The little cat, convinced he had suffered endless grievances, threw himself into his master’s arms. Tugging at Cen Xianyun’s clothes, he sobbed and whimpered uncontrollably, letting out muffled, slurred whines from his throat. He resembled a newborn kitten that could not even open its eyes yet, only knowing how to tremble and burrow toward warmth, pleading for protection.
A strange surge of emotion came over Cen Xianyun once again, taking control of his body’s movements. The hand that had originally intended to grab the back of the little cat’s neck and throw him away lost its tension, softening into a gentle comfort.
As if receiving an encouraging signal, Xie Lingyou pushed his luck and burrowed deeper into the young master’s chest until his cheek pressed against Cen Xianyun’s torso, his sensitive ears catching the slow, steady heartbeat.
He released the hem of the clothes and tentatively wrapped his arms around the young master’s waist. Hiding in a warm embrace where no one could see, he bit his lip and waited.
Neither harsh reprimands nor orders to stop came.
Thus, he let out his voice and wept aloud through the thin spring garment, pressing against the young master’s chest as if pouring out all his bottled-up grievances.
Tears quickly soaked through the light clothing. The damp fabric pressed against Cen Xianyun’s skin with an unpleasant sensation. The faint trace of pity and tenderness vanished in an instant, replaced by annoyance, confusion, and lingering fondness all crowding onto his palm-sized face, making his expression remarkably colorful.
The cat in his arms was completely oblivious to this. He even rubbed against the warm chest, turning the fine Cloud Silk fabric into a rag to wipe his snot and tears.
Unable to endure it any longer, Cen Xianyun turned pale with rage. Grabbing the scruff of Xie Lingyou’s neck, he peeled the child off his body like a stubborn sticker. Sure enough, his plain-colored robe was an utter mess of tears, snot, and even the dust and ink marks from Xie Lingyou’s face, rendering it a truly unbearable sight.
A slight flare of mysophobia stirred in his heart. Cen Xianyun silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, barely suppressing the urge to throw a fit on the spot. He looked up at the bewildered, innocent cat.
The child’s watery eyes were filled with crystal-clear tears. Freshly washed by tears, his pupils were clear and bright, revealing everything at a single glance.
“Hold, Ye-ye!” Xie Lingyou did not understand what was happening, but that did not stop him from reaching out his arms to try to grab the young master. “Ye-ye!”
Unable to return to what felt like the safest place in the world, he grew anxious. Raising his voice, he tried to draw the young master’s attention by shouting. The tears pooling in his eyes immediately trickled down his cheeks, making him look exceptionally pitiful.
However, Cen Xianyun’s compassion was strictly limited, and it had been completely exhausted just moments ago. He pointed his free finger at the ruined clothes and asked emotionlessly, “Well? What are you going to do about my clothes?”
“Ye-ye?” Xie Lingyou tilted his head. With a blink, the remaining traces of tears in his eyes fell. Without the veil of mist, his confusion became even more obvious. He thought for a moment, and finally nodded while muttering incoherently, “Wa-wash! Me wash for Ye-ye!”
His vow sounded surprisingly legitimate in his earnest tone. Standing behind Cen Xianyun, Uncle Wu could not help but chuckle softly. “There’s no need for that.”
“Alright,” Cen Xianyun released his grip. The moment Xie Lingyou prepared to dive back into his arms, Cen Xianyun pressed a finger against the boy’s forehead, blocking his approach. “You wash it for me. If you can’t wash it clean…”
Cen Xianyun paused for a moment, his brow relaxing as a slow smile spread across his face. “Then you won’t be allowed to climb into my bed ever again.”
He was truly fed up with waking up every morning only to find Xie Lingyou in his bed. Besides, lately, he did not know whether this pretend-dumb cat realized no one could do anything to him, but he was getting increasingly brazen.
Just this morning, Cen Xianyun had been startled awake by a nightmare.
In the dream, a thick python wrapped around his neck, constantly tightening its grip. The suffocating pressure naturally triggered a panic of dying in his body. The moment he snapped awake believing he was about to be strangled by a python, he discovered that the python in his dream was nothing more than two skin-and-bones arms.
Xie Lingyou had snuck onto his bed again, and in an act of utter audacity, wrapped his whole body around Cen Xianyun, giving him a near-death nightmare.
Xie Lingyou fell silent. Tugging at his hem, he bit his lower lip, hesitant and unable to speak. Clearly, he knew his own limitations all too well.
“Acting cute so fast, yet you can’t even back it up?” Cen Xianyun flicked his finger against Xie Lingyou’s forehead. “Go play somewhere else.”
Xie Lingyou’s head tilted backward from the force. Before long, he swung his head back like a little pendulum. His pitch-black eyes reflected the flickering candlelight. Instead of reaching out for Cen Xianyun’s waist again, he grabbed the hand Cen Xianyun was holding against his forehead. “Come!”
Come my foot.
Cen Xianyun scolded softly in his mind and shook off Xie Lingyou’s hand. “Take him down to get a bath. He’s filthy.”
“N-No!”
Cen Xianyun did not use much force, yet Xie Lingyou still stumbled back. This time, he did not obediently follow Uncle Wu away. Instead, taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, he lunged forward and hid back in the young master’s embrace.
He had grown smarter this time, burrowing his neck right into Cen Xianyun’s armpit in an attempt to use the young master’s arms to cover his vulnerable neck.
A little clever, but not much.
Cen Xianyun moved his arm away, exposing the soft, red-pinched skin on the boy’s fair neck directly under his gaze.
This sly little cat had not even learned how to speak properly, yet he already knew how to play little tricks. Whenever anyone said something he did not want to hear, he would play dumb, putting on an ignorant facade as if he could not understand a single word.
It was not that Cen Xianyun had not seen through it; he simply did not bother to dwell on minor details.
However, right now, he pinched Xie Lingyou’s vital spot, forcing the little cat to raise his head. As their eyes met, Cen Xianyun’s gaze was cold, carrying an implicit warning: “Do you remember what I told you?”
The fake innocence faded from the dark pupils, and Cen Xianyun easily caught a fleeting flash of panic.
The number of words he had spoken to Xie Lingyou over the past few days was exceptionally small, so it took no effort to recall them. He gave Xie Lingyou no chance to play tricks and directly reiterated what he had said: “I don’t like filthy…”
Out of consideration for Uncle Wu standing behind him, he refrained from uttering the remaining words.
With the reminder brought to this point, there was no room left to play dumb. Xie Lingyou pouted, his small face filled with grievance and unhappiness.
Seeing that Young Master Lingyou seemed to have been persuaded, Uncle Wu stepped forward on his own initiative and took Xie Lingyou’s hand, leading him out half-coaxingly and half-forcefully.
Xie Lingyou walked away reluctantly. While others might look back every three steps, he kept his neck turned at an angle, refusing to shift his gaze even a bit, terrified that if he looked away for a second, the young master would disappear.
Under such a burning gaze, Cen Xianyun remained completely unmoved, even letting out a lazy yawn. He looked down at the dirty stain across his chest, his eyebrows knitting together involuntarily. He stood up, preparing to change his clothes before going to visit Wang Ting, who had been bitten by the cat.
Wang Ting possessed vast knowledge and a compassionate heart. He probably would not hold a grudge against an ignorant child, right?