Cat 184: Nice

Chapter 184: Nice

No human could run as fast as a cat, and Yan Jiyun easily caught up to the man running through the courtyard. At the same time, he kept pace with Liu Jingyi, who was being supported along.

The person Yan Jiyun was following tried to hide himself in the shadow of the rockery.

Moments ago, Liu Jingyi had been coughing as though near death, but now he shrugged off Ajuan’s support, declaring he wanted a moment alone.

Ajuan lingered, casting a longing look over Liu Jingyi’s retreating figure before biting her lip and leaving at last.

Yan Jiyun guessed that Ajuan was fond of Liu Jingyi, but in this sort of traditional manor, people were ranked and sorted by family status. No matter how much Ajuan liked him, no matter how much the mistress favored her, nothing could change the gap between servant and master—moreover, Yan Jiyun could see that Liu Jingyi’s demeanor had turned cold and distant the instant Ajuan left. His prior frailty seemed to evaporate; toward Ajuan, he regarded her simply as a subordinate.

Romantic matters aside, which Yan Jiyun had no intention of pondering, his focus was on Liu Jingyi. He was genuinely curious—how had his coughing stopped so suddenly?

Liu Jingyi sat alone on a corridor bench, his gaze settled on the small fish pond beyond the rockery. He seemed perfectly healthy, not a trace of illness, no sign of coughing, alert and energetic as any normal man.

The man Yan Jiyun was chasing was also watching Liu Jingyi, but he had no idea a black cat was stalking him from behind.

Yet something felt off to Yan Jiyun—why was this person spying on Liu Jingyi?

He hadn’t seen clearly earlier, but now he realized: the covert watcher was none other than Liu Jingxi.

Wasn’t he just summoned away by the old master? How had he managed to circle around so quickly? His movements were impressively swift.

Yan Jiyun found the whole Liu family exceedingly odd—each member wore several masks, and no one seemed to show their true face.

He had no idea how many branches Main Quest 1, “Mourning Hall,” would spawn or what secrets they’d dig up—was the task to hunt Liu Jinghao’s killer, or to unearth the deeper truths of his death? Was it about revealing why the Liu family had remained unshakable in this town?

Now the mission pointed toward the family’s restaurant—surely more secrets lay there.

After sitting in the corridor for a while, Liu Jingyi rose and walked steadily toward the main house. Throughout, not a single cough broke the silence.

His brother, Liu Jingxi, followed behind, and Yan Jiyun kept in step, trailing both.

He couldn’t decipher the brothers’ relationship at all—there was no trust among them at all.

It seemed to Yan Jiyun that it wasn’t just the players who’d lost faith in others, but the NPCs as well. If one played too deeply, one could truly lose the capacity to believe in other people.

He knew this was a dangerous game, and that every detail mattered. But he reminded himself not to get too immersed in the scenario, no matter how real it felt. After all, it was only a game.

Liu Jingyi stopped outside the main room—the place was strangely quiet, not a soul inside, and not a sound from within.

Where had the old master and the madam gone at this late hour?

Instead of entering through the door, Liu Jingyi slipped in through a window, looking nothing like someone who’d just coughed up blood.

Clearly, his earlier display was an act—was it to appear weak so others would lower their guard against him in the struggle for inheritance?

But as the Liu family’s eldest son, unless something happened to him, he would inherit a sizable share of the estate regardless; why go to such trouble? What did he have to gain? Was there another reason?

It seemed the death of Liu Jinghao was only the first small fissure in the secrets of the Liu family.

Yan Jiyun didn’t dare expose himself. He figured Liu Jingxi probably already knew his brother was faking illness, while Liu Jingyi thought he’d fooled everyone.

Yan Jiyun decided to keep trailing Liu Jingxi—there could be much to uncover just by following him, without having to stumble blindly.

For now, the best course was to shadow Liu Jingyi and see what he meant to do.

How did this relate to the Liu family’s restaurant?

What was he searching for in the master bedroom?

Once inside, Liu Jingxi moved closer, stopping by a large lotus urn that afforded a good view through another window, perfectly positioned to see into the house.

Yan Jiyun also crept closer, crouching about three meters away from Liu Jingxi.

Soon, he heard Liu Jingyi inside—opening drawers, rifling through boxes, clearly searching for something important.

After several minutes, there was a pause. He’d found something—a wooden box; Yan Jiyun could tell by the difference in the sound between a chest and a drawer.

He’d clearly discovered a casket of some kind. Yan Jiyun heard the delicate click of a silver needle against a tiny lock.

He worked at the lock for some time, clearly unpracticed at picking it; the little clasp didn’t open easily.

Just as Liu Jingyi was absorbed, hurried footsteps and rapid voices echoed down the pathway outside. Yan Jiyun recognized the voice—it was the madam.

That was odd; she usually spoke slowly and with poise, but now her tone was sharp and quick, volatile and fierce.

“What can you even do right? I told you to keep a close eye on Yi’er—his health is fragile. Letting him wander could kill him from a cold!”

“I know, mother. I’ll be careful with Jingyi.” That was Liu Jingyi’s wife, Cen Xinzhi—how humble she sounded in her mother-in-law’s presence.

So the madam was like this behind closed doors—families came in so many shades in public and private.

She berated Cen Xinzhi, voice filled with thinly veiled contempt: “If only I’d never set my sights on you. To this day you’ve given us no heirs, nearly letting that little slut get one up on me. Heaven’s watching, and now she’s lost her protector. Take care of your health—don’t disappoint me again!”

Cen Xinzhi’s voice had grown very small: “Yes, mother.”

Yan Jiyun could hear the resignation in her tone. He couldn’t help but think this scenario was testing all his skills in reading people.

By now, Liu Jingyi was still fiddling with the lock, but hearing the madam’s voice made his movements unsteady.

There was no time—the box was still locked, and the madam was nearly at the door.

Liu Jingyi quickly restored the place to order and, clutching the casket, slipped out through the window, making his escape just as his wife was being scolded to pieces by his mother and he slipped out a different way.

Yan Jiyun found it odd—Liu Jingyi didn’t seem to care at all that his wife was being abused; only the box mattered.

What a bizarre family.

Once Liu Jingyi was gone, Liu Jingxi continued tailing him, and Yan Jiyun followed. He desperately wanted to know what was in that box and had no desire to hear the madam scream at Cen Xinzhi—no doubt the most toxic and terrifying of all household feuds.

Leaving the master’s house, Liu Jingyi took a shortcut back to the eastern wing.

Perhaps his luck had run out after his earlier search, but he soon ran into Ajuan as he turned the corner.

Half her face concealed in shadow, Ajuan’s voice was flat: “Young master, your health is poor. Let me help you back.”

Liu Jingyi feigned discomfort, coughing twice. “No need, I’ll walk alone. You’d best go to my mother—she doesn’t need you here.”

Ajuan replied, “I can’t, young master. Since the mistress put me in charge of you, if she finds I neglected my duty, she’ll lock me in the woodshed for sure.”

But for some reason, Yan Jiyun did not buy her words at all—Ajuan was no innocent.

Liu Jingyi’s face darkened. His tone was frosty: “No. I said, no.”

Normally, Ajuan would have retreated—but this time she stood her ground, unmoving. Liu Jingyi ignored her and strode for the eastern wing.

Yan Jiyun observed that Ajuan had one-sided feelings for the eldest young master—but that box he carried was far too obvious. Before he’d gotten it, Ajuan could be dismissed at will. Now, she wouldn’t leave. Was she interested in the box, too?

If Ajuan had worked close to the madam, perhaps she’d seen the box before—perhaps she knew what was inside. So, she shamelessly tagged along. Was it really such an important artifact?

Yan Jiyun was growing curious himself—he wanted that box, too.

At the moment, there were two others eyeing it: Liu Jingxi and Ajuan. Both seemed to know exactly what Liu Jingyi was after.

If they both knew, surely he couldn’t be far behind.

Thanks to his size and coloring, Yan Jiyun had the advantage. As soon as Liu Jingyi reached his quarters, Yan Jiyun slipped through the door gap inside—Liu Jingyi, preoccupied with his prize, paid no attention to a stealthy black cat.

In his study, Liu Jingyi managed to shut Ajuan out. Yan Jiyun stayed outside; he wasn’t stupid enough to enter now, not when Liu Jingxi could easily spot him. He couldn’t yet afford to be discovered.

As the eldest son’s library, the study enjoyed the best location—one window opened onto a small pond lined with willows: a perfect spot to rest, enjoy the view, and feed the goldfish. Oddly, no one actually seemed to appreciate the peace.

Unfortunately, that lovely window had only a narrow ledge outside that skirted the pond—barely wide enough to stand. A single slip and one would fall into chilling autumn water—an uninviting prospect.

Yan Jiyun had come equipped with plenty of medicine in this round, but had no wish to risk falling in and interrupt his progress just to catch a cold.

To reach the ledge beneath the window, he needed to leap across several stones. Nimbly, he hopped from rock to rock, and in two or three bounds stood on the edge, a scant ten centimeters wide.

His growth spurt made his footing a bit unsteady at first, but all four paws finally found their mark. His precarious balance had the livestream viewers’ hearts in their mouths.

[“AspireToBeHuman” Livestream Channel:]

“Aaaaah, Cat Cub almost fell!”

“That first-person view—felt like I was about to tip into the pond too! Damn, my heart can’t take these cat stunts!”

“Hahahahaha, mine’s different—I just stuck out my hand to catch him!”

Clinging to the wall, Yan Jiyun crept beneath the window.

He heard the snap as Liu Jingyi finally picked the box’s lock.

The desk sat right by the window, with Liu Jingyi beside it. If Yan Jiyun tried to jump up, he’d be seen for sure.

As Yan Jiyun hesitated, someone knocked on the door to Liu Jingyi’s study. It was Liu Jingxi, trailing him all the while.

Yan Jiyun cheered inwardly: Nice!