My Ex-Girlfriend Said She Was A Fairy - Chapter 17

“It seems it really likes you.”

 

 

Shen Xizhao watched Ji Qingyi rubbing the cat’s belly and smiled.

 

 

“Really…”

 

 

Ji Qingyi stroked the fluffy kitten, feeling a bit puzzled. She rarely fed stray cats and had never seen this one before.

 

 

“Maybe you two are fated.”

 

 

“Fated? Maybe.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi found it somewhat amusing. Was it necessary to explain such a small thing as fate? Still, being fated with a kitten wasn’t a bad thing, so she didn’t argue.

 

 

After chatting with Shen Xizhao for a few more sentences, Ji Qingyi stood up to return to her office. Halfway there, she glanced back and saw the orange kitten standing up, meowing a few times in her direction.

 

 

Was that its way of saying goodbye? Ji Qingyi chuckled and waved at the kitten before stepping into the elevator.

 

 

__

 

 

In the afternoon, it started raining again and hadn’t stopped by the time work ended. For no particular reason, Ji Qingyi thought of the stray cats—she wondered if they had found shelter.

 

 

She reached the ground floor and unfolded her umbrella. The temperature had dropped again, and the damp chill seeped through her clothes, making her shiver.

 

 

Should she take a cab or walk? Just as she hesitated, Shen Xizhao suddenly appeared beside her.

 

 

“Going home?”

 

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

“Want me to drive you?”

 

 

“Huh? That’d be too much trouble…”

 

 

“Not at all. And who knows, we might be going the same way?”

 

 

Shen Xizhao curled her lips into a smile.

 

 

Going the same way… Ji Qingyi didn’t have a good impression of that phrase right now. She still wanted to refuse.

 

 

“How about coming to my place instead?”

 

 

“Eh?”

 

 

The unexpected invitation made Ji Qingyi glance at her in confusion. She finally understood the odd feeling she’d had earlier. Aside from the fact that Shen Xizhao seemed to be approaching her with clear intent, her conversation topics were erratic, and her sense of personal space was… bizarre.

 

 

As she felt Shen Xizhao practically pressing against her, Ji Qingyi thought resignedly that if the other woman was just nervous or something and couldn’t control her proximity, that would be understandable. But Shen Xizhao couldn’t possibly be nervous—her face always wore a flawless smile. Someone who could maintain such an expression yet fail to keep a comfortable distance during conversation was just too strange. And Ji Qingyi could tell she wasn’t deliberately trying to get close; it was more like she didn’t even know what a normal distance was.

 

 

Has this person ever interacted with others before? Ji Qingyi couldn’t help but wonder. Though the thought was absurd, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

 

 

Shen Xizhao excelled in certain details—like her perpetually beautiful smile, or her considerate words—but in more ordinary aspects, she came across as unnatural.

 

 

“No, thanks.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi forced a stiff smile and took another step back to decline.

 

 

“…”

 

 

Shen Xizhao finally didn’t press closer this time. Her expression remained unchanged, just as it had been before.

 

 

Ji Qingyi looked at her still-smiling face and, for some reason, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. But the sensation vanished almost instantly, leaving her unsure whether it was because of Shen Xizhao or the cold.

 

 

“Well, see you then.”

 

 

After a pause, Shen Xizhao spoke again.

 

 

“Yeah, see you.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi didn’t sense any malice from her, but she had still bluntly refused. Feeling awkward, she could only try to respond with as friendly an expression as possible.

 

 

 

“Why do I have to deal with all these troubles every day?” Watching Shen Xizhao’s figure disappear into the parking lot, Ji Qingyi bit her lower lip and sighed before finally opening her umbrella.

 

 

Meow.

 

 

It was that cat… Hearing the sound, Ji Qingyi took a few more steps and saw a small orange kitten emerge from the bushes nearby—likely the same one she had petted at noon.

 

 

Drenched by the rain, its fur clung flat to its body, making it look miserable. The kitten gazed at her pitifully and let out a few soft cries that sounded almost like whimpers.

 

 

Ji Qingyi couldn’t bear to look for long, but since she had no intention of keeping a cat, she steeled herself and decided to ignore it. Holding her umbrella, she continued walking—only for the kitten to follow her persistently.

 

 

By the time she had walked two blocks, Ji Qingyi glanced back. The little orange cat was still trailing behind her, looking so pitiful it seemed afraid she might shoo it away. The moment she turned, it immediately ducked back into the bushes, but as soon as she resumed walking, it would follow again.

 

 

When she reached the entrance of her apartment building, Ji Qingyi finally couldn’t take it anymore. She crouched down and met the kitten’s gaze directly.

 

 

This time, the kitten didn’t hide. Instead, it hurried over to her, leaving a crooked trail of water droplets in its wake. Its gem-like blue eyes stared up at her, full of pleading. Ji Qingyi felt her resolve soften, but she couldn’t afford to keep a cat—she could barely take care of herself.

 

 

“Go back,” she said.

 

 

“Meow…”

 

 

“…”

 

 

Well, what was the point of talking to a kitten anyway?

 

 

She had never seen this cat before—why was it following her? Did it really like her that much? Though she was flattered by the attention of such an adorable creature, taking it in would be too much trouble…

 

 

Was there a stray cat colony nearby? Ji Qingyi thought for a moment but couldn’t recall any. And with the rain still pouring, she couldn’t just chase it outside.

 

 

What kind of person could resist a tiny, rain-soaked creature blinking up at them with big, watery eyes?

 

 

Ji Qingyi certainly couldn’t. She took a deep breath and decided that if the kitten followed her into the elevator, she’d let it stay for the night—just until the rain stopped. Once the weather cleared, it would probably want to leave on its own. At least, that was what she told herself. Before today, she’d never been clung to by a cat, so she had no idea what was going through its mind.

 

 

When tiny, furry paws stepped onto the elevator, Ji Qingyi sighed, equal parts exasperated and amused.

 

 

In the end, she hadn’t really tried to stop the kitten from following her, so now she had no choice but to take responsibility—at least temporarily.

 

 

__

 

 

She ordered cat food and litter on a delivery app, hesitated for a moment, then added other essentials to her online cart.

 

 

Even though she’d only planned to keep the kitten for one night, what if she changed her mind? She could always return the items later, so she went ahead and placed the order.

 

 

The kitten sat by the doorway, refusing to venture further inside. When Ji Qingyi looked over, it immediately let out a few more plaintive meows, as if trying to coax her—but still didn’t step into the living room.

 

 

Was it afraid of dirtying the apartment? That was almost too well-behaved. Ji Qingyi found it puzzling, though it made sense if the kitten had once had an owner. Had it been abandoned? She crouched down in front of it again.

 

 

 

The kitten’s four paws were all white, and though they looked a bit darker from being wet, it was still adorable. It lifted a paw, then put it back down, the round, fluffy white ball flattening against the ground again.

 

 

Everything seemed fine. Ji Qingyi carefully examined the kitten from head to tail, and it obediently stayed still without struggling. Aside from being oddly well-behaved, nothing seemed off.

 

 

No sense of wariness at all… Ji Qingyi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

 

 

Though it looked fine, if she really wanted to keep it, she’d have to take it to the vet for a checkup… Huh? Wait, no—she had only planned to let it stay for one night. How had it turned into considering keeping it?

 

 

No, no. Ji Qingyi denied the thought in her mind. She couldn’t keep it. With her aversion to trouble, she’d probably get tired of it quickly. Raising it for a while and then abandoning it would be even worse. If she wanted to be responsible, she shouldn’t let it stay in the first place.

 

 

“Just one night,” Ji Qingyi said sternly, staring into the kitten’s bright, watery eyes. Even though it couldn’t understand her, she deliberately put on a tough act.

 

 

“Meow…”

 

 

So cute.

 

 

Ji Qingyi smiled as she stood up, thinking she must be crazy for talking to a kitten. But since she was alone anyway, it didn’t matter if she acted a little unhinged.

 

 

Too afraid to give the kitten a proper bath, Ji Qingyi carefully dried it with a hairdryer instead. Worried it might catch a cold, she wrapped it in a small, old blanket.

 

 

Looking at the now-fluffy little creature, Ji Qingyi rubbed its snow-white belly and happily snapped a few photos.

 

 

While still taking pictures, she suddenly noticed a WeChat notification. Opening it, she saw it was from Wen Yuchuan again.

 

 

“What are you up to?”

 

 

Why was he asking? Did she have to report to him? Ji Qingyi frowned at the message.

 

 

She initially didn’t want to reply, but then a sudden urge to show off took over. She remembered Wen Yuchuan had once mentioned wanting a cat, though nothing ever came of it.

 

 

Well, now I have one—even if it’s just for a little while. Still, it’s better than nothing, Ji Qingyi thought smugly. So she sent him a photo of the kitten stretching.

 

 

“Your cat?”

 

 

“Yep.”

 

 

“Since when?”

 

 

“Just now.”

 

 

“Cute.”

 

 

Such a half-hearted reply. Probably jealous. Satisfied, Ji Qingyi set her phone aside and fetched a spare bowl to give the kitten some food. Watching it eat, she couldn’t resist scratching under its chin.

 

 

“Can I see the cat again?”

 

 

When Ji Qingyi checked her phone later, she saw Wen Yuchuan’s new message.

 

 

“?”

 

 

“Video call.”

 

 

What a clumsy excuse to video chat.

 

 

“No.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi rejected him outright. She saw the “typing” indicator appear for a while, but after waiting, no reply came. Probably couldn’t think of a good excuse, she figured.

 

 

“I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

 

 

After a while, another message arrived. So what? She wanted to reply like that, but she knew he’d probably play the victim again. In the end, she decided to shut him down with a single cold word.

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi ignored her phone after that. The kitten was fed and content, and now it was time for her own dinner.

 

 

She had already finished the food she had earlier and forgotten to buy more on her way back. Too lazy to go out again, she settled for instant noodles once more.

 

 

 

If only someone could cook for her every day, Ji Qingyi thought. After all, she was someone who dreaded inconvenience.

 

 

Such people weren’t nonexistent—she recalled Wen Yuchuan from a few days ago. But someone going to such lengths surely had an ulterior motive, and she still didn’t know exactly what his intentions were.

 

 

Should she ask? Demand to know whether he wanted to reconcile or just sleep with her? Could it really be out of sheer kindness, pitying her wretched state?

 

 

Better not. Ji Qingyi sighed. Asking would mean having to lay everything bare, including the past. Too much trouble. Wasn’t it fine just leaving things vague like this?

 

 

And so, she used that excuse to convince herself to keep running away.