The Little Bookworm Marked Her Ex-aunt - Chapter 23: Heavens! That’s Ji Shiyi!

Chapter 23: Heavens! That’s Ji Shiyi!

Lin Chu thought a private plane was already the peak of Lady Ji, the cat owner’s, strength.

She only realized after getting off the plane that the private plane was just the beginning.

A Lincoln car picked them up, and upon arriving at Qingxi Source, they were given a hotel not yet open to the public for their stay.

Each person got a room, all meals included, with a Michelin chef performing live.

Letting herself collapse onto the soft down quilt, Lin Chu almost shed tears.

She recalled how, in the past, when she followed her mentor into the mountains, they rode either a bumpy cart or a tractor, eating nothing but instant noodles day and night. One night while sleeping, the guesthouse they stayed in was half-destroyed by a flood, leaving them in the other half, waiting for rescue.

Heavens.

So there were such good days in this world!

Lady Ji, her strength was terrifyingly impressive.

From today onward, Lin Chu was the cat’s dog!

Lin Chu quickly sent a message to Shu Yue.

Lin Chu: Little Yue, let me ask, what does the cat usually like to eat? What does it play with? If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me directly.

Shu Yue stared at her phone, unsure how to reply.

She couldn’t exactly tell Lin Chu that the cat didn’t eat anything, didn’t play with anything, and its favorite thing was clinging to her body, rubbing against her pheromones.

Looking at the little cat that climbed out of the bag upon reaching the room, stretching and yawning, Shu Yue smiled and shook her head.

Sy: Senior, no need, I’ll take care of it.

After replying to Lin Chu’s message, Shu Yue’s fingers paused slightly. She raised her phone, took a photo of Shiyi, and sent it to Ji Shiyi to report their safety.

Sy: Miss Ji, we’ve arrived at the destination. Shiyi is in good condition, so don’t worry.

Knowing Ji Shiyi was busy, Shu Yue didn’t wait for a reply. She turned off her phone, tidied her things, freshened up a bit, and went out to meet her mentor.

Shiyi insisted on following her. Shu Yue had no choice but to carry her in her arms.

Knocking on Zhou Miao’s door, she found everyone else already there.

Seeing Shu Yue enter and getting a clear look at the cat’s face in her arms, the group let out a collective gasp.

Rich lady cat!

The real rich lady cat appeared!

Even Zhou Miao was a bit curious and asked, “Can I pet it?”

Shu Yue lowered her head and asked Shiyi, “Can she?”

Shiyi glanced at Zhou Miao, hesitated, and reluctantly meowed. Zhou Miao extended her hand, let Shiyi sniff her scent, and seeing no resistance, gently touched its head.

Lin Chu watched enviously.

“I want to, I want to.”

Before she could reach out, the cat quickly changed its expression, growling fiercely at her.

Lin Chu: “…”

She felt a bit hurt at first, but seeing her two junior brothers get scolded by the cat even more mercilessly, Lin Chu felt relieved.

Zhou Miao took out documents, distributed them, and introduced the main content of this project.

“This is a commercial cooperation project, led by Qingxi Source Ecotourism Area, Lu County local government, and its higher-level government. The background of this project is complex. The Qingxi Source Ecotourism Area, currently under reconstruction, was originally a resort project halted midway. A few years ago, it was stopped due to failing environmental assessments, leaving many unfinished constructions and ecological issues.”

“Other investors tried to develop it again later, but they all failed.”

“But those things don’t concern us.”

“Our main task is to survey the survival conditions of the crested ibis around here, restore the ibis habitat in the scenic area, and prevent ecological pollution from secondary development. At the same time, we need to plan feasible strategies for establishing the ecotourism area, which isn’t easy. We must consider both the perspectives of a nature reserve and a tourist attraction.”

Hearing this, Lin Chu’s face nearly collapsed.

She hated projects that demanded both this and that. She’d rather be sent to the mountains to live like a savage.

“Alright, don’t look so glum. You don’t need to handle interactions with others,” Zhou Miao said.

“Really?” Lin Chu asked.

Zhou Miao nodded. “Otherwise, why do you think I agreed to come?”

Lin Chu thought, fair point.

Her mentor disliked people even more than she did.

Zhou Miao said, “This time, restarting Qingxi Source, the investor leading this cooperation project is reportedly very wealthy. We’re not the only ones they’ve hired.”

“Just like before, do well in the professional tasks I assign you. If you don’t understand something, ask. Don’t worry about the rest; I’ve got it covered.”

“Got it?”

Shu Yue nodded.

Lin Chu asked curiously, “Mentor, do you know who the investor is this time?”

Zhou Miao didn’t care about this and said casually, “It’s probably in the documents. Check it yourself.”

Lin Chu flipped through the documents in her hand, searched for a while, found a company, and followed the trail online. After searching, her mouth wouldn’t close.

“Ji… Ji…”

“GGGGBABYBABY~”

Lin Chu slapped the back of Old Third’s head. “What the heck are you B-ing about!”

“Little Yue, come look at this.” Lin Chu handed her phone to Shu Yue. “Look, isn’t this Shiyi’s owner?”

The screen showed a formulaic business news report.

Ji Shiyi’s photo stood out strikingly.

It wasn’t very clear, not enough to make out the woman’s specific features, but Shu Yue recognized her at a glance. It was indeed Ji Shiyi.

Her aura was extraordinary, sitting in the front row center, completely at ease. Even surrounded by a group of typical alpha-tempered people, she showed no trace of timidity. The alpha beside her, speaking to her, slightly bowed, looking polite.

“Little Yue, what are you spacing out for? Is it her? Is it her?” Lin Chu asked.

Shu Yue nodded. “Senior, yes, she’s Shiyi’s owner.”

Hearing this, Shiyi, nestled in her arms, twitched her ears and leaned her cat face closer, glancing at the screen.

“Girl, you’re so lucky.” Lin Chu patted Shu Yue’s shoulder earnestly. “Do you know who she is?”

Shu Yue nodded.

Of course, she knew who Ji Shiyi was.

They had met several times already.

Lin Chu said sincerely, “Since you know, next time you see her, could you casually mention that you have a senior who really wants to work at her company’s nonprofit organization?”

“Huh?” Shu Yue didn’t understand. “What does this have to do with Miss Ji?”

Lin Chu stared. “Didn’t you say you knew?”

“She’s Ji Shiyi, the head of Tianhe Group, the heir to the Ji family’s century-old legacy, a legend among omegas, a figure at the top of the pyramid, and the investor of our project, our boss.”

Lin Chu watched Shu Yue’s expression grow more stunned with each title she dropped, pinching her in frustration. “What are you spacing out for, Little Yue! Didn’t you say you knew?!”

Shu Yue was speechless.

The person she met was Ji Shiyi, not Ji Shiyi’s identity. She didn’t follow business news, so how would she know these things?

Just looking at Ji Shiyi as a person, Shu Yue could tell they weren’t from the same world, but she hadn’t realized the gap between their worlds was so vast.

If it weren’t for the little cat in her arms, she and Ji Shiyi might never have met in this lifetime.

For some reason, Shu Yue felt a strange emotion. Shiyi seemed to sense it, nuzzling her face and licking her chin. Shu Yue paused, then rubbed her head.

“I’m fine,” she said to Shiyi.

Late that night, Shu Yue finally received a message from Ji Shiyi.

He: ok.

He: Then I’ll trouble you to keep taking care of her for this time.

Sy: Miss Ji, this is my duty. Don’t worry.

Based on their past chats, if their conversation happened at night, Shu Yue would ask why Miss Ji was still up so late, then wish her good night and to rest early.

To Shu Yue, this was basic chat etiquette.

At least, it was her habit.

She liked the feeling of conversations having a clear beginning and end. For nighttime talks, ending with good night felt most appropriate.

But today, after learning Ji Shiyi’s identity from Lin Chu, she worried that these days, her unsolicited sharing of bird photos and cat-unrelated small talk might have been a bother to Ji Shiyi.

She must be very busy every day.

Managing such a large company, she probably couldn’t even keep up with work messages, yet she still dealt with Shu Yue’s trivial chats.

Shu Yue held her phone, hesitated, and didn’t overstep by sending a question or good night. She turned off the screen, took off her jacket, and went to the bathroom to shower.

When she came out, she pulled back the blanket to lie down and found a guest already on the white pillow.

Shiyi, somehow having sneaked in, was clearly asleep. Woken by Shu Yue pulling the blanket, she opened her eyes and yawned dazedly.

Shu Yue stood by the bed, wanting to shoo Shiyi off. After all, in all these days, even when she let Shiyi stay at her place, she never allowed her on the bed, let alone slept with her.

But looking around, the only separate space in the room was the bathroom. She couldn’t exactly carry Shiyi there, could she? If one species had to go to the bathroom, Shu Yue felt it should be her.

With no choice, Shu Yue pinched her nose, carefully moved to the other side of the double bed, and lay down on the edge.

She reached out, turned off the wall lamp, lay straight, and placed her hands on her abdomen.

Shu Yue was emptying her mind when she suddenly felt something warm moving toward her under the blanket.

She quickly turned on the light and pulled back the blanket.

Shiyi was sneakily curling up, inching toward her.

“Shiyi,” Shu Yue called.

Shiyi froze, her eyes dodging, not daring to meet Shu Yue’s face, her whole body radiating guilt.

Shu Yue lifted the bundle, placed her on the other pillow, patted the pillow’s surface, and said, “You sleep here.”

She pointed to the gap between the two pillows. “Don’t cross over.”

Thinking it might not be clear enough, Shu Yue asked the hotel for an extra blanket. The two neatly arranged blankets completely divided the double bed, the gap between them like an uncrossable boundary.

“Don’t cross over,” Shu Yue emphasized.

Shiyi whined reluctantly. Shu Yue pretended not to see, hardened her heart, turned off the light, and wrapped herself entirely in the blanket.

Hugging the cat was one thing, but letting it sleep with her? The thought scared Shu Yue.

Besides, she was a grown person, unaware while sleeping. If she rolled over and crushed the cat, who knew what would happen?

This was better—keeping the cat separate, each on their own side.

In the middle of the night, Shu Yue woke up suffocating.

Her chest felt heavy and stuffy, like a boulder was pressing on it.

In her dream, she couldn’t breathe, nearly crushed to death.

Shu Yue quickly opened her eyes. No boulder, but a cat. Sprawled on her chest, sleeping so deeply it almost drooled.

Shu Yue poked its butt. “Shiyi, get up.”

Shiyi didn’t move.

Shu Yue poked twice more. “Hurry, I’m dying.”

Shiyi finally stirred, graciously moving off her. Shu Yue sighed in relief, but the next second, the cat scampered to her head, found a soft spot between the pillow and her head, plopped down, and curled up to sleep again.

Shu Yue: “…”

A strong cat scent wafted from above.

The cat’s head nestled close to hers, carrying a sunny smell. At the same time, the cat’s paws rested on her face. Shu Yue turned and sniffed, catching a scent like popcorn fried on the street from her childhood.

Huh—

Did cats smell different depending on the place?

Perhaps because such moments were rare, Shu Yue reached for her phone on the bedside table and took a photo. In the picture, she covered her mouth, looking at the camera with cautious amusement in her eyes. The little cat slept beside her, sprawled out, dead to the world.

After taking it, Shu Yue instinctively wanted to send it to Ji Shiyi, the cat’s owner.

But as she opened Ji Shiyi’s chat, her finger paused.

Thinking of what Lin Chu said today, Shu Yue quietly deleted the line of text she had typed unconsciously.

As she was about to exit, a white speech bubble popped up.

He: What do you want to say?

Shu Yue’s hand shook, nearly dropping the phone on her face. She gripped the phone’s edge tightly, glanced at the cat, and wondered, could a spiritual body sense even this?

Ji Shiyi’s next message cleared her confusion.

He: I saw you were typing.

Sy: !

Sy: Why could you see that?

No message came from Ji Shiyi, but Shu Yue saw her ID at the top of the chat turn into “Typing…”

After a while, the typing indicator vanished.

In its place was Ji Shiyi’s message.

He: Now do you know why?

Shu Yue understood the mechanism, of course!

What she meant was, why could Ji Shiyi see her typing just now? That indicator only appeared if both sides had the chat open.

Wait.

Sy: Did Miss Ji also have something to say to me just now?

He: Not really.

Ji Shiyi replied bluntly.

Then, the next second.

He: I just finished working overtime and suddenly remembered you didn’t say good night today. I opened the chat to check if I misremembered.

He: Just a coincidence.

He: What about you? Why aren’t you asleep?

Shu Yue couldn’t help but shift in the blanket, lying on her side, leaving her back to the cat, and holding the phone by the pillow.

Sy: [Picture]

Sy: I fell asleep but was woken by the cat pressing on me.

Sy: Miss Ji, does Shiyi usually sleep like this with you?

He: No.

He: You’re her exception.

The words stunned Shu Yue for a moment. She hesitated on how to reply, wondering if she should comfort Ji Shiyi, saying Shiyi’s heart surely still loved her owner the most.

After a while, Ji Shiyi sent a picture too.

Shu Yue opened it—a turned-off computer screen with the city’s high-rise nightscape outside the window.

He: I’m heading home from work.

He: You two keep sleeping. Good night.

Shu Yue’s fingers moved slightly, holding the phone, her legs curling toward her abdomen. In a cat-like posture, a faint smile played on her lips.

Sy: Hmm, Miss Ji, stay safe on your way home.

Sy: Good night, sweet dreams.