First of all, under normal circumstances, there was no way anyone in the courtyard could be knocking on the window.
Hadn’t Ye Zhibai just checked the courtyard? Aside from the potted plants, flower beds, and gravel paths, there was absolutely no one there!
At that moment, the poor Ye Zhibai couldn’t help but shiver.
Don’t get the wrong idea—it was just the air conditioning being too cold.
Heh, what great storms hadn’t she weathered in her previous life? She’d been poor enough to starve to death, and now she was scared of something this minor?!
Let’s see who’s playing tricks out there!
Ye Zhibai braced her hands against the floor and struggled to her feet.
Her heart still fluttered with unease as she stepped up to the curtains.
She took a deep breath and gripped the edges of the curtains with both hands.
Then—
With one swift motion, she yanked them open!
Whoosh!
Sunlight streamed through the glass into the room, and the view of the courtyard outside opened up once more.
But—
There was still no one there.
“…”
No one, yet the faint knocking sound continued.
The noise… seemed to be coming from below.
Ye Zhibai shifted her gaze downward slightly.
She looked at the bottom of the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Uh…”
There—that was the source of the knocking.
Ye Zhibai blinked rapidly in surprise.
It wasn’t a person knocking on the window.
It was… a cat.
Through that thin layer of glass, an orange tabby kitten was extending its fluffy paw, pink paw pad out, tapping rhythmically and gently against the window.
No, no, no—for a cat, this probably counted as pounding on the window!
The kitten didn’t look very big—maybe just a year old…?
Wait, there was actually a cat in the courtyard?!
Ye Zhibai expanded her view back to the courtyard.
She definitely hadn’t seen it earlier.
Had it slipped in from somewhere?
If it hadn’t been hiding in the flower beds before, then it must have just climbed over the wall from outside the mansion.
Yun’er had mentioned that plenty of stray cats hung around the mansion.
This orange-furred little cat seemed remarkably clever.
Seeing that Ye Zhibai had spotted it but still hadn’t opened the window, it extended its paw again, flashing that pink pad once more, and smacked the glass with renewed vigor!
It even let out a string of meows!
“Meow meow meow meow!!”
As if demanding, “Open the door already!”
Ye Zhibai panicked a little!
Don’t shatter my glass, you! This stuff must be expensive!
Though cats probably couldn’t break glass anyway—
But somehow, Ye Zhibai felt like this one had the guts and the potential!
No choice—she hurriedly twisted the latch on the small door beside the floor-to-ceiling window and swung open the entrance to the courtyard.
A wave of floral fragrance from the courtyard wafted into the room.
Finally, the little cat relented.
It lowered its paw and sauntered inside with elegant cat steps, strutting through the small door as if it owned the place!
Ye Zhibai was stunned!
Hey! Making yourself right at home, huh?!
I haven’t even checked you for fleas yet!
Once inside, the cat glanced around here and there before leaping onto the headboard of Ye Zhibai’s bed. It curled into a tight ball and struck a pose like it was ready for a nap.
It even flicked its tail at Ye Zhibai.
Holy crap, this cat isn’t afraid of people, and it’s acting like old pals!
Ye Zhibai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She
wanted to scold the cat a bit, but she knew full well
that reasoning with a cat was pointless.
Anyone with half a brain knew that.
Ye Zhibai could only sigh wistfully, walk back around, and sit on the other side of the bed, watching the cat.
Its tail swished lazily back and forth in small arcs as it closed its eyes, on the verge of sleep.
What now? Call Yun’er to toss it out?
Or buy some cat food and litter later and keep it?
Ye Zhibai had never owned a pet in her previous life—someone who could barely afford to feed herself didn’t have the bandwidth for a pet.
But she… had fed plenty of ham sausages to stray cats and dogs on the street.
Truth be told, Ye Zhibai was the type who really liked cats and dogs.
She couldn’t keep them before, but things were different now.
This life, she finally had the means to own a pet.
So why not
give it a shot?
Once the thought took root, it was hard to shake.
Yeah!
This cat and I—we’re both wanderers far from home, lost souls. I’m uneasy in this new place, and this cat probably feels the same.
Though it sure looks comfy sleeping…
In any case, after convincing herself inwardly, Ye Zhibai committed to the idea.
She’d keep it!
A new life meant trying new things!
She raised her left hand and tentatively reached toward the curled-up cat ball, intending to pet its fur.
“Little guy… nice to meet… Hiss…!”
“Meow!!”
Ye Zhibai yelped in pain and yanked her hand back.
She stared in astonishment at her throbbing finger.
It… it bit me!!
We’re both lost souls of the world, and it bites me?!
Calm down… calm down.
Don’t stoop to a cat’s level!
Ye Zhibai huffed warm breaths from her cherry-pink lips onto her bitten finger, repeating the mantra in her mind.
—Getting mad at a cat means you’ve already lost as a human.
Luckily, it hadn’t broken the skin.
She’d never encountered such a feisty stray kitten in her previous life!
Now… Ye Zhibai had to rethink whether she really wanted to keep a cat.
Who could handle getting bitten every day?!
The cat utterly ignored her, unperturbed by the chill radiating from her, and kept snoozing away.
Ye Zhibai frowned.
She pulled out her new phone again.
When a person gets bitten, their instinct is to vent wildly in the group chat—human nature!
She opened her one and only group chat and fired off a habitual splash.
She’d been muted before.
But by now, the mute should have lifted.
A Piece of White Leaf: “So mad! I was kindly trying to take in a cat, and it bit me instead! The nerve!”
Attached: a shark crying emoji.
Her groupmates replied at lightning speed, as always.
Kaguya-hime Eats the Moon: “Holy crap, Leaf Bro’s going hard—kidnapping strays instead of buying? Snagged a wild cat?”
A Piece of White Leaf: “Nah… you might not believe this, but it walked right into my house…”
Ice Cold Night: “?! What kind of luck is that? Leaf, will your cat turn into a cat girl?!”
A Piece of White Leaf: “No way! You’ve been watching too much anime, dude! Sigh… I haven’t even decided if I’ll keep it. Just venting—nearly broke my finger.”
Kaguya-hime Eats the Moon: “Hehe, foundlings are fate. Just keep it~”
Keeping it… yeah, that could work.
Ye Zhibai glanced at the bedside.
This little orange cat had bitten her and then acted like nothing happened.
Could this thing really be domesticated?
Sigh, better ask Yun’er later.
Ye Zhibai suddenly remembered—she wasn’t so arrogant as to think she could decide unilaterally whether to keep a pet.
She’d forgotten this was a shared living space with Yun’er.
Just as Ye Zhibai was about to stop spamming the group, the group owner popped in.
The admin icon gleamed gold, with that flashy VIP 10 entry effect—always stealing the show!
Autumn Wind Rises: “Leaf, Leaf! Picking up a cat is great! Sending you links for cat food and litter. If you’re serious about keeping it, go for these brands! Weren’t you saying you were tight on cash? These are super cost-effective!”
Right after, Little Qiu fired off several shopping links for different brands.
See? The group owner always came through.
Pure practicality!
Though she hadn’t decided to buy yet, Ye Zhibai went ahead and changed Little Qiu’s note to “Reliable Little Qiu.”
Reliable indeed!
A Piece of White Leaf: “Pro tip, Little Qiu.”
Autumn Wind Rises: “You know it! I’ve got six cats at home! All healthy as can be. Cat master? That’s me!”
Well, damn—a real expert.
Six cats at once? Total cat slave!
Ye Zhibai just replied to Little Qiu with a “Impressive” emoji.
But then, the group’s resident CP shipper struck again.
Spring Breeze Awaiting Cute Girl: “Waaah, you’re all talking cat food, but I feel like I’m getting fed Leaf and Little Qiu dog food again. I’m crying—old comrades swapping cat tips, so wholesome!”
“Spring Breeze Awaiting Cute Girl” was “Clear Breeze Awaiting Cute Girl’s” alt account—her main had been muted for five days, so she was CP-shipping on the backup.
—Spring Breeze Awaiting Cute Girl has been muted for 15 days.
Bro!!
Nice, pop the champagne.
That’s what you get for shipping nonsense!
