All day, Shu Yu hadn’t messaged him, so Si Yiheng had thought she wouldn’t reach out at all.
Then his phone started chiming and buzzing for quite a while.
Unnoticed even by himself, the corner of Si Yiheng’s lips lifted by the faintest fraction when he heard the notification sound.
When he opened their chat window, he found it completely overrun by a little cat.
And it was a familiar one.
Wasn’t this the very kitten he’d picked up and brought back that morning?
Shu Yu had even lied about skipping class—her story was full of holes.
ATM: Silly little kitten.
A Little Fish Swimming: Si Yiheng! You can’t call Little Orange that. She’s the cutest kitten ever, not a silly one.
The corner of Si Yiheng’s lips curved up.
ATM: Mm.
ATM: I didn’t say Little Orange was the silly kitten.
A Little Fish Swimming: ?
Iron Egg whispered a reminder: [Babe, I think Si Yiheng is calling you the silly kitten.]
Shu Yu: “!!!”
This time she sent a voice message, her tone soft and glutinous, sounding a little aggrieved. “Are you calling me silly?”
Si Yiheng could almost picture a little kitten clinging to his pant leg, eyes brimming with moisture as it questioned him.
He sent a voice message back, his voice cool yet warm, wrapping around her like silk. “Clever girl.”
His voice was truly beautiful—so much so that Shu Yu thought he could easily work as a voice actor. Listening to it made her heart turn soft and fluttery, tingly all over as if she’d been struck by a gentle current.
Iron Egg, knowing exactly what she was thinking, was completely at a loss.
When would she realize her own voice was just as lovely, perfect for voice acting too?
These two were completely oblivious to their own charm, constantly drawing each other in without even trying.
If it weren’t for the story setting that made Shu Yu the cannon-fodder supporting character, the perfect foil to the heroine, Iron Egg was certain they’d end up falling for each other sooner or later.
After replying to her message, Si Yiheng finally had time to scroll through the rest of what she’d sent earlier.
Scattered among the kitten photos were her gushing compliments about Little Orange.
His gaze finally settled on one line in particular.
—Si Yiheng, Si Yiheng, look! This is our baby!
He stared at those words for a long time. Our… baby?
Shu Yu, bright and bubbly, was telling him this was their baby.
A faint ripple stirred in his heart.
Si Yiheng quoted that message.
ATM: Our baby is very cute.
A Little Fish Swimming: Right?! I think so too! She’s so adorable. You know what? I just want to gobble Little Orange up.
Si Yiheng suddenly felt a strange prickle in his teeth. Gobble her up?
ATM: Why?
A Little Fish Swimming: Because she’s too cute! Have you heard of “cute aggression”? It’s when something is so unbearably cute you get an urge to squeeze it, bite it, or even destroy it a little.
Si Yiheng read every word carefully.
ATM: I see.
So when you found something precious beyond words, you wanted to keep it all to yourself—merge it with you so it would never be apart again.
A Little Fish Swimming: Brother.
ATM: Mm.
A Little Fish Swimming: Will you really take care of our baby?
ATM: Mm.
A Little Fish Swimming: Will you really send child support for Little Orange every month?
Shu Yu was testing the waters, her heart racing.
ATM: Transfer: 1,000,000.
ATM: Normally, for a newborn baby, the first month’s expenses aren’t too high. But as they grow up, they’ll need clothes, lessons… the costs will keep going up.
Shu Yu caught on instantly—he meant next month’s support would be even bigger.
If only she’d asked for daily payments instead! If he sent over a million every single day, she wouldn’t have to do a thing. In just over three months, she’d finish her mission to get 100 million from him way ahead of schedule.
Too bad she’d held back a little.
ATM: Transfer: 2,000,000.
Shu Yu’s eyes widened slightly as she saw the second transfer. She had no idea why he’d sent even more.
Before she could ask, his next message popped up.
ATM: Taking care of a kitten is hard work. You deserve a reward.
Shu Yu: “!!!”
A Little Fish Swimming: Brother, I love you the most!
What kind of fortune god was this man, anyway?
The moment she accepted the transfer, a chime rang in her mind.
[Congratulations, Host! You have earned 11,210,005 yuan from Si Yiheng.]
[Mission progress: 10%. Keep up the good work, complete the task soon, and claim your rewards!]
Shu Yu beamed at the progress update, happier than ever.
She had no idea that Si Yiheng had fallen into a long silence after reading her gushing confession.
Love him?
Love him the most.
Little liar.
One by one, he saved every photo she’d sent him.
He lingered especially long on one: Little Orange curled up on Shu Yu’s stomach, as if clinging to her warmth.
Such a tender scene.
He saved it, then locked the file away.
The next day, Shu Yu messaged him even more often.
She’d send him photo after photo of Little Orange, always asking if he thought the kitten was cute.
She was impossible to ignore now.
Si Yiheng felt as if she was drawing closer, leaning on him, slowly making him part of her world—sharing every little thing in her life with him.
Yet yesterday, she’d clearly been at school, but had lied and said she hadn’t gone.
It felt as if she was pushing him away, too.
The contradiction tore at him.
So close, yet so far.
He replied to every message without letting on what he was thinking.
Shu Yu was just delighted to have someone to gush over Little Orange with.
Then a new message from Si Yiheng popped up.