Chapter Fifty-Nine: Feels Soft and Resilient Super Release Carnival on Launch! (7/8)

Yu Bao glanced at me awkwardly, then lowered her voice and said, “Xiaoyun’s embarrassed to see you.”

“How so?”

“Well…” Yu Bao glanced at Xiaomi, who was fast asleep beside us, snoring softly, and sighed, “Come on, let me show you.”

I rose, curiosity piqued, and followed Yu Bao out of the Guardian Cats’ quarters, back to the Soul-Eater Cats’ old den.

Yu Bao stood by the door, gesturing for me to go in alone. I pushed the door open and found Xiaoyun.

She was leaning on the windowsill, gazing at something outside, her silhouette solitary in the silver wash of moonlight.

“Xiaoyun,” I called softly.

She turned to me, leaning against the window. “Qianqian…”

“What’s wrong?” I wanted to take a few steps toward her, but Xiaoyun immediately leaped onto the windowsill, tail erect, watching me.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“Xiaoyun?” I faltered, not daring to approach.

In the moonlight, I could see that Xiaoyun had grown noticeably thinner.

Soul-Eater Cats don’t need to eat; they grow plump if they overindulge, but going without food doesn’t make them thin. After all, we’re not really alive—our only way to burn energy is through running, movement, vomiting, or crying.

Had Xiaoyun been wearing herself out recently, or crying in secret? Or perhaps she’d fallen ill?

“Qianqian…” Xiaoyun huddled on the sill and suddenly burst into tears. “Qianqian, I was wrong…”

“What’s wrong?” I jumped up to the sill, wanting to comfort her, but I didn’t dare touch her as she kept drawing away.

“I’m sorry, Qianqian, I’m sorry, I caused you trouble.” Xiaoyun sobbed uncontrollably.

“What do you mean?” I wasn’t exactly shocked; I suspected she’d been hanging around with Rebecca a while ago and now felt guilty about it.

But how had she harmed me, exactly?

“Qianqian… Actually… I actually caught Rebecca plotting against you. Rebecca threatened me—she said if I told you, she’d… I was terrified, so I didn’t say anything. I never thought… I didn’t know it would cause so many misunderstandings for you… I didn’t know…”

She wept as she spoke. At first, I was a bit anxious, but then I found myself smiling.

“Karma always comes around. This isn’t your fault. Everyone gets scared sometimes. You did nothing wrong.”

This silly girl—she’d always been timid. There were things she kept from me, but I’d always known.

But I believed, whatever her reasons, Xiaoyun always had my best interests at heart.

She is my best friend in this rift, as she always was and always will be.

“But I didn’t tell you.” Xiaoyun still looked burdened with guilt.

I frowned, thinking, “Actually, you could look at it this way—even if you’d told me, it wouldn’t have changed Rebecca or her plans. Now our master has set up some grand scheme, caught them all in it, and it backfired on them completely. Isn’t that a good ending?”

“But Rebecca’s not dead!” Xiaoyun suddenly became agitated. “Rebecca always takes revenge—she’ll come after you again!”

“That doesn’t worry me.” I shook my head and pulled Xiaoyun down from the windowsill.

The shadows of our two small cats stretched long on the floor—one with pointy ears, the other with only one ear standing upright, looking a little odd.

But it was always us—me and Xiaoyun. From the very beginning, it was just the two of us. And now, Xiaoyun had felt guilty for so long for not telling me this.

That alone proved Xiaoyun loved me.

In truth, I’d always known Xiaoyun was lying to me from the start.

I never met her in my lifetime, nor had I ever given her any money.

She didn’t want to take human form in front of me—partly so I wouldn’t worry, but also out of fear of revealing her true self.

Her true self was clearly that of a female college student from olden times; we all retained the appearance and attire from when we died.

Xiaoyun probably feared I’d grow suspicious, so she claimed she’d died in an explosion on a film set.

But the first story she told me was that she’d frozen to death, cold and hungry on the street.

But in the end, the details didn’t matter—how Xiaoyun died, or why she approached me. What mattered was that she was good to me.

So I put my arm around Xiaoyun’s shoulder. “Even if Rebecca comes back, I won’t let her harm us again.”

“Huh?” Xiaoyun seemed to notice the sudden change in my tone.

“It’s true—think about it—” Just then, a loud bang sounded outside!

I jumped, startled, not quite sure what had happened, when a muffled voice shouted from outside.

“Yu Bao! Where have you gone?”

Then Yu Bao’s voice replied, “Just came to check on Xiaoyun. Why are you up? If you don’t sleep, everyone else is asleep—don’t shout.”

“But I want to! You went out without me! I thought you’d died again!”

Yu Bao coughed awkwardly. “Let’s go talk outside.”

“Can I take the egg?”

“No!”

Uh… A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, while Xiaoyun watched the scene outside with curiosity.

“Yu Bao… isn’t dead?”

“Of course not!” I smiled, realizing this silly girl thought Yu Bao had died.

“I… I…” Xiaoyun stammered, wiping away her tears. “As long as she’s alive… I thought it was all my fault…”

“Enough with that!” I laughed, patting her. “Look at you, crying yourself thin. Come on, let’s go back to the Guardian Cats’ place!”

“Can I go?” Xiaoyun shrank back a little.

After all, the Guardian Cats’ quarters were off limits—ordinary Soul-Pacifying Cats weren’t allowed in, let alone a low-level Soul-Eater Cat.

But so what? I’d bring her anyway. Tomorrow I’d go find Wangchuan and tell him Xiaoyun should be a Guardian Cat too!

After all, Wangchuan had bullied me for days! He even… well, never mind that, but he’d run me ragged. I figured I had every right to ask for something in return!

Right?

I looked at Xiaoyun, then resolutely took a step forward. “Come with me!”

Xiaoyun swallowed nervously, but perhaps she sensed that, in the Guardian Cats’ group, I was the leader, so she followed me back.

It had been so long since I’d seen Xiaoyun. We chatted idly for ages, until past midnight, when the moon was nearly gone, and Xiaomi and Yu Bao finally returned.

“I’m sleeping in this room tonight too!” Xiaomi announced, patting her paw.

“All right, all right, you’re the boss.” I covered my face, quickly fetching a new little nest from the other cupboards.

When I’d first moved in, there were six or seven nests in total—good treatment, pick as you like.

Out of selfishness, I brought back my own little green dinosaur nest; the rest I left in the cupboard, and now they came in handy.

Yu Bao saw we probably wouldn’t sleep, so she went out to get some snacks. While she was gone, my curiosity got the better of me, and I nudged the drowsy Xiaomi.

“Hey, hey, what were you and Yu Bao up to just now?” They’d been gone for hours—surely they’d talked about something?

“Studying the egg!” Xiaomi nodded, her answer bright and cheerful.

“Uh…” I grimaced awkwardly. “Anything else?”

“Studying the willy!” Xiaomi added.

I was even more embarrassed, but before I could speak, Xiaoyun quickly asked,

“What does it look like?”

Xiaomi raised her paw to describe, “It’s pink! Really cute and adorable!”

I conjured an image in my mind. Well, that’s probably how animals are. Calling it cute is fair.

“So you didn’t do anything else? Like chat or something?” I tried to steer the conversation, curious about what Yu Bao and Xiaomi had discussed.

Xiaomi thought for a moment. “Nope! I just wanted to touch the egg! Yu Bao said I could!”

“…!” I was utterly speechless. Yu Bao really…

“What did it feel like?” Xiaoyun, wedged between me and Xiaomi, suddenly asked in fascination.

Xiaoyun must have come from olden times too—maybe she’d died young, without ever knowing men, never had modern sex ed, so she was as curious as Xiaomi.

Xiaomi squeezed her paw. “Very bouncy! Soft and fuzzy—really nice!”

“Pfft—” I almost spat blood from the shock.

“Anything else? Did you two do anything else?” I asked.

“Oh! I wanted to bite the willy, but Yu Bao wouldn’t let me! Later I got mad, and he grudgingly said I could lick it!” Xiaomi grinned, showing her tiny teeth.

“…” I was at a loss for words.

Xiaoyun, however, was still curious. “What did it taste like? Was it like licking fur?”

“Not the same! Also bouncy!” Xiaomi recalled earnestly. “Kind of like gummy candy! Have you ever had it?”

“I have!” Xiaoyun nodded, still delighted by her curiosity.

I stood by, mouth twitching, not knowing what to say.

I just couldn’t join in their conversation. I didn’t know if I was too much of a pervert, or if these two were too innocent.

In any case, I felt as if I’d landed on a Martian colony. If not out of place, then at least every sentence was enough to send me into orbit! I couldn’t even wedge myself into the conversation.

Just as I was awkwardly glancing around, unable to handle it, I saw Yu Bao standing in the doorway, mouth full of snacks, frozen in place.

His face was black as thunder—who knew how much he’d just heard.

“Ahem—!” I coughed violently.

The two cats looked up and saw Yu Bao at the door at the same time.

Xiaoyun immediately covered her face in embarrassment, clutching her virtue, while Xiaomi bounded over to Yu Bao.

“Yu Bao! Come here! We’re talking about your egg!!” she announced, looking at him with pride, as if waiting for praise.

“Pfft—” Another mouthful of blood, and I was about to spray the ceiling.

What in the world is wrong with this place?! Am I even going to survive?!

It seems I need some melodrama to save me from this madness!