Chapter 67 Part 3

As soon as he spoke, there was a rustle in the bushes.

“Meow~”

A round head poked out from below—it was a Tabby Cat.

No more hissing. It tilted its head up at Zhong Nian, then cocked it curiously at this two-legged human it saw for the first time.

Man and cat stared at each other.

As a Cat Rabbit, Zhong Nian was basically cat kin, give or take.

Perhaps due to innate species affinity, the Tabby Cat, which had rejected Jiang Jingyun earlier, slowly emerged from the bushes upon seeing Zhong Nian.

It moved its tail elegantly and slowly, jumped down from the flower bed to Zhong Nian’s feet, sniffed his scent with its pink nose.

No one knew what it smelled, but its pupils shrank to pinpricks. Its eyes widened, mouth slightly agape, staring at Zhong Nian in shock.

“What’s wrong with it?” Jiang Jingyun was surprised by the scene.

Only Zhong Nian knew.

The cat must have smelled rabbit on him, causing its little brain to short-circuit…

He couldn’t explain and could only smile awkwardly: “I don’t know. Little Cat is just quirky.”

As he spoke, the Tabby Cat swatted his shoe with its paw.

Jiang Jingyun laughed lowly: “It understood.”

Zhong Nian squatted down and reached out to the Tabby Cat.

“Careful—” Jiang Jingyun started to warn, but stopped upon seeing the Tabby Cat actively rub its head into Zhong Nian’s palm. He chuckled in amusement. “I thought it was going to attack you.”

Zhong Nian scratched the cat’s head: “It’s still very well-behaved.”

Perhaps envious of their interaction, Jiang Jingyun tried reaching out too.

But before he touched a single hair, the Tabby Cat swiped suddenly.

“Meow!”

Fortunately, Jiang Jingyun pulled back fast, or he’d have been scratched.

Zhong Nian jumped too and retracted his hand.

But in a blink, the Tabby Cat dropped its aggression, chasing his hand meekly to rub against it, as if comforting him not to be scared.

“Uh…”

Such blatant favoritism left Zhong Nian stunned.

He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he inexplicably felt sorry for Jiang Jingyun.

But the moment didn’t turn awkward. Jiang Jingyun, attacked, didn’t mind at all. He laughed brightly: “Alright then, turns out it’s only close to you.”

“You okay?” Zhong Nian checked Jiang Jingyun’s hand.

“Fine.” Jiang Jingyun showed his unscathed hand back. “I’m used to it. I really like these furry creatures, but for some reason, they all reject me—not just dislike.”

“I see…”

Zhong Nian had no specific reason for that.

Small animals were extremely sensitive to scents and sometimes instinctively disliked certain beings.

There was no real fix for it.

“Here, you feed it then.”

Jiang Jingyun handed him the opened Cat Treats.

No point wasting them, Zhong Nian took them and offered to the Tabby Cat.

The Tabby Cat sniffed cautiously, licked once, and upon tasting the delicious flavor, lost all restraint. It devoured them ravenously, making “nom nom” sounds while eating.

Zhong Nian was amused by the Little Cat’s cuteness: “Slow down, Baby.”

Even his tone softened.

The man beside him quietly watched the scene.

Zhong Nian, in light soft white clothes, knelt with bent knees on the ground. His slender frame looked even more delicate, the fabric revealing his butterfly-like shoulder blades.

Where the fabric didn’t cover, his beautiful spinous processes connected to his snowy nape, utterly defenseless.

His focus was on feeding the cat, his downcast eyes curved tenderly, long lashes casting shadows.

His nose was pert, lips full like ripe fruit—the most vivid color amid purity, drawing the gaze irresistibly.

When the Little Cat accidentally licked his finger, those beautiful eyes and lips curved up, emitting a soft, enticing laugh.

[Perfect cat with perfect Baby—such a pleasing sight.]

[So cute I peed the bed—warm and comfy.]

[Wanna pet, stroke, suck—I mean the person.]

[Who gets it? Wanna stuff Wife’s head in my mouth like the Little Cat and hold* it…]

“Nom meow!”

Zhong Nian focused on the greedy Tabby Cat, struggling to squeeze out Cat Treats fast enough: “Slow down, no rush.”

The Tabby Cat’s frenzy was a bit scary; it even hugged his wrist with both paws.

Zhong Nian pushed the cat away, but it climbed back onto him.

“Hey—”

In the chaos, a cat claw hooked somewhere on Zhong Nian. He lost balance and fell backward.

“Careful!”

His waist and back were caught by an arm, and he timely braced with his hand, avoiding a head impact.

He frowned in pain from the scrape and let out a soft hum.

Jiang Jingyun, kneeling on one knee to support him, was about to ask if he was alright when his gaze was drawn to a certain sight.

The Tabby Cat’s sharp claw had torn Zhong Nian’s clothes, snagging and pulling the collar down.

A large expanse of dazzling white gleamed like snow in the sun. Below his collarbone, a red mark oozed blood beads, contrasting with the two points beneath like stunning red plums in a snowy field.

From Jiang Jingyun’s angle, he saw everything.

“Ow…” Unaware of his exposure, the young man gasped softly and lightly smacked the Little Tabby Cat’s head. “You naughty cat.”

The man holding him paused in his breath. Amid the daze, that smack felt like it landed on him, his lower abdomen heating up.