A cup of milk tea was quickly finished, and there was no reason to stay in this little alley any longer, so Lu Yunze and Jiang Sui prepared to leave.
“Meow~”
“Was that you just now?” Lu Yunze looked at the maid beside him.
“Young Master, you’re so mean, accusing me with no evidence at all.” Jiang Sui puffed up her cheeks in mock anger, looking absolutely adorable.
“Haha, sorry, I couldn’t help it, I really couldn’t help it.”
If it wasn’t Jiang Sui, then that meow just now—
Jiang Sui looked behind them, at a corner of the alley, where the black cat that had disappeared earlier was now peeking out and watching them.
“Ah, it’s that cat…” Lu Yunze remembered it was the one that had led him to this alley in the first place.
Jiang Sui squatted down in front of the black cat. The little injured cat still fixed her with its golden eyes, as if wary of something.
“Hello there, senior.”
Jiang Sui spoke, raising her palm as if greeting a person.
Seeing this, Lu Yunze couldn’t help but laugh. He never expected the shrewd Jiang Sui to talk to a cat—she actually had such an innocent and cute side.
“Young Master is mocking me behind my back, how heartbreaking.”
After a little complaint, Jiang Sui’s gaze returned to the black cat.
“Thank you for showing Young Master the way. Do you want some dried fish?”
She extended her fair hand, as if to pet the cat’s head, but the cat nimbly dodged her.
The black cat’s gaze grew even more wary. With agile movements, it leapt away, glanced back at the two of them, then quickly disappeared into the depths of the alley.
“Looks like the cat doesn’t like you.”
“She’ll like me. If she wasn’t interested in me, why would she come back here?”
Jiang Sui said something Lu Yunze couldn’t quite understand, then stood up and dusted off her hands.
Lu Yunze rubbed his chin and muttered:
“If it’s just keeping a cat, no one would say anything.”
He wasn’t sure where the stereotype came from, but it always seemed that rich families would have a pet cat or dog, and several servants to look after them, living better than most people.
If Jiang Sui wanted to keep a cat, Lu Yunze wouldn’t mind fulfilling her wish.
He could buy one under his name and let her take care of it. He just hoped Luo Yao wouldn’t mind and that she wasn’t allergic to cat fur.
“I appreciate Young Master’s kindness, but I don’t like other cats.”
“That’s just like you, only liking stray cats.”
“No, what I mean is, Young Master already has an adorable little cat.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Seeing him seriously trying to recall when there was ever a cat in the manor, Jiang Sui tilted her head, curled her hands into cat paws against her cheeks, even arching her fingertips to mimic paw pads:
“Young Master’s cutest little cat is me, isn’t it?”
With that, a soft “meow” slipped from her lips.
Lu Yunze’s mouth twitched twice.
“I’m Young Master’s maid, but I can also be Young Master’s very own little cat. See, I don’t shed, I won’t hiss for no reason, and all I need is Young Master’s affection to survive.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. If we get back late, that old butler will start nitpicking again.” Lu Yunze covered his face and hurried out.
“Young Master, wait for me! Are you really going to leave me behind? Xiao Sui will be heartbroken. Doesn’t Young Master understand? Without a little cat, there’s no life!”
Being followed down the street by a maid making cat noises, Lu Yunze felt like he’d lost all dignity in the eyes of society.
The looks from people around were as strange as they could get, and some whispered among themselves:
“Isn’t that the maid and the laborer from earlier? How did they end up like this?”
“I get it now. It’s just a couple’s play. Damn, we’ve all become part of their play.”
“Mom, why is that big sister meowing like a cat?”
“Niu Niu, don’t look. She’s actually singing.”
It was only after they finally flagged down a taxi that Jiang Sui quieted down a bit.
But the space inside the car was limited, and with all the stuff they’d bought, the two of them were forced to squeeze together. To be precise, Jiang Sui took the initiative to press close to his side.
So for the entire ride, half of Jiang Sui’s body was pressed tightly against his, her body heat seeping through the thin fabric, and her soft thigh occasionally brushed against his when the car turned, but unlike most girls, she didn’t shy away.
Lu Yunze sat stiffly, not daring to move, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously, afraid to disturb Jiang Sui who was looking down at her phone.
But whenever the taxi bumped over a pothole, Jiang Sui would topple right onto him, the sudden closeness and her faint scent leaving him with nowhere to escape.
And Jiang Sui, whenever he wasn’t paying attention, would secretly enjoy his forced calm and poor acting skills.
After a dozen or so minutes, the taxi finally pulled up in front of the Luo Family estate. Lu Yunze grabbed the groceries and prepared to head inside, but Jiang Sui stopped him.
“What now?” Lu Yunze thought, We’re already at the door—if Luo Yao or the others see her clinging to me, who knows what will happen.
“Young Master, leave the rest to me. You can go straight in.”
Jiang Sui took the bags from him, and only then did Lu Yunze suddenly remember:
I’m her boss!
Clearly, his status was higher than hers, but on the way back, Jiang Sui had been ordering him around like a servant. By the time Lu Yunze entered the house, his face had turned green.
The first to greet them was the Butler. For some reason, his gaze lingered on Jiang Sui with a hint of surprise.
“Butler, here are the items. Please check them over.”
Jiang Sui’s voice snapped him back to reality, and the Butler quickly straightened up.
“You wasted so much time. I hope you don’t disappoint Miss and Young Master Lu.”
“Don’t worry, Young Master supervised me the whole time. There won’t be any mistakes.”
Just as Jiang Sui said, they were a bit late, but they’d bought everything on the list. Seeing there was nothing to nitpick, the Butler stroked his white mustache:
“Good, very good. Come with me, I’ll reimburse your shopping expenses.”
“Alright.”
She didn’t forget to glance at Lu Yunze, bowing gracefully, her voice gentle.
“Thank you for your hard work, Young Master. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Mm, okay.”
The next moment, she winked at Lu Yunze, her tone turning playful: “I hope Young Master keeps his promise and protects me well. After all, I’m Young Master’s precious personal property.”
“…Oh.”
Thankfully, no one heard her audacious words.
Watching her walk away, Lu Yunze felt even more confused.
In front of others, Jiang Sui was always polite and gentle, not a hint of mischief. Why did she only show this other side to me?
“Have I really become that easy to bully?”
Lu Yunze couldn’t figure it out, but he couldn’t bring himself to dislike Jiang Sui either.
It was as if she had a kind of magic that made her impossible to resist.
They’d spent most of the afternoon outside, and with Lu Yunze for company. The plan hadn’t gone exactly as Jiang Sui expected, but the result wasn’t too far off.
Tonight, Jiang Sui didn’t bother Lu Yunze again. Instead, after finishing work late at night and taking a bath, she sat at her desk.
Her pale fingertips tapped on the cover of an old book, her light purple eyes filled with seriousness.
“What happened this afternoon… I really was being targeted, wasn’t I?”
Running into the black cat, and that strange uncle, were both completely unexpected. In the original plot, Lu Yunze was supposed to meet the black cat, then get dragged into the Missing Person Case, targeted by that organization behind the scenes.
Could it be that my appearance caused the original plot to go off track?
Jiang Sui leaned back in her chair, one hand behind her head, the other playing with her ash-brown hair.
“No, those two things happened at the same time. It definitely isn’t because I replaced Lu Yunze.”
The other party knew my identity—it was premeditated.
In other words, the plot had started changing a long time ago, and Jiang Sui was only now realizing it.
So when did it all begin, and who was it that shifted the target from Lu Yunze to Jiang Sui?
She thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. Jiang Sui could only sigh.
“Things really aren’t that simple. It’s such a dilemma.”
She wanted to change the doomed ending, but was afraid that doing so would bring about an even worse one.
I have to be even more careful.
Jiang Sui put away the old book. She was exhausted today, so she’d get a good night’s sleep first.
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