosing not to answer.
“I sat through that teacher’s endless lecture because of him! Shouldn’t I get the reward?” Sang Zhao grumbled. “Ge, you should reward me instead!”
That got to him. Tang Yu chuckled. “Then I’ll treat you both to dinner.”
He said it and meant it.
Without hesitation, he changed the car’s navigation. “There’s a private restaurant I like nearby. Let’s go try it together.”
Sang Zhao: ...?
Weren’t they just sharing cheese sticks? How did it suddenly turn into dinner together?!
He only wanted a snack... When did this become a dinner date?
Author’s Note
Ye-ye: Eat? Who can ever beat you at eating... (woof-woof crying noises)
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