Chapter 9: ◎A Wet Paw Print on the Document◎

Days passed one after another, drawing ever closer to Tong Yuwu’s coming-of-age banquet.

Everyone in the castle began to bustle about. Even Tong Yuwu, the young mistress, carved out time from her leisurely routine to either cooperate with the tailor for measurements and fittings or study with the new etiquette teacher.

The only one who seemed completely idle was Meng Yiran, the pet cat who had nothing to do.

But Meng Yiran had plans of her own.

That day, while Tong Yuwu was in class, she pretended to lounge in the garden to sunbathe, then quietly slipped back to Tong Yuwu’s bedroom. With the room empty, the little white cat unleashed her home-wrecking talents without restraint—

The fresh flower vase delivered that morning toppled over, spilling water across the floor; the wardrobe doors hung wide open, with neatly hung clothes yanked down; every unlocked drawer stood ajar, its jewelry and documents scattered in disarray…

After finishing her rampage, she panted with exhaustion but didn’t dare pause for a moment. She snatched two small pieces of jewelry in her mouth and fled the scene. The poor little white cat had severely limited carrying capacity, so Meng Yiran made several round trips to haul away only about half of the valuables. She couldn’t take everything anyway. Judging that she had enough, she buried it all in an inconspicuous corner of the garden.

With that done, she slunk guiltily over to show her face to the working maidservants before heading back to the castle in time to meet Tong Yuwu after class.

Jenny wheeled them back to the bedroom. The moment she opened the door, her face drained of color as she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

The mistress and her servants relocated to the study, where the steward was quickly summoned.

“This isn’t the first or second time—these people are getting bolder by the day!” Jenny balled her fists, her face flushed an unnatural red with fury. “Today, someone ransacked the young miss’s entire bedroom and made off with several valuable pieces of jewelry! If this keeps up, they’ll have the nerve to kidnap her right out from under our noses!”

The steward’s expression darkened, his brows knitted tight.

He turned to Tong Yuwu, bowed at the waist, and ventured, “Miss, your coming-of-age banquet is fast approaching, and the castle is crawling with strangers these days. I propose assigning a few guards for your personal protection. What do you say?”

Before Tong Yuwu could respond, Jenny bowed her head and pleaded urgently, “Miss, I know you hate having people shadow you, but these are special circumstances. Please bear with it, just this once!”

The noble miss at the eye of the storm paid no attention to either of them.

Her gaze remained fixed on Meng Yiran in her lap. Abruptly, she reached out and flicked the little white cat’s forehead. The little white cat stayed utterly still, like a lifeless doll, not daring the slightest resistance. She even pinned back her ears and tucked in her head like a frightened quail.

At that sight, Tong Yuwu looked up and replied indifferently, “Do whatever. Arrange it however you like.”

The steward and Jenny exhaled in unison. “Yes!”

With her goal accomplished, Meng Yiran perked right up. The tail that had been drooping behind her shot straight up, swaying gleefully in the air. Her spirits soared so high that she didn’t even resist when Tong Yuwu reached out to grab it.

Jenny spoke up again. “Miss, there’s something I just can’t hold back any longer.” She drew a deep breath. “Haven’t you noticed? All these strange incidents in the castle started happening after Mr. Tong came back.”

Meng Yiran shot to her paws, her eyes gleaming as she fixed them on Jenny. If she could have, she would have manifested hands to applaud the woman for a solid minute!

But Tong Yuwu doused her enthusiasm with a single sentence. “Jenny, don’t spread baseless speculation without evidence.”

Jenny pressed her lips together, her expression brimming with dissatisfaction, though she held her tongue.

Meng Yiran had no such reservations. Exasperated, she whipped around and swatted Tong Yuwu’s hand with her front paw.

After a moment’s hesitation, the steward spoke. “Truth be told, I’ve been keeping close tabs on that gentleman lately, and so far… nothing out of the ordinary.” He glanced at Tong Yuwu, gauging her reaction. Seeing no flicker of emotion, he pressed on. “Moving forward, I’ll station anyone he brings to the outer perimeter of the castle and keep eyes on him.”

Tong Yuwu nodded without comment, her attention already drifting elsewhere.

The steward took that as approval. He saluted and withdrew from the study.

He soon returned with several burly guards in tow, briefing them thoroughly on their assignments at Tong Yuwu’s side. From that moment on, aside from the most private moments, the guards’ watchful figures shadowed her wherever she went in the castle.

Meng Yiran’s sense of security skyrocketed, easing half her worries at last.

That evening, Tong Yuwu carried Meng Yiran back to the freshly tidied bedroom, where the guards stood rotating shifts outside the door.

Tong Yuwu leaned against the headboard, fiddling with a small conical pendant in her hand. Meng Yiran finished inspecting the windows and seized the moment to leap onto the bed. She found a comfortable spot beside the pillow, tucked her front paws beneath her, and settled down with a soft “meow” as her greeting to Tong Yuwu.

Tong Yuwu glanced at the soft cushion where she usually slept and prodded her belly. “Go back to your own bed and sleep.”

Meng Yiran played stubborn, squeezing her eyes shut and pretending not to hear a thing.

She intended to stay glued to Tong Yuwu’s side for protection until Tong Rencheng left. Her fighting skills might be lacking, but a cat’s sharp senses could let her spot danger early and sound the alarm.

Tong Yuwu nudged her a few times but got no response, so she didn’t press the issue.

Leaning forward, she set the pendant on the bedside table and lay down herself.

A faint breath ghosted over the fur on Meng Yiran’s cheek, tickling her. This was their first time sharing a bed, and while Meng Yiran kept a calm exterior, her heart raced in turmoil. Tong Yuwu seemed utterly unaware, reaching out to gently stroke her back before playfully seizing the tip of her tail and toying with it.

Meng Yiran jolted as if shocked by electricity, springing half a meter into the air. A bizarre heat surged from the tip of her tail, spreading rapidly through her body and leaving her trembling. She let out an involuntary “meowr,” shooting Tong Yuwu a pitiful look before ducking her head to lick her tail.

Tong Yuwu’s hand hung awkwardly in midair, her purple eyes brimming with confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Meng Yiran scooted her rear end around, tucking her entire tail beneath her body.

Tong Yuwu had played with her tail before, but it had never felt this strange. With no idea what had triggered such an intense physical reaction, Meng Yiran could only meow evasively a couple of times.

Tong Yuwu said nothing more. Instead, she rested her palm on Little White Cat’s back and smoothed her fur in a soothing rhythm.

The odd sensation came and went quickly. Before long, under Tong Yuwu’s comforting touch, Meng Yiran returned to normal. Exhausted from her destructive antics during the day, the little cat began to drift off.

In her half-awake daze, she vaguely sensed Tong Yuwu leaning close to her ear.

“The papers on the floor have a wet paw print on them. It’s shaped like a plum blossom.”

It took Meng Yiran two or three seconds to process the words. Her eyes flew wide open, her feline face frozen in shock as she stared at Tong Yuwu.

Doll Lady curved her lips in a smile, her expression a tantalizing blend of amusement and mischief.

“I’ve already put them away.”

Only then did Meng Yiran snap back to her senses. She quickly adopted a dopey, innocent look, as if she hadn’t understood a word, and began innocently licking her front paws.

Tong Yuwu didn’t call her out on it. She simply settled back into her usual position and lay down.

The smile lingered on her face, but her eyes drifted shut. Moments later, her breathing evened out into long, steady rhythms.

Meng Yiran let out a secret sigh of relief and hunkered down again. Even so, her mind couldn’t help replaying the day’s events.

She was certain she’d been cautious and careful. Aside from the paw print Tong Yuwu had mentioned—the one she’d accidentally left—there shouldn’t have been any other slip-ups.

With that thought, she fully relaxed and gave her tail a lazy swish.

“But the room is covered in white cat hairs.” Tong Yuwu, whom she’d thought was asleep, spoke up out of nowhere, shattering the bedroom’s silence. “Jenny’s already noticed.”

The fur along Meng Yiran’s back bristled in an instant, her tail snapping rigid as a board.