"Good morning, teacher," Qin Yi greeted calmly.

Watching his beloved disciple's composed ease, Old Man Liang swallowed his frustration. He raised a fist and coughed lightly.

"Qin Yi, where did this cat in your arms come from?" Liang Zengguang finally used the persuasive words he'd rehearsed. "It's not a stray you picked up, is it? Strays carry parasites and viruses. Your biology teacher, Mr. Zhang, must've covered that. You—"

"She's my pet. Vaccinated and spayed."

Before he could finish, Qin Yi's seamless reply choked off Old Man Liang's next words.

"Meow~" (You're the spayed one!)

Lin Jin let out an angry meow. But a tiny kitten stays a tiny kitten—no matter how fiercely she bared her claws, she remained adorably harmless.

"Look, it scratched you!"

Old Man Liang spotted Lin Jin's sneaky paw and slapped it away.

She'd planned to retaliate against Qin Yi unnoticed. But the moment she extended her claw, he caught her.

She'd forgotten one thing: Old Man Liang's sharp eyes could spot every classroom move through a window crack.

Caught red-handed, she felt no panic. Why? A tall ally stood beside her—the sky never falls on the short one first.

Sure enough.

Qin Yi stepped back swiftly, stroking the kitten's white paws fondly. "Teacher, she's my cat. Don't touch her."

"My cat, my foot," Lin Jin thought, itching to bite him. But with a common enemy ahead, she buried her head in Qin Yi's arm and dozed off.

Half-asleep, a sharp pinch jolted her awake. Who? Qin Yi?

After her drowsy haze, Qin Yi and Old Man Liang's standoff neared its end.

"...Alright then, thank you, teacher." They nodded. Qin Yi descended the stairs, kitten in arms.

As they passed, Lin Jin caught Old Man Liang's glare—a helpless, teeth-grinding fury aimed at her.

She felt like a princess rescued by a knight from a demon's cave, while the demon Liang could only sigh.

No, I'm the knight! The princess rescues the knight!

Uh... something's still off...

The little tabby's brain overloaded on this simple thought. Grumbling, she stopped thinking and curled back to sleep.

Another sharp pinch...

Lin Jin winced, growling fiercely at the culprit.

Qin Yi glanced at her coolly.

"If you want to turn human on the street, I don't mind you sleeping here."

"By the way, your clothes are still in my pocket."