Poli opened the wardrobe, glanced inside, then quietly closed the door.
Then she walked to the bed, flicked her sleeves, and found that there was nothing on the bed.
“They all say it’s just being too paranoid about Buddha stuff.” Lu Yunze was still trying to comfort her from the side.
“Maybe so.”
Longli’s expression remained stern.
“If there’s nothing under the bed either, then I’ll just chalk it up to my imagination.”
Huh, do I really need to check under the bed?!
Lu Yunze’s expression froze instantly.
“What’s wrong, Brother Lu, your face looks so strange. Are you that afraid of me checking under your bed?”
Longli realized and even flashed a mischievous smile.
“No, it’s just, I think the bed is really dirty. You’d better not look, it’ll be easier on you.”
“It’s fine, just a bit of dust won’t make me sick.” As she spoke, Longli touched her own cheek, “If you confess the truth to me now, I’ll still forgive you.”
The truth? Does she want me to give up Jiang Sui?
With Qianyao’s personality, protecting her like this might win forgiveness. But if she knew the truth, Jiang Sui would be doomed—Longli definitely wouldn’t let her go.
So Lu Yunze decided to stick to his story.
“There’s no truth, really, you’re just overthinking it.”
“Is that so? Then let’s find out what’s really going on.”
Longli spoke, then crouched at the bedside and reached her hand underneath.
It’s over!
Lu Yunze’s heart was about to leap out of his chest.
Heh, there really is something—got you!
Longli gasped in surprise, and then her expression twisted, even letting out a sharp scream.
“It hurts!”
“What?!”
Longli yanked her hand out and fell back onto the floor, staring at her hand in shock. On her fair skin, several bloody scratches had suddenly appeared.
“Brother Lu, under your bed, it’s…”
Before she could finish, a pitch-black figure shot out from under the bed and charged straight at Longli.
Startled and terrified, Longli instinctively swung her hand and cast a Secret Art.
The dark shadow dodged nimbly, spun, and leaped onto the bed, bounding about with graceful movements.
It was only then they could see clearly: it was a Black Cat with golden pupils.
“Wow, what a fierce cat.”
Lu Yunze breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could speak, Longli’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“Brother Lu, why was there a cat under your bed?”
“Uh, this… I told you already, but you just had to check for yourself. Not my fault, right?”
Lu Yunze feigned helplessness and shrugged his shoulders.
The Black Cat stood up, hopped off the bed, and slowly strolled toward the bathroom.
“Don’t come over, it’s filthy!” Longli was still shrieking.
Seeing that she was about to use a Secret Art again, Lu Yunze quickly called out to distract her, successfully diverting her aim.
The Black Cat, having given Longli a swipe, immediately slipped into Lu Yunze’s arms, letting out a soft purr and curling around his clothes.
“Isn’t this just too cute?” Lu Yunze realized he seemed to have no resistance to such adorable creatures, and his mood instantly brightened.
He carried the Black Cat towards the bathroom, while Longli shrank away from him.
“Don’t bring it over! I’m allergic to fur!”
“Ah, that’s right.”
When Lu Yunze and Longli were kids, they’d raised pets together, but she never chose cats, because she was allergic to cat fur—whenever a cat got close, she’d feel uncomfortable and sneeze, and if she stayed near one too long, she’d even break out in a rash.
This was a good opportunity, so Lu Yunze continued, “The reason I didn’t tell you the truth is exactly because I know you like things clean. Now you know.”
Longli nodded angrily, even sneezing twice as Lu Yunze moved away.
“No, I have to get out of here. Brother Lu, I’m sorry!”
She shouted and dashed out of the room, her panicked footsteps quickly fading into the distance.
She really ran off faster than a rabbit.
Lu Yunze couldn’t help but twitch his lips; even a month ago, Longli had never fled like this—not even when facing Li Zhiya. Now, all it took was this cat in his arms to scare her away faster than any rabbit.
But… does that mean the crisis is resolved?
Lu Yunze closed the door again, then looked down at the cat in his arms.
“You’re not Jiang Sui in disguise, are you?”
“Young Master, I’m here.”
Jiang Sui poked her head out from under the bed, trying to crawl out with both hands. As expected, she got stuck again.
Lu Yunze put down the Black Cat, casually pulled Jiang Sui out, and looked towards the window, but the Black Cat had already jumped onto the windowsill and, before he could react, leapt out.
When he got to the window, Lu Yunze watched the black shadow slip into the bushes and disappear.
Turning back to Jiang Sui, he couldn’t help asking, “Did you bring that cat here?”
“How could I? I don’t keep pets in the Manor.” Jiang Sui started to act cute. “When I crawled under the bed, it was already there, so I just borrowed it to deal with Miss Longli. I thought it was Young Master Chun’s.”
“No, I’d never keep a cat.”
If Jiang Sui wasn’t lying, then that cat must have snuck into his room by itself. Could it have been hiding under his bed for a long time already?
Realizing he might have slept with a cat under his bed for several nights, Lu Yunze started sniffing his own clothes.
No strange smell—if anything, there was a faint, fresh scent from something nearby.
“Young Master thought the cat was me in disguise, so do you wish I’d turned into a cat?” Jiang Sui’s expression turned teasing.
A Maid Catgirl, huh?
Lu Yunze tried to imagine such a scene: Jiang Sui wearing a maid outfit, with adorable cat ears and a fluffy tail, just like a real cat, darting and pouncing at his feet.
No way, just picturing it was enough to knock him out—Lu Yunze quickly coughed to shake the thought.
“Don’t even joke, you’re not a sorcerer.”
“Who says you have to be a sorcerer to transform?” Jiang Sui teased him back.
The bedroom held a hundred costumes; ever since that first meeting with Lu Yunze, she hadn’t used any of the cat-themed outfits.
“Actually, I saw a tutorial for catgirls online once.”
Jiang Sui continued, “As long as Young Master gives the order, I’ll put on those accessories again and come to your room dressed up anytime.”
In his mind, Lu Yunze could almost see that scene: night falling, the house silent, his guard down, and a Maid Catgirl slipping onto his bed.
Under such circumstances, who knows what that catgirl might do to him?
“What’s Young Master thinking about? Don’t tell me you don’t want a ‘catgirl version’ of Jiang Sui to help you review?”
At those words, the awkward silence between them thickened.
Lu Yunze could only force a smile, “So it’s just about studying. I thought…”
“If Young Master wants a different kind of late-night service, it’s not out of the question,” Jiang Sui said, her tone and expression suddenly turning flirtatious.
“But it’ll cost extra.”
“Then never mind.”
It wasn’t about the money. Lu Yunze knew he just wasn’t ready for such a dangerous game.
Afraid Longli might come back, today’s review could only end like this. Next time something like this happened, he’d have to be thoroughly prepared.
Seeing that Lu Yunze’s mood seemed a little off, Jiang Sui spoke up, “Actually, Young Master did really well today.”
“I guess it was all right.”
“Then, Young Master, what reward would you like?”
As she spoke, Jiang Sui leaned forward on purpose, blowing her warm breath right against his ear.
In that instant, Lu Yunze felt a jolt run through his body and quickly drew back.
“If you don’t want a Maid Catgirl, then maybe this will make you happier.”
Jiang Sui grabbed his hand and pressed it to her soft, fluffy bunny ears.
This month’s “bunny reward”—he had to admit, it was really effective. All of Lu Yunze’s worries vanished, and his brain was filled with the sensation of the fluffy ears.
“Young Master, do your best next time too.”
Jiang Sui finished and left, leaving Lu Yunze alone, lost in thought about what had just happened.
Hmm, her ears felt firmer than last time. Was it because she was wearing a headband?
Lu Yunze actually felt a bit disappointed.
After leaving Lu Yunze’s bedroom, Jiang Sui soon ran into someone hurrying by.
“Jiang Sui, just in time. Help me take this ointment to Miss.”
“All right.”
Jiang Sui took the ointment to Longli’s room. As soon as she opened the door, she caught a strong scent of Bath Gel, and saw Longli wearing a robe, drying her hair.
“Here, I brought the ointment for you.”
“You came at the perfect time, I’ll apply it myself.”
Seeing Longli’s clumsy movements, Jiang Sui almost couldn’t help but laugh.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No, I’m just curious how Miss got hurt.”
Longli didn’t answer, but her face looked even worse as she told the whole story.
“I really don’t want to blame Brother Lu, but he’s been acting so strange lately, he hardly pays attention to me.”
“That’s just how Young Master is.”
“And that wild cat actually scratched me!”
“That’s just how Miss is.”
Longli glared at her, “I feel like you’re laughing at me.”
“No, Miss is my benefactor. Why would I laugh at you?”
Longli pouted, but seemed to accept Jiang Sui’s answer.
“My relationship with Brother Lu is getting more and more distant. If he really leaves the He family one day, I might not be able to keep him.”
Sensing things might get serious, Jiang Sui propped her chin, looking as if deep in thought.
“Don’t worry, it’s all just your imagination.”
Seeing that things might really take a turn, Jiang Sui’s smile grew even softer, and she began to explain.
“From the outside, it might look like Young Master is drifting away from you, but actually, you and he are like two magnets.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Actually, it’s because Young Master is growing up, so he’s acting distant on purpose. Once he gets used to it, he’ll realize how he truly feels, and know he can’t live without you.”
“If that’s the case…”
Longli thought of that scene and couldn’t help but smile shyly.
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Jiang Sui kept smiling.
Lu Yunze did need to come to terms with his feelings, but whether or not he really couldn’t live without anyone, only time would tell.
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