Chapter 51 "You're wearing so little, be careful not to catch a cold."

Meow—

A voice, tinged with grievance and complaint, reached my ears again.

I bent down and looked in the corner under the bed, where I met a pair of round, emerald-green cat eyes in the shadows.

"Tangyuan, what brings you here?"

As I spoke, I opened my palm and reached out my hand.

Tangyuan seemed still angry about being suddenly overturned and rolling on the ground.

I called out to Tangyuan several more times in a gentle voice, and only then did Tangyuan flick its tail and walk over with lazy steps, as if it were unwilling.

His expression and manner were exactly like that of a certain awkward boy from my memory.

In a moment of slight distraction, my palm suddenly touched a round, fluffy little head.

It turned out that Tangyuan had somehow gotten close and, after waiting for a long time without receiving the usual patting, nudged me with her head in dissatisfaction, indicating that it was time for me to begin.

I then traced my fingers down from the round head all the way to the tip of the upturned tail.

I've heard that you can judge a dog's confidence by how high its tail is held up; I wonder if this applies to cats as well.

If so, I think Tangyuan must be a kitten bursting with confidence.

As I was thinking this, my fingertips landed on Tangyuan's soft, fuzzy chin.

As she raised her chin high, Tangyuan's round, beautiful emerald-colored cat eyes narrowed contentedly.

At the same time, I heard a gurgling sound coming from that small body, continuous and like the bubbling sound of water boiling.

...Tangyuan is a cat I picked up from outside.

On a rainy day, with nothing to do, I was dozing off by the window.

Half-asleep, I suddenly heard a mournful cry mixed with the rain, like a child's soft sobbing.

I listened intently by the window, then lifted the rain cover and peered out. After searching through the misty rain for a while, I finally spotted a faint, shimmering white figure among a thicket of green bushes.

I can't remember exactly what I was thinking at the time, but I guess I just felt that I couldn't just leave it like that, so I turned around and left the room almost without hesitation.

Cuizhu, the little maid who was resting in the next room, heard the commotion. She rubbed her eyes and opened the door with a surprised look. She was stunned for a moment when she saw me hurrying out.

Then, as if she had thought of something, she turned around, went back into the house, grabbed an umbrella, and came out again after a few quick steps to my side.

"Oh dear, it's still raining outside. Where are you going?" Cuizhu asked, puzzled.

"There's a cat meowing in the yard downstairs," I said.

"A cat meowing? Did I hear that?" Cuizhu became even more confused upon hearing this. "How come I didn't hear it? Are you dreaming and mishearing?"

—As it turns out, I wasn't dreaming.

When I carried the wet glutinous rice balls out of the bushes, Cuizhu, who was holding an umbrella nearby, also looked surprised.

"There really is a cat. But wait, how come..."

Cuizhu didn't continue, and I knew what she was thinking.

Cuizhu had been by my side for more than half a year, so she naturally knew that my hearing was not good.

I am almost deaf in one ear, and I frequently experience tinnitus, which affects the normal use of my other ear.

...This is naturally a lingering effect of the beating he received.

At first, there was just a constant buzzing in my ears, but the buzzing gradually subsided, and other sounds didn't follow.

Aunt Xun knew about this matter.

So I privately consulted many doctors, took a lot of medicine, and had a lot of acupuncture, but it was all ineffective.

In the end, Aunt Xun gave up, but she repeatedly told me not to tell anyone else, especially Shen Yun, because she was afraid that my already small commercial value would be greatly reduced as a result.

I didn't mention it.

Actually, these kinds of things can be detected if you spend enough time together, even if they don't say it.

Just like a bamboo shoot, the little girl only stayed by my side for about ten days, but she already knew which side of my body to approach when speaking and how loud to speak so as not to sound abrupt while still achieving good communication.

I kept the cat.

Then tell Cuizhu that from now on, it should be called Tangyuan (glutinous rice ball).

The little girl stared at the kitten with its fur sticking haphazardly to its body for a long time, not understanding what made the cat look like a glutinous rice ball, except that it was a white cat.

“It looks more like a fluffy ball now,” Cuizhu joked with a smile. “But glutinous rice balls are fine too, they’re white and plump, round and full, it’s a good omen.”

Cuizhu stared at Tangyuan again, looking her up and down. The little girl usually stayed with me and rarely went out. Compared with other little girls, she had fewer fun.

I also advised her to try interacting more with other girls her age.

Cuizhu pouted and said it was boring.

“They’re all so cunning, they’re practically geniuses. I’m too lazy to get involved in all that messy stuff. It’s much more peaceful staying by your side, young master. And now that I have Tangyuan, I don’t feel lonely at all.”

I know that Cuizhu actually wants to go out and play. What child of this age doesn't want to play?

But of all things, I ended up in this place, and of all things, I ran into someone like me.

This is the women's quarters, located in a more bustling and vibrant area.

According to the rules, as a man and a resident of this building, I shouldn't be here.

If it weren't for dealing with the tyrannical Master Zou, who would beat the girls in the building who received him half to death at the slightest provocation, Aunt Xun wouldn't have come up with the ingenious idea of ​​borrowing someone from next door.

According to her, Master Zou had a hidden illness and always had to take a large amount of medicine mixed with strong liquor before doing anything. Both medicine and liquor had the effect of confusing the mind and causing hallucinations, and the combined effect was even more remarkable.

Whether it's a man or a woman, once they're dressed up, there won't be much difference.

Moreover, generally speaking, men are more resilient than women.

However, I was clearly not as resilient as Aunt Xun had hoped.

She even risked being punished by the building rules by sneaking out of her room halfway through, only to unexpectedly run into Shen Yun, who happened to be working there that day...

In that situation, I would either be sent back to Master Zou to continue to be humiliated, or I would be sent to a dark room in the backyard... neither outcome would have been much better.

So Shen Yun undoubtedly saved my life.

Even if it was just something I did on a whim, it's enough for me to be grateful.

Not to mention, Shen Yun also spent a lot of money to book me in this building for a year.

Aunt Xun realized my potential value because of this, which is why she didn't just throw me away when I was covered in wounds.

At first, I also held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that Shen Yun might have recognized me.

Just like that Lantern Festival four years ago, in the crowd so crowded it was almost suffocating, just as I was about to lose my balance and fall into the trampling, Shen Yun appeared suddenly like a divine soldier descending from the sky and saved me.

So a year ago, when I woke up from my coma and unexpectedly learned that Shen Yun was going to spend a lot of money to book me, I asked Aunt Xun if this young master Shen knew that I was actually a man.

Aunt Xun waved her silk handkerchief, looking quite surprised: "Are you kidding? Of course, your Aunt Xun explained this to that official immediately."

He paused, then raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously: "Guess what they said back then?"

Aunt Xun's expression was clearly meant to pique people's curiosity, and I was indeed curious too.

"What... did you say that?"

Hearing my dry question, Aunt Xun didn't spoil the mood. Instead, she turned her bottom and sat down leisurely on the edge of the bed, then cleared her throat in a pretentious manner.

Then he leaned closer to me and said mysteriously, "Hmph, as Master Shen said, it's alright, it would be even better if it were a man."

It would be better if it were a man—

I was stunned for a long time by that ambiguous statement.

Aunt Xun was still gossiping enthusiastically, wondering whether Master Shen preferred men or women.

But I gradually calmed down.

Shen Yun and I only met twice, so it's perfectly normal that he didn't recognize me.

If I were to become depressed or even secretly saddened because of such a thing, I would be taking myself too seriously.

To be honest, I felt a little disappointed when I learned the truth... Perhaps because Shen Yun had remembered me once, I had preconceived notions and developed some unnecessary expectations.

As for what Shen Yun said, it was later answered.

It was at that time that I clearly realized one thing—that Shen Yun would probably never like me as Aunt Xun hoped.

I told Shen Yun about finding the glutinous rice balls as soon as possible.

I'm only able to live here thanks to Shen Yun. If it weren't for him, who happens to dislike cats and dogs, I would naturally have to find a place for Tangyuan to live, or find a reliable person to adopt her.

If it were any other cat, I could just keep it for a few days and then release it into the wild, but not Tangyuan.

Tangyuan broke one of her hind legs somehow. After seeing a doctor, he applied medicine and used a small stick to hold it in place, saying she needed to rest and recover properly.

They even said that even if the cat recovers, it will probably be half-crippled.

Before the young doctor could say anything more, Cuizhu grabbed his clothes and pushed him out.

"Hey, doctor, let's talk about it on our way to get the medicine. Let's not waste time here."

The doctor blushed bright red as the girl shoved him, and from afar, one could hear the young man frantically saying something about men and women not being able to touch each other, and telling Cuizhu to let go of his hand.

I listened to the commotion outside from inside the door, and silently curved the corners of my mouth into a smile.

I know that beneath Cuizhu's seemingly reckless actions lies a hidden agenda: she is simply afraid that the scene will remind me of myself.

Actually, I'm not as sentimental as Cuizhu thinks.

However, I was still touched by the girl's kind intentions.

The quiet room was bathed in warm, golden sunlight. I looked down and saw a pair of emerald green eyes peeking out from the white pom-pom, like precious gems.

It inexplicably reminded me of a long-lost friend.

Cats' eyes are round, which is naturally quite different from human eyes, not to mention their vertical pupils that suddenly contract in the light.

I shook my head and smiled bitterly at my overthinking, but my heart was inevitably shrouded in a gloomy mood.

Turning my head to look at the suddenly cleared sky outside the window, I felt a soft, warm touch on the back of my hand, which was casually placed at my side. The trembling touch felt like a cautious probe.

...I guess I'm hungry.

I thought I should gently pick up the cat and place it on my lap, then take a plate of milk crisps from the table, break them into pieces, and feed them to Tangyuan.

The glutinous rice ball was warm to the touch, but cool to the tongue, leaving a soft yet rough sensation on the fingertips.

It seemed to really like the taste, licking even the smallest bits of food clean.

I suddenly remembered that there was once a young master who also really liked this milk custard.

...

"You mean cats? I don't dislike them."

When I asked if I could keep a cat here, Shen Yun smiled nonchalantly, then seemed a little curious and asked me why I suddenly wanted to keep a cat.

"I found it by chance. It was a little injured. If I let it out like this, it might not find food, it might be bullied by other cats, and it might even die outside."

I carefully explained, point by point, why I wanted to leave the glutinous rice balls here.

Because he hadn't received a response from Shen Yun, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"...So it really isn't possible after all?" I murmured to myself, feeling a little disappointed.

Hearing this, Shen Yun shook her head, her dark eyes falling on my face.

His pupils are very dark, with a large proportion of black. When he looks intently at someone, he gives off an extremely profound feeling.

"I was just wondering why you're always so soft-hearted."

"..."

I don't know why Shen Yun would say that; if it's just because of a cat, it seems a bit exaggerated. But judging from her words, it seems there's a high chance of success.

"So, does this mean you agree?" I asked tentatively.

Shen Yun nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

I was so happy that I stood up abruptly and bowed repeatedly to express my gratitude; I must have looked silly.

Fortunately, Shen Yun didn't mind.

He was the kind of person who seemed indifferent to everything and didn't care about anything.

However, when I suggested that I bring the glutinous rice ball over for Shen Yun to see, Shen Yun still refused outright.

I then realized that I had been a little too complacent.

This made me feel a little embarrassed, and then I stood there at a loss.

This is Huayuelou, and Chenyun is my guest. He just agreed to one of my requests, so naturally I should do something to repay him.

Although it is daytime, in this place, it would be natural and inevitable for something to happen.

But I know that situation doesn't apply to Shen Yun and me.

Long ago, when I nervously welcomed Shen Yun into this room for the first time, Shen Yun gently pressed my head and told me not to feel nervous or afraid—because he wouldn't really do anything to me.

As she spoke, Shen Yun lifted a corner of the blanket and covered me with it.

"You're wearing so little, be careful not to catch a cold."

Shen Yun said calmly.

But I still heard him chuckle softly as he said that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, I don't know.

This only made me, who was already conflicted because of Aunt Xun's previous instructions, even more at a loss.

The image of Aunt Xun's ever-changing smile flashed through my mind, and I finally mustered the courage to struggle and say, "Aunt Xun said that Master Shen is a guest, and Pipa... Pipa cannot neglect the distinguished guest in the restaurant."