Chapter 8

Li Miao quickly tried to recall if he had snored while sleeping last night.

She took small bites of the steamed bun, a look of confusion flashing in her small, watery eyes.

I have absolutely no recollection of it!

Anyway, he's a very polite cat.

If you really do snore, it must be because you had a very comfortable bath last night and slept soundly that you snore very softly.

"No wonder he's a cat lover, he even dreams about kittens," Liang Yixuan joked.

"Could it be that you can dream about the colors of kittens?" Li Hang asked curiously.

Li Miao immediately tucked the non-existent tail behind her and silently ate her rice.

"No, not really." When it came to patterns, Pei Huai's mind flashed to the white cat that his younger brother, whom he tutored before the college entrance exam, kept.

"Phew~" Li Miao couldn't help but let out a long breath.

This terrified him.

Li Miao suddenly remembered that Pei Huai was the last to turn off the lights last night, and at that time, his bed curtains were able to let in shadows.

Fortunately, thanks to insurance, he turned back into a cat in bed yesterday.

The details of Li Miao's current reversal will be kept under wraps, and next time we'll be more careful and cautious to avoid being discovered.

He kept his grandmother's words in mind!

Last night, Li Miao's snoring disturbed Pei Huai's sleep. She only felt guilty and ashamed for a second before quickly getting back to eating.

As for snoring, he'll be snoring tonight too!

After all, this is something he can't control, meow~

***

After breakfast, Pei Huai went to the school supermarket to buy some food that the cat could eat.

For example, small packets of cat food, a few cat treats, and a can of cat food.

Over the years, alumni of Kyoto University have been taking care of stray cats, and each stray cat has its own number.

Students can feed the cats on campus themselves, and the supermarket also buys cat and dog food when it goes to stock up.

"Wow, are all these things that cats can eat?" Li Miao looked curiously at the items placed on the lower part of the shelf.

When Li Miao squatted down, her small, soft, and light hair looked exceptionally fluffy.

This immediately reminded Pei Huai of the feel of the hand he had touched yesterday.

Pei Huai's hand, which had been hanging by his long legs, naturally rose and ruffled Li Miao's hair twice. Before Li Miao could even ask him anything, Pei Huai smoothly squatted down beside her.

“Yes, there are so many brands of cat food now.” Pei Huai took out his phone and searched for reviews of various cat food brands online.

In the end, I chose a cat food brand with a good reputation for safety and stability, which was also a bit pricey. I also grabbed some cat treats.

Li Miao stared at the price of the goods, somewhat incredulous.

What is this? Human-made kitten food is so expensive!

Curious about the taste of cat food and cat treats, Li Miao swallowed hard.

I wonder if it tastes good at such a high price.

After Pei Huai selected the food he wanted to feed the stray cats, he saw that Li Miao was still intently looking at the rows of cat food.

"You want to feed the cats too?" Pei Huai remembered that Li Miao didn't have much money left. Knowing that Li Miao loved cats, he kindly said, "You don't need to buy any. If you want to feed them, come with me. Just use what I have."

"Hmm, thank you, but I don't want to feed the kittens anymore..." Li Miao muttered very softly, and Pei Huai didn't even hear what the boy said.

After paying at the cashier, Pei Huai and Li Miao, carrying shopping bags, met up with Liang Yixuan and Li Hang, who were waiting outside the supermarket. The group then went to find the cat that had made a sound last night.

Only Li Miao knew that the one who cried out last night wasn't the cat, but someone who had accidentally scalded himself with hot water.

But he didn't show any abnormality, following behind everyone in silence.

As expected, the scene Pei Huai and the others wanted to see did not materialize.

There was no sign of cats at all behind the boys' dormitory building.

"Looks like that kitten from yesterday didn't get to eat." Liang Yixuan looked around at the bushes and trees, but couldn't find the cat.

Knowing the truth, Li Miao pursed her lips and remained silent, her fingertips twisting her clothes guiltily as she comforted herself, telling herself that she didn't blame him.

"It's nothing, I'll come back and look for it next time." Pei Huai lowered his eyelashes, a hint of disappointment appearing in his eyes, but it only lasted for a second before he quickly composed himself.

"Otherwise... I'll call around to see if there are any kittens nearby," Li Miao said, mustering her courage and offering to help.

He smelled the scent of cats nearby.

It might actually summon a kitten.

But it's just a trial.

"Call it? How do we call it?" Liang Yixuan and Li Hang asked, both curious and puzzled.

Pei Huai also looked at Li Miao with a questioning expression.

"Cough, it's called exactly what it sounds like." Li Miao loosened the hem of her clothes that she had been tugging at.

With her three roommates as witnesses, Li Miao opened her mouth and called for the cat.

"Meow~~ (Hello)"

"Meow~" Li Miao greeted twice in a row.

Pei Huai and the other two were extremely surprised when they heard this.

If they hadn't been standing close enough to know that the sound was coming from Li Miao's throat, they really wouldn't have believed that Li Miao's imitation of a cat's meow was so accurate.

Her voice was soft and slightly coquettish, like she was pleading or calling out.

They thought that Li Miao's meow was just different from the "Mimi~" they usually said, and that it was Li Miao's own way of calling the cat.

But what happened next surprised them even more.

Not far away, the tall trees rustled among their green leaves.

Looking again, a white adult cat jumped down from the low wall and approached with light, nimble steps.

"Waaaaah~ (Where is it?)" the white cat cried, looking around.

"Holy crap, they really called the cat?" Liang Yixuan exclaimed in surprise.

Pei Huai also found it amazing.

As the white cat approached them, it noticeably slowed down, standing still and secretly observing the humans in the distance.

Wasn't a companion calling it just now? Where is it?

Cat in confusion.jpg

I didn't see any of my companions, only a few two-legged creatures.

Just as the white cat was completely confused and dared not approach any further, Li Miao continued to communicate with him.

Li Miao: "Wow~"

"Ah~ Tremolo (So happy to see you)"

"Ah~ Ma~ (There's food, do you want some?)"

"Meow~"

After Li Miao made a series of meows in different tones, the white cat no longer hesitated and approached him directly, walking to Li Miao's feet and circling around him, its tail tip gently brushing against Li Miao's exposed slender ankles.

Li Miao greeted the cat while squatting down so the cat could smell the scent of her fingertips and exchange scents.

Once the cat is familiar with Li Miao's scent, Li Miao can pet the cat's head freely.

I stroked the kitten's back from its head with my palm, and the white cat meowed contentedly, asking where the food was.

“It asked me if it wanted food, so you can feed it,” Li Miao said, raising her hand.

Pei Huai pursed his lips, somewhat hesitant, because in the past, every time he approached the cat, the cat would immediately move very far away, or if it didn't run far, it would be very resistant.

Taking a deep breath, Pei Huai opened the shopping bag, took out a cat treat, tore open the seal, and was about to squat down when the white cat meowed even louder and ran away from Li Miao.

The first time I saw Pei Huai, he was really rejected by the cat.

This time, Li Miao and Li Hang truly believed it.

"Could it be that it's too timid?" Li Hang patted Pei Huai's slightly stiff shoulder. "It might just be scared."

Pei Huai sighed softly and said gently, "It's okay, don't try to comfort me. I've always been like this since I was a child."

"Sigh." Liang Yixuan didn't know how to comfort his good brother.

I love cats and want to pet them, but I can't find a single cat to touch.

"Don't be sad. It's just that it doesn't want to get close to you. I'll ask it for you!" Li Miao took the cat treat from Pei Huai and walked over to the kitten.

"Meow meow meow meow~(>^ω^<)" Faced with the temptation of the cat treats, the white cat didn't hold back and kept chewing and eating with great enjoyment.

Li Miao coaxed it a couple of times, and after establishing a relationship, tried to find out why Pei Huai was unpopular.

"Meow~ Meow meow meow aow aow aow~ (He still has some good food on him, aren't you going over?)"

At first, the kitten was focused on eating and didn't have time to answer Li Miao's question.

Until Li Miao asked a few more questions in a low voice.

Only after thoroughly enjoying its meal did the kitten manage to reply, "Meow~ Meow~ (I don't want to go, I'm scared)"

"Scared? What are you scared of? Mimi, explain yourself clearly~" Li Miao stroked the cat's chin, making the white cat feel comfortable.

"Meow~ Ah~ Meow (I have a name, my name is Little Flower)"

"Awoooooo~ (Scared, I won't go, I won't go!)" The white cat explained again why it didn't want to get close to Pei Huai.

Li Miao couldn't find out the root cause and wanted to ask Xiao Hua for more information, but Xiao Hua refused to explain anything.

Pei Huai and the other two watched as Li Miao and the white cat exchanged various messages.

From initial disbelief to growing skepticism.

After that, Liang Yixuan and Li Hang also took advantage of the situation, using the cat food and treats that Pei Huai bought to feed Xiaobai and successfully pet the cat.

"Little White is so cute! Ahhh, he actually licked my finger!" Liang Yixuan was so excited and thrilled that he almost jumped up on the spot because he was so pampered by the kitten.

Pei Huai was so envious his back teeth itched.

“It’s not called Little White anymore, it says it’s called Little Flower,” Li Miao interrupted.

Li Hang and Liang Yixuan: "???"

"Did it tell you this itself?" Li Hang asked.

Li Miao: "Otherwise what?"

Li Hang and Liang Yixuan swallowed hard. Never mind, let's just focus on petting the cat first.

Li Hang was cautious, so he took out his phone, found the official website of Peking University, and located the channel that manages the stray cats on campus.

Click to browse all the registered cats.

When Li Hang saw a picture of a cat that looked exactly like the white cat in front of him, labeled with the nickname "Little Flower," his worldview nearly collapsed.

He didn't believe that Li Miao could really communicate with cats!

Taking a deep breath, Li Hang thought to himself, "Li Miao must have found the cat's name on a WeChat public account!"

***

Suddenly, a faint, pleasant-smelling ray of sunlight, carrying a hint of milk, approached.

Li Miao brought her fluffy head close to Pei Huai's neck, sniffing him here and there.

Pei Huai, who was standing still, dared not move.

The boy's warm, moist breath sprayed onto the sensitive skin on the side of Pei Huai's neck, and Pei Huai immediately tensed up and stiffened. As Li Miao's nose touched his chin, Pei Huai's Adam's apple slid up and down.

"What are you smelling? Is there something strange about me?" Pei Huai, as if waking from a dream, took two steps back, widening the distance between himself and Li Miao. For some reason, the faint scent of sunshine and milk still lingered in his mind.

...Is it the scent of Li Miao? It should be the scent of her shower gel.

No, the shampoo and shower gel that Li Miao bought yesterday don't smell like this.

Just as Pei Huai was lost in thought, Li Miao cleared her throat and slowly explained to Pei Huai the reason why she had done what she did.

"Xiaohua said that you have an aura that makes him afraid and repulsed."

"There must be something on you... that makes Xiaohua and the other cats afraid to come near you."

"My scent?" Pei Huai raised his arm and sniffed the air with self-doubt, but there was nothing unpleasant about it.

On the contrary, the shower gel has a light minty and grassy scent.

"Yes, that's what Xiaohua said anyway."

“But when I smell you, I don’t detect anything strange. That’s odd.” Li Miao stroked her chin thoughtfully.

If humans aren't popular with cats, it's either because they're not naturally friendly with small animals, or...

Suddenly, Li Miao's two beautiful amber cat eyes narrowed, and the lines became sharp.

He grabbed Pei Huai's throat with both hands and squeezed it tightly.

He said in a sinister tone, "Did you abuse cats when you were a child?"

Pei Huai: "..."

"You're not going to talk, huh? I bet you were a bad kid who bullied cats. You're dead meat!" Li Miao glared at Pei Huai and tightened her grip.

He wanted to strangle Pei Huai to avenge Miao Miao, who had been bullied!

His throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe. Seeing that Li Miao's attitude didn't seem like he was joking, Pei Huai grabbed Li Miao's wrist and moved his hand away.

"I love cats so much that I can't even be bothered with them, how could I possibly bully them?"

"Phew~" Li Miao breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, he also felt that Pei Huai didn't seem like the kind of person who would bully cats; he should be able to smell if someone bullied a cat.

"Alright then, as for the cats disliking you, leave it to me. I'll ask the older cats at school later, see if they, with their extensive experience, can come up with any ideas."

Li Miao spoke with a serious expression, looking as if she was determined to investigate the matter thoroughly for Pei Huai.

Pei Huai's attention, however, was drawn to the boy's slightly chubby cheeks, which looked bouncy and felt...

Why did you pinch my cheek? I was trying to help you, and you still pinched me! That's too much!!!

Li Miao's voice made Li Hang and Liang Yixuan turn around.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Brother Pei, have you no shame? Even if Li Miao is cute, you can't just lay a hand on her. Are you trying to take advantage of her?"

"Tofu?" Li Miao rubbed her cheek that Pei Huai had pinched.

He doesn't have any tofu on him.

And, did they pinch me because I'm cute?

Li Miao looked at Pei Huai with bright, sparkling eyes.

Cats are just the cutest of all; you can't help but pet them because they're so adorable.

The merciful Meow Meow can forgive us!

"Did you pinch me because I'm cute?" Li Miao asked.

Pei Huai remained silent: "..."

Li Miao: "Hmm? You dare to pinch me but not admit I'm cute?"

Pei Huai's thin lips moved slightly: "No, you're cute."

"Haha, I think so too." Li Miao smiled foolishly, her delicate and beautiful eyebrows curving upwards.

This reaction, however, left Pei Huai puzzled.

One boy complimented another boy on his cuteness, and the other boy grinned happily.

Is something... off?