Thus, the next morning, as soon as Qin Sisi opened her eyes, she saw a bundle of fluffy black fur.
"Ah!" Qin Sisi had just awakened, her mind still a bit foggy, and she couldn't help but scream.
Xiao Hei was once again startled from his slumber. He softly "meowed" twice, raised his head, half-closed eyes glaring at Qin Sisi. His expression appeared dissatisfied as if questioning, "Why are you screaming so early in the morning!"
Only then did Qin Sisi snap out of it. She quickly stroked Xiao Hei's back a few times and said softly, "I'm sorry, I forgot about you being in the house."
Forgot?!
After a night spent together bathing, dining and sleeping, she forgot already?!
Xiao Hei was muttering to himself in his mind, visibly unbothered as he lazily "meowed" once more, laying his head down on his paws, and closed his eyes to rest again. He didn't have a good sleep the previous night.
Qin Sisi got up and made some soy milk. She drank a bowl and poured one for Xiao Hei. Then, she hurriedly cleaned up and prepared for work. Before leaving, she gently patted Xiao Hei several times and reassured him, "Be good and wait at home. I will get you something delicious when I'm back from work" Before walking out the door, she gave Xiao Hei a "bye-bye" hand gesture.
Xiao Hei squinted, watching Qin Sisi leave. Then, he stayed on the bed for a little while longer. After estimating that Qin Sisi had walked far away, he then got up and jumped to the window. The seemingly frail paw gently pushed, the window opened, and Xiao Hei nimbly crawled over, lazily closed the window, and then swiftly jumped down.
A few seconds later, Xiao Hei silently landed on the ground. He looked around, then quickly burrowed into the bushes, disappearing out of sight.
He had many tasks to complete. Given the current situation, helping Qin Sisi was also a way of helping himself.
Qin Sisi had taken a few days off because of her mother's situation, but fortunately, her leaders were pretty understanding and didn't give her a hard time.
Panting, Qin Sisi rushed into the company. As soon as she settled down in her seat, her colleague and best friend, Shan Shan, came over to greet her and thoughtfully brought her a cup of hot milk tea.
Qin Sisi accepted the milk tea and forced a smile, "Thank you, Shan Shan."
Shan Shan gave her a sympathetic glance and whispered, bending slightly, "Why are you being formal with me! Have you sorted everything out at home?"
Qin Sisi nodded, "Yes, everything's sorted out."
Shan Shan joined the company a year earlier than Qin Sisi. Qin Sisi was hired by this company right after she graduated last year. Shan Shan took on the role of an older sister, taking good care of her on a regular basis, and the two got along rather well.
Shan Shan was a classic beauty, fair-skinned, beautiful with long legs. However, she was straightforward, somewhat sarcastic, and the male colleagues in the company were interested in her but didn't dare to make a move.
Qin Sisi was always grateful for Shan Shan's care. Apart from informing her supervisor when asking for leave, she only informed Shan Shan about her mother's passing and did not want to share too much about her family matters with others.
"Oh, Sisi is back!" A sickly sweet voice suddenly entered their ears.
Qin Sisi and Shan Shan both turned around and saw a heavily made-up face approaching them. It was their same department colleague, Meng Xiaofei.
"I'm so glad you're back. I've been so tired these past few days without you!" While Meng Xiaofei complained in a coquettish voice, she moved a stack of documents from her desk over to Qin Sisi's, "I handled the stuff from the past few days, now it's your turn to deal with the rest."
Shan Shan rolled her eyes and was about to say something when Qin Sisi pulled at her sleeve. Then she turned to Meng Xiaofei and said, "Okay, I understand."
"Keep up the good work, darling." Meng Xiaofei fluttered her eyelashes and walked away with a swaying of her hips.
Shan Shan curled her lip, "Why did you bother with her?"
Qin Sisi picked up the stack of documents and stated flatly, "I've just taken a few days off, I should show some productivity, otherwise the supervisor might have something to say."
Moreover, Meng Xiaofei was the type who liked to slack off and take small advantages. There wasn't a principle problem, and Qin Sisi didn't see the need to make a big fuss with her.
Shan Shan sighed and said, "Okay, you go ahead. Call me if you need anything."
Qin Sisi nodded and watched Shan Shan walk away before lowering her head to flip through the pile of documents in her hand.
A while later, a colleague came over and told Qin Sisi that Manager Wang wanted to see her.
Manager Wang, whose full name was Wang Ji'an, was the manager of Qin Sisi's department.
Qin Sisi didn't dare to delay. She quickly got up and headed towards Wang Ji'an's office. She adjusted her clothing standing outside Wang Ji'an's office before knocking on the door. Only when the person inside said "come in" did Qin Sisi push the door and walk in.
Wang Ji'an was probably in his thirties, with a square face and an austere demeanor. Seeing Qin Sisi enter, Wang Ji'an's eyes flickered with amusement. She was alone, quiet, and had a decently beautiful yet modest appearance. He saw her as a very suitable choice.
Qin Sisi had thought that Wang Ji'an summoned her for work-related matters. Unexpectedly, he just casually inquired about her family situation with a concerned expression. He even patted Qin Sisi's shoulder gently, kindly saying, "If there's anything, feel free to come find me. Those who work under me are my people, it's only right that I look after you."
Qin Sisi was repelled by the unexpected physical contact. She took a step back to avoid the hand on her shoulder and responded politely, "Thank you for your concern, Manager Wang. I will work hard."
Wang Ji'an gave her a meaningful look and waved his hand to indicate that she could go.
Leaving Wang Ji'an's office, Qin Sisi heaved a long sigh of relief. She always thought Wang Ji'an was an alright person, but his behavior today made her feel very uncomfortable. What does he mean by saying that she's "his person?" And "looking after her was the right thing to do?" It sounded as though they had some special relationship, and in the end, even tried to touch her. Despite Qin Sisi's good restraint, she couldn't help but want to get angry.
Qin Sisi looked back at the closed door and made up her mind to avoid Manager Wang as much as possible to avoid any trouble.
Fortunately, no other incidents happened afterward. Qin Sisi had lunch with Shan Shan at a restaurant near the company. After lunch, the two chatted while heading back to the office.
As they arrived at the company's entrance and were just about to enter, suddenly a black shadow swooshed out, stopping at Qin Sisi's feet. Then she heard a familiar cat meow - "Meow."
When Qin Sisi looked down, she couldn't help but gasp: "Xiao Hei!"
The cat before her eyes was none other than Xiao Hei, whom she had adopted just yesterday. She had intentionally left him locked inside the house when she left! How did he get out?
Despite her surprise, Qin Sisi bent down to pick up Xiao Hei.