Chapter 123: I Will Surely Be More Obedient Than She Is

Throughout the meal, I watched Wangchuan absently stroke her head now and then.

And the cat was far more obedient than I had ever been when Wangchuan once seized me by the collar and issued warnings—obedient by more than a hundredfold.

I suddenly felt a little envious. So envious that I wished the one kneeling over there was me.

What a strange way of thinking.

It seemed I had not knelt before Wangchuan for a very, very long time. The relationship between us had improved somewhat from that of master and pet. Sometimes, we even truly seemed like husband and wife.

But now, watching another pet occupy the place that had once belonged to me, I felt humiliated!

And it was entirely possible that she had come first, while I had come afterward!

My existence was all because there had once been another her!

My fingers were clenched so tightly that their tips had gone white. I stared at the table piled with meat without eating a single bite.

Wangchuan was perceptive. He raised an eyebrow and brushed Nineflame’s hand away.

Though he did so with a gentleness that was somehow terrifying.

Then he rose, let out a soft sigh, came over, and lifted me into his arms. He sat down in my chair and settled me on his lap instead.

I was wrapped in nothing but a large bath towel, with nothing beneath it, so I did not dare move recklessly. I could only let him hold me like that.

But my heart grew much warmer.

It was no longer as cold as before.

After Wangchuan left, Nineflame rose from the floor and beamed at me.

Was she smiling at me, or at Wangchuan?

I did not want to look up at the cat. Instead, I glared at Wangchuan as he cut the steak into tiny pieces and fed them into my mouth.

I did not know whether my anger had somehow turned into chewing strength or whether the beef was truly so tough, but every bite made a crunching sound between my teeth, as though I were grinding them in fury.

Even so, I still felt a little more triumphant as I looked toward the kitten. At last, I had regained some of my dignity.

I… was exactly as Wangchuan had said: destined to be a pet.

There was no way I could treat this woman as nothing more than a cat. I would even compete with her for affection. I grew jealous of every nuzzle, every stroke, every lick!

Yes, jealous! I was more than a little jealous!

Fortunately, she was the one kneeling over there, while I was sitting in Wangchuan’s arms. And Wangchuan was feeding me!

Although I was still troubled by what had happened earlier, listening to the crunching from my puffed-up cheeks made me feel as though I were gnawing on that cat’s ears.

“Ah—”

Perhaps out of habit, whenever Wangchuan finished a large piece of meat, he would put a smaller one into my mouth. When I heard him say, “Ah,” I opened my mouth, bit down on the meat, and continued chewing while glaring at Nineflame.

That continued until I heard Wangchuan laugh.

The little cat across from me, Nineflame, was laughing too. The amusement in her eyes looked strange, probably because I resembled a squirrel, both cheeks bulging.

Even in that state, whenever he placed another piece of meat in my mouth, I would still bite down and continue chewing.

“What are you laughing at?” I said, spraying meat because I could barely speak clearly. “Your teeth are good and your appetite is good. Can’t I chew for a little longer?”

As I said this, Wangchuan raised one finger and poked my cheek. I could not hold back and immediately sprayed beef juice all over him.

Wangchuan laughed without replying. Instead, he used his thumb to wipe away the beef broth that had dribbled from the corner of my mouth before I had managed to swallow it.

I swallowed, then turned my head away. I had never liked eating so much meat in the first place, and my teeth were nothing like those of that carnivorous monster. Of course I could not chew it!

But for the sake of my honor, if my master wanted to feed me, then so be it. I would chew and chew. Even if I could not break it down, I would chew with pride!

Nineflame showed no expression. She simply hurriedly rose from the floor and handed several tissues to Wangchuan.

He took them. With one, he wiped my mouth, then folded it and wiped the hand that had just touched my face. Finally, he wiped the juice from his body and placed the tissue on the table.

He tucked another into the bath towel around my chest, apparently afraid that I truly would be unable to chew the meat and would end up dribbling grease everywhere.

I stared at the neatly folded tissue on the table and finally could not stand it any longer. Leaning forward, I spat several times and deposited a large mass of dark-red meat onto it.

“What the hell is this? Why is it so hard to chew?” I complained unhappily between spits.

It was like eating an enormous wad of chewing gum. My entire jaw had nearly gone rigid!

Nineflame narrowed her eyes and smiled radiantly. “This is beef from the south. Master prefers meat from animals that get plenty of exercise. He does not like meat that has been boiled until it is too soft and has no texture. His teeth need to eat something chewy and full of resistance from time to time, otherwise he feels uncomfortable.”

I looked at Nineflame as she answered, like an old nursemaid who understood Wangchuan down to his bones. Then I turned back to him.

Wangchuan looked at the large ball I had spat out and laughed.

“I cut it into pieces for you. It only proves that you were too greedy to chew it all.”

“You’re the one who’s too greedy to chew it all!” I pointed at myself, then at Nineflame. “One! Two! Neither of you can chew it!”

Wangchuan nodded, naturally understanding what I meant. The corners of his lips curled up, and he looked extremely pleased.

What was he laughing at? Laugh, laugh, laugh—could he never stop? Was he really that happy just because someone had licked and nuzzled him?

Bastard!

The meal left me thoroughly displeased. Nineflame did not leave either. Normally, once we had eaten, what business did a cat have lingering around?

Even Rebecca had never accompanied Wangchuan during meals. She would set down the food and withdraw. This one truly had no shame!

So after Wangchuan finished eating, I kept clinging to his arm and making him hold me. I refused to let go!

I was being competitive. I had no idea why I was competing with this cat, but in any case, my master was mine, and no one else was allowed to occupy him!

He had said that he would marry only me. Though that did not guarantee I would be his only woman, still! I had to defend my territory!

Even though I knew perfectly well—having watched a wildlife program two days earlier—that the stronger the male leader, especially among cats, the more females usually followed behind him.

There was also a crude but undeniable saying: the nature of male animals was to spread their seed everywhere, letting their genes reach every corner of the world!

No! One set of my genes was enough! There was no need for another little Qiongqi kitten!

And so, with me gripping Wangchuan and refusing to let go, the meal finally ended.

I had eaten unhappily and could barely chew the meat, so almost nothing had made it into my stomach. Wangchuan, meanwhile, could not even move because I was clinging to him.

You little brat, just stand over there! Stand there! I’m going to outlast you!

The cat kept smiling sweetly, as though she were having the time of her life. She gazed at Wangchuan with such adoration that flowers might as well have been blooming around her. Her ears kept twitching.

At last, Wangchuan had eaten his fill. He waved his hand, and Nineflame immediately understood. She cleared away the dishes, flicked her tail, rang the bells attached to it, and left.

I glared at Wangchuan and shouted furiously, “I’m still hungry!”

Wangchuan did not answer. Instead, he picked me up and carried me straight inside. He pulled away the bath towel, sent me tumbling onto the bed, and then pressed me firmly beneath him.

“Tell me. Why are you unhappy?”

Wangchuan was especially heavy on top of me. And the hand stroking my cheek still carried the scent of that cat.

“Of course I’m unhappy,” I replied through clenched teeth.

“Why? Because of Nineflame?”

I ground my teeth furiously. “Who else could it be? What if I went and found a new master to nuzzle and touch? How would you like that?”

Smack!

He struck my buttocks.

It was harder than ever before. I reached back to touch the spot myself. It was burning hot and must already have turned red.

A flood of tears instantly filled the corners of my eyes. I felt wronged, yet I could not express the depth of it.

You were allowed to touch other cats, but I was not allowed to find another master…

He reached out, seemingly wanting to wipe away my tears, but I slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me with the hand you used to touch another cat!” My voice trembled with grievance, yet I still stubbornly refused to lower my head.

Wangchuan looked at his palm and shook his head, seeming somewhat bewildered.

“She licked your hand.” I pointed at it, trembling so hard with tears that my stomach jerked with every sob, yet I could not stop.

I truly did not know where all this grievance had come from. At that moment, I felt like an abandoned pet. Although sobbing was humiliating, I was genuinely heartbroken.

“So?” Wangchuan still seemed not to understand.

“What do you mean, ‘so’?” I sniffed and grabbed his sleeve. “She knelt on your lap, and she licked your hand, and then you… you… you stroked her too! Sob…”

By the end, I was crying so hard I could barely speak.

“Were you not always disdainful of such things?” Wangchuan frowned, and the movement seemed to explain why he had recently stopped making me kneel or lick him.

I looked at him and frowned. “No… from now on, only I can do those things. No one else can! Not even cats!”

“Is that so?” Wangchuan looked somewhat puzzled, as though he felt he was being treated unfairly.

It went without saying that he liked that cat, didn’t he?

I also knew my demand was a little excessive. Wangchuan had not mated with her in front of me or anything. I was being terribly jealous, crying miserably.

But my hurt and jealousy were not false! I was a jealous person too! I could feel sour as well!

I even wanted to scream at him until my heart broke, then beat him viciously and make him kick that wild cat out!

But—

I knew that what I needed at that moment was to coax Wangchuan into calming down.

The reason he liked that cat was probably because she was so very obedient.

Therefore, I could not bare my teeth and act spoiled and willful toward Wangchuan. Otherwise, I would only make her virtues appear even more obvious.

Whether I truly had a marriage recognized in name but empty in substance, or whether I remained nothing more than a little pet cat Wangchuan favored, I had to be better than her.

Although I was not as beautiful as she was, I should have confidence. At least Wangchuan was with me now, while she was outside washing dishes.

So, after consoling myself for a while, I felt scalding tears rolling down my cheeks. Biting my lip, I seized his hand and begged him in a trembling voice.

“Master… sob… I’ll be good. I promise I’ll be more obedient than Nineflame. Would that be all right? Whatever you ask me to do, sob… I’ll do it… Just don’t touch other cats… Touch only me… all right?”