When Shen Xin woke up again, he was surprised to find himself lying in his own bed.
Not the mattress on the floor of his rental, but the solid wood bed at his family home.
He was also half-naked, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs.
He shook his head and sat up.
Yep, this was definitely his room.
A glance at the wall clock opposite him showed it was almost one in the afternoon.
The back of his head ached, and he still felt a little dizzy.
Shen Xin tried hard to recall what happened yesterday. He had been drinking with Zhang Jian and the others, then he got drunk.
'Who brought me home?'
That's right!
Shen Xin jolted, suddenly wide awake.
That girl.
'What was her name again? Zhang Jian's daughter, I think.'
And a beautiful one at that.
Un-freaking-believable.
How could a rough-and-tumble guy like Zhang Jian have such a gorgeous daughter?
But Shen Xin couldn't remember what she looked like. He just remembered she had very fair, long legs, and that she was an absolute beauty.
'I think Zhang Jian asked his daughter to take me home.'
"Holy shit!"
Shen Xin slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering that he had thrown up. Right on the girl's foot.
'Damn, so embarrassing.'
Frustrated, Shen Xin rubbed his face hard, got out of bed, and left the room.
Shen Xin's family home was in Luquan Village in the Xinbei District. It was barely within the city limits and was full of privately-owned houses.
His family had built their own two-story house with a private courtyard, which was quite comfortable.
His throat was terribly dry, so he went downstairs to find some water.
"Damn, even if you're at home, you don't have to be *that* casual," Shen Shuang quipped from the living room. She was curled up on the sofa watching TV when she saw Shen Xin come downstairs in his underwear.
"I'd love to wear more, but where are my clothes?"
He'd taken all his regular clothes to his rental. The ones he wore yesterday were also nowhere to be seen; his mom had probably washed them.
He plopped down next to Shen Shuang, snatched the ice cream from her hand, and started eating it.
"Hey, go get me a glass of water," Shen Xin ordered.
"You brat, you don't have legs of your own?" Shen Shuang grumbled, but she still got up and fetched a bottled drink from the kitchen.
Then she suddenly leaned in, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning mischievously. "Little bro, you're pretty slick. Keeping things quiet, huh? Who was that girl who brought you home last night? Your girlfriend?"
Shen Xin cursed inwardly. 'So it really was Zhang Jian's daughter who brought me home.'
'I threw up on her foot, and she still brought me all the way home without holding a grudge.'
'What a good person.'
"Don't be ridiculous. She's my coworker's daughter," Shen Xin explained.
"Isn't that perfect? You should make a move! She's so beautiful. If you could marry her, you'd hit the jackpot."
"Is she?"
Shen Xin asked, having completely forgotten what she looked like.
"Of course she is."
Shen Shuang chuckled and took out her phone to show Shen Xin. "I secretly took a picture."
'You've got to be kidding me,' Shen Xin thought as he leaned over to look.
Shen Shuang must have snapped it when their mom was seeing the girl out.
It was a clear, front-facing shot.
Seeing the girl's face clearly, Shen Xin's heart couldn't help but skip a beat or two.
'There's no justice in the world! Zhang Jian has a square jaw, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. When he glares, his forehead wrinkles up. He's a burly oaf. How could he possibly produce such a beautiful daughter?'
She had a classic oval face with very defined features, and she looked like that one actress... what's-her-name.
"Got your eyes glued to the screen, huh?" Shen Shuang teased.
"No, I don't."
Shen Xin's face flushed slightly. "She's my coworker's daughter. It's impossible."
'What, am I supposed to start calling Zhang Jian my father-in-law?'
'How would I even work at the station after that? When I see him, do I call him Captain Zhang or 'Uncle'?'
No, wait.
Shen Xin cursed himself inwardly. 'What kind of nonsense am I even thinking?'
Shen Shuang didn't care about any of that. She clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder. "Little bro, who cares if she's a coworker's daughter? She's the one. Besides, Mom is totally sold on her. She was gushing to me about it for half the night. You're not bad-looking yourself. Go for it! Win her over."
She made a fist to cheer him on.
Shen Xin gave her a huge eye-roll and told her to make him something to eat.
"Nope. Order takeout."
...
After ordering and eating some takeout, Shen Xin suddenly remembered the mouths he had to feed back at his place. He quickly hailed a cab back to his rental apartment.
Just as he reached the entrance to his building, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the greenbelt on his right, giving Shen Xin a start.
He took a closer look. It was Evil Bully!
The cat let out an impatient meow at Shen Xin, his gaze seeming to say, 'What took you so long?'
Shen Xin crouched down, looking at Evil Bully in disbelief.
'My place has to be at least two kilometers in a straight line from Spring Tide Home. I've only brought him here twice on my electric scooter. How could he find his way here from that far? He's too smart.'
He reached out to pet the cat, but as usual, Evil Bully didn't allow it.
The icon was still hovering above his head, with only one bar filled.
He meowed twice more, then started circling the building's entrance.
Something clicked in Shen Xin's mind, and he understood.
"You miss your lady, don't you."
It was obvious he had traveled all this way just to see Da Mei.
Shen Xin opened the door and let Evil Bully in, saying as they walked, "Why don't you just stay? Don't bother going back."
He had thought about "recruiting" Evil Bully before.
Evil Bully meowed, but his meaning was unclear.
He was truly brilliant and afraid of nothing, even waiting for the elevator with Shen Xin.
When they reached the apartment, Shen Xin had barely opened the door before the cat shot inside impatiently.
Da Mei was lying on the sofa, nursing the three little ones.
Evil Bully's appearance was a complete surprise to her. She immediately abandoned the three kittens and went to greet him, circling him and affectionately rubbing her head against him.
On the sofa, the three little kittens were wailing with hunger.
Shen Xin shook his head. 'She gets her man back and completely forgets about the kids.'
A visitor is a guest. Shen Xin turned to open a can of cat food, preparing to give Evil Bully a proper welcome.
But when he opened the can and turned back, he was horrified to see that after a moment of affectionate reunion, Evil Bully had flipped over, bit Da Mei by the scruff of her neck, and mounted her.
Da Mei was cooperating, her tail held to the side as her hind legs shuffled on the floor.
"No way!"
Shen Xin's eyes went wide, a stampede of 'what the fucks' galloping through his mind.
'So you ran all this way just for *this*?'
'And Da Mei, how long has it been since you gave birth? The kittens aren't even weaned yet, and you're at it again?'
'It's not even spring!'
Shen Xin rushed forward to stop them. He had been planning on getting Da Mei spayed.
'If she gets pregnant again, it'll be a huge problem. It's not good for her health, either.'
Interrupted at the critical moment, Evil Bully was not in a good mood. He let go of Da Mei and let out a low growl at Shen Xin.
That set Shen Xin off, too.
'You're just a cat. You really think I can't handle you?'
As it turned out, Evil Bully's reputation as a local terror was well-earned.
Shen Xin took off his t-shirt and looked in the mirror at the two bloody scratches on his back, filled with regret.
'Shit. Looks like I'm getting a few rabies shots.'
'Also, he's definitely getting neutered.'
He walked out of the bathroom.
Fortunately, after all the commotion, Evil Bully seemed to have forgotten why he had traveled all that way.
And once Da Mei started nursing again, her maternal instincts took over, and she forgot about it too.
Now, the family of five had taken over Shen Xin's sofa. Evil Bully even showed a rare moment of tenderness, grooming Da Mei's fur.
When Shen Xin walked over, the cat let out a low growl, then chose to ignore him.
Shen Xin was so furious he could grind his teeth. 'This guy looks down on me!'
But just then, Shen Xin suddenly noticed that the last empty bar in the icon above Da Mei's head had filled up.
10 bars.
The icon pulsed, changing from green to yellow.
The 10 bars inside it reset to zero and disappeared.
This change undoubtedly signified that it had entered a new stage.
Just then, a strange voice echoed in Shen Xin's mind.
It was high-pitched and thin.
It was saying, "Comfortable."
Shen Xin's eyes flew open wide.
'Don't tell me that was Da Mei talking.'