Chapter 55: The Dust Settles

The cold, empty house suddenly felt more alive, thanks to the arrival of two drenched people and a soaking wet cat.

“You didn’t even bother closing the door before you left?” Zhu Niao, hugging her shoulders and shivering, glanced at the wide-open front door.

The wet Little Orange Cat shook itself, but barely managed to fling off any water.

It seemed unusually attached to the two of them. After arriving in this brand-new environment, it abandoned a kitten’s usual curiosity and simply followed along at Zhu Niao’s feet.

“I didn’t even bring my keys. If I hadn’t left the door open, wouldn’t we have had to wait in the rain for a locksmith?”

Their soggy shoes and socks made unpleasant squelching sounds on the floor, accompanied by the Little Orange Cat’s constant meowing.

Gou Yu instinctively wanted to flop onto the sofa with his tired body, but Zhu Niao kicked him right on the calf.

“Are you trying to make the sofa even wetter?” she said. “Go change into dry clothes and blow-dry your hair.”

For some reason, she sounded unusually strict.

“Yes, yes…” Gou Yu replied miserably, heading into Zhu Niao’s room to look for a hairdryer.

Meanwhile, Zhu Niao decided to take a shower.

She was even more bedraggled than Gou Yu, and besides, there was a meowing stray cat that needed a bath.

No, not a stray cat anymore.

Once everything calmed down, she felt a strange headache, her mind dizzy and fuzzy.

She grabbed some clothes and scooped up the Little Orange Cat. On her way out, she gave Gou Yu—who was sitting at her desk, watching videos on her secondhand computer and using her pink hairdryer—a swift kick.

Zhu Niao had never bathed a cat before, nor had she ever raised one.

So halfway through her own shower, she started scrubbing the cat’s fur as well, working the fluffy lather into both of them and covering their once-cold bodies in clouds of steamy warmth.

She had no idea how long it took. She only knew that she’d gone from hot to cold and back again several times before both she and the cat were finally clean.

At the very least, the Little Orange Cat now smelled just as much of lavender as she did.

Wearing her nightdress, Zhu Niao hugged the Little Orange Cat and dashed back to her room, as if afraid the still-damp cat would get sick. She grabbed the hairdryer Gou Yu had just used.

And right in front of Gou Yu, she started blasting the Little Orange Cat with hot air.

The always-docile kitten finally began to struggle under Zhu Niao’s rather rough handling.

Gou Yu didn’t dare say a word to the busy Zhu Niao, so he just kept watching pretty-girl videos on her computer.

But this brief moment of peace was soon interrupted.

Zhu Niao stretched out her slender, long legs and kicked Gou Yu’s leg again.

If her hands had been free, she probably would have punched him in the kidneys.

Gou Yu lowered his head and obediently scooted aside to make space for Zhu Niao.

Zhu Niao plopped herself down in her spot, and after thoroughly drying the Little Orange Cat from head to tail, she finally began to blow-dry her own hair.

The lavender scent grew even stronger.

The dangerously beautiful girl in front of him was still completely off guard.

She tossed her long hair, as if stirring up something else entirely. Gou Yu, watching from the side, was momentarily transfixed.

Especially when she grabbed her hair and unintentionally revealed her snow-white neck, and those star-filled eyes lowered beneath a cascade of hair, with slightly flushed pink lips contrasting her otherwise pale face.

Honestly, she looked far better than any of the pretty-girl videos he’d just been watching on Zhu Niao’s computer.

So, was Little Bird helping him kick his internet addiction?

As Zhu Niao shook her head while drying her hair, water droplets sprayed everywhere, snapping the dazed Gou Yu back to reality.

He quickly circled around Zhu Niao’s seat and went to pet the Little Orange Cat on the other side.

He hadn’t been petting for long when Zhu Niao, with her hair half-dry, stopped the hairdryer and grabbed a towel from the rack, vigorously rubbing her head and long hair.

Her headache seemed to be getting worse, accompanied by waves of dizziness.

She glanced at the lively, healthy Little Orange Cat in Gou Yu’s hands.

Even the cat was fine after being caught in the rain—surely, she couldn’t be worse off than a cat.

Gou Yu was like a living example from the bottom of the food chain; no matter what Zhu Niao did, he always backed down half a step.

Like now, he handed over the Little Orange Cat he’d been petting without hesitation.

Zhu Niao carried the Little Orange Cat out of the room, with Gou Yu following behind, guided by the lingering scent of lavender.

He watched as Zhu Niao took out two empty bowls—one for water, and one for half a sausage.

Of course, that half sausage had been scavenged from Gou Yu’s room by Zhu Niao. Ignoring Gou Yu’s wails, she sliced it up and put it in the cat’s bowl.

“We need to give it a name. A cat with a name won’t be a stray anymore,” Zhu Niao said to herself.

Gou Yu, watching Zhu Niao bustle around, insisted on tagging along, even though he couldn’t help at all—he called it ‘being there for company.’

“How about Hallelujah Whirlwind?” Gou Yu suggested, feeling like he hadn’t contributed much.

“I think the rain fried your brain,” Zhu Niao shot down the name immediately. “I think we should call it Holy Emperor.”

“I don’t think your idea is any better.”

After a round of bickering, the rain outside pattered gently against the clear glass window, clinging for a while before slowly sliding down, as if longing for the warmth inside.

In the end, neither could convince the other, so for now, they decided to call the fierce little cat “Little Orange.”

“That works, actually. There’s an old saying—give a cat a humble name and it’ll thrive,” Gou Yu nodded.

Zhu Niao nodded as well. “That old saying is right. After all, you’re still alive and kicking.”

With that, she started rummaging through both her own and Gou Yu’s rooms, trying to find something to make a little bed for Little Orange.

By now, her groggy head was making her breathe heavily and move sluggishly.

After stopping several times, she finally realized that she might not be as tough as the orange cat. Gou Yu seized the chance to grab her wrist.

He didn’t know what was wrong with Zhu Niao, just that his Little Bird seemed tired.

“Making a bed for the cat is pointless. By nightfall, it’ll just find a comfy spot to sleep, like your bed.”

Zhu Niao was anxious, wanting to give the cat a place to settle down—so that this once-stray cat could finally have a home, instead of being just a passerby.

Gou Yu’s words gave Zhu Niao a reason—a reason to stop.

So she let out a long breath, took two steps back, and collapsed onto her bed.

Everything instantly quieted down, except for the meowing Little Orange Cat at Gou Yu’s feet.

Gou Yu also breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the edge of Zhu Niao’s bed, enjoying the lavender-scented freshness that filled the room.

A girl’s room really was much cozier than his own.

“Little Bird…” Gou Yu paused. “Never mind, I just wanted to call you.”

He grinned cheekily, then turned to see Zhu Niao, frowning and eyes closed, ignoring him completely.

“Little Bird?”

A sudden wave of unease swept through him.

He reached out the back of his hand and pressed it to Zhu Niao’s forehead.

So hot.