Chapter 47
Little Kitten
At 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, Qin Qing was already washed, dressed, and standing by the dining table.
Initially, Grandma Qin didn’t think much of it, but when she ca out of the kitchen and saw Qin Qing dressed in a white sports outfit with silver patterns, she paused in surprise.
“Sweetie, don’t you need to go to school for self-study today?”
Qin Qing hesitated for a couple of seconds before nodding.
“Yes, I’ve already asked for leave from my horoom teacher, Mr. Shen Liang. From now on, every weekend that’s reserved for self-study, I won’t go to school on Sunday mornings.”
“Not going to school?”
Grandma Qin was surprised again, but she didn’t seem displeased. Instead, she looked curiously at Qin Qing’s outfit. “Then why are you up so early and dressed so nicely?”
“…”
Qin Qing, who had agonized for ten minutes over which sports outfit to wear, looked down at herself and then avoided her grandmother’s gaze, heading towards the kitchen.
“It’s not that nice; I just grabbed a random set of sports clothes…”
Grandma Qin, however, continued to study Qin Qing thoughtfully. After a couple of seconds, she seed to realize sothing, and a smile appeared on her face.
“I don’t rember you ever being so eager to put on sportswear and go for a run. Tell
the truth, is soone eting you for a run?”
“…”
Qin Qing silently stuck out her tongue.
A mont later, she brought a bowl of porridge back to the dining room, dragging her feet. “It’s just… the boy next door…”
“Oh, it’s Xiaoyu!”
Before Qin Qing could finish, Grandma Qin responded with a knowing smile, not seeming the least bit surprised.
Qin Qing stared at her grandmother in confusion.
Grandma Qin put down her utensils and instructed Qin Qing, “Young people should exercise more, running is good for you. I’ve noticed that Xiaoyu goes out for morning exercises every day—unlike you kids these days, pampered like delicate flowers in a greenhouse, ready to wilt at the slightest breeze…”
“…”
As Grandma Qin continued to praise Wen Yufeng to the skies, Qin Qing initially looked mildly stunned, then her expression turned completely blank.
It wasn’t until two minutes later, when Grandma Qin finally stopped her rambling, that Qin Qing slowly added, “Yes, he said my physical condition is too poor, with very weak immunity, so he’s going to drag
out to run and do physical training with him from now on.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful!”
Grandma Qin clapped her hands in approval.
“…” Qin Qing glanced at her grandmother helplessly.
—
Ever since Wen Yufeng had dinner at their ho last ti, Grandma Qin’s attitude towards him had beco rather peculiar.
Since she had a workout plan ahead, Qin Qing quickly ate a few bites of her al, checked the ti, and then left the house amid her grandmother’s chatter.
After the door closed behind her, Qin Qing checked her watch.
It was 6:25, twenty minutes earlier than their agreed ti.
With a determined look, Qin Qing thought, This ti, he definitely won’t show up early.
However, as soon as she turned into the T-shaped corridor, she spotted the tall figure of the boy leaning against the wall.
But just as she stepped into the corridor, the boy, who was in the center of her vision, lowered his raised arm and then turned around.
For so reason, there was a hint of awkwardness in his gaze as he looked at her.
“Why are you out so early?” Wen Yufeng asked in a raspy voice.
“…”
Qin Qing didn’t answer. Instead, she wrinkled her small nose in suspicion and quickly walked up to him, stopping right in front of him.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes and sniffed at his chest.
Wen Yufeng’s body stiffened.
After a couple of seconds, he slowly lowered his gaze, his dark eyes gleaming.
“You…”
Before he could finish the sentence, Qin Qing lifted her face to et his gaze—
“Did you smoke again?”
Wen Yufeng: “…”
Qin Qing’s cheeks flushed slightly with anger. “Smoking is harmful to your health. We’ve talked about this so many tis, but why do you still…”
Before she could finish, Qin Qing bit her lower lip, her eyes glistening as she glared at him.
After a few seconds of tense silence, unable to contain her frustration, she turned and started to walk away.
Wen Yufeng quickly reached out and pulled her back.
“It was my mistake. I’ll try not to—”
“‘Try’?” Qin Qing turned back to face him, her small face still tense. “One gram of nicotine in tobacco can kill 300 rabbits or 500 mice, and 50 milligrams injected into a human can be lethal—and you’re saying ‘try’?”
“…”
Wen Yufeng sighed.
“I promise you, Sweetie, I’ll never touch cigarettes again. Okay?”
Qin Qing studied him for several seconds before slowly asking, “Really?”
Wen Yufeng leaned down, whispering lazily in her ear, “If I promise you sothing, I won’t break it, even if it kills .”
Qin Qing was stunned, looking up at him in a daze.
This was the first ti anyone had made such a solemn vow to her.
“Shall we go?”
Wen Yufeng straightened up, looking down at her.
“…Okay.”
…
The two of them arrived at a private club, and Qin Qing observed the way the staff treated Wen Yufeng—it was clear that he was a regular here.
—
“Mr. Wen, would you like to start with so shooting warm-ups today?”
Wen Yufeng shook his head and spoke to the attendant, “Today, I’m just doing so simple physical training. No need to arrange anything, I’ll take care of it myself. You can go now.”
“Of course, Mr. Wen. If you need anything, just let
know.”
“Okay.”
And so, in a half-dazed state, Qin Qing was led by Wen Yufeng into a private training room.
The room wasn’t very large, but it was well-equipped. Qin Qing spent the rest of the morning there, following Wen Yufeng’s plan for the first phase of physical training, alternating between fatigue and rest.
By the ti they were done, Qin Qing was dragging her nearly exhausted body back ho, with Wen Yufeng by her side.
“How do you feel?”
As soon as the taxi stopped at the entrance of their neighborhood, the two got out, and Wen Yufeng asked Qin Qing.
Qin Qing looked weary. “I feel like my body isn’t mine anymore.”
Wen Yufeng couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Then it’s working. You’re being reborn.”
“…”
Qin Qing shot him an annoyed look but said nothing.
They walked together until they reached the steps of their building, where Qin Qing suddenly stopped.
Wen Yufeng, following closely behind her, also stopped.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.
Qin Qing frowned slightly, raised her finger to her rosy lips, and softly shushed him.
A couple of seconds later, Wen Yufeng understood why Qin Qing had stopped.
“ow…”
A tiny kitten’s cry echoed from a corner of the apartnt building.
Wen Yufeng and Qin Qing both looked over.
In a corner near the building’s communal mailbox was a small shoebox.
The owing sound was coming from inside.
Qin Qing glanced at Wen Yufeng with a curious expression.
“Did I hear that right?”
Wen Yufeng nodded. “It’s a kitten. Judging by the sound, it’s still very young.”
“…”
Qin Qing’s eyes lit up.
—
Most girls can’t resist the allure of kittens or puppies.
“Can I go take a look?” Qin Qing asked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Wen Yufeng, her gaze filled with anticipation.
Faced with that look, Wen Yufeng felt that no matter how much resolve he mustered, he couldn’t bring himself to say “no.”
So he nodded.
But he still cautioned her, “Be careful. Stray cats can be aggressive and might carry diseases. Don’t let it scratch or bite you.”
“Okay, I’ll be careful.”
Qin Qing cautiously approached the shoebox.
When she reached it, she stopped, crouched down, and carefully lifted the lid with one finger.
Inside was a small, frail kitten, curled up in the box, its eyes full of helplessness as it looked at her.
“ow…”
It owed softly again.
Qin Qing couldn’t hold back any longer and instinctively reached out to gently pet it.
But just as she extended her hand halfway, soone grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
“Ah…”
Qin Qing lost her balance and stumbled backward into the person behind her.
Once she regained her balance, Qin Qing looked up innocently at the person holding her.
His expression was slightly stern. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch it?”
Qin Qing felt guilty. “I couldn’t help it…”
“You have to.”
Wen Yufeng didn’t show any rcy as he spoke. Then he looked down, casting a cold glance at the small, curled-up kitten.
“It looks dirty and probably got abandoned. It’s likely not even a month old… What if it has bacteria or parasites?”
Qin Qing’s eyes widened, looking from the kitten to Wen Yufeng, her cheeks puffing up with frustration. “How is it dirty? It’s so white, and there’s not a speck of other color on its fur.”
“Do you want to adopt it?”
“…”
Qin Qing instinctively nodded, and she did so with such force that it seed like she was about to nod her head off.
Wen Yufeng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Are you sure your grandma will let you keep it?”
Before Qin Qing could feel any discomfort from the sowhat intimate nickna he used for her grandmother, her attention was drawn to a harsh reality—
If she rembered correctly, her usually easygoing grandma liked plants and goldfish but had never been fond of cats or dogs.
So, the likelihood of getting her grandma to agree to adopt a kitten… was practically zero.
Qin Qing was silent for a couple of seconds, as if she had thought of sothing. When she looked up again, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were glistening like morning dew.
She stared at Wen Yufeng without blinking.
“I want to keep it, but… can I keep it… at your place?”
Wen Yufeng: “…………”
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