Chapter 56 "Find a handsome husband, then."...
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Su Cheng turned around, her gaze falling on her slightly protruding belly, her tone concerned, "Are you feeling unwell?"
The pregnant woman loosened her grip on Su Cheng's wrist, but still held it loosely.
Her lower lip trembled slightly as she tentatively asked, "Can I see that cow cat?"
"Are you looking to adopt a kitten?" Su Cheng's lips curled up slightly, a friendly smile on her face.
The event was bustling with activity, attracting many passersby to participate in the adoption.
She assumed the expectant mother was also drawn by the excitement, so she patiently explained the event's procedures: "To ensure that every kitten can find a responsible family, we need to register your basic information first. After a simple review, you can go in and interact with the kittens."
The girl in the hoodie perked up her ears alertly, clearly seeing the pregnant woman as a competitor.
She pulled her arms closer, hugging the cat Xiangyu even tighter, and turned to the boy, saying, "I want this one! Can we sign the adoption agreement now?"
As Su Cheng watched the staff lead the girl in the hoodie away, she gave the pregnant woman an apologetic smile and said, "I'm so sorry, this kitten has just been adopted."
She pointed to several cat carriers nearby and added gently, "But there are also a few particularly docile kittens here, which are perfect for keeping children company as they grow up."
"I just want to see it..." The pregnant woman's fingers gently rested on Su Cheng's wrist, but her gaze was drawn to Miao Xiangyu as if by a magnet, following her as she walked further and further away.
Upon hearing this, Su Cheng quickly took out her phone and opened the photo album. "Look, these are its previous photos."
On the screen, Miao Xiangyu is tilting her head and nuzzling the camera, her amber eyes filled with innocent trust.
"It just gave birth to a litter of kittens, and they're very affectionate and love to cuddle."
Suddenly, Su Cheng felt the fingers resting on her wrist trembling slightly.
Something seemed to be rapidly collapsing in those eyes staring at the photo.
"Let me show you the other kittens..."
"No need." Before Su Cheng could finish speaking, the pregnant woman hurriedly withdrew her hand.
She turned around hastily, one hand on her lower back, the other wiping her face haphazardly, her steps so fast she almost started running.
Su Cheng noticed her reddened eyes and was about to cross the barrier to catch up when her phone suddenly rang, interrupting her.
"Yuanyuan, you're not home?" It was her mother Lin Wei'an's gentle voice on the other end of the phone.
Yuanyuan is Su Cheng's nickname.
She was born on New Year's Day, which is auspicious for "a new beginning and a fresh start." In addition, she was chubby and round as a child, so her family affectionately called her "Yuanyuan."
Even though she has long since grown up, her parents still habitually call her that.
"Mom, I'm organizing an adoption event outside." Su Cheng stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to look, but the pregnant woman had already walked away and disappeared into the crowd.
“Oh right, didn’t you ask me to find a photo album a few days ago?” Shen Wei’an said. “Your dad and I happened to be passing by your house, so we brought it over.”
Su Cheng remembered that Chen Siqi wanted to play a warm-up video at the wedding, documenting his and Xu Zhisui's journey from school uniforms to wedding dresses. She had taken many photos of the two of them in high school, all kept in an album, so she asked her parents to help her find it, planning to pick it up when she had time.
She never expected her parents to be so attentive, even sending the photo album to her door, but she was busy with adoption activities outside.
"How about I leave it at the door for you? I know you're busy lately."
Su Cheng felt a pang of sadness. Come to think of it, it had been quite a few days since she had visited her parents. She felt a little guilty. "I'll go back to see you after I'm done with this busy period."
Lin Wei'an hung up the phone and gave Su Xiangrong a wink.
The latter understood and quietly placed the kraft paper box containing the photo album on the doormat in front of his daughter's door.
"All this kid does is take care of stray cats all day long," Lin Wei'an sighed. "He doesn't even know how to bring a boyfriend home."
"Let her be." Su Xiangrong pushed up his reading glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose, his eyes behind the lenses smiling. "Young people these days all have their own ideas. Who knows, maybe one day he'll bring you a girlfriend back, and then we'll see if you'll still be nagging him."
"Girlfriend is girlfriend." Lin Wei'an raised her hand and gently punched Su Xiangrong's shoulder. "I just feel sorry for her living alone, without anyone to take care of her."
"She also said she hasn't been eating takeout lately. How could I not know my own daughter? She can't even tell the difference between salt and MSG." Lin Wei'an sighed. "If only I could find a boyfriend who can cook."
The two chatted as they walked to the elevator.
Just as Lin Wei'an was about to press the button, the elevator doors opened with a "ding".
Inside stood a young man, wearing a black windbreaker, tall and slender with sharp features, looking down at his phone.
The two quickly stepped aside to make way.
Lin Wei'an nudged her husband with her elbow, exchanging glances: This look, this temperament, he's definitely the type our daughter would like.
Watching the boy walk straight towards where his daughter lived, Lin Wei'an quietly tugged at Su Xiangrong's sleeve.
"Yuan Yuan, you don't already have a boyfriend, do you?" She leaned close to Su Xiangrong's ear, her voice low but unable to hide the excitement in her tone.
Su Xiangrong took off his reading glasses, his gaze fixed on that tall, slender figure, and unconsciously clenched his fists. "Dating is fine, but living together is absolutely out of the question!"
The two leaned against the wall of the elevator lobby, peering into the corridor.
When Lin Wei'an saw that the boy didn't go to Su Cheng's house, but instead reached out and pushed open the door next door, her expectant smile froze on her face, and the light in her eyes instantly dimmed.
Su Xiangrong relaxed his fist with a sigh of relief, and even the veins on his forehead subsided.
They entered the elevator one after the other. Lin Wei'an pressed the floor button, but her eyes couldn't help but glance towards the corridor.
“Old Wang next door does have a son, about the same age as Yuanyuan,” Lin Wei’an said thoughtfully. “Is he the one from earlier?”
Su Xiangrong frowned as she tried to recall, "How come I remember that child being a chubby little boy?"
“What do you know? Boys change a lot as they grow up.” Lin Wei’an perked up, a smile creeping up her eyes. “This young man looks really good to me, tall and handsome. He’s a good match for our daughter.”
As she spoke, she sighed with feigned regret, "Alas, I'm counting on my daughter to make up for the regrets I had when I was young."
Su Xiangrong was puzzled. "What regrets do you have?"
Lin Wei'an blinked and smiled mischievously, "Find a handsome husband, then."
-
Considering that kittens are prone to stress if they stay in a small and noisy environment for too long, and that they need to eat, drink, and use the litter box, the duration of this offline adoption event was deliberately limited to four hours.
Without even having lunch, Su Cheng picked up a stack of flyers and handed them out to the crowd, reminding them, "There's only one hour left for the event!"
"Oh dear, young lady, isn't this review process a bit too complicated?" An aunt with red curly hair took the flyer and frowned when she saw the adoption requirements listed on it.
"They even have to fill in how much my salary is, are they checking my household registration? There's no privacy at all."
"Auntie, this is to ensure the kitten has a stable and safe home," Su Cheng explained with a smile. "This information is for our internal review only, and it will definitely not be leaked."
Just as the aunt was about to speak, two boys with backpacks squeezed to the front, "Miss, can we keep cats in the dorm? We really love kittens!"
"I'm really sorry, classmate," Su Cheng explained with difficulty, "We need an environment with sealed windows. Also, school dormitories generally don't allow pets, and many students abandon their pets after graduation. We would suggest waiting until you have a stable job before considering it."
"Tch, I think you guys are just creating a gimmick." The auntie clicked her tongue as she listened. "So many cats can't be found, yet you're sticking to all these rules and regulations. Wouldn't it be better to lower the bar a bit and let them find a home sooner?"
“Auntie, actually we want them to be adopted as soon as possible more than anyone else.” Su Cheng sighed, her voice softening. “But some people adopt kittens specifically to abuse them, so the screening process has to be strict. Although the process seems a bit troublesome, each cat is a precious life. If we harm them because we don’t screen them properly, we will feel guilty for the rest of our lives.”
"Please understand our caution," she added sincerely.
The aunt didn't say anything more, just shook her head and turned to leave.
She casually tossed the flyer on the ground. Just as Su Cheng was about to bend down to pick it up, a hand with red nail polish grabbed it first.
The girl in front of me had exquisite red lipstick and a head of fluffy wavy hair draped over her shoulders.
She wore stylish narrow-framed cat-eye sunglasses, and her earrings, adorned with sparkling double-C logos inlaid with cubic zirconia, were dazzling.
"Thank you." Su Cheng took the flyer and smiled. "Would you like to check out our adoption event?"
The girl took off her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow at Su Cheng. "What, don't you recognize me?"
Su Cheng was stunned, carefully examining the other person's exquisite makeup, and after a long while, she hesitated and said, "Zhang...Xiwen?"
A knowing smile curved her red lips. "Want to chat sometime?"
As the adoption event drew to a close, Su Cheng and Wu Xin exchanged a few words before following Zhang Xiwen to a nearby milk tea shop.
Su Cheng bit her lower lip, wondering to herself: Why would Zhang Xiwen suddenly come to find her?
They weren't even in the same class for three years of high school, and had absolutely no connection.
Except... they've all liked the same person.
Zhang Xiwen ordered two cups of their signature milk tea and found a seat by the window.
"I've looked at your short video account. 20 videos, averaging over 60,000 likes, 250,000 followers." Her long, slender nails tapped lightly on the table as she cut to the chase. "60% of them follow both you and Jiang Muzhou."
Su Cheng's heart skipped a beat when she heard Jiang Muzhou's name.
Was she testing the waters regarding her and Jiang Muzhou becoming a couple? Or...?
Su Cheng recalled the scene at the entrance of the residential area when Jiang Muzhou used her as a shield to avoid Zhang Xiwen.
But the light was so dim that day, you probably wouldn't recognize her, right?
"He just knew I wanted to create an account, and as a friend, he was helping me out." Su Cheng forced a dry smile.
She lowered her head and took a sip of milk tea, the strange taste spreading in her mouth.
The sweet, milky flavor carries a rich, fermented aroma. Even though I ordered less ice, my throat felt inexplicably hot when I swallowed it.
This was a milk tea shop she had never seen before.
Su Cheng stole a glance at Zhang Xiwen and saw that she was drinking it naturally. She thought it might be the shop's special flavor and suspected that she just didn't know how to appreciate it, so she forced herself to drink two more sips.
"Do ordinary friends need to become a couple?" Zhang Xiwen curled her red lips. "Everyone in Linzhong knows that I've been pursuing him for three years."
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