When the Tsundere Rival Turns Into a Cat - Chapter 6

After admiring the view for a while, the housekeeper had already prepared lunch. Li Xingcan walked to the table and sat down, glancing at the cutlery set across from him.

The housekeeper followed his gaze. “Miss Jiang hasn’t woken up yet. Should I go check on her?”

“She’s still asleep now?” Li Xingcan was surprised. Didn’t Jiang Qingyue wake up at six yesterday morning for her workout?

“Perhaps she went to bed late last night. I’ll go call her.” With that, the housekeeper went to knock on Jiang Qingyue’s door.

Jiang Qingyue was still lying in bed, trapped in what felt like an endless nightmare. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wake up—until the rhythmic knocking at the door finally pulled her back. It was as if the nightmare receded like a tide, and she abruptly opened her eyes.

Her entire body was drenched in sweat, her heart pounding wildly. Like a drowning person gasping for air, she desperately tried to steady her breathing. She attempted to sit up, but her hands trembled weakly, unable to support her weight.

A strange sensation made her look down at her palm. Her veins pulsed unnaturally, and a faint blue light seemed to seep into her skin.

Remembering her mother’s warnings before leaving, she wondered—was this the precursor to awakening her demon bloodline?

Jiang Qingyue had always believed demons existed only in myths and legends—until she saw her mother transform into a pure black mystical cat.

Her mother had explained that demons had always existed in this world, hidden among humans. Only a select few knew of their existence and had forged peaceful coexistence with them.

As the daughter of a mystical cat, Jiang Qingyue naturally carried demon bl00d in her veins. However, each demon’s traits differed. In her case, she had been born human and would need to undergo a long period of cultivation, surviving the transformation period upon adulthood to fully become a cat.

Now, on the cusp of adulthood, she was about to face that very transformation. This was why her mother had arranged for her to stay with Li Xingcan—so someone could help her if anything unusual happened.

Though Jiang Qingyue wasn’t sure what “unusual” entailed. Maybe this was it?

The knocking continued outside. When no response came, the housekeeper began turning the doorknob.

“Miss Jiang, if you don’t mind, I’ll come in. Are you alright?”

Jiang Qingyue stared at the door. In these few moments, she already felt slightly better. Clearing her throat and steadying her breath, she called out, “I’m fine.”

The housekeeper paused. “Good. Lunch is ready—you can come out whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Listening to the retreating footsteps, Jiang Qingyue pressed a hand to her chest and struggled to sit up.

Apart from the overwhelming fatigue, feverish skin, and racing heartbeat, she didn’t feel anything else unusual. Remembering her mother’s instructions, she closed her eyes and silently recited the incantation she’d been taught since childhood.

Before, reciting it had never elicited any reaction. But this time was different. A cooling sensation, like a clear spring, flowed through her scorching bl00d, spreading steadily through her limbs. Even her frantic heartbeat gradually slowed—though each pulse grew stronger, resonating like a steady drum.

After repeating it three times, Jiang Qingyue’s body had mostly calmed down, and further recitation wouldn’t have much effect. She exhaled a turbid breath.

Looking at her hands that still trembled slightly, though her body remained somewhat weak, she figured some rest would do the trick.

Supporting herself on the bed to stand up, Jiang Qingyue still felt a bit dizzy. When her gaze fell on the alarm clock beside her, she almost thought she was seeing things.

Rubbing her eyes, she saw it was already 12:30!

She had actually slept for so long—no wonder she felt groggy and lightheaded.

Frowning, she stretched her body a little. First, she needed to freshen up. Covered in sweat, she decided a shower was in order.

Li Xingcan was nearly finished with her meal when she finally saw Jiang Qingyue slowly emerge from her room. Taking in Jiang Qingyue’s exhausted appearance—as if she had been drained of all energy just from staying up late—Li curled her lips. “That weak, huh?”

Jiang Qingyue lifted her eyelids to glance at Li Xingcan, her gaze lingering on the hand holding the chopsticks. She had struck that hand with drumsticks yesterday, yet Li was actually speaking to her first? Though the words weren’t exactly kind, there didn’t seem to be any intention of settling scores.

Silently walking over to the table and sitting down, Jiang Qingyue accepted the porridge handed to her by the housekeeper. She studied Li Xingcan hesitantly, unsure whether the girl was ready to move on or just gearing up for a confrontation.

“Hey, why are you staring at me?” Li Xingcan’s mocking expression faltered slightly at Jiang Qingyue’s hesitant gaze. This reaction was odd—normally, Jiang Qingyue would have snapped back by now.

“Nothing…” Jiang Qingyue shook her head, but before she could finish, Li Xingcan cut her off again.

“Oh, right. This afternoon, I’m leaving to prepare for the City League. I won’t be back until the day after. While I’m gone, you’d better not cause any trouble. The housekeeper will be keeping an eye on you—got it?”

Li Xingcan brushed aside the strangeness of the situation. After all, she was about to leave soon, and not seeing this annoying girl for two days put her in a great mood—as long as Jiang Qingyue didn’t stir up trouble at home while she was away.

Seeing that Li Xingcan had completely forgotten about yesterday’s incident, Jiang Qingyue realized it hadn’t even crossed her mind. The matter was officially over.

Finally letting go of her guarded tension, Jiang Qingyue picked up her chopsticks to eat. As for Li Xingcan’s warning, it went in one ear and out the other—because the only one who ever caused trouble was Li Xingcan herself.

Li Xingcan was thoroughly ignored. She was about to get angry, but then she remembered Jiang Qingyue had always been like this. With her competition coming up, there was no point letting Jiang Qingyue ruin her mood.

Dismissing her as well, Li Xingcan finished the last of her porridge and went to pack. She’d be away for two days—maybe longer if she got caught up in the excitement—so she needed to make sure she had everything.

Jiang Qingyue finished eating quickly too. With a full stomach, her fatigue faded somewhat. Her morning workout was out of the question today, so she decided to head back to her room and work on some practice tests. Since Li Xingcan was leaving soon, she’d just avoid her for the time being to prevent any unnecessary conflict.

The two spent a peaceful afternoon in their respective rooms.

Later, as the time for departure approached, Li Xingcan slung her backpack over her shoulder and carried her suitcase downstairs. She had already arranged for the driver to pick her up and had texted Lin Xie and the others about tomorrow’s match time. She also reached out to her teammates for this event.

After carelessly pushing her suitcase aside in the living room, Li Xingcan sat down on the nearby sofa to reply to messages. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Jiang Qingyue’s room just in time to see her holding something while looking up at her.

That hesitant, uncharacteristically awkward expression again—it made Li Xingcan feel thoroughly uncomfortable too.

Her grip on the phone tightened as she averted her gaze, intending to pretend she hadn’t noticed. But unexpectedly, Jiang Qingyue walked straight toward her.

Jiang Qingyue didn’t want to either, but she had no choice. Holding the two completed test papers in her hand, she stood before Li Xingcan. “Li Xingcan, can I borrow your computer?”

This was the first time Jiang Qingyue had spoken to her in such a tone—clearly asking for a favor.

Li Xingcan’s ears practically perked up with smugness, though her face remained impassive as she didn’t even glance at her. Her tone was even slightly impatient. “What for?”

Jiang Qingyue frowned slightly and turned to leave. “Never mind, forget it.”

“Hey?” Li Xingcan immediately looked up. “Did I say no? Is that how you ask for favors?”

Jiang Qingyue glanced back at her. “Can’t I change my mind?”

“No,” Li Xingcan stood up, then realized how wrong her words sounded. “Jiang Qingyue, you’ve got some nerve! You want to use my computer, I ask what for, and you just say never mind? Now I have to beg you to use it, is that it?”

“Who asked you to beg? Li Xingcan, if you’re looking for trouble, just say so. Don’t pin it on me.”

Jiang Qingyue’s expression turned cold—this Li Xingcan really knew how to twist things.

Li Xingcan stared at Jiang Qingyue, who was glaring at her like a hedgehog bristling with spikes, and nearly laughed in frustration. Who was picking a fight here?

“Can’t I even ask what for? What if you use my computer for something illegal? What if the police trace the IP and arrest me?”

“Who’s using your computer for something illegal?” Jiang Qingyue widened her eyes, furious. She took off her smartwatch and showed it to Li Xingcan. “The teacher told us to upload our homework and download some files. My watch can only send messages and make calls—it can’t receive files. That’s why I wanted to borrow your computer. Is that illegal?”

Li Xingcan glanced at the watch, scratched her head, then looked at her own phone—she had long blocked the teacher’s notifications…

“If you’d just said that earlier, wouldn’t it have been fine? Did I say no?” Not about to lose face, Li Xingcan insisted the fault still lay with Jiang Qingyue. If she’d just answered properly, they wouldn’t be arguing.

“I said never mind.”

Jiang Qingyue already regretted asking Li Xingcan in the first place.

“I said you can use it!” Seeing Jiang Qingyue about to leave, Li Xingcan grabbed her arm, raising her voice even louder.

Jiang Qingyue looked down at her captured arm and frowned. “No!”

“You have to!” Li Xingcan dug in her heels—whether Jiang Qingyue used it or not wasn’t up to her.

As they struggled, Jiang Qingyue yanked her arm free with enough force to throw herself off balance, stumbling backward. Something tripped her, and in her panic, she reached out to grab whatever she could—only to feel her hand brush against something.

“No! Don’t! Ah!”

When Jiang Qingyue grabbed the coffee table to steady herself, she heard Li Xingcan’s scream. The next instant, a loud crash echoed across the floor.

Li Xingcan watched helplessly as Jiang Qingyue took a step back, kicked over her suitcase, and then sent her half-meter-tall Lego structure toppling with a single swipe. Her outstretched hand froze mid-air as the entire structure crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces before her eyes.

After regaining her balance, Jiang Qingyue followed Li Xingcan’s gaze and turned to look beside her—only to see scattered Lego pieces, with the remaining twisted figurine bodies and half a face still intact.

Gasping sharply, Jiang Qingyue looked at Li Xingcan, who was still in shock, and stammered, “I… I didn’t mean to—”

“Jiang Qingyue!” Li Xingcan’s eyes blazed with fury. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to build this? A whole week!”

“I’ll put it back together,” Jiang Qingyue said through gritted teeth, staring at the mess on the floor. She couldn’t help but feel wronged—after all, it was Li Xingcan who had yanked her in the first place, yet now she was pinning all the blame on her.

“Don’t bother.”

Seeing Jiang Qingyue’s stubborn, aggrieved expression, Li Xingcan kicked the remaining pieces apart. Then, spotting the test paper Jiang Qingyue had just finished in her hand, she snatched it away. “Let’s settle this another way.”

“What are you doing?”

Frowning, Jiang Qingyue followed as Li Xingcan strode off with her test paper.

Li Xingcan marched into the kitchen, glanced at Jiang Qingyue trailing behind her, and turned on the stove. Holding the paper over the flames, she watched as the fire licked at the edges. She waved it in front of Jiang Qingyue, black ashes fluttering down.

Just before the flames reached her fingers, she tossed it into the sink and dusted off her hands. “How does it feel to watch your hard work turn to ashes?”

Jiang Qingyue stared at the charred remains in the sink, then at Li Xingcan’s mocking smirk. Her chest heaved violently, but in the end, she simply turned and walked away without a word.

As Li Xingcan watched Jiang Qingyue leave, her smile faded, replaced by a frown. “We’re even.”

The driver entered from the doorway. “Miss, shall we head out now?”

“Let’s go.”

With one last glance at Jiang Qingyue’s closed door, Li Xingcan grabbed her phone from the couch and walked out, the driver following with her backpack and suitcase.

On the way to the competition venue, Li Xingcan’s previously good mood had completely evaporated after their fight. She tossed her phone aside irritably and glared out the window, though the scenery barely registered. Her mind was still stuck on Jiang Qingyue’s face—the way she had tried so hard to suppress her hurt.

Seriously, what right did she have to feel wronged?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. She’d deal with her properly when she got back.

Upon arriving near the venue, Li Xingcan stepped out of the car. Most of her teammates for the competition had already gathered. They’d played together many times before—though none were professionals, their teamwork and skills made this event a breeze.

After exchanging greetings, the group warmed up with a couple of practice rounds to get into the groove.

Meanwhile, back at Li Xingcan’s place…

Jiang Qingyue packed her things. She truly couldn’t stand being here another second. If Li Xingcan despised her this much, why should she cling to this place like a beggar?

Opening the bedroom door, Jiang Qingyue was about to inform the housekeeper of her departure when she noticed the woman cleaning up scattered building blocks on the floor.

Setting her things down, Jiang Qingyue went over to help gather the blocks, even retrieving those that had fallen beneath the sofa.

“Auntie, are these being thrown away?” Jiang Qingyue asked, seeing the large trash bag the housekeeper had brought.

“Yes, Miss Li never rebuilds anything she’s assembled once. Broken blocks from before were all discarded,” the housekeeper replied, having cared for Li Xingcan long enough to know the routine.

“I was the one who broke these. I told Li Xingcan I’d rebuild them for her.”

Jiang Qingyue began placing the blocks into the bag. “May I take these with me?”

The housekeeper watched her with sympathy. “Miss Jiang, don’t take this to heart. The young lady isn’t one to dwell on such things. She’s quick-tempered but quick to forget—after a couple arguments, she moves on. By the time she returns from her competition, she won’t even remember. Besides, she never asked you to rebuild them. Why trouble yourself?”

“Her moving on is her business. I keep my promises.”

Jiang Qingyue believed the housekeeper, but just because Li Xingcan would forget didn’t mean she could let it go. Until she returned the rebuilt blocks, she’d feel indebted—something she always avoided.

Seeing Jiang Qingyue’s determination, the housekeeper relented. “Alright, treat it as a pastime then. Don’t overwork yourself. The instructions should still be in the basement—I’ll fetch them for you.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

As the housekeeper left, Jiang Qingyue continued gathering the blocks. Once everything was packed and the instructions retrieved, she’d take her leave.

She planned to stay at a hotel for a couple of nights before renting an affordable place. The area near campus was relatively remote; aside from this villa district, rent elsewhere wouldn’t be high. The money her mother had left should cover her expenses for a while, and she could work part-time during breaks to support herself.

But when would her mother return?

Her hands slowed as she wiped her slightly reddened eyes with her sleeve, pushing all emotions down. She’d deal with the present first.

By the time she finished packing the blocks, the housekeeper returned with the instructions.

“Auntie, I’ll take these now. Please let Li Xingcan know I’ll return them once they’re rebuilt.”

The housekeeper hesitated, not quite catching her implication, but nodded. “Very well. The two of you always seem on the verge of arguing whenever you speak.”

Jiang Qingyue forced a smile. She didn’t understand why she and Li Xingcan always clashed either.

“Auntie, thank you for your care. I think it’s best if I stop troubling you all—and stop upsetting Li Xingcan. I’ll move out today. Please let her know when she returns.”

Only then did the housekeeper realize something was amiss. “Miss Jiang, where will you go?”

“I have somewhere in mind. My things are already packed—I’ll be leaving now.”

Jiang Qingyue didn’t mention her plans. Carrying the bag of building blocks, she headed to her room. When she first arrived, she only had one suitcase and a backpack—very few belongings that made packing simple.

“Auntie, this won’t do. If you leave, how am I supposed to explain it to Miss Li? Not to mention Madam and Mr. Li—Madam specifically told me to take good care of you. If you just…” The housekeeper blocked Jiang Qingyue’s path. If she really let the girl leave, it would be a huge problem. A minor like this—who would take responsibility if something happened?

“I’ll explain things to Aunt Xun and Uncle Li myself. Don’t worry about it. As for Li Xingcan, she’d probably be thrilled if I left sooner, so it’s fine.”

Jiang Qingyue tried to reason with her, but no matter what she said, the housekeeper snatched the suitcase from her hands and refused to let her go. Left with no choice, Jiang Qingyue sat down with a sigh. “Then why don’t you call Li Xingcan? She’ll agree.”

“Just wait here, okay? Let me call her first.”

The housekeeper managed to temporarily calm Jiang Qingyue down, then took the suitcase away before finally feeling at ease enough to call Li Xingcan.

On Li Xingcan’s end, the game had already started. All five players were wearing headphones, completely focused on their screens. Her phone, tossed into her jacket pocket, rang repeatedly, ignored.

“No answer. How about we have dinner first? Miss Li never picks up calls when she’s gaming—there’s nothing we can do. Besides, it’s getting late, and taxis are hard to come by here. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it tomorrow, alright?”

The housekeeper knew Li Xingcan well enough and tried to persuade Jiang Qingyue.

With no other options left, Jiang Qingyue could only nod.

Li Xingcan didn’t see the missed calls until dinner time—by then, Jiang Qingyue had already finished eating and returned to her room.

“What’s up?” Li Xingcan’s surroundings were noisy, filled with chatter.

“Miss, Miss Jiang packed her things this afternoon and insisted on leaving.” The housekeeper glanced toward Jiang Qingyue’s room and lowered her voice, shutting the kitchen door behind her.

“She left?” Li Xingcan’s brows furrowed sharply, her sudden loud tone drawing looks from those around her.

Waving for the others to keep eating, she stepped outside to a quieter spot.

“No, I managed to stop her—told her she needed your permission first and pushed it to tomorrow. What should we do now, Miss?” The housekeeper sounded uneasy.

Li Xingcan exhaled in relief, grinding her teeth. “What a handful.”

“Miss Jiang is a nice girl.” The housekeeper just couldn’t understand—both Jiang Qingyue and Li Xingcan were pleasant people. How could they clash so badly when put together?

Li Xingcan scoffed. “Whatever. I’ll head back tomorrow afternoon after my match. Just keep her here till then. Let’s see what kind of stunt she’s trying to pull now.”

“Can’t you just talk to Miss Jiang calmly?” The housekeeper was already worried just hearing her tone.

“She’s the one who doesn’t want to talk. That’s that.”

Li Xingcan hung up, staring out the window as she took a deep breath. Jiang Qingyue wanted to move out? Where the hell would she even go?

She had spent the whole afternoon gaming, finally managing to push away the memory of Jiang Qingyue’s face—stubbornly holding back her grievances. Now, with one phone call, it all came rushing back, leaving Li Xingcan unsettled. Had she really wronged her that much?