"This is my place." Yixinxue stopped walking.

"Oh..."

Lingyuan’s nerves began to fray. This was a newly built complex—many units still stood empty. From outside, the entire building where Yixinxue lived had been pitch-black. Either no one had moved in yet... or she was the only resident.

"W-Well, Monitor, I’ll skip coming in..." Lingyuan forced a stiff smile, trying to sound calm.

"Come on in. No one’s home anyway." Yixinxue flicked on the lights. The minimalist decor felt instantly cozier than Lingyuan’s own sparse apartment, despite having just as little furniture.

"But—" Lingyuan hesitated.

"It’s fine. And I promised you a proper reward, remember?" Yixinxue nudged him inside with a mysterious grin.

SLAM—

The door behind him shut heavily. Worse, he heard the deadbolt click into place.

"M-Monitor... we’re just... sitting down, right?" Lingyuan swallowed hard. Closing the door was normal—but *locking* it? Like she was afraid he’d bolt.

"Yep. I’m giving you something wet, soft... as a reward~" Yixinxue licked her lips slowly, winking before sauntering toward a room.

*Wet? Soft? Reward?!*

*What the hell was that look on the monitor’s face just now?!*

Clutching the kitten, Lingyuan froze by the door, bewildered. He stared after Yixinxue, his unease deepening.

*Licking her lips... Could it be a kiss? No way the monitor would do that...*

*And anything beyond that was absolutely impossible...*

Shaking his head to clear it, Lingyuan glanced down at the cat. "She’s terrifying," he muttered. "But I can’t pinpoint why. Stay sharp."

"Meow...?"

"Here. Your reward."

Yixinxue materialized beside him like a ghost.

*WHY DO YOU MOVE WITHOUT SOUND?!*

Startled, Lingyuan flinched—then saw an ice cream cone pressed toward him.

"See? Wet and soft reward." Yixinxue’s mischievous grin widened. "Your face is so red. Were you imagining something else?"

"Of course not! I’m a decent guy!" Lingyuan protested too quickly.

"Hmm. Maybe." Yixinxue nodded thoughtfully, then held the ice cream to his lips. "Open up~"

"N-No, bad example for the cat..." Lingyuan stepped back, putting distance between them.

"Huh..."

*What kind of illogical excuse was that?!*

"Just put it back in the freezer. I’ll eat it later. Oh—do you have a hairdryer?"

"Yep!"

"Then I’ll dry the kitten’s fur first. Could you find an old shirt to line its bed? And a bowl of warm goat milk."

"Got it! Hairdryer’s in the bathroom—over there." Yixinxue darted off to her bedroom the moment he finished speaking.

*Girls must have tons of clothes. Finding one should be easy.*

As Lingyuan stepped into the bathroom, his phone rang.

His sister.

Sighing softly, he answered. Her voice trembled with tears and hurt.

"Sniff... Brother hung up before Yanxi finished talking... How could you be so heartless... Waaah..."

"My hands were full with the cat," Lingyuan explained wearily.

"But I’m already at your place! I waited forever and you never showed! Where are you...? Are you on a date with some girl?!"

"Impossible. I’m dropping the cat at a classmate’s—they’ll adopt it. Stop imagining things." Lingyuan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh! Okay! I’ll wait at home for Brother! I’ll treat you to BBQ tonight!"

"BBQ sounds good. But I’ll be late."

"No problem! I’ll wait~ Hehe."

Hearing Yanxi’s cheerful tone, Lingyuan couldn’t help but smile helplessly.

"Alright then. See you later."

"Mhm! Bye-bye, Brother!"

Lingyuan pocketed his phone, exhaling deeply as if shedding a weight. He turned on the hairdryer, gently brushing the kitten’s damp fur dry.

"Being human is exhausting..."

The kitten only blinked up at him, confused.

"Done?" Yixinxue leaned against the bathroom doorway, her white hair spilling over her shoulder.

"Yep. How’s the setup?"

"All set." She gestured to the living room corner—a makeshift cat bed crafted from a cardboard box, lined thickly with soft fabric. A bowl of milk sat in one corner. The kitten buried its face in it the moment it was placed inside, lapping eagerly.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Lingyuan straightened up. "Well, Monitor, I should head back now!"

"Huh... You’re really leaving without doing anything?" Yixinxue’s face fell into exaggerated disappointment.

"...?" Lingyuan blinked. "What else... is there to do?"

*I’m a decent guy! I’d never do anything like that!*

"Eh, nothing much." Yixinxue waved dismissively, feigning nonchalance. "Go ahead."

*Is this guy frigid or something? If I were him, I’d definitely try something...*

"Right. My family’s waiting for dinner. I’ll take my leave."

Yixinxue’s apartment felt like purgatory—Lingyuan couldn’t escape fast enough, already pivoting toward the door.

Behind him, Yixinxue remained lost in thought.

*If I do it now, he might not come tomorrow... Ah. Tomorrow, I’ll find a way to tie him down. Yes.*

"Uh, Monitor... could you unlock the door? Your lock’s... complicated..."

"Oh. Sure." Yixinxue shrugged, sliding the bolt open.

"See you tomorrow, Monitor." Lingyuan waved.

"Yep, yep!"

He’d barely taken three steps when a murmur drifted from behind him:

"I can’t stand letting you go alone."

Lingyuan’s lips twitched. He turned mechanically. "M-Monitor..."

But the door had already clicked shut, sealing off any reply.

On the other side, Yixinxue leaned against the wood, puffing out her cheeks in displeasure.

"I can’t stand it... I just can’t stand it..."