My Ex-Girlfriend Said She Was A Fairy - Chapter 20

As soon as the door opened, Wen Yuchuan walked straight in. Ji Qingyi didn’t say anything, simply following behind.

 

 

Only after turning on the lights did they get a clear view of the room. There were no signs of damage anywhere. The kitten lay obediently on the blanket, standing up only when it saw them and padding over with a soft, plaintive meow.

 

 

So well-behaved. Ji Qingyi crouched down and stroked the kitten’s fluffy head.

 

 

“What’s its name?”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan also crouched to look, but the kitten didn’t approach her. As soon as she reached out, it backed away, nearly retreating into Ji Qingyi’s arms.

 

 

“Don’t know.”

 

 

“No name, huh…”

 

 

“It’s only staying for a couple of days before being sent away.”

 

 

The kitten seemed to understand her words, blinking its bright, watery eyes and looking utterly wronged. Ji Qingyi couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. She stood up awkwardly to check on the cat food.

 

 

Wen Yuchuan remained where she was, staring at the kitten. Ji Qingyi took a few steps, and the kitten followed, sticking close to Ji Qingyi and absolutely refusing to go near Wen Yuchuan.

 

 

Cats, huh… Wen Yuchuan watched the small creature, its fluffy tail flicking back and forth nervously.

 

 

“Let me raise it.”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan stood up and smiled at Ji Qingyi.

 

 

“What?”

 

 

Ji Qingyi froze for a moment before responding.

 

 

“I said, let me raise it.”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan repeated herself with a smile.

 

 

“Why should I?”

 

 

“You have work. You definitely won’t have as much time to take care of it as I do.”

 

 

“Don’t you need to look for a job?”

 

 

“Not for now.”

 

 

“Really? Do you even have enough savings?”

 

 

“Are you worried about me?”

 

 

“…No.”

 

 

I’m mocking you. Ji Qingyi thought irritably to herself. But if she said that out loud, the other woman would undoubtedly start acting pitiful again. She couldn’t be bothered, so she kept it to herself.

 

 

“So, let me raise it.”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan said it again. Ji Qingyi gave her a strange look, unsure why she was being so persistent.

 

 

“Can you even afford to raise a cat?”

 

 

“Isn’t your place just as bare?”

 

 

“That’s because the stuff I ordered hasn’t arrived yet.”

 

 

“Once it does, just move everything to my place. Problem solved, right?”

 

 

“…Are you joking?”

 

 

“You don’t have time to keep it company anyway. Kittens need attention the most.”

 

 

“But it doesn’t like you.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi finally found a way to counter.

 

 

As if to echo her, the little orange fluffball immediately meowed twice at Wen Yuchuan. Ji Qingyi couldn’t help laughing, looking at Wen Yuchuan with a hint of smugness.

 

 

“Feelings can be nurtured.”

 

 

“…”

 

 

Ji Qingyi ignored her nonsensical reasoning and started cleaning the litter box.

 

 

“When you’re not around, I’ll take care of it. Then you can come see it when you’re back. Isn’t that great?”

 

 

“…”

 

 

“I’ll handle all the cleaning from now on.”

 

 

“…”

 

 

“Wouldn’t it be too pitiful if it had no one to keep it company all day?”

 

 

“…”

 

 

“Didn’t you want to send it away? If it keeps living here, what if it grows too attached to you?”

 

 

“…And it won’t get attached if it lives with you?”

 

 

At this, Ji Qingyi finally spoke up. She was genuinely concerned about this issue.

 

 

“Well, it doesn’t like me anyway.”

 

 

Once again, Ji Qingyi found herself convinced. It made sense. Even if the kitten grew attached to Wen Yuchuan, that would be between the two of them—it had nothing to do with her, and she wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

 

 

 

There was actually another option—keeping the cat and raising it permanently. But its appearance had been too sudden, and Ji Qingyi always had the feeling it might just as abruptly leave again. Before an unexpected separation could occur, she preferred to plan the farewell herself, lest she be left with lingering regrets.

 

 

Besides, she wasn’t suited to raising a cat. Sometimes, she didn’t even care about herself, let alone expend effort on another living creature. Staying with her wouldn’t be good for the kitten either, Ji Qingyi thought, sighing softly.

 

 

“Didn’t you say we should go somewhere together?”

 

 

After a while, Ji Qingyi suddenly spoke up.

 

 

“Hmm?”

 

 

“Take it with us to that temple over the weekend… Let me check the name.”

 

 

While searching for information, Ji Qingyi explained to Wen Yuchuan about the stray cat shelter.

 

 

“Aren’t there any other shelters nearby?”

 

 

“Couldn’t find any.”

 

 

“I see…”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, so she gave up thinking about it and glanced at the information Ji Qingyi had sent her.

 

 

Wanguo Temple. Reportedly centuries old, it had been developed into a tourist attraction a few years ago. At first, it didn’t draw much foot traffic, but after promoting the presence of stray cats all over the temple grounds, it gained popularity. The temple then naturally established a shelter, primarily to care for injured kittens in the area, though some people also brought abandoned kittens up the mountain. With a steady stream of visitors, the cats never lacked food—just a few steps in any direction would reveal a kitten lounging by the roadside, stretching lazily while waiting to be fed.

 

 

“Let’s go on Saturday.”

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

“But why did you invite me along?”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan asked with a smile.

 

 

What kind of answer did the other person want to hear? That it was to fulfill a past promise, or because she wanted to go together?

 

 

But neither of those was the correct answer. Ji Qingyi looked at Wen Yuchuan, wondering whether an overly blunt response might make the other refuse. Still, she decided to be honest.

 

 

“Because I need a driver.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi said expressionlessly.

 

 

“…So you didn’t actually want to go with me?”

 

 

Just like that, the sharpness in her eyes softened, and she seamlessly feigned hurt. Wen Yuchuan always had a knack for this, making Ji Qingyi momentarily feel genuinely sorry for her.

 

 

But only for a moment.

 

 

“You should go home now.”

 

 

“It’s still early.”

 

 

“It’s not.”

 

 

“It is.”

 

 

What kind of ridiculous conversation was this? Ji Qingyi glared at Wen Yuchuan, but the other just leaned back in her chair, smiling at her without any intention of leaving.

 

 

Ji Qingyi took a deep breath but failed to calm down, her expression still tinged with impatience.

 

 

“Fine. If you insist on making me leave, I’m taking the cat with me.”

 

 

Seeing that nothing good would come from staying any longer, Wen Yuchuan decided to placate her and chose to leave.

 

 

“See for yourself if it’ll follow you.”

 

 

Ji Qingyi finished speaking and stared at the kitten by her feet. The little cat let out a few more whimpers, clearly reluctant to leave.

 

 

“Come here already.”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan crouched down and smiled at the kitten, but it only retreated further. She took a step forward and scooped it up instead. The kitten struggled a few times, letting out pitiful cries.

 

 

“Just put it down.”

 

 

“No. Once it’s in my hands, it’s mine.”

 

 

“…”

 

 

Ji Qingyi walked over to Wen Yuchuan and gently stroked the kitten’s fur. It quieted down but still gazed at her with pleading eyes.

 

 

 

Wen Yuchuan gently stroked the kitten’s head, and it let out a soft whimper again. But perhaps because it was too comfortable, it soon stopped struggling.

 

 

Ji Qingyi watched the kitten in Wen Yuchuan’s arms quickly settle down and thought, So everyone is the same after all. Well, that was fine. Once it reached the temple, with plenty of people to feed it, it would surely be happy. The thought lifted her mood, and she gave the kitten’s ear another playful rub.

 

 

“I’m leaving now. Don’t miss me too much.”

 

 

“I’d only miss the cat.”

 

 

“I never said anything else.”

 

 

“Hmph.”

 

 

This time, Ji Qingyi couldn’t suppress a cold snort. Deliberately speaking in ambiguous terms only to turn things around—this was Wen Yuchuan’s usual tactic. How annoying. She always ended up at a loss for words, forced to endure the frustration of being outmaneuvered. How much longer would this inexplicable connection last?

 

 

She bit her lower lip. For some reason, the relationship she had just begun to accept—one that was somewhat overstepping yet still undefined—now felt unbearable again. Ji Qingyi sighed softly, realizing her emotions were something even she couldn’t grasp or control.

 

 

She moved the kitten’s belongings to Wen Yuchuan’s living room, gave its belly one last rub, and walked out without a word. Wen Yuchuan called out a “good night” from behind, and when the kitten meowed, Ji Qingyi couldn’t help but glance back. Wen Yuchuan held the cat still, silencing it.

 

 

“Don’t bully it.”

 

 

“I won’t.”

 

 

Wen Yuchuan sounded amused.

 

 

Fine. On this matter, Ji Qingyi still trusted him. But as she looked at the creature nestled in his arms, she thought, I really can’t stay attached to anything for long.

 

 

But what was there to say? This was her own choice, and it was probably for the best. After all, she never wanted to endure another sudden separation after investing her emotions. Maybe it was better for things to end before they even began.

 

 

 

Ji Qingyi went to work as usual. Though the things she had bought for the kitten would be useless after Saturday, she didn’t return them, deciding instead to send them all to the temple.

 

 

At the office, Shen Xizhao still occasionally struck up conversations with her. She didn’t want to get too close to him—even ignoring his odd behavior, she simply wasn’t fond of socializing in the first place.

 

 

Shen Xizhao approached her less frequently now, likely having finally realized her aloofness and given up on futile efforts.

 

 

The kitten’s future was settled, work was going smoothly, and Shen Xizhao had stopped bothering her. So why did her mood remain so low?

 

 

Ji Qingyi gazed out the window. It was raining again—just like it had been all week. The constant drizzle had been bearable when the air was chilly, but since Wednesday, when the temperature rose, she couldn’t shake the feeling of a warm, damp, musty odor clinging to the air.

 

 

Today was Friday.

 

 

Tomorrow, the kitten would be sent away… and then what? Nothing would change. Work would stay the same, home would stay the same… and Wen Yuchuan—always Wen Yuchuan.

 

 

Only Wen Yuchuan was different. Or rather, it wasn’t that he had changed, but Ji Qingyi couldn’t shake the fear that he would—that one day, he might vanish without warning.

 

 

 

She shouldn’t have cared about this, because they currently had no relationship beyond being neighbors and exes. Yet she couldn’t help imagining that scenario, only to miserably realize that even another separation would still hurt her.

 

 

The parting with the kitten had been her decision, something she was fully aware of and certain about. But Wen Yuchuan? Separation from Wen Yuchuan was unpredictable, beyond her control.

 

 

This realization made Ji Qingyi deeply uncomfortable. She suddenly understood why she had been restless ever since Wen Yuchuan reappeared—aside from the resentment she already harbored toward her, this was the reason.

 

 

Not knowing when they would part again, just like before, catching her off guard and making her seem ridiculous. It was as if the power lay entirely in the other’s hands, while she remained constrained, at the mercy of their decisions—whether to meet or to separate.

 

 

Why…? Ji Qingyi felt somewhat unwilling, yet she also thought this unwillingness was entirely unnecessary. To resent all reunions because of one abrupt separation—how pitiful and cowardly.

 

 

Tangled and conflicting thoughts swirled chaotically in her mind. Ji Qingyi believed all of this stemmed from Wen Yuchuan, and the only way to avoid this pain was to sever all ties completely.

 

 

After tomorrow, she must stay far away from her.

 

 

Ji Qingyi thought to herself—after all, spending time together had fulfilled their previous agreement. There was nothing left to regret between them.