Pat, pat.
Shen Ye obediently patted the sofa, signaling that she could sleep right there.
The loveseat was on the smaller side, under 2 meters in total, which happened to be just enough for her petite frame to stretch out on.
**’It’s actually pretty comfortable sleeping on this little sofa.’
She thought to herself, pressing her fingers into the soft cushion, watching them sink into the fabric and bounce back.
For some reason, compared to the big bed she usually slept on, she found herself preferring these cramped, confined spaces now.
Maybe it was because of this small body of hers.
Or maybe—for some strange reason—curling up in a corner like this made her feel safe.
Seeing that the girl before him seemed dead set on living with him, Lin Xiangyi pressed a hand to his forehead, his face full of anguish.
Setting aside the consequences of harboring a spirit being at home if the Association ever found out…
In a few days, when Xiao Meng came back—if she saw some young, pretty, unfamiliar girl staying at her brother’s place…
Just imagining that scene made his hairs stand on end.
“Ehh~ I only went to a convention for a bit, and my brother already picked up some strange woman from who knows where~”
“Never thought my brother would be such a sleazy guy. What a player~”
“Oh~ And she’s a pretty little wildcat too. Nice taste, brother. Hehehe.”
Lin Xiangyi covered his face.
Wouldn’t that blow up completely?
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began reorganizing his words.
“Xiao Ye, listen to me—”
“Nope.”
Before he could finish, Shen Ye cut him off, then stared at him with a resentful gaze.
‘…’
**’He’s really this reluctant?’
Lin Xiangyi’s mouth twitched. He decided to ignore her interruption and continued:
“First, you*’re a spirit being, and I’*m human. Since my senior brother specifically sent you to me for treatment, I assume you’ve never registered with the Association.
If a spirit being like you were found living in a human*’s home, and an Executor from the Association discovered it, we’*d both be in trouble.”
As if he thought Shen Ye wasn’t familiar with common knowledge in the human Spirit Taming Realm, he thoughtfully explained the ins and outs for her.
“Second, I have exams coming up in the next few days. This exam is very important to me, and I don’t want anything going wrong at this critical moment.”
“Finally—”
He let out a deep sigh, a hint of despair in his tone.
“I really don’t want my sister to misunderstand.”
Looking at the dejected Lin Xiangyi, Shen Ye blinked.
“Your sister?”
“Yeah, my biological sister. She*’s also my junior disciple. She’*ll be back in a few days.” Lin Xiangyi’s face was full of helplessness. “If she sees you here at my place, I can kiss my peace and quiet goodbye.”
Shen Ye tilted her head, her cat ears tilting along with it, looking impossibly soft.
‘Right, I almost forgot about Xiao Meng.’
**’Where’s that little girl running off to anyway? The little indie games she brought me last time were pretty fun. I was hoping to ask her for a few more.’
She tapped her cheek, a hint of sulk tugging at the corner of her lips.
**’Who knows how long it’ll be before I get to play the games my junior sister recommended to me now.’
**’That’s one of the few joys I have up on that mountain.’
“In short, you can’t stay here.” Lin Xiangyi issued his final ultimatum, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
He stood up and started heading back to his room, but stopped halfway, as if remembering something, and added:
“But don*’t worry, I won’*t slack on your treatment.”
“In a bit, I*’ll take you out to eat, and then we’*ll go to a hotel that specifically caters to spirit beings. They shouldn’t require identification there.”
Seeing that her junior brother wasn’t giving her any room to explain, Shen Ye was frantic.
‘Am I really going to stay at a hotel alone?’
‘No, no, no!’
She shook her head with deep aversion, her cat ears wobbling.
‘Think. What other way is there to make my junior brother change his mind?’
She racked her brain.
**’Say I’m shy around strangers?’
‘Say Master arranged it?’
**’Doesn’t feel right. Too stiff.’
‘What else can I do…’
Huh?
A thought she’d been overlooking surfaced from the depths of her mind.
**’If there’s one person who can make junior brother obey without question…’
**’…wouldn’t that be me?’
Shen Ye’s eyes widened slightly as a flash of inspiration struck her.
Coincidentally, they’d just been talking about Xiao Meng. The games her junior sister had given her sparked a brilliant idea.
And this could even double as a little payback.
‘But… would this count as threatening my junior brother?’
She hesitated for a moment.
**’But I really don’t want to stay at some hotel surrounded by strangers.’
**’After all, no matter how much of a homebody I am, I’d still run into people eventually.’
**’Besides, I came here specifically for treatment. What’s the point of us staying separately?’
Shen Ye bit her lip lightly, cheering herself on internally.
**’It’s fine.’
**’I’m just—just using my position a little.’
**’It’s not like he’s a stranger. His senior brother is me. What’s wrong with borrowing a tiger’s fierceness while wearing a fox’s skin?’
“Junior Brother Lin.”
She spoke, her voice soft, yet it stopped Lin Xiangyi in his tracks.
‘Huh?’
**’Why’s she calling me that again?’
Lin Xiangyi turned around, a helpless look on his face.
“Didn’t I tell you not to use that—”
Before he could finish, he froze.
A gentle breeze brushed past his cheek, carrying the faint, cool scent that clung to the girl.
At some point, Shen Ye had already walked up to him.
Within arm’s reach.
The first things his eyes landed on were a pair of fluffy cat ears. The warm yellow light of the room washed over them softly, letting him even make out the fine white fur inside.
Looking down, Shen Ye tilted her head slightly upward, her clear, limpid eyes staring straight into his.
From this angle, the cat-eared girl’s cuteness was magnified infinitely.
Lin Xiangyi instinctively tried to step back, but his heel hit the wall behind him.
Nowhere to retreat.
Shen Ye stepped closer. Her petite frame somehow radiated an inexplicable pressure that cowed Lin Xiangyi, who stood a head taller than her.
A wave of red crept up Lin Xiangyi’s face, burning from his neck all the way to his ears.
‘What is she doing now?’
“Hey—!”
He tried to speak, to stop her from crossing the line.
Shen Ye didn’t give him the chance.
She stood on her tiptoes, reached out, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled his head down toward her.
Forced to bend down, Lin Xiangyi*’s nose nearly brushed against the girl’*s neck.
Her warm breath ghosted across his ear.
That sweet, rain-washed cedar scent grew denser the moment the distance between them collapsed, curling in wisps into his ear, brushing against his earlobe.
Time stretched like a thread pulled taut, much like Lin Xiangyi’s frayed nerves.
Shen Ye’s sudden action had left his mind a blank slate, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
Then, the taut string of his nerves was severed by a sweet, clear voice.
Shen Ye’s rosy lips parted slightly, her words spilling out like honeyed whispers, pouring into his ear one syllable at a time.
“By the way, I haven’t forgiven you for calling me a bad woman.”
“And you wouldn’t want your senior brother to know—”
“that this is how you treat his important friend,”
“would you?”