After Becoming Roommates with My Flirty Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 31

The adoption process went smoothly, as expected.

The Pet Hospital collaborated with several kind-hearted individuals involved in stray cat rescue, maintaining numerous adoption information groups. They quickly identified several families that met Zheng Yun’s criteria: experience caring for kittens, preferably adopting both together, willingness to participate in video follow-up visits, and female-led households. Even with these requirements, several qualified candidates remained.

Zheng Yun glanced briefly at the profiles, finding them similar. She insisted on meeting the families in person.

Yu Xia trusted the verified information, but Zheng Yun insisted that her intuition about people was infallible. “If I don’t like someone after meeting them in person, there’s definitely something wrong with them,” she declared.

Yu Xia remained skeptical of this “ability,” but she always trusted Zheng Yun’s judgment. They scheduled the visits for a week later.

During that week, Zheng Yun and Yu Xia continued to visit the cats daily. As the weather grew increasingly hot, they began going later in the evenings.

On the day of the visits, a strong wind picked up in the afternoon. Within half an hour, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and a torrential downpour began.

Xiao Jiu, howling loudly, raced back, drenched only from the waist down thanks to her quick reflexes. “Why didn’t they warn us about the artificial rain?” she grumbled.

Yu Xia stood on the first floor, gazing up at the sky. In Chuntianli during spring, the absence of tall buildings afforded a wide, unobstructed view. Dark clouds piled up over the city, and torrential rain poured down like a waterfall, drenching the streets and sending up a misty spray—it was hard to tell if it was swirling dust or rising steam.

“I told you it might rain this afternoon when you left,” Xiao Qi said, drying Yu Xia’s hair with a towel as she nudged her toward the shower.

Xiao Jiu, feeling guilty, could only pout.

When Xiao Qi had mentioned the possibility of rain, Xiao Jiu had retorted, “The weather forecast didn’t predict any rain. How could it possibly rain when it’s so hot?”

As soon as she retrieved the package, the rain began to pour.

The wind rattled plastic advertising boards until they threatened to fall, and uncollected trash roamed the streets like unruly beasts. Across the street, shopkeepers had already closed their doors, peering through the glass to guard against falling debris.

“With school starting soon and the temperature refusing to drop, they had no choice but to induce artificial rain,” Xiao Qi remarked, after drying Xiao Jiu’s hair. She walked to the window, joining Yu Xia and Zheng Yun, and sighed, “If you ask me, they should just postpone the start of school.”

“I agree,” Xiao Jiu chimed in. “A few days earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference. But back when I was in school, we went no matter what—even if it was hailing, we still had to go to class.”

Yu Xia had never heard of such a thing and glanced at Xiao Qi out of the corner of her eye.

“I often skipped class,” Xiao Qi said, crossing her arms. “I’d take a day off for the slightest reason, and the teachers didn’t care.”

“I despise you rich people,” Xiao Jiu sneered.

“Why would anyone go to school in such terrible weather?” Zheng Yun asked.

“In poor, remote areas, there’s no way to announce school closures,” Xiao Jiu replied wistfully, recalling her past. “Fortunately, the mountains favored me. One year, during a torrential downpour, I had just crossed a mountain path when a landslide occurred right behind me. My family thought I had died on the mountain.”

Yu Xia, who had never experienced such a perilous commute to school, widened her eyes and stared at Xiao Jiu. “Weren’t you scared?”

Xiao Jiu sighed. “What choice did I have? I had to take my chances. Either die on the road or die at home. I got lucky and made it out alive.”

Before Yu Xia could ask about the “die at home” part, Xiao Qi cleared her throat, changing the subject. “Are you interviewing with a new family tonight, Zheng Yun?”

“Yes, do you want to come along?” Zheng Yun replied.

“You two go ahead first. Xiao Jiu and I need to wait for a delivery. We’ll join you later,” Xiao Qi said, then seemed to remember something. “Oh, and don’t ride your electric scooters today. There’s a low-lying area that might be flooded.”

Yu Xia nodded in agreement.

The rain came down in a torrential downpour, lasting for half an hour before finally stopping. Xiao Jiu even began to feel sorry for the students, wishing their school opening could be postponed.

“The sun’s out,” Yu Xia pointed to the horizon, where the sun blazed with golden light. The heavy rain had cleared away all the dark clouds, and as dusk approached, the sky was painted with fiery orange hues. The scorching sunlight streamed unobstructed onto the earth.

Yu Xia almost imagined she could see a malicious smirk on the sun’s radiant face.

“Great, all that rain for nothing. The temperature hasn’t dropped at all,” Xiao Jiu’s lips twitched. “They’ll probably postpone the school opening.”

“Look, a rainbow!” Zheng Yun pointed to a vibrant arc of seven colors stretching across the sky.

Yu Xia followed her gaze.

Yuncheng was a small town nestled against the mountains. The rainbow emerged from the peaks, arched gracefully over the city, and embraced it in a dazzling display of color.

“A good omen,” Xiao Jiu was about to turn away to take a shower, but Zheng Yun’s words made her pause. She clicked her tongue. “Tonight, we’ll find perfect homes for these two kittens.”

“Let’s hope so,” Yu Xia said, feeling a lingering unease.

“Don’t worry,” Xiao Qi patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Xiao Jiu and I are still in Yuncheng. Who would dare bully two little kittens?”

Yu Xia nodded.

As the appointed time drew near, Yu Xia’s anxiety intensified. She meticulously reviewed every step of the adoption process, finding no apparent flaws.

She forced herself to suppress her unease, attributing it to the anxiety one feels before tackling something new.

After dinner, Yu Xia and Zheng Yun changed clothes, hailed a taxi, and headed to the Pet Hospital. Along the way, they glimpsed the city ravaged by the recent storm. Sanitation workers were clearing debris, while broken branches and twisted road signs lay scattered across the streets, yet to be cleared.

While the rainbow had been a promising sign, the desolate landscape offered no such reassurance.

Yu Xia struggled to articulate her inexplicable unease to Zheng Yun. But Zheng Yun turned to her with a serious expression. “I have a feeling something might happen tonight.”

“Me too,” Yu Xia replied.

“If anything feels off, we’ll call off the foster care arrangement today. If necessary, we’ll pay extra to board them at a pet store for a while—at least there’ll be security cameras.” Zheng Yun was frantically brainstorming solutions.

“Okay,” Yu Xia agreed, feeling reassured by Zheng Yun’s words.

After getting out of the taxi, they hurried straight into the hospital.

Several people were standing at the entrance of the pet hospital. Before going inside, Yu Xia glanced at them.

The nurse was busy, so Yu Xia and Zheng Yun went to check on the mother cat first. The spaying surgery was complete, and the cat seemed much more alert. She couldn’t be bathed yet and was wearing an Elizabethan collar, preventing her from grooming. Her fur was matted and tangled, making her look quite disheveled.

Even in this state, her exceptional beauty was evident. She was a hardy breed with excellent lineage, no wonder so many people had submitted applications to adopt her.

Zheng Yun teased the cat a little, and it leaned in to gently rub against her fingers, letting out a soft, high-pitched meow—a perfect kitten-like sound.

With nothing else to do, the two women visited the cat daily, and their affection for her had grown. The owners of other hospitalized kittens at the pet hospital had already recognized them. At first, they’d assumed Yu Xia and Zheng Yun were the owners of their own kittens, but when they learned the cat was a rescue, they were filled with admiration.

The rescue kittens visited every day, without filming or taking photos—purely for the sake of rescue.

“She’s so adorable,” Zheng Yun said, her voice tinged with melancholy. “I’m starting to feel like I don’t want to let her go.”

Yu Xia had always been reserved with her emotions. As she gazed into the mother cat’s eyes, she recalled the cat’s numb and desperate state that day—the cat she had personally rescued.

The cat knew nothing of this; it only knew to nuzzle against her fingers.

After finishing her other duties, the nurse came to help with the adoption process. The families waiting at the door were all willing to adopt both cats together. There were three families in total.

Just as introductions began, another critically ill kitten arrived at the clinic. The nurse apologized, “Please continue without me,” and hurried off, leaving Zheng Yun, Yu Xia, and the other women to exchange awkward glances.

Fortunately, Zheng Yun was adept at handling such situations. She scrolled through her phone, matching each family to their profiles, while Yu Xia stood nearby, listening to them tout their advantages.

The first family was wealthy, with a multi-cat household already housing five or six resident cats. They had personally delivered kittens and raised them to adoption age. The woman looked every bit the part of wealth, her luxury handbag clearly authentic, but her demeanor carried an air of entitlement and pressure.

The second applicant had only one cat and wanted a companion for it. Their household was relatively well-off, using high-end brands of cat food and treats, clearly showing genuine affection for cats. Their sincere words conveyed a genuine desire to take two kittens home.

The final applicant’s mother cat had passed away the previous year. She explained that she had rescued the cat as a kitten and raised it by hand. Despite purchasing insurance and annual check-ups, the kitten still succumbed to illness. After a year of grieving, she resolved to adopt another kitten.

Yu Xia wasn’t entirely satisfied with any of the applicants.

She felt like a picky villain. With too many cats in the house, she worried they wouldn’t be able to care for them all properly, and some kittens would inevitably be neglected. Choosing a companion for the existing cat suggested that the eldest daughter remained the family’s favorite, and Yu Xia didn’t want the two kittens to become invisible figures in the household, like herself.

The final applicant’s overall qualifications weren’t the most impressive, but they could guarantee that only two kittens would be kept. However, Yu Xia was reluctant to let a kitten become a mere replacement for another.

She knew she was being somewhat unrealistic, wanting both things at once. Families with experience caring for kittens would naturally have more than one cat. Ultimately, Yu Xia decided to entrust the decision to Zheng Yun, trusting her judgment.

Yu Xia glanced at Zheng Yun, eager to hear her opinion.

Zheng Yun shared Yu Xia’s reservations; neither was entirely satisfied with the options. However, with their departure from Yuncheng imminent, they had to choose the best available option.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the esteemed Big Blogger, back for another kitten to exploit?” a scornful voice rang out. The newcomer lightly bumped Yu Xia’s shoulder. “Don’t give her your kitten. She’s bad news.”

“Do you have any proof? Stop spreading lies!” the first woman snapped, her brow furrowed.

“Proof? How about the fact that both your main and alt accounts were kicked out of the adoption group? Where did you get this new account and those fake photos to scam people again?”

The newcomer was a fellow stray cat rescuer, her pale pink hair and heavy makeup framing a stern, downturned mouth. She radiated an intimidating aura.

Yet she had a decent rapport with Zheng Yun and Yu Xia. She often shared cat care tips, which Yu Xia would diligently jot down on her phone. When the two women later learned that Yu Xia and Zheng Yun weren’t cat owners but had simply stumbled upon the rescue effort, their admiration for the pair soared.

Hearing in the group that two kittens needed new homes that evening, she rushed over to see if she could help. That’s when she spotted a familiar face.

“Last time, she filmed a script reading video with an adopted kitten. People in Yuncheng’s adoption community saw it and started questioning her. The kitten’s rescuer demanded its return, but she stubbornly insisted it wasn’t the same cat.”

“And it really wasn’t the same cat!” the Pink-Haired Sister glared at her. “When they sent it over, it was a chubby, six- or seven-month-old orange tabby. She tortured it until it was skin and bones. After the kitten was reclaimed, they kicked her out of the group.” She shot her a sharp look. “Weren’t you the one begging the group admin not to kick you out back then?”

Feeling guilty, the woman spat, “I didn’t even want it anyway. Just a stupid cat.”

Yu Xia lifted her gaze. “And what makes you think you’re any better?”

“Oh, and get this—she wanted to become a huge online celebrity by filming videos. She actually managed to build up an account once, but then she put flowers in her house that cats can’t tolerate. The kitten’s organs failed, and it died. She even filmed herself crying about it on the platform,” the Pink-Haired Sister sneered. “Too bad no one bought it. Everyone said they’d warned her to remove the flowers long ago, so it was clearly intentional.”

“So, after failing to build up new accounts, she’s back to tormenting new kittens?”

Realizing her adoption plans were about to fall through, the woman tried to leave, but Yu Xia grabbed her wrist. “Apologize to the cat first.”

“Crazy b1tch, making me apologize to an animal,” the woman thought, trying to shake off Yu Xia’s grip. Yu Xia held on tight, causing the woman to wince in pain and crouch down.

“You’re not even as good as an animal,” the Pink-Haired Sister sneered, looking down at her.

From the moment the Pink-Haired Sister started speaking, Zheng Yun had been recording with her phone, determined to ensure that she and Yu Xia wouldn’t be targeted by public backlash later. Now, as the woman crouched down, yanking her hand away, she screamed, “She’s hitting me! Help!”

Passersby glanced over, but the two ladies waiting nearby smiled reassuringly. “No one’s hitting anyone,” they said. “Just friends playing around.”

The onlookers, still suspicious, walked away, glancing back frequently.

“You wouldn’t want your cat abuse scandal to reach the police, would you, Big Blogger?” the Pink-Haired Sister mocked. “Hurry up and apologize to the cat and the person you insulted.”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have called you crazy or your cat a mangy mutt! Please let go, it hurts so much!” she wailed, completely losing the domineering air she had arrived with.

Only then did Zheng Yun gently pat Yu Xia’s hand. “Xiaxia, let go.”

The woman scrambled to her feet and stumbled away, shouting threats as she fled: “I won’t let you get away with this!”

The pink-haired sister clapped her hands, comforting Zheng Yun and Yu Xia. “Don’t mind her. She’s all bark and no bite. The adoption group knows all about her history of abusing cats. She won’t dare cause trouble here.”

Zheng Yun let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you so much. I wouldn’t have been able to see through her true nature without you.”

From the start, Zheng Yun had felt an uneasy feeling about the woman, though she couldn’t quite articulate why. It wasn’t until the pink-haired sister explained the whole story that she finally understood.

Yu Xia murmured her thanks.

The pink-haired sister waved it off, saying it was nothing. She turned with a flourish and went inside to see the cats.

Zheng Yun politely declined the second lady’s offer, for the same reason Yu Xia had. While the cats might not care whether they were adopted as playmates, human emotions were complex. They didn’t want to see the two cats receive only a fraction of the affection meant for the eldest daughter.

Zheng Yun didn’t want Yu Xia to think of herself when looking at the cats. She apologized to the lady, who nodded understandingly. “People have their biases,” the lady said generously. “I can’t guarantee I’d treat them equally. Your concerns are perfectly valid.”

The third woman, whose ideas aligned most closely with theirs, remained. Lady in the White Dress was dazzlingly fair-skinned, her makeup minimal, and she wore a pristine white dress. She pulled out her phone and showed them a photo: “This was my cat.”

It was a small orange tabby, clearly well-cared for. Having been diagnosed with heart disease early on, Lady in the White Dress had meticulously controlled its weight and diet. Sadly, she couldn’t keep the kitten with her for even a few more years.

“Here are the medical reports and the critical care notices from that time,” she said, flipping through several pages of documents. “Its condition deteriorated because of a sudden power outage that day. It was just too hot.”

Her voice choked with emotion. “I keep wondering if I could have saved her if I had been home.”

“You did everything you could,” Zheng Yun said softly, offering comfort. “It wouldn’t blame you, so don’t blame yourself.”

“I’m not trying to play the victim,” Lady in the White Dress said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “I just wanted you to understand that I’m not trying to replace Qiuqiu with these kittens. I simply saw them in the group chat, felt an instant connection, and fell in love with them.”

The heat outside was stifling, so the three women headed into the Pet Hospital to enjoy the air conditioning and check on the kittens.

“My cat was treated at this hospital,” Lady in the White Dress said, nervously tugging at her skirt. “We brought her in too late, and she didn’t make it. The nurse felt sorry for me and said I should adopt another one if I ever got the chance.”

She gazed at the mother cat in the cage, cautiously reaching out to pet it. The cat responded with a soft “meow,” as if acknowledging her.

The women seemed satisfied, and even the mother cat appeared content. Yu Xia and Zheng Yun exchanged glances, deciding to wait for Xiao Qi and Xiao Jiu to arrive before finalizing the adoption.

Midway through their visit, Lady in the White Dress received a phone call. “I’m at Aichong Pet Hospital,” she said into the phone. “Do you want to come over?”

After a few murmured “uh-huhs,” she turned to Yu Xia and Zheng Yun. “My blind date is coming. Is that okay?”

Zheng Yun and Yu Xia didn’t mind. They were just waiting for Xiao Qi and Xiao Jiu to arrive so they could feel involved before handing the cats over to their new owner.

“A blind date?” Zheng Yun asked casually, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

“Yeah, my parents set it up,” Lady in the White Dress replied, her voice flat.

“You don’t like him?” Zheng Yun pressed.

“It’s not about liking or disliking,” she said, her tone resigned. “My parents are getting older, and they just want me to get married.”

“Then… is he a good match?” Zheng Yun asked.

“Maybe he’s suitable,” the Lady in the White Dress said, her voice weary at the mention of him. “My parents think he’s good enough, so I guess he is.”

After a few more exchanges, the Lady in the White Dress lowered her guard and shared some of her true feelings with Zheng Yun. She admitted that while her blind date occasionally said things that made her frown, he was still more presentable than the other men her parents had introduced her to.

She also confessed that she didn’t really want to get married, but couldn’t find a valid reason to refuse.

Zheng Yun couldn’t offer any sound advice. Though she was a few years older than Yu Xia, she was still only in her early twenties, far too young to give relationship advice. She could only chat casually to pass the time.

Yu Xia sat nearby, replying to messages. Chen Zhu asked when she was returning to school, eager to try the new hotpot restaurant that had opened near campus.

Around September 3rd or 4th, I’ll be back from Nanqiao.

Chen Zhu fired back a flurry of messages:

Why are you coming back from Nanqiao? What were you doing there? Who’s in Nanqiao?

Yu Xia glanced at Zheng Yun, who was busy comforting the Lady in the White Dress. Isn’t she the only one in Nanqiao?

Chen Zhu didn’t seem to notice Yu Xia’s delayed response, immediately launching into another juicy piece of gossip:

The dorm next to ours has a couple who got together over the summer. They don’t even need to go to the cafeteria anymore—they’re full from all the PDA they’re dishing out in their room!

Yu Xia was about to reply when the Lady in the White Dress stood up to answer her phone. “You’re here? Just come in… Why would I go out?”

She frowned as she hung up, apologizing to the two women. “I need to go meet him outside. I don’t know what he wants…”

Zheng Yun and Yu Xia accompanied her.

First, they spotted the rear of a newly released car parked outside the hospital. It wasn’t particularly expensive, but it was quite flashy for a small town.

Yu Xia followed Zheng Yun forward, her mind blank. As they reached the entrance, she saw the full car. A man in a blue suit leaned against the hood, cradling a massive bouquet of roses, his face buried in the flowers.

Yu Xia was still wondering if it was a bit cheesy when she heard the Lady in the White Dress click her tongue impatiently. Yu Xia finally understood what she meant by “cringe-worthy” behavior.

Resigned, the Lady in the White Dress walked forward, preparing to reluctantly accept the bouquet under the gaze of onlookers. The man lifted his head with exaggerated enthusiasm, striking a pose as he handed her the flowers. Suppressing a bubble of laughter, he said, “I’m here to pick you up… and your cat.”

Yu Xia finally recognized his face.

Zhang Hui.

An old acquaintance.

The same bastard who had cornered Zheng Yun, demanding she come to his house for dinner, and who had publicly harassed them with his foul-mouthed remarks.

Small world, indeed.