“Meow~”
On the bed, next to scattered black hair, books were stacked into a low wall.
On top of them, a little orange cat was calling out to the girl who had not yet woken up.
Ye Qingchang frowned, letting out a few reluctant, indistinct mumbles.
Whatever she was murmuring, it was clear she wasn’t in a good mood.
“Meow~”
Another meow echoed in the empty dorm room, causing Ye Qingchang’s frown to deepen.
She stretched an arm out from under the covers and covered her eyes, even though the drawn curtains barely let any sunlight into her eyes.
Ye Qingchang knew this was not a good day, though it should have been a wonderful one.
She regretted it.
She regretted agreeing immediately when Zhu Niao suggested leaving the cat in the dorm for her to take care of for two days.
Originally, it seemed like a win-win situation.
First, she would have a cat to keep her company when she was bored.
Second, she would have a cat to accompany her through the loneliness when Yang Shuli was taken away by Xu Nian.
Third, she would have a cat.
‘Okay, she really just wanted a cat. She’d wanted one for who knows how long.’
‘But her family wouldn’t let her have one, and she had rhinitis, which wasn’t exactly friendly to a creature that shed year-round.’
‘When Zhu Niao handed her the cat, her eyes lit up. After repeatedly confirming that the cat was well-behaved enough, she reached out and took it.’
‘But she didn’t expect Zhu Niao to lie to her friend just to successfully pawn off the cat.’
‘This cat wasn’t nearly as well-behaved as she’d imagined. It even started yowling before she woke up naturally.’
Ye Qingchang opened her eyes, grabbed her glasses from beside the pillow, put them on, and then picked up her phone.
She was a little stunned when she saw the time.
‘It’s already noon.’
Then she propped herself up and glanced at the tiny creature curled up on the pile of books near her feet.
When the little orange cat saw that Ye Qingchang was awake, it called out again: “Meow~”
Ye Qingchang confirmed it: Zhu Niao had lied. She’d said this cat almost never made a sound, but in this short time, it had already yowled quite loudly three or four times.
But since it was already noon, Ye Qingchang leaned over the railing of the bed and looked down.
She looked at the small brown bowl next to her seat—the one Zhu Niao had brought as the cat’s food bowl. It still had more than half the cat food left.
In the other small bowl next to it, she could clearly see the reflection of water.
‘It’s not like it doesn’t have food or water, right?’
As if remembering something, she picked up the cat by its front paws, walked down from the bed, and went all the way to the balcony to check the litter box.
Brand new. Even after digging through it with the small shovel Zhu Niao had brought, she found nothing.
‘The litter box isn’t full either.’
‘So why was this little thing meowing at me on the bed in broad daylight?’
Ye Qingchang held the cat up and tilted her head.
‘Could it be that this cat just doesn’t want to let me sleep in?’
‘Wow, truly evil by nature.’
Ye Qingchang tossed the cat back into the room and yawned as she walked to her seat.
The little cat followed at her feet, trailing her to the seat that seemed to carry the scent of books.
She looked up.
Liu Xie was spending the weekend with Liu Anran outside; it would probably be that arrangement from now on.
Yang Shuli, as if triggered by a daily quest, would disappear with Xu Nian at mealtimes, off somewhere having fun.
“I hope we can get along. If you do, I’ll let go of the fact that you woke me up this morning.”
Ye Qingchang poked the top of the cat’s head with her finger.
The little cat was quite docile, rubbing against her finger.
But it seemed less lively than when it first arrived—it wouldn’t even look around.
Ye Qingchang didn’t think much of it. Maybe the cat had just become more mature. After all, she herself was more mature every day than the day before.
‘Does “mature and steady” sound weird when used on a cat?’
Ye Qingchang felt her empty stomach, turned around, and walked to the cabinet where Yang Shuli hid snacks. She expertly took out some bread and ate it as breakfast.
She couldn’t eat much anyway.
Then she would push lunch later into the afternoon, turning it into afternoon tea. That way, she could still have the basic three meals a day.
She was a genius.
After a couple of bites, Ye Qingchang turned on her computer, planning to watch videos while eating to maximize her happiness.
Then, suddenly, her nose itched.
“Ah-choo!”
After sneezing, Ye Qingchang put down her bread temporarily and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose.
She looked down at the little orange cat by her feet.
‘This shedding creature really isn’t suitable for me. After all, I have rhinitis. Honestly, it’s a bit uncomfortable.’
Even though the fluffy texture felt great, and it was willing to stick by her side when no one else was around, and it wasn’t afraid of people.
And it even crawled into her bed at night.
‘Okay, I forgive the little thing for waking me up this morning.’
‘Such an adorable little cat—who could blame it?’
Just as she was about to scoop the little orange cat into her arms, her nose itched again.
“Ah-choo!”
Another sneeze, but Ye Qingchang thought it was no big deal.
Kittens were always worth forgiving.
She reached out to pet the cat.
But then she saw the little orange cat’s tiny body suddenly twitch.
And then the little orange cat also sneezed.
“Haha, copycat, you’re imitating me…” Ye Qingchang teased, scratching the little orange cat’s chin, but then suddenly realized something. “No, wait.”
She quickly grabbed the orange cat and looked at its pink little nostrils.
A bit of snot was trickling out.
A cat with a runny nose was different from a human’s. At times like this, it could easily turn into a little illness that would cost thousands of dollars if it got upset.
Ye Qingchang thought carefully.
She couldn’t figure it out—she had never owned a cat.
But what she did know was that it didn’t have this symptom when it was brought over yesterday.
‘Does that mean this little orange cat got sick because of me?’
‘Oh no, oh no.’
Ye Qingchang’s mind suddenly went blank.
Just then, her phone, which she had left on the table, rang.
It was Xiao Yi’an.
“Hey? I called you a few times earlier, but you didn’t pick up. Give me your account number, or I can’t help you with the campus run.”
“I think we can put the campus run aside for now.” Ye Qingchang glanced at the cat beside her. “I have something more important to ask you.”