Chapter 42

"So, do you prefer short-haired cats or long-haired cats?" Li Miao asked with wide, curious eyes.

My brother is a short-haired black cat that sheds very little and has a smooth, silky feel to the touch.

Unlike him, he also has a period of excessive shedding. In winter, his body hair becomes longer and thicker, like wearing a warm little coat. It keeps him warm, but this also means he sheds more.

"Hmm, what kind of cat do you like? I haven't really thought about this question carefully before, but if I had to answer now, I would say that I still prefer cute cats like Miaomiao."

"Miaomiao is a long-haired cat, and I like long-haired cats."

Li Miao didn't immediately grasp the hidden meaning behind those words.

Li Hang, who was cleaning up the cat hair on the dormitory floor, casually interjected, "Haha, Miaomiao is a short-haired cat, so you like short-haired cats?"

"I didn't expect you to be so affectionate towards Miaomiao," Li Hang said with a smile.

"Wow~ You really like Miao Miao so much~" Hearing these words, Li Miao felt even warmer inside and a little touched. She didn't expect Pei Huai to like her to this extent.

"cough."

Faced with Li Miao's burning gaze, Pei Huai raised his hand to cover his thin lips and coughed lightly. He pursed his lips and said simply, "I do like her a little."

"Hehe." Li Miao's ears, which she had been hiding, began to twitch again.

"What are you laughing at? I like Miaomiao, is that wrong?" Pei Huai raised his hand and pinched Li Miao's chubby cheeks.

"Um, I didn't say you couldn't like Miaomiao," Li Miao explained indistinctly, before her cheek was finally spared.

"Hey, why aren't you throwing those loose feathers in the trash can? Why are you keeping them on the table?" Li Miao looked at Pei Huai's every move with suspicion.

“Let’s collect a few more, and then see if we can make a felted cat hair,” Pei Huai said with a light laugh.

"Felt made of cat hair? What is felt?" Li Miao had never heard of such a thing before.

Pei Huai took out his phone and searched for products on an online shopping platform, then briefly explained to Li Miao what wool felt was.

Li Miao understood more or less.

But after figuring it out, his ears turned red again.

Others buy special soft raw materials to make wool felt.

Why would Pei Huai specifically collect his cat hair to use as raw material?

Although he knew Pei Huai liked his prototype.

But if things have come to this point, wouldn't it be that he likes Miaomiao way too much?

They love cats to an almost obsessive degree; is this what a hardcore cat lover is?

Li Miao's clear, bright eyes darted around as he seriously considered whether he should have been a little nicer to Pei Huai when he transformed back to his original form and played with him. For example, should he take the initiative to rub against Pei Huai more often next time? After all, Pei Huai had bought him so many cat treats, so he could be more generous.

Otherwise, Pei Huai would seem pitiful, and only he could get close to him.

No, my brother probably isn't afraid of Pei Huai either. But if he were to play with Pei Huai too, they would definitely fight, and the scene would be extremely bloody.

“This amount isn’t enough. We’ll make more when we have enough,” Pei Huai said.

“Then you can wait until Miao Miao’s shedding season. At that time, he will shed so much cat hair that you can’t sweep it all up.” At this point, Li Miao couldn’t help but sigh. Shedding was actually a troublesome thing for him.

“Okay, then I’ll groom Miaomiao then,” Pei Huai said.

“Sure,” Li Miao agreed with a light laugh.

"Alright, let's go." Liang Yixuan called out, and then searched for nearby restaurants on his mobile food app.

Because there are several universities next to Kyoto University, this area is also a university town, and Kyoto is a first-tier city with rapid economic development.

Everything you need for eating, drinking, and entertainment is available.

Consumer prices vary, covering many different price ranges.

There are even three five-star hotels around Kyoto University. Compared to some branch campuses in remote suburbs with sparse population, the happiness index of Kyoto University students and students in the surrounding areas is very high.

As the group from room 304 walked downstairs and out of the school, they decided which restaurant to eat at.

Having decided in advance to have barbecue, Liang Yixuan chose a restaurant from the barbecue category. The price of barbecue varies greatly, from expensive seafood barbecue all-you-can-eat restaurants with an average cost of over a thousand yuan per person to cheap restaurants with a cost of less than a hundred yuan.

Considering Li Miao's financial situation, Liang Yixuan originally wanted to choose a shop with prices around 100 yuan.

Pei Huai glanced at the menu and immediately instructed Liang Yixuan to book the seafood and barbecue buffet restaurant in the vicinity, which had the best reputation for quality and was also the most expensive.

"Shall we eat here?" Liang Yixuan asked hesitantly.

“Yes, this place has seafood,” Pei Huai said.

A big question mark appeared on Liang Yixuan's forehead. No, he had never heard that Pei Huai liked to eat seafood.

When they used to eat out together, Pei Huai preferred Chinese food.

"Wow, what? Seafood? Let me see!" Li Miao was incredibly curious and wanted to get closer to see Liang Yixuan's phone screen.

Pei Huai blocked Li Miao's view, "Let's go to the store and see for ourselves. There's no surprise now that we've seen the photos."

"Huh?" Li Miao didn't think he needed to expect any surprises.

However, Pei Huai's decision not to let him see it beforehand likely has its own reasons.

Li Miao nodded blankly, and really didn't go to look.

Liang Yixuan was speechless for a moment. Li Miao, you really listen to Pei Huai so much?

Liang Yixuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly; he had a feeling his best friend was about to get a boyfriend!

However, he also understood Pei Huai's meaning: if Li Miao saw such a high price, she might not choose this shop.

So she kept it from him.

Pei Huai or he can just give the money to them when the time comes.

Li Hang comes from a well-off family and receives several thousand yuan in living expenses each month. However, he bought a lot of things when school started and also spent a lot of money on games.

It's almost the end of the month, and he doesn't even have enough money to cover the cost of this 780 yuan meal for one person.

"Ahem, lend me some first. I don't have enough for living expenses. I'll pay you back next month," Li Hang whispered to Liang Yixuan.

Liang Yixuan: "What do you need to borrow? I'll pay for you. Pei Huai just invited Li Miao, so I'll treat you. Next time, please take me a few more games."

Li Hang's eyes were filled with tears; Liang Yixuan was practically his godfather.

He was so moved that he wanted to call Liang Yixuan "Dad" on the spot.

It's time to cling to a powerful figure.

"..." Faced with Li Hang's affectionate gaze, Liang Yixuan felt a chill. Before Li Hang could utter the word "Dad," Liang Yixuan said disdainfully, "I don't have a silly son like you. Don't call me Dad."

Calling his roommate "dad" still gets him disliked. Li Hang: "???"

This is supposed to be a survival guide for boys' dorms. Didn't it say that boys enjoy being called "dad"?

Li Hang sniffed hard to stop the tears. It was fine if he disliked Liang Yixuan; how great was it to get a free meal? Of course, he would do whatever Liang Yixuan said!

He's alright, he's alright, he's alright!

***

The group took a taxi there, and the four of them squeezed into one car.

Li Hang sat in the front, the others squeezed in the back, and Pei Huai sat in the middle, separating Liang Yixuan and Li Miao.

The back seats can actually seat three people, but Liang Yixuan and Pei Huai are both tall and strong, so the limited space makes it difficult for them to even fit their long legs, making them feel cramped.

Pei Huai, in particular, was sitting in the most uncomfortable spot in the middle, with nowhere to put his legs.

“I should sit in the middle,” Li Miao leaned closer to Pei Huai’s ear and whispered.

The warm, sweet scent of milk brushed against Pei Huai's pale earlobe.

When Pei Huai turned his head to talk to Li Miao, their faces were so close they almost collided.

"I'm already seated, there's no way to change it." Pei Huai was actually only sitting on a small part of the cushion, with most of his body leaning forward and hanging in the air. Otherwise, given his height, it would have been even more uncomfortable.

"Oh, right." Li Miao glanced out the car window; neon lights flashed by quickly and then disappeared.

"Then you can sit here with me." Li Miao said, bending down and standing up to let Pei Huai sit on his side.

Pei Huai's eyes widened slightly, not quite understanding: "Huh?"

"Move over here, I'll sit on your lap." Li Miao struggled to stand up, supporting himself on the cushion of the seat in front of him. This position was very uncomfortable, so he urged Pei Huai not to stand there like an idiot.

"Hurry up," Li Miao said curtly.

Pei Huai acted faster than he thought, so he moved his body and sat in Li Miao's original spot.

Immediately afterwards, Li Miao plopped down on his lap.

"That's good, you don't feel as bad as before, right?" Li Miao sat on the boy's lap and turned to ask Pei Huai.

Li Hang and Liang Yixuan were both engrossed in their phones when they heard Pei Huai's faint rustling sounds. Like the driver, they only glanced at it casually and didn't pay any attention.

It's normal to sit on someone's lap when the space is too cramped.

"Hmm..." When asked if his sitting posture was still uncomfortable, Pei Huai became tense and stiff, and forgot how to speak.

In the cramped space, he and Li Miao clung together in an extremely intimate way.

Moreover, there were other people in the car besides the two of them.

But it is precisely this kind of natural and normal behavior.

Pei Huai, however, was unable to treat it with a calm mind.

Pei Huai's heart was pounding rapidly in his chest. He lowered his eyes and stared at the thin skin on the back of Li Miao's neck, his breathing slowing down slightly.

I don't know where to put my hands, which are hanging down at my sides.

It should actually be placed on the seat cushion and left unchanged.

But it would also be fine to raise your hand and put your arm around Li Miao's waist.

Pei Huai's slender fingers approached, lightly gathering around Li Miao's slender waist. He licked his lips, internally struggling several times, but did not actually put his hands on Li Miao's waist to hug her.

Li Miao looked up and peered at the road conditions through the car's windshield.

He had no idea that Pei Huai was in a state of extreme inner turmoil and torment.

The driver makes a relatively fast turn.

Li Miao lost her balance and unexpectedly leaned back against Pei Huai.

Pei Huai also subconsciously raised his hand and wrapped his arm around Li Miao's waist.

"So detailed," Pei Huai couldn't help but think to himself.

"Are you alright?" Pei Huai asked with concern, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"It's nothing, thank goodness you caught me in time." Li Miao shifted her body, wanting to sit back down in front of Pei Huai's lap, so as not to be so close to him.

He casually shifted between Pei Huai's legs a few times.

Pei Huai never expected that Li Miao would just casually brush against him and he would shamefully lose control.

Pei Huai's dark eyes narrowed in shock, and he swallowed hard, instinctively trying to hide his reaction.

He carried Li Miao in one arm and led her a little further into the space ahead.

Although Li Miao sat back in the front, he still sensed Pei Huai's presence. He turned his head in confusion and looked down.

Li Miao's actions made Pei Huai realize that he seemed to have been discovered, and he was still in the car. Even if he was embarrassed and ashamed, he could only tug at his clothes to try to cover himself up.

Pei Huai had no idea what image he had in Li Miao's eyes at this moment.

He turned his head to look at the night view outside the car window.

It seems he has no intention of saying anything to Li Miao.

Li Miao wanted to ask, and was also very curious, so she turned around with her shoulder to the side and spoke to Pei Huai in a very, very low voice.

Are you in heat right now?

The extremely low, boyish voice teased and scratched at my eardrums.

Pei Huai's heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

Do I really need to ask that directly?