The Little Kitten Was Raised By Her Childhood Friend To Be His Wife - Chapter 1

It was afternoon at the newly relocated Ruan family estate.

Warm sunlight filtered through the floor to ceiling windows, landing on a cradle where a sleeping kitten, looking barely two months old with light caramel-brown fur, lay tucked away.

The kitten was chubby, sleeping soundly on its back with its soft little belly exposed. One paw covered its head while the other rested by its ear, revealing pink paw pads. It looked like a round, fuzzy ball of glutinous rice.

Beside the cradle lay a small white lion cub, staring intently at the kitten.

The lion cub tilted its fluffy head, its eyes filled with excitement and novelty.

So tiny… barely the size of my own paw.

The cub turned to look at the two people standing behind him: his mother, and Auntie Ling Xiao, who had just moved in today. Ling Xiao was the kitten’s mother. Both women were smiling as they watched the little ones.

He had heard from his mother that Auntie Ling Xiao and his parents had been close friends for a long time. Because of a job change, Auntie Ling had moved in next door with her only son.

A few days ago, when the lion cub heard a kitten smaller than him was moving in, he had practically jumped for joy. Great! I’m finally going to have a younger brother!

He had long been envious of his classmate, a little wolf at the nursery who had a younger brother. He desperately wanted one too, so he could protect him, cuddle with him, and finally be a “big brother.”

To meet his brother as soon as possible, the lion cub had counted the days on his paws. Finally, on moving day, he dragged his mother over to Auntie Ling’s house early in the morning.

Right now, the lion cub’s fluffy tail wagged back and forth, and his perked ears twitched. He looked pleadingly at Ling Xiao and his mother, his desire to touch the kitten written all over his face.

Ling Xiao immediately understood his silent request. Seeing how much the little lion, Wen Huaiye, liked her son, Ruan Ruan, she gave an encouraging nod.

The lion cub’s mother, seeing Ling Xiao’s approval, finally nodded to her son. She gestured for him to be gentle, reminding him not to hurt Ruan Ruan. After all, her son was usually a “little terror,” and Ruan Ruan was still just a tiny cub.

With their permission, the lion cub’s tail wagged even harder. He wanted to leap for joy.

But fearing he would wake the kitten, he leaned close to the cradle, held his breath, and carefully extended a paw toward the kitten’s head.

The first touch was so soft, just like his favorite gummy candies.

The lion cub’s heart felt like it contained a frantic little rabbit, thumping loudly.

He touched him a second time. The tiny mouth, the tiny nose, the long eyelashes, and the chubby cheeks… So pretty!

His heart felt like it had swallowed popping candy, sweet and tingling with excitement.

A third touch…

“Meow…” The kitten rolled over, stretched, and splayed its toes like a blooming flower, letting out a soft, sleepy sound.

The lion cub froze, his paw hovering in mid-air.

The kitten slowly opened its emerald eyes. The first thing it saw was a strange, large predator cub.

Instinctively, the kitten scrambled up, its fur puffing out. It backed its chubby body away, knitted its “bean” eyebrows, and let out a “fierce” cry: “Meow!” (Who are you?!)

While trying to look tough, it tremblingly extended a short leg, attempting a “short-leg strike,” but its limb was so stubby it only swiped at the air.

Wuu, the short-leg attack failed!

The lion cub blinked, then realized: Brother is awake! And he talked to me!

A huge grin broke out across the cub’s furry face. He shook his head happily. “Awoo!” (Brother!)

The kitten remained wary. Its round, fat body trembled as it called for help: “Meow meow!” (Mama, save baby!)

Ling Xiao, dressed in a light-colored casual suit, expertly picked up a milk bottle and sat by the cradle. She pulled the kitten into her arms, stroking him gently. “Ruan Ruan, don’t be afraid. This is the brother from next door coming to see you.”

The kitten huddled against his mother like a little dumpling, trying to hide in the crook of her arm. But curiosity got the best of him. He poked his head out just a tiny bit to peek at the head-shaking lion cub and whispered timidly, “Meow-wu?” (Brother?)

Hearing the kitten call him “brother” for the first time, the lion cub started bouncing on the spot. “Awoo awoo!” (Mama, listen! Brother called me brother!)

In that moment, the lion cub’s mother felt as if the words “BROTHER CON” (brother obsessed) were floating above her son’s head.

She had never seen her son so fond of another cub. At the nursery, he was a little king who often made other predator cubs cry, and at home, he was constantly wrestling with his own older brother.

Seeing him be so incredibly careful with Ruan Ruan was a wonderful surprise.

Smiling, she patted the lion cub’s head and sat beside him, waving at the kitten. “Hello, Ruan Ruan. I am Auntie Sang.”

Hearing the kind voice, the kitten poked more of his head out, staring at Sang Yi with wide eyes while tilting his head.

The auntie is so pretty. Her hair is red, long, and curly.

Watching the kitten, Sang Yi’s heart melted. She pointed to the lion cub and added, “This is my younger son, Wen Huaiye.”

As she moved, her thick red curls accidentally draped over the lion cub’s face. It tickled. He scrambled to paw them away, whining, “Awoo!” (Mama, your hair is blocking my view of brother!)

Sang Yi looked down and laughed, unhurriedly moving her hair. “Mama didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.”

By the time the lion cub finished his “battle” with the hair, he saw the kitten had fully emerged. Ruan Ruan was tilting his head, looking at him with more curiosity than fear.

The kitten didn’t realize that, in his eyes, the cub had just been playing a fun game with his mother.

“Awoo awoo!” (Brother is looking at me!)

The lion cub’s tail whipped back and forth. He blurted out, “Awoo!” (Brother is so cute!)

Both mothers laughed at his blunt praise. Sang Yi mimicked her son’s tone. “He is, isn’t he? Ruan Ruan, awoo!”

The kitten looked up at his mother and asked softly, “Meow…” (Are they praising baby?)

Ling Xiao scratched his chin gently. “That’s right. Auntie Sang and Big Brother are praising Ruan Ruan.”

Feeling the affection from the pretty auntie and the fluffy brother, the kitten remembered his manners. He looked shyly at Sang Yi and replied in a sweet, milky voice, “Meow-wu~” (Thank you, Auntie~)

Sang Yi felt like she’d been shot through the heart by the cuteness.

The kitten then turned his gaze to the lion cub. Under the cub’s intense, sparkling eyes, he murmured, “Meow… meow-wu…” (Th-thank you, Brother…)

The lion cub jumped three feet into the air. “Awoo!” (Brother said thank you to me!)

That wasn’t enough, he started running circles around Sang Yi and Ling Xiao.

The kitten leaned out of his mother’s arms, his head following the lion cub’s movement: left to right, left to right…

Just as he was about to get dizzy, his attention was caught by the milk bottle. He reached out with two short legs. “Meow!” (Mama, milk!)

Ling Xiao had expected this. As she placed him back in the cradle, the lion cub ran to her side. “Awoo?” (Auntie Ling, can I feed him?)

Ling Xiao didn’t refuse. She could see Ruan Ruan was starting to accept Wen Huaiye.

She handed over the bottle. Since he couldn’t transform yet, the lion cub took it with both paws.

Sang Yi was about to remind him to check the temperature, but her son surprised her. He didn’t feed it to Ruan Ruan immediately. Instead, he let a few drops fall onto his own paw pad.

With a serious face, he muttered, “Awoo.” (Must check the temp. Can’t burn brother. That’s what the Hippo Teacher at the nursery does.)

Sang Yi blinked at Ling Xiao, her expression saying: I think my son was swapped at birth.

This impulsive “little terror” was being incredibly meticulous.

Ling Xiao smiled. Her bottle warmer had precise temperature controls, but the cub’s gesture showed just how much he truly cared for Ruan Ruan.

Once he was sure the temperature was right, the lion cub held the bottle out. “Awoo!” (Brother, here! Have milk!)

Ruan Ruan was truly hungry. With a pajji sound, he flopped onto his back, baring his belly, and hugged the bottle with all four short limbs. Gulp, gulp, gulp. His tiny ears twitched with every swallow.

While the kitten was busy drinking, the lion cub held the bottle steady with his paws, terrified it might slip and hit the kitten. Brother is so small. If the bottle hits him, it’ll hurt! I’m the big brother, I have to protect him!

Gradually, Ruan Ruan grew bolder. He let go of the bottle with his legs and began “making biscuits” in the air with contentment.

The lion cub’s eyes widened. He used to do that when he was happy at that age. “Mama, Auntie Ling, is Brother very happy right now?”

Ling Xiao patted his head. “Yes. Because Xiao Ye took such good care of him.”

Beaming with pride, the lion cub looked at his mother, who gave him a thumbs-up. His sense of “Big Brother” satisfaction doubled. “Brother is happy, so I’m happy!”

The three watched the kitten finish. He was a dedicated eater. The bottle emptied, and his little belly grew rounder.

Ling Xiao suggested Xiao Ye stay with him while the mothers chatted on the nearby sofa.

After a while, the milk was gone. Ruan Ruan’s belly was like a little balloon. He closed his eyes contentedly. “Thank you, Brother~”

He started licking his pink paws, then remembered he was a clean baby and needed to groom his fur.

Ruan Ruan tried to twist his chubby body to the left. “One, two, three… hmph!”

Eh? Didn’t get up.

He tried flipping to the right. “Baby try again… hmph!”

Uwah, still didn’t work!

After several attempts, he realized his belly was too round to let him flip over. Frustrated and panicked, the kitten cried out to the lion cub for help:

“Brother, Baby can’t flip over! Wuu wuu!”