The rain was coming down hard, and Ning Chu’s mood was as heavy as the clouds blanketing the sky.

Only now did he realize that even if he really didn’t turn into a girl, he was still in just as much danger.

It wasn’t that having a rich woman keep him would be bad. With his stomach troubles, living off someone else might actually be pretty nice. It was just that, in a smutty web novel where everyone was a pervert, his small frame might not be able to handle what the rich women here would put him through.

Besides, there might not be any man-on-man stuff in the book, but what about the random passersby outside the plot? Who knew if some guy might be into his type of pretty-boy?

“Not happy?” Wen Yang asked with a gleeful grin. “It’s fine. Next time you go on a date with the boss lady, I’ll be your wingman.”

He’d already worked out what he was going to ask for: as long as Ning Chu stopped getting in the way of his dates with girls from now on...

“No thanks. I’m not interested in rich women.”

Wen Yang froze, struggling to understand Ning Chu’s thinking. “Wait, the boss lady’s rich, gentle, pretty, and has a great figure. Aside from being a few years older than you, what’s wrong with her?”

“I’ve got a tough constitution. I can’t live off a woman!” Ning Chu declared righteously. “Besides, I’m a man, okay? I should at least be able to support myself, even if I don’t build a career of my own. What’s so impressive about relying on someone else?!”

“...”

Wen Yang couldn’t find a single angle to argue against such sound principles.

The two of them walked through the school gates side by side, sharing an umbrella.

On this stormy day, there wasn’t a student in sight. Every so often, a delivery rider in a raincoat hurried past, while the soft patter of rain filled their ears.

Even under the umbrella, Ning Chu’s shoes and pants were already soaked through. Luckily, he was wearing slippers.

“I’m going back for a nap. I’m so sleepy.” He couldn’t stop himself from yawning, then turned to ask Wen Yang, “What about you? Going back to play games, or...?”

“With rain like this, what else can we do besides play games or sleep?” Wen Yang replied with a helpless shake of his head.

That was true for most people. For you, maybe not so much.

Ning Chu grumbled to himself, but then his gaze was drawn to a shivering little ball of black fur curled up outside the cafeteria.

That was...

He instinctively quickened his pace and hurried beneath the cafeteria’s eaves. Then he crouched down to look at the kitten curled into a ball.

“A stray?” Wen Yang followed him over and asked curiously. “It doesn’t look too good. Did it catch a cold from the rain?”

“Yeah. It’s shaking pretty badly.”

Though the little kitten was black from head to toe, Ning Chu recognized it at once. It was the one he’d fed before.

He hesitated, braced both hands on his knees, and looked up at Wen Yang standing beside him. Without meaning to, he let a hopeful, pleading look creep into his eyes.

“You want to take it back with you?”

“Yeah.”

Wen Yang frowned without letting much show. “Keeping a cat in the dorm isn’t a good idea. What’ll you do when vacation comes? Dump it again?”

“I’ll take responsibility!”

Wen Yang looked down at the filthy kitten, soaked through with rain. His face still showed nothing but disdain, but after a moment, he nodded reluctantly. “Fine.”

Ning Chu keenly sensed that Wen Yang didn’t seem to like cats very much.

The plot in the book went something like this: one day, Wen Yang woke up at home to find his cat had turned into a catgirl. She was naked, lying beside him under the same covers. Thanks to Wen Yang’s devoted care, the catgirl had conveniently gone into heat—and she took the initiative to repay his kindness.

If he didn’t like cats, how was the plot point where the little female cat repaid Wen Yang supposed to happen?

He hesitated again. If this really was the female kitten from the plot, then taking her home himself would be like letting a thief into the house, wouldn’t it?

But that cat would be living at Wen Yang’s house, not in the dorm.

What were the odds of that happening?

“Blackie~” Ning Chu’s voice had never sounded so gentle. He quickly gave the little black cat a nickname and softly stroked the kitten, while his mind raced.

If he left it here, the kitten would most likely die in tonight’s rain.

He wasn’t exactly a saint, but he had at least fed the kitten himself.

Even if the cat really did turn into a catgirl, after ruining the plot so many times and messing up Wen Yang’s sex life, surely he could handle one cat, right?

Once he’d made up his mind, Ning Chu stood and said, “I’m going to buy some milk!”

“Goat’s milk. Most cats are lactose intolerant.”

“Really?”

He turned around in surprise, then nodded firmly and hurried off to buy goat’s milk. He also asked the supermarket owner for an extra plastic bag, then carefully placed the kitten inside it.

He found himself walking much faster on the way back.

When they reached the dorm, Ning Chu put down his umbrella. He didn’t even bother with his soaked clothes and pants—he dashed to grab the electric kettle and hurried out to the balcony.

“Where’d you go? What took you so long?” Zhang Shaoqing turned around, then spotted a little black cat inside a clear plastic bag on the floor.

He asked in surprise, “Are you two planning to keep a cat?”

“Ning Chu wants to keep it. I think it’s caught a cold. It doesn’t look very lively.”

“That’s great. I like cats too.” Zhang Shaoqing eagerly hurried over and carefully lifted the kitten out of the plastic bag. “Wait, what do we do if it’s caught a cold? Take it to a vet?”

“I’ve got a new towel. Let’s wrap it up and dry it off first.” Wen Yang pulled a brand-new towel out of a drawer.

Then he rummaged through the drawer again and found a box of cold medicine. “Ning Chu, give it a little cold medicine later.”

“Isn’t that medicine for people?” Ning Chu came back from the balcony and set the kettle on its base. Then he turned and asked, “Will that work?”

“Why wouldn’t it? Just give it a little.” Wen Yang took out a pill and broke off a tiny piece with his fingernail. “This much should do. Toss it into the goat’s milk later.”

Ning Chu realized that Wen Yang didn’t seem to dislike cats as much as he let on. He knew exactly how to care for one—far better than someone like Ning Chu, who simply liked cats and impulsively tried to help without knowing what he was doing.

“How do you know so much?”

“I’ve looked into it a little.”

“Do you have a cat at home too?”

Wen Yang used his new towel to make a little nest for the kitten in the corner. At Ning Chu’s question, he shook his head. “We don’t have a cat. Veterinarians show up on my phone feed all the time, so I ended up watching a few videos.”

You should’ve said so earlier!

So this kitten really was the one from the plot!

If things followed the plot, Wen Yang would adopt this cat and take it home during vacation, right?

Ning Chu’s face darkened. His gaze instinctively turned to the kitten curled up in a ball, only to find it staring right back at him with round eyes like crystal balls.

“...”

It was fine. The cat was still little. Even if it turned into a catgirl on the spot, she’d be underage, and Wen Yang, that virgin, wouldn’t be able to bring himself to touch her.

While the cat was still little, he’d make sure to train her right! Repay Wen Yang for saving her? I’m the one who picked you up, so you should repay me!

Then Ning Chu had a sudden change of heart, and everything became clear.

The girls in this world were so open that they’d easily give him a green hat. But he could raise one himself from kittenhood!

“Once the water boils, put the goat’s milk you bought straight into the kettle and warm it for a few minutes.” Wen Yang kept complaining about the kitten, but his hands never stopped drying its fur as he gave instructions. “The milk shouldn’t be too hot—just a little warmer than your body temperature.”

Ning Chu replied briskly, “Got it, got it! Shaoqing, stop staring at the cat like a pervert and come help!”

“Fuck! When was I ever being a pervert?!”