Ye Zhibai reacted fairly quickly.
Her first instinct when Ye Zhiyun stepped into the room was to compose her expression… Well, her face had already been perfectly composed, so there wasn’t much to adjust.
Only then did she glance at the surprised Yun’er who had hurried over, followed by a look at Little Tea Cat nestled beside her.
Cooperating with Guang Yu, Ye Zhibai played along and said flatly, “The little cat… ran in from the courtyard…”
“Meow!” (That’s right! She ran in from the courtyard!)
One person and one cat turned their heads at the same time to observe Ye Zhiyun’s reaction.
Yun’er said nothing.
She merely paused to think for a moment, brushed back the long black hair draping over her cheek, and squatted down halfway.
Her expression grave, she examined the cat that had appeared out of nowhere.
Guang Yu, transformed into a little cat, was in a total panic!
What in the world… What’s up with this human? Those eyes are downright scary!
Unlike Ye Zhibai’s natural aloofness, this was outright hostility on purpose!
Ye Zhibai found it a little odd too… Hadn’t Yun’er said she used to rescue stray kittens all the time as a child? She should like cats, right?
Ye Zhiyun did like cats.
But she always approached anything strange with suspicion and caution.
Just as her words now demonstrated.
“This cat looks about two months old… That’s weird. There shouldn’t be any cats in your courtyard, sister. Yours is walled off from the outside, and the maids patrol the walls every single day…”
“There are always slip-ups,” Ye Zhibai replied cleverly, surprised at her own cool-headedness.
But a response like that… probably wouldn’t sway the ever-vigilant Yun’er.
To her astonishment, Ye Zhiyun’s furrowed brows relaxed at once!
“If even sister says so…! Then it must be true! All right then… Someone must be slacking on the job. Don’t worry, sister—later on, I’ll call a meeting with the Maid Corps and tell them to step up their vigilance! This one’s harmless-looking, sure, but what if a vicious stray got in instead?!”
“……”
Sorry, maid misses.
I’ll apologize to you all later. Wuwuwu!
With that, the issue seemed settled, but Ye Zhiyun’s gaze lingered on the little cat with lingering unease.
“Anyway… sister, you haven’t picked her up yet, have you? No bites or scratches?”
“N-No.”
“Phew… Good. I like cats too, but wild ones can carry all sorts of germs. And a scratch or bite would be even riskier. You just got out of the hospital—best to steer clear of these critters for now. Here, let me take her to the rescue station.”
“Meow?!” (What?! Am I getting kicked out already?!)
Ye Zhiyun had rescued plenty of stray kittens in the past. She knew the drill.
But Guang Yu wasn’t some stray!
Ye Zhiyun scooped up the little cat by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her into the air.
Of course Guang Yu struggled! Being carted off to some “rescue station”? That would spell total doom!
Her four stubby little legs kicked wildly as she meowed desperately at Ye Zhibai.
“Meow meow meow!”
(Human! Save me quick! Save the day!)
Ye Zhiyun’s brows knitted even tighter. “This cat’s weird… Why’s she still thrashing when I grab her scruff? Does she not have a mom?”
Ye Zhiyun meant nothing by it—kittens go limp when scruffed because that’s how their mothers carry them around.
“Meow!” (You don’t have a mom!)
Just as Ye Zhiyun was about to carry Guang Yu off, Ye Zhibai wasn’t so heartless that she could just sit there twiddling her thumbs.
“Yun’er.”
“Hm?” Ye Zhiyun halted at the doorway. “Sister, any other orders?”
Orders? Really?
The word choice was a bit much.
Ye Zhibai swallowed hard. In her tension, she misspoke, and her tone came out sharper than intended.
“Bring… the cat back.”
It felt stiff to her, but to Ye Zhiyun, it sounded like a command!
Yun’er shuddered, caught her breath, and hurried back in front of Ye Zhibai at rigid attention, still holding the cat by the scruff.
Being “ordered” around by Ye Zhibai thrilled her to no end!
“Good… Got it, sister!”
Little sister! Stop acting like such a masochist! You’re scaring me!
At least now Ye Zhibai could broach the real topic.
With as much naturalness as she could muster, she raised a finger and pointed at Guang Yu—dangling limply in midair like a dead salted fish, having given up the fight. Ye Zhibai spoke slowly.
“I want… to keep the cat. Okay?”
“……”
Nothing was more awkward than the sudden hush.
Ye Zhiyun’s abrupt silence made Ye Zhibai think… maybe this wasn’t happening.
Sigh. Dreaming of cat ownership might’ve been too bold after all.
Such a luxury…
“Sure! Of course you can, sister!”
“Eh?”
By the time Ye Zhibai looked up, Ye Zhiyun had set Guang Yu down on the floor. She herself scooted right up beside Ye Zhibai in eager excitement, plopping down shoulder to shoulder.
Talk business—don’t crowd me!
Ye Zhiyun’s left hand rested lightly on Ye Zhibai’s thigh, her voice brimming with delight.
“I’ve asked you before if you wanted a pet! But back then, sister, you seemed interested in nothing at all—even though you’d sometimes feed the strays. Now this is perfect! If you really want to keep a cat, to give yourself something to do, Yun’er will support you all the way!”
“Thanks…?”
“What’re you thanking family for? Go online and search, sister—any breed, no matter how rare or pricey. I’ll hunt one down from anywhere in the world.”
“No need.”
“Al… already changed your mind?” Ye Zhiyun’s eager sparkle faded into heartbreaking disappointment.
Ye Zhibai corrected her in a hurry. “No… I mean… I don’t want any other cat. That one… she’s fine.”
“That one?”
Ye Zhiyun glanced downward.
There on the floor, the brown little cat tilted her head and gazed up at them all innocently.
Ye Zhiyun mulled it over briefly.
Then she snapped her fingers and grinned down at Ye Zhibai, perched on the edge of the bed.
“That works too. Strays are great—they’re tough, rarely get sick. You decide, sister. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Okay… Wait, what are you doing?”
Ye Zhibai had barely exhaled in relief.
When she saw Yun’er scooping up the poor little cat again!
Ye Zhiyun blinked in confusion. “Eh? Adoption prep, obviously. Like I said, sister—you just left the hospital, your immunity’s low. We have to minimize risks. I’ll run this cat over to the Medical Maid Corps for a vaccine. It’s right here at home—super easy.”
“……”
Poor Guang Yu, woefully ignorant of human ways, had no clue what that meant.
A vaccine… what’s that?
The ever-knowledgeable Ye Zhibai pondered deeply.
A deity getting vaccinated… should be… side-effect-free, right?
Probably?
“Meow meow?”
Ye Zhibai’s eyes met those of Guang Yu in her cat form.
After a fierce internal debate,
She decided to save her—one more time!
Sure, this lousy deity was unreliable as hell, but she’d given Ye Zhibai a new home!
Besides, Ye Zhibai wasn’t the type to stand by and watch someone come to harm.
Slowly, Ye Zhibai rose to her feet.
She extended both hands, took the little cat from Yun’er, and cradled her close.
With Ye Zhibai stepping in, Yun’er naturally backed off.
“Sister?”
“Yun’er… the vaccine can wait. I’m keeping the cat. I can handle the responsibility myself…”
“Uh… but sister, you don’t even know where the Medical Maid Corps Rescue Station is… And wait—you know what a vaccine is now?! Huh…?”
That was when Ye Zhiyun noticed something.
The scrappy stray who’d thrashed nonstop while scruffed in her grip had gone perfectly docile the moment Ye Zhibai took her.
Even Ye Zhiyun had to marvel. “Well, damn… Sister, looks like you two really are fated. But…”
“Eh?”
Ye Zhibai realized Ye Zhiyun’s gaze on Guang Yu’s cat form had turned unfriendly.
Dark, even.
“But… she kinda pisses me off… Heh, sneaky little stray.”
“？！”
No proof, but Ye Zhibai had a strong hunch.
Yun’er was jealous… of a wild cat!
Just ridiculous!
