After Transmigrating, I Became The Heroine’s First Love! - Chapter 23

The red traffic light hung high like a fruit on a tree branch. A closer look revealed a dense pattern of tiny dots within the red circle, resembling a griddlecake. As if under a spell, vehicles slowed to a stop one by one, patiently awaiting the fleeting green light.

When the green light flashed, the cars surged forward. Pei Xiangwan put down her phone. “What’s so strange about Jiang Jiang?” she asked. “Aside from being ridiculously cute and beautiful, what could possibly be strange about her?”

“Maybe I’m just imagining things,” Qiao Yanxin replied. “Never mind, I was just talking nonsense.”

Everything remained unchanged. The pedestrians hurried down the street, their footsteps as hurried as yesterday’s, as if something were chasing them. The sky was the same romantic, pure blue as yesterday’s.

Only the delicate pink gladiolus, standing silently in its clear glass vase, gazing into the distance and continuously drawing water from the vase, missed its owner’s company. It missed her constant chatter and fussing.

It began to long for yesterday… for the days before… when it wasn’t alone.

“Shiyuan, why are you so distracted lately? Is it because of that note, or…”

Jiang Shiyuan released her tight grip on the straw, leaving a row of teeth marks. “I’m just wondering who it could be,” she said.

“We should report this to the school and get the cameras fixed. They’ve been broken for ages, honestly.”

Jiang Shiyuan smiled, her lips pressed together, mocking the absurdity of the suggestion. “If someone keeps vandalizing them, fixing them won’t do any good. Let’s call it a day, Chen Zui. We should head home now and continue another time.”

Chen Zui picked up his drink and stood up. “Alright, another time then. We’ve been out for quite a while anyway. Wait a minute, Shiyuan, are you saying the cameras were repaired, but someone deliberately broke them again?”

“Exactly. I checked them last Thursday, and they were working. By Friday, they were off. The footage was blank—no one was recorded. The side of the camera had been smashed. I underestimated this person.”

She had initially dismissed these incidents as trivial, which was why she hadn’t acted sooner. Now, it seemed her kindness had been a mistake.

“Let’s not dwell on this. Let’s go home. See you tomorrow, Chen Zui.”

Chen Zui nodded. Jiang Shiyuan had already walked quite a distance, but she remained rooted to the spot.

This was the first time she had seen Jiang Shiyuan smile like that. Beneath the elegant facade, there seemed to be another face—a wildly deranged one that inspired fear. She shook her head, dismissing the thought as impossible.

Such a refined person… Besides, Jiang Shiyuan is practically a goddess! I’ve been getting too paranoid lately.

The sky was still bright, though somewhat dimmed. Pei Xiangwan followed Qiao Yanxin into the pet hospital and immediately heard barking and the squawking of a parrot.

“Another customer! Another customer!” the parrot squawked, sounding like a comical doorbell.

The iron cages housed not only dogs and cats but also birds. Pei Xiangwan spotted Lin Su, dressed in her usual all-black attire, radiating an eerie aura.

“What a coincidence running into you here,” Lin Su remarked, glancing at Qiao Yanxin. “Or perhaps it’s quite unfortunate. I should be going.” The sound of her heels clicking against the floor faded into silence. The hissing, bristling kittens in their cages gradually calmed down, reverting to their usual docile demeanor.

Qiao Yanxin was teasing a golden retriever puppy in its cage. The puppy wagged its tail furiously, its tongue darting out to lick her fingers repeatedly.

“How unlucky! Why would Lin Su come here? This place needs to be disinfected,” Qiao Yanxin muttered, glancing at the kittens in the adjacent cage. “Even the cats hate her.”

Pei Xiangwan stepped forward. “Do you know her?”

Qiao Yanxin straightened up from her crouched position. “Know her? I despise her! My family opened a bar for me, and she used to frequent it. Dating is normal, and love at first sight happens. But…”

Qiao Yanxin looked furious. She paused, took a deep breath, and continued, “But every night, she’d come hunting for prey, forcing those girls to play twisted games with her. One girl nearly died. When I got her call, I had the door kicked down immediately. The scene inside the hotel was utterly horrific. That idiot was a complete pervert.”

Pei Xiangwan pressed, “And then what happened?”

Qiao Yanxin glanced at her, her voice rising with emotion. “Of course I beat her up, threw her in a dumpster, and warned her never to show her face again. Otherwise, I’d beat her every time I saw her. That’s why she ran off so quickly.”

Suddenly, she wrapped an arm around Pei Xiangwan’s shoulders, forcing Pei Xiangwan to lean slightly. Qiao Yanxin pointed at herself, then at Pei Xiangwan. “Even though we’re both trash, we’d never stoop to something like that.”

Pei Xiangwan slapped her hand away. “Who’s trash? You’re the biggest trash of all.”

“Tsk.”

“Having a lively chat, are we?”

Qiao Yanxin turned her head and called out, “Cousin, you’re done?”

She ran over to the woman in the white coat. Though the blue mask concealed her mouth and nose, her exposed phoenix eyes were strikingly alluring and aggressive. They were captivating when she smiled, yet intimidating when she didn’t, making people hesitate to approach.

“My friend came to check on the kitten. How’s it doing?”

The woman didn’t answer Qiao Yanxin, instead glancing at Pei Xiangwan. “Come inside with me. They’re in there.”

Qiao Yanxin shrugged and fanned her hand a few times. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

The woman tucked her hands into the pockets of her white coat. “Here they are, these two little guys.”

Her voice was clearly tinged with amusement as she bent down and looked up at Pei Xiangwan. “These two kittens are quite chubby, but they have quite the temper. Why don’t you take a look?”

Pei Xiangwan nodded and stepped forward, moving to the woman’s side. The kitten that had been hissing and baring its fangs instantly became docile.

“Meow.”

Qiao Yanxin shouted, “Holy sh1t! A clip cat! There’s actually a clip cat! Help me!”

The woman turned and glared at her. “Shush!” Qiao Yanxin immediately fell silent.

Turning back to Pei Xiangwan, she said, “It seems these two might recognize you or like you.” Her voice was gentle.

Watching their interaction from behind, Qiao Yanxin wondered, What’s wrong with my cousin? Does she have something stuck in her throat?

“Perhaps,” Pei Xiangwan replied, her lips curving into a crescent moon smile. I wonder if Jiang Shiyuan would be happy to see this? This cat matches all of Snowball’s characteristics. She tentatively called out, “Snowball?”

“Meow~”

She got a response! Incredulous, she widened her eyes, leaned down, extended a finger, and called out again, “Snowball?”

The cat nuzzled her finger and meowed.

“The other one likes you too. If you could take both, that would be great. She’s a bit temperamental, and anyone else might abandon her. It’s hard to survive the winter alone.”

Pei Xiangwan glanced at the other cat, straightened up, and asked, “How are they doing?”

The woman replied, “They’re doing well. Their injuries weren’t severe. I suspect some sadist was torturing them and left midway, giving them a chance to escape. We found them unconscious, lying in pools of bl00d. Luckily, we managed to save them.”

Pei Xiangwan pursed her lips and looked down at the little cat in the cage, who was meowing incessantly as if begging her to take it home.

“What can I do to repay you? How much do I owe you for saving Snowball and the other cat? Or is there anything else I can do?” Pei Xiangwan had never been in such a situation before and felt somewhat lost.

Qiao Yanxin interjected, “Don’t worry about it! My cousin has plenty of money. She’s doing this out of pure kindness, and you’re my best friend! Ouch—!” Qiao Yanxin’s ear was yanked upward, making her yelp in pain.

“It hurts… it hurts! I’m sorry, Cousin!”

The woman released Qiao Yanxin’s ear. “Don’t interrupt. Keep your mouth shut, understand?” Qiao Yanxin nodded vigorously, like a garlic-pounding pestle.

“I hope you’ll take good care of them and be responsible. If they get sick, bring them to me immediately,” the woman said. Pei Xiangwan listened intently, memorizing every word.

“Let’s exchange contact information. If you notice anything unusual, you can reach me.”

Pei Xiangwan agreed, scanning the woman’s QR code and adding her as a contact. “When can I take them home, Doctor?” she asked.

“They’ve recovered well. You can take them today. Once they see you, they probably won’t want to stay here any longer.”

Pei Xiangwan bought all the necessary cat supplies and listened carefully to the doctor’s instructions. She carried the bags, big and small, to Qiao Yanxin’s car.

Qiao Yanxin, panting, patted her shoulder. “Wait here. My cousin needs to talk to me. Go wait in the car.”

“Okay,” Pei Xiangwan replied, getting into the car and teasing the two cats in the carrier. She wondered what to name the third one.

“Coal Ball?” Nah, I’ll let Shiyuan decide. These two really do look alike.

“Cousin, what do you want to say?” Qiao Yanxin stared at the woman.

The woman removed her mask, sighed mournfully, and leaned against the table, fiddling with the mask in her hand.

Qiao Yanxin couldn’t stand it any longer. “Stop beating around the bush. Spit it out.”