Chapter 44. Full Moon (Two in One)

"Meow~" The cat's baby voice was as small and soft as its body. It seemed to feel Ruan Tang's gaze from the corner of the box. It turned around and stared at her with its big eyes like glass beads.

Ruan Tang felt that her facial muscles were stiff as if she had overdosed on Botox. She was too lazy to control her expression and asked: What are you doing?

"I happened to be passing by your neighborhood today while running errands, and I saw it on the side of the road. It looked very similar to the one we rescued last time. I thought you'd like it, so I brought it back." Feng Xue seemed to have noticed the slight displeasure she inadvertently revealed. Although her expression remained as sincere as if she were offering a treasure, her tone was a little more tentative. "Don't you want to keep it?"

After all, this was his first gift since they'd been together. Years of dealing with men instinctively told her not to be passive; men needed guidance and nurturing. She pursed her lips and shook her head, then reached over and poked the kitten's furry head. "How could that be?" she asked. "I'm just so surprised. It's so adorable, who wouldn't like it? But how do I raise it? I've never had a pet before, and it seems my roommate is allergic to small animal fur..."

Feng Xue turned sideways confidently, and Ruan Tang saw the cat litter box, food bowls, water bowls and a bunch of other things placed in the living room.

"After I picked it up, I took it to the hospital for a checkup. I also bought these things at the pet store. I'll keep it here from now on. You can come and see it when you're free, or..."

Before he could finish his words, the kitten suddenly jumped out of the box and quickly dived under the sofa.

Ruan Tang asked: Or what?

"Uh... nothing," he scratched his head, as if the person in front of him was burning his eyes, and he didn't know where to look for a moment. "By the way, you haven't eaten yet, right? I was just busy wanting you to see the kitten first, and I don't have much food at home. How about you come back to the store with me?"

Ruan Tang took a deep breath and said: Forget it, I'm a little tired.

Feng Xue nodded: Then you rest here for a while before going back, I'll order some takeout for you.

"No, it will be a bit late if I go back after the takeaway arrives and I finish eating. I can take care of it myself."

"Yeah." He nodded. Before leaving, he passed by Ruan Tang and lowered his head to ask her for a kiss. Ruan Tang casually raised her head and touched his lips, and softly reminded him: Be careful when riding your bike.

Feng Xue rubbed her hair as usual and said with a smile: You can think about what to name the cat.

There was a voice in Ruan Tang's heart shouting at her, "You big-headed ghost!" But when the words came to her lips, they turned into: "Okay, then I have to think about it carefully."

After Feng Xue left, the kitten seemed to become bolder. It ran over and rubbed against Ruan Tang's feet, then simply lay down at her feet as if it was trying to scam her.

She squatted down and scratched the kitten's chin. It squinted its eyes and raised its chin as if enjoying her action.

Last time, because it was dark, she couldn't see its appearance clearly. Ruan Tang felt that only the body shape looked somewhat similar. Its head was half dark gray, and there was a small gray spot next to its nose, which looked like a matchmaker's mole.

"Is it really you? You were so fierce last time, why did you come back obediently this time?" The kitten purred as if responding to her.

Ruan Tang remembered that one noon when she was a child, she picked up a small yellow cat downstairs. Although her mother had repeatedly told her that there was not a penny of extra food at home to feed a pet, she still held on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that her mother might soften her heart when she saw the kitten, so she quietly took the cat home, but when she returned home from school in the afternoon, the cat was gone.

Many years later, could this stray cat that appeared in her life be a hint from fate, telling her that everything is actually changing, and that things that were once unattainable can now be reached by just reaching out.

This sudden thought comforted Ruan Tang a little. She stretched out her hands to pick up the kitten, but it suddenly meowed and jumped up again, hiding under the sofa, as if its safety zone was violated, shattering the tenderness that had just emerged in her heart.

Before leaving Feng Xue's house, Ruan Tang took a photo of herself shoveling poop and sent it to Xu Wei, saying self-deprecatingly: I am now a cat and a pig, so why not just change the coffee shop to a pet theme?

Xu Wei didn't reply until she left. Lately, Xu Wei's work has been on hold, and she's been online like 24/7. She felt a little uneasy for some reason, so she simply gave her a voice call.

Before the voice call was connected, it was interrupted by a sudden phone call.

It’s Feng Xue.

Ruan Tang had not yet fully recovered from the emotions she had towards him because of this "gift", and asked coldly: What's wrong?

"Yingjun is here, come over too, I'll make your favorite barbecue."

She couldn't help but wonder why she had to go over when Jia Yingjun came. What kind of logic was that? Could men also use this trapping law enforcement trick?

She sighed and said: Forget it, why should I join in the fun when you guys are getting together.

Unexpectedly, Feng Xue insisted again and again: Come on, he said he has something important to ask you.

When Ruan Tang arrived, there were two other tables of guests in the restaurant besides Jia Yingjun.

While Feng Xue was busy in the kitchen, Jia Yingjun helped serve the dishes and beer. Ruan Tang washed her hands, took the tray from him, and jokingly said, "If your employees saw you serving dishes in a tavern, your image as a CEO would be ruined."

"What I mean is, I come from the masses and go back to the masses. I am also very approachable in the company." Jia Yingjun looked calm, and Ruan Tang began to wonder if she had been deceived.

After almost finishing his work, Jia Yingjun took his seat first and waved to Ruan Tang.

After she sat down, he took out a dust bag from under the table and handed it to Ruan Tang.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see for yourself."

Before opening the dust bag, she pinched it lightly with her fingers, feeling inexplicably startled.

She raised her head and met Jia Yingjun's gaze. She saw a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, and he raised his chin and looked at her to encourage her to continue.

It turned out to be her Chanel. However, there was a slight scratch on the shoulder strap, so she was given two thousand yuan less during the evaluation during the day.

"How do you know..." Ruan Tang subconsciously turned her head to look in the direction of the kitchen. Feng Xue just came out to deliver food to the next table. Their eyes met. She swallowed and deliberately restrained the smile on her face. She calmly gave him a look to signal him to come over when he was done. He just smiled and nodded, then continued to work.

Jia Yingjun took a sip of beer and said: Jiang Li forwarded it to me.

"I didn't expect she would pay attention to these things."

"She recently finished filming her graduation project and is relatively free."

"So what did she forward to you?"

"Laugh at you."

Ruan Tang: ...

She pushed the bag towards Jia Yingjun: Since you spent money, it is yours.

"Why do I need this? I can just buy a brand new one." He spoke as frankly and annoyingly as ever, but it made people want him.

Ruan Tang coughed twice, restrained the urge to hit someone, and said: No reward without merit.

Jia Yingjun pulled his chair closer to her and whispered: Of course, I won’t spend money in vain. You don’t need to teach me this. I just want to know, what is Xu Wei busy with recently?

She looked down at her phone. Xu Wei still hadn't replied to the message. She shook her head and said: I haven't met her since I met that producer that day. I just sent her a message, but she didn't reply.

"Producer?" Jia Yingjun frowned.

Ruan Tang didn't know whether she should tell the truth for a moment, so she just explained vaguely: Well, it seems that the other party is preparing a variety show and wants to invite Weiwei to be a guest. As for the rest... you'd better ask her.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Tang made a tactical retreat, quickly stood up with the bag in her arms, slipped to the display cabinet, and put it back in its place.

When Ruan Tang went to the bathroom, Feng Xue had just finished and came over to sit down.

He poured a glass of wine for Jia Yingjun and said: Thank you, I will put the money on the account first and I will pay you back later.

Jia Yingjun shook his head: How much have you earned from helping me manage my stock account since college? Let’s not talk about this little money. I just can’t understand why you don’t buy it back for her yourself. If the money is not enough, I will transfer it to you.

Feng Xue made an excuse: I don’t know anything about making bags, what if I get cheated?

"Rather than not understanding bags, I think you don't understand women."

He just smiled and shook his head and said: I don't want to put too much pressure on her.

When Ruan Tang came out, she happened to see Feng Xue clinking glasses with Jia Yingjun. Only then did she notice that there was a long dark red bloodstain on the forearm of his hand holding the wine glass.

She rushed to Feng Xue in two steps, took his arm and asked what happened. Feng Xue smiled and waved his hands, saying: When I took the kitten to the hospital, it might have been feeling uncomfortable for a while and I accidentally got it.

"Let's go get vaccinated." Ruan Tang grabbed the bag and pulled him away.

Feng Xue grabbed her wrist with his backhand and pulled her, saying with a smile: It's okay, the doctor said that if a cat carries the rabies virus, it will die within ten days.

Ruan Tang's face darkened: How do you know it hasn't been infected in the past two days?

This time, Jia Yingjun also put away his nonchalant tone and advised: Rabies can be fatal. To be on the safe side, you'd better get the injection.

Ruan Tang glanced at the table and asked: Have you been drinking?

"I just drank a little." Feng Xue shivered.

"Then get up quickly and follow me to the hospital."

"Don't be so exaggerated."

"It's really that exaggerated! As long as the skin is broken and blood is seen, there is a risk of damaging the dermis and getting infected with the virus. By then it will be too late." Ruan Tang pulled him again without question, deliberately provoking him: Are you afraid of going to the hospital?

"It's not that I'm afraid, I just think it's too troublesome and unnecessary." He muttered a refusal, but his body couldn't help but stand up honestly.

After the two got off the car at the hospital gate, Feng Xue began to want to back out again. He looked at her and said: Forget it, I'm allergic to the smell of disinfectant in the hospital.

Ruan Tang frowned and repeatedly told him to stand still. She ran into the convenience store nearby in her high heels like a 100-meter sprint. When she came out, she handed him a pack of masks.

Feng Xue walked up to her, put his arm around her waist and supported her, frowned and asked: Why don’t you let me go with you to buy masks? Do your feet hurt from running so fast?

Ruan Tang shook her head: "Aren't you a wounded soldier?"

"...I was just scratched by a cat, not a broken leg."

Ruan Tang realized that she seemed to have overreacted a bit, so she pretended to be impatient and pushed him towards the hospital.

She specially bought three bottles of water from the vending machine and asked Feng Xue to drink them all in one breath. She waited for him to go to the bathroom several times, until she felt that the alcohol was almost metabolized, and then she took him to register for the injection.

After all the trouble, it was almost eleven o'clock when the two came out of the hospital.

Feng Xue asked: Should I take you home?

Ruan Tang thought about it and said: Forget it, it’s too expensive to call two taxis. Anyway, this place is close to your home, so how about I stay in the bed in the second bedroom today?

She specifically emphasized the "bed in the second bedroom". Feng Xue of course heard her implicit meaning. It was clearly revenge for the first night they were together. He couldn't help but laugh and said: Okay, I'd love to.

"If you sneeze suddenly, it must be because I am thinking of you..."

After paying off the credit card, there was more than 10,000 yuan left in the account, and her favorite bag was also back. The bathroom in Feng Xue's house was much better than the old rented house. Ruan Tang was in a good mood. After taking a shower, she hummed a song and wiped her hair in front of the mirror.

She looked at herself in the mirror, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, lingering and out of control. Then, driven by that thought, she picked up her phone that was playing music and opened Baidu to search: Can I have sex after getting a rabies vaccine?

While looking through the results, Ruan Tang tilted her ear to listen to the noise outside with a guilty conscience, but it was quiet outside, not even the meow of a cat.

She opened the bathroom door with some confusion and saw that the kitten was already asleep in its nest. Just as she was about to go out, she was suddenly startled by Feng Xue who was leaning against the wall by the door.

"You, you, you...what are you doing?"

Feng Xue smiled and said: I'm afraid you might get into danger while taking a bath.

As he spoke, he noticed that she looked frightened, frowned and asked: What's wrong?

"I just... By the way, why don't you ask Jia Yingjun what he wants from me?"

"You want me to ask?"

"You trust me so much?"

"Be more confident in yourself." He seldom said such dirty words. After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and smiled as if he was not used to it. The hot and humid steam from the bathroom came from behind, wrapping them both. His eyes seemed to be wet, reflecting the warm light of the bathroom heater, and hiding in the shadow of his eyelashes when he lowered his head.

Ruan Tang watched his Adam's apple roll up and down, and in a flash of excitement, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Feng Xue was stunned at first, but soon understood the meaning of her kiss. Then, wrapping her arms around her waist, she changed from passive to active, responding passionately. They couldn't remember who put their hands under the other's clothes first. The electricity generated in that second of skin contact flowed through their peripheral nerves, constantly stimulating their brains to send signals for closer distance.

"I forgot to buy you a hair dryer..." Feng Xue said in a hoarse voice as she gently smoothed her still dripping hair with her fingers.

Ruan Tang hung on his neck, rubbed her head against his neck, and whispered: Then please use your body temperature to help me dry it tonight.

She didn't know if it was because her mind wandered while she was drying her hair, but she felt the moisture between them grow thicker and thicker, permeating every pore. His kiss was tentative at first, then his breathing grew heavier, and his rain of kisses fell freely, landing behind her ears, on her chest, on her stomach...

Ruan Tang... He called her name softly, but in her ears she only heard sugar, which then melted thickly in her heart.

The tip of his tongue happily played the game of hide-and-seek, and his fingertips wandered over her skin, controlling the rhythm like playing a piano, igniting her inch by inch, and her body trembled slightly with the rhythm.

Ruan Tang felt strange. This feeling, which should have been familiar, seemed so strange at the moment.

When Feng Xue picked her up and walked towards the bedroom, Ruan Tang leaned lazily in his arms and said softly: In my wallet, there is...

He was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

The sweat from Feng Xue's palms wet the small aluminum foil package. He hugged Ruan Tang and went to the bedroom, but she pushed him on the chest and pointed to the second bedroom.

When she welcomed him, Ruan Tang held his back with both hands and pulled him towards her with a little force. She tilted her head back and carefully hid his breathing in the hollow of her collarbone.

She inadvertently caught a glimpse of the moon framed by the window, and she imagined the broken part becoming full and round.