Chapter 24 p2
…
Worried that Boss Pei would be stopped by that little black cat security guard again, Ye Qingyu went to the complex entrance early to wait.
But the little black cat wasn’t there today. The security guard who had adopted it, however, was.
She was wearing a security cap, and several reddish cat scratches on her neck were conspicuous. She was leaning against the door of the security booth, lost in thought.
Ye Qingyu stood patiently at the complex entrance for a long time. At one point, she inadvertently looked up, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
Boss Pei had arrived.
The woman was wearing a light yellow, waist-cinching dress that showed off her graceful figure. In her hand, she held a basket of snow-white flowers.
Above her head was the wide, blue sky. Behind her was the lush green of spring. Her dress fluttered, and she approached like a gust of spring wind, full of ease and freedom.
This scene, so full of the vibrant energy of spring, made Ye Qingyu forget to blink, her breathing unconsciously quickening.
Is it because I love spring the most?
“Ye Qingyu?”
Pei Rong walked up to the young woman and tilted her head.
“…Mhm.” Ye Qingyu answered a beat later, haphazardly averting her gaze. She bent down to take the small basket from the woman’s hand. “Boss Pei, what’s this?”
“Scholar flowers,” Pei Rong said. “Last time, your two clusters of scholar flowers… disappeared for no reason. The scholar tree in the backyard bloomed today, so I brought you a few clusters.”
Ye Qingyu’s eyes widened slightly.
A wave of warmth spread through her heart.
She hadn’t expected Boss Pei to still be lamenting those missing scholar flowers and to have brought her so many. It was truly so thoughtful and considerate.
She smiled gently. “Thank you so much, Boss Pei. In that case, I’ll make you scholar flower pancakes today.”
Pei the Red Panda had been waiting for those exact words.
Her ears twitched, and she nodded in a reserved and restrained manner.
Entering Ye Qingyu’s home, Pei Rong changed her shoes and washed her hands with practiced ease, then went to the living room to sit down and eat the fruit the human had prepared for her.
The grapes had even been thoughtfully peeled. They were as translucent as jade and tasted very sweet.
Pei the Red Panda squinted in satisfaction as she chewed.
Ye Qingyu glanced at Boss Pei, then cheerfully carried the basket of scholar flowers into the kitchen. She carefully sorted and cleaned them, then soaked them in light salt water.
After a pause, she took a small wooden basket from the cupboard and covered the flowers with it, to prevent any unknown, greedy little animals from stealing them.
These had been specially picked for her by Boss Pei.
After rummaging in the storage cabinet for a long time, she finally found the bag of flour she had bought last time. She closed the cabinet door and looked up to find that the sky outside the window had become gloomy at some point. Dark clouds were churning.
It seemed like it was about to rain.
“Do you need help?”
The woman’s voice came from behind her.
Ye Qingyu turned around and saw her beautiful boss leaning against the kitchen doorway, her misty fingertips still holding a half-eaten crystal grape.
She smiled. She would never trouble the young miss. She said softly, “You can just sit in the living room and eat. Or if you’re bored, you can go to my study.”
Pei Rong was immediately curious. “Where is the study?”
The scholar flowers still needed to soak in salt water for a while, so Ye Qingyu washed her hands and took her to the study first.
The study wasn’t large, but it was decorated in an elegant and warm style. The bookshelves were neatly lined with all sorts of books.
Ye Qingyu loved the floor-to-ceiling window here the most. The view was wide, allowing her to admire a hundred flowers in spring and the snow in winter.
She turned on the light, walked over, and pulled open the blackout curtains, only to find that in just a few short minutes, the sky had grown even darker.
The dark clouds were like a deep-colored curtain, slowly devouring the light.
Pei Rong didn’t have time to notice this. Her gaze had already stopped on the picture frame on the desk.
It was a watercolor painting of a red panda.
The red panda was in a standing posture, its furry paws held high in surrender. The exposed belly had a heart-shaped patch of snow-white fur, which was particularly eye-catching.
The artist’s brushstrokes were meticulous and exquisite, the colors cute and healing, as romantic as an orange sunset over the sea.
Pei Rong was stunned. Her non-grape-holding hand picked up the picture frame, her peach blossom eyes filled with a certain amazement.
Looking at that heart-shaped patch of snow-white fur on its belly, the one in the painting is, without a doubt, the world’s cutest Pei the Red Panda.
She turned her head and looked at the young woman. “Ye Qingyu, did you paint this?”
Ye Qingyu nodded. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Actually, this was originally intended as a gift for you.”
Ever since she had known that Boss Pei really liked red pandas, she had been thinking of giving the woman a painting of a red panda.
But last time, Boss Pei had made her change her desktop wallpaper—a red panda she had painted before. She had assumed that Pei Rong didn’t like this painting style, so this newly completed gift had been pitifully shelved in the study.
Pei Rong’s fingertips traced over the red panda’s belly in the painting without touching it, then asked again, “Did you paint this based on the plush toy I gave you?”
Otherwise, how would Ye Qingyu have painted that heart-shaped white fur?
This was unique to her, Pei the Red Panda.
Other red pandas usually had entirely black fur on their bellies.
But Ye Qingyu suddenly faltered.
A rare ripple of unease appeared in her eyes. Her lips opened and closed, but in the end, she still chose to ask:
“Actually, Boss Pei, I’ve always wanted to ask you… does the plush toy you gave me have a prototype?”
Pei Rong’s ears twitched, and she immediately looked up.
Her peach blossom eyes were clear and deep. “Why do you ask?”
Ye Qingyu turned around, took a thick sketchbook from the bookshelf, and placed it on the desk. “Boss Pei, take a look.”
Pei Rong glanced at her, then gently opened the sketchbook.
Inside, without exception, were all red pandas.
The drawing tools had gradually changed from immature pencil lines to rich and full colors. The paper had changed from rough, yellowed old paper to brand-new, clear watercolor paper. The only thing that hadn’t changed was that the red panda’s belly always had a heart-shaped patch of snow-white fur.
“Ever since I was little, this image has often appeared in my dreams, and later, it appeared in my paintings.”
The young woman’s voice sounded by her ear. “So when I saw the red panda doll you gave me that day, I was stunned and dazed—it was as if a dream had suddenly stepped into reality, so wondrous that I didn’t even dare to easily confirm it with you.”
Pei Rong’s fingertips froze.
Just as the dense clouds were churning in the sky outside, Ye Qingyu’s words were now churning in her mind.
She looked up, her peach blossom eyes gradually shining, staring straight at the human she had picked out from a crowd at first sight.
Was this human born to love her?
To have been seriously drawing her, Pei the Red Panda, for so many years, even before they had ever met, like a deep and constant thought.
She closed the sketchbook, and the charmingly naive red pandas, along with the times in which they were drawn, were closed together with the pages.
A full and overflowing joy seemed to be spreading in her heart, mixed with a hazy, melancholic sourness, so muddled and hard to distinguish that it made her head ache faintly.
BOOM—
A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the dark sky, and a clap of thunder exploded outside the window.
The floor-to-ceiling window couldn’t weaken the flash of lightning in the slightest. The entire study was instantly blindingly bright.
Pei the Red Panda trembled all over. The churning thoughts in her mind were instantly driven away by the thunder, leaving only a bone-deep fear.
She looked up and quickly stumbled back two steps. Instinctively, she spread her palms and raised them high above her ears, quickly striking a “surrender” pose.
It was identical to the red panda in the picture frame beside her, which was also surrendering.
BOOM-BOOM—
The red panda’s surrender did not make the thunder relent. An even more violent crash exploded in the sky, and a torrential downpour followed, lashing against the floor-to-ceiling window, splashing everywhere.
Pei the Red Panda trembled again, her hands held even higher. Her peach blossom eyes were instantly filled with a misty haze, and the sudden rain that drenched the window seemed to have drenched her cheeks as well.
Ye Qingyu was standing near the floor-to-ceiling window, still holding her breath, waiting for Pei Rong to answer whether these red pandas had a prototype, when the thunder behind her suddenly roared in her ears, catching her completely off guard.
Her heart skipped a beat. In the next second, she saw Boss Pei, her eyes already red-rimmed, stumbling back and raising her hands in “surrender.”
—Boss Pei now looks exactly like the red panda in my painting.
This thought flashed past. She immediately turned around, pulled the study’s blackout curtains shut, and then walked toward her beautiful boss, who was still standing with her hands held high in terror, her eyes pitifully moist.
A sore, aching pain inexplicably arose in her heart.
“Don’t be afraid.”
She took one of Pei Rong’s arms and tried to help her to the living room.
The woman seemed to be completely rigid, but with a gentle pull from her, she became as soft as a pool of water, boneless.
After carefully settling her on the sofa, Ye Qingyu first went to pull the living room’s blackout curtains shut as well, then quickly returned. She grabbed a few tissues from the coffee table and, with practiced ease, took care of her timid, tear-prone boss.
Holding the tissue and dabbing at the woman’s tears with considerable skill, she couldn’t help but sigh softly.
“Why are you so afraid of electricity?”
Last time, the bug zapper had scared her to tears. Today, the thunderstorm would probably be even harder to handle.
Sure enough, after wiping away her tears, the woman’s gaze was still pitifully dazed. She seemed to be unable to recover from the shock, still immersed in some kind of fear.
Ye Qingyu hesitated for a moment, her fingertips twitching.
In the end, she still committed the great act of insubordination and placed a hand on her superior’s head.
The reddish-brown curls felt even better than she had imagined—soft and fluffy, like petting a small, furry animal.
She was inexplicably skilled, her movements gentle and slow as she stroked from the top of her head to the back, slowly soothing her. It was as if she naturally knew how to stroke her to give the woman before her the greatest sense of security.
This method of comfort was clearly effective. Pei Rong subconsciously tilted her head back into her palm, as if cooperating with the stroking.
Her knitted brows gradually relaxed a little, and her wide-open peach blossom eyes also slowly softened. Her lips parted unconsciously, revealing the small tips of her sharp canines.
She looked even more like a little animal.
“…Ye Qingyu.”
The woman’s glazed eyes moved slightly. She had finally come back to her senses a little. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke, and she said sullenly, “Who gave you permission to pet my head?”
Hearing this familiar tone, Ye Qingyu immediately sighed in relief.
It seems she’s better.
She smiled and, going with the flow, retracted her hand. She stood up to turn on the lights, then picked up the remote to play a cute animal cartoon.
Pei Rong was curled up on the sofa, her mind empty, staring without blinking at the young woman’s graceful figure—
She touched a button, and the living room was filled with a warm, gentle light. She picked up the remote, and the sound of clear laughter came from the TV. It was as if she were performing a magic trick, instantly placing the little red panda in a lively and stable atmosphere, like a home.
Ye Qingyu briefly disappeared from the living room. When she returned, she was holding something fluffy in her arms.
She leaned over and draped a blanket over Pei Rong, then tucked the red panda plush toy into the woman’s arms.
Pei Rong watched her without a word, quietly hugging the doll tightly with both arms.
Seeing her beautiful boss’s gloomy gaze and her continued silence, Ye Qingyu pondered for a moment, then speared a plump, translucent grape with a toothpick and held it to her lips.
Pei the Red Panda’s nose twitched, and she caught the sweet scent of the grape.
She unconsciously opened her lips and took the grape.
“Feeling better?”
The young woman spoke gently, then raised a hand to give her head a soothing pat again.
Pei the Red Panda’s ears twitched. She felt that the human was about to tear the house down, daring to repeatedly pet her head without her, a little panda’s, permission.
If the human gets an inch and takes a mile, then in the future, won’t she also…
She wanted to strictly discipline her, but there was a grape in her mouth.
The sweet taste soaked her throat, washing away the slight embarrassment and anger. She didn’t really want to bother with it anymore.
Pei the Red Panda hugged the plush toy that looked exactly like her and, looking at the young woman’s gentle, jade-like face, felt her mood inexplicably settle.
She moved, curling up into a ball under the blanket. There was still a nasal quality to her voice when she spoke, and a faint light rippled in her peach blossom eyes as she looked over. “I want to eat scholar flower pancakes, Ye Qingyu.”
“Okay.” Ye Qingyu paused slightly and tucked the blanket in for her. “Then I’ll go to the kitchen. Boss Pei, just call me if you need anything.”
Pei Rong gave a haphazard reply.
After the human left, the living room was still filled with the warm, bright yellow light, and the TV continued to play a lighthearted and healing, cute scene.
But she felt that it was much emptier.
She unconsciously buried herself deeper into the blanket.
This must have been the blanket Ye Qingyu usually used. It was filled with the clear, clean floral scent from her body. Pei the Red Panda’s head felt a little dizzy from the smell.
Her still-chaotic heartbeat, from being frightened by the lightning, seemed to be gradually soaked and enveloped by this scent. She unconsciously rubbed her head against the blanket, recalling the feeling of the young woman gently petting her head just now.
It was so fitting, so comfortable. It had almost made her turn into a red panda on the spot.
The more she recalled it, the more she craved it. It was as if a feather were tickling the depths of her body, itchy and hot.
“Ever since I was little, this image has often appeared in my dreams, and later, it appeared in my paintings.”
Just now in the study, the human had described her deep and long-standing thoughts of Pei the Red Panda.
Thinking of this, Pei the Red Panda felt her heart grow even hotter, as if something were brewing and surging through her limbs.
Her thoughts were also washed damp by the sound of the rain outside, sloshing around in her mind.
Without realizing it, she had already transformed into a red panda. Hugging the red panda doll in her arms, she trembled and curled up her large tail in the blanket that was full of Ye Qingyu’s scent.
Her body felt soft and hot, extremely uncomfortable, like the prelude to her mating season.
Outside the window, the rain was a torrential downpour, its momentum thunderous. The raindrops beat against the glass, drawing continuous, winding trails.
For some reason, the image of Ye Qingyu wearing the collar suddenly appeared in her mind.
Pei the Red Panda felt even hotter, but she couldn’t bear to take off Ye Qingyu’s blanket. She could only hug the red panda doll even tighter, rubbing against it haphazardly. The heart-shaped patch of snow-white fur on her belly pressed against the doll, and she occasionally couldn’t help but let out a soft, unbearable whimper.
I have to try hard, I have to endure this feeling…
Ye Qingyu scooped the scholar flowers out of the salt water, rinsed them with clean water, then added a little flour, seasoning, and water, kneading it into a batter of suitable consistency.
She also beat a few eggs and sprinkled on some white sesame seeds.
She turned on the stove and added peanut oil.
While waiting for the oil to heat up, she stepped out of the kitchen and glanced toward the living room.
Boss Pei on the sofa seemed to have completely shrunk into the blanket, occasionally shifting.
Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why doesn’t the shape look like a person, just a small, lumpy bundle…
Sizzle—
The oil in the pan was already sizzling. The sound, combined with the sound of the heavy rain, rushed into her ears. Ye Qingyu’s expression twitched, and she had no choice but to turn back to the kitchen.
