The two little white cats were exceptionally clever. They meowed twice more and nudged their way out from the old lady’s arms, seemingly about to jump into Su Luo’s embrace.
How could she resist?
Su Luo had liked the two cats to begin with, and seeing them act so adorable nearly made her lose her soul to their charms. Of course, Su Luo wasn’t the only one being swayed.
Song Qiuyu liked cats herself. If it weren’t for a very personal reason, she most likely would have been deeply tempted as well. However, considering she was too lazy to raise a pet, she still hesitated.
Looking at her mother’s reaction and then at the little kittens’ antics, Song Qiuyu pursed her lips tightly, suddenly feeling quite restless.
The real reason…
How could she possibly say it out loud?!
The old lady looked over as well. Her eyes darted around as if remembering something, and she said, “Ah, that’s right. Earlier, dear, it seemed like you and a very handsome young man brought my cats back…”
Before the old lady could finish her sentence, the two little white cats were gone from her arms. Song Qiuyu had swiftly scooped them into her own!
“No, no, I don’t actually hate them…”
Song Qiuyu suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said with a smile, “I was just worried I wouldn’t raise them well. I already have a hard enough time taking care of myself, so how could I raise a cat?”
“So that’s how it is.”
The old lady nodded and smiled.
“But since these two cats like me so much, I’ll try raising them.”
Song Qiuyu inwardly gritted her teeth. ‘Damn cats, why are they so cunning!’
After a few more minutes of small talk, they parted ways.
—
With a *creak*, the door closed.
Song Qiuyu held the two little white cats. As they meowed in her arms and acted clingy, she felt her eyelids twitching. Although she didn’t want to admit it, these two little white cats were truly super cute!
She bit her lower lip. ‘If Jiang Xiao were here, he would probably be conquered by these two cats as well. Have I… already lost? Not only did I lose to a mother cat, but I also lost to two kittens that were just born…’
“Hmm?”
Song Zhao Ye walked out of the kitchen. Seeing his daughter holding those two cats, he was stunned for a moment before laughing helplessly. “What’s this? You changed your mind?”
“Yeah…” Song Qiuyu took a deep breath. “Dad, I suddenly feel like raising cats and teaching them how to do backflips or stand on one leg would be pretty good.”
She kept a smile fixed on her face as she sat on the sofa with the two kittens. “And Mom seems to really like cats too.”
Su Luo sat down beside her and took one of the cats into her own arms. “Sweetie, if we’re going to raise them, we’ll need to go to the pet hospital later for vaccinations and stuff. There’s a lot of preparation to do.”
“Yeah…”
Song Qiuyu sighed inwardly. After struggling with herself for a while, she picked up her phone, took a few crisp photos of the two cats, and sent them to Jiang Xiao.
Jiang Xiao replied quickly: **”Are those the kittens from the big white cat next door?”**
“…”
The corner of Song Qiuyu’s mouth twitched slightly. ‘That damn Haki Xiao, he actually recognized them at a single glance?! I really have lost…’
A deep sense of defeat took root in her heart.
She forced herself to remain calm and chatted with Jiang Xiao for a bit before switching out of the chat. She searched for nearby pet hospitals on Quede Maps and then set off with her mother.
After arriving at the pet hospital, she learned that the two white cats happened to be a male and a female, which gave her a lot of ideas. The veterinarian then asked if they wanted to keep them for breeding or have them both neutered.
Song Qiuyu didn’t think about it for long and decisively chose the former.
For the next few days, she tried to teach the young kittens how to do somersaults. Unfortunately, her success rate was zero.
After all that tossing and turning, there were only 2 days left of winter break.
Just as she decided to spend the next 2 days lying around, she happened to pass by a weight scale at a street pharmacy. On a whim, she stepped onto it and was immediately shocked by the number on the display.
In just one short winter break, she had actually gained 10 pounds!
After returning home, Song Qiuyu sat on the sofa and contemplated life for a while. Then, she lifted her shirt, pinched the soft flesh on her belly, and picked up her phone to tell a certain someone the news.
With a *ding*, the other party replied instantly.
**[Jiang Xiao]**: “Hahaha, I felt how soft your belly was when I touched it before. So it’s because you got fat? Is your face round now too?”
“It’s not…”
Song Qiuyu pouted. ‘Why does it feel like he’s happy about me gaining weight? Right, this guy said he wanted to raise me until I was fair and plump!’
She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Great, this means I don’t have to lose weight. I can continue lying flat for the last 2 days.’
At that thought, the two little white cats jumped onto the sofa. One white cat lay on her left thigh while the other lay on her right. Then, they meowed in perfect unison.
Song Qiuyu blinked, a smile spreading across her face. ‘Being surrounded by cats in the middle of winter feels so good!’
With another *ding*, another message arrived from Jiang Xiao: **”But you should still remember what Doctor Jiang said, Xi’er. You need to exercise more. Since you’ve gained weight and school is about to start in 2 days, why don’t you take this time to go for a run or do some sit-ups?”**
Song Qiuyu froze for a moment before remembering that matter. She couldn’t help but pout, feeling rather displeased. In an act of petty revenge, she took a photo of the two white cats on her thighs and sent it to Jiang Xiao to show off.
Upon receiving the photo, Jiang Xiao’s attention wasn’t just on the cats lying on her thighs; it was also on things that shouldn’t have been in the frame. Because she was wearing slim-fit jeans, it was far too obvious…
‘Was it an accident or on purpose?’
His ears felt hot. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively sent back a blushing emoji.
“Hmm?”
Song Qiuyu looked at the message from Jiang Xiao while petting the cats, a look of confusion on her face. ‘Is Jiang Xiao blushing? I just sent a photo of the cats, what is there to be shy about?’
Puzzled, she looked back at the photo she had taken. After two or three looks, she finally realized it after the fact and froze.
Because she had gained weight, the fit was even tighter. This was practically a blatant attempt at seducing Jiang Xiao!!
With a *ding*, Jiang Xiao sent a new message: **”The cats are very cute.”**
“…”
Song Qiuyu’s lips parted as her entire face instantly turned red with embarrassment. She frantically tried to retract the photo.
‘Dammit… 2 minutes have passed!’
Left with no choice, she bit the bullet and replied: **”I did it on purpose!”**
Jiang Xiao replied: **”Yeah, I know.”**
Suddenly, Song Qiuyu’s brain started buzzing. She held her phone high with both hands and lowered her increasingly hot face as far as it would go. Fortunately, Jiang Xiao wasn’t by her side.
Taking a shallow breath, she tilted her head back and brought the phone screen to her eyes, continuing to send messages out of sheer shame: **”You can save the picture I just sent!”**
Jiang Xiao covered his face, holding back a laugh. He took a deep breath to calm down a bit and intentionally replied: **”I already saved it out of habit the moment I saw it!”**
‘Huh? Saved it out of habit?’
Song Qiuyu stared at the chat page and ground her teeth. She looked away, only then remembering that Jiang Xiao already had many photos of her, so he wasn’t lacking this one.
‘I was supposed to be showing off the cats.’
She pursed her lips and sighed deeply before looking back at her phone screen. Just then, there was another *ding*, but the sender wasn’t Jiang Xiao. It was a message from the Drama Club President.
**[Drama Club President]**: “Junior, did you have a fun winter break? I’m looking for you guys today because I need a favor. School is starting soon, and the Drama Club has prepared a major task to give to you! Please reply as soon as you see this!”
“?”
Song Qiuyu was still processing the content of the message when she saw a new notification from Jiang Xiao. Soon, Xie Zhuran and Lin An also popped up in the dormitory group chat to mention it.
‘Was it a mass message?’
She wasn’t sure. Song Qiuyu immediately replied to the president.
**[Drama Club President]**: “How did all four of you reply to me at the same time? It’s a bit hard for me to reply to four people individually. Anyway, since you’re the Dorm Leader, I’ll just tell you directly. It’s actually about our Drama Club’s recruitment activities for the new semester. We need your help to make a short video for promotion. Don’t worry, it’s a paid gig! We can discuss the specific amount in person when we get to school.”