Free Web NovelChapter 262: Chapter 262: The White Cat Snatches the Younger Brother’s Prize, the Black Cat Paves the Way for the Elder Brother
It was an overcast day, and the light was a little dim.
But even from a distance, Yuan Shimo’s scrutinizing gaze made Jiang Qingli’s fingers tremble. It felt as if she’d been caught fooling around outside by her legitimate husband.
She snatched her hand back from the little kitten’s head.
But as soon as she did, the cat meowed at her.
"It can’t bear to be away from you," Yuan Shiyao said in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Meow—"
The little black kitten meowed, its big eyes wide open. It pawed at Yuan Shiyao’s arm, reaching its little claws for Jiang Qingli’s fingers.
Faced with such a sight, no one would have the heart to ignore it.
Jiang Qingli moved a little closer, reaching out to stroke the kitten’s head and soothe it.
Yuan Shiyao tilted his arm toward her, making it easier for her to pet it.
The distance between them closed silently.
Their breaths seemed to carry warmth, weaving an ambiguous web in the cool air that tightened and tightened under his brother’s gaze.
Yuan Shimo, who had been feigning a calm pace, quickened his steps. Within a few breaths, he was standing before them.
The moment he arrived, Yuan Shiyao took a step back, tactfully creating distance. He even smiled at him. "Brother, you’re just in time."
From behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze traveled down the girl’s face to the scruffy black cat. "Where did this come from?" he asked slowly.
"Someone found a litter of kittens and didn’t know what to do, so they brought them to the student council," Yuan Shiyao explained in detail. "There were five in total. Ke An took two, two underclassmen from the publicity department each took one, and this one was given to me."
He turned to the side to show him the cat’s front. "Look, Brother."
Yuan Shimo looked at the cat. The little thing tilted its head up, timidly studying his face as if wondering why he looked exactly like the other black-haired man.
That look reminded Yuan Shimo of a stray dog Yuan Shiyao had brought home a few years ago.
It had been a long-haired white dog, so filthy it looked like a rag. It had nestled in the young Yuan Shiyao’s arms, letting out whimpering pleas from its throat, yet it would wag its tail and lick the hands of anyone who came near, trying to curry favor.
That dog was probably the only creature in the house, besides Yuan Shiyao, that would willingly approach him.
Yuan Shiyao had begged him to keep it a secret, hiding the dog in his room to raise it.
He was usually as busy as a spinning top with training and private tutoring, so during the day, Yuan Shimo was the only one who could look after it.
However, in less than a week, Du Yushan discovered the dog’s existence. Du Yushan despised pets and wanted to beat the dog to death. Yuan Shiyao ran away from home in the middle of the night with the dog in his arms, throwing the Yuan Family into chaos. In the end, Yuan Shimo gave the dog to a pet-loving classmate, and only then was the matter resolved.
A meow pulled him back from his thoughts.
Yuan Shimo returned to the present to see the little kitten stretching its front paws, its hind legs kicking straight against Yuan Shiyao’s arm, trying again to burrow into Jiang Qingli’s embrace.
Jiang Qingli’s affinity with small animals was absurdly good.
And she was soft-hearted; the look in her eyes was already melting.
Yuan Shiyao seized the opportunity. "Sister-in-law, it seems to really like you. Why don’t we—"
"The female master has been busy lately. I’ll raise this cat," Yuan Shimo said, reaching out to take the cat into his arms.
Yuan Shiyao wasn’t too surprised by this. He just nodded, indicating he had no objection.
Perhaps it was because like attracts like, or maybe it couldn’t tell who its real master was, but the little black cat, now in Yuan Shimo’s arms, was at least no longer struggling, though its eyes were still fixed on Jiang Qingli.
With the cat secured, Yuan Shimo began shooing him away. "You can go now."
"Are you two heading back? I’m going to the garage too, let’s go together." As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Qingli. "It’s perfect. I can tell Sister-in-law a bit about this cat..."
The three of them walked side-by-side through the long corridor, their shadows stretching out and swaying behind them.
...
When they reached the garage, Yi Nuo was already waiting by the car.
Yuan Shiyao stroked the little cat’s head, his voice gentle. "Remember, from now on, Jiang Qingli is your mommy, and Yuan Shimo is your daddy. You have to listen to Mommy and Daddy, okay?"
Yuan Shimo: "..."
Jiang Qingli was surprised he had so generously given her ownership of the kitten. "If Yuan Shimo is its daddy," she asked, puzzled, "then what are you?"
"I’ll be its other daddy... Can I?" Yuan Shiyao lowered his voice, a hint of vulnerability and probing in his tone.
Before Jiang Qingli could grasp the deeper meaning of the title, Yuan Shimo cut in coolly, "You can be its uncle."
When it came to this title, Yuan Shiyao refused to back down. "I’m the one who found it."
Yuan Shimo raised an eyebrow slightly, giving him no opportunity to find a loophole. "If I recall correctly, you already gave it to Qingli and me."
The two pairs of emerald eyes narrowed, each seeing the hostility in the other’s. Invisible sparks seemed to crackle in the air. Even the cat in the young man’s arms seemed to sense it, letting out a few meows.
Seeing the concerned look on Jiang Qingli’s face, Yuan Shiyao said gently, "It must be hungry."
With that, he took a tube of food specially for kittens from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Qingli could tell the two brothers had something to discuss, so she took the cat and slipped into the car first.
The car door closed. Yuan Shimo looked at his younger brother, a faint sneer in his emerald eyes. "In this day and age, trying to win favor through a ’child’ is a bit outdated."
"Besides, it’s just a cat."
’And a stupid one that can’t even tell its masters apart.’
Yuan Shiyao said, "Whether it’s a cat or something else, all that matters is that Sister-in-law likes it."
Yuan Shimo retorted coldly, "She likes the cat, not you."
Yuan Shiyao didn’t respond to that. Instead, he said suddenly, "You weren’t here on Monday. Sister-in-law spent the night at the hospital."
"I know," Yuan Shimo said.
After he got home, Jiang Qingli had told him about it. It was to perform Spiritual Healing on that rabbit.
Although he didn’t particularly like the rabbit, it was still a Beast Husband, so he was in no position to be dissatisfied.
Yuan Shiyao raised an eyebrow. "Then do you also know that a certain Marshal was there? As far as I know, after he suddenly left the hospital, he went to the First Military District Hospital to get a prescription for spiritual power supplements."
Spiritual power supplements were restorative agents developed specifically for males.
In the safe and strictly regulated Central City, there were very few situations where a male would use his spiritual power. One of them was to transfer spiritual power to a female.
And that act, in particular, required an extremely high Match Value.
Yuan Shimo’s expression stiffened.
The black-haired young man sighed and said faintly, "Brother, there are many people like me out there, but you and I are the only true brothers."
...
By the time Yuan Shimo got into the car, Jiang Qingli had already finished feeding the cat and was now enthusiastically petting it.
The kitten clearly adored Jiang Qingli. It purred contentedly and rolled over on the leather seat, exposing its belly.
Jiang Qingli then noticed a patch of snow-white fur in the middle of the little black cat’s belly, shaped a bit like a heart.
"So cute," Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but whisper.
The little black cat seemed to understand her, letting out a soft meow.
She was so happy petting it that she didn’t even spare a glance for Yuan Shimo sitting beside her.
Only when she felt his pointed gaze did she look up at him. "What’s wrong?"
Yuan Shimo didn’t speak. His long fingers covered the back of her hand, stroking it gently a few times.
"What is it?" Jiang Qingli pressed.
Leaning closer, she could clearly see a faint pink blush blooming on his fair skin.
"Oh, I get it—"
Jiang Qingli propped her hands up on either side of him, tilted her face up with smiling eyes, and said in a breathy voice, "My Cat Teacher is jealous of a little kitten."
"You want me to pet you too, don’t you?"
