Chapter 52: Black-Hearted Capitalist
Yu Xin was right—when Gu Qinghuan returned to the office at noon, there really was a long-haired calico cat crouched on the windowsill.
She checked it against the photo—an exact match.
The calico’s coloring was unusually even, without looking messy at all.
Its two ears were pure black; from its forehead down to the eye area was orange; from the nose down, forming a “八”-shaped lower face, was white.
Its body was mostly large patches of black and yellow, but the belly to the legs was white. Its big black-and-yellow tail lay across the windowsill, the long fur covering most of its tucked-in front paws, leaving only the tips—like mangosteen petals—peeking out. It looked very cute.
Its expression, however, was not cute at all.
Golden-orange eyes stared straight at Gu Qinghuan and Yu Xin as they entered. The dark pupils were not round, but narrowed into fine spindle shapes—a perfect illustration of the phrase glaring like a tiger watching its prey.
Also, probably due to long-term life as a stray, the calico’s fur wasn’t exactly clean or sleek—it was a bit dull, and some tufts were matted into small clumps.
The distance from the door to the windowsill was about six meters. When Gu Qinghuan tried approaching, she only got within three meters before the cat stood up, clearly ready to bolt.
If she didn’t aim directly toward it or focus her attention on it, she could get as close as one and a half meters—but Yu Xin said the cat had already started baring its teeth.
Gu Qinghuan quietly retreated and asked, “When did you first see it?”
“Seems like it showed up around midnight. I don’t know when exactly it came. After I fed the kitten, it left,” Yu Xin replied.
“Maybe it came because it heard the kitten crying?” Gu Qinghuan guessed.
“Possibly?” Yu Xin didn’t know as much about cats as Gu Qinghuan did.
Gu Qinghuan frowned in thought.
If she could use the kitten to lure the calico inside, catching it indoors would be much easier—but it might result in injuries to whoever was catching it.
And given the calico was a stray, the kitten was still small with poor immunity—if it brought in parasites or viruses, that would be trouble.
“Better to raise the kitten a bit first,” Gu Qinghuan decided. “Anyway, I never planned to catch it before the monthly exam. For now, just take care of the kitten and ignore the calico.”
“Should we put some food on the windowsill?” Yu Xin suggested.
“Sure. Just put some kibble there when it’s not around. I’ve got some in the stuff I brought,” Gu Qinghuan said.
They were small brand-sample packs she’d bought for just one or two yuan each—50g or 100g per pack—just right for one day’s feeding.
As for whether the calico would be picky—Gu Qinghuan had fed plenty of strays, and she’d rarely seen a picky one; most had iron stomachs.
Yu Xin readily agreed. Putting out some kibble was much easier than setting alarms to feed the kitten milk.
Since the calico issue was on hold, Gu Qinghuan changed the subject. “By the way, have you named the kitten yet?”
“I have one… but it’s kind of ordinary,” Yu Xin said shyly. “What do you think of the name Sesame?”
She pointed to a small black dot on the kitten’s white forehead. “Right here—it looks just like a sesame seed to me.”
Gu Qinghuan looked. Now that it was pointed out, it really did resemble a tiny black sesame seed.
“That’s actually pretty nice!” Gu Qinghuan approved.
After all, it was Yu Xin’s cat—she could call it whatever she wanted.
Encouraged, Yu Xin happily messaged Jiang Chuchu to announce the name.
At first Jiang Chuchu thought it was a bit plain, but after saying it aloud a few times, it felt smooth. “Not bad. We’ll call it Sesame from now on!”
Since Xia He had also played a role in Yu Xin being able to keep the kitten, Gu Qinghuan messaged him too, telling him the name.
“Sesame?” Xia He was lounging on the sofa, holding his phone. “That’s not unique at all!” he scoffed.
Bai Hanshan was busy reviewing reports from various departments—signing off on the ones he could, passing the rest to Xia He.
Without looking up, Bai Hanshan said, “Why does it need to be unique? People can call it whatever they like.”
Xia He snorted and sat up. “I just can’t stand that girl Yu Xin—so petty.”
Bai Hanshan couldn’t help glancing at him. “You seem to have a real problem with her.”
“Can’t stand that doormat attitude,” Xia He said darkly.
Bai Hanshan didn’t reply, quietly returning his gaze to the reports.
He didn’t know much about Yu Xin—only that she was Gu Qinghuan’s friend—so when gathering information, he’d checked into her situation a little.
The whole “real and fake daughter” business was bizarre enough. Coupled with her past identity and the Yu family’s current attitude toward her, Bai Hanshan felt sympathy.
He figured Xia He’s strong reaction toward her might come from a kind of shared suffering.
Over the years he’d known Xia He, Bai Hanshan had learned bits and pieces about his past. After returning to the country and acknowledging his family, Xia He had the old man’s backing and was indeed forceful—but during his years abroad, hiding from assassins, he must have swallowed his share of humiliation.
Thinking of that, Bai Hanshan suddenly realized—if Xia He had often endured indignities while growing up, how had he so quickly shaken off that “habit” after coming home?
A long-term disguise becomes second nature, even if your mind has moved on.
And considering Xia He also had self-harm tendencies…
Bai Hanshan’s mood grew heavier.
Xia He shot him a sidelong glance. “What are you thinking about?”
Bai Hanshan immediately brushed the thoughts aside and handed over the sorted reports. “These need your attention. Hopefully you can sign off on them today.”
Xia He grabbed a pen and, leaning back on the sofa, started signing on his lap.
He was quick—Bai Hanshan had already marked the key points, and it was just student council paperwork.
If it took him long, he could forget about inheriting the Xia family.
After a while, Xia He suddenly said, “She has the potential to become strong.”
“What?” Bai Hanshan was caught off guard.
Xia He went on as if talking to himself. “I mean, anyone who’s suffered but never given up will become strong—just like me.”
…And there he was praising himself again. Bai Hanshan silently rolled his eyes.
“I can see her future. She might not be a great leader, but she’ll be a capable right-hand,” Xia He continued. “And talent should be recruited early. I just don’t have the patience to wait for her to grow slowly—a little whip-cracking won’t hurt.”
He tossed the signed reports back to Bai Hanshan. “Done. I’m off to see my sister~”
Listening to his footsteps fade, Bai Hanshan clicked his tongue. “Black-hearted capitalist.”
