Purrfect Romance

Head may break, blood may flow! But Fenix will never sport a mohawk!

This was about the face of the Marina City Prince! This was about a man's dignity!

Fenix watched Lion's approaching hand, raised his paw to block it, and resisted with all his might!

But for Lion, the strength of a small kitten was negligible.

Without any pause, Lion simply plucked a small tuft of fur from the top of Fenix's head.

Fenix stared at the tuft of fur in Lion's hand, eyes wide.

"Meow!"

You actually dared to touch my fur!

Aaaaah!!!

Fenix will fight you to the death!

Fenix's suspended paws flailed wildly.

Lion, watching the fur fly due to Fenix's vigorous movements, gently laid the kitten on his lap, facing upwards.

"If you keep moving, you'll really go bald."

Fenix froze, his golden eyes darting around.

The soft white fur floating in the air caught the sunlight from outside, giving it a bright golden sheen as it drifted down.

Fenix whimpered, touching his terminal: 'Boss, will the fur grow back?'

Lion rubbed Fenix's belly. "It will."

Swear to it.

If I lie, may I gain a hundred pounds.

Fenix closed his eyes and reluctantly allowed Lion to stroke his belly.

The bodyguard in the front seat was whispering something to Lion.

Fenix perked up his ears and heard that it was related to the relocation of Lion Corp.

While listening, Fenix opened his social media account and started stealing energy to feed chickens.

The first to receive his attention were his three roommates.

In modern society, you can skip chatting, avoid meeting, and even become enemies.

But you can't skip stealing energy and feeding chickens.

Fenix harvested a wave of energy and listened to a few words exchanged between Lion and the bodyguard. He learned that Lion had specifically visited their school to recruit the killer whale for their marine and water energy development project.

In Marina City University, there were only a handful of Awakeners, each move attracting attention.

Naturally, Fenix had heard of the killer whale.

Everyone in Marina City University knew that this guy had to spend half his day in an artificial ocean with sufficient pressure and salinity because of his Awakened form.

Due to the limited activity space, this guy always wore a look of melancholy whenever he appeared outside.

Fenix thought for a moment, typed a line, and tapped Lion's sleeve with his paw.

Lion and the bodyguard turned to see the message Fenix had typed.

'That Awakener already has a career direction. He wants to focus on marine water protection.'

Actually, quite ambitious.

Considering his Awakened form and melancholic demeanor, it made sense.

Lion clicked his tongue slightly. "How did you know that?"

Fenix was taken aback, realizing that Lion's "again" referred to the time he knew Ferran liked sweets.

Ah.

Fenix was a bit troubled.

Fenix couldn't explain the source of this information.

Fenix calmly typed: 'Many people know about this.'

Lion nodded. "Then wouldn't he be a perfect match for our clean energy development?"

Fenix, not knowing much about this, sent a smiley face, and remembered Alfred wanted an internal referral.

Internal referral meant a more personal and friendly recommendation compared to external recruitment, typically used for poaching or switching jobs.

Fenix decided to feel out the waters for his friends.

He tapped on the terminal: 'Boss, besides the killer whale, does the company hire interns?'

Lion glanced at Fenix's question and pointed to the bodyguard in the front seat.

He never handled personnel matters.

Fenix communicated with the bodyguard and discovered that their batch was quite lucky.

Lion Corp. had just moved to Cobalt Star, and the original headquarters on the Imperial Star had become a branch.

Very few people were willing to leave the Imperial Star to follow Lion here, and even fewer wanted to stay at the branch.

Thus, Lion Corp. had a significant personnel shortage, and the number of graduates and interns hired over the next few years would increase significantly.

This was a windfall for Fenix and his batch.

But for Lion Corp., it was a massive talent drain.

From Fenix's rookie HR perspective, the entire company should be panicking like ants on a hot pot.

Fenix looked at the bodyguard, then at Lion.

With such a significant shortage, they didn't seem worried at all.

Fenix perked his ears, noting this down to learn how to handle such situations later.

He couldn't just be a meowing psychological comforter forever.

Being able to join Lion Corp. meant he would learn a lot.

And it was the kind of learning that didn't require tuition fees or responsibility.

He just needed to observe others' successes and failures, absorb lessons, and improve himself.

It was a risk-free deal, pure profit.

Fenix's mind raced with ideas.

As they entered the estate gates, Fenix, holding his terminal, quickly shared the good news about Lion Corp.'s significant personnel shortage in the dorm group chat.

After sending the message, he closed the social window, picked up the fur ball he had balled up earlier, and jumped out of the car, shaking his messed-up fur.

The porch had good ventilation, and as Fenix shook his fur, he watched the tufts of fur fly everywhere with the wind.

During the molting period, fur didn't fall out strand by strand but in clumps.

Visually, it was quite shocking.

Fenix, holding the fur ball, stood stunned for two seconds. He dropped the fur ball and turned to chase after the blown-away fur. However, as soon as he let go, the wind blew the fur ball into a drain.

Fenix froze.

Standing over the drain, he watched his precious fur ball get swept away by the water, disappearing into darkness. The shock hit him like lightning, leaving him dumbfounded.

The bodyguard's facial muscles twitched, barely managing to keep a straight face.

"It's okay," he said. "You can make many more balls of fur from your body."

Fenix turned around. "Meow!"

What's wrong with you!

Wishing for Fenix to keep shedding fur!

Unforgivable!

Fenix pawed at the drain a few times but ultimately couldn't overcome his fear of water and returned dejectedly.

Lion carried the cat inside, casually taking off his coat and hanging it aside. He glanced at Fenix and reminded him, "Remember to sew it."

Fenix: "…"

?

Boss, you don't have to take it so seriously.

But Lion showed with actions that he was very serious.

Fenix watched Lion enter the master bedroom on the first floor, unsure what he was doing.

The bodyguard didn't provide round-the-clock protection; he had his own life.

The driver was even less involved.

Fenix suspected they lived separately mostly out of fear of being affected by Lion's madness.

But Fenix couldn't.

What could Fenix do?

He had nowhere else to live.

He couldn't really go homeless, scavenging through trash cans.

God.

Think of those terrifying bugs!!

Compared to being a bug fighter, Fenix preferred to sew Lion's suit pockets for life!!

Fenix glanced at the suit jacket he had ruined, feeling a lump in his throat.

These paws didn't seem capable of doing much.

But there's always a way out for cats, Fenix could figure something out!

Alright!

Fenix will figure it out!

Fenix frowned, trying hard to think.

Then he looked down at his paws.

Fenix: "…"

Damn it.

How could he figure anything out with these paws!

Who could help Fenix stuff this damned Awakening back into his DNA and bury it, never to see the light of day again!

Awakening brings no joy!

Fenix was furious.

He angrily opened his bookmarks, scrolled for a while, and found a post shared by an Awakener.

Ashamed, he opened the post and quickly searched for keywords on how to revert to human form.

This was probably the most sought-after information among Awakeners, so the poster had highlighted it.

But the highlighted content was short.

"Just supplement nutrition, and when your body feels ready, you can naturally revert."

Fenix: ?

Grass.

What the hell??

When the body feels ready??

What's wrong with your Awakening school??

I suspect you have problems with your heads!!

I…

No.

Fenix calmed down.

Killing is illegal!

Fenix shouldn't have expected anything from the idiotic Awakening school from the start!

Fenix hugged his tail, lying on the sofa, like a useless cat.

Cat life is exhausting.

Fenix just wanted to be a harmless waste of space, why did he have to go through all this.

Fenix slowly sat up from the sofa, dragging his heavy steps back upstairs.

Lion came out of the room with a brush, searching for Fenix for a while.

He had to check the surveillance footage to find Fenix hiding behind a pillow, squeezed between the sofa cushions.

Lion truly didn't understand Fenix's behavior.

"…What are you doing?"

Fenix typed: 'Being antisocial.'

Lion: "?"

This kid was young but had many tricks.

Fenix was still a bit upset: 'Boss, the robot threw away my cardboard box! I can't find a place to sleep!'

Lion: "I'll get you a new cat bed."

A cat bed might not be as comfortable as a cardboard box!

Fenix grumbled to himself.

He would buy something suitable later.

Fenix pulled himself out of the sofa, sighing deeply: 'Is there something you need, Boss?'

Lion picked up the brush. "Grooming."

Fenix instantly jumped to the side, alert.

Not all felines enjoyed grooming.

Fenix disliked it.

Lion realized he was being extremely patient with Fenix.

He clicked his tongue and pulled up a projection from his terminal.

The projection showed a cliffside pool, beyond which was a vast expanse of clear blue ocean.

Fenix looked from afar, not understanding what Lion was doing.

Thinking quickly, he typed: 'Wow! Amazing! Boss's big swimming pool!'

Lion paused. "It's a hotel."

Fenix was stunned for two seconds and quickly corrected himself: 'Wow! Amazing! Boss's big hotel!'

Lion: "…"

Although that wasn't exactly what he meant…

But it wasn't wrong either.

"This is a hotel exclusively for Awakeners, equipped with many training aids that could help you adapt to your Awakened form. Want to go?"

Fenix: "…"

Do I look like I can afford it?

That's cruel, Boss.

"It's in BluBay," Lion said.

BluBay was located about eighty kilometers east of Marina City, boasting the most beautiful and azure bay on Cobalt Star, a popular spot for photos and vacations.

In three years of university, Fenix had never been there.

Not for any reason other than the high cost.

"Wanna go?" Lion asked again. "If you let me groom you, I'll take you there. It's my hotel, so you won't have to pay."

Fenix's head, halfway in the negative, suddenly stopped.

Lion approached him. "Grooming can prevent hairballs, and you are a long-haired cat."

Fenix didn't know what hairballs were, but staring at the brush that seemed capable of plucking him bare, he shook his head violently and retreated, eventually bolting out of the room.

Lion narrowed his eyes, losing patience.

"Stop."

Fenix was startled and subconsciously halted.

Lion coldly ordered, "Lie down!"

Fenix looked up at Lion, sniffing.

Why so harsh?

"Mew."

Fenix called out pitifully, crouching in place. Under Lion's gaze, he lay down even more pitifully.

He touched the terminal, typing: 'Boss, don't be mad.'

Lion paused, about to say something, but saw the kitten he had frightened shrink back.

Fenix felt his back go empty and, before he could react, rolled down the stairs, paws flailing wildly across the terminal screen, producing a string of gibberish.

'*&98/[/,.！#@61#!@$6_99&^+`,.[;]…………'

Lion stood on the second floor, watching the virtual screen full of gibberish stretching from the first floor, taking a deep breath.

I, Lion.

Having roamed the stars for over a decade.

Have never seen.

Such a silly.

Awakener.

First time for everything.

Eye-opening.