Chapter 437 - 436: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 5

Chapter 437: Chapter 436: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 5

’What a shame. He’s such a good person, but his legs are disabled.’

Shi Lan lay beside the cat bed, absentmindedly batting a small ball around. Her eyes darted about, occasionally glancing toward He Hanshi’s legs as he worked.

As if he could feel the little cat’s gaze, He Hanshi closed his laptop and beckoned to her. "Pumpkin, what are you looking at? Come here."

Shi Lan abandoned the ball, got up from her bed, and gave her body a lazy stretch before ambling over to him.

She drew near, tilted her head to look at his legs, and ultimately decided to jump onto the desk in front of him.

Although the orange cat was plump, she was still quite agile. A leap of this height was effortless.

With a smile in his eyes, He Hanshi gently rubbed her little orange head before scooping her into his arms. "Next time, you can just jump right onto my lap. I’m not so fragile that I can’t catch a single cat."

Shi Lan’s ears twitched, but she didn’t respond to him.

’I’m a cat now, not a human. To avoid being mistaken for some kind of freak, I have to be selective about how I respond to He Hanshi.’

The scent of sandalwood from his prayer beads wafted past her nose, and Shi Lan nestled comfortably in his arms.

He Hanshi would occasionally rub her head or gently squeeze her paws. The fur around Pumpkin’s paws was white, and her paw pads were a tender, clean pink.

Funnily enough, despite being a cat, Pumpkin was a bit of a clean freak. Even with his limited mobility, He Hanshi had caught her secretly washing her paws by the sink on several occasions, especially after using her litter box.

’So cute.’

His heart melted. It seemed that after getting Pumpkin, his life had gained the warmth of a real home. It felt so comforting.

He Hanshi couldn’t resist holding the cat close, lowering his head, and planting a soft kiss on her head.

Shi Lan felt the touch, and her ears instantly perked up. But then she remembered she was a cat and forced herself to suppress the shy feeling rising in her heart.

He Hanshi’s chuckle rumbled from above her. "Are you hungry?"

He glanced at his watch as he spoke. It was almost twelve, time for lunch.

Holding the cat, He Hanshi wheeled himself into the elevator and went downstairs. The elevator’s interior was gilded and opulent, its walls polished to a mirror shine that reflected their figures.

Shi Lan saw her reflection: a distorted orange kitty head, stretched out of shape. Her round eyes were pulled into long, thin slits.

The sight made her laugh. The corners of her mouth curled up, and her little belly trembled.

Having spent so much time with her, He Hanshi could naturally tell that Pumpkin was in a great mood. For a little cat, she was incredibly expressive.

He gently stroked her head again, unable to resist asking, "What’s so funny? Can you share the joke with me?"

As soon as the words were out, he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

’A cat can’t talk, so how could she tell me? I must be losing my mind.’

To his surprise, however, the little cat nudged his hand with her paw and then gestured toward the elevator wall.

He looked and saw their distorted reflections on the wall, and he also noticed the smile playing on his own lips.

He Hanshi froze for a moment. He wasn’t one to smile often; his good nature was merely a deep-seated, everyday courtesy. In the business world, everyone secretly considered him terrifying and cold, and he never denied it.

’And yet, now that his legs were disabled, he found himself smiling more happily than he ever had before.’

Shi Lan had mischievously wanted to see his face distorted, but true handsomeness is bone-deep, not just skin-deep. Even in the warped reflection, He Hanshi’s striking good looks were still apparent.

The cat, on the other hand, was a different story. Already plump, she now looked downright goofy.

Shi Lan couldn’t bear to look and turned her head away.

Thankfully, the elevator ride was short, and He Hanshi also reined in his smile.

Due to his current mobility issues, his parents worried something might happen to him, so they had him move back to the family estate.

Unlike other prominent clans, the He Family was small. Mr. and Mrs. He had only one child, their son, He Hanshi.

At that moment, his parents were downstairs reading the paper and chatting. They both turned their heads when they heard the sound of the wheelchair.

"You’re down."

To prevent their son from feeling self-conscious about his condition, they did their best to treat him just as they always had.

He Hanshi nodded. "Yeah, I’m a little hungry."

Hearing her son was hungry, Mrs. He immediately had the housekeeper go and hurry the kitchen. Mr. He glanced at the big, plump cat He Hanshi refused to put down and teased, "Oh, it couldn’t be that Pumpkin is the one who’s hungry, could it?"

"This cat looks quite a bit plumper than before. ’Great Pumpkin’ seems more fitting now."

Shi Lan felt a little embarrassed. ’Looks like I really need to get some proper exercise. It’s not healthy for a cat to be overweight.’

He Hanshi disagreed with his father. "Dad, I had the vet check Pumpkin. She’s perfectly healthy. She’s not fat, she’s probably just grown a bit lately."

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say."

Mr. He had only recently realized his son was a complete cat slave. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. Now, his parents didn’t even bat an eye at the cat sitting on their son’s lap.

As long as their son liked it, and the endearing cat kept him in good spirits, that was enough.

He was in his thirties, after all; they didn’t need to meddle in all his affairs. Their son had always had good judgment.

Mrs. He was also quite fond of Pumpkin. She had been hesitant to pet her at first, but having grown familiar with her over time, she would now wave enthusiastically whenever she saw her.

"Oh, Pumpkin, come to Grandma!"

’I quite like He Hanshi’s mother,’ Shi Lan thought. She was a pleasant woman, very fashionable, with fair, well-cared-for skin. She dyed her hair, so she looked a good decade younger than He Hanshi’s father.

Someone who didn’t know better might even mistake her for He Hanshi’s older sister.

Shi Lan decisively abandoned He Hanshi, hopping down from his lap and trotting over to Mrs. He.

Mrs. He happily scooped her up.

"Pumpkin, Pumpkin."

Then she cooed, "The chefs in the kitchen are making something yummy for Pumpkin. Grandma will take you to see all the tasty treats they have today."

Shi Lan’s eyes lit up, and she secretly gulped.

’This life of luxury and indulgence, this is how a kitty is meant to live!’

Mrs. He happily carried the cat away. He Hanshi looked down at his now-empty lap and let out another exasperated laugh.

’You heartless little thing. Not a moment’s hesitation, not even a single glance back.’

But since the cat-napper was his own mother, He Hanshi couldn’t really say anything. After the meal, however, he shrewdly swooped in and carried the cat away, giving Pumpkin and his mom no further opportunity to bond.

’Pumpkin is already so close with Mom. At this rate, she might not even let me hold her anymore.’

’Besides, wasn’t Mom a little afraid of cats before? Now she’s more eager to hold her than anyone.’

For once, He Hanshi found himself worried that his mother would steal his cat.

Back in his room, he gave Pumpkin a "loving" lecture. "Pumpkin, I’m your number one person. You can’t just abandon me like that in the future, you hear?"

"And most importantly, you’re not allowed to run off with other people. I’ll let it slide with my parents, since they’re family, but absolutely no strangers."

"Listen, it’s highly unlikely that a stranger would be as rich as I am, or treat pets as well as I do. And they certainly wouldn’t have a personal chef to make you feasts every day."

"Pumpkin is a smart cat. You can definitely tell which home is the real prize, right?"