After all, what bad intentions could a cat have? At most, it would just be a little clingy.
After returning home, the two of them didn’t keep anything to themselves. They brought out the candies and peanuts the old lady had given them and shared them with the others. They also casually mentioned the incident with the neighbor’s white cat.
“A pregnant white cat?” Lin An asked curiously. “I heard that pregnant mother cats are very easy to coax. As long as you’re nice to her, she’ll bring her kittens to you to raise!”
Xia Qi was chopping peanuts. “Is that so?”
Song Qiuyu wasn’t particularly interested in raising kittens for that mother cat.
“It’s true, it’s true!” Xia Ji said with a smile as she approached. “Song Classmate, I have a cat at home. If there’s anything you don’t understand when you start raising one, feel free to ask me.”
Sang Tian chimed in as well. Song Qiuyu hesitated to speak; why did it sound like she was actually going to raise a cat?
“A little white cat, huh,” Jiang Xiao said with a smile.
Song Qiuyu was slightly startled. Recalling her previous thought about raising a cat with him, she couldn’t help but purse her lips, feeling a bit shy.
Considering they had to go to the comic convention tomorrow, everyone only chatted for a little while longer before they all washed up and headed back to their respective rooms. By the time everyone was in bed resting, it was nearly 1:00 AM.
Lying in that bed again, still next to Jiang Xiao, Song Qiuyu’s heart began to race. To avoid being noticed, she had no choice but to turn around and face the wall. She looked at her parents’ reply on her phone, her eyes brightening slightly, but her expression turned helpless when she thought about all the people she was hosting.
Her mom and dad were coming back tomorrow. How was she going to arrange the sleeping situation for Lin An and the others then? It was a bit of a headache.
Seeing her parents’ messages, she remembered the middle-aged uncle she had encountered today, but she didn’t inform them about it. Since it was already over, there was no need to mention it and make them worry.
But then again, that spine-chillingly cold gaze she had felt before… ‘Could it have been that uncle, or was it really just a hallucination… Or was it someone else?’
“Go to sleep.”
*Mwah!*
Just as she was thinking this, Jiang Xiao turned onto his side. Knowing full well that Lin An and Xie Zhuran were sleeping on the floor in the same room, he hugged her from behind, brought his lips close to her ear, and even left a light kiss.
“…”
Her small ears turned a shade of pink at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming moist. Song Qiuyu bit her lip tightly, her entire nervous system tensing up. Her body really wanted to keep being held by Jiang Xiao, and even do something a bit more embarrassing.
But the current situation wouldn’t allow it. Thus, she gritted her teeth and quietly poked him twice with her elbow.
Jiang Xiao only let out a soft chuckle by her ear before letting her go. It was obvious he was just teasing her on purpose and didn’t really intend to sleep while holding her under these circumstances.
To this, Song Qiuyu could only give a muffled, soft huff.
The little girl huddled under the blanket shivered slightly. Her somewhat cold little feet wiggled and couldn’t help but press against the warm, large feet next to her, rubbing gently. ‘So warm.’
Jiang Xiao cooperated perfectly, using both his feet to rub against hers. The sensation made Song Qiuyu’s heart throb. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, quickly whispering to the person behind her to go to sleep. She then pulled up the blanket, hiding most of her face beneath it.
Jiang Xiao stopped teasing her and settled down to sleep.
—
A night of good dreams.
Song Zhao Ye and Su Luo returned very early. They tiptoed as they opened the door and sat in the living room for a while, thinking about making breakfast for the kids.
A moment later, with a creak, one of the bedroom doors opened. The person who stepped out was Xie Zhuran.
“Who are you?”
Xie Zhuran hadn’t received any news that his roommate’s parents would be back this early. At this moment, his first thought was — ‘An intruder!!’
However, after seeing that the woman’s face bore a few similarities to his roommate, it suddenly dawned on him. He immediately greeted them.
“Hello, Uncle, Aunt. I’m Lao Song’s classmate, Xie Zhuran.”
“…”
Looking at the weathered man before them, Su Luo and Song Zhao Ye both opened their mouths. Only after a long pause did they barely manage to accept being called “Uncle” and “Aunt” by him. Was this person, who looked like he was almost half a century old, really their child’s classmate?
They didn’t quite believe it. ‘Maybe… he just looks overly mature.’
With another creak, the door to the other bedroom opened. Xie Zhuran turned around to see Jiang Li wearing plain, pale yellow pajamas. Her usually straight and smooth long black hair appeared a bit fluffy and messy, and her eyes seemed like she couldn’t quite open them yet. Her small hands were balled into fists as she rubbed the corners of her eyes.
A person who was usually so serious and kept herself so tidy was now full of a relaxed, casual vibe. Their eyes met. Xie Zhuran felt unconsciously nervous, his heart beating a bit fast, but it soon gradually returned to calm.
This was a Jiang Li he had never seen before. But then again, what did that have to do with him?
Jiang Li’s gaze was calm. She calmly shifted her eyes toward the two strangers in the living room. In the next second, her eyes widened, and she froze slightly. In just an instant, she recognized their identities.
‘They must be Qiu Yu’s parents, my brother’s future in-laws!’
As a member of the Jiang family, she needed to leave a good impression on them and, while she was at it, score some points for her brother. Jiang Li knew very well that Xie Zhuran had woken up early to make breakfast for everyone.
Wanting to take the opportunity to leave a good impression on her brother’s future in-laws, she smiled and introduced herself. Then she looked at Xie Zhuran, indicating she would help him make breakfast for everyone.
Xie Zhuran was more or less flattered and didn’t say anything. After they both washed up, they headed into the kitchen.
“Those two children are so sensible!” Su Luo praised with a smile.
Song Zhao Ye looked at the two people in the kitchen, then silently stood up and walked toward his child’s bedroom. He carefully pulled the door open and glanced at the bed. He saw the two of them sleeping back-to-back, each on their own side… They were sleeping surprisingly properly…
But theoretically, that was impossible. Because they weren’t in an ordinary relationship; they were a couple. His precious daughter was likely already taken by that pig from the Jiang family.
Based on all that, there was no way they would sleep so honestly unless they were both wide awake!
Song Zhao Ye didn’t expose them. He silently closed the door, walked back to sit on the sofa, and leaned in toward his wife. He lowered his voice and said, “Those two kids are also awake.”
“Is that so? It’s the middle of winter, let them nestle under the covers for a while longer,” Su Luo said with a smile.
Immediately after, the two people pretending to sleep on the bed opened their eyes at the same time. This sleep hadn’t been very restful. Because they were worried that after falling asleep, their posture would unconsciously become intimate or ambiguous, they had slept very lightly. Even the sound of a flower petal falling would have likely woken them up.
They had been startled awake the moment Xie Zhuran got up, instantly separating from their hugging position… The situation at that time was truly quite a close call…
“You sleep a bit more. You have to go to the comic convention later to earn your keep,” Jiang Xiao said as he stood up.
“What about you, Jiang Xiao?” Song Qiuyu asked, her voice thick with sleep.
” I’ll just go squint for a bit on the sofa outside.” Jiang Xiao rubbed her fluffy head and kissed her forehead. Then he lifted the blanket, decisively got out of bed, put on his slippers, opened the door, and walked out.
“Ah…”
With one person missing from the bed, the warm temperature dropped by a fraction. Song Qiuyu closed her eyes and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, falling back into a daze.
Jiang Xiao closed the door. He looked up and happened to meet two pairs of eyes looking his way. These gazes belonged to Su Luo and Song Zhao Ye. They seemed to have long guessed he would come out early. Not only was there no surprise on their faces, but they even showed a bit of relief and approval.
This made Jiang Xiao a little embarrassed, but he accepted it readily. Because he deserved it.
“Jiang Xiao, you look very tired. Come over here and sit down for a bit,” Song Zhao Ye waved at him and patted the spot next to him. He felt that it really wasn’t easy for the boy to take care of his child.
Although he didn’t know much, he seemed to be able to understand why his child liked this boy. People who lacked warmth simply couldn’t resist him.
‘It feels a bit like he’s taking advantage of a loophole, but in matters of love, a little bit of calculation is expected. Having nothing but deep feelings is the easiest way to end up with nothing.’
“That Jiang Li is your younger sister, right? She’s also a very sensible little girl,” Su Luo couldn’t help but praise her again. She was already impatient to meet her future in-laws.