Chapter 13: Sneaking A Bite

Black and white eyes stared fixedly at Qu Yanning. “Do you hate them?”

The voice carried a bewitching quality, like an invisible hand squeezing his heart, leaving Qu Yanning breathless under its weight.

He shook his head with effort, eyes rimmed red, lids half-lowered in sorrow.

“What a lucky soul…” The man in white’s smile faded, and the hand hidden in his sleeve emerged to hook under Qu Yanning’s chin. “Same people, different fates. It’s enough to make one… furious—”

Before the sentence was finished, the moment his fingers brushed against Qu Yanning’s, they turned pitch-black with a flash of rot.

A surge of violent, deathly energy blasted straight at his face.

Relieved of the pressure on his chest, Qu Yanning suddenly shot upright, gasping desperately for air.

Chu Zhou, noticing something was wrong, dropped his fishing rod and hurried over. “What’s wrong?”

“There was—” Qu Yanning stopped abruptly, staring blankly at the lake.

There was nothing there. The water was still and dark, already tinged with dusk.

“Nothing,” Qu Yanning lowered his hand, face pale. “Just… sudden chest pain.”

“How do you get chest pain out of nowhere?” Chu Zhou gently patted his back, muttering in concern, “You better go get it checked tomorrow. Chest pain is no joke.”

Qu Yanning half-heartedly mumbled agreement as he began packing up the fishing gear. “Let’s head back.”

The strange incident had ruined the mood, so Chu Zhou packed up without protest and went back with him.

As they walked away from the lake with their gear, Qu Yanning suddenly looked back.

By the edge of the lake, dim in the fading light, a faint figure stood where they had been just moments ago.

The figure raised a hand and waved at him.

A ghostly whisper brushed past Qu Yanning’s ear: “We’ll meet again.”

When Xie Qi woke up, he discovered the house was empty —and was immediately displeased.

He did a full lap around the house with his tail held high, purging all the lurking evil spirits hiding in the shadows.

Then he found Chu Zhou’s stash of imported snacks hidden in a drawer, and flopped on the sofa to feast.

By the time the front door lock clicked open, it was far too late to hide.

Chu Zhou walked in mid-conversation with Qu Yanning.

After just a few steps inside, he spotted the new cat sitting upright on the sofa—tail curled neatly in front, looking extremely solemn.

Chu Zhou chuckled at Qu Yanning. “Qu’er, when Melonhead acts serious, he actually looks kind of intimidating—”

“…My ass!” Chu Zhou suddenly shrieked when his eyes landed on the familiar packaging beside the cat. “That was my half-baked cheesecake I just got from an overseas reseller!”

“Meow?” Xie Qi tilted his head innocently.

Qu Yanning scooped up his precious cat protectively and backed a few steps away from the furious Chu Zhou. “It’s just a pack of cheesecake. I’ll buy you another one. My baby’s still young—don’t scare him.”

“…” Chu Zhou stared at his roommate, who was blatantly shielding the cat, utterly betrayed. “You’re not my little cutie anymore.”

Qu Yanning stroked the fluffy cat head, his expression saying clearly: I belong to my baby now. I’ll never love you again. Give up.

Chu Zhou stormed off to his room, clutching the empty packaging like a broken man.

Xie Qi licked his lips, quite pleased as he watched Chu Zhou’s pitiful back disappear.

His tail flicked smugly.

“Don’t get too full of yourself,” Qu Yanning poked the cat’s forehead and placed him on the table, looking down sternly.

Xie Qi, faced with Qu Yanning’s serious expression, suddenly felt a little guilty.

His ears flattened, and he blinked round eyes up at him with all the effort of a seasoned actor.

“Cute won’t save you this time,” Qu Yanning declared, very strict when it came to his cat’s health. He pinched the fluffy cheeks and gave a stern lecture: “No more stealing food. If you do, you’ll be on cat food only from now on.”

Xie Qi: “…”

He turned around and presented his back in protest. I’m not listening to you.

Qu Yanning flicked his butt. “Being mad won’t help either. Be good and I’ll make fish for you every day.”

“!!”

Xie Qi froze, the fur on his neck bristling.

He leapt to the other side of the table and glared at Qu Yanning, letting out a threatening meow to save face.

Qu Yanning… well, he didn’t understand cat-speak, but the attitude said enough.

He chuckled and headed for the kitchen. “Sweet and sour fish tonight, then…”

Xie Qi: “……”

In the end, Xie Qi still surrendered before the sweet and sour fish.

But his portion was a special version—no salt, low sugar, the fish meat pale and plain.

Compared to the gleaming, fragrant dish on the table, his share looked downright pitiful.

After dinner, the two digested their food quietly. It had been a long, eventful day, so they both turned in early.

Xie Qi had his paws wiped clean, then curled up in the same bed as Qu Yanning.

The room was dark, with only the soft sound of the young man’s breathing. Xie Qi lay snugly against him, his long tail occasionally brushing the nearby body.

At night, the young man’s scent grew stronger than during the day.

Xie Qi leaned in and took a deep breath, and in the strange fragrance, his sharp nose caught a faint burnt odor.

He frowned and twitched his nose, tracing the smell to the man’s neck.

His gaze shifted to the bedside table, where a small red silk sachet rested—the one he had given Qu Yanning, instructing him to always keep it close.

Moving carefully, Xie Qi rose and opened the sachet.

He pulled out the talisman inside and unfolded it.

The fur embedded within had already turned to ashes.

Xie Qi fell silent, thoughtful.

He had been with Qu Yanning these past few days—if the young man had encountered anything unclean, it could only have been during that brief moment in the afternoon.

Annoyed, he pressed his fluffy paw against Qu Yanning’s cheek.

The latter was sound asleep, completely unaware.

Xie Qi hesitated for a moment, then leaned down and gently licked behind his ear.

After that, he shook out his fur and vanished from the room.

******

A week later, Zhang Ren returned.

When Qu Yanning opened the door and saw him, he looked a little nervous. “Has Second Master come back? Is he here to take the cat back?”

Zhang Ren’s eyelid twitched.

Remembering how Second Master had dragged him out of bed in the dead of night with instructions, he quickly said, “You misunderstand. Second Master just got back to Shen City. He wanted to treat you to a meal to thank you for taking care of the young master. But he’s only staying for a day, so afterward, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to continue looking after him.”

Qu Yanning relaxed, and his smile warmed. “In that case, I’ll bring him along when I go.”

“No need, no need!” Zhang Ren blurted out, alarmed. Seeing Qu Yanning’s confused expression, he realized he’d overreacted and quickly explained, “The restaurant Second Master booked doesn’t allow pets.”

Qu Yanning nodded. “Alright.”

Zhang Ren finally exhaled in relief.

If they really brought the cat along, and Second Master couldn’t make time, the whole mess would end up on him again.

After a few more polite exchanges and confirming the time and location of the meal, Zhang Ren took his leave.

******

The meal was scheduled at Deyuan, a private restaurant known for its authentic Hubei cuisine.

The owner was from Hubei Province and, according to rumor, came from a family of chefs who had once served noble households.

The culinary skills had been passed down through generations, and their mastery of fish dishes had earned them a loyal following of gourmands.

Deyuan’s signature dish was the owner’s personally prepared steamed Wuchang fish, with only three servings available each day.

It had been a while since Xie Qi last visited, so he decided to set the meeting at Deyuan.

The restaurant had a traditional Chinese decor—elegant and vintage.

Qu Yanning looked up at the plaque above the entrance, where the bold characters “德园” (Deyuan) stood in ornate calligraphy, confirming he was at the right place.

After giving Xie Qi’s name, a waiter led him to a private room.

Xie Qi had arrived ahead of him and was already seated, eyes half-lidded, slowly turning a string of prayer beads in his hand.