Qin Yi shrugged and switched stories. “Here’s a ghost story: terrifying start, hilarious middle, tragic end. A ghost farted… and died.”

“Hahaha.” The joke was ice-cold, but Lin Jin chuckled politely a few times before stopping. She fixed him with an overly sweet gaze, staring at his chiseled profile—clearly unimpressed by his bedtime tale.

“Sigh…” Qin Yi pinched the Kitten Girl’s soft cheeks, helpless. “I know how to make you sleep.”

He grabbed a high school classical literature anthology and began reciting *Encountering Sorrow* and *The Red Cliff Ode* in his clear, youthful voice.

Sure enough, crushing drowsiness hit Lin Jin. Her eyes fluttered shut within minutes.

Once she was fully asleep, Qin Yi gently slipped his hand from her tiny grip, grabbed his phone, and tiptoed out.

*Beep… beep…* “Hello?” An elegant female voice answered.

“Auntie Lin? It’s Qin Yi.” He sounded unusually well-behaved.

“Oh, Xiao Yi! What’s up?” Lin Hanzhang tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder, writing prescriptions while talking.

“Auntie, could you come to the city soon?”

“What’s wrong? Did that kid Lin Jin cause trouble again?”

“It’s complicated. You should see for yourself.”

“Urgent?”

“Yeah.”

“Got it.”

Lin Hanzhang hung up, quickly packed her medicine box, and settled accounts with her patient.

“Xiao Liu! I’m heading to the city. Watch the clinic. Old Zhou at West Village needs wound cleaning and a dressing change this afternoon—don’t forget.”

“Will do, Sister Lin!” A robust voice echoed from the next room.

Lin’s mother shed her white coat, changed into casual clothes, grabbed her bag, and sped off on her electric scooter.

After calling Lin Jin’s mom, Qin Yi felt some pressure lift. Even with better mental resilience than most peers, he was still just a high school sophomore. Handling this alone had weighed on him.

He checked the clock—Lin Jin had slept half an hour. Time to wake her.

He walked straight to the bed and tweaked the Kitten Girl’s ear.

“Mew!” Lin Jin jolted upright. “Mew mew mew?!” (*What are you doing?*)

“…”

Qin Yi stayed silent.

“Mew mew mew mew!” (*That hurts when you pinch my ears!*)

Silence.

“Mew?” (*Why aren’t you talking?*)

“Lin Jin,” Qin Yi said to the seemingly cat-speech-only girl, “can you… speak human?”

“Mew?”

The Kitten Girl tilted her head, dazed.

“Forget it.” Qin Yi seemed to grasp the pattern behind her changes. “Go back to sleep.”

“Mew mew…” (*Boring…*)

As Lin Jin curled back into a tiny ball, Qin Yi pulled a thick book from the shelf: *Quantum Physics: From Beginner to Basic*.