He Yanzhou had lied to Qiao Yan; he actually wasn’t busy at all.
Last night, he had been so shocked by Little Taotao’s aura of an academic failure that he didn’t want to explain any physics or math problems to her for the next week, so he used that as an excuse to decline.
Since he happened to be free today, he planned to go on a soul-cleansing “City Walk.”
He asked Lin Lang to be his guide. Lin Lang was the owner of a boxing gym. He and He Yanzhou had known each other for ten years, back when He Yanzhou used to make money by fighting matches there.
Although Lin Lang owned a boxing gym, it was just a family business. He personally scoffed at all the “fighting and killing” and preferred to style himself as a refined scoundrel.
Walking side-by-side with him, Lin Lang asked, “Since when did you become so artsy that you’d actually go on a City Walk with me?”
A light breeze blew past, rustling the hem of He Yanzhou’s coat. Because it was his day off, He Yanzhou dressed quite casually. Instead of a business-like pure black coat, he wore a camel-colored one, making his entire aura look much softer.
“I got a bit triggered last night.”
“What could possibly trigger you?” Lin Lang sneaked a glance at him. “You, a man who forever has only one expression.”
He Yanzhou remained noncommittal. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket; it was a message from Little Taotao.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy, Little Taotao found that the new kitty outfit is so tight QAQ. It might not look very good on me. Does Daddy still want to see? (Cat peeking out.jpg)
He Yanzhou’s pupils contracted slightly. He instinctively hid his phone, keeping it out of Lin Lang’s sight.
Having known He Yanzhou for so many years, Lin Lang immediately noticed something was off. “Who’s texting you?”
“My sister hooked me up with a girl,” He Yanzhou said, lifting his gaze and looking away from his phone. “She sent it.”
“Is the iron tree finally blossoming?” Lin Lang, a veteran in the game of love, stroked his chin. “How do you feel about her?”
“No feelings whatsoever.”
He Yanzhou didn’t think he was lying. While he did think Little Taotao looked very pretty wearing cat ears, that only proved he was a normal male with physiological desires.
As for Little Taotao’s unspeakable lack of intelligence, he simply couldn’t compliment it.
Lin Lang observed his expression closely and felt that the man looked a bit shiftless and guilty. “What did she send you? A photo?”
“Not a photo,” He Yanzhou walked a few steps ahead to distance himself from Lin Lang. “Are we walking or not? Didn’t we come here for a stroll?”
Lin Lang let out a “tsk.” However, he knew He Yanzhou well—if there was something he didn’t want to say, he wouldn’t utter a single syllable about it. Sensing the boundary, Lin Lang stopped prying.
Walking ahead, He Yanzhou opened his phone again. Inopportunely, the image of Little Taotao looking pitiful while wearing cat ears popped into his mind.
Regarding Little Taotao’s motive for adding him, He Yanzhou could pretty much guess it—it was likely to extract money from him.
In that case, if he was responsible for providing her with money, she should naturally provide what he wanted in return.
Thus, He Yanzhou tapped out a single word on his screen.
Yan: Yes.
Seven days later, at the Ningcheng University dormitory.
“Yesss! I passed!!!”
Qiao Yan scurried around the dorm in sheer excitement. Holding up his phone, he paraded his Advanced Mathematics score—which was exactly a 60—to each of his roommates.
Thank goodness for He Yanzhou’s tutoring back then. When Qiao Yan was doing the final question during the exam, his mind had gone completely blank. While aggressively tapping his pen against the desk, he suddenly remembered the Lagrange theorem He Yanzhou had mentioned when explaining the problems. So, he scribbled those big words down. He didn’t expect the professor to be so merciful, actually giving him two points for it and dragging him up to a passing grade.
Qiao Yan took a joyful sip of cola and decided to be magnanimous enough to send He Yanzhou a message to kindle their relationship.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy, what are you doing? We haven’t talked in seven days, and our chat sparks have dropped QAQ. Little Taotao misses you so much~
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Cat crying with poached-egg eyes.jpg)
He Yanzhou replied very quickly.
Yan: Did you pass?
Replying so fast.
How thirsty can you get? Before, when I asked him to explain math, he wouldn’t reply for half the day. Now that he can finally see the kitty outfit, he replies instantly.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: I passed!!! (Kitty throwing confetti.jpg)
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: It’s all because Daddy taught me so well. At the very last second, a flash of inspiration hit me, and I remembered the Lagrange you told me about!
Yan: That’s good.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Kitty covering face shyly.jpg)
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: My roommates are all leaving this afternoon. I’ll take photos of the kitty outfit for Daddy later today~
Qiao Yan dragged a large box out from under his desk, inside of which lay his long-buried kitty cosplay costume.
Hehe, just watch me bait you to death.
Qin Zhi and Cao Jingtong packed their luggage quickly and left the dorm around noon to head home for the winter break, leaving Qiao Yan all by himself.
Qiao Yan tore open the packaging of the kitty outfit and pulled the curtains shut. The moment he slid it over his head, he realized this costume really was a bit tight.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Qiao Yan twisted his body uncomfortably. He reached out to tug at the fabric that was squeezing him a bit tightly, his face flushing slightly as he looked at himself.
Although this black kitty outfit was skin-tight, Qiao Yan was naturally slender, so it actually fit him flawlessly.
The highly elastic fabric hugged Qiao Yan’s body tightly, tracing a smooth and supple waistline.
Below his lower back, the plump, round curve of his hips was clearly defined. With every slight turn Qiao Yan made, a seductive arc rippled beneath the pure black fabric. The hip line was lifted high, looking tight and perky, creating a sharp, striking contrast against his straight, slender legs.
The short skirt was designed to barely reach the roots of his thighs. The skin on the inner thighs was exceptionally soft; as he moved, it rubbed back and forth, bringing about a peculiar sensation.
Qiao Yan picked up his phone and adjusted the angle against the mirror. He turned sideways, letting the camera lens capture the fullest curve of his rear. When he pressed his thighs together, the soft flesh on the inside squeezed slightly, forming a soft shadow.
“Let’s see if this makes your blood boil,” Qiao Yan muttered under his breath, a sly smile gracing the corners of his lips.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy, the clothes are really so tight, Little Tao can barely breathe (Kitty panting.jpg)
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Image)
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Is this okay?
This is so incredibly embarrassing ahhh!!
The moment he hit send, Qiao Yan tossed the phone onto the bed with a swoosh, as if it were a hot potato. He covered his burning cheeks, not daring to look at He Yanzhou’s reply.
The phone on the bed vibrated.
Qiao Yan bit his lower lip. His fingers tentatively hovered over the edge of the phone before he finally gathered the courage to pick it up.
Yan: Mm.
Just one word.
Qiao Yan sat cross-legged on the bed, his chin resting on the soft pillow. He blinked, staring blankly at this extremely concise reply for a couple of seconds.
Isn’t this way too cold?
For such an attractive, sexy kitty, shouldn’t he first write a 100,000-word essay praising me?
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy is so cold, is it because Little Taotao isn’t being good enough? (Kitty twiddling fingers in grievance.jpg)
But very quickly, the phone vibrated again.
Yan: Turn around.
The corners of Qiao Yan’s mouth hooked upward.
So this is what he was waiting for.
That old pervert sure has a lot of tricks.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy is so bad… you clearly saw everything…
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Kitty blushing.jpg)
Yan: I want to see the front.
This sentence carried a slight tone of command, but He Yanzhou knew the person on the other side of the screen would comply.
Sure enough, Qiao Yan sluggishly lifted his head from the pillow. He knelt on the bed with his legs parted, adjusting his posture in front of the mirror and holding his phone at the right angle.
He obediently turned around, but his fingers were tugging at the hem of the kitty skirt. A rosy blush flushed his cheeks, spreading all the way down to his collarbone. His eyes looked watery as he gazed into the camera, bearing a hint of pleading. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. His waist looked incredibly narrow, and the skirt was so short it barely covered anything.
No one could possibly resist being enchanted by this.
Ineffably pure, yet deadly seductive.
Perfect. The essence of the “baiting” style lies in this kind of half-yielding, half-resisting play.
Qiao Yan opened his photo album, looked over the shot with satisfaction, and sent it out.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Like this, Daddy?
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: (Image)
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: Daddy wants to see the front… how embarrassing (Kitty covering face shyly.jpg)
A long time passed, and there was no reply from the other side.
Speak up!!! Did it turn you on so much that you went rigid?!
Qiao Yan gleefully covered his mouth, admiring his own masterpiece of seducing a man, when a WeChat message suddenly popped up.
Cai Cai Cai: Where are you?
QY: ?
Cai Cai Cai: Did you forget? We agreed before that we were going to adopt a cat.
Qiao Yan bolted upright from the bed. Right, there was such a thing. That was a plan made before October last year, back when he hadn’t been kicked out of his house yet, and he had promised Jiang Cai that they would adopt a stray cat from the school during winter break.
But that was last year’s matter. Back then, he had a home to return to and didn’t have to stay in the dorms. Now, he was cramped up in a dormitory and had absolutely no means to raise a cat, so he had completely forgotten about it.
QY: I really forgot.
QY: I’ll be right there.
Qiao Yan opened the Moyu app and saw that Yan still hadn’t sent him a message. Thus, he wrapped up the conversation himself and said goodbye.
Little Tao Bites Real Hard: I have some things to take care of here, going offline now, bye-bye! (Kitty sending flowers.jpg)
After sending the message, Qiao Yan quickly shed the tight kitty costume. As the fabric slipped off, it revealed the youth’s originally slender and lean frame. He changed into a soft, comfortable sweatshirt and hurried over to the sports field where he had agreed to meet Jiang Cai.
“Qiao Yan, you’re finally here!” Jiang Cai jogged over to Qiao Yan and pinched his cheek. “What were you just doing?”
“Nothing,” Qiao Yan rubbed the back of his head guiltily, his eyes dodging Jiang Cai’s gaze. After a moment, he shifted the topic. “I told you, stop pinching my face. I’m straight.”
Jiang Cai gave him a helpless glance. “OK, straight man. But if I’m being perfectly honest, your looks probably attract straight guys way more than straight girls.”
“Get lost.”
Qiao Yan gave Jiang Cai a gentle push, staring at her with an indignant pout.
Jiang Cai’s words hit Qiao Yan exactly where it hurt. Ever since he was a kid, he certainly hadn’t lacked pursuers; it was just that the vast majority of them were male, and a small portion were girls who wanted to have a dominant, role-reversal relationship with him.
So, despite being a straight guy, he still hadn’t been in a relationship even now in his junior year of college.
“I thought you’d have at least a little self-awareness,” Jiang Cai dragged the brooding Qiao Yan along. “Let’s go, let’s go look at the cat. Don’t be mad.”
The club Qiao Yan and Jiang Cai had joined was the school’s cat stray rescue club. One of his greatest passions was playing with cats; he loved all kinds of cute felines, which was why he joined.
Qiao Yan could call out the names of every single stray cat on campus, and he got along beautifully with them. The one they were going to adopt today was the kitten of the school’s big fat orange cat. Because it had a huge rear end, Qiao Yan had bestowed upon it the name “Pipi” (Butt).
The two walked together to a corner of the sports field. There stood a simple, makeshift cat shelter built out of an old blanket and a cardboard box. As they drew near, they heard a soft, milky “meow,” and a chubby, round orange kitten was clumsily crawling its way out of the cardboard box.
It was truly too fat, looking just like a fluffy ball of fur where its neck was nowhere to be found. Two large eyes were embedded in its round little head, currently squinting into two blissful slits as it mewled at Qiao Yan in a babyish voice.
“Meow~”
“Pipi!” Qiao Yan called out in pleasant surprise, crouching down and reaching out his hands.
Hearing his voice, Pipi exerted itself to march its four short, chubby legs, trotting toward Qiao Yan with its little butt swaying side to side.
Qiao Yan couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He reached out to rub Pipi’s soft belly and scooped it up into his arms, feeling a heavy, fluffy bundle of warmth.
“He’s really so plump,” Qiao Yan lowered his head to nuzzle the kitten’s furry crown, his nose filling with the warm scent of sunshine. “But he’s so cute being fat.”
As Qiao Yan squatted, the round little orange cat immediately nuzzled against him affectionately. He rubbed the kitten’s furry little head, feeling the warmth and softness radiating from his fingertips, and a sudden wave of bitterness washed over his heart.
“I’m sorry, Pipi,” Qiao Yan said in a low voice, gently combing the fluff on the back of the kitten’s neck with his fingers. “Right now, I can barely even take care of myself. I can’t take you home.”
Seeing his eyes dim, Jiang Cai understood. “Is it because the dorms don’t allow pets?”
Qiao Yan shook his head. He buried his face into the kitten’s fluffy, soft back fur, taking a deep breath of that warm, sun-kissed scent. Not understanding what was happening, the kitten simply narrowed its eyes comfortably, letting out a purring sound from its throat.
“He’s so cute…” Qiao Yan lifted his head, forcing his voice to sound lighthearted. “But I really have no way to raise him right now. Can you help him find a good home?”
Jiang Cai crouched down as well. “But my room is already full of cats.”
“Then what should we do?” Qiao Yan pouted. “This side of the sports field is going to be renovated and fenced off next month. The cat shelters will all have to be cleared out. Besides, Pipi’s mom got sick and passed away. He doesn’t have a mother to protect him, and he often gets bullied by wild cats. Look at all these scratch marks on him!!!”
“There will definitely be a way, don’t worry…” Jiang Cai lowered her head in thought.
Suddenly, she clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up.
“My brother can raise him!” Jiang Cai said excitedly. “He’s an old bachelor living all by himself. Doesn’t he need the companionship of a cute creature like this?”
Author’s Note:
Jiang Cai is He Yanzhou’s younger sister. Qiao Yan doesn’t know about this yet; see the beginning of Chapter 5 for details~
Since I calculated the word count requirements for the promotion list and found I was short, I am updating two chapters today. Next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will still be daily updates. Sending love~
[Mini-Theater]
After seeing Little Taotao wearing the kitty outfit:
He Yanzhou: Creating private photo album…
Quickly saving the photos, He Yanzhou gleefully tapped open the chat box.
Yan: Send another o—
Before the message could even be sent, Little Taotao’s profile icon went gray with a poof.
He Yanzhou: “……?”