Chapter 71: Serving the Master Is Like Serving a Tiger

For a moment, I hesitated, then instead raised my head to ask Wang Chuan.
“Master, have you ever… loved Rebecca?”
Just as Rebecca said, women are not animals—I still cared about Wang Chuan’s thoughts.
“Love?” Wang Chuan frowned slightly.
“I mean… do you want to have children with her…” The moment I brought this up, an ache welled up inside me.
“No.” Wang Chuan shook his head, expressionless as ever, exactly as he was when he rejected me yesterday.
Alright, I knew it. There’s no difference between Rebecca and me.
I sighed, unable to find any words to follow, not knowing what to say. The air seemed to thicken, sealing both our lips.
“Didn’t you say yesterday that having children means you like someone?” He raised an eyebrow, eventually asking after a long silence.
I was stunned.
It seems, regarding Rebecca and myself, I never really understood the difference between ‘like’ and ‘love.’
I started to think about how to explain it to Wang Chuan.
“Actually, liking and loving are quite similar. Then… how do I compare to Rebecca?”
“I like Rebecca more,” Wang Chuan answered simply. “But I don’t want children.”
I pouted, feeling comforted yet irritated—he doesn’t want children, but what about with me, you bastard…
A crackle of electricity ran through my collar, but I stubbornly pretended nothing had happened, until Wang Chuan spoke again.
“I used to like Rebecca because she was brave, willing to sacrifice for others. Pei Mu said that’s good character.”
I nodded, “Yes.”
Xiao Yun had told me about Rebecca—what she did was beyond brave; the word barely suffices.
She fell in love with her master, yet received no response, and that made her extreme.
But what did Pei Mu say—was he incapable of making decisions himself?
“I actually have little patience for you little things,” Wang Chuan sighed, then habitually hooked my chin with his finger.
Come on, I’m not a cat anymore, don’t scratch my chin…
Yet, despite my thoughts, my face involuntarily leaned in, flushing red.
“Do you know why I won’t forgive Rebecca?” Wang Chuan asked, lowering his gaze.
“I… I just want to know, have you ever…” I muttered, perhaps truly overwhelmed by his masculine scent, blurting out my thoughts.
“Ever what?” Wang Chuan pressed, and I managed a faint smile.
“Ever… held Rebecca while sleeping.” I lay across Wang Chuan’s knee, nervously staring at him.
“No.” Wang Chuan shook his head. “She… her mind grew heavier, and I found her tiresome.”
I was unexpectedly relieved, and asked again without thinking, “What about other cats?”
“I’ve held you.” He narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something unpleasant.
Wang Chuan had held me three times, only three times. I tried to recall what made me different from the others, but couldn’t figure it out.
There were plenty of kittens; Wang Chuan said they annoyed him, which was understandable.
If I raised a flock of pigeons and they fought amongst themselves, I’d be annoyed too.
But then I thought, would I ever fall in love with my pigeons? Obviously not.
Yet the displeasure in Wang Chuan’s eyes—what did that mean? Did holding me actually irritate him?

I cast him a disdainful glance, then pouted, thinking cats don’t hold grudges against their owners, and decided to return to the main topic.
“Then why won’t you forgive Rebecca?”
Wang Chuan glanced outside, roughly in Rebecca’s direction.
“She accompanied me for a long time, was devoted, perhaps had feelings for me she shouldn’t have—I know that.” He turned to me. “But I’ve clearly forbidden any contact with people from the Underworld.”
A shiver ran through my body—wasn’t that about me?
Just a few days ago, I’d met with You Luo, though unknowingly. Was Wang Chuan subtly warning me?
But he said no contact with people from the Underworld—had Rebecca done so?
“And then…” I asked weakly.
“Then,” Wang Chuan chuckled, “then the evil spirits attacked the rift, and you gained another little plum blossom.”
“Uh…” I shivered again, withdrawing my paws in front of my eyes.
Wang Chuan patted my head, his expression growing less amiable.
“I don’t like humans.”
“Haha…” I grinned, still unclear about Wang Chuan’s meaning.
Isn’t this a bit much? Patting my head while saying he doesn’t like me—where does that leave my dignity?
But since becoming Wang Chuan’s cat, I’d learned to be thick-skinned. No matter how much I was suppressed or abused, I had to endure.
Otherwise, I’d be doomed~!
As the ancients said: serving the king is like serving a tiger.
Serving the master is no different!
Just as I was thinking this, Wang Chuan’s hand on my head suddenly felt much larger. Looking closely—damn it! I’d transformed again!
A bit bigger than before, about four foot three, but—the key is! My tail was back! My ears too!
I cradled my head, nearly bursting into tears from shock!
I couldn’t stand the feeling of my ears not being on the sides in human form! The sides were bald! That was even more embarrassing than a bald tail!
I was internally frantic, my complexion turning ghastly, but after Wang Chuan gently pinched my cheek, my mood suddenly brightened!
So shameless! I silently cursed myself several times.
All for a man—was it worth it?!
“You look beautiful like this,” Wang Chuan’s lips curved slightly. “Makes me want to eat you up.”
I swallowed hard, not knowing if he meant it literally or figuratively, but I really wanted to turn the tables on my earlier question!
All for a man! Was it really worth it!
I awkwardly touched my own cheek. No one had ever called me beautiful!
Wang Chuan was so stunning—was he blind?!
My face couldn’t be considered beautiful, not even worth one of his eyes… No dazzling pupils, no lovely hair color…
“Sigh…” I thought, then sighed, “Master, in truth, Rebecca’s had it tough too.”
Wang Chuan didn’t respond.
“Rebecca may have spoken out of turn just now, and I believe you when you say you’ve never done anything with her, but she is pitiable all the same.”
“How so?” Wang Chuan raised an eyebrow.
He always seemed a beat slow when it came to matters between men and women.

He even asked me things like what is liking, what is love, unable to distinguish how liking and love relate to having children.
So I guessed, Wang Chuan was likely someone with high intelligence and low emotional quotient.
Or perhaps, his heart never harbored love, so he couldn’t understand how others loved.
I sighed, “Master, you must understand—Rebecca is, after all, just a human. She’s accompanied you for centuries; that’s more than enough time to fall in love. Human love is peculiar—if it isn’t reciprocated, it turns to anger. She didn’t mean it, perhaps she just felt… frustrated seeing you hold me.”
In truth, when facing me, Rebecca started out proud, but now she openly showed her dislike.
That was better than a hidden smile and a knife.
I smiled, looking at Wang Chuan. “And besides, she’s been standing there for so many days, truly devoted. Any ordinary cat would’ve slunk away in embarrassment long ago. It shows Rebecca still likes you… all because… she likes you.”
Wang Chuan pondered for a long time. As I expected, his intelligence was high, but his emotional quotient was in the negatives.
This realization cheered me up—at least when he rejected me last night, it might not have been heartfelt!
Perhaps he still couldn’t tell the difference between having children, liking, and loving—what’s the connection anyway?
“Pfft…” I couldn’t help but cover my mouth and laugh.
Who would have thought—a man admired by all, feared by countless kittens, would turn out to have a negative emotional quotient!
Should I call myself lucky, or marvel that Rebecca hadn’t discovered this in centuries?
Maybe Wang Chuan once treated Rebecca kindly as he did now, and that led her to believe he truly liked her.
Fate is strange—his emotional quotient so low, women misunderstand his intentions, and they say he loves to flirt with girls?
More likely, girls flirt with him.
I watched Wang Chuan, lost in thought with his eyes lowered, and found him incredibly handsome, so I gazed at him quietly until he tapped my forehead.
“Pass the word: let bygones be bygones. Rebecca resumes her post, still in charge of the cats.”
I froze, then nodded. My heart ached a bit, but since I had pleaded with Wang Chuan myself, there was nothing to be done.
So I slowly stood up, looked at my bare, featherless, scruffy self, pouted, and spread my arms.
“Master… am I supposed to go out like this?”
I’d just gotten used to being hairless in front of him—if I had to parade like this before others, I’d rather be put to death!
Wang Chuan laughed, tossing his big coat back to me. “I think you look good in this—wear it from now on.”
I took the coat, embarrassed, and turned to dress.
It was still a bit big, especially since I’d shrunk; it nearly reached my knees, and I had to roll up the sleeves several times.
I smiled helplessly, glanced at myself in the mirror—compared to my outfit in the human world, it was lacking in undergarments.
But… at least it carried Wang Chuan’s scent!
As a half-female creature, I felt a strange satisfaction, my heart blooming with delight!
Just as I was about to go out and deliver the order, Wang Chuan called me back.
“Wait.”
“Master?” I turned, trying to hide my discomfort about Rebecca.
Wang Chuan smiled again. “Tell her she doesn’t need to see me anymore—I don’t like her. From now on, you’ll come instead.”
I stared blankly. “What did you say?”
Wang Chuan frowned, repeating himself. “I said, from now on, you’ll come. You know how to cook, don’t you?”