Chapter 29

Because she was changing the cat’s medicine, Yu Tao noticed that it was about to rain when she left the house. She brought an oil lamp and a paper umbrella with her, which she placed by the Training Platform.

The firelight flickered in the wind, and raindrops fell steadily, hitting the glass lampshade, creating a blurred halo of light.

Without moonlight, she could still clearly see the young man’s face, which was nothing like his usual calm demeanor. His pale golden eyes were swirling with emotions, unclear and deep, as if he were sinking into the ocean.

And atop his head, the pair of fluffy cat ears, which attracted all attention, trembled with his unsettled mood, making them look especially cute.

Yu Tao, who had been a little flustered, calmed down after realizing it was Yu Li. She stared intently at the black cat ears on his head, unable to blink.

Is it really Little Senior Brother…?

Yu Tao furrowed her brow in confusion, beginning to doubt her own understanding. But Little Senior Brother didn’t have cat ears or a tail. The cat ears belonged to her Lili.

Yu Tao reached out as if to touch the cat’s ears, but her wrist was pinned to the jade surface, unable to move.

The two stayed like that for a while until Yu Tao shifted slightly and brushed against the young man’s warm, slender fingers. She gently pressed down.

She blinked and politely asked, “Could you let go of me first?”

The cool, aloof young man seemed to finally react. He hurriedly released her hand and quickly moved back.

“Cough…”

The girl sat up, staring at him quietly.

Her face, flushed from the alcohol, looked innocent, her clean, damp eyes as innocent as a deer’s, showing no hint that she was the one who would speak such… direct and bold things in his ear.

Yu Li couldn’t bear to look at her face, turning his head away. His ears were bright red, and his long lashes lowered to cover his flustered eyes.

…It seems like she kissed him.

The moment was too brief, just a light touch, a brush that immediately pulled away, and it was in the shape of a cat, so it didn’t feel much.

But the words she spoke were clear and undeniable.

So… was that the reason she asked him about animal language the other day? But from his perspective, Lili was just a cat, so she actually had such thoughts about a cat…?

While he was pondering, the cat ears atop his head were suddenly poked gently. Yu Li raised his eyes and met the girl’s face. He froze for a moment—it was so close that he could feel her warm breath on his skin.

Her expression was serious, mixed with a trace of curiosity as she gazed at his head, seeking his permission: “Can I touch them?”

Because of her sudden action, he momentarily lost control. Now, his ears and tail couldn’t retract and were both still out. The cat ears twitched, and his tail swayed uncontrollably.

Fortunately, Yu Tao was drunk and her thoughts were sluggish. She didn’t have much of a reaction when she saw the cat transform into a person.

It started raining. She reached for the oil-paper umbrella next to the lamp and opened it, holding it above their heads. She shakily sat back down on the jade surface, extending a hand to him. “If you agree, extend one hand. If you disagree…”

Yu Li: “…” Not again.

The young man, having learned from the last time Yu Tao tricked him with her sneaky options, reacted quickly. He immediately spoke up: “No.”

Yu Tao smiled happily: “The rules didn’t say that you could refuse by speaking. If you disagree, you still have to extend one hand. Since you didn’t, it means you agreed~”

As she spoke, she reached toward his pretty cat ears and without hesitation, pinched the tips of them, rubbing them. They were soft, fluffy, and a bit warm, giving a pleasant sensation.

“…Don’t touch them.”

Yu Li helplessly grabbed her misbehaving wrist. Just as he tried to pull it away, the girl suddenly pulled both of his hands toward her and locked them with something cold, tightly binding them.

Looking down, the young man saw that it was a black collar with a light golden cat-eye stone embedded in it. It seemed to have the character “桃” (Tao/Peach) engraved on the collar.

“Be good. You promised me.”

She crawled up in front of him, pressing both of his hands down with one hand while holding the oil-paper umbrella in the middle. With the other hand, she continued to touch his cat ears, her tone soothing: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be gentle, it won’t hurt.”

Yu Li hesitated, worried about accidentally breaking the collar, so he didn’t struggle too hard. While still hesitating, the drunk girl boldly touched him again.

This time, she wasn’t satisfied with just touching the tips of his ears. Her hand moved lower, exploring the area around his cat ears.

The outer fur of the cat ears was black, but inside the ear canal, there was a layer of pale pink, fine fluff that looked very enticing. She poked at the inner ear and circled her finger around the base, satisfied when she saw the cat ears twitch uncontrollably.

The rain continued to fall, hitting the oil-paper umbrella, and the bamboo umbrella handle shivered. The small space under the umbrella felt oddly quiet, as if isolating them from the world, with the scent of alcohol and the young man’s ragged breathing intertwining, creating a more intimate atmosphere.

Yu Tao, however, remained completely unaware. She indulged in the sensation of touching the cat ears, squeezing them again, and sighed contentedly.

So soft, so nice to touch!

With such fluffy fur, it definitely felt like real cat ears. That meant this was Lili and not Little Senior Brother…

She had seen similar transformations in books and online posts, so it wasn’t that surprising to her.

But why did Lili look so much like Little Senior Brother? Yu Tao furrowed her small brows, feeling confused and unable to think clearly.

“…Stop touching.”

The young man finally broke free from the collar, grabbed her hand, and pulled it away. His breathing was unsteady as he spoke, panting heavily.

His light golden eyes had, at some point, become misty, and the corners of his eyes were tinged with red, making him look somewhat vulnerable and easy to tease.

Yu Tao stared at him, feeling an inexplicable emotion well up inside her. He was so cute. She wanted to touch him again, to see him struggle even more…

The Lili that looked like Little Senior Brother… she really wanted to touch him…

She shook her head, trying to push those emotions aside. “Okay, Lili.”

Lili…?

Yu Li was momentarily stunned. It turned out she didn’t recognize him and instead mistook his human form for her cat?

She picked up the collar from the jade surface and showed it to him. “All cats have collars, so how could my Lili not have one?”

She murmured softly, “Fortunately, this one is adjustable, so I don’t have to worry about it not fitting when you suddenly turn back into a human.”

She squinted her eyes and smiled like a crescent moon. As she spoke, the sweet scent of green pear wine wafted around. With one hand, she undid the metal clasp. “Come a little closer, I’ll put it on for you.”

“You…”

The young man didn’t move, sitting up very straight. Yu Tao, still a little dizzy, tried to sit up straighter and leaned forward to put the collar on him.

Yu Li, of course, resisted and leaned back. “Don’t put this on me.”

But Yu Tao, feeling dizzy, missed her mark and fell heavily into his arms.

Her head collided with his chest with a thud. The already dizzy sensation was made worse, and it seemed she even bumped her nose. She covered her nose and weakly whimpered in pain.

“Ugh, it hurts…”

Yu Li: “…” What a fool.

He sighed, feeling that coming out with this drunkard tonight was a mistake. He should’ve just let her sleep.

The young man bent down and lifted her chin to check. “Did you hit it hard?”

Suddenly, two slender arms reached up and wrapped around his neck, pulling him down without any courtesy. Then, a cold object pressed against his neck with a “click” sound.

The girl smiled softly, “Lili, you’ve been tricked, hehe.”

“Humans are creatures good at lying, how can you be so defenseless? As a cat, you’re still too naive!”

Yu Li: “…”

Suddenly, a collar appeared around his neck, and it felt uncomfortable no matter how he turned it. Yu Li reached up to touch it, his hands going around to the back, trying to figure out how to take it off.

The girl in front of him examined it for a moment and gave her opinion, “Lili, this collar looks really good on you. I made it for you. Doesn’t this cat-eye stone look like your eyes? So beautiful and lively~”

Yu Li was silent for a moment. “…I guess it’s somewhat good-looking.”

Yu Tao chuckled, “I picked this one at a glance, and Shishu Zhu Xiu also said it looked good.”

She yawned, as if she was sleepy, and her voice lowered as if talking to herself, “Originally, this was something she gave me as a reward for fulfilling her request, so Classmate Wen would give it to me when he returned to the sect today, but I didn’t manage to fulfill it, so she just gave it to me anyway. But it’s fine, Classmate Wen is already back, I wonder how they’re doing now, they should be happy.”

Yu Li paused slightly.

So, the reason she cared so much about Wen Ming was actually to persuade him to return to the sect, in exchange for the cat-eye stone for making the collar, and not because of anything else?

“Alright, Lili, I need to go back.”

Yu Tao slowly climbed down from the jade platform, stood steadily, and picked up the oil lamp, laughing softly, “If I don’t go back soon, Little Senior Brother will worry I got eaten by a mountain beast.”

It was hard to tell if she was truly drunk or faking it. People who were drunk often remembered things better, she had remembered to change the cat’s medicine earlier, and now she remembered to go home to sleep.

Hmm… she became more mischievous after getting drunk.

It was still raining, and the girl wobbled. Of course, Yu Li wouldn’t let her walk alone, she might trip on a stone while walking.

By now, he had calmed down, putting his ears and tail away, returning to his usual indifferent demeanor.

He calmly called out, “Yu Tao.”

Yu Tao, who had just taken two steps, heard her name being called and turned around. She blinked at him, pausing as her mind churned for a moment.

Lili had cat ears, but the person in front of her didn’t, so she tilted her head, “Little Senior Brother?”

Yu Li: “…”

What kind of logic did she have? Just now it was Lili, but now it had changed again.

However, Yu Li didn’t expect to keep up with the thoughts of a drunkard. Judging by her confused state, she most likely wouldn’t remember anything tomorrow.

Gripping the bamboo umbrella handle, the young man walked over, took her hand, and said softly, “Mhm, let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Yu Tao, feeling drowsy, couldn’t think clearly, and nodded, obediently following him behind.

It was unclear whether it was because the alcohol had fully kicked in or if she had exhausted her energy from all the fuss. After he sent the girl back to the Huaishui Bamboo Pavilion and tucked her into bed, she quickly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Yu Li gazed silently at the girl’s peaceful sleeping face. Lost in thought, his hand that had been about to remove the collar paused for a moment, but ultimately, he let it go.

He extinguished the lamp, closed the door, and left.

The next morning.

Yu Tao blinked, tugged the blanket, and sat up. Her headache from the hangover, so she rubbed her forehead and got out of bed to freshen up.

Her mind was blank, and she just zoned out for a while.

As she washed up, Yu Tao stared blankly at the calm water, and her mind flashed with some strange images.

Oil-paper umbrella, cat ears, collar…

As time passed, her expression grew more and more puzzled.

Finally, she spat out the mouthwash and suspiciously took out her storage bag.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again.

After mentally preparing herself, she suddenly opened the storage bag, and immediately noticed that the cat collar she had placed there the night before had disappeared.

Yu Tao: “…”

…It seemed like she had done something she shouldn’t have last night.