Misunderstand

Yun Jin stood in front of the door, the doorknob like a bomb that would explode the moment she touched it. Her mind raced, imagining the hellish scene that might unfold.

If Shen Yi'an were to push open the door, she would see a strange man sleeping in her bed. Because of Qi Qi's identity, she wouldn't be able to explain, and then Shen Yi'an...

Well, Yun Jin felt a chill run down her spine; she didn't even dare to think about it.

"What's wrong? Lost your keys?" Shen Yi'an's cheerful voice came from behind him, as he was carrying three large suitcases.

"Huh? Right, I need to find the key," Yun Jin said desperately, trying to stall for time. "If your hand is tired, you can put it on the ground. I might need a little time."

“How could that be? It’s only this much weight,” Shen Yi’an seemed quite happy to show off his strength. “Yun Jin, my muscles aren’t built for nothing.”

Although the room key was in Yun Jin's pocket, within easy reach, she still pretended to fumble around in her shirt pocket, stalling for time.

As Yun Jin was touching things, she suddenly touched an unfamiliar metal key. She took it out and saw that it was the car key to the dog dealer's car.

Yun Jin's eyes lit up when she came up with an idea. She took the key and tried to put it into the lock on the door in front of her, and then, as expected, she couldn't open the door.

"Oh dear, I think I took the wrong key. This isn't the door key." Yun Jin turned around, feigning surprise, and said in a distressed tone, "I think I left the real key at your house. Really."

"Can't we get in now?" Shen Yi'an put down the box he was carrying and took the key from Yun Jin's hand. "Let me see."

Shen Yi'an took the key, examined it carefully against the motion-sensor light in the corridor, and compared it with the door lock; it was indeed impossible to open.

“This is clearly not the key to this door,” Shen Yi’an returned the key to Yun Jin. “Yun Jin, what do we do now?”

"Did you drive here? We can take our things back." Yun Jin thought for a moment, secretly observing Shen Yi'an's expression.

Very good, it seems Shen Yi'an has believed it very easily.

"That's fine, let's drive back." Shen Yi'an picked up the suitcase again and prepared to go downstairs.

Yun Jin breathed a sigh of relief; it was truly a close call.

"Shen Yi'an, give me a box, you can't see the road like this." Yun Jin followed behind him and reached for the box on top.

Shen Yi'an quickened his pace: "No need, I can manage."

Just as Yun Jin was about to say something, she heard a soft "click" sound behind her.

The doorknob was turned from the inside.

Shen Yi'an stopped in his tracks. When Yun Jin looked back, her blood seemed to freeze.

Then, the door was pushed open a crack, revealing Qiqi's sleepy upper body. Her sleepy voice complained, "Yunjin, what are you dawdling at the door for? Can't a person get any sleep?"

silence.

A deathly silence.

Yun Jin's face remained expressionless, but her eyes instantly sharpened. If looks could kill, Qi Qi would have been torn to pieces by now.

That Qiqi is really something! Of all times to wake up, of all times, right now, just when she and Shen Yi'an were about to leave, she almost managed to get away with it.

Shen Yi'an slowly turned around, his gaze passing over the stiff Yun Jin and landing on Qi Qi.

The smile on his face vanished instantly, his eyes turned cold, and his voice became deep and oppressive.

"Who are you"

Yun Jin felt his sharp gaze, subconsciously swallowed, felt her throat go dry, her mind went blank, and she didn't know what to say.

It's over.

Can the Earth be destroyed now?

Qiqi's eyes, which were leaning against the door, slowly widened. The drowsiness was dispelled by the petrified air, and she seemed to wake up all at once.

He looked at Yun Jin, then at Shen Yi'an, then rubbed his eyes and looked again before realizing that he seemed to have made a huge mistake.

Shen Yi'an put down the box in his hand with a "thud," stared intently at Qi Qi, and strode towards her with a deep aura.

Qi Qi was at a loss for what to do and instinctively tried to close the door, but Shen Yi'an was faster. He suddenly blocked the door and pulled Qi Qi out with his other hand.

Shen Yi'an stared down at him and repeated the question from before.

I asked, "Who are you?"

"Uh... I," Qi Qi was so frightened by his imposing manner that her eyes darted away and her voice trembled. She subconsciously looked to Yun Jin for help, "I... am a friend of Yun Jin's. I just arrived here... and came here."

Yun Jin didn't dare to breathe loudly, and Qi Qi even asked her for help.

"Friend," Shen Yi'an's voice grew colder, tinged with sarcasm, "then why are you so nervous? Are you afraid of me?"

Shen Yi'an looked into the room: "Why didn't you go to a hotel? You went to stay at a friend of the opposite sex's house and made such a mess of the bed."

Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Yun Jin steeled herself and stepped forward, standing between the two, raising her hand to signal for them to stop.

"Stop, stop for a moment," she took a deep breath and looked at Shen Yi'an and Qi Qi. "The matter is actually very simple. Let's go inside and talk."

Shen Yi'an glanced at Yun Jin silently for a few seconds, his expression complex and unreadable, then looked away and said softly, "Okay."

He released his grip on Qi Qi's collar and went inside first. Yun Jin looked at Qi Qi seriously, and Qi Qi lowered her head.

Yun Jin gently closed the door behind her; what was bound to happen would happen anyway.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy; the air seemed to have stopped moving, and the sound of breathing was exceptionally clear.

"Shen Yi'an, please have a seat."

Yun Jin handed a chair to Shen Yi'an, who silently took it and sat down. The chair legs creaked as they rubbed against the floor, but the sound did not break the atmosphere in the room.

Yun Jin sensed that Shen Yi'an was avoiding eye contact with her. His gaze was either on the ground or on Qi Qi, but never on Yun Jin herself.

On the other side, Qi Qi sat cautiously on the bed, looking at Yun Jin with a pleading expression, hoping that Yun Jin could think of a solution.

Yun Jin leaned against the wardrobe door, arms crossed. After a period of brainstorming, Yun Jin knew that no matter how she tried to cover it up, it would be difficult to justify herself, and it would only lead to Shen Yi'an's misunderstanding of her becoming deeper. So she chose to give up thinking.

“Never mind,” she took a deep breath and looked at Shen Yi’an, “Actually… this person is Qi Qi.”

"Hey, you..." Qi Qi suddenly stood up, pointing at Yun Jin with a mixture of shock and anger, and said incoherently, "You...you just sold me out like that, so directly!"

Shen Yi'an, standing to the side, was clearly not prepared for this turn of events. His eyes darted back and forth between Yun Jin and Qi Qi, his mind unable to process what was happening.

Yun Jin slapped Qi Qi's hand away in annoyance and rolled her eyes.

"What else can I do? I can't let Shen Yi'an and I have a misunderstanding just because I'm covering for you. Our relationship isn't that good yet."

“Uh…so Qiqi is a dog demon,” Shen Yi’an struggled to organize his thoughts.

“Yes, that’s right.” Yun Jin nodded firmly, and to make it more convincing, she gestured with her chin toward Qi Qi.

Qiqi wore a shocked expression that said, "How dare you name me?" but remained unmoved.

However, after being glared at by Shen Yi'an, Qi Qi reluctantly sighed, and her body shrank instantly, turning into a Qi Qi with a drooping tail.

Although Shen Yi'an had seen Yun Jin transform into a cat before and could accept it, this situation was still too shocking. He stood there with his mouth slightly open, too shocked to speak.

After a long while, he slowly turned around and asked a question that had completely overturned his worldview: "So, are cats and dogs living in the city monsters?"

"No, no," Yun Jin quickly waved her hand and smiled apologetically, "Qi Qi and I are in a special situation."

Shen Yi'an rubbed his temples, his face showing a serious expression as if he were about to reboot his brain, and said, "Um... wait a minute, I think I need to... think about it."

"Okay." Yun Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This is arguably the best solution; it seems better than making excuses.

Yun Jin walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, and took a big gulp to calm her nerves.

But Qiqi on the ground was still looking at her with a mournful look. His ears were perked up and his tail was wagging slowly, showing that his owner was not happy.

Yun Jin felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she squatted down and tried to reason with him.

“Don’t look at me like that, Qiqi,” Yun Jin said seriously. “I’m only thinking about the bigger picture. See, the misunderstanding is resolved now, and besides, Shen Yi’an won’t do anything to you.”

"Waaah~" Qi Qi turned her head away, no longer looking at her, only remaining angry.

And so, the dull atmosphere in the room was replaced by another peculiar atmosphere: Shen Yi'an was deep in thought, Yun Jin was drinking water, and Qi Qi was angry.

The ticking of the clock reminded the people and demons in the room that it was getting late.

“Let’s go, Yun Jin.” Shen Yi’an said after a long silence. He stood up, seemingly having composed himself.

Yun Jin walked to his side, observing his expression with some concern: "How are you feeling now? Are you really alright?"

Shen Yi'an smiled gently, seemingly as always: "It's alright, let's go."

At this moment, Qi Qi, who had transformed back into human form, looked at the two who were about to leave, especially Yun Jin, and said in a somewhat awkward tone, "What about me? You... are you just going to leave like this?"

Yun Jin sighed, "If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here for the time being."

Then she took out the key and tossed it to him, pointing to the bed, "But before you leave, make sure the sheets and duvet cover are put back in their original state."

Qiqi took the key, breathed a sigh of relief, and sat back on the bed: "Okay, okay, I got it."

Yun Jin and Shen Yi'an went downstairs one after the other and got back into the car. Yun Jin fastened her seatbelt and waited for the car to start.

But Shen Yi'an didn't start the car; his hands were on the steering wheel as he looked out the window.

The car was dimly lit, making it impossible for Yun Jin to see his expression.

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yi'an's deep voice rang out.

"Yun Jin".

"Um"

When did you and him meet?

Yun Jin was taken aback, not expecting Shen Yi'an to ask this question, so she honestly replied, "Just like you, I met Yan Fei when he brought me here. What's wrong?"

“It’s nothing,” Shen Yi’an’s voice remained emotionless, “It’s just that your interactions feel very…natural.”

Yun Jin immediately retorted, her voice filled with obvious disdain: "No way, I hate him. He's always causing me trouble."

"But you've been helping him all along."

“Ah, after all, we are…like the same kind,” Yun Jin tried to explain the feeling, “like the relationship between classmates…”

Shen Yi'an slowly turned his head and looked at Yun Jin.

"Then... what about you and me?"

Aren't we the same kind of people?