When the Tsundere Rival Turns Into a Cat - Chapter 16

There was no time to dwell on these thoughts any longer.

After silently reciting the final incantation in her heart, Jiang Qingyue witnessed the world transform before her eyes.

This was the first time Li Xingcan had seen something so miraculous with her own eyes. She watched as Jiang Qingyue’s pointed ears twitched slightly, and in the blink of an eye, the entire person vanished before her, leaving only a pile of clothes on the ground—and a small cat crawling out from the collar.

It was truly astonishing. How could such a large person instantly shrink into such a tiny cat? And how could such a tiny cat just as quickly become a full-sized human again?

Ahem. At the thought of the latter scenario, Li Xingcan’s face flushed slightly. She bent down to pick up Jiang Qingyue’s clothes, stuffed them into her backpack, and then reached out for the cat.

“Meow.”

Jiang Qingyue tried to convey that she didn’t need to be carried—she could simply follow Li Xingcan to the school gate on her own. It wasn’t far, after all.

But the problem was, Li Xingcan didn’t understand cat language.

Before Jiang Qingyue could dodge away, Li Xingcan had already scooped her up into her arms.

With Jiang Qingyue’s backpack slung over her shoulder and the cat cradled in her arms, Li Xingcan boldly rubbed the top of the cat’s head, nearly earning herself a scratch. Yet she only laughed.

“You’re much cuter like this. So well-behaved.”

Jiang Qingyue puffed up in irritation, but there was nothing she could do about it in her current state.

Carrying the cat, Li Xingcan walked to the school gate, where the driver was already waiting. She got into the car and glanced at the driver, who was still looking around expectantly.

“Let’s go. She took a taxi back ahead of me.”

Since Li Xingcan had spoken, the driver naturally didn’t wait any longer and started the car.

Sitting on Li Xingcan’s lap, Jiang Qingyue felt unbearably awkward. She lifted a paw, attempting to move to the seat beside her, but the moment she took a step, she was pulled back.

Li Xingcan wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away so easily. She lifted the cat to face her directly, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Now that you’re in my hands, don’t think escaping will be that easy!”

Jiang Qingyue: ??? Is she having a chuunibyou moment?

The next second, Li Xingcan laid the cat flat on her lap and proceeded to ruffle her from the tips of her ears all the way down to her tail, turning the once sleek long-haired cat into a disheveled mess. The sight was downright comical.

“MEOW!!”

Outnumbered four paws to two hands, Jiang Qingyue was utterly defenseless, forced to endure being squished and kneaded as Li Xingcan did whatever she pleased.

Did this girl even realize that while her appearance had changed into a cat, her soul was still human? And cats weren’t numb to touch either, damn it!!!

By the end of the five-minute car ride, Jiang Qingyue was completely drained of all will to live.

When the car stopped in front of the villa, Li Xingcan stepped out, cradling the now unresisting, docile cat in her arms.

The housekeeper came forward, pausing in surprise when she saw Li Xingcan return alone—then pausing again at the sight of the cat in her arms. “No wonder I couldn’t find this little one at home earlier. I thought she’d gone out to play again. Why did you take her to school, Miss?”

“Oh, just brought her along for fun,” Li Xingcan replied casually as she walked inside.

The housekeeper glanced toward the entrance again, but the driver had already driven off, and there was no sign of Jiang Qingyue getting out. “Miss, where’s Miss Jiang?”

“She’ll come back on her own later. Don’t worry about it.”

Li Xingcan brushed off the question and changed the subject. “Auntie, is dinner ready?”

“Everything’s ready. Will Miss Jiang be joining us for dinner?” The housekeeper followed behind Li Xingcan but didn’t pry further.

Li Xingcan rubbed the kitten in her arms, her tone unusually lighthearted. “Little cat, what do you think? Will Jiang Qingyue come back for dinner?”

“Meow.” Jiang Qingyue drooped her eyelids and swatted Li Xingcan’s hand with her paw, which only made Li Xingcan laugh.

The housekeeper had placed the kitten’s meal beside Li Xingcan. After they both finished eating, Li Xingcan casually scooped up the cat and headed upstairs.

Once inside the room with the door closed, Jiang Qingyue immediately leaped out of Li Xingcan’s arms and sat by the door, pointing outside with her paw. “Meow.”

I want to go back to my room.

Li Xingcan crouched down, watching the kitten’s serious attempt at negotiation. “Are you saying you want to go back to your room?”

Jiang Qingyue nodded—shouldn’t that be obvious?

“Stay and play with me for a while.”

Understanding didn’t mean Li Xingcan would comply. She tapped the kitten’s pink nose with her fingertip, only to get her hand swatted again.

Jiang Qingyue jumped up, intending to open the door herself, but Li Xingcan easily blocked her by pressing a hand against it.

“Meow!”

She glared in protest, but the next second, she was lifted and placed on the desk. Li Xingcan then opened her backpack, pulled out a textbook, and spread it open.

“Being here doesn’t stop you from studying. In fact, it’s the perfect chance for my cat to keep me company a little longer. I’ll take you back later.”

Li Xingcan sat down in the chair as she spoke.

Left with no choice, Jiang Qingyue reluctantly gave in. She pulled a test paper from the textbook and smoothed it out with her paws.

Li Xingcan propped her chin on her hand, watching in fascination as the tiny kitten flattened a test paper many times her size, carefully pressing down the creases with her paws.

“Meow.”

Jiang Qingyue placed her paw on option B for the first multiple-choice question and meowed at Li Xingcan. Did she really expect a cat to hold a pen and write?

“Should I write it for you?” Li Xingcan pointed at herself, and the kitten nodded.

Quite the little commander.

Grabbing a pen, Li Xingcan scrawled the answer on Jiang Qingyue’s test paper with a flourish.

Jiang Qingyue stared at the messy handwriting, her paws nearly curling into fists. My neat paper!

She raised a paw to stop Li Xingcan’s hand and shook her head, signaling her to stop. But Li Xingcan only grew more enthusiastic. “Come on, next question.”

Resistance was futile. Jiang Qingyue checked the time—there was no other option. She couldn’t make up the work tomorrow.

And so, Jiang Qingyue pressed a paw to each answer while Li Xingcan wrote them down, quickly finishing the multiple-choice section.

“Too easy.”

Li Xingcan tossed the pen aside and leaned back in her chair, ruffling the kitten’s head. “Honestly, if I snuck you into an exam, you’d be a walking cheat sheet.”

Jiang Qingyue ignored her and moved on to the next questions. Though she couldn’t write the answers now, going through them in her head would save time when she had to finish the assignment tomorrow.

As she focused on the test paper, Li Xingcan’s gaze on her gradually turned thoughtful.

Li Xingcan wondered what Jiang Qingyue was really thinking. She was the one who insisted on drawing a line between them and refused the idea of staying as a cat by her side. Yet here she was, willingly transformed—wasn’t that an indirect way of reaching out?

“What, couldn’t swallow your pride as a human, so you’re reminding yourself to keep me around in another way?”

Li Xingcan’s imagination ran wild as she watched the little cat diligently working on the test questions, conjuring up countless possibilities. But every scenario pointed to one conclusion: Jiang Qingyue was just too proud—she didn’t actually want to leave her. Otherwise, why would she stay here as a cat?

Completely ignoring the fact that Jiang Qingyue had tried to leave earlier, Li Xingcan was utterly convinced by her own theories.

By the time Jiang Qingyue finished reviewing the test, she painstakingly folded it back up with her tiny paws. Glancing at the time, she saw it was already past ten.

Time to sleep. Jiang Qingyue stretched on the desk, then pointed at the clock with her paw before gesturing toward the door.

Li Xingcan understood but had no intention of letting the cat go. “You’re just a little kitten now—what difference does it make where you sleep?”

“Meow!”

Of course it made a difference! Jiang Qingyue absolutely did not want to transform in front of Li Xingcan again—how mortifying would that be?

Unable to resist the insistent meowing, Li Xingcan finally relented and carried Jiang Qingyue back to her own room.

The night passed, and the next morning, Li Xingcan was jolted awake by knocking. Groggy, she yawned and checked the time—only five in the morning.

Who the hell was knocking this early and ruining her sleep?!

Grumbling, she dragged herself out of bed and yanked the door open to find Jiang Qingyue, fully dressed, standing outside.

“I came to get my backpack.”

Li Xingcan frowned. “Couldn’t you just open the door and take it yourself? You know I never lock it.”

“That wouldn’t be proper.”

Li Xingcan snorted. “After all the times you’ve done it before, now it’s not proper?”

Throughout the entire break, Jiang Qingyue had come and gone freely from her room—what was the issue now?

Jiang Qingyue’s face flushed slightly. Was a cat the same as a person?

But there was no time to argue. She slipped past Li Xingcan, packed yesterday’s test papers and textbooks into her bag, and zipped it up.

Li Xingcan stepped aside, yawning as she flopped back onto the bed. “Wake me when it’s time to leave. I’ll grab breakfast on the way to school.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Qingyue glanced at her, picked up her bag, and left, quietly closing the door behind her.