Time for work.
Maimai put on his hat and tied his apron, ready to clean the kitchen as usual. He grabbed a rag and pushed the door open. Inside, he spotted Maomao licking Gungun on one of the tables.
Hearing some noise, Gungun quickly rolled away, tumbling across the room.
“Wow.” Maimai happily walked over to ask Maomao, “You two are getting along so well now? That’s how it should be!”
Maomao, always calm and collected, licked his paw and casually replied with a “Meow,” meaning, “Not bad.”
Relieved that his worries from the past few days had been resolved, Maimai was in a great mood. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and rested his chin in his hand as he chatted with the cat. “I got married!”
Maomao looked up at him and said, “Congratulations.”
“I’ll invite you to my wedding,” Maimai continued, “But it won’t be happening soon. My wife’s been pretty busy with work lately. He says the wedding needs to be properly planned and can’t be done hastily.”
“Your wife, who?” Maomao asked.
Maimai pondered how to introduce him appropriately, but before he could answer, Maomao cut in, “Crying guy?”
That description actually fit. Maimai nodded. “Yeah, it’s him. Why does he cry so much?”
Maomao: “Crybaby.”
Ever since their relationship had become official, Mr. Crybaby had been walking on air, completely different from his usual grumpy self. Just as the cats were talking behind his back, Cheng Lin suddenly sneezed.
Jin Li: “Gross, get out of my office.”
Cheng Lin smoothed down his hair and confidently said, “I’d like to ask for a personal favor, Teacher Jin.”
Hearing this new title, Jin Li immediately felt more confident. “Go on, I might just say yes.”
“I’m getting married,” Cheng Lin announced, “I’d like you to design the invitations.”
After understanding what he was saying, Jin Li’s pupils dilated in shock. “Huh? So soon? How is it that I remember you haven’t even officially started dating yet?”
“Love after marriage.” However, Cheng Lin felt as though he and Maimai had already been together for a long time. “I can’t wait any longer.”
That night, after eagerly spreading the news throughout their social circles, the two reunited under the same roof.
Cheng Lin asked, “Have you told everyone? The humans, the cats, and the kitty people?”
Maimai: “I told them.”
Cheng Lin: “Has that guy He Xin shown up?”
When Maimai said no, Cheng Lin was secretly pleased. His cat worked in the service industry, meeting countless customers daily. There had already been that He Xin who fell for him, and who knew how many more there would be in the future? It was crucial to assert his sovereignty as early as possible.
Despite this significant milestone in their relationship, not much had changed in their day-to-day interactions, except for the fact that Cheng Lin could now kiss his cat whenever and wherever he wanted.
One day, Cheng Lin noticed the kitty person sitting at the dining table, scribbling away with a pen. Leaning down, Cheng Lin kissed him on the cheek and asked sweetly, “What are you writing? Need any help?”
“I’m writing a diary,” Maimai replied.
Cheng Lin had initially wanted to take a closer look, but upon hearing that Maimai was engaged in such a private line of work, he had no choice but to step away.
Maimai didn’t have much of a concept of privacy. After finishing, he handed the notebook over. “Can you check if it’s fluent?”
Cheng Lin walked over and asked, “I can read it?”
Maimai looked at him strangely. “Of course! It’s all about you!”
So, Cheng Lin opened the notebook.
The director’s handwriting was still far from aesthetically pleasing. Each stroke of the characters seemed to go its own way.
The human began to read: Today the weather was great. I finished another day of work at the cat cafe. Maomao and Gungun have become good friends—Maomao even groomed Gungun. Tomorrow, I need to ask the organization what to do about these kitty people. In the evening, Cheng Lin picked me up after work. For dinner, he made curry. It’s something cooked with stuff that looks like chocolate, and it was super delicious. A happy day. Love my wife.
Cheng Lin read it through twice before asking, “What’s all this about Maomao and Gungun? Why are they taking up so much space?”
“Did you forget?” Maimai asked. “They’re the two kittens from the cafe. One’s a white cat, and the other’s a Li Hua. They both smell like kitty people, so I need to report this to the organization.”
Cheng Lin felt happy inside but kept his tone polite. “Oh, but why did you only write about me after them?”
“The teacher said diaries don’t have to cover everything. Just write what you want to write,” Maimai explained.
The first phase of his literacy class was nearing its end, and he was diligently reviewing what he’d learned. He couldn’t let marriage interfere with his studies. If he failed the final exam, all the glory would be gone.
Cheng Lin was even more charmed by this. Then he heard his cat say, “Maybe next time I’ll write about Rongrong.”
The secretary instantly felt a little annoyed. “If you write about Rongrong, will you still write about me?”
Maimai didn’t notice his tone. “Of course!”
“And who will get more words, Rongrong or me?” Cheng Lin asked.
Maimai answered honestly, “I don’t know yet. I haven’t written it. I’ll count the words after I’m done and let you know.”
Cheng Lin thought he must be out of his mind, competing for attention with an old man. So, he decided to let it go.
After finally finishing his homework, Maimai sat down on the couch and started watching TV.
Ever since “Young Master Ze’s Overbearing Romance” ended, the cat had been in a drama drought. He randomly picked a channel and started watching the martial arts drama that was on.
Seeing the cat settled on the couch, Cheng Lin sat down next to him. While the cat watched TV, Cheng Lin held him and checked the news on his tablet.
The cat was completely absorbed in the show. He really admired the heroine—skilled, righteous, and a master archer. She even had an eagle on her shoulder that followed her commands and never failed to complete a mission.
Maimai got excited, imagining himself as… the eagle. He turned to Cheng Lin and asked, “Can we do that?”
Cheng Lin only caught a glimpse of him before he vanished, replaced by an orange cat popping out of the pajamas.
“Now what—”
Full of energy, Maimai climbed up the secretary’s leg, clinging to one side of his body without letting go.
Stretched out to his full length, the cat placed his front paws on Cheng Lin’s shoulder. With a sudden burst of energy, he attempted to climb up, but he accidentally stepped on a sensitive spot, causing Cheng Lin to yelp involuntarily.
Maimai meowed and patted Cheng Lin’s face with his paw as if asking if he was okay.
Cheng Lin picked him up and carried him over to the full-length mirror. “Boss, is this the effect you were going for?”
The orange cat puffed out his chest, but Cheng Lin worried he might slip and held him securely with both hands. The pose wasn’t exactly cool.
Maimai took one glance at the reflection, then jumped down and walked away.
“Hey.” Cheng Lin noticed a scroll wedged in the gap between the cabinet and the mirror. Remembering what it was, he crouched down, pulled it out, and called out, “Don’t go. There’s something good here. Come take a look.”
The scroll was huge, nearly two meters wide when unfurled, and its design was instantly recognizable.
It was a world map.
“Look here, and you’ll know where the island is,” Cheng Lin said.
Yesterday, the human and the cat had briefly discussed their wedding plans and outlined a direction. Cheng Lin also asked about potential honeymoon destinations.
Maimai remembered something and asked, “Where is Socotra Island?” It was a place Cheng Lin’s mother, Huang Guigui, had mentioned on the phone last time.
“You want to go there?” Cheng Lin was surprised. “It’s in Yemen.”
“Where’s Yemen?” Maimai asked.
“It’s above the Indian Ocean.”
“And where’s the Indian Ocean?”
“On this planet.”
The questions seemed endless, so the cat decided, “Why don’t you drive me to Yemen the day after tomorrow?”
As if they were just going on a casual road trip.
Cheng Lin started laughing and couldn’t stop.
The cat wondered, “What’s so funny?”
“Alright,” Cheng Lin said, “I’ll take you on my bike. If we start riding on the day you were born, we should reach the island by tomorrow.”
“Why would it take that long?” Maimai said in disappointment, “Forget it, then.”
Cheng Lin, wanting to cheer him up, spread out the giant world map. “Look, you can go anywhere you want. Yemen’s fine too. We can fly there. It won’t take long at all.”
The cat stepped onto the map with determination, planting his four paws on four different spots, crossing north to south and east to west. He hopped from Asia to Oceania, fled from Nepal to Argentina, and finally, he stepped right off the map and snuggled into Cheng Lin’s arms.
For once, Cheng Lin immediately understood what Maimai meant. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter where they went.
The wedding plans progressed smoothly. With the cafe switching to an alternate day schedule, Cheng Maimai found himself with much more free time. He often spent his days at the Kitty People Alliance, which regularly hosted study forums and fun courses. There, he made a few new kitty people friends. Life was becoming increasingly fulfilling.
Although they couldn’t obtain a marriage certificate just yet, thanks to Shi Ting’s introduction, Maimai and his family member Cheng Lin applied for an “Alliance Partner Certificate.” This document allowed Cheng Lin to enjoy some of the same benefits as the kitty people.
The bright red cover resembled a marriage certificate, and the word “partner” carried significant weight. As Cheng Maimai’s spouse, Cheng Lin felt more than satisfied.
While they were filling out the forms, Shi Ting glanced at Cheng Lin and remarked, “If you had really lost Maimai back then, you would’ve been screwed.”
She recalled the few times she had met Cheng Lin. Initially, her impression of him was terrible because he had lost his kitty person. Even later, when she saw him accompanying Maimai to get his documents, she still worried about the human-cat divide and gave them plenty of advice. But now, she finally admitted that a relationship like theirs was possible.
Cheng Lin’s hand holding the pen paused for a moment as he nodded. The happiness he felt now was so real that he often shuddered at the thought of the day Maimai ran away from home.
The misunderstanding had been his fault, partly due to a deliberate test on his part. But Maimai, in his silly way, had forgiven him easily.
No one else, human or cat, would ever be so forgiving or show such unconditional affection for him—only responding to Cheng Lin’s scent, only inviting Cheng Lin in.
Because Maimai was Cheng Lin’s kitten, and Cheng Lin was his master.
Though he would never openly admit it, the human secretly regretted being so harsh back then, especially wielding that baseball bat.
Fortunately, even though relationships were complicated and challenging—particularly for someone as dishonest as Cheng Lin—his partner was innocent, brave, and confident. So there wasn’t much for him to worry about.
“It’s okay. I still had Rongrong with me back then. I figured I’d come back to find you in a few days anyway.” Maimai looked at Cheng Lin and tried to comfort him. Turning to Shi Ting, he added, “Sister Shi Jing, you and Sister Shi Ting are invited to our wedding! I’ll send you the invitations!”
A little while later, Maimai set off to the park with a big bag to visit Rongrong.
Considering Wang Derong’s age, the organization had assigned him a laid-back role as a park patrolman in a country park. As the name suggests, the park didn’t have many man-made facilities; it was mostly forests and flowers, so there weren’t many visitors either.
The busiest time was in the morning when a group of retired uncles and aunties from the surrounding area came to exercise. Once the sun set, the park, though well-landscaped, was full of mosquitoes and lacked proper lighting, so even fewer people visited.
That evening, Wang Derong was on the night shift, so Maimai decided to visit him after work.
The two cats strolled side by side in human form along the lakeside path. It was already summer, and the cicadas were chirping loudly among the lush greenery, but the cool breeze blowing in from the lake made the evening quite pleasant.
Wang Derong still used an old brick phone from over a decade ago, which he occasionally used to send text messages. Since texting cost too much money, he and Maimai didn’t communicate frequently. Now that they were finally seeing each other, both were overjoyed to catch up.
They reached a bench, and Maimai sat down, pulling out some treats from his backpack. “Brother Rong, here’s some bubble tea and a slice of layer cake.”
It had been a while since they last met. Due to the hot weather, Wang Derong had cut his hair short and was wearing a short-sleeved security guard uniform. The only thing that hadn’t changed was his non-prescription glasses, which added a scholarly touch to his appearance. He happily accepted the treats and said, “Thanks, little brother. And it’s still cold too!”
As Wang Derong enjoyed the cake, he asked, “Maimai, how have you been lately?”
“Great,” Maimai replied enthusiastically. He almost blurted out that his estrus had passed smoothly and that he had been intimate with Cheng Lin several times. But remembering Cheng Lin’s advice that such matters were private between spouses, he changed his answer. “We’re in a common-law marriage now!”
He added gratefully, “That booklet you gave me was really helpful. Thank you, brother.”
“No need to thank me.” Rongrong blushed and waved it off awkwardly. “It was nothing.”
“Cheng Lin and I are getting officially married,” Maimai said, pulling a red invitation from his bag. “I’m here to give you a wedding invitation. Please come to our wedding.”
Wang Derong quickly swallowed what was in his mouth and took the red envelope.
He opened it to find a photo of Maimai and Cheng Lin in suits. There was also a 3D pop-up of an orange cat leaping out from the card, making it look extremely vivid.
He praised, “What a handsome couple. You two are made for each other.”
Maimai gave a shy smile at the compliment from his elder, then started talking about the activities and courses he was attending at the organization. He mentioned that he had passed the first literacy course exam and now had a cultural understanding comparable to that of a human elementary school student.
“Great progress.” Wang Derong was moved when he heard this. The two cats were just making plans to take a craft class together at the organization when Maimai’s phone buzzed.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Derong asked with concern.
“My wife’s asking when I’ll be home,” Maimai replied shyly. “He said it might rain heavily tonight, so he’s coming to pick me up.”
“It is getting late.” Wang Derong nodded repeatedly. Then, catching on to the unusual term Maimai used, he hesitated before cautiously asking, “Uh, little brother, t-this wife of yours, is it your, uh, your master?”
“Yep.” Maimai said sweetly, “Only a married couple can call each other that.”
“Oh, right.” Rongrong nodded, feeling a trickle of sweat on his back. Was it really as he suspected? The whole wife and husband thing—if Cheng Lin was the wife, did that mean…?
Rongrong, a morally upright tuxedo cat, believed it was unethical to pry into others’ private lives. However, the revelation that Cheng Lin was the wife was both surprising and shocking to him. Maimai was certainly a bold and adventurous young man, full of hidden depths.
But on second thought, Rongrong realized that their previous dynamic had been quite unstable—a young bachelor and a young single cat. Now that Cheng Lin had become Cheng Maimai’s wife, their relationship seemed rock-solid and steadily improving, bound to last forever.
Though he had never experienced such a relationship himself, Rongrong had seen enough to know how these things go. With heartfelt sincerity, he advised, “You have to treat your wife well, understand? Be more caring and more attentive. You two are meant to support each other…” He paused for a moment, then continued, “…for a lifetime! As the husband, you need to take on more responsibility and love your wife, okay?”
Maimai nodded seriously. “Brother Rong, I will!”
By the time they were ready to leave, it was already late. Wang Derong walked behind Maimai, holding a flashlight to light the path to the parking lot. He reminded him, “Watch your step.”
Cheng Lin’s car was parked alone in the parking lot, its warm headlights shining on a signpost. The car owner had already gotten out and was waiting to greet Wang Derong.
Cheng Lin had been prepared to respectfully call the tuxedo cat “Grandpa Rong.” However, when the two approached—one being his baby and the one behind didn’t look like someone from the founding era. He wore glasses and had an intellectual air about him, making “Grandpa” seem inappropriate.
Cheng Lin greeted, “Uncle Rong.” This, of course, placed him a generation below Maimai, who called Rongrong “Brother.”
Before getting into the car, Maimai said goodbye to Wang Derong with great reluctance. “Rongrong, thank you.”
“Oh, come on, no need to be so formal!” Rongrong opened the car door for him. “See you next time at the craft class, little brother!”
“I’m really glad I ran away from home that time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you.” Maimai continued, “I hope your work goes smoothly and everything’s great. I’ll always come to visit you.”
Cheng Lin cranked up the air conditioning. As soon as the kitty person fastened his seatbelt, he started the car, stepped on the accelerator, and drove off.
In the rearview mirror, the security guard Wang Derong stood holding a flashlight, its beam shining brightly while the rest of his figure faded into the darkness of the summer night. He kept waving goodbye until the car turned the corner and disappeared. Then, he took off his glasses and wiped his eyes with his wrist.
