Chapter 4

Inside the banquet hall, flickering shadows danced in the light as glasses clinked amid the lively chatter.

A delicately dressed young woman chatted distractedly with her female companion, her gaze repeatedly drifting toward the entrance, her mind elsewhere.

“Mingyue, did you hear what I just said?” her companion’s slightly annoyed voice pulled her back.

“What did you say just now?”

Her friend sighed, “It seems that tonight, Li Jingxing stood up Lin Sheng. He came alone.”

Instantly, Mingyue’s face brightened. “Really? Weren’t their families supposed to arrange an engagement? Why would he ditch Lin Sheng on such an occasion?”

“Who knows? Maybe he doesn’t want to marry into the Lin family anymore.”

Mingyue’s spirits lifted, about to respond, when several other friends approached. Hearing their conversation, their expressions turned peculiar.

“What’s wrong?” Mingyue asked.

One lowered her voice, “Li Jingxing has arrived, but apparently he’s not alone. There’s a mysterious female companion with him.”

“A mysterious female companion?”

Others in the banquet hall had caught wind of the news as well. Many eyes flickered toward the entrance. Those present were either business associates or affiliates of the Li family. Now, hearing that the heir to the Li family was openly bringing another companion to a public event, gossip swirled quietly.

At that moment, the banquet hall doors swung open. Li Jingxing, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, handsome beyond compare, entered with Assistant Wang trailing behind. The crowd’s gaze subtly swept behind him—only to find no one there.

Disappointment flickered in many eyes.

“Where’s this mysterious companion everyone’s talking about? Who spread this rumor?”

Suddenly, Li Jingxing halted, glanced back at the empty carpet, and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“So slow.”

Then, to the astonishment of the onlookers, a snowy white kitten stumbled into view at the entrance, pawing hurriedly, as if rushing to keep pace.

It wasn’t that the kitten was slow—it was the heavy necklace around its neck that hindered it. The lavish, ostentatious jewelry would outshine any human wearer; on a tiny cat, it nearly dragged on the floor.

Only after seeing the little white cat did Li Jingxing continue into the hall.

The crowd was speechless.

“So… the mysterious companion is a cat?”

Originally, they thought Li Jingxing had waited for a woman at the door, but it turned out he was waiting for a feline.

The Li family truly lived up to its vast wealth—dressing even their cats in extravagant jewelry.

The atmosphere grew subtly complex.

Though the Li family was known for its low profile, not flaunting their riches, the sight of this cat’s necklace struck many as the kind of flashy display one might expect from a nouveau riche eager to show off.

Once inside, Li Jingxing paid no further attention to the white kitten, and the cat, seemingly oblivious to its owner, began wandering through the banquet hall.

Its peculiar entrance had inadvertently captured much attention.

The kitten, named Sai Tianxian, darted through the crowd, while a system in her ear incessantly narrated plot points. Meanwhile, she eagerly explored the table, curious about the array of delicacies.

She was hungry. She had meant to eat at a cat café today but was bought before she could, and her food had been taken away—she had no idea where.

Spotting an intriguing spot, the kitten sprang up, clutching the tablecloth. Before she could take a bite, a startled shout came from behind. Turning, she was tripped by the cloth she held and tumbled onto a young woman.

An assortment of desserts spilled onto the woman’s dress.

Mingyue gasped.

“Ah! What a mess!” her friends exclaimed anxiously.

With her dress ruined, Mingyue surely couldn’t continue attending the banquet.

The kitten realized her blunder, shrinking back timidly, she let out a soft meow.

Mingyue looked down at the tiny feline, ears flattened, eyes wide and cautious, watching her—not fleeing like most cats who’d caused trouble.

For some reason, what Mingyue had meant to brush off as bad luck turned into a teasing remark: “Why are you looking at me so innocently? Was this your doing? Do you know how expensive this dress is? How many fish treats are you offering to make up for this?”

Her friends stifled laughter, chiming in, “Exactly! You’re just a little cat—do you have money to pay?”

“Pay up.”

Mingyue tapped the kitten’s forehead with a delicate finger. To their surprise, the kitten seemed to understand, sadly stepped on one end of the necklace, wriggled her head a few times, and removed the magnificent emerald necklace.

“Meow.”

“This will be your compensation.”

Mingyue and her friends were stunned. Who would have expected the cat to hand over the necklace when confronted?

“Won’t Mr. Li be angry?” one companion nervously asked.

“Quick, put it back on her.”

Many eyes in the hall were on them now.

They had just been teasing the cat, but the cat was seriously compensating.

After removing the necklace, the kitten began to leave, dragging her fluffy tail. Before she could go far, Li Jingxing’s deep voice sounded behind her:

“Pathetic.”

The kitten turned and hissed at him.

She was a reasonable cat. She had damaged someone’s dress, and compensated with the necklace.

Thinking this, she boldly pushed the necklace toward Mingyue with her paw and meowed:

“Meow.”

“Take it as a token of friendship.”

“Remember my name—Sai Tianxian.”

She finished with a mischievous grin.

The system groaned silently.

Why was she the only one who could understand this cat’s nonsense?

It must have been all those times forcing the cat to watch ridiculous CEO romance dramas that scrambled her brain.

The system blamed herself.

Li Jingxing picked up the kitten by the scruff, placing her behind him. Glancing at Mingyue, he produced a handkerchief.

“Miss Li, it’s her first time at a banquet. She’s inexperienced. Please clean up first. I’ve already arranged for a new gown to be sent over. I will compensate for your dress.”

Mingyue accepted the handkerchief, nodding blankly.

His words felt odd.

What did “first time at a banquet” mean? Would this cat attend banquets often?

She had no intention of truly blaming the cat, but Li Jingxing’s formal apology made it seem as if she had bullied the poor feline.

A servant soon appeared to escort her to the restroom. Looking back, Mingyue saw the beautiful white cat being poked on the head by Li Jingxing, ears flattened in defiance, growling in protest.

Mingyue couldn’t help but smile.

For someone as cold as Li Jingxing, he had surprisingly adorable taste in pets.

He carefully replaced the necklace on the cat’s neck, tapping her fluffy head with a warning:

“Stay behind me. Do not run off.”

Sai Tianxian meowed playfully in response.

“Hey~ you~ stay~ behind~ me~ no~ running~”

“Where would you go? So I can chase you around the hall?”

The cat’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Li Jingxing sensed the cat’s tone wasn’t friendly but couldn’t find fault. He narrowed his eyes, watching her.

Soon, everyone saw the necklace transformed into a leash collar on the white cat’s neck. Li Jingxing held the leash in one hand and a wine glass in the other, chatting and laughing with guests.

Sai Tianxian was internally cursing profusely.

The system was about to burst into laughter.

Ding-dong! The system’s internal prompts sounded, confirming task completions:

- First encounter: complete.

- Spectacular banquet entrance (captivating 90% of attendees): complete.

- Humiliated the malicious female rival, who then retaliated: complete.

- Forced affection: complete.

The system felt quite pleased. Although her bound host was a cat, their efficiency was remarkable.

However, thinking of the absurd plot ahead, the system felt a little disheartened.

She didn’t know how she was going to make a cat play out such a ridiculous storyline.

Today was feeling like a career crisis day.

When Mingyue returned, she wore a brand-new gown. Scanning the banquet hall, she spotted the little white cat.

Approaching, the cat noticed her and meowed.

Mingyue placed a dish of salmon before her and stroked her head.

Watching the cat sniff the food and happily nuzzle her, Mingyue smiled.

The cat had been hungry, even attempting to steal snacks from the table earlier.

After the banquet ended, Sai Tianxian followed Li Jingxing back to his villa.

Standing at the garden gate, the little cat looked up in amazement at the sprawling estate, as grand as a manor.

“Is this human’s house really this big?”

Li Jingxing briskly addressed the approaching butler, “She’s just a stand-in family cat. Just arrange a room for her.”

The butler blinked in confusion. Was the master losing his mind?

A stand-in family cat?

Before this, Assistant Wang had already informed him that the young master planned to keep a cat. The butler had prepared a cat bed and litter box in advance. But from the master’s words, it seemedI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.