15. Chapter 15

By the time Li Jingxing caught up with them, the red toy car had already reached the entrance of the villa complex and was about to hit the main road.

Li Jingxing intercepted the toy car with his vehicle and scooped the cat out. He flicked her on the forehead, causing the little cat to wail in protest. Ignoring her, he said to Zhou Mingxuan:

"Get in the car. I'll take you back."

Seeing Zhou Mingxuan remain still, he scoffed: "You surely don't expect my cat to drive you home in this toy car, do you?"

Zhou Mingxuan curled her lips into a faint smile: "Not at all. I was just planning to sit by the entrance and see if I could hail a taxi."

Li Jingxing was silent for a moment: "Get in. It’s hard to find a taxi in this area."

It was already late at night, and hailing a cab at this hour wasn't necessarily safe.

Watching this human abduct her first passenger, the little cat let out a disgruntled cry at Li Jingxing.

Li Jingxing dropped the cat back onto the car seat and tapped her small head: "Still daring to complain? You’re driving without a license. I’ll report you to the traffic police later, have your car impounded, and make sure you never get back on the road again."

The little cat: "!"

"Meow!"

Only a dog would believe that!

The little cat huffed and jumped onto the car, intending to drive back, only to see Butler Grandpa standing behind her in the rearview mirror with a gentle smile.

"Little White, the young master says your car has been impounded. Come home with me now."

The little cat hesitated and asked the system: "System, you don't think Li Jingxing was telling the truth, do you?"

System 0521 said lazily: "I don't know. Didn't you say only a dog would believe him?"

The little cat: ...

The little cat went home listlessly with the butler.

It was very late by the time Li Jingxing returned, holding a small cake in his hand.

In the mind of the little cat, who had already fallen asleep, the system’s incessant urging began.

System: "Peerless Beauty? Wake up, don't sleep anymore! A task has been issued: you must accompany Li Jingxing for his birthday."

System 0521: "Hurry up! This is a time-limited task; you’ll lose points if you don't complete it!" In truth, there was also an electric shock penalty, but knowing the cat wasn't afraid of electricity, 0521 kept that to itself.

The little cat impatiently flicked her ears. As she groggily trotted out to greet him, she saw the cake and guessed it was one Li Jingxing had bought but hadn't been able to give away.

Li Jingxing noticed the cat and was surprised. He hadn't expected the cat to stay awake so late just to wait for him.

It was now the early hours of the morning, his actual birthday, and very few people knew.

Mingxuan knew, but she hadn't been willing to stay for him—she hadn't even offered a polite "Happy Birthday." He had assumed she would stay tonight.

A sour, aching sensation spread through Li Jingxing's heart. Little White had been willing to drive Mingxuan back for his sake, despite her poor driving skills and lack of a license. Even when he kicked her out of the car, she hadn't been angry; she had waited at home for him until this hour and was still willing to come out to greet him. Meanwhile, he had treated her so coldly for the sake of a heartless woman, making her act as a nanny cat and choosing Mingxuan right in front of her, even treating her like a quiet plush pillow—and Little White had endured it all for him.

Li Jingxing crouched down, stroked the little cat's head, and suddenly placing the cake in front of her, said:

"It’s for you."

The little cat: "?"

She hesitated for a moment, then reached out a paw and touched the cake.

Can cats actually eat this stuff?

The little cat unconsciously licked her cream-stained paw, and her eyes instantly lit up.

Delicious! Cats can eat it!

So this is the good stuff humans get to eat every day.

The system urged: "Don't just eat it all yourself! Share some with Li Jingxing and wish him a happy birthday, otherwise, it won't count as accompanying him."

The little cat swished her tail and finally looked up.

Her face was smeared with pale blue and white cream, and her paws were not spared either.

Watching the cat with cream all over her face, Li Jingxing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Little White, you look like this—hahahaha!"

Hearing the laughter, the little cat narrowed her eyes, kicked off with her hind legs, jumped onto Li Jingxing, and rubbed the cream-covered face all over him.

"Meow-woo-wa!"

Sharing with you!

The little cat’s paws moved with lightning speed, smearing cream onto Li Jingxing’s expensive jacket and even tangling it into his hair.

Amidst Li Jingxing’s flustered protests, the little cat darted triumphantly around the living room. Realizing he was trying to avoid her, the more he dodged, the more she insisted on getting close to rub her cream-covered face against him.

"Woo-wa?" The little cat jumped in front of Li Jingxing, spreading her fluffy front paws to intimidate him.

Li Jingxing had nowhere to hide and leaned back against the sofa: "Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!"

The little cat refused!

She jumped onto the sofa, all four paws landing on him, and let out a fierce, cat-like cry: "Wa!"

Tremble, human!

Today is the day the little cat brings you to justice.

The little cat intentionally bounced on him, mimicking a wild beast with a "wow" cry every now and then. Li Jingxing held her head back with one finger, unable to stop laughing; his handsome brows curved, and a genuine smile sparkled in his eyes.

This naughty cat was definitely doing it on purpose.

It felt as if the gloom he had brought home had been swept away by this mischievous cat.

"You really are getting bolder, daring to bully me," Li Jingxing said, amused, as he poked her cream-scented head.

The little cat let out another "wow," revealing her tiny, snow-white fangs.

Today, she was the Cat Queen!

Butler Liu, who always appeared out of nowhere, stood nearby watching the scene with a comforted expression:

"It’s been a long time since the young master laughed so happily."

Hearing this classic line, the system couldn't help but let out an excited sound. If she had a physical form, she would probably be tearing up right now. She had really made progress, actually collecting the achievement: [Butler: It’s been a long time since the young master laughed like this].

Similar achievements included:
[Doctor Friend: You called me over in the middle of the night for just this little scratch?]
[Arrogant CEO: Woman, you are playing with fire]—though, since her current host was a cat, it could be replaced with: [Cat, you are playing with fire].

Li Jingxing was in a good mood tonight. He used a handkerchief to wipe the cream off the cat’s head, thinking that the celebrity she wanted to see was someone he could definitely satisfy.

It was just chasing a celebrity; there was nothing his cat couldn't do. Not only would she go, but he would also spend lavishly on her behalf.

The talent agency, receiving the notification in the middle of the night: ?!!!
The big spender! The young lady of the big spender’s family had taken an interest in their company—this was a cause for celebration! They were going to make it big!

After finishing the phone call, Li Jingxing saw the little cat looking at him with sparkling eyes. Seeing him look over, she let out a "woo-ah" and prepared to pounce, but Li Jingxing quickly stopped her.

"Alright, alright, I’m scared of you. Come here, let’s take a picture."

Li Jingxing pulled out his phone and gathered the cream-covered cat close. Two heads, both smeared with cream, leaned in together. The little cat’s eyes were bright and eager, as if she hadn't had enough fun, while Li Jingxing’s eyes were filled with warmth as the photo was snapped.

Li Jingxing edited it with one hand and posted it to his social media:

"My birthday is truly happy with Little White for company [Smiley Face]"

Li Jingxing hesitated for a moment, then selected a custom privacy setting: visible only to one person—Zhou Mingxuan.

Yes, during the class reunion, he had worked hard to get her back on his friend list. He didn't mean anything special by the post; he just wanted to show that even without her, he was doing fine and had a cat willing to stay up all night to keep him company on his birthday.

Unexpectedly, a short while later, Zhou Mingxuan’s feed updated.

Hearing the notification, Li Jingxing sat up and clicked on it, only to see Zhou Mingxuan had posted a grid of nine photos, all of which were of his current cat and his ex-girlfriend together.

"Today, I met my life-changing little cat. She invited me to take a ride in her sports car. I think this must be fate [Heart][Heart]"

In the photos, the woman and the cat sat in the red toy car, laughing happily and looking carefree.

Li Jingxing: "?"

That was his cat!
What was wrong with this cat—why was she taking pictures with everyone!

Meanwhile, the little cat had already been taken away by Butler Grandpa to clean off the cream, completely unaware of what Li Jingxing was fuming about again.

The next day.

The little cat stood at the audition site with the four assistants Li Jingxing had arranged for her, looking around.

Where was he? There were so many people here.

Two of the assistants were new today, drawing high salaries; they looked at the cat as if she were a small golden treasure, eyeing anyone who came near with suspicion, terrified that someone might try to steal her.

The little cat sniffed the air, trying to judge by scent, when someone walked toward them.

"Are you Assistant Sun? Director Chen asked me to come and pick you up." The assistant director found them and led the way, his gaze lingering on them curiously.

Four people and one cat—what kind of configuration was this?
Wasn't it said the investor wanted to come and have a look? He had been fully prepared to host a VIP.

The assistant director couldn't help but probe: "Is there anyone else from your side who hasn't arrived yet?"

The cat assistant replied: "Everyone is here. Our young lady is here to take a look today; she is very interested in one of the actors in this film."

Assistant Director: "Then... the young lady is..."

Hearing this, the little cat immediately stepped forward, raised her head, and meowed: "Meow!"

Over here!

The cat assistant held back a laugh: "That’s right, it’s her."

They truly enjoyed the stunned expressions of others every time they introduced the young lady.

The assistant director was shocked. He looked down and saw the expensive gemstone collar around the little white cat's raised neck; the entire cat looked noble and spirited.

Assistant Director: Rich people really know how to play. Their ways of spending money are always so extraordinarily unique.

The little cat followed them into the set, watching actors come and go—many of whom she had seen on television. She was very excited, her cat eyes sparkling; she felt like she couldn't take it all in.

Meanwhile, in the audition lounge, Jiang Ye was completely baffled.

The rumors from yesterday were already absurd enough, but he hadn't expected his agency to actually contact him. It wasn't to clear up the rumors, but to tell him to meet a "young lady" today, who supposedly liked him so much she had poured money and resources into his project overnight.

He asked which young lady it was, and his agent lowered his voice, acting all secretive:

"It is said she is Li Jingxing’s mysterious girlfriend."

Jiang Ye: ?
Do rich people have such broad horizons?

Agent: "I don't understand either. The hobbies of the rich can be quite special sometimes. I heard this young lady also invested in your current film crew. Perform well today; if you please this young lady, you might be able to climb the Li family's ladder through her connections."

The agent patted Jiang Ye’s shoulder. Jiang Ye felt the hand on his shoulder weigh a thousand pounds.

No, seriously, this was too strange, it made no sense... He had never felt that the Chinese language was so difficult to understand.

So now, he had to please Li Jingxing’s girlfriend to get closer to Li Jingxing?

Jiang Ye: "..."
That was hard to comment on.

The agent sighed and left the room, leaving Jiang Ye alone to think it over. His family background wasn't bad—his villa was the result of relying on his father—but they really had no connections in the entertainment industry. They were far below a behemoth like the Li family. In showbiz, more connections meant more paths...

Jiang Ye thought about it for a long time in the lounge and finally convinced himself. Then, he received a call from his agent, whose tone was complicated:

"...Don't rush your matter. The young lady seems to have gone to someone else’s lounge and hasn't come out for an hour."

Jiang Ye raised his voice: "? People are fighting over this kind of thing?"

He had barely managed to prepare himself mentally.

Agent, matter-of-factly: "Of course. If you aren't proactive, there are plenty of others who are."

Jiang Ye hung up the phone with complex feelings. His audition time hadn't arrived yet, so he grabbed his phone and prepared to go out and see for himself.

He wanted to see who was willing to go to such lengths.