PTS Chapter 9

TL: Hua

Chapter 9

After Qin Guanyu carried the cat back to Yunjing Villa, Steam Bun woke up completely. It was unclear whether he had finally recovered his memories from before the surgery or if he grew anxious from not seeing his biological father, but he began struggling and meowing frantically.

“Your dad will be back in a bit,” Qin Guanyu said, holding the cat and trying to soothe him. “Be good, be good.”

“Meow—!” Steam Bun swiped a paw across Qin Guanyu’s neck, accidentally leaving three scratch marks.

After scratching him, Comrade Shen Steam Bun froze entirely, looking as if his conscience had struck him. His meows grew softer, and he stopped struggling, softening obediently into Qin Guanyu’s embrace.

“Oh my!” Qin Guanyu rubbed the cat’s head. “This little creature understands human nature quite well.”

He placed the cat into his bed and went to inspect his neck carefully in the mirror.

Comrade Steam Bun had shown mercy with his claws, as there was no bleeding. Qin Guanyu let out a sigh of relief; otherwise, he would have to get rabies vaccines. He had heard rumors that getting vaccines could make a person foolish, though he didn’t know if that was just alarmist talk.

He fished out some iodine and a band-aid to seal the scratch marks on his neck securely. When he returned to the living room to look for the cat, Little President Qin was nearly frightened out of his wits.

Steam Bun was actually crying!

The cat was crying!!!

Qin Guanyu was at a total loss. “What’s wrong? Are you missing your balls or are you missing your dad?”

But Steam Bun turned his head away and ignored him. Not only was he crying now, but his entire posture had also become completely listless.

Qin Guanyu panicked, thinking there was something wrong with the surgery, and immediately made a video call to Shen Qianci.

—

Shen Qianci had ten minutes before his class started. He had just picked up his lesson plans and was walking toward the classroom when Qin Guanyu’s video call popped up.

The moment he answered, Qin Guanyu’s frantic shouting nearly shattered his eardrums.

“Teacher Shen—!!!”

Passing students turned their heads to stare. Shen Qianci couldn’t afford to lose face like this, so he ducked into the stairwell with a swift movement and put on his Bluetooth earphones.

“What happened?”

“Steam Bun is crying!” Qin Guanyu shifted the camera right in front of Steam Bun. “And why has he become so listless? Is there an issue with the surgery?”

Shen Qianci immediately leaned closer to look at the cat. Seeing Shen Qianci on the screen, Steam Bun crawled over while meowing.

He coaxed the cat in a gentle and soft voice for a good while until Steam Bun finally appeared comforted, settling down obediently back into his bed.

Having soothed the cat, Shen Qianci turned to comfort the howling “wolf.”

“It’s fine. The anesthesia has probably worn off, so the incision is starting to hurt.”

Qin Guanyu looked horrified. “Can a cat endure that? This is our only child!”

“…” Shen Qianci felt a mixture of speechlessness and warmth. “It’s fine… all male cats have to go through this. Just make sure Steam Bun doesn’t lick the wound over the next few days.”

“Oh.” Qin Guanyu accepted the instruction humbly.

Since class was about to begin, Shen Qianci fixed his gaze earnestly on Qin Guanyu. “President Qin.”

Qin Guanyu looked up. “?”

“Thank you for helping me look after the cat.”

Shen Qianci’s sudden and formal expression of gratitude completely caught Qin Guanyu off guard.

Little President Qin flushed red from his face to his neck, scratching his head in embarrassment. “I-it’s nothing. It’s just for a few hours, just a small matter. It’s not like you’re abandoning your husband and child, leaving Steam Bun behind forever.”

“To express my deepest gratitude, I have decided to…” Shen Qianci suddenly took a long, dramatic pause.

Sensing a trap, Qin Guanyu instantly grew alert and leaned back. “Don’t you dare tell me you’re planning to offer your hand in marriage to repay the debt…”

Shen Qianci raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are you hoping for, President Qin?”

“Who’s hoping? I am definitely not hoping for anything!”

“I was saying that I’ve decided to give you a gift when I get back.”

The moment he heard the word “gift,” Little President Qin’s ears perked up, his face practically glowing with anticipation. “Then as soon as your class is over, I’ll have my driver pick you up from Z University!”

—

After hanging up the video call with Shen Qianci, Assistant Xiao Yuan arrived at the door, right on cue.

Committed and diligent, Comrade Xiao Yuan had not only delivered the documents intact but had also flawlessly executed his secondary mission: purchasing canned cat food and cat treats. Qin Guanyu promptly decided to award him a bonus this month.

Hearing the door open and thinking Shen Qianci had returned, Steamed Bun waddled slowly toward the entryway, looking a bit clumsy in his cat cone. Realizing it wasn’t his “biological father,” the cat slumped by Qin Guanyu’s feet with a look of utter disappointment.

“Is this Teacher Shen’s kitty?” Xiao Yuan couldn’t resist giving the cat’s head a gentle rub. “He’s so well-behaved for a cat that just got neutered!”

Qin Guanyu put on airs, deliberately asking, “Oh? Isn’t every little kitten this well-behaved after getting fixed?”

“How is that possible!” Xiao Yuan’s eyes widened. “My cousin’s cat and I had a falling out when it was spayed. Two years have passed, and his cat still tries to give me a left hook whenever it sees me.”

“Is that so!” Qin Guanyu proudly scooped up Steam Bun. “Well, our cat would never do that.”

Highly envious, Xiao Yuan remarked, “It seems Teacher Shen’s cat really likes you, President Qin.”

This subtle, unintended flattery left Qin Guanyu feeling incredibly satisfied. He decided to add yet another bonus to Xiao Yuan’s paycheck for the month.

He sat in the living room reviewing and signing the documents one by one before letting Xiao Yuan take them back to the company. Once his assistant left, he opened a can of food for the cat, successfully earning a sweet cuddle session from Steam Bun.

Teacher Shen’s eldest son is truly an angel.

He’s just a little pitiful. Not only are his balls gone, meaning he can no longer be a complete male cat, but he’s also from a single-parent home.

While feeling envious, Qin Guanyu also felt a deep sense of sympathy. With one hand petting the cat sprawled across his abs, he used his other hand to scroll through a “literary masterpiece” on the RedNote app.

“How to Provide Psychological Counseling for a Male Cat Post-Neutering”

—

When Sun Guanqing and Lu Tiangong initiated their online video conference, this was the exact scene that greeted them.

President Qin sat in his study at home. Sprawled out on the desk in front of him was a white cat with his eyes closed, resting. Meanwhile, their grand and mighty President Qin was gently brushing the cat’s fur with an insanely expensive sandalwood comb, looking utterly entranced!

Sun Guanqing was shocked. “Since when do you have a cat?”

Qin Guanyu replied with total composure, “A friend’s. I’m just watching him for a bit.”

Lu Tiangong’s brow furrowed tightly. “Old Qin, can you stop brushing it? Your blissful expression is deeply disturbing…”

President Qin snapped back angrily, “What the hell do you two know? RedNote says that a freshly neutered cat can’t be allowed to lick his incision. They need the parent to lick it for them by proxy. I can’t exactly go and lick it myself, can I?!”

Sun Guanqing and Lu Tiangong collectively felt that this level of insanity was far beyond what a handful of exorcism rice could fix…

“Fine, let’s get back to business.” Sun Guanqing took a deep breath. “Isn’t our brand, Qing Nong, preparing to launch its new summer products? A few brands want to do a crossover collaboration with us.”

With that, he sent a document over to Qin Guanyu.

Crossovers with food brands were standard practice. Expecting nothing out of the ordinary, Qin Guanyu opened the file, only to have his eyes practically blinded by one of the corporate names listed inside.

“Wait a minute… is there something wrong with your document? Why on earth is my dad’s company name on here?”

Sun Guanqing shrugged. “Like I said, everyone on that list wants a collaboration.”

Qin Guanyu was completely baffled. The entities in the document were either historical/fantasy gaming IPs, tourist destinations, or period drama IPs. His father’s company stood out like a sore thumb.

“My dad’s company manufactures cameras! What could a camera company possibly have in common with a brand like Qing Nong that makes cookies and pastries?!”

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s a good fit either,” Lu Tiangong, the creative director, sighed. “Right now, Qing Nong is thriving while your dad’s company is on a downward spiral. He’s probably desperate for you to give him a pull.”

“Give him a pull? What am I, a pulley system?”

While Qin Guanyu was stressing over the matter, Steam Bun suddenly rolled over on the desk, accidentally scraping his cone off against the surface. In a flash, the cat lunged down to lick his surgical incision.

Little President Qin’s eyes went wide. Before Steam Bun’s tongue could make contact, he used lightning-fast reflexes to grab an empty antique tea bowl off his desk and clamped it right over the cat’s private area.

On the other side of the video call, Sun Guanqing suddenly exploded: “Holy crap, Qin Guanyu! You are something else! You are truly high and mighty! I asked you for that Qianlong-era tea bowl so many times, and you never gave it to me, but you turn around and use it to cover your cat’s balls?!!!”

—

The moment Shen Qianci finished his class, he received a call from Qin Guanyu’s driver saying he was already waiting at the school gate.

After sitting through two hours of lectures, Shen Qianci was also eager to get home. He wondered how Steam Bun and Qin Guanyu were getting along. He asked the driver to wait a few more minutes while he dashed back to his faculty apartment to grab a few of Steam Bun’s favorite toys before heading to Yunjing Villa.

The moment he stepped into the apartment, he was about to call out for Steam Bun when he heard voices coming from the study. Assuming Qin Guanyu was meeting with a client, Shen Qianci immediately shut his mouth. He searched the entire house but couldn’t find a trace of Steam Bun anywhere.

Ultimately, he had no choice but to creep cautiously toward the half-open door of the study. Sure enough, he spotted his cat.

Comrade Shen Steam Bun was pressed snugly against Qin Guanyu’s abs, eyes narrowed in pure bliss as he enjoyed the grooming service from Little President Qin’s priceless sandalwood comb. He was living the high life.

Noticing he was back, Qin Guanyu’s eyes instantly lit up.

Shen Qianci stepped inside quietly. Staying safely out of the webcam’s view, he extended both hands toward Qin Guanyu, gesturing for him to hand over the cat.

But just as his hands entered the space, a man’s voice boomed from the computer speakers: “Whose hands are those? Old Qin, are you hiding a canary in your golden cage?”

“I think you’ve been watching too many short dramas,” Qin Guanyu scoffed. “You two hang on a second; I’ll be right back.”

With that, he followed Shen Qianci out into the living room, his mouth running a mile a minute.

“Hiiyah, Teacher Shen, what took you so long? Steam Bun is so hopelessly in love with me now that he’s already agreed to change his last name to Qin. Look at the mess you’ve caused.”

“Is that so?” Shen Qianci looked down at the cat in his arms. “So, do you plan on staying with your dad or second daddy?”

With a sharp “meow,” Shen Steam Bun snuggled deeper into Shen Qianci’s embrace.

Shen Qianci raised his eyebrows triumphantly at Qin Guanyu.

Qin Guanyu pouted, poking Steam Bun’s head lightly. “You little ungrateful cat. If it weren’t for your second daddy, who else would use a Qianlong-era tea bowl to protect your little testicles?”

As he spoke, he suddenly caught sight of the duffel bag Shen Qianci had left by the entryway. Instantly, he went on high alert. Forgetting all about who the cat loved more, he blurted out anxiously: “Why did you pack your things? Let me tell you, a freshly neutered cat needs double the care and affection. You cannot leave today!”

“Relax, President Qin,” Shen Qianci laughed. “Those are things I brought over.”

Qin Guanyu blinked. “Really?”

“Really, really.” Shen Qianci gave him a gentle nudge back toward the study. “Go finish your meeting first.”

Little President Qin took three steps forward and turned back once, making absolutely sure Shen Qianci had no intention of running away before finally heading back into the study with peace of mind.

Shen Qianci held his cat and showered him with a few massive kisses. “Shen Steam Bun, were you just using someone’s abs as a pillow?”

Steam Bun: “Meow?”

“Come on, whisper it to Daddy. Is your second daddy’s six-pack just false advertising?”

Shen Qianci quietly struck a deal with the cat. “If he actually has a six-pack, give me a meow.”

Steam Bun’s eyes darted around in a circle. “Meow~”

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