3: People Bad, Cat Good!
Sang Zhao started to panic.
His little cat brain was working at full speed… well, if he actually had one.
Unfortunately, his ability to hide his emotions was terrible and Tang Yu noticed his nervousness right away.
He saw the light in Sang Zhao’s eyes falter.
Those eyes, usually bright like a galaxy of tiny diamonds, dimmed. His voice was quiet and hesitant.
“I’m sorry…”
Tang Yu wasn’t angry.
He still looked as gentle as ever. Sang Zhao’s face was so young, almost boyish, that it made Tang Yu feel a little protective without meaning to.
Besides, it wasn’t a big deal at all. He couldn’t figure out why Sang Zhao was so nervous.
Tang Yu quickly comforted him. “It’s fine, really. It’s such a small thing. Nobody’s born knowing how to do everything, right? If someone could do everything perfectly from day one, what would they need a supervisor for?”
Well said. A true model of leadership thinking.
But Sang Zhao couldn’t help wondering, he wasn’t a person, he was a cat.
Did that logic even apply to cats?
He wasn’t sure.
He lowered his head a little, then looked back up at Tang Yu. That angle made his delicate face look pitiful, his eyes wide and innocent.
Hehe, this was the little cat’s “play cute” technique!
And it worked like magic. Sang Zhao was naturally beautiful and seeing him look so helpless made Tang Yu’s heart melt even more. Such a young kid, already out here working, it wasn’t easy. As a full-grown adult himself, how could he bear to fuss with a newbie?
So what if he didn’t know how to use a shredder? The poor thing had torn all the papers by hand, so hardworking and diligent!
Watching that pitiful expression, Tang Yu’s fingers itched.
He hesitated, then raised his hand and held it above Sang Zhao’s head, silently asking for permission with his eyes. When Sang Zhao didn’t object, Tang Yu gently set his palm down, ruffling the soft orange hair.
Such thick, fluffy hair.
Maybe it was because he was young, but Sang Zhao’s hair was ridiculously full. It puffed up like a little sun, springy and bright, refusing to lie flat.
Tang Yu gave it another rub, and another, getting a little addicted to the feel of it.
Only when he met Sang Zhao’s odd, startled gaze did he cough lightly and pull his hand back like nothing happened.
Once his hand was gone, Sang Zhao shook his fluffy head.
Tang Yu led him to the shredder. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
“Once you see how it works, you’ll realize it’s simple. Nobody’s born knowing, and nobody’s incapable of learning. You’ll pick it up in no time.”
He explained patiently, demonstrating step by step. “See this little light? It means the power’s on. Red light means error, green light means it’s working. Push left to reverse, middle for auto, right to pause. Feed the paper in through here, about seven or eight sheets at a time. Bank cards and such can go in too, but only one or two at once…”
His voice was slow and calm, his manner patient. While he spoke, he moved his hands smoothly, showing each step. Before long, Sang Zhao had learned it.
Once he got it, though, his mind immediately started to wander.
He tilted his head, staring at the small ponytail tied at the back of Tang Yu’s head.
Every time Tang Yu moved or spoke, that tiny ponytail swayed.
It was such a small one, just a little tuft sticking up and curved slightly at the end, looking exactly like a feather toy for cats.
Sang Zhao really, really wanted to reach out a paw and bat at it.
Tang Yu sensed the stare and gave a small huff. “What are you looking at? Do I have words written on my face? Watch the machine.”
Sang Zhao looked down at the shredder again, but the thought didn’t go away.
Cats notice interesting things. Cats appreciate fun details in life. Cats are good.
People scold cats. People won’t let cats play with their hair. People are bad.
Inwardly, Sang Zhao muttered, Hmph, your little ponytail will be the cat’s toy sooner or later!
Tang Yu saw that he seemed to understand, so he asked, “Got it now?”
Sang Zhao nodded hard.
“Good. From now on, just use the shredder. Don’t tear things up by hand again. You’re not here to do heavy labor, you know. You must be strong, though.”
He even looked concerned. “Did you hurt your arms or fingers at all?”
Haha, not a chance.
Because Sang Zhao hadn’t used his human body for that job at all, he’d used his cat form!
A flurry of pounces, bites, and scratches, smooth and swift, had been pure fun. How could that possibly hurt? Not even a little.
Sang Zhao looked up at him, eyes sparkling.
Tang Yu froze for a moment, pressing a hand against his chest.
Oh no. His heartbeat suddenly sped up. That look was too cute.
Even tearing up papers by hand like a fool didn’t make him seem stupid. On the contrary, it looked ingenious, solving the problem on his own, in his own way.
Tang Yu patted Sang Zhao’s shoulder. Sang Zhao’s gaze followed the hand, his eyes landing curiously on the spot that had been touched.
“I’m not much older than you,” Tang Yu said, smiling. “You can call me ge, that’s what everyone here calls me.” Then, just in case Sang Zhao felt awkward, he added, “We’re all pretty young in this office. Not too many rules.”
Sang Zhao nodded immediately.
He thought of the business card he’d seen yesterday and happily said, “Got it, Tang Shu-ge!”
Tang Yu: “...?”
Tang Shu-ge? Was that uncle or brother?
Wait! What was tángshū supposed to mean?!
For a second, Tang Yu’s mind went blank.
Should he correct him? But what if it was just a slip of the tongue? On the other hand, if he didn’t, and the kid went around calling him Tang Shu-ge in front of everyone… that’d be disastrous!
Still, correcting him in front of people would be awkward too. It was his first day, and he’d already mistaken his boss’s name. That was total “social death material.”
Maybe Sang Zhao just hadn’t read carefully… or maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t very literate at all…
After a few seconds of inner struggle, Tang Yu took a quiet breath and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Sang Zhao.”
Sang Zhao copied him, also lowering his voice obediently. “I’m here.”
“Ah… uh… I just wanted to say…” Tang Yu’s ears reddened as he forced the words out. “It’s actually Tang Yu. The Yu from Zhongling Yuxiu.”
So no Tang Shu-ge. Not Tang Shu, not Tang Ge, none of those!
Sang Zhao froze.
Ah! So that wasn’t “Shu”? But that character was so complicated! He’d recognized it yesterday and had even felt proud about it!
So it was Yu, huh? What a funny sound. Like “yumi,” corn!
He liked corn.
Realizing he’d mixed it up, Sang Zhao didn’t try to hide. He looked up pitifully and admitted, “Sorry, I’m illiterate.”
Tang Yu’s heart melted again. “Hey, don’t say that about yourself.”
“Really, don’t. It’s not your fault. When I first started working, I messed up all kinds of things too. You wouldn’t believe the mistakes I made. But see? I got better.”
Sang Zhao swayed a bit to the left, then to the right, his tall frame awkwardly twisting like a big kid who didn’t know where to put his hands.
He knew Tang Yu was trying to comfort him, and he appreciated it.
But his mouth was stubborn. “But I’ve already started working… can I really get better? No way, right?”
By the end, his voice carried real despair.
Once you start working, what hope is left? None! Absolutely none!
After you start working, whether human or cat, nothing ever gets better!
Seeing his slumped shoulders, Tang Yu softened his tone. “It’ll be fine. Just take your time. It doesn’t matter if you misread something or don’t know how to use a machine. You’ll learn everything bit by bit.”
Since he had nothing else to do anyway, he added, “You probably don’t know how to use the printer either, do you? Come on, I’ll teach you that too.”
All Sang Zhao could see was Tang Yu’s gentle smile and patient eyes.
Listening to his warm, soothing voice made Sang Zhao half-close his own eyes in contentment. He wanted to lick his paw and start purring.
“You’re so nice,” he murmured, leaning a little closer. “You’re as nice as tuna.”
Tang Yu blinked. That was… an odd comparison. “Why tuna?”
Sang Zhao didn’t really know how to explain it.
He just liked tuna.
If he had to say something, he mumbled, “Because… tuna tastes like cat food.”
So he liked it best.
And with that, he ran off to find the printer.
Tang Yu tugged at his shirt collar, sniffing the fabric, confused. “Do I… smell like cat food?”
He didn’t figure it out.
Still, as he watched Sang Zhao’s cheerful figure darting away, he couldn’t help smiling.
“How cheerful,” he said softly.
He started to follow, taking a step toward the direction Sang Zhao had gone.
Then something made him stop.
He turned back, frowning slightly, and looked at the trash bin where the shredded papers had been.
Bending down, he picked up a small scrap from beside it.
There were two neat, round holes in the paper.
Tang Yu stared at them for a long moment, lost in thought.
Huh… how could anyone tear paper by hand and leave two perfectly round holes?
It almost looked like something small had chewed through it.
A chill ran up his neck. “...There are mice in this building?!”
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