The afternoon was simple as well, especially since Ning Dongya didn’t come looking for me—it was way more relaxed than the morning!
After a quick round of checks, as soon as it was time to get off work, I left the company right away.
I still don’t know why that person kept trying to make things difficult for me in the beginning, but the frequency should drop from now on, right?
Thinking of this, I felt that perhaps my days at work might not be as hard as I’d imagined.
Walking out of the office building, the cool breeze of dusk brushed my face. I pulled out my phone and dialed Ling Xiaoxiao. “Hello? Xiaoxiao, are you working at the cat café tonight?”
Muffled chewing sounds came from the receiver. “Mmm… I can, but you’ll have to meet me at my house.”
“Uh? What do you mean?” I was a bit baffled by Ling Xiaoxiao’s request.
“It’s just—aiya~ don’t worry about it! Just come to my place and we’ll go together.”
Her voice suddenly softened, almost as if she were being coquettish. At that, I seemed to understand what was going on.
“Got it! The master of getting lost still hasn’t memorized the route!”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and struck right at Ling Xiaoxiao’s sore spot. I soon heard her indignant voice over the phone.
“That’s not something you need to say out loud!”
“Nyeh nyeh nyeh~” I stuck out my tongue mischievously, then told her, “Alright then, I’ll head home and wait for you. I’ll get some rest while I’m at it, come find me when you’re ready.”
With that, I hung up.
Next, time to make a run for it!
Wouldn’t want Ning Dongya to catch me here!
Very soon, I was in front of my door, struggling a bit with the key before finally getting it open. The wooden door of the rental apartment let out a long creak.
Sigh, even opening a door is this much work—this body can really be inconvenient at times.
It’d still be a while before Ling Xiaoxiao would be ready, so what should I do next?
After thinking for a moment, I suddenly noticed a dusty box in the corner of the room.
When was that put there? It seemed like it hadn’t been touched in ages. Should I open it and have a look?
Without hesitation, I flicked on my flashlight, only to be immediately choked by the dust in the corner, sneezing as my cat ears drooped into a totally useless shield.
I crouched down, and as soon as I opened the box, I saw a drawing tablet covered with a dust cloth.
“This is…”
I crouched down, frowning a little.
After a moment of thought, distant memories surged up in my mind.
I vaguely remembered—this drawing tablet was a gift from Ning Dongya. Back then, she and I were both young and clueless.
But now, that relationship is over, and nothing remains. Maybe the only thing left are these little dusty things in this box.
Thinking of this, I sighed in melancholy.
Even though I tried to be gentle, the moment I lifted the dust cover, the dust swirled up and made me cough.
The stains on the screen were still clearly visible, the traces of use on its surface seemed to tell the story of our naïve youth, pulling my thoughts back to those brief yet wonderful days.
On a whim, I plugged it in to see if it would still work. When the familiar startup screen lit up, my tail swept happily across the floor. “It still works!”
I wiped the dust from the screen with an alcohol pad, and drew a smooth arc with the stylus. Other than being a little old, there weren’t any problems.
Maybe I’ll bring it to the cat café. If I have some free time, I can still draw a little.
Just as I was about to check what else was in the box, the doorbell suddenly rang.
“Guiyun, I’m ready! I’m here to get you.” Ling Xiaoxiao’s voice came from outside. I put the box away, picked up the drawing tablet, and went to open the door.
She was wearing a pink sweatshirt today, her bunny tail slapping her thigh impatiently, hugging a thermos with a carrot print in her arms. “Let’s go! I brought cookies—I made them myself! We’ll eat them together later!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What, so you were preparing these just now?”
“Yep, yep! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
With that, Ling Xiaoxiao eagerly dragged me out the door.
Pushing open the glass door of the cat café, the wind chimes jingled.
Yue Ran was wiping the tables in an apron. She looked up with a smile when she heard us. “You’re here? Shiyu was just asking about you two.”
Before she finished speaking, a big fluffy tail slowly rose from behind the counter—it was Shiyu-jie. She turned around, rubbing her sleepy eyes lazily. “Guiyun~ Xiaoxiao~ you finally made it.”
Ling Xiaoxiao presented her thermos like it was a treasure, opening it with a flourish, her bunny ears bouncing proudly. “Look! I made cranberry cookies! Everyone, try some!”
She dumped out some deep brown blocks onto the lid, their edges charred like lumps of coal.
I had a bad feeling, but curiosity got the better of me. I picked one up and took a tentative bite. Sweetness exploded with a bitter, indescribable taste and gritty powder that scraped my throat like sandpaper. “Pff—”
I spat it out into a napkin in a hurry, my cat ears quivering as if electrocuted. “Are you sure these are cookies and not charcoal?!”
Ling Xiaoxiao’s bunny tail instantly wilted, and her ears drooped to her shoulders. “Are they really that bad?”
She turned to Yue Ran, who was sipping tea in small sips. “Yue Ran-jie, try one!”
Yue Ran took a tiny bite, her features twitching slightly, but she still swallowed it with gentle poise. “Well… they barely count as cookies?”
“Uu…” Ling Xiaoxiao’s eyes went red, her tail hanging limply on the ground.
At that moment, Shiyu suddenly grabbed a handful of cookies and stuffed them into her mouth, her eyes going wide.
“!!! This is divine! I feel like my spiritual energy is being restored just eating these! Xiaoxiao, you’re a dessert goddess!” She clung to Ling Xiaoxiao’s arm, her tail beating a happy rhythm on the floor. “Give me ten more! I want these for a midnight snack!”
I was dumbfounded by Shiyu’s reaction.
Huh? Divine? These?
I glanced at the blackened lump in my hand, then at the ones in Shiyu’s. Were these really the same thing?
Ling Xiaoxiao froze, then suddenly broke into a smile, her bunny ears perking up again.
“Really? I knew they wouldn’t be that bad!”
She happily poured out another handful, pushing all the cookies in front of Shiyu. Shiyu didn’t hold back, shoving them into her mouth one after another, asking as she ate,
“By the way, what did you put in these cookies to make them so delicious?”
“Just the usual stuff you’d use for cookies. But I did add a bit of fish mint juice, ginger juice, and eggplant juice.”
“Ohhh, no wonder they taste so good!”
I leaned close to Yue Ran, my cat ears brushing her lips. “Yue Ran-jie, about Shiyu…”
Yue Ran hid half her face behind the menu and smiled wryly. “Ah, Shiyu’s sense of taste is broken. Nothing tastes like anything to her.”
“I see…”
Looking at the happily munching Ling Xiaoxiao and Shiyu, I wondered if this was what people called a double negative making a positive?
“Alright, since they’re having such a good time, let’s not spoil it. Go change and get ready for tonight’s work.”
With that, Yue Ran nudged me toward the changing room. Watching the two of them so happy, I nodded quietly.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.