She was the specialist in charge of evaluating Hạt Dẻ’s psychology.
Simply put, Lucas Carter wanted to correct Hạt Dẻ’s bad habits—yowling and scratching people—and turn him into a well-behaved, gentle, lovable cat.
So that burden fell to me.
But I wasn’t doing it for free, either. The bonus was very generous.
The psychologist was very trustworthy, too. She advised me, “This cat has lacked a sense of security for a long time. Being in an insecure environment can certainly cause behavioral problems, but there are ways to address them. Give him a mother’s care, and I believe that sooner or later he’ll understand Lucas Carter’s feelings for him.”
I suspect Lucas Carter only heard the words “a mother’s love” that day.
Because from that day on, he decided I was Hạt Dẻ’s mother.
Whenever Hạt Dẻ accidentally got in the way of his work, he would pat Hạt Dẻ on the rump and say, “Be good. Go find Mom.”
The one thing worth celebrating was that Lucas Carter didn’t claim to be Hạt Dẻ’s dad.
Otherwise, the relationships in this house really would have been a mess.
4.
The day after the online meeting.
Early the next morning, my teacher, Morgan Anderson, summoned me to his office for questioning.
For the first time, he seemed hesitant and unsure of himself as he said, “That cat last night… You and Lucas Carter, the two of you…”
I put the pieces together, gave an awkward laugh, and said, “I didn’t expect my cat and Lucas Carter to be so alike, either.”
“It really isn’t the same cat?”
He gave a dry laugh. “People came up to me asking how it felt to take Lucas Carter’s wife on as a student.”
I didn’t know what to say. “No, Lucas Carter also said they just happened to look alike because they grew up together.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” He sighed.
A little while later, he grew suspicious again. “For the sake of our teacher-student relationship, just tell me the truth. You and Lucas Carter really don’t have anything going on?”
I answered just as seriously: “He and I really don’t have anything going on.”
When he still seemed unconvinced, I said firmly, “You should help clear this up for me, too. The ‘Mrs. Lucas Carter’ label is way too big for me to wear. How could I dare claim it?”
At last, he nodded.
I left his office feeling relieved.
The rest of the workday passed without incident.
On the subway, I got a message from my cousin.
[Why haven’t you taken any jobs lately?]
My cousin was the one who started the pet-care service.
When I was stressed or in the mood to play with cats, I wished I could have one. Unfortunately, pets weren’t allowed at home, so I could only take the occasional job in my spare time.
Since I had a good reputation, some repeat clients later started requesting me by name.
Lucas Carter was one of my repeat clients.
Cousin Wang sent another message: [Cousin Wang filed a complaint because you sent someone else in your place.]
I was surprised. [How did she know you’d sent someone else?]
She replied: [Are you dense? There are cameras in the house!]
I froze.
At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.
I remembered that Lucas Carter had cameras in his house, too.
So had he seen that it was me who’d come over the last few times?
If he’d seen me and knew who I was, why had he specifically requested me to take care of his cat? His motives seemed a little suspicious, didn’t they?
Was he waiting for a chance to bring me back as his live-in nanny?
My cousin kept sending messages.
I told her about it and asked her to help me figure things out. [What do you think is going on here?]
My cousin was exasperated with me. [You really are as dense as they say. Your boss is obviously into you!]
I was horrified. [You actually had the nerve to believe that!]
She fell silent.
For a long, long time.
I sent her a question mark.
She replied: [Otherwise, how do you explain it? I can’t figure out who you inherited that IQ from.]
…
I shot back: [My boss already has someone he likes! That cat is the clearest proof!]
This was something else I’d realized during my time at Lucas Carter’s place.
Lucas Carter might not be a cat person, but he made sure the cat had the best of everything.
The cat’s bedroom was even bigger than mine, packed with toys, and there was a portrait of the cat hanging on the wall.
If he didn’t have a soft spot for that cat, why go to all that trouble?
My cousin was still silent.
I sent another question mark.
She replied: [I just looked him up on Baidu. Your boss seems like a good catch. If you like him, tell him! I’m rooting for you.]
…
[But you could at least make a little time to take some jobs for me.] She backed down another step. [At the very least, help train the new hire.]
For my cousin’s sake, I agreed. [Okay.]
5.
To my surprise, when I brought up taking on some jobs lately and tried to work out an arrangement with Lucas Carter, he agreed right away.
He even said gallantly, “Leave Hạt Dẻ to me. Don’t worry.”
Reassured, I went to train the new hire for my cousin.
I took the new hire to a client’s home and told them to learn each client’s habits and preferences, follow the client’s instructions, and pay attention to every task they were given.
We were busy until noon.
While I was grooming a cat, Lucas Carter called.
For the first time, his voice wasn’t its usual calm, steady self. Instead, he sounded urgent and flustered. “…How much longer?”
“About an hour. Why?” He got straight to the point.
Silence on the other end.
Sure enough, all I could hear was Hạt Dẻ’s pitiful wailing, one cry after another.
I said, “Try giving him some treats he likes, or pick him up and rub his belly…”
“He scratched me.”
This time, not only the cat but even Lucas Carter’s voice sounded pitiful.
I was quiet for a moment.
Turning to the new hire, I asked, “Can you handle the rest on your own?”
He nodded.
“All right. I have something to take care of here, so I’m heading out.”
When I got home, Lucas and the cat had gone back to their old, harmonious ways.
The only difference was that Lucas Carter had two fresh cat scratches on his neck.
I tried to suppress a laugh and admitted I was at fault. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken the job.”
The contract clearly stated that the cat always needed someone by his side, and Lucas Carter was paying far above market rate. In every sense, I shouldn’t have taken on another job.
Lucas Carter calmly took responsibility. “I’m more at fault here.”
He tried to stay calm and act as if nothing had happened, but for some reason, I pictured the aggrieved way he’d said “He scratched me” over the phone.
I thought to myself that he was even cuter like that.
I went on, “This is my fault. I won’t take any more jobs from now on.”
He stopped insisting and only asked, “Will that affect your cousin’s work?”
“No,” I said. “I’ll just let her know.”
I thought that if I stopped taking jobs, everything would be fine.
But I hadn’t counted on one inevitable part of being an employee.
Overtime.
A project suddenly ran into problems, and over the weekend, the branch manager mercilessly summoned everyone. A low-level employee like me couldn’t exactly get out of it.
I sat beside Morgan Anderson, carefully listening to the assignments.
Halfway through overtime…
When afternoon tea arrived, so did Lucas Carter.
He stood in the office doorway with a cat backpack on his chest and said calmly, “Thanks for all your hard work. This one’s on me.”
Cheers erupted around the office.
It looked like his shoelace had come undone. He bent down, and the cat backpack was unzipped too. Hạt Dẻ seized the opening and darted out.
This was the first time anyone on the project had seen Lucas Carter’s cat.
Everyone was intensely curious, their eyes following the cat.
Like a movie star on the red carpet, Hạt Dẻ paid no attention to anyone and strutted down the aisle, elegant and graceful, each step poised and effortless.
As I watched in growing panic, it slowly came to a stop.
I kept signaling with my eyes that it absolutely must not…
Unfortunately, cats can’t read.
It jumped into my lap like it had done this a hundred times, expertly finding a comfortable position and affectionately rubbing its head against my waist.
The large office suddenly fell so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
…
I was dead.
6.
It was as if someone had hit pause on the office.
The office had been buzzing as everyone handed out milk tea, pastries, and other treats, but suddenly everything stopped.
Everyone looked at me.
Then at the cat in my arms, then at Lucas Carter.
Their gazes shifted back and forth.
Only then did Lucas Carter notice the opening in the backpack. He let out a startled sound. “Uh…where’s my cat?”
I got to my feet, trembling. “Reporting in, sir—the cat’s with me.”
Lucas Carter hurried over, smiling as he chided, “This cat loves to wander. Last time, it almost got away, and I spent ages looking for it.”
Everyone in the office played along and chuckled a few times.
I held out the cat with both hands, but Hạt Dẻ didn’t want to go. It turned its head back with all its strength and meowed at me, like a poor little cat that had been abandoned.
Lucas Carter teased, “Looks like my cat really likes you.”
I forced a smile. “Maybe it’s because it looks like my cat at home.”
After Lucas Carter left, the office remained steeped in an awkward, stifling atmosphere.
I didn’t know whether my coworkers believed Lucas Carter’s excuse. Either way, I didn’t believe it myself.
Morgan Anderson no longer looked at me with an innocent expression.
I tried to hold back, but in the end I couldn’t resist opening my chat with Lucas Carter.
Me: [Why did you bring him here!]
Lucas Carter replied: [He wanted to come find you. I couldn’t stop him.]
Ridiculous. How could anyone be unable to stop a cat?
Lucas Carter sent another message: [He’s been making a racket at home.]