Chapter 19 – Daily Feeding

As the little orange cat gradually grew, the second season of My Idol at Home began filming.

As an idol star, Chu Yin wasn’t doing anything productive—instead, he stayed at home with his arm in a cast, livestreaming himself petting his cat. Every morning, the first thing he did was shuffle over in slippers to the cat bed and single-handedly ruffle the kitten until it meowed.

Wei Lai, determined to fatten up the two cats at home, tied on an apron and started cooking delicious meals while wearing flip-flops.

Chu Yin sat on the kitchen counter with Big Orange perched on his head. Both human and cat stared wide-eyed at the aggressive crabs crawling around in the fish tank.

Big Orange: “Meow~”

Chu Yin: “…”

Chu Yin was afraid of spiders, and by extension, he was a little scared of crabs too. He shrank back and said, “I don’t eat crab.”

Wei Lai: “Don’t like it?”

Chu Yin: “That’s not it. But with my arm like this, I can’t crack them open.”

Wei Lai: “Oh, so you’ll just have to watch me eat then. Hehe.”

Chu Yin: “…”

Lately, Chu Yin had been suffering from a loss of appetite, so this suited him just fine. He propped his chin on his hand and watched Wei Lai work without a care.

He observed Wei Lai’s long, hairy legs sticking out from under his pink apron, lifting his right foot to scratch his left calf with his toes, then calmly grabbing a crab and placing it in the steamer. With practiced ease, Wei Lai chopped ginger, mixed vinegar, and sprinkled a bit of glistening white sugar into the dipping sauce.

Somehow, it gave off the aura of a master chef.

Chu Yin asked, “Did you learn to cook from Baidu?”

Wei Lai, head down as he mixed various sauces from jars and bottles, replied, “Mostly from my mom. She liked dragging me into the kitchen to help, so I picked it up over time.”

This kind of familial bond, embedded in the mundane routines of something like cooking, was what Chu Yin had always yearned for but never dared to imagine. He let out an “Oh,” then suddenly felt a craving for crab. Pouting, he muttered, “You bought so much, and you won’t even finish it.”

Wei Lai said, “Don’t worry about that. Isn’t there still Orunju? That chubby cat has never let down the reputation of its breed¹There is a stereotype that orange cats are fat and lazy..”

Chu Yin: “…But kittens can’t eat too much.”

Wei Lai pretended not to understand. “I can. I’ll eat it.”

Chu Yin: “…You’ll get fat. Hmph!”

Before long, the crabs were ready.

Wei Lai snipped off the ends of the crab legs and used the smaller leg segment to push out the meat inside—tender as white jade yet firm. He dipped it in vinegar and brought it to Chu Yin’s lips. “Come on, darling. Open your mouth.”

Chu Yin felt a little embarrassed. “Just put it on the plate. I’ll pick it up myself.”

Wei Lai glanced at Big Orange, who was eyeing the food covetously. “If I put it on the plate, Orunju will snatch it.”

Hearing this, Chu Yin quickly bit into the meat, tasting the unique sweetness of crab. But that tiny piece was hardly enough—it disappeared after a couple of chews.

Chu Yin stared longingly at Wei Lai, who methodically picked out another piece of crab meat and placed it in Orunju’s bowl.

Chu Yin: “Wah.”

Chu Yin continued staring pitifully at Wei Lai, resenting the fact that he only had one hand and had to rely on Wei Lai to feed him.

Big Orange: “Meow~ Meow~ Meow~”

Chu Yin watched helplessly as Wei Lai fed the cat another bite.

Now Chu Yin was angry. He lowered his head and pretended to play with his phone, occasionally sneaking glances at Wei Lai to see if he planned to feed him.

But no.

Wei Lai took a bite, then fed the cat. Wei Lai took two bites, and only after the cat meowed several times did it get another piece—none for him.

Once the crab meat was gone, it was finally time for the most anticipated part: the roe.

Golden, glistening crab roe and translucent crab fat trembled slightly, still steaming as Wei Lai cracked open the shell.

Chu Yin held back the restless Big Orange and whispered, very softly, “…Meow?”

Under the intense gaze of both human and cat, Wei Lai took a big bite of the roe and smacked his lips. “Ah, so delicious! So fragrant!”

For the first time in his life, Chu Yin desperately wanted to eat something. “…Wah!”

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  There is a stereotype that orange cats are fat and lazy.