Cat 243: I Like You

Chapter 243: I Like You

Of course, Yan Jiyun was not out looking for the cat of his own accord, but he was feeling a certain impulsive energy at the moment. Bai Xue—wasn’t she Uncle Ming’s cat? How did she end up here?

He made his way upstairs and, sure enough, heard faint shuffling—the clumsy white cat had probably slipped in through an unlatched window.

Guided by the sound, Yan Jiyun pushed open one of the rooms on the second floor and switched on the light, only to find it empty.

“Yan Jiyun.”

He heard Ninth Master call out, but he didn’t turn.

“Haven’t you explained yet why you suddenly turned up here in the middle of the night?”

Yan Jiyun ignored him.

Ninth Master wasn’t wearing the three-piece suit from the day, but rather something casual, which only made his legs look longer. His hair, always slicked back by day, now hung loosely, lending him an air of careless ease.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

Yan Jiyun, standing by the bed, finally turned and shot him a glance. “If I look at you, how am I supposed to look for your cat?”

“You never use such formal speech with me during the day. Are you angry?” Ninth Master wasn’t foolish; he could hear the edge in Yan Jiyun’s tone. “If the cat doesn’t like you, there’s nothing I can do.”

Yan Jiyun demanded, “So if a cat likes you, you’ll just keep getting more and more cats? Even take in as many as you want?”

Ninth Master replied, “No, I only keep one black cat.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “And where’s the black cat?”

Ninth Master responded, “No idea where she’s gone.”

Yan Jiyun pressed, “You’re not looking for the black cat, but for Bai Xue? Going to take her in too? That’s classic philanderer behavior.”

“Philanderer? How is that ‘philanderer’?” Ninth Master instinctively defended himself, “Uncle Ming is going out of town tomorrow with the steward, leaving no one to care for Bai Xue. They asked me to look after her for a couple days—it’s not anything like that. I’m completely loyal to my own Caramel.”

Yan Jiyun gave a snort of laughter. “Loyal, are you? So what are you doing now, personally searching for Bai Xue?”

Ninth Master’s light chuckle sounded in the room, “Why do you sound like my own cat come here to interrogate me?”

Yan Jiyun rolled his eyes. “I just don’t like people who already have cats but still bring in strays out of the blue.”

Propping himself against the doorframe, Ninth Master burst out laughing. “Yan Jiyun, come home with me later.” He was simply too adorable—he couldn’t hold back anymore.

Yan Jiyun turned over the pillows on the bed, then yanked aside the sheet draped across the mattress, exposing a plump white cat wedged between the headboard and the wall.

She let out a sweet meow, her wide, guileless eyes fixed on Ninth Master.

But in that moment, Ninth Master’s own gaze was drawn to the pair of beautiful eyes watching him, as if waiting to see if he’d go pick up Bai Xue.

He considered: if he went and hugged Bai Xue now, would he end up with nothing but the cat tonight if he tried to abduct this man home?

“Who wants to go home with you?” Yan Jiyun had found Bai Xue, but had no intention of rescuing her from her nook.

Ninth Master turned to those behind him. “Yang Er, the cat’s in here. Get her out.”

Yang Er swiftly entered, extricating Bai Xue from between the bed and the wall. “So capable, Assistant Yan—even finding a cat is child’s play.”

Yan Jiyun took no pleasure in the compliment. He didn’t like Bai Xue, not at all. And Bai Xue didn’t like him, either.

Once freed, Bai Xue glared at Yan Jiyun, baring her teeth and hissing.

“That’s odd—Bai Xue’s stayed over before and never tried to run out. Why the sudden change tonight?”

Ninth Master said, “Let’s just take her home.”

Yan Jiyun watched the white cat in Yang Er’s arms, who eyed him with a mix of vigilance and timidity. If not for his last shreds of rationality, he might have hissed right back.

Forget it—no need to bicker with a non-sentient foreign cat. That would just be foolish.

Yang Er carried Bai Xue away.

They all headed downstairs. Yan Jiyun followed—Liu Jingxi and Cheng Xueying had to go home as well. The latter, just married into the Liu family, would have to attend her husband’s funeral in the morning.

They’d discussed what needed discussing. All that was left was to find Wei Liu.

Yan Jiyun was just about to go back with Liu Jingxi to the Liu residence, but as he prepared to get in the car, someone grabbed his arm.

Ninth Master said, “Assistant Yan, there won’t be time to get to work in the morning—come home with me tonight.”

Yan Jiyun, thinking of having to share his space with Bai Xue and the stench that would bring, stubbornly refused, his face souring. “No subordinate should be staying at the boss’s house. I’ll be at work on time.”

Yang Er hadn’t left yet. The crowd looked on as the newcomer gave Ninth Master some attitude, all curious to see how long before Ninth Master lost his patience.

Liu Jingxi, caught out as well, thought quickly. “Ninth Master, my cousin can stay here for the night. No need to return.”

Wasn’t this place better than staying at Ninth Master’s?

He’d bought the property without realizing at first that Ninth Master’s house was just two doors down. Who knew who lived behind those large gates—all these years, the man had kept a low profile.

Now that he knew, it was a headache. His cousin had provoked this big shot. If he didn’t stay over, at least leaving him here might avoid offense and leave a way out.

Before Yan Jiyun could answer, Ninth Master had already pulled him into the car.

Liu Jingxi barely caught his breath before his cousin disappeared.

Facing Bai Xue in the car, sparks flew between Yan Jiyun’s eyes and hers. The cat yowled at him, so he reached over and pinched the scruff of her neck. “Quiet.”

Bai Xue: “…Meow.”

Ninth Master: “…Drive.” Did Yan Jiyun actually like Bai Xue, or was this all a misunderstanding on his part?

But then he felt delighted—how adorable, jealous of a cat.

He reached out, petting Bai Xue’s head, watching Yan Jiyun out of the corner of his eye, noticing his lips pressing tight as he looked away, unwilling even to glance at the scene.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one invested. No need to worry that the boy would be angry if he brought him home.

Yan Jiyun wasn’t unhappy about going home with Ninth Master. What annoyed him was Bai Xue coming along, too.

Although Liu Jingxi’s place was close, Ninth Master’s house was bigger. Even by car, it took three to five minutes.

Once inside, Yang Er took Bai Xue away and left her with the butler.

The butler, seeing Ninth Master bring home a stranger, stared in shock. Ninth Master had never brought anyone home before—unthinkable.

Led by Ninth Master, Yan Jiyun was escorted upstairs. Only when he saw Bai Xue disappear from his line of sight did he realize something was off.

He was a person right now, not a cat—why was Ninth Master taking him to his room?

No one tread on the second floor without Ninth Master’s orders.

Suddenly, a strange feeling overcame him—this wasn’t how he had envisioned things.

Ignoring Bai Xue made him a bit happy, sure, but he wasn’t Caramel now, so why was Ninth Master bringing him to his bedroom? What, did he want Yan Jiyun to play servant, bathing and turning down his bed?

Surely not… That was the sort of thing Liu Rongzhi would do.

And Ninth Master was still holding his hand. He’d just caught Yang Er glancing at him with a suggestive look, even winking with that leering face.

If he still couldn’t guess what was up—

In a daze, Yan Jiyun was suddenly pinned to the wall, his chin lifted by Ninth Master.

“What are you thinking?”

“You,” Yan Jiyun blurted out.

“I’m right here in front of you.” Ninth Master was visibly pleased by the spontaneous reply, and, laughing, lowered his head and brushed a kiss against Yan Jiyun’s lips.

Perfect—sweet.

Yan Jiyun stared dumbly as he kissed him.

Wait a second!

He was a human now, not a cat—did Ninth Master just kiss the wrong target?

“Why did you kiss me?” His immediate reaction wasn’t shyness or anger, just sheer confusion.

He felt a bit lost now. Joking with Yang Er was one thing, but Ninth Master wasn’t joking at all!

He was far too familiar with Qi Feng. Being kissed as a cat was one thing, but as a human, it just felt odd.

Ninth Master was amused by his reaction. “I like you, so I kiss you. Is there anything wrong with that?”

Yan Jiyun scratched his head. “That’s not how it’s supposed to be…” He hadn’t changed back into a cat yet!

Realizing this was getting out of hand, he abruptly shoved Ninth Master aside and bolted for the door.

Ninth Master had thought he’d surrender quietly, but didn’t expect him to push away and run straight downstairs.

“Yan Jiyun, don’t run around,” he called after him.

Yan Jiyun’s thoughts were a mess. Even as he ran, the sensation of Ninth Master’s lips lingered—tingly, soft, nothing like being kissed as a cat!

Half-panicked, he darted into the grove behind the house.

It was dark among the trees. He looked at his experience card and, after running a distance, changed back into his black cat form.

Ninth Master’s pursuit sounded from behind.

Yan Jiyun perched in a tree, unsure if he should jump down at this point.

He wasn’t even troubled about his identity being exposed—what bothered him was why Ninth Master would kiss him.

Could it be that Qi Feng’s role as an NPC in this world was a homosexual? No wonder he had no interest in Liu Rongzhi.

But he could like men, sure—but why did he have to kiss Yan Jiyun? And saying he kisses whoever he likes—what kind of logic was that? He kissed the cat, and now he wanted to kiss the person, taking all the best of both worlds.

Yan Jiyun wondered if Qi Feng was forced to play an NPC and had no choice but to act this way.

How had the system managed to strip away his memories and completely change his inclinations?

He honestly wanted to destroy the garbage system—the real Qi Feng would never have ended up like this!

Ninth Master, unable to find Yan Jiyun in the grove, realized he’d frightened him.

“Yan Jiyun, I won’t touch you tonight, won’t chase you. It’s cold out here. I’ll have someone prepare a room for you on the first floor—come in when you like, don’t catch cold.”

“I was a bit impatient, but I won’t let you go. Since fate’s brought you to my door, from now on you’re mine.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll treat you well—as well as a wife.”

“Rest tonight, think things through. Didn’t you want the rest of the treasure map? I’ll see that it comes to you tomorrow.”

“Don’t be angry. Go inside, I’m leaving first.”

Perched in the tree, Yan Jiyun was speechless.

Look what the system had done to Qi Feng now.

He’s talking utter nonsense!