The Female Lead Keeps Forcing Me to Take My Meds [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Watching the Snow Together 

The fireworks display didn’t last too long. The fireworks, which had bloomed and were gradually disappearing in the night sky, didn’t dampen everyone’s spirits, and people still lingered near the square.

Looking down from above, one might have mistakenly thought the area downstairs had turned into a sea of balloons.

The tall Christmas tree, placed near the mall entrance, had become a photo hotspot, completely overflowing with people.

“It’s a good thing we weren’t in the square; there are so many people,” Cheng Zhishu drew her head back, still feeling a slight fear. As she leaned out, the platinum chain around her collarbone, with its jade pendant, swung with her movement.

Xi Congshuang waved her over, “It’s windy and cold out there. Come over, we’re going back.”

“Coming right now.” Cheng Zhishu casually tucked the necklace into her collar, flinching at the cold touch of the metal, and scrunched her neck as she hurried toward Xi Congshuang.

Xi Congshuang laughed softly, “If the necklace is cold, leave it outside. Why put it inside your clothes? Take it out, don’t catch a chill.”

Cheng Zhishu avoided her hand, clutching her turtleneck collar, “No, I won’t. I want to keep it inside.”

Unable to persuade her, Xi Congshuang gave up, watching amusedly as Cheng Zhishu, neck scrunched against the cold, pressed her hand against the spot where the pendant lay.

After exiting the elevator, Cheng Zhishu still pretended to be calm, holding her neck stiffly as if she wasn’t cold at all.

Li Mi had already driven the car to the back door. While other areas were jammed with traffic, this spot downstairs seemed relatively quiet.

The rear car door opened, and Xi Congshuang got in first and settled down. Cheng Zhishu circled around the back of the car to the other side, ready to get in. But just as the door opened, she paused in place, tilting her head to listen.

Xi Congshuang was about to tell her to hurry up, worried she’d catch a cold outside.

“I think I heard something,” Cheng Zhishu took a quick step and dashed off, disappearing headfirst behind the landscaping without a second glance.

A moment later, she ran back, excitedly announcing, “Sister, there’s a cat here!”

Xi Congshuang, “A cat?”

She looked up just in time to see a ball of white fur running toward the car. Cheng Zhishu, holding something, rushed to the car and held it up for her to see.

It turned out that Cheng Zhishu, dressed in a white down jacket, was holding a small logistics cardboard box. As Xi Congshuang leaned in, a white kitten’s head darted out of the box. Its paws clutched the edge of the box, and it opened its blue eyes, letting out a loud cry directed at her.

“Meow! Meow—”

Cheng Zhishu was fascinated, “Look, it’s a white kitten. It looks so tiny, and its eyes are blue.”

“Meow-aow!”

The cat was not shy at all. It tried to reach out and paw at Xi Congshuang’s long hair hanging in front of her, but it misjudged the distance between them, its attempts futilely scratching at the air.

The more Cheng Zhishu looked, the more she loved it, her eyes practically sparkling. “It’s so cold outside in the winter now. If we leave it out there, it’ll freeze to death. Sister, can I keep it?”

The meowing cat had realized it was being held, whole and entire, in its makeshift nest. It turned its head to paw at Cheng Zhishu’s down jacket sleeve.

Xi Congshuang, “…” She felt like a big cat was holding a small cat, pleading for adoption.

Xi Congshuang sighed helplessly, “Bring it in the car. We’ll take it to the vet for a check-up first.”

As soon as she got in the car, Cheng Zhishu took off her jacket and tried to tease the cat with a tissue. When she realized the cat was not particular about what it chewed—not only gnawing on her sleeve but also not sparing the tissue—she quickly put it away.

Amidst the cat’s dissatisfied meows, Cheng Zhishu earnestly argued, “You can’t eat tissue. It’s not food.”

The cat wouldn’t stop; it continued to paw and cry loudly.

Xi Congshuang propped her elbow on the partition, watching in amusement as Cheng Zhishu tried to convince the cat to be quiet, as it was genuinely quite noisy.

Predictably, she failed to stop it. The cat didn’t understand human words. Seeing Cheng Zhishu’s expression, which looked like she wanted to cover the cat’s mouth, Xi Congshuang’s sleepiness completely vanished, and she laughed out loud.

Many people were out on Christmas night, and the cars, disappointingly, were stuck in traffic. Even Li Mi, whose patience was usually unwavering, couldn’t help but feel anxious.

The little cat was affected by the noisy atmosphere outside. It was also hungry, and kept stretching its neck, meowing loudly.

Listening to it, Li Mi inexplicably felt her heart race with irritation. She looked up into the rear-view mirror, expecting Xi Congshuang to also be annoyed.

In the past, the young lady never kept pets, and certainly disliked noisy ones.

Then, Li Mi heard Xi Congshuang’s laughter. Although very quiet, easily drowned out by the cat’s meows, she had indeed laughed.

Li Mi, “…”

She really should have gotten used to misjudging her boss’s reactions by now.

After a lot of effort, Li Mi finally found a pet hospital still open on Christmas night. There wasn’t a soul inside, only an on-duty doctor and a few nurses.

Cheng Zhishu reluctantly handed the cat over to the doctor and waited with Xi Congshuang in the waiting area.

Soon, the doctor reappeared with the kitten. It had eaten a cat treat from the doctor’s drawer and was purring contentedly while licking its paws.

The doctor said, “This little girl is probably three months old. She has a hearing problem; she was born deaf. That’s why she meows so loudly.”

The kitten was handed back to her. Cheng Zhishu stroked its head and scratched its chin, mimicking the doctor’s movements. She was surprised to feel the cat’s throat vibrating, but since the doctor didn’t comment on it, she assumed it was normal.

Hearing the news, Cheng Zhishu was surprised, “She can’t hear?”

The doctor nodded, smiling gently, “Yes. Some blue-eyed white cats have a genetic defect; they are born deaf. But other than that, she’s very healthy and lively, with no other issues.”

“She’s also had her vaccines. If you have any questions, you can contact us using the information at the front desk, and we will answer them promptly.”

Cheng Zhishu was determined to keep the cat and listened to the doctor very seriously, almost taking notes as if she were in class.

She only stopped using her phone’s memo app to record the doctor’s words when she learned that the front desk would also give her a list of care instructions.

With many bags of supplies, which were put into the trunk by staff, Cheng Zhishu personally carried the carrier with the cat home.

Seeing the Rolls-Royce parked outside, the doctor and nurses exchanged subtle, envious glances, all looking at the white cat soundly sleeping inside.

Well, well, they thought, this little one has found its way into a wealthy home.

Li Mi opened the trunk, helping the staff put the items in. “Just put them here. I need to keep the space next to them free.”

Xi Congshuang looked back. Cheng Zhishu was a few steps behind them. She had put her soft down jacket back on, her eyes filled with happiness.

Again, she had the feeling of seeing a large white cat carefully carrying a small cat, moving gently so as not to wake it. It was indescribably cute.

Back in the car, the now-fed kitten was no longer causing a fuss. Being young and lacking stamina, it curled up into a ball on the pee pad and slept.

Cheng Zhishu couldn’t get enough of the little thing. She stealthily opened the carrier door and reached a hand in to fuzzily pet the cat.

The curled-up kitten stretched its body, rolling onto its soft belly. Cheng Zhishu jumped, thinking she had woken the cat, but she calmed down when she realized it was just changing position to continue sleeping.

After playing with the cat for a while, Cheng Zhishu closed the carrier door. “Sister, why don’t you give the kitten a name?”

Xi Congshuang pondered for a moment. “The little thing doesn’t look big, but it’s quite a handful. Let’s call it Naonao.” (Troublemaker/Noisy)

However, Xi Congshuang soon regretted giving the cat this name.

Because the cat was truly worthy of its name; it was extremely troublesome.

If Cheng Zhishu was home to accompany it, things were fine. But as soon as Cheng Zhishu went to school, leaving it alone, it would start searching everywhere for someone to play with.

Strangely enough, despite being a deaf cat, it was always able to accurately pick up on all of Cheng Zhishu’s movements.

No matter how quietly she washed up, Naonao would abruptly wake up when she was getting dressed, let out a loud cry, and start its day of mischief.

In the early morning, Xi Congshuang opened her eyes, activated the smart housekeeper system to draw the curtains, and the morning light, still carrying mist, streamed into the room.

The kitten, which had been squatting in the corner and scratching at the door with its paws, also appeared behind the curtains. Seeing Xi Congshuang in bed, it stood up, even more excited.

Xi Congshuang picked up her phone to check the time. It was only 6:30 a.m. Her usual waking time was in half an hour.

Having been used to a quiet “big cat” (referring to Cheng Zhishu) for so long, Xi Congshuang realized she had miscalculated. She had never owned a pet and didn’t know what it felt like.

Now, she knew exactly what it felt like.

Supporting herself with her hands, Xi Congshuang sat up and leaned against the headboard to wake up.

She had forgotten how much a kitten could cause trouble, especially this clingy, deaf one.

The subtle scratching of cat claws against the gap in the French doors constantly echoed in her ears. She raised her hand to rub her temples.

She’d had several dreams during the night. Although she couldn’t recall their content, she still felt a little weary.

Getting out of bed, she wheeled her chair to the door and opened it. Naonao immediately took advantage of the crack, flowing in through the small gap. It grabbed onto Xi Congshuang’s trousers and jumped onto her lap.

“Meeow!” Xi Congshuang raised her hand and stroked the cat’s head.

Naonao finally quieted down, stopping its meowing and starting to let out a contented purr in its throat.

The little thing had somehow learned to climb the balcony and discovered that Xi Congshuang lived in the next room. Every morning at 6:30 a.m., it would climb over the railing connecting the two rooms and, taking advantage of Cheng Zhishu having left, begin its “wake-up service.”

With one hand petting the cat’s head and the other pushing the joystick, she entered the washroom to freshen up. Half an hour later, dressed and with the cat on her lap, she went downstairs.

Downstairs was Xi Congshuang’s rehabilitation room. Ten minutes after Xi Congshuang arrived, Zheng Momo walked in as scheduled.

She was holding a laptop with the rehabilitation plan written on it and wearing her glasses. She immediately spotted the white ball of fluff on the gray blanket.

Zheng Momo smiled, “Naonao came to keep you company during your rehab again?”

Xi Congshuang deliberately pinched Naonao’s little nose, “It’s not here to keep me company; it’s here to use me as a heater.”

This Naonao was truly mischievous. After waking a person up, it always liked to curl up on Xi Congshuang’s lap and go back to sleep.

Naonao, whose breathing was restricted by the pinched nose, squinted and shook its head, then curled back up, covering its face with its paws and burying itself deep into the soft fur.

Both of them laughed aloud, taking advantage of the fact that the little cat couldn’t hear.

Zheng Momo placed the laptop on the table and put on her white coat. “How is it that it’s just like its owner, always liking to lie on your lap and sleep?”

Xi Congshuang cradled the kitten with both hands and placed it on the small sofa. She paused at the question, “Is that so?”

After a careful recollection, it was true.

There’s a saying: like owner, like pet. This Naonao was extremely similar; just like Cheng Zhishu, it always had a special affection for her legs.

The rehabilitation training usually lasted until forty minutes before work. The content included massage and stretching to maintain the elasticity of her leg muscles and prevent further atrophy, preparing them for the next surgery.

After the training finished, Xi Congshuang went downstairs for breakfast, then prepared to leave for work.

Zheng Momo’s work, on the other hand, was over. Holding her laptop, she saw her boss off to work hard and earn her salary.

Zheng Momo left the door open, making it easy for the still-sleeping Naonao to get out when it woke up.

Everyone at Wenhai (the company/residence) had become used to one thing: King Naonao could go anywhere. Wherever it appeared, people would always leave doors open when they left, allowing it to come and go freely.

The only exception was Xi Congshuang’s study, which was a place no one could enter casually.

However, Xi Congshuang herself often searched for the cat everywhere in the study until she saw it appear somewhere else before closing the door with relief.

…

The weather grew colder and colder. The school canceled evening self-study classes, letting students go home earlier. Cheng Zhishu returned to the routine of being picked up by Xi Congshuang after work.

Seeing that there were only ten minutes left until the end of class, Shangguan Yin couldn’t help but yawn, listening to the old teacher on the podium speaking in his drawn-out, sing-song tone.

The teacher was excellent; he could easily explain complex principles in simple words. However, there was one flaw: his voice was like a chant, slowly unfolding, which was very hypnotic.

This effect was doubled in the last class after a full day of lessons.

But there was always an exception. Cheng Zhishu could resist the teacher’s hypnosis because she was packing her schoolbag, ready to bolt the moment the dismissal bell rang.

While it was true that a student without passion for leaving school wasn’t a real student, Cheng Zhishu’s anticipation for leaving was too high, as eager as an elementary schooler.

Others didn’t know why, but Shangguan Yin certainly did.

Shangguan Yin whispered, “I can’t stand how much of a sister-obsessed baby you are.”

Cheng Zhishu didn’t hear clearly, “What ‘Jaguar’?”

Shangguan Yin, “…” Forget it, you wouldn’t understand.

Ten minutes quietly passed. As soon as the bell rang, the teacher, who was usually as slow as a capybara, dismissed the class faster than anyone.

Slapping the opened test papers together, the teacher waved his hand, “Class dismissed.”

To the students in Class One, Teacher Pi shimmered with dazzling holy light before they grabbed their bags and poured out like a flood.

Cheng Zhishu always walked with Shangguan Yin for a bit, separating when they reached the car. Today was the same.

The two parted ways by the car. Cheng Zhishu opened the car door and waved to her, “Bye-bye, see you tomorrow.”

Shangguan Yin, “See you tomorrow.”

She was about to walk away, but she caught a glimpse of a gaze from inside the car and momentarily froze, almost looking back.

She just managed to stop herself, because the person sitting in the car was Xi Congshuang.

But she wondered if it was just her imagination; she always felt that Ms. Xi looked at her with a strange expression every time. It wasn’t dislike or liking—it was like a hidden scrutiny.

Initially, the thick-skinned Shangguan Yin couldn’t detect it, and Xi Congshuang was also skilled at concealing her emotions. Unless she deliberately revealed them, it was hard to tell her feelings from the surface.

The reason Shangguan Yin had noticed the gaze was because of Li Mi, the driver who always wore a smart suit.

Li Mi often used her peripheral vision to look into the rear-view mirror to observe her stoic boss.

During one accidental moment, Shangguan Yin bent down to talk to Cheng Zhishu in the car. As she stood up, she noticed Li Mi’s somewhat awkward movement. Shangguan Yin subconsciously took an extra glance and saw Xi Congshuang’s profile reflected in the rear-view mirror.

From that angle, the direction Xi Congshuang was looking in was directly at her, her gaze deep, seemingly lost in thought.

After reaching this conclusion, Shangguan Yin’s first reaction was that it must be an illusion.

But once she discovered this detail, all the trivial issues became obvious. Shangguan Yin also started paying attention, and she actually caught it red-handed in secret.

Shangguan Yin plucked up the courage to return the gaze for a second, then immediately shifted her eyes.

No way. Although Xi Congshuang was very beautiful, she really didn’t dare to meet her eyes. When Xi Congshuang wasn’t consciously holding back, the way she looked at people didn’t seem like she was looking at a person—it was like looking at garbage.

Given that she had this look for everyone, Shangguan Yin took it in stride.

Cheng Zhishu, who was completely unaware of all this, got into the car, looked up, and said, “Oh, I forgot to give you that test paper. I’ll take a picture of it and send it to you when I get home.”

Shangguan Yin, “Okay.”

Cheng Zhishu buckled her seatbelt and closed the car door.

To this day, Shangguan Yin still hadn’t figured out what Xi Congshuang’s look meant.

Compared to Cheng Zhishu’s grades, she was slightly more of a poor student, but she wasn’t a bad influence and wouldn’t lead Cheng Zhishu astray.

Shangguan Yin, who had no idea of her role in the potential ‘puppy love’ scenario, racked her brain, eventually slamming her hand on her forehead and coming to a conclusion.

Could it be… Xi Congshuang is a sister-obsessed baby?

Aside from that answer, Shangguan Yin truly had no other explanation for this confusion.

…

When getting out of the car, Xi Congshuang sneezed.

Cheng Zhishu immediately grabbed her hand, worried, “Did you catch a chill? Your hand isn’t cold. Sister, are you cold?”

Xi Congshuang reversed the action, holding her hand and gently taking the other hand, which was moving toward her forehead, down. “I’m not cold, and I don’t have a cold. You don’t need to worry.”

Only when she saw that Xi Congshuang wasn’t going to sneeze again did Cheng Zhishu relax. She looked down and picked up the anxious Naonao, who was chewing on her trouser leg.

“Naonao, stop causing trouble. Hurry up and move so we can get out of the car.”

Naonao had grown a bit and had some weight in her hands. She couldn’t hear Cheng Zhishu speak, only excitedly shouting, “Meeow!”

King Naonao already knew that the two humans who played with it when it got dark would appear here. It showed up even more punctually than Little Liu, then jumped onto Xi Congshuang’s lap in front of Cheng Zhishu, and was carried inside by her.

Cheng Zhishu would get annoyed every time she saw this. She’d pull it down, and Naonao would jump back up. The cat and the person would secretly compete until they got inside.

Once inside, it was Cheng Zhishu’s time for revenge. She grabbed the feather teaser from the toy cabinet, deliberately shaking the feathers in front of Naonao’s eyes to attract its attention and lure it down.

Sure enough, Naonao fell for it every time. Its ears perked up, its vertical pupils dilated into circles, staring at the fluttering feather toy.

Cheng Zhishu flicked the teaser, and the feather zipped just out of reach of Naonao’s claws, deliberately not letting it catch it.

Naonao finally got up and jumped off Xi Congshuang’s lap, chasing after the feather. The person and the cat chased each other all the way outside.

Little Liu commented, “Naonao is quite smart. It won’t walk by itself; it insists on sitting on the young lady’s lap to be carried.”

From a distance, Cheng Zhishu’s rebuttal could be heard, “Hmph, I think it’s being a brat. No slacking off! You need to move!”

Xi Congshuang shook her head and chuckled, using a lint roller to deal with the cat hair on the blanket.

Not long after, Cheng Zhishu, who had been playing with the cat outside, rushed back in, cupping something in both hands.

“Sister!” Cheng Zhishu held her hands out toward Xi Congshuang excitedly, “It’s snowing outside! It’s the first snow of the year. Look at the snowflakes I just caught, just for you.”

Naonao had no idea what its owner was up to. It trotted in, still carrying the teaser in its mouth, the little bell jingling.

The snowflakes had already melted in her palms on the way in. Xi Congshuang held her cold wrist, “How can I see that? Wheel me to the window to look.”