“Mm…”
Song Qiuyu nodded and silently pulled up her hat, concealing her face.
Jiang Xiao sprinted down the stairs. The station was crowded with people. It took a long moment before Song Qiuyu could clearly see what Jiang Xiao was carrying in his hand.
It was a large bag of oranges.
Song Qiuyu was at a loss for words.
“Glad I caught you!” Jiang Xiao stopped in front of her, taking two deep breaths.
“Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but mutter.
“You’re about to leave on the train. Once you’re gone, I won’t see you again until school starts. How could I possibly sleep?” Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but clench his fist and lightly tap her small head.
“I guess that’s true.” Song Qiuyu pursed her lips and touched her head, though it didn’t actually hurt.
If the roles were reversed, she probably would have gotten up to see Jiang Xiao off as well.
“Sigh, you really are…” Jiang Xiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pinched her smooth, soft cheek before handing the oranges to her. “Alright, the oranges have been delivered. Hurry up and get on the train.”
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“Lower your head a little.”
“Huh?”
“A little lower!”
“Alright.”
Song Qiuyu took a deep breath. Her small hand grabbed Jiang Xiao’s collar as she closed her eyes and brought her lips close to his, planting a firm kiss on his slightly parted lips.
“…”
Jiang Xiao’s pupils constricted violently. He froze.
“I’m going!”
Song Qiuyu took the opportunity to release Jiang Xiao’s collar. Clutching the bag of oranges, she ran toward the train. But halfway there, she turned around and waved at him, saying with a bright smile, “See you when school starts!”
Jiang Xiao’s gaze darkened slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and the corners of his mouth tilted up. He immediately raised a hand and waved back twice.
“Yeah, see you then!”
As soon as he spoke, he saw that petite figure blend into the crowd and disappear into the train carriage entrance. However, she appeared intermittently through the train windows one by one.
His gaze followed her constantly until she sat in a position where he could no longer see her.
Jiang Xiao turned around and began walking back. After an unknown amount of time, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He opened it to find a photo sent by Song Qiuyu. In the picture was an orange she had just peeled.
Seeing this, Jiang Xiao stopped. He remembered that because he was in such a rush when buying the oranges, he hadn’t even tasted them. He immediately messaged her to ask about the flavor.
Upon receiving Jiang Xiao’s message, Song Qiuyu’s moving cheeks paused, and she swallowed the crushed fruit. Although the orange was exceptionally sweet, she thought about it for a moment before smiling and typing a message.
Soon, Jiang Xiao’s phone received the following text:
“It’s so sour I’m dying! Dear, hurry and kiss me a few times, or your Xi’er won’t be able to revive!”
***
The journey home was long. Song Qiuyu ate oranges while playing games with her Mom and Father. Although her Mom looked a bit dazed, she was surprisingly a master of the wild area!
She and her Father relied entirely on her Mom’s jungling to carry them! Her Father spent the entire time “lying down” and being carried. Whenever he died, he claimed it was just a strategic sacrifice to give the two of them a chance to show off.
Time flew by during the game. In the blink of an eye, they had returned to their residential community.
However, to the surprise of all three, they ran into the neighbor’s big white cat just as they reached their front door!
*Meow-u~*
The white cat’s originally bulging belly was now flat. Seeing them return, she ran home gracefully. Then, she actually returned while carrying two newborn white kittens in her mouth.
‘What is this Hajimi trying to do?’ Song Qiuyu gritted her teeth, crossing her arms as she stared intently at the big white cat.
“Little treasure, is there even a need to ask? She probably wants us to help raise the kittens.” Su Luo looked at her daughter, who seemed ready to hiss at the cat, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Why does it feel like my little treasure has such a deep prejudice against this big cat?’
“Who wants to help her raise kittens!” Song Qiuyu had obviously figured it out long ago; she was just asking even though she knew the answer.
She looked at the big white cat with a face full of disdain. Remembering certain events, her gaze became even more contemptuous.
As soon as she spoke, three pairs of amber cat eyes looked at her expectantly.
“Heh…”
The sound of the three cats meowing almost simultaneously was both dainty and flirtatious, making one’s heart itch.
In that instant, Su Luo and Song Zhao Ye were nearly conquered. They were already considering the idea of raising the cats. Besides, the mother cat had brought them to their door herself, so the neighbor shouldn’t be charging for them, right?
But for kittens this cute, even if they had to pay, what did it matter?
“Hmph, you think meowing a few times will make me raise you?” Song Qiuyu, however, remained completely unmoved.
She turned her head away, intending to ignore the three cats. Dragging her luggage, she prepared to enter the house. She swore that today, she would be the most cold-hearted person alive.
However, the three cats kept their burning, expectant gazes fixed on her, making her feel uncomfortable all over.
With a *creak*, Song Zhao Ye opened the door with his room key.
“Let’s go. If you don’t want to raise them, then ignore it. She’ll probably carry the two kittens back herself,” Song Zhao Ye said as he entered the house first.
“They’re actually quite cute. Little treasure, are you really not going to consider it?” Su Luo looked at the two white kittens being held by the mother cat, blinked, and asked.
“No! Consideration!”
Song Qiuyu maintained a firm attitude as she dragged her luggage into the house and slammed the door shut.
Even so, meowing could still be heard from outside. Those three cats didn’t seem to have any intention of giving up.
However, Song Qiuyu’s heart was made of stone today! She already had herself to raise, and Jiang Xiao already had her to raise. There was no room in this house for a Hajimi to squeeze in!
The moment she thought about Jiang Xiao mentioning more than once that cats were cuter than her, coupled with the mother cat’s flirtatious behavior that night, she felt incredibly annoyed.
She organized the items in her luggage and then sat back on the sofa, playing with her phone. As she played, she gradually forgot about the three cats at the door.
Then, *ding-dong*, someone rang the doorbell.
Seeing that her parents were busy, she obediently put down her phone, got up from the sofa, and ran to answer it.
When the door opened, she saw the old lady who lived next door standing there.
“Uh…”
Seeing the three white cats in the old lady’s arms, alarm bells rang in Song Qiuyu’s head. Realization suddenly dawned on her.
‘Oh no! These three Hajimis know how to call for backup!’
Sure enough, after a brief pleasantry, the old lady stroked the three cats in her arms and got straight to the point. “Child, my cats seem to really like you. Do you want to take two back to raise? Don’t worry, I won’t charge you. They’re a gift!”
“…”
Song Qiuyu scratched the back of her neck, feeling a headache coming on. This wasn’t a matter of money.
She thought for a moment and then said, “I’m sorry, Old Lady, but my family doesn’t really like cats, so we can’t raise them!”
“Is that so? Then there’s nothing to be done.” The old lady sighed.
The three white cats, however, seemed to understand human speech. They had already seen through Song Qiuyu’s lie and simply stared at her with hope, letting out another meow.
Song Qiuyu couldn’t understand cat language. But she could vaguely see what the three cats were thinking. She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin slightly, looking quite smug after her victory.
‘Trying to compete with me? Just a bunch of Hajimis. I’m going to ignore you, I’m not going to help you raise kittens, and what can you do about it?’
“Little treasure, who is it?” Su Luo’s voice came from the direction of the bathroom.
“Ah.” Song Qiuyu turned back to her Mom and said with a happy smile, “It’s the old lady from next door. She must have been drawn here by the meowing.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered her Mom saying the kittens were cute earlier. Alarm bells rang continuously in her mind.
‘Could it be? Is my own Mom also one of the people summoned by the Hajimis?’
Sure enough, as soon as Su Luo came over, the three white cats in the old lady’s arms meowed even more cheerfully. It was as if they had finally seen the savior of the cat-star people.
Su Luo clearly looked like she loved the kittens, the corners of her mouth curling upward. Seeing this, Song Qiuyu’s eyes went hollow.
When the old lady saw Su Luo, she explained her reason for coming again, expressing her regret.
“Is that so?” After listening, Su Luo’s face showed confusion. Her eyes widened as she murmured, “Hmm, my husband and I actually like cats quite a bit.”
With that, she glanced at her daughter beside her and tilted her head. “Little treasure, why don’t you like kittens?”