Chapter 5

Well-fed and content, Fu Xin remained completely unaware of what had happened.

Instead of returning to the cat bed, she climbed directly onto the bed, lay down beside Yu Chen, and comfortably closed her eyes.

How could a cat bed possibly be as comfortable as sleeping on a real bed?

The next day,

the alarm had barely begun ringing when Yu Chen quickly switched it off. She sat up and looked toward the cat bed, but the kitten she expected to see was nowhere to be found.

When she braced her hand against the pillow beside her, her fingers encountered something fluffy.

Turning her head, she saw the kitten curled up on the other pillow, sleeping soundly. Reason and infatuation began battling inside her mind.

One side said: You can’t let the kitten sleep on the bed. She has her own cat bed.

The other side said: The kitten is so adorable. She only wants to climb onto the bed, not into the sky. Can’t you let her sleep here once in a while?

Infatuation quickly persuaded reason, and together, they indulged the kitten and allowed her to continue sleeping on the bed.

Thus began Yu Chen’s good mood for the day.

Afraid of waking the kitten, she quietly climbed out of bed.

Before leaving for work, she prepared plenty of goat’s milk and cat food in two separate bowls, allowing the kitten to choose between them.

During breaks at work, Yu Chen did not forget to make several phone calls. If it meant the kitten could live more comfortably, she did not mind going to a little more trouble herself.

Before finding this little black cat, Yu Chen had never thought she particularly liked adorable pets such as cats and dogs. She had not understood how some people could spend all day thinking about the pets waiting at home.

Now, however, she completely understood.

They had only been apart for a few hours, yet she kept becoming distracted. She could not stop wondering whether the little black cat had woken up and whether it had eaten the food she had prepared.

She immediately opened the pet surveillance feed on her phone to see what the kitten was doing in real time.

The heavy bedroom curtains hung over the windows, diligently blocking the sunlight outside. The kitten was still curled into a ball on the bed, sleeping soundly, her jet-black fur blending into the darkness.

Fu Xin had gone hungry for several consecutive days and had not finally eaten her fill until late last night. With her stomach full, even her sleep had become more peaceful.

Although the scene remained completely motionless, Yu Chen could watch it for most of the day, a smile unconsciously spreading across her face.

The coworker beside her rarely saw Yu Chen smile and could not help looking over.

“What special occasion is it today? It’s rare to see you this happy.”

Yu Chen enthusiastically shared the sight with her. “Look at my kitten. Isn’t she adorable?”

Her coworker tilted her head, only to see a pitch-black screen and an equally black kitten whose face was almost impossible to make out.

Her coworker: “…”

However, the moment they began discussing kittens, the distance between them narrowed considerably. Her coworker pulled her chair closer and held out her phone.

“Let me show you my cat.”

Yu Chen glanced at it but biasedly concluded that her own little black cat was still the cutest.

“She has a good appetite, doesn’t she? How much cat food does she eat each day?” Looking at the cat on her coworker’s screen, which had grown as large as a truck, Yu Chen inevitably thought of the picky little tyrant at home.

She said with a headache, “Mine is a picky eater. She doesn’t like cat food.”

Her coworker suggested, “Then you can make homemade cat food for her. There are plenty of tutorials online. It’s just more troublesome than pouring out regular cat food.”

“Mine stopped liking cat food after trying the meals I made too. I’ll send you the recipe.”

Hearing this, Yu Chen moved closer, opened the notes app on her phone, and carefully asked what she needed to pay attention to.

Her coworker reminded her, “Don’t overcook the chicken breast. Kittens don’t like it when it becomes too dry and tough. It’s better to keep it tender.”

“If you don’t want to shred the chicken breast by hand, you can buy a food processor and blend it into a paste.”

Because they were sitting so close, Yu Chen caught the scent of her coworker’s perfume. She instinctively wanted to pull away, but just then, her coworker opened the homemade cat-food recipe and began explaining the precautions in a continuous stream.

Yu Chen held her breath and continued listening.

After work,

she headed directly to the supermarket and bought [bailiantales.com]the ingredients she needed to make homemade cat food. While carrying everything home, she received a call from the moving company.

“I’ll be there soon.”

Two minutes later, Yu Chen ended the call and appeared at the entrance to her residential complex.

She led the moving crew upstairs. Just before entering, she warned them,

“I have a kitten at home, and she’s a little timid. Please wait outside while I bring her out.”

Yu Chen placed the plastic bag she was carrying beside the door and quietly stepped inside.

Fu Xin was already awake. She had ignored the cat food and drunk some goat’s milk. When she passed through the kitchen, she reverted to her old habits and wanted to take something out of the refrigerator.

But the bright sunlight streaming in made her feel inexplicably guilty.

Stealing food was wrong.

Doing something bad in broad daylight was even worse.

The little black cat hesitated in front of the refrigerator for a moment before deciding to wait until late at night, when everything was silent and no one was around.

Fu Xin had her own warped set of principles.

As long as no one saw her doing something bad, it did not count as doing something bad.

She was still a good succubus.

She had just jumped onto the sofa when she heard movement from the entrance.

The human was back!

The kitten nimbly leaped off the sofa and raced toward the entryway.

When Yu Chen turned around, she saw the kitten she had spent the entire day thinking about sitting obediently on the floor and gazing at her.

“Oh, the floor is so cold.”

Without even changing her shoes, Yu Chen bent down and picked up the kitten. She removed the scarf from around her neck, wrapped the kitten snugly inside it, and carried her outside.

Wrapped into a ball of soft cashmere, Fu Xin nestled obediently in the woman’s warm embrace.

Through the layer of scarf, the concerned words seemed to drift toward her from somewhere far away.

“We’re moving to a home with warmer floors.”

When they stepped outside,

Fu Xin saw a large group of strangers blocking the doorway.

She immediately burrowed deeper into Yu Chen’s embrace. The woman holding her patted her back reassuringly, drew her closer, and used her arms to form an isolated little world around her.

“Don’t be afraid. They’re here to help us move.”

Move?

They had been living there perfectly well. Why did they need to move?

Carrying the bag of ingredients, Yu Chen took a taxi to their new home.

After leaving the apartment, Fu Xin found everything outside fascinating—especially the vehicle they were currently riding in. She wondered how much magical energy it consumed to maintain such a high speed continuously.

Wait!

She had almost forgotten that this world did not possess magical energy.

Fu Xin became even more amazed. The humans in this world were incredible.

Beyond the light-gray tinted window, towering buildings sped past one after another. The neatly trimmed landscaping became a dark green ribbon flowing before her eyes.

The kitten sat obediently between Yu Chen’s knees, her bright pupils fixed on the scenery outside.

Fu Xin watched the scenery while Yu Chen watched her.

The kitten was quiet, but the tail behind her was exceptionally active. Its tip either pawed at Yu Chen’s trousers or flicked at the hem of her clothes.

When it had nothing else to do, it curled around Yu Chen’s arm in a neat circle, resembling an ink-black open cuff bracelet around her wrist.

The fine, soft fur tickled Yu Chen’s hand, making her unable to resist pestering the kitten.

She gently rotated the wrist of the arm wrapped in the tail. The black tail resting against the back of her hand slipped into her palm, stolen contentonly to dart away with remarkable agility.

The fluffy sensation disappeared in an instant, leaving Yu Chen grasping at empty air.

Refusing to accept defeat, her competitive spirit awakened. She became determined to catch that tail.

Between her legs, across the seat, through the air… The black tail appeared everywhere, but whenever Yu Chen reached for it, the nimble appendage immediately changed position.

After being bored for so long, Fu Xin’s tail had finally found a playmate. Whenever Yu Chen began feeling discouraged, it would deliberately slow down, creating the illusion that she would catch it in the next second.

It continued teasing her until the car stopped. Only then did the tail deliberately give up on evading her, allowing Yu Chen to catch it perfectly.

“Finally caught you!”

Fu Xin tore her attention away from the scenery outside and turned her head. She did not understand why this human had suddenly grabbed her tail.

Fortunately, the woman quickly released it, so Fu Xin did not dwell on the matter.

Instead, she curiously examined the buildings before her. The houses here were only three or four stories tall, with much more space between them and far more green plants throughout the surrounding area.

Judging solely by appearances, Fu Xin preferred this place.

Yu Chen climbed out of the car with the kitten in one arm and the bag in her other hand.

Since she had notified them beforehand, the property manager was already waiting at the entrance with the keys. The moment she saw Yu Chen approaching, she hurried forward to greet her.

Yu Chen handed her only the bag, continuing to hold the kitten herself. She boarded the property manager’s shuttle cart and headed toward her new home.

She entered her fingerprint to unlock the door. Although no one had lived in the house for a long time, it had been cleaned until it was spotless earlier that day.

The underfloor heating had already been switched on. When Yu Chen entered with the kitten, the interior felt as warm and comforting as the afternoon sun in autumn.

Yu Chen put the kitten down and removed her coat.

She had not forgotten the homemade cat-food recipe she had learned from her coworker earlier that day. Carrying the ingredients, she headed into the kitchen.

She rarely stayed here. Ever since she began working, she had lived in the large apartment closest to her company. She had only moved here this time because that apartment did not have underfloor heating.

Although she seldom lived here, the kitchen was fully stocked with all the necessary pots, pans, and utensils, allowing her to begin cooking immediately.

She opened the notes app on her phone and followed the instructions one step at a time.

Fu Xin continued playing in the living room. The realization that the floor itself was warm filled her with excitement. She bounded around everywhere on her bare little paws. Whenever she became tired from running, she simply sprawled across the floor, allowing the heat to warm even her belly.

She liked this place even more!

“Meow!”

In the kitchen,

Yu Chen switched off the range hood and transferred the food from the pot into a cat bowl. She had also arranged for a feeding bowl to be prepared for the kitten in this house. Coincidentally, it was identical to the one she had purchased for the apartment.

She had misjudged the quantity and made a little too much.

She decided to divide it into two meals. Carrying half of the homemade cat food, she went to the living room to find the kitten.

The moment she stepped out of the kitchen, the black kitten darted out from a corner and pounced toward her legs.

Yu Chen expertly scooped up the cat and established a permanent feeding area in the corner of the living room.

She tested the food’s temperature with the back of her hand. Only after confirming that it was not too hot did she set down the bowl and say, “Try it and see whether you like this.”

The chicken breast had been shredded into thin strips and mixed with pumpkin and egg yolk in the correct proportions.

Fu Xin sniffed it. It smelled fairly good.

Under Yu Chen’s watchful gaze, she took a tentative bite.

Well, how should she describe it? The meat tasted like meat, the pumpkin tasted like pumpkin, and the egg yolk tasted like egg yolk. Not a single seasoning had been added.

Healthy but disgusting.

A succubus was not a kitten. Succubi enjoyed food with complex, layered flavors.

After reluctantly swallowing one bite, Fu Xin refused to eat any more. She planned to continue relying on herself that night and obtain food from the “large box.”

Yu Chen felt thoroughly defeated. “Why don’t you like homemade cat food either?” If the veterinarian had not already performed a full examination, she would have suspected that the kitten was ill.

“Are you simply a picky eater?”

She crouched down and tried to reason with the Read on BaiLianTalescat. “But if you don’t eat enough to replenish your nutrients, how will the wound on your paw heal?”

Wound?

If Yu Chen had not mentioned it, Fu Xin would have nearly forgotten that she had been injured. Once she obtained affection points and recovered a little of her magic, all her injuries had swiftly healed, leaving her completely restored.

Fu Xin ran and jumped in front of Yu Chen, trying to demonstrate that her body had already recovered.

But even after working herself into a sweat, the woman still failed to understand what she meant.

Fu Xin finally gave up and collapsed onto the floor, refusing to bother anymore.

She naturally disliked heat, and the floor continued radiating warmth. After lying there for only a short while, she resigned herself to getting up. She walked over to the human, bit the hem of her trousers, and tugged.

As expected, she was picked up.

Fu Xin readily found a comfortable position in the woman’s arms and settled down.

Wait!

What was that smell?

Her pink nose sniffed forcefully. Within the human’s hair, she detected a trace of an unfamiliar fragrance.

Ignoring her exhaustion, Fu Xin struggled upright in Yu Chen’s arms. She stared at the woman with wide eyes, her pupils filled with accusation.

Are you keeping another succubus outside?