Chapter 70: Possessiveness

Mu Ci snapped her diary shut, her grip tightening around the pen until her knuckles cracked audibly. Her gaze gradually hardened.

At ten-oh-seven in the morning, Mu Ci made a decision.

The majestic, domineering, and stunningly beautiful wolf had resolved, in this moment, to ignore the two-legged beast.

But no sooner had she made up her mind than a rich, savory aroma of porridge wafted through the air.

The wolf, who had been brimming with determination, felt her resolve waver. Her nose began to twitch, and her body started drifting toward the source of the tempting scent.

Creak.

Ji Yingran pushed the door open with her back, both hands cradling a large pot of porridge.

“Wolfie, come eat breakfast,” Ji Yingran called out cheerfully.

Mu Ci had just been sniffing the air frantically, but now she turned her head away with icy aloofness, presenting only the back of her head.

That back of her head blared a clear message: I’m ignoring you.

“Shredded pork porridge, with your favorite pork. Are you sure you don’t want any?”

As Ji Yingran spoke, she fanned the air above the pot with her hand, wafting the fragrance even more enticingly toward the wolf.

Gulp.

Mu Ci’s back was turned to her, but the sound of her swallowing carried clearly all the same.

Ji Yingran couldn’t help but chuckle. She was still holding out, even though that gulp had been so loud.

Earlier, Ji Yingran had deliberately given her the cold shoulder once, and now the wolf was holding a grudge. She was sulking and refusing to forgive her.

While the cold shoulder tactic worked well and achieved the desired effect, it couldn’t be overused. Unless absolutely necessary, Ji Yingran didn’t want to resort to it.

For one thing, it hurt the wolf’s feelings. For another, if she relied on it too much, it would lose its power over time.

She had finally found a way to get the upper hand with her— she couldn’t squander it. She needed to wield it carefully, controlling the frequency and timing perfectly. Overuse would make it ineffective.

After all, the wolf wasn’t stupid. A few more cold shoulders, and she would probably catch on that Ji Yingran was faking it, stringing her along…

“Come eat. The porridge is ready. It’ll go to waste if you don’t.”

“Aw, why so stubborn? Fine, fine, I apologize. I’m sorry, okay?”

“Come on over and eat. Stop being so mule-headed.”

“…”

Ji Yingran coaxed her for quite a while until the porridge had cooled by half, but Mu Ci refused to budge. She kept her neck stiff, stubbornly facing away.

Ji Yingran shook her head helplessly and gave up persuading her. She walked over to the gazebo and set the pot down on the stone table.

“Fine, if you won’t eat, I won’t force you. I’m leaving the porridge here. Who knows—maybe some other animal will come by and take it. Oh well, whatever. It’s here for whoever wants it.”

Ji Yingran spoke as if to herself, but every word was meant for the wolf next door.

After setting the pot down, she turned and headed back inside.

Ji Yingran reached the window and parted the curtains just a sliver, peeking out.

She figured it would take Mu Ci at most five minutes to give in and come eat.

But once again, she had overestimated her.

Ji Yingran had barely stepped inside and glanced out the window when she saw that the porridge was already gone from the gazebo’s table.

The gazebo stood empty. The wolf had whisked away both pot and all.

Ji Yingran laughed. She hadn’t even noticed when Mu Ci had done it—the wolf moved like lightning. And she wondered if one pot would be enough for her. It probably was.

In Building 9, inside the house.

Mu Ci’s head was buried entirely in the earthenware pot.

Sloppy slurping sounds echoed through the living room.

Her tail stood high and proud, a sure sign that this porridge suited her tastes perfectly.

In just two minutes, the pot was nearly scraped clean. Mu Ci set to licking it spotless, leaving it gleaming with a glossy sheen.

Once the pot was pristine, she licked her chops, still savoring the aftertaste.

Full and satisfied, with nothing better to do, she decided to check on what that two-legged beast was up to.

Her earlier vow to ignore her vanished from memory, as if it had never existed.

She hopped lithely over the fence and sauntered into Ji Yingran’s home like she owned the place.

As soon as Mu Ci entered, the playful cats and dogs fell silent and scattered like smoke, each darting off to hide.

Mu Ci pouted, annoyed at the cats and dogs, but she didn’t bother scaring them further.

Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap…

Chopping sounds drifted from the kitchen as a knife met cutting board.

Mu Ci perked up instantly and trotted over, poking her head around curiously. What was the two-legged beast doing now? Making more food?

Ji Yingran heard the footsteps but wasn’t surprised. At this hour, no one else would be home except that wolf.

Mu Ci always barged in uninvited, and Ji Yingran had grown used to it.

Without turning around, Ji Yingran knew exactly who it was. “I’m cutting fruit. Want some?”

Mu Ci was still peering about curiously, but the refusal slipped out on reflex. “No. This Wolf doesn’t want any. Not interested.”

Ji Yingran promptly shoved a peeled pear into the wolf’s mouth.

Mu Ci bit down instinctively. Sweet and juicy—delicious.

“Isn’t it sweet?”

“Tastes awful.”

Ji Yingran chuckled softly and turned back to her cutting.

“I’m slicing this fruit to munch on while watching TV later. Wolfie, want to watch with me?”

Mu Ci spat out the pear core. “As if This Wolf would watch with you. Don’t even dream about it.”

Her rejection was swift and firm. Five minutes later, Mu Ci sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Ji Yingran on the sofa, watching TV together.

“I followed this drama from the moment filming started, and now it’s finally airing. The timing’s perfect—I’ve been too busy at the bakery lately to watch anything. Now I’m totally free and can binge in peace.”

Ji Yingran chatted away while the wolf focused intently on eating, too absorbed to respond.

Ji Yingran had prepared a huge platter of fruit, but before the drama’s opening theme even finished, Mu Ci had devoured half of it.

Ji Yingran urgently snatched a piece back from the wolf’s mouth. “Don’t eat it all! I cut this for TV snacking.”

Mu Ci: “Woo woo!”

Ji Yingran had told her not to finish it off, and now she was baring her teeth.

Ji Yingran sighed. “Fine, fine. Eat it all, then.”

She was helpless against her. Ji Yingran had already fed her plenty while cutting, but she’d forgotten: the wolf’s stomach was a bottomless pit. No matter how much she’d eaten earlier, it didn’t stop her from wanting more.

Watching TV had to come with fruit for perfection—but with this wolf around, perfection was impossible. The fruit never lasted two minutes.

Soon, Mu Ci polished off the entire platter. The opening theme had only just ended, and the show was truly beginning.

“All done eating? Now settle in and watch TV with me. It’s just getting started.” Ji Yingran leaned back against the sofa, relaxing comfortably.

Sated on fruit, Mu Ci grew bored. Her eyes darted restlessly, unable to sit still.

After scanning the room, her gaze landed on the face of the person beside her.

The curtains were drawn tight, leaving the living room dim. The TV’s pale glow flickered across Ji Yingran’s features, illuminating her delicately beautiful face in shifting shadows of light and dark.

Mu Ci stared fixedly for a long moment until her ears suddenly perked up. “So ugly.”

Ji Yingran glanced sideways at her. Why had her ears popped out for no reason?

Mu Ci tsked disdainfully and averted her eyes toward the TV.

It was a modern workplace drama—nothing interesting. Mu Ci stared blankly at it for a bit before her gaze drifted back to the person beside her.

Compared to the show, the person was far more entertaining.

“Ugly freak.”

“So ugly.”

“You’re hideously ugly.”

Ji Yingran looked helpless and let out a soft sigh. “Be good and stop insulting me nonstop while I’m right here. If you don’t want to watch TV, then go to sleep.”

Mu Ci snorted coldly. “How rude.”

“Telling you to sleep is rude? And you think it’s polite to keep calling me an ugly freak?”

“Talking back. Disqualified.”

Ji Yingran ruffled her head affectionately. “All right, all right. Just behave.”

Mu Ci dodged her hand. “No touching. You messed up my fur.”

Ji Yingran: “…”

Perhaps because she was full and the room was dimly lit, the wolf quickly grew drowsy. She flopped onto the sofa and fell asleep.

Seeing this, Ji Yingran quickly lowered the TV volume. She fetched a blanket from the bedroom and gently draped it over her.

Ji Yingran crouched by the sofa and pinched the wolf’s cheek, murmuring softly, “Finally asleep. She’s best when she’s sleeping.”

Asleep, of course, she was perfect—no fussing, no noise, no insults.

Ji Yingran settled back on the sofa. The drama played on at a whisper-soft volume that wouldn’t disturb the sleeping wolf. Naturally, it was too quiet for her to catch the dialogue clearly.

But Ji Yingran didn’t turn it up. She just followed the subtitles like it was a silent film.

The Calico Cat Jelly was the clingiest and boldest among Ji Yingran’s pets.

With Mu Ci asleep, the jelly cat poked its head out curiously and stretched a paw toward the slumbering wolf, batting at her experimentally.

Ji Yingran scooped it up swiftly, cradling it in her arms and stroking it gently. In a hushed voice, she warned, “Don’t provoke her. She might bite.”

Petted into bliss, the jelly cat settled on Ji Yingran’s lap, purring contentedly.

Stroking the cat while watching TV was pure bliss.

It should have been bliss, but for some reason, an odd unease crept in.

Sensing something, Ji Yingran turned her head—and found Mu Ci awake. The blanket had slipped to the floor.

Golden pupils stared straight at her.

To be precise, she wasn’t staring at Ji Yingran herself, but at the cat nestled in her arms.

“Grrr…”

An angry low growl rumbled from Mu Ci’s throat.

Jelly, which had been lounging leisurely on Ji Yingran’s leg just moments before, got such a fright that its fur puffed out in alarm. In an instant, it scampered away.

With the cat gone, Ji Yingran was left alone to face the wolf.

Ji Yingran rubbed her nose awkwardly and tried to change the subject. “You’re awake? If you’re awake, why don’t you watch some TV? The show’s pretty entertaining.”

Mu Ci: “Grrr…”

“Look at this character—he’s hilarious. What a riot.”

“Grrr…”

“The protagonist’s outfit looks pretty nice too. Wonder if there’s a similar one online.”

“Grrr…”

“…”

The attempt to change the subject failed. Ji Yingran looked at her helplessly. “Stop growling already. I’m just hugging our cat. That’s totally normal. You can’t get jealous over everything.”

Mu Ci said nothing and just kept up her steady stream of growls.

It was clear no amount of coaxing would work.

In the end, Ji Yingran had to pull out her ultimate weapon: she cooked her a meal…

After eating—and eating happily—Mu Ci finally calmed down.

Ji Yingran watched in amused exasperation. It looked like she’d have to pet the cat behind her back from now on. Otherwise, it would be incredibly hard to coax her. This wolf had quite the jealous streak.

Ji Yingran couldn’t fathom what was going through this wolf’s head. Why was she so dead set against anyone getting close to other animals?

Actually, she didn’t just object to other animals. She reacted the same way to other people.

In short, she wouldn’t allow Ji Yingran to get close to any other living creature. The moment she did, Mu Ci would get mad.

Ji Yingran figured Mu Ci must see people as friends. But even friends didn’t exhibit this level of possessiveness, did they?

The way she carried on, it didn’t seem like she treated people as mere friends. It was more like she regarded them as… lovers.

Lovers?

Ji Yingran suddenly froze, stunned by the absurdity of her own thought.