Chapter Text
The late evening air in the narrow alley behind Wu Suowei’s small shop was crisp, carrying the sharp scent of roasted chestnuts and damp pavement. Suowei stretched his arms above his head, letting out a heavy sigh that fogged slightly in the chilly breeze. It had been a long, exhausting day of counting inventory and dodging Chi Cheng’s usual overbearing nonsense, and all Suowei wanted was to lock up and head home to a hot bowl of noodles.
As he reached for the metal shutter, a tiny, scratchy sound caught his ear.
Meow.
Suowei froze. He looked down toward the stack of wooden crates beside his back door. Poking out from between two dusty boxes was a small, triangular head with sleek black fur and a stark white patch across its nose, looking remarkably like a tiny mustache. Bright yellow eyes stared up at Suowei with unblinking, serious intensity.
"Well, look at you," Suowei muttered, crouching down slowly so he wouldn't startle the creature. "Where did you come from, little guy?"
The stray tuxedo cat didn't run. Instead, it tiptoed forward with hilarious, dignified confidence, sniffing Suowei’s worn sneakers before giving a soft, demanding chirp. Suowei’s heart melted just a little bit. Life hadn't been particularly gentle to him lately, but this scrappy little stray looked like it knew a thing or two about toughing it out on the streets.
"Hold on," Suowei whispered, rummaging through his canvas bag. He pulled out a half-eaten pork sausage he had saved from lunch. He broke off a clean piece and laid it gently on a piece of cardboard. "Here. Eat up, buddy."
The cat didn't hesitate. It devoured the sausage in two quick gulps, purred loudly enough to sound like a miniature motorboat, and rubbed its cheek against Suowei’s knee.
"You're a brave little fellow, aren't you?" Suowei smiled, gently stroking the fur between the cat's ears. "I'm gonna call you General. You act like you own the place."
Across the city, in a luxurious high-rise apartment overlooking the glowing skyline, Chi Cheng sat on his leather sofa, swirling a glass of dark amber whiskey. The room was dead silent, exactly the way he usually liked it...until a faint tapping noise echoed from his balcony glass door.
Chi Cheng set his glass down, his brow furrowing slightly. He walked over and pulled back the heavy curtain.
Sitting on the polished marble tile outside was the exact same tuxedo cat, licking its paws casually. When it saw Chi Cheng, it tapped its paw against the glass again, demanding entry with absolute arrogance.
Chi Cheng unlocked the door. The cat strolled in as if it paid the rent, heading straight for the kitchen island. Chi Cheng smirked slightly, amused by the sheer audacity of the creature. He opened his refrigerator, sliced off a generous portion of imported, raw wagyu beef, and set it down on a ceramic plate.
"Eating well tonight, are we?" Chi Cheng murmured, resting a hand on his hip as the cat dug in happily. "You've got good taste."
The cat finished the beef, let out a satisfied purr, and curled up on Chi Cheng’s expensive rug for a quick nap before slipping back out the balcony window an hour later.
By the next morning, Suowei was back at his shop early. As he unlocked the front door, he found General waiting on the doorstep, sunning himself in a patch of morning light.
"Back for breakfast?" Suowei laughed, kneeling down.
As he reached out to pet the cat's neck, his fingers caught on something smooth and metallic under the black fur. Suowei blinked, pulling back the thick coat to inspect it.
Glinting in the sunlight was a brand-new, high-end silver collar tag, polished to a mirror shine.
Suowei’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Wait a minute... who the hell gave you this?"