Free Web NovelChapter 417: Chapter 417: Yanxi 25
Xu Yanxi had just rolled the cat food into little balls and placed them in a steamer. Her phone rang just as she was about to turn on the heat. Seeing it was an unknown number, Xu Yanxi answered, though she was puzzled. "Hello?"
Hearing the cool yet sweet voice, Sheng Zhou couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. "Your cat is here with me. A black one with mismatched eyes."
"Impossible," Xu Yanxi said, flatly denying it. "I remember it came back with me. Shuangshuang... Huahua, where’s Shuangshuang?"
Huahua licked its paws and let out a calm meow, but of course, Xu Yanxi couldn’t understand it.
She took off her apron, walked out of the kitchen, and softly called Shuangshuang’s name. After a full sweep of the room, there was still no sign of the cat. Just as Xu Yanxi was about to check the other rooms, she heard several meows coming from her phone.
Sheng Zhou glanced down at Shuangshuang pawing at his phone, his expression unreadable. The moment the call connected, the little cat had stood up on its hind legs. Now, its tiny paws were batting at his wrist as it meowed insistently into the phone.
’Quite a clever little thing.’
Xu Yanxi was now certain it was her cat. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I’m so sorry. Where are you right now? I’ll come and get it immediately."
Sheng Zhou told her his location. Xu Yanxi was surprised. "The twelfth floor? I’ll be right down. Please wait just a moment."
After hastily hanging up, Xu Yanxi headed for the door. Huahua, who had been lazing about, suddenly sprang up and followed her out. She ran down the fire escape, and in no time, Xu Yanxi was standing in front of Sheng Zhou’s apartment.
Sheng Zhou had also heard the commotion in the stairwell. He went to open the door when the bell rang, and the first thing he saw was Xu Yanxi, who looked both anxious and apologetic.
Sheng Zhou’s first impression was that Xu Yanxi was very pretty, with delicate features. But what drew him in more was her disposition—a kind of scholarly air. She was dressed simply in a sweater dress and leggings, her feet casually slipped into a pair of slippers.
"Excuse me, where’s my cat?" Xu Yanxi wanted to see Shuangshuang, but the man was blocking the entryway so completely that she couldn’t see past him.
Sheng Zhou stepped aside slightly, revealing Shuangshuang sitting obediently on the counter in the semi-open kitchen. Upon seeing Xu Yanxi, Shuangshuang meowed again. Then, spotting Huahua at her feet, Shuangshuang snatched another piece of salmon and darted over to its friend.
Xu Yanxi was about to despair. ’What is this? Not only eating its fill under someone’s nose but taking some to go?’ Seeing Huahua gobbling it down with such relish made Xu Yanxi feel even more embarrassed.
She struggled to compose herself. "I’m so sorry for all the trouble. This is definitely my cat. How much was the salmon? I can transfer you the money."
Sheng Zhou smiled. "Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t much. Just take the rest with you. Otherwise, it’s just going in the trash."
He said, bringing over another container of salmon. Shuangshuang had already gotten into it, so he certainly couldn’t eat it himself.
Seeing how accommodating Sheng Zhou was, Shuangshuang even circled his feet and rubbed against his ankle, apparently showing its approval.
"You little troublemaker, just give it a rest," Xu Yanxi said, scooping Shuangshuang into her arms. "Well, I’m sorry again. I’ll take my cats and go. I’m really sorry for disturbing you today. Rest assured, I’ll keep it on a much tighter leash from now on."
"Huahua, let’s go home." She gave Sheng Zhou another bow and pressed the elevator button. Sheng Zhou stood in his entryway, watching. Only after he saw the elevator stop on the fifteenth floor did he turn and go back inside.
’So she’s my upstairs neighbor?’
Back on Xu Yanxi’s end, she didn’t lecture Shuangshuang when she got home. What was done was done. All she could do was apologize properly and take precautions for the future.
’Speaking of which, how did Shuangshuang get out in the first place?’
Tan You suddenly appeared. "It climbed out the window, did some parkour all the way down to the twelfth floor, and then pulled the same trick to get in through a window there."
As she spoke, she even brought up a recording of the parkour scene, captured by the Beauty System. Xu Yanxi’s blood ran cold watching it. "That’s... That’s way too dangerous! What do you even call that?"
"Parkour," Tan You said calmly. "I told you this little guy was incredible. It saw you couldn’t buy any fish, so it went to find food on its own. And it actually succeeded."
A wave of fear washed over Xu Yanxi. "From that high up... What if it had fallen and gotten hurt, or gotten lost? No way. I have to keep the windows shut from now on. This is just too dangerous."
Tan You agreed with Xu Yanxi. If you’re going to have pets, you have to take the proper safety precautions. Stories of pets falling from tall buildings were all too common, and by the time something like that happened, no amount of regret would do any good.
Tan You said, "Try looking at it from another angle. Isn’t this little kitten pretty dutiful? It found a tasty snack and even thought to bring some back for its mom to try."
Xu Yanxi buried her face in her hands. "It might be dutiful, but I’m mortified."
"No, I can’t just take his things for free. I’ll look around and see if I have anything to give him as a thank-you gift. Those two containers of salmon weren’t cheap. I can’t just take advantage of his kindness."
Tan You watched Xu Yanxi rummage through her belongings but didn’t stop her. Xu Yanxi had always placed great importance on propriety and etiquette; her desire not to be indebted to anyone was understandable.
Once she found a suitable apology gift of roughly equal value, Xu Yanxi headed back to the twelfth floor. This time, however, she had no intention of meeting Sheng Zhou again. She simply placed the items on the cabinet outside his door, knocked once, and left.
When Sheng Zhou came out to investigate the noise, he saw the elevator ascending. Then he noticed a small bag on the cabinet by his door. Inside was some fresh fruit: grapes, oranges, an avocado, and even a whole watermelon.
It didn’t take a genius for Sheng Zhou to figure out who it was from. Given the short distance, who else could it be but the cat’s owner?
Lifting the bag, Sheng Zhou couldn’t help but smile. His train of thought, which had been slightly derailed by the kitten’s antics, settled back into place. It was just a kitten, and its owner had already apologized. There was no need to keep holding onto it; that would just make him seem petty.
Xu Yanxi considered the matter closed and didn’t give it another thought after returning home. She did, however, become much more vigilant, keeping the windows closed most of the time, worried that Shuangshuang might repeat its old tricks.
Of course, under her strict surveillance, Shuangshuang stayed quietly at home all weekend. After all, Xu Yanxi had gone to the supermarket first thing the next morning to buy the freshest salmon, so the cat no longer had any need to forage for its own food.
Before seven o’clock on Monday morning, Xu Yanxi entered the elevator with a cat carrier. She had two early classes that day. She needed to leave early to drop off Huahua and Shuangshuang first before heading to the university. If she didn’t get an early start, she was afraid she’d get stuck in traffic.
She watched the elevator descend, but when it unexpectedly stopped on the twelfth floor, her expression faltered.
