Chapter 16

Jing Lian carefully tucked the cloth doll into her blue crossbody bag, then lightly pressed the bag to make sure it would not fall out. The corner of her mouth unconsciously lifted into a faint curve, so subtle that even she herself did not notice it.

She continued walking forward.

Xiao Ya held the umbrella and followed closely behind her, paying attention to her expression from time to time. Just now, for one brief instant, she had seen Miss Jing Lian’s tightly furrowed brows loosen slightly, like ripples stirred up after a pebble fell into an ancient well, gradually spreading with time before returning to calm. Then, thinking of how Miss Jing Lian had bought a doll of Boss, Xiao Ya smiled knowingly.

Miss Jing Lian was hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. She still cared about Boss.

The two continued walking forward. The setting sun sank below the horizon, and twilight deepened. The sea breeze carried a faint coolness, refreshing the spirit.

At the end of the market were several small pet shops. Inside pretty white rectangular cages were a few kittens. Judging by their appearance, they were all under five months old. There were Ragdolls, golden and silver shaded cats, Siamese cats, and several tearful-looking Garfield cats.

Jing Lian liked cats very much. She thought of the golden tabby Garfield cat raised at her family’s Rose Manor, and her heart filled with longing. She wanted to buy a Garfield cat of the same color to soothe the ache of missing it.

But right now, she was living under someone else’s roof. Simply staying alive was already difficult. Even her own days were spent depending on another person’s mood. How could she have the energy or ability left to raise a cat?

If Jiang Xian became unhappy, it was extremely possible that she would abuse the cat.

Jing Lian did not dare let her gaze linger too long on that adorable little Garfield cat. She merely swept a hurried glance over it before moving her feet away.

The attentive Xiao Ya noticed. She leaned forward and said, “Miss Jing Lian, do you like cats? You can raise one.”

Expressionless, Jing Lian said, “I don’t.”

After leaving the market, they followed a small cobblestone path home. Beneath the coconut grove and among the wild grass, hazy moonlight shrouded the surroundings. Suddenly, there was movement in the grass.

Jing Lian stopped and looked toward the sound. In the blink of an eye, a tiny multicolored thing quickly darted out from the grass in front of her. She instinctively tightened her grip on her bag and focused her gaze. It turned out to be a calico cat.

The little calico jumped to the hem of her skirt, shook its small tail, and tilted its little head up. Its amber eyes shone brightly, and it let out soft meows from its mouth.

That soft, sweet sound seemed as if it could melt a person’s heart.

Jing Lian crouched down and leaned closer to look. Only then did she see that it was not actually so perfect. The kitten appeared to be a little over two months old. Its long fur was covered in weeds and dirt, tangled together messily. There were also bald patches on its tail. Most importantly, half of its small right ear had been bitten off, making it look like a little heart.

Jing Lian’s heart stirred. She thought that for such a small cat, surviving in the wild must be extremely cruel. It would have to face people who abused cats, fierce stray dogs, and larger, stronger cats that fought viciously over food and territory.

A fur child this small was destined to be sacrificed.

Jing Lian reached out and lightly rubbed its small ear with her fingertip. The kitten tilted its head and licked her index finger with its pink [stolen content]tongue. It seemed to be trying hard to please its future owner, hoping that the person before it would become its savior.

“Miss Jing Lian, let’s keep it.”

The tiny barbs on the kitten’s tongue made Jing Lian’s finger tingle. She quickly pulled her hand back, her heart jolting hard. “Who said I wanted to adopt it?”

She stood up, took one step back, and quietly looked down at the little calico before her.

The calico seemed to sense the two-legged creature’s sense of distance. It tucked its two little paws beneath itself and quietly waited where it was, letting out a low meow at her.

That one sound called straight into Jing Lian’s heart. Her thick lashes lowered slightly, casting two dark clouds over her eyelids. Although they had not yet parted, feelings of parting had already been born, as if a tangled rain were about to fall inside her eyes.

Call two more times, and I’ll take you home.

Jing Lian thought this in her heart. Unfortunately, the kitten did not respond to her again.

Follow me, and I’ll take you home.

As Jing Lian thought this, she took a step forward. From the corner of her eye, she saw that the kitten did not move. Moonlight gathered around it in a ring of shadow, making its figure look even thinner and weaker. Its fluffy fur trembled lightly in the breeze.

They were still missing a little bit of fate.

She turned her head back and took another step forward.

Behind her, there was suddenly a rustling sound. It was the sound of the kitten quickly jumping into the grass and running away.

Jing Lian’s heart suddenly sank, as if several jin of iron had been poured into her small heart, making it heavy and suffocating. That dull heaviness spread from her chest toward her legs, leaving her unable to lift her feet and move forward.

Xiao Ya sighed regretfully and looked toward the distant grass.

“Sister Xiao Ya.”

“Hm?”

Xiao Ya was flattered to hear Jing Lian call her.

“Go catch it.”

They sent the little calico to the pet hospital and had several basic examinations done. The kitten was very healthy. The bald patch on its tail was not due to a skin disease. After washing its fur, deworming it, and buying the basic supplies a cat needed, they brought the little calico home.

At first, Jing Lian was still a little worried. She asked [bailiantales.com]whether Jiang Xian liked small animals and whether she was allergic to cat fur.

Xiao Ya thought she was caring about Jiang Xian, but only Jing Lian herself knew that she was afraid Jiang Xian would dislike cats and once again abandon the little calico, or directly abuse it.

Only after receiving a negative answer did she relax.

It turned out that Jiang Xian had raised cats and dogs with her ex-girlfriends before, so she probably did not hate them.

Even so, Jing Lian still arranged all the cat’s daily necessities in her own room, trying her best not to let the kitten go outside.

That night, after washing up, she wore a white camisole babydoll nightdress and held the soft, fragrant little cat as she curled up comfortably under the quilt.

After playing with the kitten for a while, the little one grew tired and rested its soft little head in her palm. Jing Lian held the calico ball in her hand, placed its head beside the pillow, and stopped disturbing its sleep.

Jing Lian still could not sleep. Then she remembered something. She reached into her blue bag and took out the cloth doll she had bought. After looking at it twice, she found a sewing kit behind the bedside table, took out a silver needle, and rubbed it between her fingers, hesitating as she faced the cloth doll.

Those eyes of Jiang Xian’s were always staring at her, making her afraid. It seemed that no matter what she did—eating, bathing, or even saying a single sentence—Jiang Xian would magnify it excessively, her eyes fixed firmly on Jing Lian.

She did not like that kind of gaze. It was too naked, as if it wanted to stare straight through her.

Jing Lian lowered the needle and stabbed it into the doll’s right eye. As she stabbed it in, she thought of the naked way Jiang Xian had looked at her when whipping her before. At this moment, all of her resentment seemed to pour out.

She took out a second silver needle, turned the tip between her fingers, aimed it at the doll’s pale, slender swan neck, and stabbed it in.

This was the voice Jiang Xian was so proud of. Jing Lian wanted her to never be able to sing again, wanted her reputation ruined, wanted her to never be arrogant again.

The third silver needle landed over the doll’s heart. Was Jiang Xian not proud and arrogant? Then let her have no heart.

As Jing Lian carried out this abuse, she mocked herself. She had no ability to deal with Jiang Xian, so she could only vent on a fake doll. How ridiculous and pitiful.

However, looking at the doll she had stabbed until it was misshapen, she truly felt a trace of pleasure in her heart, as though in some other world, she had really returned the suffering she had endured.

When Jiang Xian returned home travel-worn, it was already one in the morning. As an artist herself, she was not tired from work. What exhausted her was wearing tight, foot-binding high heels and a fitted gown, then sitting through a long plane ride, car ride, and speedboat ride. By the time she reached the villa, she was already exhausted and sleepy, yet still had to drag her tired body to take a shower.

She did not wake the housekeepers and entered the bathroom alone, quickly rinsing off.

After showering, she casually picked up a white cross-collared sleeping robe, loosely tied the belt, blow-dried her hair until it was half dry, and walked out of the bathroom in slippers.

Which room was hers again?

Jiang Xian had been busy for a week. After returning home, she almost forgot her own house.

The corridor was fitted with dim yellow sensor lights. Every step Jiang Xian took caused the lights to brighten, illuminating the path ahead. After she passed and they sent her toward her destination, the lights behind her went out one by one.

Jiang Xian stopped outside a small room on the west side. She did not lift her head. She only felt that the doorframe looked familiar, so she skillfully pressed down the handle, gently pushed the door open, and walked toward the bed.

When her thigh touched the cold edge of the bed, she impatiently flopped down headfirst.

Her body fell onto the soft, comfortable velvet quilt. Smelling the clean rose fragrance between the pillows, she let out a comfortable sigh.

“So fragrant.”

At the other end of the bed, Jing Lian felt a massive object crash onto the mattress. Her petite body bounced along with the spring bed, jolting her awake from sleep. She abruptly opened her eyes and instinctively glanced beside her.

The room was dim, and she could not clearly see anyone’s figure. But heavy sleeping breaths came from beside her, along with the fresh scent of jasmine shower gel. Her pupils immediately tightened. Had Jiang Xian returned?

She… she had entered her room again. This time, what did she want to do?

Holding her breath, Jing Lian nervously reached out with her small hand to feel for the bedside lamp. With a click, the light turned on.

Perhaps the light stabbed her eyes, because Jiang Xian hummed. One large hand reached in Jing Lian’s direction and happened to [stolen content]touch her thigh, then began rubbing up and down.

Jing Lian’s heart turned cold to the bottom. She bit her lip hard, instantly furrowed her brows in anger, and kicked with all her strength, kicking both Jiang Xian and the quilt off the bed.

The bed collapsed!

Jiang Xian’s first reaction was to sit up, stars still spinning in her head.

Through her sleepy haze, she vaguely saw a young woman in a white camisole nightdress staring at her with eyes full of fury and vigilance.

As her vision gradually cleared, she finally understood what had happened.

So she had gone into the wrong room. A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.

But according to her character setting, she could not explain. Explaining too much would lower her class.

So she rubbed her sprained waist and said with utter disdain, “What’s wrong? You won’t even let someone sleep? This is my bed.”

The entire villa was hers.

She stood up and once again swaggered toward the bed, planning to reach out and pull the quilt. At that moment, a small, multicolored, adorable [bailiantales.com]creature quickly flew past her arm with a sharp hiss.

Jiang Xian’s pupils widened. Before her eyes, it was as if everything moved in slow motion. A kitten slowly swept past her vision. With a bang, there was the sound of a car window shattering, and she instantly lost consciousness.

This was a scene that rapidly flashed through her mind.

In reality, the little calico pounced fiercely at her arm, its pair of claws mercilessly swiping down.

On Jiang Xian’s arm, it left six scratch marks.