Maimai Chapter 26

“Maimai!” Cheng Lin called out twice, but there was no response. Forcing himself to stay calm, he reached into the basket to scoop up the cat. The orange cat’s body was limp as if Cheng Lin were holding a puddle of water. In his haste, the cat’s head drooped to one side, and for a moment, Cheng Lin felt his soul almost leave his body.

After several frantic attempts, he finally managed to lift the cat out of the basket. Desperately, he checked for signs of life, feeling for his nose and heartbeat. Thankfully, the cat was still warm, still breathing, and looked peaceful, as if merely asleep.

But no matter how many times he called out “Maimai” or “Baby,” there was no response.

Cheng Lin’s brain shut down. Clutching Maimai, he turned to the other cats around him, pleading, “What happened to him?!”

To his surprise, one cat actually responded.

Maomao jumped into the basket and retrieved a small toy mouse, about the size of a palm, placing it in Cheng Lin’s hand.

But the human was too frantic to notice. Without even glancing at the toy, Cheng Lin shoved it into his pocket and sprang to his feet—

He needed to get to a hospital, and fast.

Heaven help him. But top-tier hospitals didn’t accept orange cats as patients.

Could a vet handle this?

Cradling the cat, Cheng Lin hastily stuffed the clothes into the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and rushed out of the room. He sped past the old man who was still engrossed in watching short videos, oblivious to everything. The moment he exited the cat cafe, he sprinted down the emergency stairs.

He yanked the car door open and carefully laid Maimai on the passenger seat, covering him with the clothes.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. What should he do first? He set the GPS for the nearest pet hospital.

What next? Then he remembered something. Cheng Lin quickly reached for Maimai’s backpack, pulling out the red membership card tucked into a side pocket.

The card even had a protective PVC cover—something Maimai had specifically gotten after asking Cheng Lin for advice on how to protect it from damage and moisture.

Cheng Lin flipped through the certificate’s personal information from memory and found several phone numbers in the corner. There was the main line for the Kitty People Alliance, extension numbers for various departments, and an emergency hotline.

His lips trembled, and his hands felt weak as he dialed the number and placed the phone in the holder on the dashboard. He glanced at the orange cat beside him, released the handbrake, and took off.

He hit the gas too hard, causing the car to lurch forward with a jolt of acceleration. Cheng Lin remained silent, listening to the phone’s busy signal. Beep. Beep. Beep. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Maybe it was because the cat was so small and fragile that it seemed his life could slip away at any moment.

Cheng Lin’s mind raced with terrifying thoughts, imagining the worst possible outcome.

He had been too reckless, letting such a small cat go out to work. If anything happened to Maimai, it would be 100% his fault. What would he do? Maimai, his baby.

“Hello, this is the Kitty People Alliance. Meow meow meow. For Mandarin, press 2. For English, press 3…”¹“English, press 3” was in english

Cheng Lin pressed 2 and chose the option for customer service. A few seconds later, a woman’s voice greeted him, “Hello, this is the Kitty People Alliance. How can I assist you?”

“Hello, I’m calling about my family member—my kitten suddenly fell unconscious,” Cheng Lin stammered, his words nearly incomprehensible. “He looks fine, no visible injuries, but I can’t wake him up. What should I do?”

“Sir, please remain calm. How old is your family member? What’s his gender? If you have a membership number, please provide it.”

Cheng Lin quickly relayed the number and replied, “He’s just over a year old, and he’s male.”

“What was he doing before he lost consciousness? Is his environment safe?” the operator asked. “First, let’s rule out whether he might have inhaled too much catnip.”

Cheng Lin said at a loss, “Huh?”

A faint “Meow” came from the passenger seat. Cheng Lin instinctively hit the brakes and turned to see Maimai slowly opening his eyes.

“You’re awake?” The human quickly pulled the car over. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to check on the cat. “What happened? How do you feel?”

The cat blinked groggily, meowing softly. Cheng Lin’s anxiety only grew. “Speak human! I can’t understand you!”

In an instant, Maimai transformed back into his human form, looking disoriented. “How did I end up here?”

“You passed out in the basket at the cat cafe.” Cheng Lin said urgently, too worried to care that Maimai was now naked, “I couldn’t wake you up! Did you get hurt? Where does it hurt?”

“I…” Maimai struggled to keep up, trying to recall what happened. “I think… hmm… some kittens were fighting, so I grabbed a mouse toy to break it up. But then I smelled something on it and blacked out.”

“Was it one of those small mouse toys?” the operator asked, still on the line. “Some of them contain catnip, and certain brands have a really high concentration.”

Cheng Lin suddenly recalled the white cat who had given him something earlier. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

“Ah.” Maimai’s eyes lit up as he leaned in to sniff it again.

Cheng Lin quickly pushed his head away, rolled down the car window, and cautiously sniffed the toy himself. It had a strong herbal scent, reminiscent of mint.

After Cheng Lin described the smell, the operator confirmed, “Yes, that’s catnip. It’s normal. A moderate amount of catnip won’t have any long-term effects on a kitty person, but if they inhale too much, they might lose consciousness for 10 to 20 minutes. This can depend on the cat’s constitution or if they’re near their estrus.”

“Don’t worry, we handle similar cases every month. But if you’re still concerned, you can take your family member to a hospital for a follow-up checkup,” she added.

Cheng Lin’s mind went blank after hearing “It’s normal.”

He sat in silence for a few seconds until the operator asked, “Sir, is there anything else you need help with?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you.”

“Alright, have a nice day. Goodbye.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Cheng Lin rested one arm on the window frame and ran a hand through his hair. He glanced over at his now-naked family member and tossed him his jacket. “Put this on.”

Maimai fumbled around before finally pulling his clothes from his backpack.

As he managed to get his head through the sweater’s neck hole, he noticed Cheng Lin pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the center console.

The human bit down on a cigarette, shielding the flame with his hand as he lit it. After a few puffs, he sat in silence, holding the cigarette between his fingers without uttering a word.

Suddenly, Maimai remembered Rongrong’s warning and quickly blurted out, “Don’t smoke! It’s bad for your health!”

Cheng Lin ignored him but did extinguish the cigarette.

Wrapped in Cheng Lin’s cotton jacket, Maimai noticed sweat beading on Cheng Lin’s forehead, illuminated by the light from outside.

“Are you hot?” Maimai asked with concern, handing him a tissue. “Your forehead is covered in sweat.”

Cheng Lin didn’t take the tissue. Instead, he grabbed Maimai’s wrist and pulled him closer.

Maimai felt Cheng Lin’s right hand press firmly against the back of his head.

The human lowered his head, resting his forehead on Maimai’s shoulder.

“I messed up.” Maimai finally realized he was at fault and said guiltily, “I shouldn’t have grabbed that mouse toy. I didn’t even know what happened—I just passed out.”

Cheng Lin remained silent, but it was a long time before he finally let go.

Maimai glanced at his right shoulder and noticed a dark spot on the cotton jacket, likely from sweat.

The car was back on the road when a call came in from an unfamiliar international number.

Cheng Lin glanced at it and pressed the red button to hang up. But a few seconds later, the same number called again.

“Hello—” A cheerful female voice greeted him as soon as he answered. “How’s it going lately?”

Cheng Lin replied, “…Mom.”

“We just found this cute phone booth by the road, so we thought we’d give you a call,” his mom continued. “How have you been? Are you taking care of yourself?”

Cheng Lin hit the brakes, waiting at a short red light. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“No more coins! I’ll be quick!” It sounded like someone was trying to grab the phone from her. His mom sped up, “We’re planning to visit Socotra Island next to see the dragon blood trees²Socotra Island is in Yemen. Picture of the trees:.”

“Sounds good,” Cheng Lin replied. “Stay safe.”

“Hello, hello? Do you have enough money?” A middle-aged man’s impatient voice took over the line. “Are you dating anyone? Thinking about getting married? Remember to be generous with your partner. By the way, how old are you this year…?”

Cheng Lin cut in wearily, “Dad, I’m driving. Let’s talk next time we have a chance.”

Beep. Beep. Beep. The call ended with a faint busy tone.

“Turn right and prepare to get on the overpass.” Cheng Lin was about to follow the GPS instructions but then remembered it was instructing him to the pet hospital. The moment of distraction had caused him to drive further away from home.

He turned off the navigation and decided to head back.

Maimai had been quietly observing Cheng Lin as he took the call and adjusted the GPS. “Your parents called you.” Ever since joining the family, the cat had rarely seen any signs of Cheng Lin’s parents. He knew they were like dandelions, always drifting far away, never staying in one place.

It seemed they rarely called, and this was the first time since Maimai had turned into a human.

His master focused on the road, not responding, so Maimai continued, “Your dad asked if you’re dating anyone.”

“You of all people should know if I am,” Cheng Lin finally spoke, his voice unexpectedly cold, as if he were holding something back.

“Why aren’t you?”

“Why should I?”

“Your parents aren’t around, so someone should be with you, right?” Maimai reasoned.

“And isn’t that you?” Cheng Lin replied calmly.

“I’m not! I’m a cat.” Maimai was frustrated. He repeated what Rongrong had said, “Cats and wives are different. And besides, I’m a guy, so I can’t marry you.”

“If you were a girl, would you want to marry me?”

“Ah,” Maimai mumbled a vague syllable, feeling inexplicably embarrassed, and reiterated, “But I’m a guy.”

“Do you even know what marriage involves?”

That was a good question. Maimai had only ever considered whether marriage was possible, not what it meant. He thought about all the TV shows he had seen, which usually ended right after the couple got married and started sharing a bed. He said, “It means living together and sleeping together.”

“Then what’s the difference between us and being married?” Cheng Lin asked.

“There is a difference.” The kitty person thought hard, then answered, “Marriage is with your favorite person.”

At this point, Maimai couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness and confusion. To this day, he still struggled to fully accept Rongrong’s theory. Why did they love their master the most, but the master didn’t have to love them the most?

Cheng Lin parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. Before getting out, he replied, “I don’t have a favorite person.”

He added, “But I do have a favorite cat.”

Upon hearing this, Maimai quickly followed him out of the car, fiddling with the straps of his backpack. He wanted to make sure he was the cat Cheng Lin was talking about. But then again, he figured it had to be him, right? Otherwise, that wouldn’t make sense. Following closely behind, he said, “That’s great! You’re my favorite person too.”

“Did I say the cat was you?” Cheng Lin held the elevator door open for him.

“Huh?” Maimai froze. “Isn’t it?”

Cheng Lin’s expression became momentarily unnatural before he responded, “If it’s not Maimai, then who else could it be?”

On the way there, Cheng Lin had actually considered eight different ways to convince Maimai to stop working. However, knowing exactly how Maimai would respond, he decided not to bring it up after all.

He accepted that the world needed cats who saw work as their passion. But after the scare they had just gone through, catnip was now classified as a banned substance, strictly forbidden within Maimai’s reach.

The incident made the human realize that he couldn’t live without the cat. The thought of life without Maimai was simply unimaginable.

Having switched between his human and cat forms all day, Maimai was exhausted early in the evening. The kitty person barely managed to take a shower, and even the Filet-O-Fish burger he had specifically asked for didn’t appeal to him. Declaring he wasn’t hungry, he insisted he just wanted to sleep.

Cheng Lin wasn’t about to let him off so easily. He grabbed a towel and began drying Maimai’s hair, saying, “You know, guys can marry guys too.”

“Ah.” Maimai struggled to keep his eyes open and responded, “I’ve never seen that before. Is that true?”

Cheng Lin replied, “Maybe we should wait until you actually understand what marriage involves.”

“Okay.” Maimai was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head drooping as he kept bumping into Cheng Lin’s waist. “Marriage.”

After a moment, his head was suddenly covered entirely by the towel, blocking his vision and leaving him surrounded by the faint scent of shampoo. Then, something pressed gently but firmly against his lips through the towel—it was brief, pulling away almost as quickly as it had happened.

• 1
  “English, press 3” was in english
• 2
  Socotra Island is in Yemen. Picture of the trees: