Chapter 18 – Suspected Dropping Of Catnip?

 

“Baobao?” Ouyang Feng’s voice came muffled through the phone and his tone carried some confusion.

However, Lin Jiabao couldn’t make out Ouyang Feng’s words and only a “Meow?” left his lips.

Ouyang Feng tapped his fingers against his work desk. Could it be that Lin Jiabao was awoken by his sleep by him and was still a little drowsy? But it didn’t seem like it, he was laughing and meowing like a drunkard.

“Other than meowing, do you know how to say anything else?”

Lin Jiabao turned his head to look at his phone and then repeated to the microphone, “Also… also know how to say meow?”

The child probably wasn’t clear-headed. After finishing his sentence, Lin Jiabao hung up. Ouyang Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, he was a little worried. Then someone knocked on the door. He held onto the phone and signaled for his subordinate to come in. Secretary Wen, who had just come in, saw Ouyang Feng’s strange expression and thought he was wearing the wrong glasses so he couldn’t see properly.

“Take these files away. Remember to hand in the report after getting the needed signatures. You can get off work when you’re done.”

Secretary Wen took the files away and just as he was about to leave, Ouyang Feng called him.

“I remember you said you had a little brother?”

Secretary Wen nodded and asked suspiciously, “What’s up, boss?”

“Is your family’s little brother obedient?”

“Still considered obedient, he doesn’t make trouble, he just loves to play video games.” Could it be that Young Master Chen came to make trouble for the boss again and the boss came to him to ask for advice on how to discipline bear children? Several english books for elite children discipline appeared in Secretary Wen’s head and he awaited the boss’ inquiry.

Ouyang Feng gave Secretary Wen a scornful look. He thought of his family’s (when did it become his family’s?) obedient Bao and suddenly felt a sense of pride. Ouyang Feng soon got a headache and said, “If you call a child and the said child appears to be drunk, how would you deal with this situation?”

Young Master Chen was drunk? That didn’t sound right, didn’t Young Master Chen go out drinking on a regular basis?

“If it was my little brother, I’d run over to see what was going on.” Secretary Wen looked inquisitively at Ouyang Feng. “Did something happen to Young Master Chen?”

“What’s there to worry about him?”

Seeing Ouyang Feng’s face of disgust, Secretary Wen got the feeling that Ouyang Chen wasn’t Ouyang Feng’s biological little brother.

“You go down first.”

Secretary Wen left the room quickly and Ouyang Feng gave Lin Jiabao a call.

And Lin Jiabao, who was laying on the bed, didn’t hear the phone ringing and meowed incessantly at it. He vaguely thought that he had broken the phone and didn’t remember that he had just hung up the phone.

He held onto the mobile phone and continued to roll around on the bed. It seemed that only when he was rolling could he hold the phone normally.

After rolling for a while, the phone rang again and caused Lin Jiabao to sit up suddenly. His eyes darted to the screen and meowed twice at it before accepting the call.

“Baobao, are you alright? Where are you right now?” Ouyang Feng packed up his files, getting ready to hurry over to Lin Jiabao’s home first to take a look.

“H… home.” Lin Jiabao let out a ‘hehe’, seeming to have regained some of his consciousness.

“Are you drunk?”

Lin Jiabao shook his head but didn’t think that Ouyang Feng couldn’t see him since he wasn’t there physically. As Ouyang Feng didn’t get any verbal confirmation from Lin Jiabao, he hurriedly left the office and rushed to the parking lot.

“This time, don’t hang up, okay?” Ouyang Feng placed the phone on the dashboard and decided to hurry over to Lin Jiabao’s home to take a look at him.

“Okay, meow.”

Ouyang Feng continued to speak to Lin Jiabao, who replied in a rather confused manner. Even though he couldn’t keep his eyes open and couldn’t stop nodding off, he still replied Ouyang Feng within seconds.

At a turn, Ouyang Feng asked Lin Jiabao what he had eaten at night, who suddenly went quiet. Ouyang Feng gripped the steering wheel tightly, fearing that something unexpected had happened.

“I like mummy the most, like… like big brother the most…”

Ouyang Feng’s heart skipped a beat and didn’t know why he suddenly turned nervous. He coughed lightly and mumbled, “I like you too.”

There was no trace of weariness in his voice, it was as if emotions were being released.

However, Lin Jiabao didn’t seem to hear what he said and started to list out the people he liked. “I also… also like the big sister at the store and big brother Jie Jie, Chen Chen… also like, also like Lian Lian1, I like all of them very much meow.”

“I like you guys the most.” So don’t abandon me. Lin Jiabao started to let out little sobs, feeling as if he was back when he was young. His mummy was sick and no matter how he called her, she wouldn’t respond. He meowed softly and pressed his face to the phone, similar to how he had cuddled up in his mummy’s embrace. It was still warm.

The corner of Ouyang Feng’s lips hooked up and he parked his car in the neighbourhood’s car park, replying appeasingly, “Everyone likes you too.”

“Hehe~”

The corridor of Lin Jiabao’s apartment was already very dim during the day, it was even darker at night. Ouyang Feng turned on his phone’s flashlight and hurried to Lin Jiabao’s door, knocking on it.

“Baobao, open the door.”

Why did he feel like a big wolf knocking on the door of a little white rabbit? Should his question be answered with ‘don’t open, don’t open, mama isn’t home’?2

What was he thinking about writing? Lin Jiabao shook his catnip-muddled head in a daze. Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten to wrap himself in a bath towel twice. He made his way to the door one step at a time.

Ouyang Feng didn’t think he’d get such a big ‘surprise’ when the door was opened. A white and tender youth wrapped only in a bath towel opened the door but at one glance, it was obvious that said youth wasn’t in the right state of mind. Lin Jiabao’s head was slow, and it took a long time for him to recognize the person who came. Without waiting for Lin Jiabao to react, Ouyang Feng pushed Lin Jiabao into the house and hurriedly closed the door behind himself. He could look but what would happen if the neighbours saw Lin Jiabao in this state?

“Big… big brother?” Turns out catnip could also make big brother appear in front of him. He let out a giggle.

“You’re still laughing.” Ouyang Fang placed his jacket over Lin Jiabao, worried he was cold. “What did you do until your mind was so muddled?”

Lin Jiabao rubbed Ouyang Feng’s coat, wanting to happily squeal. But when he heard Ouyang Feng’s question, he bent down to look for the can of catnip, unknowingly sticking up his bum. The sight made Ouyang Feng’s nose a little itchy and for the sake of being a gentleman, he went to Lin Jiabao’s side to ask what he was looking for. Truthfully, in his heart, he remarked how the child was skinny but had a good amount of meat on his bum.

“Found… found it!” Lin Jiabao handed the can of catnip over to Ouyang Feng, as if he was presenting treasure. Ouyang Feng furrowed his eyebrows, fearing that it was some kind of neurological drug and contemplated handing it over to his private doctor to take a look. Then he took it over for a closer look and realised it looked familiar.

Wait, isn’t this catnip?

dreamy here!! thanks for everyone’s well wishes! my hammy is back to normal and he’s bitey and grumpy as ever.

 

thanks for reading and see you next week!

1

They are nicknames for Song Jie, Ouyang Chen and Bai Youlian respectively.

2

A Chinese nursery rhyme that teaches children to not open the door for strangers, this is what my 4 year old cousin told me though lol