Maimai Chapter 15

Once inside the bathroom with the door shut, the Maine Coon immediately leaped out of Shi Jing’s arms and onto the floor.

“Baby sis, take a sniff.” Shi Jing crouched down, holding out the two pieces of clothing she had just received. “These… must belong to the male owner, right? If the scent’s too mixed, I’ll ask him for something else.”

The cat lowered her head and sniffed the clothes, looking quite serious as she worked.

Shi Jing waited patiently.

Unlike other cat-search teams that relied on analyzing a cat’s habits or using high-tech tools, the two of them were cats themselves, raised by a cat mom who could also transform into a human. Shi Jing was the older sister, a Li Hua cat, and Shi Ting was the younger sister, a Maine Coon.

As employees of the organization, they had a wide range of skills, and finding lost cats was just a side gig for extra cash. They had a clear division of labor and flexible methods. Shi Jing handled client communication in her human form, while Shi Ting, blessed with an extraordinary sense of smell, preferred to work in her cat form, avoiding social interaction.

In previous cases, Shi Ting would catch the scent and lead them in the right direction. Most house cats didn’t wander far when they got lost. Besides, once a cat showed up in a neighborhood, all the local strays would be aware of the newcomer. Word spread fast, and asking around usually pointed them to the lost cat.

But this time, after a thorough sniff, the Maine Coon looked up and meowed, signaling something was off.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Jing asked, “Can’t pick up the scent?”

“It smells like a kitty person,” the Maine Coon replied.

–

After a long and exhausting journey, Rongrong’s mouth was parched from speaking so much in a sincere endeavor. “You don’t have a thing about germs, right? I’m gonna drink some of your water.”

Maimai had been silent ever since they started heading back. Now, he lay listlessly on top of the washing machine, still saying nothing.

Seeing him so downcast made Rongrong feel bad too. “If you want to cry, just cry. There’s no need to hold it in. I cried a lot when my granny passed away, and I even lost a ton of weight. I used to be really chubby.”

“I wish I could’ve turned back into a cat sooner,” Maimai said, “But I don’t know how. I can’t control it.”

“That’s normal,” Rongrong replied. “You’re still too young. It’s like how human kids wet the bed.”

Maimai murmured, “He used to call me the cutest kitten.”

“Oh dear, you are the cutest kitten,” Rongrong reassured him. “But people are fickle, and life is full of goodbyes. Look at me—I’m doing just fine now. Everything will pass.”

Maimai stayed silent, so Rongrong continued, “You should get some sleep tonight and rest up. Tomorrow, I’ll figure out a way to contact the organization. It’s for folks like us… who can turn into humans. I’ll reach out to the lady who used to help me and see how to handle your situation. Don’t worry.”

Maimai: “Thank you, Rongrong. I can work.”

“I got it,” Rongrong said. “But why are you so eager to work? Jobs can be really tough.”

Rongrong stayed with Maimai a while longer. When he got hungry, he nibbled on some cat food. Once Maimai finally fell asleep, Rongrong squeezed out of the balcony and returned to his shared sleeping area to rest. After all, Jiang Lili would be arriving in half an hour to get ready for the day, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to stick around.

When you’re living under someone else’s roof, you have to stay in line.

Early in the morning, Jiang Lili arrived at the cafe and went straight to the balcony to check on Maimai, the cat she had found the day before.

Despite the less-than-ideal environment, Maimai was sound asleep, too exhausted to notice someone entering.

Jiang Lili tiptoed in and was shocked to see that all the food and water bowls on the floor were empty. “Such a good appetite.” She quickly refilled them.

She looked at Maimai, curled up like a fluffy little loaf of bread, and found herself growing fond of him.

From her years of experience, Jiang Lili could tell that Maimai had been well cared for. He was gentle, with a shiny coat, and his face and body were both clean. There was even a pure gold lock charm hanging around his neck.

His owner must have treasured him. They were probably worried sick about him being lost.

She remembered the photos she’d failed to take yesterday and quickly snapped a few while he was still sleeping.

After taking care of the cat, she officially opened the shop for business. It was Saturday, and the cat cafe was busy. She had just delivered some extra cat food to one table when the doorbell rang again.

“Coming! Do you have a reservation?” The male owner, Lin Mian, went to open the door. “Oh, it’s you guys.”

A polite female voice responded, “Mm, sorry to bother you again. We’re here to see Sister Lili.”

Lin Mian opened the pet gate at the entrance, and the two visitors disinfected their hands and changed their shoes before stepping inside.

Shi Jing led the way, with Shi Ting following behind.

Oddly enough, as soon as they entered, the nearby cats froze in place as if subdued by some higher force, their eyes wide as they watched the two of them.

Even the customers went silent for a moment—not for any reason other than Shi Ting’s imposing presence. As a Maine Coon, she was already large, but in human form, she stood over 1.8 meters tall with an air of authority.

Meanwhile, Rongrong was completely oblivious, fully focused on a table that had ordered cat food. He had switched into “business mode,” competing with a golden British Shorthair¹ and a Ragdoll² for the treats.

Seizing the opportunity, he took the initiative. Widening his eyes, he placed his front paws on a customer’s lap and let out a cute “Meow~”

The customer was instantly charmed. “Wow, you’re so bold—what a sweet little cat—”

As Shi Ting walked past, she shot him a cold glance and said, “Wang Derong, why are you still lazing around here?”

Caught off guard by being addressed by his full name, Rongrong froze mid-stretch and looked toward the source of the voice with a bewildered “Huh?”

Jiang Lili carried the drinks the customers had ordered, lifted the curtain, and walked out of the kitchen. Seeing who had arrived, she was pleasantly surprised. “Hey, what brings you here? Perfect timing—I found a cat yesterday.”

She only knew that the two of them were volunteers from a cat rescue organization. Whenever she found a cat that couldn’t be reunited with its owner or had been abandoned, she would contact them for help.

Shi Jing smiled and asked, “Is it an orange cat? We’re actually here looking for him.”

Maimai was still asleep but was woken by the sound of knocking.

“Oh, looks like we came too early.” Shi Jing called out, “Don’t worry about us, Sister Lili. You can go back to work.”

Just then, Rongrong dashed over and let out a gruff “Meow.” He asked, “Who are you? How do you know me? Are you with the organization?”

“You’re one of my mom’s charity cases, of course I know you,” Shi Ting replied. “My mom retired, so your case was transferred to me. I’m in charge of you now.”

“Oh, pardon me,” Rongrong said, “Is Shi Meilin your mom? How’s she doing?”

“She’s doing great. She’s in Turkey riding hot air balloons,” Shi Jing answered for her sister. “We’ll catch up later—we have some things to take care of first.”

Rongrong suddenly realized why Shi Jing looked familiar. Just as he was about to keep babbling, Jiang Lili noticed and quickly picked him up. “Coal, don’t bother them.” She didn’t know that “Rongrong” was the name Granny had given him, so she had kindly given him a new one.

Maimai opened his eyes and saw the two girls step onto the balcony, closing the door behind them.

“Are you Maimai?” Shi Jing’s tone softened, unlike the way she spoke to humans. “Don’t be nervous. You can understand me, right?”

Maimai couldn’t help but feel anxious. “I’ve seen you before. You’re the one who brought a cat to Cheng Lin last night.”

“Huh?” Shi Jing was momentarily confused, unsure who Cheng Lin was. She asked, “What?”

“You brought a really big cat to my master,” Maimai said bitterly. “That cat was beautiful. Is it the new cat Cheng Lin is going to keep?”

“That sounds like me,” Shi Ting chimed in.

“Wait, how did you see that?” Shi Jing asked. “Lili said she found you during the day. Did you sneak back home last night?”

“Mm.” Maimai nodded.

“You’ve misunderstood,” Shi Jing explained. “The reason we were there was that your master asked us to find you.”

“Find me?” Maimai immediately stood up, unable to hide how his tail perked up. “Why would Cheng Lin be looking for me?”

“Let’s introduce ourselves first. We’re like you—we can turn into humans too,” Shi Jing said. “I’m Shi Jing, a Li Hua cat. And this is my sister, Shi Ting, the Maine Coon you saw last night. She usually prefers staying in her cat form.”

“Are you guys from that organization Rongrong mentioned?” Maimai tilted his head, still confused.

Shi Ting: “That big mouth.”

Shi Jing stopped her sister from insulting the tuxedo cat³ further and pulled a small notebook from her pocket, handing it over. “Yep, you’re smart. Here’s my ID—take a look.”

The ID looked fairly official. It had a dark blue cover with the organization’s logo in the center. Inside was a full-body photo of Shi Jing in her cat form, along with her name, gender, and date of birth. There was even a watermark.

However, the organization’s name, stamped in gold on the cover and the official seal, didn’t seem all that credible—it was called the Kitty People Alliance.

Maimai, unsure of how to verify its authenticity, sniffed it curiously.

“We figured out you’re a kitty person by your scent,” Shi Jing continued, asking the same question as Rongrong, “So, have you turned into a human before?”

“I have,” Maimai answered.

Shi Jing thought carefully. “So, you didn’t get lost—you ran away on purpose, didn’t you?”

Maimai let out a hesitant “meow,” confirming her suspicion.

Shi Jing grew cautious.

After discovering that Maimai was a kitty person, she and Shi Ting had successfully tracked him down, despite the increased difficulty. But they hadn’t informed Cheng Lin yet.

They were concerned that Maimai might have run away due to mistreatment by his master—

However, hearing that Maimai had gone back on his own and was excited to learn Cheng Lin was looking for him made them less wary.

“Don’t worry. For now, your original caretaker doesn’t know we’ve found you,” Shi Jing said. “So if you had any unpleasant experiences while living with him and don’t want to see him again, the organization will protect you.”

“You also don’t need to worry about your livelihood if you leave him. We’ll help you sort out your identity. If you want to live as a cat, we can find a placement for you, just like we did for Wang Derong. If you prefer living as a human, we have plenty of job opportunities too,” she continued.

Shi Ting agreed, “Right. You wouldn’t just run away for no reason, would you? Were you mistreated?”

Maimai’s expression turned sad for a moment. He asked, “Why would Cheng Lin want to find me? He already has other cats.”

---

Author’s note:
Rongrong: The organization’s name is way too pretentious. I can’t even say it out loud.

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