Chapter 65
Raising a cat is no easy task; responsibility and companionship are essential, Pei Huai believes. He doesn't go home often, and currently lives in a hotel for work. It's hard to say he has much time to care for a cat. Looking at the clueless little ball of fur, he wants to shake his head.
Zhuangzhuang, however, raised his chin, arched his back and hips, and bumped his calf. Then he nudged his head against his trouser leg and sat down sideways, trying to attract Pei Huai's attention.
It raised its pair of yellow eyes like little suns and looked at him.
"Zhuangzhuang, don't cheat." Tao Ran squatted down and tickled its nose. Seeing that Pei Huai had no intention of responding, he didn't force it. He suggested taking the three of them to the second floor to check on the babies who hadn't been weaned yet. "Oh, it doesn't matter if you're not ready. Whether it's raising a cat, raising a dog, or raising yourself, it depends on the individual."
Zhuangzhuang followed these nimble people and climbed the stairs clumsily to catch up, but he failed to catch the closing moment and had to sit outside with his eyes wide open.
Before going up to the second floor, Duan Heng grabbed Xiang Mingqi at the end of the team.
He didn't dare ask Pei Huai. This handsome, well-dressed man had a sharp aura and was not easy to approach. He felt he would most likely be ignored. So he had to lower his profile and let Xiang Mingqi give him some lessons, at least to explain why he was able to take advantage of this.
The latter proudly brushed off his hand, then, with a few gestures, spent a minute or two proudly recounting the entire story. He also complained about Yan Xu a bit. The guy had disappeared since the cat incident.
After hearing this, he couldn't tell what expression Duan Heng had. His masseter muscles tightened, and he responded faintly and quickened his pace to go upstairs.
When they noticed someone coming in, a group of sturdy kittens, fearless as newborn calves, gathered around and bleated. There were tortoise shells, orange ones, and tabby ones.
Tao Ran squatted down and helped up a kitten that was limping and had stepped into the milk bowl. He said to them, "Ever since he was kidnapped from the store, Zhuangzhuang hasn't dared to go downstairs. He hisses at anyone who comes close. He does the same to doctors."
"Of course." Xiang Mingqi picked up the kitten and poked its belly with his fingers. "The wound on its belly is so deep that you can see the bones. I don't know what kind of torture it went through before being stabbed. If I were it, I would wish all mankind would be destroyed."
"The doctor also gave him desensitization training."
"What was the result?"
"Not very good." She rubbed the little orange cat's cheek with two fingers, held her chin and sighed, "I thought Zhuangzhuang really would live in a cage for the rest of his life. I didn't expect you would come." At this point, she smiled at Pei Huai again, "It turns out that the person it wants to see most is you. Bad Zhuangzhuang, double standards."
"I can't keep a cat." Pei Huai, who had never spoken, refused directly, "It's work-related."
"It's okay, it's okay. I don't mean anything else. I just want you to come visit it more often in the future." She pulled a cushion over and sat down, wrapping her arms around her knees, watching the kittens squeeze each other for milk. "For it, being able to stay with the one it loves must make it happier than any other time in its life."
Pei Huai was about to respond when the girl raised her index finger to his lips, interrupting him: "Don't just nod at me, go make a pinky promise with Zhuangzhuang later."
There was no shift change scheduled for the afternoon, so Tao Ran would have to feed the cats alone after a while. She first invited the guests to sit in the library area, explaining that there were many books on the shelves there that could help them pass the time, making it a good place for conversation.
After she finished introducing them, Duan Heng picked up his phone, glanced at it, waved, and said he was going out for a while to run a small errand and would probably be back soon. Xiang Mingqi was eager for him to leave, and asked a few token questions about where he was going, who he was with, and when he would be back. Duan Heng's face turned black with annoyance, but he was actually very happy inside.
The two of them took seats near the second-floor bookshelves. Zhuangzhuang jumped onto the table and lay down. Pei Huai, on the other hand, opened a novel translated from Italian and began reading. Xiang Mingqi peered at him from beneath her lashes, noticing his hawk-like black eyes, quietly and unresponsive. She reached out and snatched his dessert spoon, sucking on the bottom.
"Brother, I heard you were in trouble this morning."
Pei Huai flipped through the book without answering.
"What? Why aren't you talking? Ha, you're ignoring me and you're still handsome. You're done." The finger-man walked up to him with murderous intent and knelt down with a plop. "Little brother, little brother~ Tell me, did something bad happen to you this morning?"
“…I’m listening.”
"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier? Since you're listening, I'll continue." Xiang Mingqi propped up his chin and looked at him. "I heard that you not only ran into old acquaintances at the transaction site, but also had a big fight with the Bangkok Hotel. My cousin almost died. Oh my god, I'm glad I didn't book a table at Haidilao early to celebrate."
Pei Huai didn't ask much about how he got the information, but quickly got to the point: "What do you know?"
"For example? I guess you want to ask Han Shaochen, but unfortunately, I don't really understand the thinking process of those gentlemen who just ask for everything for free. However, I think he should be coming for you. I think I'm right about that."
"It doesn't look like revenge."
"Brother, you don't really think anyone wants to take revenge on you, do you?" A hint of shock flashed across his expression.
Pei Huai was puzzled.
The bitten straw pointed at the top of his nose: "Do you know that you are super handsome?"
He returned his gaze to the books and continued browsing.
"It's not that kind, not the common, general kind of handsome, you know." Xiang Mingqi hurriedly stopped him, his words slipping several times. "The key is that you have a narrow waist, straight shoulders, and long legs. You're like a nuclear bomb, blowing up wherever you drop it. Come on, who would want to kill you with a face like that? From the pictures, your body is pretty much the same."
"To Mingqi."
"uh-huh?"
“No need to explain so specifically.”
"Damn it, so you know you're a handsome guy, but you still ask that little piglet to cheat on my Jiji sit-ups, making me fall head over heels for you. What a great move, despicable Brother Pei Huai. I like you like this."
Pei Huai unilaterally averted his gaze.
"Besides, didn't you agree to my cousin's request for them?" He leaned over the table, twirling the spoon in his mouth thoughtfully. "Maybe, I mean maybe. Just explain it to him and everything will be clear."
Explain? It's not that I haven't thought about it.
But when he thought of Zhu Zhiyang's expression at that moment, he denied this word uncertainly: "He... wasn't angry because there was no explanation."
When these words came out, Xiang Mingqi, who was sitting opposite him, was visibly startled. His left leg under the table began to tremble at an extremely high frequency. "So, what do you think he wants?"
"I have no idea."
"Ahaha, I knew you would answer that."
"To Mingqi."
"uh-huh?"
"When I don't respond to you, when I look at others, how do you feel?"
"Of course I'd be sad, for example—Wuwuwu brother, you'd rather stare at others than at me. Is it because what you're wearing today doesn't fit, or your shoes and pants don't match, or your hair isn't styled properly…"
"So does he, then."
"ah."
"This isn't a matter of betrayal." Hesitation flickered in his eyes, and after a long pause he finally spoke, "I can explain, but that's not what he wants."
Before he could turn the page to the next scene, a muscular arm reached out and grasped his shoulder. This was a rise, and more of a lift across the chair.
Xiang Mingqi grabbed his wrist and pushed his senior down on the tatami, kissing his forehead, nose, lips, and finally his chin.
The book lost its support and fell beside his knees, but fortunately there was no chip on the corner.
"Brother, you don't have to give him anything. And don't even think about him." He bit his lip, his eyes burning with something he couldn't suppress. He looked at the cold gaze below him, at the calm expression that didn't evade or evade, and felt extremely satisfied. "As long as you need it, I can take care of these insignificant little things for you."
"You wouldn't be so kind."
"Of course." He kissed the senior's soft cheek to his lower lip, feeling the dryness of his lips and chin. Pei Huai did not refuse, "This is my personal request, brother."
"To Mingqi."
"I'm so fucking jealous. It's me who's kissing you, it's me who's trying to please you, and it's me who's being held by you. Yet, those people are still staring at you, staring at you, staring at you, as if they were drooling..."
"As soon as I'm not watching, my brother will be stroked by others. They want to erase my scent to invade you."
"It doesn't matter whether I can tame the eagle or not. I like it to eat meat only from my hand, I like it to peck me and scratch me, but I will never allow others to covet it."
Five fingers hintedly inserted into Pei Huai's fingers.
"I love you." The whisper was breathy, urgent and hoarse. "I loved you in that room. Mine, unruly. I can't control myself every time I think of you."
Her slender fingers instantly clasped his hand, their grip so strong that her nails almost dug into his flesh. Pei Huai looked at him with a hint of warning in his expression.
But Xiang Mingqi just smiled: "Just don't push me away, don't drive me out of your life. I promise, I won't play these tricks anymore."
The response he got was fingers caressing his cheek. He wanted to move closer and rub his senior's palm, but his cheek was grabbed and pulled outward, revealing half of his teeth.
"Get up." The order was irrefutable.
"I'll be right there, right there!" He stood up in a hurry, accidentally slipping and falling face down on Pei Huai's thighs. "Wow, ahhh, don't hit me, don't hit me, I didn't mean to, my feet are numb from standing for so long..."
Strangely, the other party didn't push him away, but instead opened the bookmarked page and began to read. Xiang Mingqi lay between his thighs for a long time, her nose filled with the refreshing scent of soap, and finally turned over and lay across his legs with a red face.
"Brother Pei Huai."
"explain."
"Your knee pillow is so comfortable."
No one paid any attention to him.
"Anyway, you definitely don't want to be disturbed when you're reading. I'll take a nap then. Remember to call me when you're done."
Pei Huai flipped through the pages in silence, letting him rest his head on his pillow. Before he drifted off to sleep, Xiang Mingqi pressed his face against his abdomen, breathing in the soothing fragrance, and fell into a deep sleep. He wasn't awakened until three hours after dinner, by which time Pei Huai had already read the final chapter over and over again. Sitting up, he took in the senior's increasingly gloomy expression, and suddenly realized something.
Duan Heng did not come back as promised.
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