The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

“Third brother, do we have any band-aids at home?” 

Li Heng stood up, casually taking the backpack from his hand.

He noticed Xie Duzhi had been scratched by the cat.

The backpack wasn’t very breathable; even if the zipper wasn’t fully closed, it must have been quite uncomfortable inside. It was entirely normal for the cat to lash out and show some aggression—after all, it was the one that had climbed in by itself.

Dealing with the scratch seemed far more important than being angry with the cat.

Xie Duzhi had been scratched to the point of bleeding.

“No need,” Xie Duzhi refused. “It’ll scab up by itself soon.”

He seemed unfazed by this minor incident and answered the question again.

“The first-aid kit is in the bottom drawer of the TV cabinet.”

The medications and wound-care supplies in the kit were checked and replaced regularly, all with the latest expiration dates.

“But putting on a band-aid helps it heal faster,” Li Heng insisted. “Xiaozhi scratched you harder than second brother would.”

Even if it scabbed up, it wouldn’t heal right away.

He rummaged through the first-aid kit and found a row of band-aids but didn’t see any aloe vera gel. “Is there no aloe vera gel? That doesn’t leave scars.”

Before Xie Duzhi could respond, Li Heng instinctively grabbed his wrist, leaned in close, and pressed the already opened band-aid over the scratch.

It was just a small matter that didn’t require much attention, yet the focus he put into it made that scratched spot feel warm.

He was apologizing for the cat and feeling a bit guilty.

“I should have opened the backpack,” he said. “Xiaozhi might yell at me too, but it wouldn’t scratch and bite.”

But Xie Duzhi knew the problem wasn’t with the cat.

Rather than the cat being in a bad mood from being trapped in the backpack too long, it was his attitude that had provoked it.

He hadn’t expected a cat to be here, and when he unzipped the bag to grab the cat, his movements weren’t gentle at all.

They were careless and rough.

He was only thinking about getting the cat out and then contacting Uncle Fu to come pick it up.

So the cat reacted that way.

First, it bit him, and then, in self-defense, it scratched him several times because of his instinctive retaliation.

Xie Duzhi lowered his gaze, hiding part of his emotions.

Clearly, this was something that should have been clarified, but he chose not to, allowing this small misunderstanding to continue.

Li Heng, who had just apologized and promised to teach the cat a lesson, was now crouched down, calling for the cat in a gentle voice.

But it wasn’t quite the same.

At the beginning, he had compared Li Heng to the cat because of the assistant’s overly eye-catching dynamic wallpaper.

They both looked surprised.

But the cat’s temperament was nowhere near as good as Li Heng’s; he was more optimistic and gentle, and he wouldn’t dwell on trivial matters.

His gaze lingered on him for a moment before he withdrew it subtly.

During the renovation, they had specifically installed marble flooring, which was easy to clean but quite cold and had a so-called “chill.”

Tomorrow was a weekday, and no one would be in the house during the day. He should contact the property manager to have them re-lay the carpet.

“Third brother, is there any fish in the fridge, or something like—” Li Heng paused, suddenly realizing that what he was about to say was no longer common and probably wouldn’t be found in such a place.

“What?” Xie Duzhi asked, slightly puzzled.

“There’s only beef and shrimp in the fridge.” The property hadn’t delivered any fish today.

He had observed that Li Heng preferred fruits and vegetables over meat and hadn’t shown much of a preference for fish.

Clearly, he was asking specifically for the cat.

“…It’s a feather duster,” Li Heng said softly, “the kind with a lot of feathers bundled together. It’s easy to attract the cat with moving feathers.”

This way, if the food didn’t work as bait, he could pull out a few feathers and slowly coax the cat out.

Otherwise, the cat would just stay hidden under the sofa, and every time he looked at the two band-aids he’d put on Xie Duzhi’s hand, he felt a bit guilty.

…At the very least, he had to hold Xiaozhi’s head and make it apologize too.

“Maybe the property management has some.” They should use it for cleaning.

Xie Duzhi thought for a moment. “I’ll call them”

“…No need! Don’t bother,” Li Heng said instinctively. “We can just wait for it to come out on its own.”

“Xiaozhi adapts to the environment very well.” He thought for a moment and added, “It should come out from underneath in a while.”

“I’ll make it apologize to you first, and then I’ll call Uncle Fu to come and take it back.”

“The sofa can be moved.” Xie Duzhi was always quick and decisive in his actions.

“…Huh?”

Li Heng still hadn’t gotten up from the floor and heard the dull sound of the furniture being dragged.

He instinctively lowered his head and noticed that the Siamese cat’s tail was already puffed up.

The sofa was being pulled out, visibly shrinking the safe space it had left.

“Brother,” Li Heng exclaimed, “it’s okay now, I can reach in…”

Before he could finish speaking, the cat shot out from under the sofa like it had stepped on a tail, darting around the corner of the living room and hiding somewhere else.

The air suddenly fell silent.

He and Xie Duzhi exchanged glances for a moment before remembering that he was still sitting on the floor and awkwardly stood up.

He rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty. “Maybe we shouldn’t bother with it anymore.”

At least in that moment, his suggestion came from the heart.

If the cat was hungry, it would come over on its own for some affection, lingering at people’s feet, begging for food.

He was just a bit worried about hygiene.

After all, there was no litter box at Xie Duzhi’s house. If Xiaozhi couldn’t hold it, it would be a hassle to clean up.

“The kitchen is just around the corner from the living room,” Xie Duzhi thought differently. “It has nowhere to hide.”

If they didn’t get the cat out soon, it would lead to more trouble later.

This was the conclusion Xie Duzhi had drawn from what had just happened.

He could ignore it and ensure his work wouldn’t be affected by this uncertainty.

But Li Heng couldn’t.

His heart was clearly tied to the Siamese cat. If the cat stayed here any longer, he might lose his appetite for dinner.

Thinking of this, Xie Duzhi turned around, preparing to go to the kitchen to catch the cat.

Li Heng blinked, realizing what was happening, and quickly followed in his footsteps, feeling a bit worried.

He couldn’t quite tell if he was worried about the cat or his brother.

He secretly looked at Xie Duzhi, feeling a strange sense of “he has things he’s not good at too.”

Although Mrs. Xie had mentioned he wasn’t good at interacting with family, Li Heng hadn’t really experienced that deeply until now.

As for the game—he had speculated about it, but since he had never seen the other play, it didn’t feel real.

However, the scene of him being thrown into disarray by Xiaozhi was unfolding right before him.

He even felt that Xie Duzhi was being unusually serious.

The cat was indeed in the kitchen. The integrated kitchen counter didn’t provide much hiding space. When Li Heng entered behind Xie Duzhi, he found it standing on top of the refrigerator, looking ready to launch an attack at any moment.

He didn’t even know how it had jumped up there.

Instinctively, he stepped forward, standing in front of Xie Duzhi, waving at the cat while soothing it with his words.

“Be good, Xiaozhi,” he coaxed, taking a few tentative steps forward. “How about we go eat?”

If only he had some cat treats or snacks in hand, he would be much more persuasive.

The cat’s tail was still puffed up, raised high behind it, but it had stopped growling threateningly. In front of its owner, it didn’t show much aggression.

It began to meow loudly, sounding like it was protesting.

Of course, there was also the possibility of it cursing.

Li Heng glanced back at Xie Duzhi, whose expression revealed nothing, then quickly turned away.

He thought he was being discreet and wouldn’t be noticed, but his little actions were clearly seen by the other.

Xie Duzhi felt a bit amused but didn’t say anything to expose him.

In the blink of an eye, Li Heng was already standing beneath the refrigerator, negotiating gently with the cat, coaxing it to come down.

He even reached out his hand, ready to catch it.

Xie Duzhi stepped back a few paces and gently closed the kitchen door.

That folding door had been a design oversight.

He rarely used the kitchen, and since the mistake was tolerable, he hadn’t bothered to remove it.

He didn’t expect it to come in handy at this moment.

Li Heng tiptoed, almost reaching the cat, which was hesitantly extending its paw toward him.

Xie Duzhi focused his eyes, then, taking a quick step forward, swiftly grabbed the cat.

He held the Siamese securely under its armpits, and even though the cat instinctively scratched him, it could only futilely attempt to escape.

Li Heng quickly reacted, grabbing the cat from his hands before it could break free, pulling it into his embrace.

“All right, all right, Xiaozhi, don’t be angry.” He gently stroked the cat’s tail base and gave a significant look to Xie Duzhi, mouthing for him to contact home and have the cat picked up.

Xie Duzhi understood.

But as he looked at Li Heng and the cat in his arms, he suddenly wanted to change his mind.

“It doesn’t want to leave you.”

So, keeping the cat would be more appropriate.