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Before long, Yan Fei brought a large cage from the car, inside which was a Chinese rural dog.
The little dog in the cage huddled in the corner, its yellow and black fur standing on end, its black muzzle whimpering, and one of its legs wrapped in white bandages, looking rather pitiful.
"Won't it bite Xiaoyun?" When Shen Yi'an brought over a light gray blanket, the puppy's ears immediately perked up.
As the blanket gently fell, the puppy's wet black nose twitched twice, then it suddenly poked its head out and enthusiastically licked Shen Yi'an's hand with its pink tongue.
The puppy's tail swayed rapidly from side to side, making a rhythmic "slap slap" sound as it hit the bottom of the cage.
"No, look how well-behaved it is." Yan Fei smiled and scratched the puppy's chin. The puppy immediately squinted its eyes comfortably and made gurgling sounds in its throat.
Yun Jin curiously approached and smelled its scent. Something was definitely wrong; they were actually the same kind of creature.
Most monsters in this world live in natural forests. Monsters living in the human world are mostly cat or dog monsters. Yun Jin has seen very few dog monsters, but she has seen more cat monsters.
The puppy also noticed Yun Jin. Its rapidly wagging tail paused slightly before it immediately started to fawn over Yan Fei.
Although the eye contact was brief, Yun Jin could still tell that he wasn't very friendly.
"Teacher Shen, let's come up with a name." Yan Fei straightened up, crossed his arms above his head, and stretched.
Shen Yi'an leaned against the sofa and rolled his eyes in a standard way when he heard this: "Don't call me teacher, you can call me whatever you want, after all, it's the dog you're going to raise."
“Alright, if Teacher Shen doesn’t appreciate it, then I’ll have to do it myself,” Yan Fei squatted down to be at eye level with the puppy. “Let me think… let’s name it Qiqi.”
Is there any symbolic meaning?
"No, it just sounds right."
The moon was hidden behind the dark clouds, the rain gradually subsided, and occasionally a drop of water fell from the eaves, splashing tiny water droplets on the windowsill.
Shen Yi'an settled Qiqi in a nearby guest room, placing a soft cushion in the corner. Qiqi curled up on the cushion, whimpering anxiously.
"Goodnight, Qiqi." Shen Yi'an patted its head and gently closed the door.
In the master bedroom, Shen Yi'an's figure appeared particularly thin under the dim bedside lamp, while Yun Jin pretended to be asleep in her little nest by the French windows.
Shen Yi'an took a bottle of medicine from the bedside table. The pills rattled in the empty bottle, followed by the sound of a glass hitting the cabinet.
After confirming that Shen Yi'an's breathing had become long and even, Yun Jin quietly came to the bedside and gently pulled open the drawer. The drawer was messy, with all sorts of things inside.
Yun Jin carefully took out the pills, along with a hospital diagnosis report.
The diagnosis report bears the heading of the Municipal Mental Health Center and is dated three months ago. It states, "Persistent anxiety disorder with mild depressive episodes," and the advice section below recommends, "Weekly psychological counseling is suggested to avoid long-term dependence..."
Yun Jin's claws hovered in mid-air. She slowly folded the diagnosis report back to its original position, put everything back in its place, and gently pushed it back into the drawer.
Was it because of Xie Xinrou? Yun Jin sighed softly; he truly loved her.
Yun Jin returned to her little nest, looking at the dark sky, her thoughts filled with countless things—about Shen Yi'an, about herself, and about Yun Chen.
I don't know if Yun Chen arrived safely. She said she would call Shen Yi'an when she had time...
"Squeak, squeak—"
Yun Jin's ears perked up alertly, and its tail twitched involuntarily.
Beneath the crack in the door, a pair of amber eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, stared intently at her, while Qiqi's claws scratched haphazardly at the door panel.
"Woof woof woof—Come out, little cat demon, let's talk."
Yun Jin frowned, not wanting to pay attention to it, but it kept scratching at the door, making annoying noises.
Overwhelmed by the constant nagging, Yun Jin quietly slipped out.
In the dimly lit living room, the only light source was a small table lamp in the corner, casting a blurry shadow on the wallpaper with its dim yellow light.
On the sofa, the man's silhouette was faintly visible where light and shadow met, and his voice was soft: "No need to pretend anymore, we can be more honest."
Yun Jin yawned, stretched, and sat down on another sofa. "Is there something you need? I want to sleep."
"What are you doing, trying to amuse those humans like a house cat?" He smiled contemptuously. "You're a disgrace to the demon race."
People can actually laugh out loud when they're speechless, and that's exactly what Yun Jin is doing right now.
"And what have you been doing? Your tail's practically flying off to the sky, licking this and that," Yun Jin said, resting her head on her hand and looking at him disdainfully. "Aren't you just disgracing the demon race?"
Yun Jin encountered many demons in the city. Everyone had their own way of surviving, whether free or dependent on humans. There were always demons who liked to criticize the production methods of other demons.
"Wasn't that because I was injured? It's a disguise, you know? It's for survival, you can't reason with a demon like you."
The man's green eyes suddenly darkened. He subconsciously tried to straighten his back, but this aggravated the injury on his right shoulder, causing his mouth to twitch in pain.
He seemed a little annoyed and embarrassed: "It's still better than you! You willingly become a cute little kitten to humans, all you do is meow all day long..."
Yun Jin wagged her tail, interrupting him: "So you called me out in the middle of the night just to discuss who is more disgraceful to the demon race?"
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Yun Jin spoke up: "How did you get injured?"
"Well, it's a long story." He sighed, trying to sound profound.
"Then stop talking." Yun Jin changed back and planned to go back to sleep.
"Wait!" The man suddenly jumped up from the sofa, the movement aggravating his wound, causing him to hiss in pain again.
His emerald green eyes blinked twice in the darkness: "Is this how you treat your own kind?"
Yun Jin stopped in her tracks, her tail twitching impatiently.
"Here's what happened. I was doing the unique training that our clan does, but I ate a meat bun on the way and collapsed. When I woke up, I was already locked in a cage and being transported to the pet market."
The rain outside the window started to fall again, drizzling down.
"I finally managed to escape and wandered around the city for days. I was so hungry that my stomach was practically sticking to my back, and I didn't have the strength to dodge that person's car. Luckily, I'm agile enough..."
"So that's how it is. What kind of cultivation do you practice?" Yun Jin asked.
"This is a unique training for our Chinese rural dog clan. Before each family member comes of age, they must spend two years venturing out into the world." He proudly raised his head.
Yun Jin yawned again, "Then you should take good care of your injuries. Once you're healed, go back to cultivation."
"Wait a minute, you still haven't told me why you're here." He watched incredulously as Yun Jin walked away.
"Why should I say that?" Yun Jin tilted her head.
“Because I told you my story,” he said, “as a courtesy, you should also tell me yours.”
“But you’re lying,” Yun Jin took a few more steps forward, “Do you need to exchange my lie for something?”
“Looks like you’re not just a simple kitten,” he chuckled, then added, “At least tell me where the kitchen is, I’m starving.”
Yun Jin pointed with her paw and then went back to sleep.
A moment later, a muffled thud came from the direction of the kitchen, followed by the crisp sound of a metal tray hitting the ground.
Yun Jin returned to her little nest and covered her ears with her tail.
Shen Yi'an frowned, not sleeping soundly. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his right hand unconsciously clenched the bed sheet.
Another crash came from the kitchen, like a plate shattering. Yun Jin's beard trembled as he heard the man coughing and muttering, "Ptooey, ptooey, so spicy..."
I should have known better than to give him directions, that stupid monster.
——
Sunlight streamed in, and tiny water droplets condensed on the French windows. Yun Jin was awakened by the chirping of birds, unusually waking up without Yun Chen calling her.
If Yun Chen saw this, he would definitely say it was a miracle.
She twitched her ears and noticed a thin mist outside the window, enveloping the courtyard. This scene was exactly the same as in her nightmare, and Yun Jin couldn't help but shiver at the thought.
A dark figure darted out from in front of Yun Jin. Yun Jin quickly stepped forward and pressed her face against the glass, nervously watching the outside.
A crow suddenly crashed into the glass in front of Yun Jin, startling her so much that she stumbled backward and fell with a thud. She rolled over in a disheveled state.
"Pfft—" A distinct sneer came from outside the window. The annoying crow was tilting its head and looking at her, its black bean-like eyes full of schadenfreude.
It even deliberately tapped the glass with its beak.
"You!" Yun Jin was so angry that his beard trembled. He sprang to his feet in a somersault. "I should have broken your wings last time."
The crow flapped its wings mischievously twice, spraying all the mist onto the glass, and then flew away triumphantly.
Shen Yi'an was startled awake by Yun Jin's voice. He forced himself to sit up and asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Yun?"
"Meow meow—it's okay." Yun Jin jumped onto the bed and rubbed against him.
"Xiaoyun, wait a minute, then we'll eat," Shen Yi'an lay back down. "I can't get up right now, my head is spinning."
Yun Jin saw a figure flash by through the crack in the door, wondering if he had finished tidying up the kitchen.
"Ring ring—"
The phone ringing was particularly jarring in the bedroom in the early morning. Shen Yi'an closed his eyes and groped around on the bedside table like a blind man feeling an elephant, almost knocking over the water glass again.
Yun Jin squatted to the side, its tail swishing restlessly from side to side, its heterochromatic eyes fixed on the constantly vibrating phone.
"Damn it..." she muttered to herself, her paws unconsciously scratching at the sheets. "This thing looks like it really needs a shove..."
Shen Yi'an's hand once again narrowly missed the phone, while Yun Jin's right paw was already hanging in mid-air, its paw pad almost touching the edge of the phone.
"No!" She shoved the phone toward Shen Yi'an, reason ultimately prevailing over instinct.
"Hello, this is Shen Yi'an." He answered the phone.
Shen Yi'an gripped his phone tighter and tighter, and the veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible.
The staff member's formulaic voice leaked from the receiver, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet bedroom: "We will abide by the contract, and we hope Teacher Shen can too... Dragging this out is not good for anyone..."
Yun Jin's ears twitched as she watched Shen Yi'an's expression grow increasingly grim.
“Okay, I’ll have my agent Yan Fei handle it. I’ll provide full compensation.” His voice seemed to come from a great distance, his tone and expression were two extremes.
The dial tone of the phone being hung up was particularly jarring in the room. Shen Yi'an slammed his arm heavily against his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
A gentle breeze from outside stirred the curtains, bringing a touch of coolness to the stuffy room.
"Never mind, let's eat first. At least I can get some proper rest for a while." Shen Yi'an smiled wryly and walked out of the room.
Not long after, Yun Jin heard Shen Yi'an's desperate shout.
"Qiqi! Come here right now!"
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