Chapter 38
That night, Yu Miaomiao and Jiang Cheng returned to the hotel soaking wet, startling Li Zhi and Cheng Nuo.
The next day was the weekend, and Jiang Cheng sent her a message saying that a fierce cat had wandered into the neighborhood and asked if she wanted to catch it.
Yu Miaomiao, almost without thinking, typed: "I have a slight fever, I won't go."
Then I tossed the phone aside.
Logically speaking, volunteering is what she needs most right now, and she shouldn't refuse it.
But the thought of facing Jiang Chengyi made Yu Miaomiao's heart clench and pound; something was very wrong.
The code in front of me also became frustrating.
She turned off her computer, reverted to her original form, jumped onto the bed, buried herself in the pillow, and felt dizzy and lightheaded.
Hmm, maybe he really does have a fever.
Over the next week, Jiang Cheng asked her several more times, but she refused each time, citing feeling unwell.
He doesn't even go out for free meals anymore.
But not all encounters can be avoided.
[Miaomiao, the offline adoption event for stray cats is this Saturday. I'll send you the address.]
Looking at the message Xu Lan sent, Yu Miaomiao felt a headache coming on.
This was an event that I had arranged with Xu Lan long ago, so I couldn't just skip it.
She typed out a sentence slowly.
Okay, I will be there on time.
-
On Saturday, Yu Miaomiao arrived at the venue half an hour early and was shocked by the huge crowd.
Xu Lan was delighted: "This is all thanks to your traffic; the number of reservations for the event has increased fivefold."
She waved to a spot, "Chengyi, over here."
Upon hearing the name, Yu Miaomiao instinctively tried to hide, but her hands and feet froze, unable to move.
Until a familiar voice rang out.
"Good morning, Sister Xu."
"You're here really early. You should go backstage and rest first."
Yu Miaomiao didn't know how she responded, or how she got to the lounge and sat on a sofa with Jiang Cheng.
She sat close to one end of the sofa, her gaze fixed on her water glass, refusing to look at the person at the other end.
But Jiang Chengyi's presence still lingered at the tip of her nose, and even his breathing sounded so clear.
She suddenly wished her sense of smell and hearing weren't so acute.
No, we have to get out of here right away.
She took a deep breath, preparing to go out and see.
But before he could finish speaking, Jiang Cheng interrupted him.
How is your illness?
"Almost done."
Yu Miaomiao had never found lying so difficult.
Why is your face still a little red?
Jiang Chengyi suddenly approached, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed as he gazed at Yu Miaomiao's face, his brows furrowing slightly as if he were observing her intently.
"Let me test the temperature."
Jiang Cheng raised his hand and pressed the back of his hand against Yu Miaomiao's forehead to feel it.
She held her breath, but still caught a whiff of Jiang Chengyi's scent.
At such close range, the other person's aura became clear.
It was a light and refreshing scent that hit me like the cold rain that fell on my face that day.
On his forehead, Jiang Chengyi's hand felt warm.
It was a scene similar to the one in the cave that day, but this time, Yu Miaomiao's heart pounded violently.
She stared blankly upwards, her body stiff, like a kitten being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, forgetting even to blink.
Yu Miaomiao felt that a long time had passed, but then doubted that it was just her imagination.
After a long while, she finally spoke, "Is it ready?"
"It does feel a bit hot; it might be a low-grade fever that hasn't subsided yet."
Jiang Chengyi withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.
"You need to rest more."
-
The event finally started, and Yu Miaomiao fled as if she were escaping.
She and Jiang Chengyi, as spokespeople, answered questions from the host.
"Miaomiao, I heard that something very dangerous happened while you were filming in the mountains, is that true?"
"It's true." Yu Miaomiao recited the lines she had already written in the script.
“It rained heavily that day. A chef’s cat fell into a pit. Jiang Cheng and I went to look for it, but we were trapped on the mountain by a mudslide.”
"We spent the night on the mountain and were rescued the next day."
"Wow, that's really dangerous!" the host exclaimed, feigning admiration.
She asked a question that wasn't in the script.
"Miaomiao, Chengyi, I want to know, why did you decide to save the cat when a mudslide was about to occur?"
This time, Yu Miaomiao thought for a moment and gave her reason: "It has a limp and can't survive in the flash flood for long, so I have to go and save it."
“It’s dangerous, don’t follow my example,” she said.
"And what about you, Cheng Yi?"
"It can't be called a decision."
Jiang Chengyi said, "The decision was the result of weighing and judging. At that moment, I actually acted without thinking."
"Wow, Cheng Yi seems like a very calm person. I never expected him to do something so impulsive."
"No wonder he donated all his salary to charity."
The host joked, "If you had another chance, what would you choose?"
Jiang Cheng thought about it seriously, "I will bring more medicine, as well as clothes and blankets."
The host chuckled, "That's not what I was asking, it's—"
Jiang Cheng interrupted the host, saying, "If I were given another chance to consider things before acting, my decision would not change."
His expression was indifferent and nonchalant, as if he didn't care about anyone or anything.
But his voice carried a serious tone: "She is very important, that's something that doesn't need to be thought about."
A round of applause erupted from the crowd, as if praising Jiang Cheng's love and responsibility towards the two small animals.
Yu Miaomiao was stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Because she knew that Jiang Cheng went back up the mountain after getting into the car, not to look for the cat, but to look for her.
She never expected that the question she hadn't asked in the cave that day would be answered at this moment.
She is important.
Importance that requires no thought, no weighing, and no judgment.
Why……
She gripped the microphone tightly, lost in thought.
The host asked a few more questions, but her mind was completely blank from Jiang Chengyi's words, and she acted on instinct alone.
Until the host cued three points.
"You might not know this, but the cat that Miaomiao and Chengyi rescued was also there!"
The LED screen behind the three people transformed into a camera feed facing the crowd, zooming in and focusing on a woman holding a cat.
She was a robust and unassuming middle-aged woman who cheerfully raised the cat in her hand and waved to everyone.
When everyone saw the cat, they all instinctively exclaimed "Wow!"
Because this is truly a cat with a very distinctive kind of ugliness.
Black and white patches are randomly distributed on its body, one eye is golden, the other is grayish-white, its tail is missing a piece, and a black spot covers its left eye, making it look like it has been punched.
But it's also a very unique cat.
As the center of everyone's attention, it showed no fear or panic, lazily licking its paws, its golden left eye looking down at everyone.
Aunt He went on stage to greet Yu Miaomiao.
"Three cats, look, it's Miaomiao! If it weren't for her, you'd be a dead cat!"
San Tiao peeked halfway out from Aunt He's arms and patted Yu Miaomiao's hand with his paw pads.
It let out a lazy meow, still incredibly rough and hoarse.
It means, "We meet again, little cat."
Compared to two months ago, San Tiao has gained a little weight, and her pointed chin is showing signs of becoming rounder.
After the opening ceremony, Yu Miaomiao came offstage, greeted Xu Lan, and prepared to leave.
Xu Lan tried to persuade her to stay, "Miao Miao, it's hard to get a taxi now. Why don't you wait until Cheng Yi's party is over and then take his car back?"
In addition to the opening ceremony, Jiang Chengyi also took on an extra job of giving a mini-lecture on cat care.
"No need, I'll take the bus back."
Before figuring out what was going on, Yu Miaomiao firmly refused any attempt to be alone in a room with Jiang Cheng.
-
At the bus stop, Yu Miaomiao waited for the bus to arrive.
Her gaze drifted blankly as she fell into thought.
But the programming problems I was thinking about weren't the usual ones.
It was Jiang Chengyi's words just now.
"She is important, that goes without saying."
She is important. She is important. She is important. She is important...
Yu Miaomiao ruminating on those words uncontrollably.
Compared to the initial confusion and bewilderment, at this moment, a strange emotion fills my chest.
A strange tingling and numb sensation surged through my heart with each beat, flowing through my bloodstream throughout my body, but it didn't make me feel uncomfortable.
On the contrary... they were overjoyed.
Suddenly, a familiar yet unfamiliar aura appeared.
There's a demonic aura!
Yu Miaomiao gathered her thoughts and looked around warily.
Contrary to her meager demonic power, she possesses an extremely keen perception of demonic energy.
No matter how well those monsters concealed their demonic power, she could still sense their presence from a hundred meters away.
However, this demonic aura appeared extremely abruptly in Yu Miaomiao's perception.
There was no sign a moment ago, but now it appears very close to her.
But when she looked around, she found herself alone within a 20-meter radius, with no trace of any other living being.
Has a monster used magic to hide? What is it trying to do? Is it targeting her?
Yu Miaomiao quickly tried to recall if she had offended any monsters, but the final result was uncertain.
From elementary school to high school, her grades surpassed those of all humans and monsters in the school.
The teacher often used her as an example to criticize others.
This caused many monsters to deliberately come and confront her, uttering harsh words.
"Yu Miaomiao, I'll remember you. You just wait!"
Her usual solution was to tell the teacher, and then the monster would be required to write a 2,000-word self-criticism.
After this happened a few times, no one dared to confront her anymore; they could only grit their teeth and glare at her from a corner.
Yu Miaomiao closed her eyes, trying to pinpoint the location of the demonic aura, and finally located it behind the platform.
With her left hand hidden in her pocket, she pressed the shortcut key to dial the Department of Enforcement for the Demon Slayers.
They slowly walked around the platform, heading towards the source of the demonic aura.
The demonic aura grew stronger, wafting out from the green belt.
She carefully parted the leaves of the photinia and finally found the source of its demonic power—
A kitten.
The cub looked like it had just been born; its eyes weren't even open yet, but its fur was very neat, white with black spots.
It was very energetic, waving its limbs wildly and making weak cries from its throat.
How come there's a cat here, or a monster?
Yu Miaomiao frowned and reached out to touch the kitten, trying to see if it was an illusion.
Perhaps sensing the warmth of another person, the cub struggled to crawl toward Yu Miaomiao.
He opened his mouth, took her index finger into his mouth, and began to suck on it with relish, no longer making any noise.
Yu Miaomiao tried to pull it out, but she couldn't.
This only aroused the cub's sense of crisis. It shifted its body, its four short legs tightly hugging her hand.
Yu Miaomiao raised her hand, and the cub was lifted up as well. It didn't sway at all, it was very steady, and she held it even tighter.
She frowned.
Damn it, I'm hooked.
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