The girl’s hand was exceptionally fair, her skin thin and delicate, which made the scratch on it appear all the more ghastly.
Qi Chenyan’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at her wound, his throat involuntarily tightening.
The injury was on the back of her right hand, exactly where he had felt pain earlier.
Could it be such a coincidence?
He steadied himself and asked Shi Xing, “Have you treated it?”
Shi Xing shook her head. “How should I treat it?”
Qi Chenyan frowned. “You own a cat, yet you don’t know how to treat a wound?”
Yan Bao was Shi Xing’s cat, which she had raised for four years. When she left the Shi family, she had taken nothing with her except Yan Bao.
Shi Xing replied matter-of-factly, “I own a cat, but I’ve never been scratched by one before. Isn’t it normal not to know?”
She always had plenty of excuses.
Qi Chenyan couldn’t be bothered to argue further. He grabbed her wrist and led her into the room.
A flicker of amusement flashed in Shi Xing’s eyes.
Qi Chenyan suddenly turned back, and she blinked, instantly looking pitiful again. “What’s wrong?”
Her acting skills were indeed impressive.
Qi Chenyan scoffed inwardly as he pulled her into the kitchen.
He turned on the faucet, held her hand under the running water, and let the cool stream wash over her wound.
She flinched slightly as the wound stung from the contact.
Qi Chenyan’s grip on her hand trembled as well.
An inexplicable sense of foreboding washed over him.
At that moment, he felt a faint, lingering pain on the back of his own hand, one that hadn’t faded and continued to ache persistently.
He stared intently at her wound.
The scratch was deep, with the skin slightly torn and blood visible beneath.
Suppressing the strange thoughts with a slow breath, Qi Chenyan said, “This wound is quite deep. I’ll have someone come over later to give you a rabies vaccine.”
“Okay.”
Shi Xing nodded obediently, offering no objections.
The two were standing very close now. With a slight tilt of her head, she could see the sharp, prominent curve of his Adam’s apple as it bobbed gently.
Shi Xing’s gaze drifted downward, catching a glimpse of the firm, well-defined contours of his muscles through the slightly open robe. His pale skin seemed to glisten with a faint sheen of moisture.
She pursed her slightly dry lips.
She had noticed earlier that he was wearing a robe.
He had already finished showering so quickly—he really hadn’t intended to wait for her.
Shi Xing’s brows furrowed slightly.
Her gaze was too intense, and the man who had been focused on her wound couldn’t ignore it. The restless emotions he had just suppressed surged back under her scrutiny.
He pressed his lips together tightly, released her wrist to let her rinse the wound herself, and casually tugged at the collar of his robe as if by accident, effectively blocking Shi Xing’s view of anything more.
Shi Xing pouted slightly.
How stingy.
Qi Chenyan leaned against the bathroom counter, silent for a moment before asking curiously, “Why did your cat scratch you?”
Logically speaking, a cat she had raised for five years shouldn’t have scratched her.
The cat was male but had been neutered long ago—he had personally taken it to be neutered.
Shi Xing’s eyes flickered slightly as she lowered her gaze and muttered softly, “I don’t know.”
After a pause, she suddenly added, “I think there might be something unclean in my house.”
“?”
Qi Chenyan thought she was getting more and more absurd, capable of making up anything.
Shi Xing continued, “It might have seen something unclean, which is why it went crazy.”
She looked up at him, her expression serious. “I don’t dare go back now, really. It’s acting so fierce.”
It went wild the moment it saw her.
She truly felt a bit guilty, suspecting that Yan Bao might have sensed something off about her.Qi Chenyan listened quietly to her fabrication, only nodding at this point. “So?”
Shi Xing looked at him with pleading eyes. “Can I stay at your place for the night?”
Qi Chenyan curved his lips, his tone light. “You made up all that just for this one sentence, didn’t you?”
This girl really wasn’t very reserved.
Shi Xing’s little face scrunched up. “It’s not made up, it’s true.”
Seeing that he didn’t believe her, she bit her lip. “If you don’t believe me, come downstairs with me and see for yourself. See what’s wrong with it, okay?”
Qi Chenyan looked at her for a few seconds, suddenly reminded of his own strange pain.
Frowning, he nodded. “Alright.”
After speaking, he headed toward the living room. “It’s rinsed enough now. Dry your hands first, and I’ll disinfect them for you.”
Finding the first aid kit and returning, he took her hand, dipped a cotton swab in iodine, and gently applied it to her wound.
Iodine didn’t sting much, but the moment it touched the wound, there was still a slight, sharp pain.
Qi Chenyan’s hand holding the cotton swab tightened slightly, the sensation of her pain growing clearer and clearer.
He looked up and asked her, “Does it hurt?”
Even though this time she hadn’t shown any reaction.
Shi Xing nodded and said, “Yes.” Then, noticing the change in his expression, she added after a moment’s thought, “Just a little, not too much.”
Qi Chenyan knew it was only a little.
His hand trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and tossed the cotton swab away.
“Let’s go, I’ll check out your place.”
Shi Xing lived right downstairs, using iris recognition just like Qi Chenyan’s apartment.
As soon as the door opened, Shi Xing hid behind Qi Chenyan.
Qi Chenyan: “?”
He turned back helplessly to look at the girl behind him. “It’s your own home. What are you hiding for?”
Her slender fingers tightly gripping his bathrobe, Shi Xing’s expression was complicated. “It’s really fierce. I’m a little scared.”
Earlier, when she had returned home, Yan Bao was curled up asleep on the sofa, a fluffy little ball.
Shi Xing hadn’t seen it in so, so long.
During the fire last time, Yan Bao hadn’t managed to escape.
Shi Xing had sat beside it for a while, lost in thought, gently stroking its fluffy head as she processed the reality of her rebirth. Suddenly, it had woken up.
Just like before, it first rubbed its head against her palm. But as it turned to nuzzle her thigh, its round, green eyes suddenly widened, and it let out a fierce yowl, almost instantly going wild.
Shi Xing’s hand, too slow to pull back, was scratched, leaving a wound. She hurriedly stood up and backed away. Yan Bao arched its back, glaring at her fiercely. Seeing it was about to pounce, unsure where to hide, she simply ran out and slammed the door shut.
Her heart pounded wildly as she leaned against the door, catching her breath for a long time.
She felt uneasy.
Had Yan Bao noticed something?
After calming down for a while, Shi Xing thought of going to find Qi Chenyan, which was why she had hurried upstairs.
Now, with the door open and the lights still on—she hadn’t turned them off when she left—Yan Bao was likely still in the living room.
She really was scared, so she hid behind Qi Chenyan.
Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, Qi Chenyan’s brow furrowed even tighter. He stepped into the living room, and as he entered the hallway, he spotted the golden cat.
The cat, well-fed by Shi Xing, was plump and round like a little ball.
At that moment, the chubby ball was circling around on the living room floor, though it was unclear what it was circling.
Qi Chenyan glanced back at Shi Xing. “This is what you call ‘fierce’?”
To him, it looked more foolish than fierce.Shi Xing peeked half her head out from his arm, looking toward the silly cat that was grabbing its own tail. She bit her lip lightly, about to speak, when the cat heard the sound and turned its head in their direction.
It seemed to spot Shi Xing at a glance. The cat, which had been playing happily just moments before, instantly bristled again, arching its back and baring its teeth, letting out an unusually sharp and strange cry as it prepared to pounce on Shi Xing.
Shi Xing was also frightened and immediately jumped onto Qi Chenyan’s back.
Qi Chenyan: “?”
Without giving him any time to react, the girl’s soft arms had already tightly wrapped around his neck, her slender legs clinging to his waist, holding him firmly from behind.
He instinctively reached back to protect her, his arm supporting the bend of her legs.
Shi Xing spoke near his ear, her voice trembling with tears, “See, I told you it’s fierce.”
The cat had already charged to the front. Qi Chenyan, carrying Shi Xing on his back, sidestepped to avoid it. Seeing the cat about to pounce again, he frowned and said sternly, “Yan Bao, stop!”
What was he doing, acting like a domineering CEO at a time like this?
Shi Xing tightened her grip around Qi Chenyan’s neck and urged anxiously, “It’s a cat. Can it even understand you? Let’s just leave quickly. I’ll have someone take it to the vet tomorrow.”
Just as she spoke, Yan Bao’s emerald-green eyes turned toward Qi Chenyan, who was speaking, and it clearly froze for a moment.
Then, the ferocity in the cat’s eyes vanished, and its bristled fur smoothed down in an instant. It seemed to have found a long-lost relative, rubbing against Qi Chenyan’s leg, meowing softly, and nuzzling his calf with its head, acting all coquettish and spoiled.
For some inexplicable reason, Qi Chenyan thought its behavior resembled Shi Xing’s.
He chuckled softly, turning his head to look at the girl resting on his shoulder. His voice softened, tinged with amusement, “I think it’s more obedient than you.”
Shi Xing: “?”
If Yan Bao weren’t a male cat, she would have been suspicious.
Watching the cat fawn over Qi Chenyan, she felt displeased again. “What’s this? Turning traitor? I raised it with my own hands, feeding and caring for it. How could it act like this?”
Qi Chenyan curved his lips. “Alright, get down first.”
Shi Xing clung to his neck, unmoving. “If I get down, what if it tries to pounce on me again?”
“It won’t.”
Qi Chenyan turned his head to look at her.
He was carrying her on his back, and she rested her head on his shoulder. With just a slight turn of his head, he was almost close enough to kiss her lips.
Qi Chenyan paused for a moment, then said softly, “Trust me.”
Shi Xing met his gaze for a few seconds before reluctantly huffing, “Fine then.”
As she spoke, she blinked, her face suddenly leaning forward, and her soft lips pressed against his with a loud, smacking kiss.
Then, like a cat that had stolen a treat, she grinned and jumped down from his back.
Qi Chenyan pursed his lips, feeling the lingering warmth where her lips had just touched.
After being kissed by her repeatedly throughout the day, he was already feeling unsatisfied.
Yet she remained completely unaware, still daring to provoke him.
He bent down, picked up the plump cat rubbing against his leg, and sat back on the sofa.
Placing the cat on his lap, he ran his long, elegant fingers over its head, lowering his gaze to carefully check if anything was wrong.
Yan Bao lay quietly in his arms, docile and allowing him to stroke and examine it.
Shi Xing stood to the side, watching for a moment. Seeing that Yan Bao had calmed down, she wanted to walk over.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she took three steps forward, Yan Bao suddenly lifted its head and bared its teeth at her.
Shi Xing froze, rooted to the spot.Qi Chenyan frowned, giving Yan Bao a light tap on the head as he said in a low voice, “Who are you being fierce with?”
Yan Bao let out another meow, deflating as it lay down, though its green eyes remained fixed on Shi Xing, still not very friendly.
After checking that the cat was fine, Qi Chenyan lifted his gaze to Shi Xing, who stood not far away.
The girl had her hands clasped behind her back, her beautiful face wearing a dejected expression as she looked at him and the cat on his lap with dim eyes.
Qi Chenyan curled his fingers slightly and said to her, “I’ve checked, it’s fine.”
Shi Xing’s eyelashes fluttered as she replied, “Oh,” then asked, “Then why is it so fierce with me?”
It was as if it didn’t recognize her as its owner.
Qi Chenyan lowered his gaze.
Perhaps it wasn’t the cat’s problem, but rather the girl standing before him.
Qi Chenyan wasn’t a superstitious person, but he had heard that cats were highly spiritual animals.
His Adam’s apple moved slowly as an unusually bad premonition suddenly washed over him.
Was the person before him really Shi Xing?
The thought made his heart race.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, tossed the cat from his lap onto the floor, and gently nudged its rear with his foot. “Go play somewhere else.”
Whether the cat understood or not, it didn’t leave. Instead, it jumped back onto the sofa and curled up beside him.
Qi Chenyan paid it no mind, lifting his gaze to Shi Xing as he called out, “Shi Xingxing.”
He extended his hand toward her, his pale knuckles slightly bent, and said softly, “Come here.”
Shi Xing pursed her lips and obediently took two steps forward, placing her hand in his palm.
Qi Chenyan immediately tightened his grip, pulling her toward him with a gentle force. Shi Xing followed his motion and settled into his lap, right where the cat had been sitting moments before.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, and the man’s cool, refreshing scent enveloped her instantly.
Shi Xing’s eyes widened slightly in confusion. “A Yan?”
This was the first time he had actively hugged her today.
Though Shi Xing thought it felt quite similar to how he had held the cat earlier.
His long fingers gently pinched her small chin, turning her face toward him as Qi Chenyan asked in a low, husky voice, “Don’t move, let me look.”
Almost instantly, their faces drew close, so near that they could see their own reflections in each other’s pupils.
Shi Xing blinked softly. “What are you looking at?”
Qi Chenyan’s thumb gently stroked her delicate skin as he gazed into her clear eyes, seeing his own reflection mirrored in them.
The person sitting in his lap at this moment was undoubtedly Shi Xing.
Qi Chenyan was certain of it.
His gaze lowered, settling on her rosy lips as he whispered, “Shi Xingxing, there’s no one else here now.”
Shi Xing looked puzzled. “And then?”
Qi Chenyan suddenly felt he could no longer hold back. Leaning slowly toward her, he asked in a low, husky voice, “Do you still want to kiss?”