The Little Bookworm Marked Her Ex-aunt - Chapter 6: Two Thousand Yuan Seeks Cuddles

Chapter 6: Two Thousand Yuan Seeks Cuddles

The next morning, Shu Yue woke up.

Her long-standing biological clock made her open her eyes at six fifteen, and as usual, she sat on the bed for five minutes, then got up, opened the bedroom door, and prepared to head to the bathroom.

“Meow!”

The warm touch at her feet startled her awake.

Shu Yue widened her eyes, grabbed the doorknob, and took two steps back.

A cat? Where did a cat come from in her house?

Meeting the kitten’s eyes, Shu Yue belatedly regained the brain she had accidentally lost in sleep, remembering what happened yesterday.

Memories of holding the cat and petting it for a long time before going to bed also flooded her mind.

The kitten clearly remembered what happened yesterday too, now acting even more affectionate than before, lingering by her legs and refusing to leave, as if saying, “If you don’t pet me, I’ll collapse on the wooden floor and not get up.”

Shu Yue tried to quietly step over the kitten’s small body, but Shiyi was very perceptive, stretching out its paws to hug her leg the moment it noticed her lifting it.

Weren’t cats supposed to be aloof?

Why was this two-thousand-yuan cat seeking cuddles so early in the morning?

Had this cat never been petted before?

Trying to pet the cat and then having it turn cold, Shu Yue finally gave in to Shiyi’s soft, milky meows and its wriggling that practically polished the wooden floor.

She squatted down and petted the kitten from head to tail.

“Have you eaten?” Shu Yue said, glancing at the automatic feeder.

The small bowl was completely clean, with no traces of food.

Upholding her duty as a pet-sitter, Shu Yue sent a message to Shiyi’s owner.

Sy: Hello, Shiyi’s owner, is Shiyi’s cat food feeder working properly? I’m not sure if it ate.

Shiyi’s owner didn’t reply, so Shu Yue squatted in front of the feeder, studying it for a long time, only to find it was remotely controlled, and she gave up.

She turned to ask Shiyi, “Are you hungry?”

Shiyi shook its head.

But when she boiled an egg and heated some frozen buns to eat at the dining table, Shiyi jumped onto the table, staring at Shu Yue intently.

Shu Yue hesitated, “Do you want to eat?”

Shiyi didn’t respond, just moved closer to her. As Shu Yue prepared to search online whether cats could eat eggs or buns, Shiyi jumped straight into her lap.

Very naturally, it adjusted its position on her thighs, resting its little head against her stomach, curling into a small ball, and closing its eyes contentedly. Through the layer of plain cotton pajamas, Shu Yue felt the kitten’s breathing, its chest rising and falling.

Too subtle.

It felt as if the kitten were her child.

Shu Yue stiffly finished her meal, thinking about washing the dishes, but saw that the cat seemed to have fallen asleep on her.

Shu Yue told herself to endure for ten more minutes.

Ten minutes later, she glanced at the time, reached out, and cautiously poked the kitten’s head, trying to wake it. Unexpectedly, the kitten hugged her fingertip, pressing it against its face, leaving Shu Yue unsure whether to move forward or back.

Another ten minutes passed, and Shu Yue, out of options, took out her phone to learn how to hold a cat online, awkwardly and clumsily picking it up.

The kitten wriggled, and just as Shu Yue thought it would jump down on its own, it stretched out its paws and hooked onto her shoulders. Shu Yue instinctively held its little bottom to prevent it from falling.

By the time she realized, the cat’s head was almost touching her face.

…

…

This was a bit too intimate.

Shu Yue steeled herself, walked to the sofa, pulled the cat’s paws off, and when it repeatedly tried to come closer, she held its head back, “No, I have to go out.”

Shiyi was truly smart.

It let out a soft whimper, got down from Shu Yue’s arms, and jumped onto the sofa.

It didn’t disturb Shu Yue for the rest of the time.

When Shu Yue finished washing up, changed clothes, and prepared to leave with her backpack, Shiyi just stood politely to the side.

It didn’t meow or rub against her, only followed her with its beautiful big eyes.

Shu Yue inexplicably felt a bit guilty.

“I’ll try to come back early,” she said on a whim, “Or should I find someone to keep you company at home?”

Chen Mi was very free during the day, either sleeping or sleeping.

She also loved cats.

Shu Yue thought this idea might work, since she had accepted two thousand yuan, she couldn’t just leave someone’s cat alone at home all day, right? What would be the difference from not pet-sitting?

Shiyi clearly didn’t like this suggestion, letting out two protesting yowls.

But Shu Yue didn’t catch it, sent a message to Shiyi’s owner for approval, took several photos of Shiyi, recorded a video, and sent them.

After doing all this, she said goodbye to Shiyi.

“Be good at home,” Shu Yue said, “I’ll remind your owner to feed you.”

Shiyi tilted its head, “Meow meow!”

Shu Yue assumed it understood.

She went out, completed her daily morning birdwatching record in the neighborhood, and then took the bus to school.

This house was left to her by her grandmother, an old place, somewhat far from school, requiring a forty-minute bus ride. The school offered dorms, but Shu Yue didn’t particularly like staying with other Alphas.

To be precise, she didn’t like staying with other people.

She’d rather wake up one or two hours earlier than live in a four-person dorm.

After the first big class, she moved to another multimedia classroom for a general education course. Several departments were together, including Chu Yufei’s department, and the girl walked beside her, nudging her with her arm.

“Why are you staring at your phone? Fighting with the campus beauty Meng again?”

Chu Yufei looked very cute, like a little elf, her deceptive appearance making people overlook that she was an Alpha.

Shu Yue pushed up her glasses, put away her phone, and shook her head, “No, I took a pet-sitting job, and I’m waiting for the cat’s owner to reply.”

As Shu Yue’s childhood friend, Chu Yufei naturally knew her quirks.

“You? Pet-sitting a cat?” Chu Yufei said in disbelief, “Is this torturing you or the cat?”

Shu Yue told her about yesterday’s events.

Chu Yufei clicked her tongue twice, “You didn’t get scammed, did you? This sounds like a new kind of scam targeting cat lovers.”

“Be careful,” Chu Yufei warned her.

Shu Yue nodded, “I know.”

Chu Yufei suddenly nudged her arm again.

Shu Yue looked up, puzzled, and saw a group of stunning girls approaching. At the center was Meng Zhiyu, meticulously groomed from head to toe, even her hair maintaining a perfect curve.

From the day Shu Yue met Meng Zhiyu, she had always been like this, accustomed to being the center of attention.

But Shu Yue was different.

She always stayed quietly in the corner, finding comfort in any unnoticed place.

She saw Meng Zhiyu, and Meng Zhiyu seemed to see her, or perhaps not. Her gaze was cold and haughty, sweeping past like air before moving elsewhere.

The lipstick in Shu Yue’s coat pocket pressed against her palm, faintly burning.

“Wait for me a moment,” she said to Chu Yufei.

As Meng Zhiyu was about to pass, Shu Yue stepped forward and called, “Classmate Meng.”

Meng Zhiyu didn’t stop, walking right past her.

A classmate of hers curiously asked, “What’s up? Do you need Zhiyu for something?”

Shu Yue took the lipstick from her pocket, lowered her head, and said, “I accidentally picked up Classmate Meng’s lipstick before, and I want to return it to her.”

The classmate eagerly took it and showed it to Meng Zhiyu.

Meng Zhiyu didn’t even glance at it, coldly saying, “Is there any need to retrieve something thrown away?”

She took the lipstick, tossed it into the trash, and said, “This is where it belongs.”

Chu Yufei exploded on the spot, her face darkening as she stepped forward, but Shu Yue pulled her back, shaking her head.

Chu Yufei, with a grim face, waited until Meng Zhiyu was far away before cursing, “What’s wrong with this princess now? Who’s she being passive-aggressive with?”

Noticing Shu Yue’s expression, Chu Yufei frowned, “You two broke up again?!”

Shu Yue’s expression was a bit subtle, “Yesterday’s matter, I didn’t have the heart to tell you.”

Chu Yufei snorted, “I wouldn’t have the heart either. If we count, over these two years, the time you two spent broken up is almost as long as the time you were together.”

“Just stay broken up,” Chu Yufei said irritably, “I don’t know what’s so great about this relationship. From high school till now, when has she ever openly held your hand in public?”

“Every time you meet, she pretends not to know you. What’s with the attitude? Back in senior year, she was the one chasing you.”

“I don’t know who it was that chased you every day, chatting from morning to night, buying snacks to stuff in your desk, and waking up early to study vocabulary with you. Thinking back, it’s my fault for being blind,” Chu Yufei reflected deeply, “I shouldn’t have let you agree to date her. I thought she was a little sun back then, but now, she’s clearly a volcano.”

Shu Yue furrowed her brows, “Yufei.”

“She’s fine,” Shu Yue said, “Don’t talk about her like that.”

Chu Yufei rolled her eyes, “Then explain why she never goes public?”

Shu Yue couldn’t speak.

Chu Yufei sneered, “Just studying acting, and she really thinks she’s a star.”

Shu Yue said, “She must have her reasons for doing this. Yufei, let’s not talk about this, okay?”

Chu Yufei said, “Fine, but you’re not allowed to go back to her this time. Promise me, don’t be a simp.”

Shu Yue nodded.

But when she received Meng Zhiyu’s text, seeing the six words, “I’m drunk, come pick me up,” she couldn’t bear it, grabbed her coat, and went out.

Meng Zhiyu’s heat was approaching.

Shu Yue was afraid something might happen to her.

At the KTV room’s entrance, the supposedly drunk person sat in the middle of the sofa, eyes clear, looking at her.

The classmate who had taken the lipstick from her earlier said in shock, “Zhiyu, you know her?”

Meng Zhiyu sipped her drink and said, “Not really.”

Shu Yue was a bit confused, “Didn’t you say you were drunk?”

The classmate said apologetically, “Sorry, we were just playing a dare…”

Shu Yue pursed her lips, looking at Meng Zhiyu.

Meng Zhiyu avoided her gaze, picking up a fry with her fingertips, acting as if it had nothing to do with her.

The classmate said, “Friend, since you’re here, why not join us? What do you want to drink? I’ll order for you.”

Before Shu Yue could speak, Meng Zhiyu said, “Forget it, she’s a top student, not like us.”

She glanced at Shu Yue and said, “What are you standing there for? Not leaving?”

Shu Yue looked at her, calmly saying, “No, I want to stay.”

The tension between them made the atmosphere in the room awkward.

The classmate who had been talking to Shu Yue, Su Jia, enthusiastically said, “Great, great, stay, let’s play together. Come, sit here.”

Sitting across from Meng Zhiyu, separated by three or four people, Shu Yue took her place.

Su Jia said, “We’re playing a game. Want to join? Queen’s Banquet, the winner can make a request to the one who draws the Queen card. Zhiyu just drew it, and this round hasn’t started. Are you in?”

Shu Yue glanced at Meng Zhiyu and nodded, “Hmm, I’ll join.”