CH 9

CHAPTER 9—Huge Appetite

The next day, Xie Yu woke up early and followed Zhou Cheng and the others straight to Shen Hong’s villa.

Madam Shen’s spirit had undergone a change from when she had met Xie Yu the other day—her face showed signs of exhaustion.

Seeing Xie Yu, she quickly beckoned him to come forward, and held up the obviously changed suit against his body to compare it with him.

“Try it first. There is still one place that hasn’t been changed.” Shen Hong handed the clothes to Xie Yu, and pointed to the bathroom connected to the room.

Xie Yu nodded, went into the bathroom to change, and found that the waist could be tightened a bit more, so he quickly informed assistant Xiao Ling who was waiting outside the door.

Shen Hong waited for feedback for the second revision, then took back the suit patiently, and kindly reminded Xie Yu, Zhou Cheng and others to go rest, “You guys came so early, have you eaten yet?”

They got up very early and didn’t have time to eat, but wanted to be tactful.

But considering that they might have to stay at Shen’s villa until late, they all fell silent.

Shen Hong’s gaze shifted from the suit on the table to Xie Yu’s face, swept everyone’s expressions, and immediately understood.

She pursed her lips, suppressed her smile, and directly ordered her assistant to take the guests downstairs, “Xiao Ling, take these gentlemen and lady to rest, it also happens to be time to eat.”

“Thank you, madam.” Zhou Cheng complied, and followed the assistant Xiao Ling out first.

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Xie Yu looked at Mrs. Shen who was in front of the case holding the suit and asked, “Have you eaten?”

Madam Shen raised her head again, a little surprised by Xie Yu’s question.

She nodded with a smile, waved her hand, and signaled him to go quickly.

*****

The dining room on the first floor was very spacious and was connected to the verdant backyard with a great view.

When everyone entered, there was no one there yet, and as soon as they were seated, a housekeeping robot stepped forward to confirm the orders of the guests.

Zhou Cheng ordered a drawer of steamed buns and a bowl of purple fruit syrup.

Anna and Fei Chen each ordered a Golden Wing Egg Pancake, and asked the robot to bring hot sauce as well.

As for Xie Yu, perhaps because of the good food last night, he was very hungry after waking up this morning.

He thought that steamed buns might not be enough to fill him up, so he added some pumpkin porridge, and then remembered that such a food was too thick and wanted to choose a vegetable salad instead.

As a result, the words “re-selection failed” showed up as a notice.

After all the dishes were served, everyone on the table looked at the breakfast in front of Xie Yu, not knowing what to say.

The steamer that held the steamed buns was twice the size of those found on Earth.

Each of the so-called xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) were as big as Xie Yu’s fist.

And in Xie Yu’s opinion, the porridge bowl could no longer be described as a bowl—it was already qualified to be called a basin.

And, the pile of vegetable and fruit salad covered with light yellow sauce…

In the whole dining room, Xie Yu looked the thinnest.

But the breakfast in front Zhou Cheng and his assistants weren’t as much as that compared to Xie Yu alone.

Xie Yu was indeed very hungry, but he never expected that Shen’s villa would serve such a big breakfast.

If he were a little more hungry, he might barely be able to finish it, but the portion was really too much.

As soon as he saw it, he knew that it was obviously beyond his ability.

Originally they came for the opportunity to wear a great suit, so they owed the owner of the villa a favor, but now they’ve ordered too much, and it was simply rude to leave most of the meal given to them unfinished.

His face was a little hot, and he sat still, just suppressing his embarrassment and began to think of a solution.

“Ayu, I just want to remind you. I’ve never seen you eat so much…” Anna held up the tableware, looked at Xie Yu who was about to be drowned in food, and could only hold back her laughter.

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“Don’t force yourself. Can you finish eating it?” Zhou Cheng asked, obviously having calmed down a lot, “I am also responsible. I only remembered that Mrs. Shen was from the human race, and I forgot to remind you that this was the home of Giant Cat clan members as well.”

“If it’s the Giant Cat clan, this size is considered a normal portion.” Fei Chen nodded, “It’s okay, Ayu, if you can’t finish it, give it to us. Just one egg pancake may not be enough for me.”

The two assistants expressed that they did not dislike helping Xie Yu, and even Zhou Cheng nodded.

Xie Yu couldn’t do such a thing like eating half and giving leftovers to others.

But he guessed that because they’ve been working together for a long time, they didn’t pay that much mind to each other.

Nonetheless, he was grateful for the sympathy of his companions.

Just as he raised his hand to push the meal in front of him away, he heard a sound from the entrance of the dining room, and quickly stopped, not daring to move anymore.

“Old Shen, let me tell you, you have to come participate in the event.” The bouncing male voice approached and continued to say, “Auntie is right, there is no rush to search for evidence. You need to find an excuse now, so take a step back from it first.”

“Cough.” A heavy, short cough interrupted the previous male’s voice.

“Your voice is so hoarse. Maybe it’s because you didn’t get enough sleep last night and did something bad…” The young man in a colorful tracksuit said while laughing ripplingly.

As soon as he entered the dining room, he saw Xie Yu and the others sitting there.

“This is?” He was taken aback, his expression a little surprised, and when he saw the handsome young man sitting on the innermost side, “—Xie Yu?!”

Zhou Cheng quickly reacted and got up quickly, “Hello, I’m Xie Yu’s manager Zhou Cheng. We made an appointment with Mrs. Shen today to fix the size of the clothes we’re borrowing.”

“Hello.” Xie Yu stood up, his eyes fell on the entrance of the dining room, bypassing the playboy-like young man in front, and fell onto the tall young man with gray-green eyes standing at the back.

Matching the appearance with the image he saw on the mirror screen yesterday, Xie Yu instantly confirmed the identity of this person.

He glanced at the black and blue sportswear of the man in the back subtly, feeling that he had a good figure, and no matter whether it was a suit or casual clothes, he could wear it with a certain aura.

“Ah——I know you!” The young man in flower clothes clapped his hands, obviously a little excited, “Big star, I’ve admired you for a long time. My name is Zhao Lezi, and I am Shen Qi’s friend. Oh right, this is Shen Qi, the eldest of the Shen family.”

When Shen Qi’s name came out, everyone was shocked.

It was a name that appeared many times in the announced nominations list for the Golden Laurel Awards, which was held at the same time as the Golden Toilet.

Combined with knowledge about the whereabouts of Mrs. Shen’s other suit, wouldn’t the eldest son be…

Zhou Cheng and the others were busy making polite remarks, but Xie Yu was the only one among them to realize that one of the two names meant “Looking for fun” and the other meant “Magical”, which really opened his eyes. (TL: these are the literal translations of their Chinese names, Zhao Lezi = looking for fun, Shen Qi = Magical–let me know if I’m wrong >.<)

He suppressed his smile, and nodded his head as usual in greeting.

It’s just that his eyes were bright with a faint smile, and his visage was very attractive.

“Good morning.” Shen Qi opened his mouth and greeted them, and his eyes were deep and inexplicable as they swept over Xie Yu who lowered his head slightly and pursed his lips.

He wasn’t aware that his and his friend’s names were being secretly poked fun at by someone.

Shen Qi’s greeting made Xie Yu frown subconsciously, because he suddenly felt that the voice was slightly familiar.

And although Zhao Lezi said he was Xie Yu’s fan, he was obviously more interested in Zhou Cheng, the manager.

He claimed that he was Shen Qi’s manager, and kept chatting with Zhou Cheng, asking about what a broker’s day-to-day was like.

At a time like this, Zhou Cheng could only chat with him, because he was used to being the one who picked up the conversation.

The more Zhao Lezi chatted, the more excited he became, so he simply sat down next to Zhou Cheng, without the slightest awareness that he was also a guest, and ordered food directly.

Shen Qi’s temples were still a little moist as he walked to the other side of the table and sat down, just facing Xie Yu.

He took a light screen from the robot first, and was not in a hurry to check it.

He even glanced at the meal in front of Xie Yu before looking back.

Xie Yu, who was speculating about Shen Qi’s original form and gigantic size by the color of his eyes, was taken aback by Shen Qi’s seemingly unintentional glance.

Xie Yu looked down at his meal, and was a little embarrassed.

He wasn’t sure if Shen Qi would see through the fact that he ordered too much, and he couldn’t move his chopsticks right away, so he could only sit upright in his chair and laugh along, watching Zhao Lezi chat with Zhou Cheng.

He didn’t really focus on Zhou Cheng and Zhao Lezi, but kept observing the fit man directly opposite him from the corner of his eye.

Shen Qi’s sense of presence was too strong, and he rarely spoke—he was basically the type who didn’t take the initiative to speak up.

His face was heroic and handsome, but there was no smile, just a very serious expression.

Zhao Lezi’s meal was served first, and after he smelled the aroma, he said a few more words and let Zhou Cheng go.

Zhou Cheng breathed a sigh of relief calmly, only to find that Xie Yu, Anna, and Fei Chen hadn’t move their chopsticks when he turned around to look.

The dining room had become quiet, and apart from Zhao Lezi drinking porridge and gobbling up food, there was no other sound.

Zhou Cheng questioned with his eyes silently, in exchange for the tacit understanding in the eyes of the three of them.

He then took notice of Shen Qi, and immediately understood.

He was also a member of the Giant Cat clan, and had long noticed this kind of oppressive aura.

Instinct drove him to avoid Shen Qi as much as possible, but as social responsibility dictated with his position as the team leader, he could only bite the bullet and speak up now.

“Mr. Shen is also a member of the Giant Cat clan?” Zhou Cheng picked up the steamed bun in his bowl, “It seems that we may have passed you by yesterday.”

“En.” Shen Qi put his hands together on the table, and nodded after listening to Zhou Cheng’s words.

Not only did Shen Qi not want to respond, but he also had nothing to say, so he simply closed his mouth.

“Me too.” Zhou Cheng showed his ability to deal with work and social interaction, “I don’t know how the Giant Cat Clan Star is developing now. I haven’t been back for many years. When I came here to the Tourist Star, I transferred from the Giant Cat Star. It’s a pity that I wasn’t able to take a look.”

Shen Qi relied on Xie Yu’s voice he heard the day before to confirm that this person was the passenger sitting next to him on the spaceship at that time.

Now that they met again unexpectedly, he also carefully observed Xie Yu’s facial features, affirming the familiarity in his heart, but he couldn’t find the basis for the familiarity.

When Zhou Cheng mentioned it, he took advantage of the opportunity to say the flight number of the spaceship, “Was it this flight?”

“Hey, how did you know?” Zhou Cheng raised his eyebrows, “Could it be that you were also on that spaceship?”

Shen Qi was leaning over slightly to let the robot serve him meals one after another, but his eyes were fixed on Xie Yu, “Well, I brought my younger brother along with me. I was sorry to disturb your rest.”

In Xie Yu’s eyes, Shen Qi’s gray-green eyes were bottomless, with countless emotions hidden, but there was nothing unusual on the surface.

Xie Yu was taken aback for a moment, but also came to his senses.

He waved his hand and hurriedly denied it, “No, Mr. Shen. Your brother was very good, he didn’t bother me.”

After listening to Xie Yu’s words, Shen Qi lowered his head to grab the tableware, with a subtle pleasure flashing across his serious face.

Seeing that everyone had started eating, Xie Yu picked up his own cutlery, ready to quickly and politely finish the meal he had ordered.

He didn’t touch the xiaolongbao and pumpkin porridge, and just buried himself in eating his salad.

The vegetable salad that was mixed with a slightly sour and slightly salty sauce was unexpectedly delicious.

As he was forking his salad, he suddenly saw a black shadow flashing past from the corner of his eye, and he couldn’t help but stop.

Looking up, it turned out to be the yellow-green round-eyed cub he saw yesterday.

It jumped onto the corner of the table and was staring at the strangers in the house.

Xie Yu glanced at the large French windows that were open behind it, and could guess where it came from.

“Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-” it howled at its elder brother, then turned its head and looked eagerly at Xie Yu who was closest to him.

Shen Qi placed down his cutlery, and his frowning face became extremely intimidating.

His tone of voice changed from the gentle one he spoke with to Xie Yu before, and became severe, “Forget the rules? Come down. What do you think you look like now, squatting on the table.”

After being taught such a lesson, the cub slipped on its hind legs and fell off the corner of the table in an instant.

But relying on the agility of the Giant Cat clan, he climbed up again.

It’s just that he didn’t dare to squat down on the table anymore, and only stepped on the stool, with his two front paws resting on the edge of the table, poking his head up.

Its figure was several times larger than that of a house cat found on Earth, and the little movements it made showed that he felt a little bit aggrieved.

Xie Yu watched the whole process, took a peek at Shen Qi, and recalled the scene when disembarking from their aircraft yesterday.

From his memory of him lying on the grass and letting the cub make a fuss, Shen Qi’s original form should be bigger than that of a liger from Earth

And the image of a good-tempered brother contrasted with the serious demeanor he saw now…

Shen Liu had long been used to listening to his elder brother’s lectures, so he was not annoyed, but just stared at Xie Yu with a pair of big eyes.

He remembered Xie Yu’s appearance from the spaceship, and recognized him when he entered the dining room.

Now he was very curious about Xie Yu, and just wanted to get closer to him.

Shen Liu took a look at his brother, and after confirming that he was in a good mood, he jumped back onto the ground decisively and pushed a chair with his head until it reached Xie Yu’s side, before jumping up again.

The front paws climbed onto Xie Yu’s elbow resting on the table, and he continued whining.

The tone was undulating and full of emotion.

Xie Yu was too afraid to move because of the cub, and he couldn’t understand what was going on, so he could only look at Shen Qi opposite him for help.

“Shen Liu, what are you doing?” Shen Qi frowned more, took a deep breath, and couldn’t bear Shen Liu’s clingy attitude any longer, “Either eat by yourself, or come to my side, and I’ll feed you.”

After hearing this, Shen Liu, who was only resting on Xie Yu’s arm with his front paws, buried his head, showing resistance with his body.

Although Shen Liu was a cub, his size was not small for a human like Xie Yu.

Xie Yu felt a little sore, but didn’t want to push Shen Liu away, so he could only put down his chopsticks, stroke Shen Liu’s head soothingly, and finally coax the cub hanging from his elbow onto his lap.

Zhou Cheng, who was the only one in the audience who could understand the language of the Giant Cat clan, couldn’t help but want to laugh after listening to Shen Liu whining for a while.

He glanced at Shen Qi who was obviously restraining himself, and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

This naughty cub, Shen Liu, accused Shen Qi of being simple and rude in feeding him in front of everyone.

Fortunately, most of the people present couldn’t understand, otherwise the Shen family would lose face.

At this time, Xie Yu also remembered that Zhou Cheng was also a member of the Giant Cat clan, so he turned his head and asked for help with his eyes.

“He wants you to feed him.” Zhou Cheng lowered his voice and said.

Xie Yu didn’t resist taking care of the cub, but it was obviously not an Earth cat.

He wasn’t familiar with the feeding process of a Giant Cat, so he didn’t know whether to refuse or accept.

“Shen Liu, come here for the last time.” Shen Qi had stopped eating at some point, folded his arms, and stared at Shen Liu with sharp eyes.

The cub sticking to Xie Yu’s body froze, and its protruding ears drooped because he felt bad.

He quickly jumped down, sprinted around the bottom of the table, and reluctantly squatted down on the seat next to Shen Qi.

Shen Qi sped up his eating, and in the end he took the pumpkin porridge and steamed buns that Xie Yu hadn’t touched very naturally, and cleared the dishes, demonstrating a huge appetite.

Shen Liu killed three steaks independently, and licked his mouth lightly after eating everything.

After a hearty meal, Zhou Cheng went straight to the venue of the film festival to confirm things, while Xie Yu stayed at the Shen’s villa.

Except for being called up by Mrs. Shen to try on the suit from time to time, he spent the rest of his time with Shen Liu on the lawn in the garden.

The cub was delighted to have an extra playmate, and laid flat on his back in Xie Yu’s lap happily, enjoying the top treatment that Xie Yu gave him by stroking his fur.

Although Shen Liu was splayed over him, Xie Yu’s attention actually fell on Shen Qi who was not far away.

Xie Yu’s heart was warmed by Shen Qi’s considerate behavior before, but now this big cat next to him looked even better than Shen Liu, so that he almost ended up in a daze.

The curves of Shen Qi’s side profile perfectly inherited the advantages of felines, and his body shape was not inferior to any beast or large animal from Earth that Xie Yu could recall.

No matter which angle was used to look at him, it was a body full of strength and beauty.

The big cat, which was half a floor tall after standing straight on four legs, laid on its stomach not far away from them, dozing as motionless as a mountain.

Occasionally, when it heard a sound, it flicked its ears and opened its eyes to look over.

If he were to say his gaze had any weight—it was enough to make sure Shen Liu dare not make any mistakes.

And after withdrawing his gaze, he’d continue to doze off.

It was hard to tell if he was really asleep, or if he was just closing his eyes and resting.

Seeing this scene made Xie Yu very happy. The taciturn, serious, and upright first impression of Shen Qi in human form in his mind began to crumble.

Until the afternoon, when he changed into the suit Mrs. Shen had altered and was fiddled with by the makeup artist and sent to the aircraft, his mind was still full of those clear eyes and the appearance of Shen Qi’s cat form.

As he looked at the aircraft in front of him, his thoughts drifted uncontrollably.

For the first time in his two lives, he observed a big cat up close.

He didn’t know if Shen Qi’s fur would feel as good to the touch as the cub’s (TL: He’s comparing to Shen Liu)—will it be soft to the touch…

Then his thoughts were interrupted by Zhou Cheng’s voice.

Xie Yu deeply realized the mistake of letting his mind wander at a critical moment.

After a moment of introspection, he forced himself to bury his cat-sucking thoughts deeply and focused on the upcoming red carpet night.

****

The Author’s notes:

Shen Qi: When we met for the first time, you stared at my fur? [frown]

Xie Yu: More than that, I still wanted to touch it. [quiet whisper]

TL: Shen Qi, already acting like a married husband eating Xie Yu’s leftovers~