Chapter 470 - 469: IF Storyline: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 38

Chapter 470: Chapter 469: IF Storyline: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 38

Ye Ming had an economics class in the afternoon. He meticulously shut all the windows and doors, closed the door to the hazardous kitchen, and left out some water for the kitten before leaving with his lesson plans.

He felt a little uneasy leaving the kitten alone in his apartment, but as a teacher, he had a class to teach and couldn’t bring it with him.

For once, Ye Ming was somewhat distracted at the start of class, a rare occurrence for him. After a few minutes, however, he fully focused on teaching.

During the ten-minute break between periods, he remained in the classroom. A few students came up to ask him questions about mutual funds and government bonds.

As an economics professor, Ye Ming often researched financial matters, kept up with major national policies, and helped guide students in investing their spare cash.

However, all investments carry risk. He traded stocks himself but wouldn’t let his students touch something so volatile. He only taught them about lower-risk options, like government bonds and mutual funds. He always made sure to stress that investments never guarantee the principal and that they needed to have a personal loss threshold in mind to cut their losses in time.

As students of a top-tier university, those who made it here were hardly foolish. Besides, they were all adults and weren’t prone to unrealistic fantasies. They were simply grateful to have someone guiding them on how to make money.

A professor who could help students earn money was a rare treasure at the university. This was one of the reasons Ye Ming was so well-known on campus. His open economics lectures were always packed, with students from every faculty coming to listen and learn.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the second class began.

To the economics students, Mr. Ye’s classes always felt both incredibly insightful and far too short. They couldn’t bear to waste time on their phones, each one of them completely engrossed, cherishing every precious moment of the lecture.

The moment class was over, Ye Ming left without lingering.

Things were different now. He had a cat—a tiny little kitten, no less. It was like having an unsupervised toddler at home, a constant source of worry.

On the way back to his apartment, his mind raced with all sorts of disastrous scenarios. ’What if it mischievously jumped on the table and fell off? What if it was strong enough to open a window and jump from the third floor? Or worse, what if it choked to death while drinking water...’

Ye Ming’s mind conjured a slew of terrible possibilities. His pace quickened, eventually breaking into a near run, until he finally reached his front door, opening it in a hurry, slightly out of breath.

The moment he stepped inside, he rushed over to the sofa. Seeing the empty spot where the kitten had been, his heart leaped into his throat.

’The cat’s gone!’

Anxiously, Ye Ming began to search the apartment, eventually calling out, "Kitty, kitty!" Perhaps woken by his calls, Shi Lan emerged from behind the curtains. She blinked her sleepy, round, jade-green eyes and gazed at him in confusion, as if asking what was wrong.

’Am I so worried my brain has turned to mush, or am I so anxious I’m hallucinating?’ He couldn’t believe he was seeing such a human-like expression on a cat, as if it weren’t a cat at all, but a person.

But he had no mind for such thoughts right now. Seeing the kitten was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Lan sensed his worry and felt a little sheepish.

The sun had moved off the sofa in the afternoon, but there was still a patch by the window. She had simply moved behind the curtains to sleep and sunbathe there and had unintentionally fallen into a deep slumber.

She took the initiative and walked toward Ye Ming. He crouched down and gently scooped her into his arms. His full lips curved into a slight smile, a glimmer of relief in his eyes. After a moment of thought, he said, "Little one, how about I give you a name?"

’When I couldn’t find her just now, all I could do was call out ’kitty, kitty.’ Does she even know I’m calling for her?’

’Having a name would be better.’

He looked down at the little black-and-white kitten. She was an adorable little fluffball, likely not long out of the womb. Her fur was a bit sparse but fluffy, with very distinct markings: jade-green eyes, white ears and paws, and a pure black body. Quite distinctive.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "How about Fei Mo? It fits, since your fur isn’t pure black."

Shi Lan had expected him to give her a common name like "Socks," but he’d come up with something else entirely. ’Fei Mo... Fei Mo...’ He really was a man of culture; even his naming was unconventional.

She loved it.

Shi Lan shot him an appreciative glance. Ye Ming blinked. ’That probably wasn’t a hallucination this time.’

’Are cats really this smart?’ he wondered, bewildered. ’Can they actually communicate with humans just using their eyes?’

Ye Ming had never owned a cat, or any pet for that matter. His life had always been a simple, straight line between his classes and his apartment, and that hadn’t changed even after he became a professor.

But now, this kitten—foisted on him by a student—had broken his routine and become the exception.

Ye Ming snapped out of his thoughts. Looking at the kitten’s bright eyes, his own held a hint of a smile. "Looks like you like the name, too."

Shi Lan didn’t give a direct nod, but simply let out a "meow."

That evening, Ye Ming once again made a homemade meal for the cat, as she still refused to eat kibble.

After preparing her meal, he busied himself with assembling the cat bed and litter box he had hastily ordered for delivery. It occurred to him that the kitten hadn’t peed in a long time, so he worriedly picked her up while she was in the middle of drinking water.

Shi Lan looked at him, puzzled. A bit uncertainly, Ye Ming began pawing at the litter with his hands, trying to demonstrate how to use the litter box.

Shi Lan stared at the little mound of sand in the litter box, laughing to herself. ’Haha, this owner is too cute. Does he really think I don’t know how to use a litter box?’

Although he’d read online that many cats figure it out on their own or are taught by their mothers, Ye Ming’s charge was a tiny kitten. He didn’t know if her mother had taught her, so he took it upon himself to assume the role.

Seeing the kitten just staring at him, motionless, Ye Ming patiently smoothed the litter out and repeated his demonstration of digging in the sand.

He mimicked the action several more times. Knowing he wouldn’t stop until she "learned," Shi Lan resignedly hopped into the box and began to paw at the litter.

As Ye Ming watched her form a small mound in the sand, his clear, gentle eyes lit up. He couldn’t help but say, "Good job, Fei Mo! You learned so fast. You really are a clever little kitten."

Watching his proud-new-dad act, Shi Lan started to worry. ’Is he going to watch me every time I have to poop in the future? I really can’t deal with that!!’

And so, she decided she would only use the bathroom when Ye Ming wasn’t home or was fast asleep.

Having "taught" the kitten how to use the litter box, Ye Ming picked her up, patted the stray litter off her fur, and placed her back where she had been drinking water.

Shi Lan stared at the water before her, feeling both exasperated and amused. Still, she lowered her head and took a few more sips before finding a comfortable spot on the sofa to start grooming the damp fur around her mouth.

When he saw the kitten grooming herself, Ye Ming breathed another quiet sigh of relief. ’I was just wondering how I was supposed to teach her that,’ he thought. ’Thank goodness she already knows.’