Chapter 5 Xiao Hei's Gift_1

Lin Shan frowned at the sight, hastily urging, "Ah... why are you holding a stray cat? They are very dirty."

Xiao Hei squinted and cast Lin Shan a cool glance: Who's a stray cat? Have you ever seen a stray cat with my demeanor?

"It's not a stray cat; I just adopted a cat," Qin Sisi explained.

Lin Shan looked somewhat surprised: "Your cat? It seems like you never kept pets before."

Xiao Hei's ears twitched, quickly picking up the message in Lin Shan's words: Never had a pet before? So that means, I'm her first.

Qin Sisi pursed her lips, her voice reflecting a hint of melancholy: "Now that I'm alone, having a pet would at least mean having some company."

Lin Shan felt as if she had said something inappropriate and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I…"

Qin Sisi shook her head at Lin Shan, "It's fine, sister Lin, let's go inside."

After that, Qin Sisi stepped forward to walk in, but Lin Shan pulled her back, pointing to the little black cat in her arms: "You are not thinking about taking it to work, right?"

Only then did Qin Sisi realize her mistake, looking somewhat troubled as she stared at the little black cat in her arms. Bringing it to work would definitely not be feasible.

Not too long ago, a young female employee from another department had brought her sick pet dog to the office due to work overload and inability to take leave. That incident ended with the employee getting fired.

Qin Sisi certainly did not want to get fired, she needed the job, she needed the money.

Xiao Hei didn't care about these intricacies. Seemingly oblivious to Qin Sisi's dilemma, he cutely buried his head in Qin Sisi's chest. Just as Qin Sisi was about to say something, Xiao Hei lifted his head, something new in his mouth.

Qin Sisi looked surprised. She carefully took the object out of Xiao Hei's mouth, and Lin Shan also leaned over to look, "What is that?"

"It seems to be a wooden bead bracelet." Qin Sisi answered uncertainly.

The bracelet was made up of eleven wooden beads, each intricately carved with intricate patterns. The whole bracelet had a dark red hue and seemed quite ancient.

Qin Sisi stared into Xiao Hei's purple eyes, then seriously questioned, "Xiao Hei, where did this come from?"

She knew her question would likely be pointless, but she couldn't resist asking. A cat coming from afar to find her, carrying such a strange object in its mouth, felt quite eerie.

As expected, Xiao Hei acted as if he hadn't heard her, staring back at her with wide, innocent-looking purple eyes.

Lin Shan stepped in to mediate, "Alright, alright, why are you getting irritated with a cat? Maybe it picked it up somewhere and thought it was fun to bring it to you."

Lin Shan was a strong career woman, but she tended to be rather indifferent to these small matters in life.

Xiao Hei turned his head and winked at Lin Shan. Startled, she wondered if the cat was smiling at her. Must be an illusion, she thought!

Qin Sisi hesitantly said, "Would it be wrong to leave him outdoors after he came all this way to bring me a gift?"

Lin Shan fell silent for a moment then dashed over to a nearby convenience store, returning with a black garbage bag. She handed it to Qin Sisi, "This is the best I can assist you with".

With no other solution in mind, Qin Sisi could only place Xiao Hei in the black garbage bag, coaxing it sweetly: "Behave, Xiao Hei. Stay inside and sleep quietly. You must not make any noise!"

Despite appearing reluctant, Xiao Hei was eventually put inside the black garbage bag. His small body inside the large bag was not noticeable from the outside.

Qin Sisi glanced guiltily at the pitiful Xiao Hei inside the bag and expressed her concern to Lin Shan, "What should I say if someone asks?"

Lin Shan placed a finger to her lips in thought before firmly suggesting, "Just say... you just bought a fish."

"A fish?" Qin Sisi was taken aback, but quickly grasped the implication. A newly bought fish that hadn't completely died yet might make a bit of noise.

Qin Sisi nodded, "Alright." She then bent down to remind the black garbage bag again, "Remember, stay quiet."

Xiao Hei meekly meowed in response from within the bag, his big purple eyes glowing like two glittering gems, filled with a sense of being wronged and unwilling: Here I am, so talented and extraordinary, and not only did I become a cat, now I'm being treated like a dying fish!

By the time Qin Sisi and Lin Shan returned to the office, their colleagues who had gone out for lunch were also trickling back in. There was still some time before work resumed, so everyone was chatting casually at their desks.

Qin Sisi held the wooden bracelet that Xiao Hei had given her, rubbing it absentmindedly. She couldn't recall receiving many gifts in her life, besides the cards exchanged among her classmates during the New Year in her childhood.

With a sigh, Qin Sisi thought: I never expected that the first decent gift I would receive in my life would come from a cat.

Despite her sadness, Qin Sisi still wore the wooden bracelet on her wrist, then shook her wrist lightly. The rustic color and patterns actually matched her preference somewhat. Qin Sisi curved her lips into a smile, feeling pleasantly surprised.

Throughout the afternoon, Qin Sisi was on tenterhooks, fearing Xiao Hei would make a noise. Fortunately, Xiao Hei seemed to fall asleep and didn't move an inch. Everyone was busy with their own work, and no one noticed the black garbage bag.

In the evening, Qin Sisi left the company building with the black garbage bag. Her alertness faded, and she exhaled deeply, thoughts of catching the bus across the street on her mind. Then she heard someone call her name from behind. She turned around in surprise, her relaxation evaporated in an instant.

Wang Ji'an...

There he was, cheerfully approaching her, looking amiable and kind: "Sisi, heading home?"

An escape was all she wanted, but on the surface, Qin Sisi was obliged to flash a polite smile, "Yes, Manager Wang, are you heading home, too?"

Wang Ji'an nodded, adding, "We are heading the same way. Let me give you a ride."

Startled, Qin Sisi hurriedly shook her head and declined, "No need, it would be bothering you." She hoped he would understand her direct refusal.

Wang Ji'an's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly resumed smiling, "What are you saying? We are colleagues. No need for formalities. Let's go."

Qin Sisi stepped back, saying uneasily, "No need, Manager Wang. The bus is quite convenient."

Undeterred, Wang Ji'an continued to approach her, "Buses are so crowded! Just ride in my car…" As he spoke, he reached out to loop an arm around Qin Sisi's waist.