Chapter 5: The calico cat has time to meet new friends, but never has enough time...
Chapter 5: Calico Cat
The orange and white calico cat was lying on the bathroom tiles, its fur a little messy.
"Lulu, it's really you!" Wen Xu ran over in surprise, picked up the calico cat and held it in her arms, rubbing against it. "You heartless little thing, running around again, where have you been for so long?"
Zhui Lian and Yu Peizhi also followed to the bathroom door.
Just now, Wen Xu was about to leave, but suddenly heard a familiar cat's meow.
She turned around and asked Zhui Lian and Yu Peizhi if they had a new cat. After receiving a negative answer, Xiao Xu said, "Lulu has disappeared again these days. I don't know where she went."
The bathroom was clean, with the air filled with the light and everyday scent of shower gel. The floor was dry, with only a few dusty paw prints left where Lulu had been lying.
Pei Zhi stood a little behind Zhui Lian. His eyes seemed to casually sweep across the bathroom, then fell back on Wen Xu and the cat, with just the right amount of surprise on his face.
"It's actually Lulu."
Then, he revealed a gentle yet apologetic smile: "I'm sorry, Xiaoxu, I made you worry. It must be that our balcony door was not closed tightly, so Lulu ran in by herself."
"I don't blame you!" Xiao Xu said quickly, "Lulu was originally a stray cat. I rescued her when I was an animal protection volunteer. She's always been wandering around!"
Wen Xu stuck out her tongue. "But if it weren't for this cat's love of running around, I wouldn't have known Sister Lianlian. Last time, it ran onto the rooftop of the residential complex and almost couldn't get down. Luckily, I ran into Sister Lianlian there."
"Oh?" Yu Peizhi's eyes seemed to accidentally sweep over Lulu, who was curled up in her arms. Still smiling, he said, "So this is how you and your sister Lianlian met."
"Eh—" Xiao Xu opened her eyes wide in surprise, "Didn't Sister Lianlian tell Brother Peizhi?" Yu Peizhi turned his head to look at Zhui Lian, then turned back, smiled and shook his head, his tone seemed to be joking: "No, your sister Lianlian likes not to tell me anything."
"No way." Zhui Lian retorted softly, "I just haven't had the chance to tell you yet."
The little things about Wen Xu and her getting to know each other because of cats were just an ordinary part of her daily life.
Of course, she didn't say it on purpose - making a new friend is a very common thing. Is there anything worth mentioning to her new husband?
Especially a husband who has been making her feel a little breathless lately.
But Wen Xu's casual question at this moment was like a needle, gently poking at a fragile balance.
"Yeah." Yu Peizhi was still smiling, but the thick gloom in his eyes could no longer be concealed. "Lianlian has always been like this. She has time to meet so many new friends, but never has time to tell me about them."
baffling.
Since coming to this small border town, she has made no new friends except Xiaoxu whom she met by chance when she picked up Lulu.
Last month, she signed up for a community baking class and met a girl who had many years of experience in making pastries. The two agreed to work together on a new recipe over the weekend, but the girl broke her wrist the next day.
Last week, she went to a bookstore to buy books and chatted with the owner for a few more minutes, but a few days later, the store suddenly closed and the owner disappeared.
…
So Zhui Lian didn't answer, but took the calico cat from Xiao Xu's arms, and his eyes suddenly fell on the long white hair on its belly.
That place was badly knotted and covered with dust.
She raised her hand, wanting to smooth it away for Lulu, but suddenly she smelled a scent.
But the smell was too faint, and before Zhui Lian could even catch much of it, it disappeared in a flash.
But that long-lost feeling of familiarity had indeed hit her nose without any preparation.
Strong anise, bitter herbs, and a cold astringency soaked in high alcohol content.
——Absinthe.
“…Lulu?” Zhui Lian stared at the orange and white cat, but the cat’s amber pupils turned and stared straight into the depths of the bathroom.
There is the most common long white bathtub, and the back wall is covered with tiles of the same color as the floor tiles.
"But it's normal!"
On the other side, Xiao Xu seemed to sense that the atmosphere was a little strange and took the initiative to break the silence. "Everyone has their own social circle. Brother Pei Zhi can't remember the information of every one of Sister Lianlian's friends, right?"
"Okay." Yu Peizhi said.
"Huh?" Xiao Xu suspected she had misheard him and asked again, "Brother Pei Zhi, what did you just say?"
At this moment, Zhui Lian didn't pay any attention to the two people talking over there. She had lowered her head, buried her face in Lulu's hair, and was sniffing.
No, no, no, I caught that smell... little by little... little by little... I finally caught it... that mixture of sweet and bitter taste.
But why did Lulu smell like that? And how could this house be filled with the scent of the cage?
No, maybe it's an illusion.
Absinthe is a medicinal liquor with a common smell, and the cat running around outside might have simply picked up a similar smell.
She forced herself to calm down and lifted her face from Lulu's hair, only then did she see Yu Peizhi and Xiao Xu looking at her.
"Sister Lianlian!"
Xiao Xu called her nervously and said, "Lulu is dirty now. It would be bad if any bacteria on her body came into contact with you. Wait until I wash her clean and then bring her back to play with you!"
Yu Peizhi's gaze was fixed on Zhui Lian, and he sighed and called her name: "Lian Lian."
He walked over and patted the calico cat's head: "Don't run around next time. My wife loves you so much. It would be bad if you infected her with something."
His tone was gentle and his movements were very soft, but Lulu in Zhui Lian's arms suddenly froze the moment he touched her.
"Xiaoxu."
When the two of them sent Wen Xu to the entrance, Zhui Lian suddenly spoke and called out to Wen Xu.
Sunlight shone in from the high windows, and barely detectable dust particles floated in the light and shadow.
Half of Zhui Lian's profile also floated in the golden light and shadow.
Yu Peizhi looked at her, looked at her pure cotton nightgown against her long chestnut curly hair, looked at her long drooping eyelashes, looked at the tiny hairs on her face that were clearly visible. In the golden light and shadow, her whole body was as soft as an angel taking pity on sinners.
Finally, the angel spoke.
She asked, "Does your animal protection volunteer association have any activities this weekend?"
Suddenly, this sinner grinned almost unnoticeably.
*
"Sister Lianlian, did you and Brother Pei Zhi have a fight?"
In the volunteer greenhouse of the Animal Protection Association, Wen Xu handed Zhui Lian a red volunteer uniform and rubbed his arms, obviously feeling a little nervous.
Zhui Lian took the volunteer uniform and asked, "Why do you ask?"
Wen Xu: "When I went to see you this morning, I felt that Brother Pei Zhi was not very happy."
"Really?" Zhui Lian paused as he put on his volunteer uniform and replied, "It must be an illusion. When I left, he told me to have fun and make more new friends."
Wen Xu muttered softly, "...Then why do I feel like someone is staring through my back when we leave?"
Zhui Lian was busy buttoning her volunteer uniform and didn't hear her clearly, so she asked, "What?"
Wen Xu: "It's okay, it's okay, it must be my illusion."
Pei Zhige is such a good person, how could he be unhappy because Sister Lianlian came out to participate in an event? It's not like he's acting in a yandere novel.
Xiao Xu shook these complicated thoughts out of her mind and didn't dwell on it any longer. She ran over, hugged Zhui Lian's arm, and said, "Sister Lian Lian, let's go quickly. Today's event is Adoption Day, it's very interesting!"
On the Animal Protection Association's adoption day, the volunteers' main job is to decorate the venue and introduce the animals to be adopted to the public.
After a busy day, the sun had already set, but Zhui Lian had not left yet. He was helping other volunteers organize supplies.
"Why is it so anxious today?" Xiao Xu squatted beside and looked at Lulu with a frown.
Lulu's ears were pressed back, her tail was swishing restlessly, and her amber pupils would occasionally turn toward the woods past the edge of the shed, and she would make a low "wooo" sound, like a warning.
Zhui Lian followed its line of sight, but only saw swaying shadows of trees.
"Maybe he was scared by the stray cats," said another volunteer, Auntie Wang, approaching with a stack of old blankets donated by kind-hearted people. "It's been pretty rough around here lately. The night before yesterday, I saw a strange man dressed all in black standing by the abandoned warehouse in our complex. He looked like a ghost."
The abandoned warehouse is near her home.
Zhui Lian's hand paused slightly as he was organizing the supplies.
"Weirdo?" she asked softly.
"Yes, he was very tall, standing in the shadows, motionless." Aunt Wang lowered her voice. "I shouted, and the figure disappeared in an instant, as if it had evaporated."
Another volunteer, Xiao Li, also came over. He was a boy in his early twenties, wearing a white T-shirt with a cartoon cat printed on it. He had a face with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was the most handsome man.
He is still studying at a university in S City. He returned home for the winter break and came to help the local animal protection association as a small person in charge.
Xiao Li said: "While I was at home during the winter break, I wanted to start a sideline in self-media and shoot some exploration vlogs. I wanted to use that abandoned warehouse as a filming location."
"Guess what happened?" He lowered his voice and said, "As soon as I got close to it, I smelled a strange odor."
Wen Xu picked up Lulu and comforted her in her arms. "Little Li," she said, "that abandoned warehouse has been there for years. It has a musty smell, but that's normal."
"No, no, no, Xiaoxu, you don't know. It tastes like medicinal wine. It's creepy, and..."
Xiao Li sounded a little confused. "I don't know why, but I feel a little dizzy when I smell that smell."
Ordinary medicinal liquors wouldn't make people feel dizzy, but if it's absinthe... then everything makes sense.
Absinthe contains intoxicating and hallucinogenic ingredients.
Zhui Lian turned around and said, "Xiao Xu, can Lulu let me hold her for a while?"
Wen Xu quickly handed Lulu over: "Sister Lianlian, this is for you."
Zhui Lian buried her face in Lulu's hair again, trying to find the sweet and bitter scent she smelled yesterday, but this time, she didn't find that smell.
She originally wanted Xiao Li to confirm whether the scent on Lulu was the same one he smelled in the abandoned warehouse.
But absinthe's aroma lasts too short a time.
Zhui Lian returned Lulu to Wen Xu, who gave her a worried look and said, "Sister Lian Lian, I have to go to tutoring tonight, so I can't go back with you."
Wen Xu: "But it's so late now. Isn't your building near an abandoned warehouse? Do you want to ask Brother Pei Zhi to pick you up?
Wen Xu: "Didn't Brother Pei Zhi also say the other day that the property management told him that there have been unidentified people hanging around in the community recently."
“…No way.” Zhui Lian subconsciously refused and lied, “Pei Zhi went out to collect folk songs today. He shouldn’t be back yet. I can go back by myself.”
Xiao Li raised his hand and beckoned: "I can take Sister Lianlian back."
Wen Xu turned to look at Zhui Lian and asked for her opinion: "Sister Lian Lian?"
Zhui Lian had no objection to this. It didn't matter who sent it. She nodded and said, "Okay. Thank you, Xiao Li."
*
As dusk deepened and the stars appeared all around, Xiao Li pushed his bicycle and walked side by side with Zhui Lian on the way home.
During the conversation along the way, Zhui Lian learned that Xiao Li's full name was Li Can.
"So Sister Lianlian also wanted to apply to S University?" Li Can asked with a smile. The dim light of the street lamp fell on his young face, and the eyes reflected in it were indeed bright and dazzling.
Just like Qiao Xunli in high school.
And S University is Xunli’s alma mater.
Zhui Lian then nodded gently and replied, "Yes, but later I went to study in the UK, because in my senior year of high school..."
But at this point, her voice subconsciously lowered, as if it was cut off by something.
Xiao Li noticed her strangeness and considerately changed the subject: "By the way, Sister Lianlian, can we add each other on WeChat? I'll let you know directly about the next event. Xiaoxu is in her third year of high school and is quite busy."
Zhui Lian hesitated for a moment.
The phone is obviously a very light and thin model, but it feels heavy in my pocket.
"Add WeChat? I..."
"Just think of it as doing it for those furry kids?" Xiao Li blinked and smiled brightly. "Next week we'll go to the rescue station in the east of the city to help out. There's a disabled golden retriever there who's really close to me..."
Zhui Lian felt a conflict between his conscience and his desires.
She remembered that when she went out this morning, Yu Peizhi gently adjusted her collar, but his five fingers were around her neck intentionally or unintentionally.
"Okay." She finally took out her phone, "Let me scan you."
but--
At this moment, an extremely gentle voice came from the shadows, but the tone was clearly extremely low and eerie.
"Lian Lian."
Zhui Lian was so frightened that his hands trembled, "Snap" -
The phone fell to the concrete floor.
The screen shattered instantly, and spider-web-like cracks spread out.
Just like her suddenly tense nerves at this moment.
The author has something to say:
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Is there any little angel watching? Can you let me know that I am not a single player TT
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