Zaizai’s last shred of feline dignity had been stripped away.

It flopped on the carpet with a dead-inside cat face, belly exposed, accepting pets from both its owner and Gu Chuan at once.

Its little mouth was slightly open. Its eyes were unfocused.

Two paws couldn’t fight four hands. And what cat could really defy its own owner...?

Sure enough, chubby cats were way more satisfying to pet. A trace of a smile rose at the corner of Gu Chuan’s lips.

If it were the slender Xuechun instead, Gu Chuan would lighten his touch out of fear of hurting her, letting her stretch herself languidly in his arms.

Zaizai was gradually learning to accept its fate. But if you wanted it to give Gu Chuan a nice look, no chance.

Little cats were the best at getting jealous. Ever since Gu Chuan arrived, Zaizai felt its status at home had dropped by more than one level.

“Looks like we won’t be seeing Zaizai do a backflip today.”

Gu Chuan said it with a smile and lifted one of Zaizai’s tightly clenched paws.

Its curled claws made the originally soft paw pads stretch taut.

It had hardened. The kitty punch had hardened!

A little regrettable, sure, but Gu Chuan didn’t look disappointed.

Instead, he found this version of Zaizai just as healing.

Coming to Wen Tinghan’s home really hadn’t been a wasted trip.

Being asked to stay for dinner, though, was unexpected. Gu Chuan had originally wanted to refuse, but the hospitality was hard to turn down.

It just meant Xuechun would have to wait a little longer at home for her owner...

If only there were a phone at home, then Xuechun could contact him. She was so smart, she’d probably learn how to use a smartphone very quickly.

But buying a phone would be another new expense.

Sure enough, if you wanted to survive in this society, being broke meant you couldn’t move an inch.

Petting the cat could only ease the urgency in Gu Chuan’s heart. It couldn’t make it disappear.

Wen Tinghan had no way of knowing what Gu Chuan was worried about, but he was in an excellent mood.

Gu Chuan had been willing to accept his invitation. And now they were alone together. Somewhere in his heart, nervousness and anticipation were born at the same time.

“Zaizai’s too lazy to move now. A backflip and all that... it probably can’t do that anymore.”

“Meow!” Don’t look down on cats!

Though, to be fair, it really couldn’t.

“The last time there was a mouse in the house, Zaizai got so scared it jumped onto the fridge.”

“Haha. As for my Xuechun, she’s still really little, but she’s not afraid of mice or cockroaches at all.”

Gu Chuan thought of Xuechun’s so-called skills, things like “mouse-catching expert” and “cockroach nemesis,” and felt proud to have such a catgirl who could shine in the living room and handle the kitchen too.

By exposing Zaizai’s weak points, Wen Tinghan smoothly brought up new topics. The atmosphere grew livelier, and he and Gu Chuan chatted more and more happily.

Zaizai finally understood...

It was just a tool cat!

Nothing more than a tool cat for its owner to flirt with a man.

Meow...! (a cry of grief)

But when a fresh, living little fish appeared in front of it, all of Zaizai’s inner dissatisfaction instantly vanished like smoke.

It sprang up from its sprawled position on the floor in an instant and reached a paw into the little glass tank to scoop at the fish.

One swipe, and it succeeded. The little fish was fished out and dropped onto the floor, where it flopped wildly.

Zaizai switched to biting it, then happily started running toward some corner of the house.

“Gu Chuan, help me stop it! It’s going to the sofa to chew fish again!”

Wen Tinghan had clearly realized what was about to happen, and his voice turned urgent.

If it chewed the fish there, the blood and fishy smell it left behind would probably become a real headache.

At this moment, though, Zaizai became unusually nimble, constantly weaving around Gu Chuan and Wen Tinghan, by the coffee table and on top of the cabinet.

Luckily, Gu Chuan’s eyes were sharp and his hands were fast. That was the only reason he managed to catch this big cat full of bad intentions.

He picked it up and handed it back to Wen Tinghan.

After taking it, Wen Tinghan lightly patted Zaizai on the forehead as punishment, then carried it toward the bathroom.

He was going to lock Zaizai in the bathroom. It wasn’t coming out until it finished eating!

Zaizai’s dissatisfied meows quickly faded from Gu Chuan’s ears. The bathroom in Wen Tinghan’s home had very good soundproofing.

Gu Chuan couldn’t help thinking of the tiny bathroom in his rental again, the one where the hot water only lasted ten minutes.

If he had the means, he really wanted to move out and find somewhere bigger and better to live.

That way, Xuechun wouldn’t have to be wronged like this.

And at the same time, another thought came to him...

Even under such harsh conditions, Qiu Muzhe had still been willing to move next door to him, to share the same life, to stay by his side.

A confession meant to last.

...

“You can... come in now.”

Wen Tinghan’s voice had clearly gone softer, half shy and half uneasy.

The strands of hair hanging down hid his eyes, making the emotions in them impossible to read.

“Then I’m coming in.” Gu Chuan was inexplicably nervous too.

Because this was his first time entering Wen Tinghan’s...

room.

His first time visiting a friend’s home.

His first time entering a friend’s bedroom.

This evening had given Gu Chuan far, far too many firsts.

To him, it had already become an incomparably precious memory.

Gu Chuan reached for the doorknob, gave it a light twist, and pushed the door open. Inside, he saw Wen Tinghan sitting on a soft chair, both hands placed stiffly on top of his knees.

The one who had asked to look around just now had been Gu Chuan.

But the moment Wen Tinghan heard it, he had immediately panicked.

Even though he hadn’t refused, he had used “My room’s a little messy, Gu Chuan, wait a second” as an excuse, then quickly fled back to his room and locked the door behind him.

As for what he was doing inside, or what he was hiding, Gu Chuan had no idea.

Putting himself in Wen Tinghan’s shoes, Gu Chuan understood.

Because obviously, he also had some things that couldn’t be seen by guests.

Though in the place he rented, up until now, there had never been any other “guests” besides Ji Gewei.

Xuechun didn’t count as a guest. After all, she was just a little catgirl.

Walking in from the doorway, the first thing Gu Chuan marveled at was the size of Wen Tinghan’s bedroom.

It was almost bigger than his own living room.

Then there was the style of the room. Soft and warm. Pale blue wallpaper, a jade-white chandelier shaped like flower stamens, and a white desk and wardrobe.

As for the bed, it was beside the wardrobe, large enough for two people to lie on.

The white pillow and khaki quilt were plain and ordinary.

Wen Tinghan’s desk was piled with books and study materials. A little sunflower lamp made the whole space feel warm and cute.

A fluffy carpet covered the floor, and on it were several chibi cats.

At the same time, the shopping bag Wen Tinghan’s mother had bought for him had been tossed casually onto the floor, but whatever had been inside was already gone.

Gu Chuan let out a word of praise, which made Wen Tinghan feel very embarrassed.

“It’s way cleaner and tidier than my room.”

He was pretty straightforward about it, with no intention of covering for himself at all.

But well, boys having messy rooms was normal.

Gu Chuan loved cleanliness, but he didn’t really like tidying up. There was no contradiction in that.

He sat down beside Wen Tinghan, his gaze still unable to stop roaming around the room.

Wen Tinghan felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

This was also the first time anyone other than family had entered her room.

The sensitivity of it was no less than exposing a hidden part of her heart as well.

Deep inside the wardrobe, a white skirt hem swayed gently without wind.