Sliding the window open, the midday breeze drifted in, warm and gentle.
Lin Xiangyi leaned one hand on the windowsill, letting the wind caress his face as he answered the call he had been waiting so long for.
“Hello, Master.”
“Did you see her?”
On the other end of the line, the middle-aged woman’s voice carried a hint of mischievous amusement, like she was watching a joke unfold.
“…I saw her.”
“Pretty cute, isn’t she?”
What?
What kind of question was that?
Lin Xiangyi covered the phone and subtly glanced at Shen Ye, careful not to let the girl hear.
He lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of urgency.
“What exactly is the deal with this spirit being? And is Senior Brother okay?”
He didn’t answer that rather nonsensical question.
A response came from the other end, but it wasn’t what Lin Xiangyi wanted to hear.
“Answering a question with a question isn’t nice, Xiao Yi. You have to answer me first.”
“This spirit being you met—”
Her voice carried a playful edge, slow and drawn out, like she was teasing a spooked cat.
Lin Xiangyi sensed something was off.
“Is she adorable? Is she pretty?”
Does she really have to ask this?
“…Stop joking around, Master. I’m not in the mood right now.”
Lin Xiangyi sighed. His master had always been this unserious, and he was used to it.
But the problem was, he genuinely wanted to get the full story from her right now.
“No. You have to answer.”
The voice on the other end was as willful as ever.
Lin Xiangyi pinched the bridge of his nose. This was who knows how many times today he couldn’t keep his composure.
Seeing that his master wouldn’t continue unless he answered, he swallowed his pride, turned back, and quietly glanced at Shen Ye again.
In the kitchen, the cat-eared girl sat with her back to him, perfectly still. Her tail swayed lazily left and right behind her chair, like a languid cat passing the time.
Seeing that Shen Ye seemed completely unconcerned with him, Lin Xiangyi turned back and forced the words out through gritted teeth.
“…She’s pretty.”
“HAHAHAHA—”
His master’s laughter erupted from the phone, so loud that Lin Xiangyi had to pull it away from his ear.
The laughter went on for a long while before it finally died down. Her voice came back, still catching its breath.
“Don*’t worry, this little kitten’*s identity is perfectly legit. Just keep her there with you. Xiao Ye’s fine too—hopping around lively as ever.”
“Alright, but—”
Before he could even respond, she hung up again.
She never lets me finish a sentence.
Lin Xiangyi stared at the “Call Ended” on his phone screen. A vein pulsed on his forehead as he squeezed the device again and again.
But during the call, he’d noticed something else.
—Xiao Ye.
He didn’t even know where to begin with that one.
After meeting a spirit being named “Xiao Ye,” hearing his master use that same nickname for his senior brother made his skin crawl.
And also.
Why did she have to ask if she was pretty?
What was he supposed to say?
His mind flashed through several images of the cat-eared girl’s stunning beauty—seared into his memory after only half a day.
Her serene sleeping face. The shy side-profile she turned away when she was flustered.
And just earlier, when she’d pulled him close, that beauty that struck straight at his heart—pure, yet bewitching.
She really was gorgeous. Adorable!
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, messing up his bangs into a complete disarray, then let out a deep sigh, as if trying to expel all the day’s troubles.
He turned around—and froze.
At the kitchen doorway, the cat-eared girl was peeking out at him, silent as a ghost.
Half of her body was hidden behind the doorframe, leaving only her little cat head visible. Her eyes, clear as a mountain lake, stared at him without blinking.
Like a mirror.
Reflecting his guilt in that very moment.
Lin Xiangyi’s heart skipped a beat.
Not just because this scene perfectly captured his thoughts from a second ago—but for a deeper reason too.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He could hear himself swallow.
When I said she was pretty just now…
She didn’t hear that, did she?
“Xiangyi.”
Shen Ye spoke.
The affectionate name he*’d permitted her to use slipped from the girl’*s lips. Her voice was soft, gentle—as pleasant as always.
From those two words, Lin Xiangyi detected a hint of hesitation, like she wanted to ask something of him.
But he didn’t analyze the deeper meaning.
Because right now, those words carried a completely different weight in his ears.
Oh crap, she didn’t actually hear me, did she?
Hear me say she was pretty?
This is a disaster.
A thin layer of sweat formed on Lin Xiangyi’s back.
Their earlier exchanges had already shown him just how formidable this girl could be. He’d already planned to avoid her as much as possible, then smoothly send her back to his senior brother after the treatment was done.
He never expected to be caught red-handed like this.
If she’s got something on me, with her abilities, I’ll be wrapped around her finger.
Lin Xiangyi’s grip on his phone tightened.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he was already just about—
Perhaps,
Maybe,
Kinda,
Just a tiny little bit—
Surrendered.
All he wanted now was to hold his final line of defense.
“What’s wrong?” He tried to keep his voice steady, but when he spoke, a slight tremor slipped through.
Damn it. Don’t embarrass yourself, Lin Xiangyi.
She’s just a spirit being. What’s the big deal?
“Can you… buy me a phone?”
While Lin Xiangyi’s mind was spiraling, Shen Ye spoke up, fidgeting. Her voice was even quieter than before.
…Huh?
Lin Xiangyi blinked. His brain went blank for a moment.
That was the last thing he expected her to ask.
The silence stretched on. The two of them, each lost in their own thoughts, stared at each other wordlessly.
Finally, Lin Xiangyi spoke.
“Uh… why?”
The moment the question left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.
She just wants a phone!
If she wants one, buy her one! Spirit beings don’t have human money anyway, and she’s Senior Brother’s friend. What’s the big deal about buying her a phone?
“Um…”
On the other side, Shen Ye was wrestling with her own thoughts.
Hmm…
Just now, she had secretly been observing Lin Xiangyi.
Seeing that the junior brother seemed to be talking with his master on the phone, the longing buried deep within her heart resurfaced from the depths.
She wanted it too.
She wanted to be like Master—across mountains and rivers, using nothing but a small square she could carry anywhere, to hear the voices of those she knew, to know they were safe, as if sitting and talking face to face.
She wanted to hear her junior brother’s voice anytime.
Her master’s voice.
Her junior sister’s voice.
Not like when her bloodline awakened and her spiritual power ran rampant.
When she only realized death was near, knowing there were so many words she never got to say, so many things she never got to do.
She looked at Lin Xiangyi. Her eyes, usually clear as still water, flickered with emotions as complex as the northern lights.
I want that too. I want to talk to all of you, anytime.
She stopped hesitating. Raising her gaze to meet Lin Xiangyi’s, she spoke with quiet sincerity.