When the Tsundere Rival Turns Into a Cat - Chapter 38

Over the next few days, Fu Duosui realized she’d been surprised too soon.

As autumn neared its end and winter quietly arrived, the transitional period between seasons brought unpredictable temperature changes.

Leaning against the front door frame with her arms crossed, Fu Duosui watched as Li Xingcan casually placed her coat on Jiang Qingyue’s desk. Her lips twitched involuntarily—she really wanted to trust her friend, but she couldn’t ignore what her eyes were seeing.

With behavior like this, how could she possibly believe there was nothing going on between them?

“What are you looking at?”

Li Xingcan had already walked up to Fu Duosui, meeting her strange gaze with suspicion.

“Watching someone fall head over heels in love?” Fu Duosui shrugged.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Did Ou Jin infect you?” Li Xingcan scoffed, curling her lip. “Stop listening to her gossip—it’s bad for your brain.”

“Who’s the one talking nonsense here?” Fu Duosui tugged at Li Xingcan’s sweater. “You gave your coat away and are just wearing this? Since when have you been so selflessly generous?”

“I was just… normally looking after a classmate,” Li Xingcan stammered, stubbornly denying it. “Besides, I came to ask you to go back to the dorm and get me one of your coats, didn’t I? Jiang Qingyue doesn’t know anyone well enough to borrow from, so it’s normal for her to wear mine.”

“You—” Fu Duosui pointed at Li Xingcan, about to say more, but Li Xingcan slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her away.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up and get me a coat!”

Taking advantage of the break between classes, Li Xingcan and Fu Duosui returned to the dorm to grab one of Fu Duosui’s coats.

Fu Duosui watched Li Xingcan wearing her coat with a complicated expression, hesitating before finally speaking up. “Li Xingcan, even if my instincts aren’t always right, I still think you’re hiding something from me.”

The words made Li Xingcan’s heart skip a beat. Slowing her movements, she glanced uncertainly at Fu Duosui. Had even the usually oblivious Fu Duosui noticed something off?

That shouldn’t be possible. The memories she’d erased for Fu Duosui and the others weren’t that extensive—they shouldn’t have caught on so quickly.

Anxious but trying to stay calm, Li Xingcan retorted, “What could I possibly be hiding from you?”

“It’s about Jiang Qingyue,” Fu Duosui said solemnly.

That successfully sent Li Xingcan’s heart racing again. “Oh? Then tell me, what is it?”

Had the memory wipe not been thorough enough?

As Li Xingcan’s mind raced, Fu Duosui took a deep breath and declared, “Your feelings for Jiang Qingyue are definitely not ordinary. As your friend of so many years, trust me—I see it clearer than you do. You like her.”

Her tone was earnest, and she even patted Li Xingcan’s shoulder reassuringly. She didn’t think Li Xingcan was deliberately keeping it from her—it was just that Li Xingcan had zero experience with romance, so she might not even realize it herself. But as her best friend, Fu Duosui felt it was her duty to wake her up before she missed her chance out of sheer cluelessness.

For a split second after hearing this, Li Xingcan couldn’t help but laugh, her tension dissolving.

“Stop overthinking. There’s nothing like that.”

“You’re just being stubborn. No one understands you better than I do.” Fu Duosui nodded confidently. Even Li Xingcan’s current reaction was off—normally, if he suggested she liked someone else, she’d roll her eyes. But now she was smiling? That was a hundred kinds of suspicious.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re absolutely right. Alright, stop dawdling. The class bell’s about to ring—let’s head back.”

Unable to convince Fu Duosui, Li Xingcan brushed him off with a couple of vague responses, dragging him along as they made their way back.

“So, if you like her, why not confess? We’re leaving next semester, you know.”

Fu Duosui took her non-denial as confirmation and pressed further as they walked.

“Confess what?” Li Xingcan was exasperated. “Stop overthinking it. I already told you—Jiang Qingyue is transferring soon. What’s the point of bringing this up now?”

“When did you tell me that?”

Fu Duosui stopped in his tracks, puzzled.

Li Xingcan froze. Oops. He didn’t actually know yet…

“Uh… must’ve slipped my mind. But it’s not too late to tell you now.”

“So that’s why you won’t confess or admit your feelings?” Fu Duosui felt unusually sharp today, piecing it all together instantly.

Li Xingcan: “…” How did he connect the dots like that?

“Sure, let’s go with that. Can we move now?”

“Are you kidding me?” Fu Duosui grabbed her arm. “Transferring? That’s a big deal? Just go wherever she’s going! And even if you end up long-distance—what, can’t afford plane tickets? Too busy to make time? Money solves everything! With today’s tech, you could chase someone to the edge of the solar system. That excuse is ridiculous.”

Li Xingcan was about to retort when his words struck her.

He was right. Even if it was the demon realm—as long as it was on Earth, where couldn’t she go?

Even if the demon realm and human world were separated, the worst-case scenario was just sealing the portal, right? She could still get there using human transportation. If Jiang Qingyue wanted to visit, she could just go back whenever.

No matter how strict the separation, the demon realm was too vast to be completely sealed off. Even an energy barrier would require immense power—something the demon clans were critically short on. So that wasn’t happening.

Suddenly enlightened, Li Xingcan grinned and patted Fu Duosui’s shoulder. “You’re absolutely right. You’ve helped me big time—I’ll treat you to something good later.”

With that, she felt she’d finally found the perfect solution. Even if the demon realm was in Antarctica, so what? Even if Jiang Qingyue wanted to visit a hundred times a year, the travel expenses would be pocket change for the Li family. What was there to worry about?

Li Xingcan couldn’t wait to tell Jiang Qingyue. They’d always assumed an insurmountable divide existed between demons and humans—but they’d forgotten: on this planet, was there any divide technology couldn’t bridge?

Li Xingcan had already hurried back to the classroom without paying attention to Fu Duosui’s other remarks. Standing where she was, Fu Duosui watched her retreating figure with a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She never expected Li Xingcan to finally have an epiphany—she really deserved most of the credit for this.

“Wait for me!”

Fu Duosui quickly followed.

By the time the two were climbing the stairs, the class bell had already rung. They barely made it into the classroom as the teacher stood at the podium.

Li Xingcan had no choice but to return to her seat first. As she passed by Jiang Qingyue’s desk, she steadied herself with a hand on it and whispered, “I need to talk to you after class.”

Jiang Qingyue glanced up at her. Though unsure what it was about, she nodded in agreement.

Li Xingcan finally sat down in her seat and let out a sigh of relief as she gazed at Jiang Qingyue’s back. There wasn’t much she could offer in terms of emotional support or other aspects, but when it came to material help within her means, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Still feeling a little excited, Li Xingcan couldn’t even doze off in class. Her eyes were fixed on her watch, and the lesson felt unbearably long.

Finally, after enduring the lengthy class, the bell rang. Li Xingcan immediately stood up and rushed out, waiting in the hallway for Jiang Qingyue.

Jiang Qingyue was still finishing up a problem from the lesson and hadn’t come out yet.

Just as Li Xingcan was waiting, Fu Duosui popped up beside her again.

Following Li Xingcan’s smiling gaze through the classroom window, Fu Duosui caught sight of Jiang Qingyue writing diligently. She smirked knowingly—now that Li Xingcan had admitted her feelings, she wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

Li Xingcan had just looked away when she was startled by Fu Duosui’s sudden appearance. “When did you get here?”

“I came over while you were staring at Jiang Qingyue like a lovesick fool. Look at that grin on your face—tsk tsk tsk!” Fu Duosui never thought Li Xingcan would have a day like this. She had assumed Li Xingcan would spend her whole life married to her computer.

“Go away!” Li Xingcan waved her off dismissively.

“Hey! Kicking me out already? After all the help I’ve given you?”

As the two bickered, Li Xingcan noticed Jiang Qingyue inside starting to pack up and stand. She quickly pushed Fu Duosui aside. “I’ll bring you something tasty later. I need to talk to Jiang Qingyue—go away for now.”

“Can’t I listen in? What if I can be your wingman or something?” Fu Duosui was shoved through the back door into the classroom. She hadn’t expected Li Xingcan to act so fast—was she really going to confess to Jiang Qingyue now? Could she handle it alone?

“What nonsense are you spouting? Go find Ou Jin or something. And absolutely no eavesdropping!”

After pushing Fu Duosui inside, Li Xingcan closed the door behind her and headed toward the front to meet Jiang Qingyue.

Jiang Qingyue had seen the little scuffle between Li Xingcan and Fu Duosui. “What was that about?”

“Nothing important. Let’s talk somewhere quieter.”

It wasn’t something she could explain in a few words, so Li Xingcan didn’t elaborate. Instead, she led Jiang Qingyue to another area—getting to the main point was more urgent.

Jiang Qingyue followed Li Xingcan to a less crowded activity room. There weren’t many people around now, and as long as they kept their voices low in the corner, no one would overhear them.

“It’s like this. Just now when I was chatting with Duosui, something she said suddenly made me realize something,” Li Xingcan glanced around before lowering her voice and leaning in. “Do you think…the demon race might also be on this Earth?”

This topic absolutely couldn’t be overheard by others, otherwise it would just create more trouble for Xuan Yu and the others. Jiang Qingyue also leaned closer and nodded at this statement. “Of course they are. What’s the issue?”

“If they’re on Earth, that means they can be found. Even if the demon realm has severed ties with the human world, you’re still part of the demon race. You live in the human world but occasionally return. Surely they can’t stop you from seeing your mother?”

Especially since Xuan Yu was an elder of the demon race—she should at least have the privilege of seeing her own daughter.

Jiang Qingyue pondered this. “But we don’t know where the demon realm is located.”

“Aunt Xuan Yu definitely knows. It doesn’t matter where—even if it’s in Antarctica or the middle of the Pacific Ocean, modern transportation can get us there. Once you arrive, you could just have Aunt Xuan Yu come out to meet you. It shouldn’t be that difficult, right? This way you could stay in the human world while visiting your mother whenever you miss her. Don’t worry—I’ll take full responsibility for all your needs in the human world.”

Li Xingcan could easily make this promise, declaring it righteously to Jiang Qingyue.

Jiang Qingyue remained thoughtful.

Truthfully, Li Xingcan’s idea was about exploiting loopholes—relying on Xuan Yu’s elder status to exercise certain privileges, including but not limited to preserving their memories of the demon race and arranging private meetings.

Admittedly, this approached being the best of both worlds. Yet Jiang Qingyue couldn’t shake a sense of unease.

“But isn’t this somewhat inappropriate?”

“It’s not harming anyone. If anything, isn’t it the demon race’s rules that are too rigid? Forcing bl00d relatives apart—how is that right?”

Li Xingcan felt no guilt. The unreasonable policies were the demon race’s fault—they were just making do.

“I’ll discuss this with Mom when she returns, though she might not agree.” Jiang Qingyue was still wavering.

“Alright, we’ll talk it over with Aunt Xuan Yu then.” Li Xingcan nodded, her earlier excitement over this perfect solution calming slightly.

Jiang Qingyue was right—this plan depended entirely on Xuan Yu’s cooperation. Would she actually consent?

Without her approval, nothing could be done.

Their moods sank again just as the class bell rang. Exchanging a glance, they returned to class, both wearing troubled expressions.

Fu Duosui, who’d been eagerly awaiting their return, saw them enter one after another looking despondent. Her excitement immediately cooled as she thought: This is bad.

She’d warned Li Xingcan not to rush things—how could confessing feelings be done so casually? At the very least it required grand preparations with proper ceremonies and gifts. No wonder such a careless approach got rejected.

Fu Duosui rarely wore such a troubled expression. Watching Li Xingcan with her slightly furrowed brows and distracted gaze, he sighed inwardly. He blamed himself for not warning her earlier—Li Xingcan had absolutely no experience in matters like this, which was why everything had gone wrong.

But it was too late for regrets now. He needed to figure out how to help her fix this.

Lowering his head, Fu Duosui stared at the table, lost in thought. This was Li Xingcan’s first experience with romance—he had to help her.