Caught off guard, the black cat stiffened as Gu Yingying scooped it up. It immediately extended a fluffy black paw, pressing it against her face and shoving her back with surprising force. Its sapphire-blue eyes were filled with a distinctly human-like disdain.

The black cat’s name was Bastet. Gu Yingying and her senior brother had taken him in from a mystical paradise in Anlan. Bastet’s mother was the Cat Spirit of Anlan, revered as the goddess of fertility, a symbol of blessings for women, and a bringer of good fortune.

When the Cat Spirit ascended, she left behind this tiny, helpless kitten who soon found herself scooped up by a cat-loving Gu Yingying who promptly named him Bastet.

The name Bastet came from ancient Egyptian mythology, where Bastet was worshipped as the cat goddess, protector of women, and later honored as a goddess of war. After discovering the kitten’s divine lineage, Gu Yingying felt the name was fitting, even if she later found out that Bastet was actually male.

Even as Bastet pressed his soft paw against her face, Gu Yingying didn’t mind one bit. Seeing him filled her with joy, and his touch—gentle, without unsheathing his claws—only showed how affectionate he was.

“Alright, alright, I won’t hold you if you don’t like it. But Bastet, do you know where Senior Brother is?”

She released him, and Bastet finally dropped his paw, standing there with his usual reserved grace. In response to her question, he merely gave her a withering look.

…Even though Bastet couldn’t speak, Gu Yingying clearly understood his expression—it was a definite no.

Just as she was about to try chatting with Bastet a bit more, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class. This time it was history, and as the teacher entered, he immediately spotted the black cat perched on Gu Yingying’s desk.

Bastet sat there solemnly, as if he too was preparing to attend the lesson.

Many classmates couldn’t help but steal glances at him. Black cats were rare, and while most people preferred adorable, well-behaved pet cats, black cats still carried an air of mystery that some found unsettling.

“Gu Yinging, is that your cat? You know pets aren’t allowed in the classroom~”

Once the lesson officially began, the history teacher couldn’t help but speak up, noticing how the cat had captured the attention of the entire class. This was not good, not good at all.

“Teacher, could Bastet please stay just this once? I promise he’ll be very well-behaved.”

Gu Yingying said, standing up there reluctantly but as if to prove her wrong, Bastet extended a paw and shoved her pencil case right off the desk, sending it clattering to the floor. Laughter erupted from her classmates, and even the history teacher chuckled leaving Gu Yingying blushing furiously.

“It seems that your cat doesn’t exactly follow orders, does he, Gu Yingying?”

The teacher teased, being an animal lover himself, he only meant to gently remind everyone to stay focused but Bastet’s defiant little stunt had amused him.

Gu Yingying looked down to see Bastet staring up at her with a mischievous, almost smug expression. She felt helpless, back when she’d adopted him he was just a newborn, and she’d never had the heart to discipline him. Over time, he’d developed quite the personality—as evidenced now.

The black cat lifted his head, his sapphire-blue eyes reflecting an understanding far sharper than a human’s. Almost as if he could sense her embarrassment, he reluctantly extended a single paw in her direction.

This was their little ritual. Whenever Gu Yingying felt down, Bastet would “comfort” her in his own way.

With a small smile, Gu Yingying reached out her hand—small and delicate at sixteen, with pale, smooth skin—and gently placed it under Bastet’s paw. The cat promptly laid his soft, black paw on the back of her hand and pressed down gently.

The Cat Law: A kitten’s little paws can never be beneath a human’s.

The students around were sneakily watching the interaction between Gu Yingying and the black cat, amused by the sight of one person and one pet. Even the history teacher couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics.

“Alright, alright, Gu Yingying, your cat can stay in the classroom, but no more playing with it during class. Focus on your studies, understood?”

Only then could Gu Yingying sit down, feeling a bit embarrassed by her earlier actions. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Bastet for the rest of the class.

In fact, it had only been about half a month since Gu Yingying transferred to Class 3 of the second year. She had originally been in Class 1, but after Gu Xuezheng’s true identity was revealed, the Gu family transferred Gu Yingying to Class 3. So, she wasn’t very familiar with the classmates here.

Most of the students in Class 3 had heard the gossip about the Gu family’s real daughter suddenly becoming an ordinary girl. It was almost like something out of a novel, and they were naturally curious about Gu Yingying. However, since Gu Yingying discovered that she wasn’t her parents’ biological daughter, she had been in a constant state of melancholy and had barely interacted with her new classmates.

But this time, things were different.

After class, the students in Class 3 couldn’t help but glance over at Gu Yingying and her pet cat. Eventually, one of the boys couldn’t hold back and approached her, holding a small box of dried fish.

“Your cat is really beautiful. Does it like dried fish?”

>>