Chapter 19: The Boy and the Ragdoll
The year was drawing to a close, and many companies had already closed for the holidays. The usually bustling office buildings were suddenly much quieter.
Cheng Miao was at home packing things to take back to his hometown when his phone suddenly rang.
“Hello? Boss, good day!” Cheng Miao saw it was his boss calling and immediately answered.
“I’m outside your house.” Cheng Miao heard his boss say.
“Boss, why are you here?” With his boss outside, Cheng Miao could only panic and open the door. A pair of fluffy slippers “thumped thumped” on the floor of his not-so-spacious little house.
“I came to give you a New Year’s gift.” Zhao Yuhao was carrying a box.
“A New Year’s gift?” Cheng Miao was incredulous. The company’s New Year’s gifts had already been distributed. They were the newly released phones from a certain domestic brand, and everyone liked them.
“This is a separate gift for you.” Zhao Yuhao said.
“Really? Boss, come in quickly!” Cheng Miao didn’t know why Zhao Yuhao would give him a separate gift, but since he was here, he certainly couldn’t refuse.
Zhao Yuhao followed Cheng Miao into his small house. Unsurprisingly, Cheng Miao’s house was just like him: cute, cozy, and warm. Warm-toned decorations and fluffy stuffed animals made the small house look less like a boy’s room and more like a girl’s room.
After Zhao Yuhao came in, he asked Cheng Miao to look at the gift, Cheng Miao still didn’t know what a big surprise it was. He solemnly received the gift from his boss and opened it under the boss’s ardent gaze.
“Meow!” A beautiful ragdoll cat poked its head out, mewing with an extremely high level of sweetness.
“Ragdoll…” Cheng Miao was so surprised by the large ragdoll that he was speechless. He covered his mouth, unable to believe what he saw. He looked at the ragdoll cat, then at Zhao Yuhao, seeking an answer from him.
“This is a ragdoll cat, its name is Shoutao (Glove).” Zhao Yuhao’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Shoutao!” Having received his answer, Cheng Miao picked up the ragdoll cat from the box, moved to tears.
Before, he had seen videos on Weibo of people crying after receiving small animals, and at the time he felt very moved. Now it was his turn, and he truly felt the same way. This feeling is hard to describe.
Cheng Miao held the ragdoll cat like this for a long time. The ragdoll cat was very well-behaved, not struggling, quietly staying in his arms, occasionally using its soft paw pads to comfort him.
Zhao Yuhao watched quietly, not disturbing them.
“Boss, thank you!” Cheng Miao finally snapped out of it. He composed himself and began to face the person who had given him the ragdoll cat.
Gradually regaining his senses, Cheng Miao thought a lot. Why did the boss give him a ragdoll? How should he repay his boss? … He even thought back on every little detail of their interactions, and all the kindness his boss had shown him: snacks during overtime, the umbrella he forgot on a rainy day, the coat during a sudden drop in temperature…
One scene after another, as vivid as if they had just happened yesterday, as if the warmth of yesterday still lingered on his fingers…
“Mm.” Zhao Yuhao nodded. This wasn’t the outcome he wanted, but it was already good. He wasn’t far from entering the boy’s heart. Zhao Yuhao consoled himself, but couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
Cheng Miao didn’t notice Zhao Yuhao’s sudden disappointment. Thinking about the past, a perplexing question came to his mind, making him feel as if he had grasped something.
“Why is the boss so good to me…”
Cheng Miao really wanted to ask Zhao Yuhao this question, but he was afraid it was just his delusion. His slightly flushed cheeks made his thoughts even more muddled.
The two looked at each other, the atmosphere awkwardly subtle.
Zhao Yuhao chuckled inwardly, intending to end this awkward staring contest and go downstairs to bring up Shoutao’s things.
Seeing Zhao Yuhao turn to leave, Cheng Miao felt inexplicably panicked. Although his heart was beating fast, he still felt uncomfortable. He didn’t want to watch Zhao Yuhao leave, as if once Zhao Yuhao left, the thing he had just faintly grasped would disappear.
“Boss, why are you so good to me?” Just as Zhao Yuhao was about to leave the small house, the question Cheng Miao had been wanting to ask blurted out, as if springing from his racing heart.
Zhao Yuhao stopped in his tracks, turning back in surprise. He felt both love and helplessness towards this slow-witted boy.
“Little fool, because I like you!” Zhao Yuhao trapped Cheng Miao between the wall and himself. The two were very close, and the boy’s pleasant scent made him feel dizzy.
Since the boy had asked, he would no longer hide it. Otherwise, when would the boy ever know his feelings?
Cheng Miao’s eyes widened, completely unable to believe what he had just heard. Like? The boss actually likes him? The boss is handsome and rich, why would he like him? Wait, no! The boss is a man, and he is a man too!
Cheng Miao only felt his head swimming, unable to react for a moment.
“Miao Miao, I’m serious, I truly want to be with you.” Zhao Yuhao didn’t know that Cheng Miao’s thoughts had wandered off. His eyes were firm as he spoke each word clearly.
“I…” The sudden confession made Cheng Miao come back to his senses, speechless.
Cheng Miao had never thought that his boss liked him, nor had he ever thought about his sexual orientation. To put it bluntly, he wasn’t prepared.
But, why does his heart feel so warm, so sweet, sweeter than cotton candy? The boss is really handsome, and he’s very good to me, but he’s the boss!
“If you don’t want to, then we can remain as we were.” Don’t avoid me…Zhao Yuhao silently added in his heart.
“No…” Cheng Miao’s first reaction to Zhao Yuhao’s words was to refuse. He didn’t say he didn’t want to… Wait! I didn’t say I didn’t want to, which means I do? He doesn’t want Zhao Yuhao to leave, right?
“Meow!” Witnessing the ambiguous scene, Shoutao happily meowed. These two humans are really interesting!
The ambiguous atmosphere was broken by Shoutao’s meow, but Cheng Miao discovered that the cat was given by Zhao Yuhao, and in the future, every time he saw the cat he would think of him; the company was Zhao Yuhao’s, and every time he went to the company he would think of him; the thermos cup was also a gift from him, and every time he drank water he would think of him… It turned out that unknowingly, Zhao Yuhao had already invaded his life, becoming a part of it.
How could he possibly give him up?
Cheng Miao admitted that he was slow in that area, but he wasn’t stupid. This was enough for him to understand his own feelings, that is…
“I do!” Being spoiled is really happy. Cheng Miao felt he wasn’t suitable to be with girls, he still wanted to be spoiled by someone. Since that’s the case, why not accept Zhao Yuhao? He did have feelings for Zhao Yuhao. To be liked by such a good person, what kind of blessings have I received?
“Mm?” Now it was Zhao Yuhao’s turn to be incredulous. The boy had agreed to him? He had already prepared himself to be rejected, but the situation had taken a turn for the better.
“I… seem to… like you a little too.” Cheng Miao shyly looked away, his face flushed.
“Really?” Zhao Yuhao was overjoyed, so surprised he wanted to cry. Cheng Miao also likes him!
“Mm.” Cheng Miao made a muffled sound. His affirmative answer caused the overjoyed Zhao Yuhao to hug him tightly.
Regardless of how sweet and awkward the two humans were, Shoutao calmly jumped off the sofa and began to examine his soon-to-be home. The human’s house was much smaller than the pet shop, but equally warm, with a balcony to bask in the sun. Shoutao circled around several times, already deciding where he would make his nest…
That evening, after Lin Xia got home, he checked WeChat and found that Zhao Yuhao had sent him a message. Zhao Yuhao was together with the person he liked, and he thanked Lin Xia for letting them adopt Shoutao and for his care during this time…
They’re together! Lin Xia was happy for him, while at the same time somewhat regretfully declining Zhao Yuhao’s invitation to a meal.
Zhao Yuhao quickly sent another message, saying he wanted to donate to the pet shop.
This time Lin Xia didn’t refuse, because the pet shop had taken in many pets, and expenses were always a big problem.
After Lin Xia sent his bank account number, a text message quickly came. Zhao Yuhao had actually transferred one million yuan into the account, Lin Xia almost wanted to return it. But thinking of Zhao Yuhao’s good intentions, Lin Xia accepted it. He sincerely thanked Zhao Yuhao before securely depositing the donation.
Author’s Note: Please collect itヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ
Recommended Reads
