The orange cat opened its eyes in displeasure and let out an angry meow at Shen Ji.

Shen Ji couldn’t understand, but Yu Yuanyuan knew exactly what the cat was saying.

“Go away!!!” The orange cat flashed its sharp claws and hissed in warning.

Its fierce demeanor was completely different from its lazy, nap-loving attitude earlier.

Even though Shen Ji didn’t know cat language, he could tell from the cat’s body language that something was wrong. He quickly withdrew his hand. His usually cold eyes showed a hint of disappointment that Yu Yuanyuan had never seen before.

It seemed Shen Ji really wanted to pet the kitty!

“Brother Shen Ji, do you like cats?” The little one’s big, round eyes fixed on him, reminding Shen Ji of an adorable little kitten.

He glanced down at the chubby orange cat and nodded slightly. “They’re alright,” he said, his tone indifferent, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of fondness.

“Kitty, brother Shen Ji is a good person. He won’t hurt you,” Yu Yuanyuan said earnestly, squatting down to pet the cat as she gently tried to reason with it. “I promise!”

The cat gave her a sideways glance. “I don’t trust him. His smell makes me uncomfortable.”

“Brother Shen Ji is super nice!!!” Yu Yuanyuan was instantly upset. Even though she was talking to a cat, she felt the need to defend him. “He’s so good to me! He’s a great person and won’t hurt you. Can’t you just let him pet you for a little bit?”

The orange cat squinted at Shen Ji again, now suspiciously evaluating the boy.

Instinctively, the cat sensed something strange in Shen Ji’s aura. There was a subtle danger about him that made animals naturally wary.

“I refuse,” the cat flatly rejected, stretching out on the ground like a pancake. “I don’t like him.”

The kitty doesn’t like brother Shen Ji!
Doesn’t like brother Shen Ji!

To Yu Yuanyuan, who thought Shen Ji was the most handsome, wonderful person in the world, this was like a personal rejection. She froze, her mouth open in shock, and her lips started quivering in the beginning stages of a cry.

The orange cat, lazily preparing for a nap, suddenly felt the awkward atmosphere in the air. It blinked open one eye and saw Yu Yuanyuan’s pitiful face, her lips trembling and tears welling up in her eyes.

Shen Ji, who had been quietly observing her talk to the cat, assumed she was just imagining things. But when he saw her about to burst into tears, he panicked a little.

“What’s wrong, Yuanyuan?” He quickly pulled out a tissue from his backpack and handed it to her.

But the little one was so upset that she didn’t even bother to wipe her tears. Sniffling, she protested to the cat, “Brother Shen Ji is so nice… he’s really nice… Wu wu wu…”

Shen Ji was baffled. The words she said were meant to be compliments, but why did she suddenly look so heartbroken?

The fat orange, who had been lying lazily, was startled by the shift in atmosphere. It immediately jumped up and padded over to Yuanyuan, placing a paw on her knee and tilting its head to look at her anxiously.

“What are you crying for…” The cat was flustered. It raised a dirty paw as if wanting to wipe away her tears but hesitated, afraid of dirtying her face.

Shen Ji, watching from the side, was a bit surprised. This orange cat… seemed unusually intelligent. He could clearly see the concern and tension in the cat’s eyes, as if Yuanyuan’s tears had broken through its earlier indifference.

“Brother Shen Ji really is a good person,” Yuanyuan whimpered pitifully, repeating herself over and over. The orange cat, listening to her tearful pleas, started to waver.

It glanced at Shen Ji, then let out an impatient huff. Padding over to him, it begrudgingly pushed its head forward. “Go ahead, pet me. If you don’t, this little human cub is going to cry herself to death.”