Chapter 35 - 33: Bad Kitty

Chapter 35: Chapter 33: Bad Kitty

Amidst the night, a Li Hua cat sprinted wildly. Wind rushed into her ears, and her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.

As she ran, Yin Zhen cursed the damn system in her heart. She had clearly used the "Mysterious Cat" Item, and there were still two minutes left, yet she was exposed because of a suddenly falling AC outdoor unit.

This was Nan Jiamu’s protagonist halo activating! After turning into a cat and stacking her Character Card, her high Luck Value of 6 points was completely useless in the face of the protagonist halo. Sheng Yehan’s abilities were clearly stronger than Nan Jiamu’s, but the reason he couldn’t kill her was also because of the protagonist halo. If Sheng Yehan hadn’t run and had fought Nan Jiamu to the bitter end, he definitely would have been the one to die. Never mind the disparity in strength—even if it ultimately came down to a battle of words, Nan Jiamu could talk Sheng Yehan into committing suicide.

Such was the power of the protagonist halo! This was the rule of the novel world! But this definitely wasn’t absolute. Otherwise, there would be no point in playing any invasion game; if all protagonists were immortal, the game would never have a victor or loser. There had to be certain hidden rules that could defeat the protagonist halo; she just didn’t know them yet.

Yin Zhen’s body suddenly stiffened. Within the detection range of her Super Sensing, someone was rapidly approaching. It was Nan Jiamu!

She wondered why Nan Jiamu was chasing her instead of going after Sheng Yehan. She had been running so fast, and the fight inside the room had been so chaotic, the two of them definitely couldn’t have clearly seen she was a cat.

Yin Zhen accelerated her sprint, her mind racing. She couldn’t turn into a Raven. There were no Ravens in Guan City, so one suddenly appearing would be even more conspicuous than a cat. She couldn’t run toward the main road; she would be caught on surveillance cameras.

MEOW—

A cat’s meow suddenly sounded from the corner ahead. There were three of them, their voices flattering and begging for food. Surprisingly, she could actually understand the meaning behind their meows.

Yin Zhen’s nose twitched. A faint scent drifted in the wind—tobacco, laundry detergent, disinfectant, and... a very light, cold fragrance that smelled like moonlight.

Bai Qiang?!

Without a second thought, Yin Zhen dashed straight in that direction.

There was a small grove on the side of the sanatorium. Beneath the shade of the trees, Bai Qiang stood wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt, her hair tied up casually. She still had that lazy demeanor, and three stray cats clustered around her feet. An orange-and-white cat, a tuxedo cat, and a calico cat were burying their heads in cat food, their tails swishing back and forth.

As she fed them, Bai Qiang mumbled, "Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it..."

Yin Zhen rushed over. Before Bai Qiang could even look up, she had already darted into the middle of the group of cats.

MEOW~~~

A sweet, milky cry squeezed out of Yin Zhen’s throat. Immediately after, she was stunned by herself. Was this really a sound she could make? It was simply more socially devastating than shouting, "I have experience!"

Bai Qiang lowered her head. Seeing this Li Hua cat that had suddenly popped up, her eyes lit up.

"Eh? Where did you come from, Li Hua? I haven’t seen you before. Do you guys know her?"

The orange-and-white cat lifted its head, glaring at this intruder with an unfriendly gaze. The tuxedo cat’s fur puffed out instantly. The calico cat let out a low growl, signaling for her to go away and that this was their territory.

All three cats pounced at the same time. Yin Zhen slapped each cat once with just the right amount of force—enough to daze them without causing any brain damage. Sensing the menacing aura radiating from Yin Zhen, the three cats tucked their tails and backed away a few steps, hissing at her unwillingly.

Yin Zhen could already see the rapidly approaching white figure.

MEOW~~~~

Yin Zhen jumped directly into Bai Qiang’s arms, rubbing her head against the woman’s body. She thought, "First... I’ll just focus on staying alive!"

Bai Qiang was overjoyed by the nuzzling. She gently tapped Yin Zhen’s head. "How do you have two completely different faces, Li Hua? So cute~"

"Doctor Bai."

Bai Qiang looked up, her brows furrowing slightly when she saw the newcomer. "Miss Nan?"

Bai Qiang stood up with the cat in her arms, wearing a look of perfectly calibrated surprise. "Why are you here? By the way, how is Mr. Guan?"

Nan Jiamu slowed her pace as she walked over. Her gaze slowly shifted from Bai Qiang’s face to the Li Hua cat in her arms, then to the three stray cats still eating cat food on the ground. Once her tracking dog Item encountered a cat, it would trigger a "dog chasing cat" Effect, causing the tracking to fail.

Nan Jiamu cursed inwardly, but immediately resumed her usual demeanor. She looked gentle and appropriate, offering a sweet, refreshing smile.

"He Ting is still in the hospital. I came here to pick up some medicine. You know my insomnia is very severe. By the way, it’s so late, why are you here too?"

Bai Qiang scratched the Li Hua cat’s chin and replied casually, "My mentor called me over for dinner, so I came out to feed the cats and take a walk to digest. But what about you? Why didn’t you have your assistant come pick up the medicine?"

Bai Qiang’s mentor was the attending physician for Guan Heting’s psychological illness, and he lived in the apartment building situated behind the sanatorium. Guan Heting’s illness was very Special. She often accompanied her mentor to the Guan family’s estate as an assistant, so she knew Guan Heting and Nan Jiamu.

Ever since discovering that this was a novel world, Bai Qiang had paid extra attention to the people around her and various major news events. Even though her system hadn’t told her what kind of novel she was in, Bai Qiang had deduced that this was the world of a bossy CEO romance novel. Guan Heting was the male lead, and the Nan Jiamu standing before her was the female lead! Before acquiring absolute self-preservation abilities, Bai Qiang didn’t want too much contact with the female lead.

"I was on my way."

"Oh."

Bai Qiang didn’t ask further, and Nan Jiamu offered no further explanation.

Yin Zhen curled up in Bai Qiang’s arms, her chin being scratched so comfortably. Bai Qiang’s hands were very deft, applying just the right amount of pressure. When her nails lightly scraped across Yin Zhen’s skin, it brought a slightly numbing tickle. It was comfortable. Too comfortable. She couldn’t help but tilt her head up, narrowing her eyes as a purring sound unconsciously rumbled in her throat.

Then, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.

Shock jolted through her! What was she doing? She was actually getting petted until she lost her vigilance in front of an enemy? And she was enjoying it?! Bai Qiang had used her to get close to Lucia in the Red Corpse World. She hadn’t even settled that score with Bai Qiang yet. Did this woman really think she couldn’t see through her schemes?

Flying into a rage out of humiliation, Yin Zhen turned her head and bit Bai Qiang’s finger.

HISS—

Bai Qiang jerked her hand back. Glancing at the teeth marks on her finger, she raised her hand and gave the Li Hua cat a smack on the rear. "Bad cat!"

Yin Zhen’s pupils constricted, the smack slapping the utter clarity right back into her eyes.

Nan Jiamu watched this scene, her gaze dark and profound. Bai Qiang’s interaction with these cats was too natural—so natural that it didn’t look like an act, and the cats were all ordinary strays. The person eavesdropping earlier might not have been Bai Qiang, but she still felt that something was off, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Nan Jiamu took a look at Bai Qiang. Bai Qiang was also looking back at her, her eyes clear and carrying a silent inquiry of whether she needed anything else.

Nan Jiamu retracted her gaze. Forget it. Tonight was already chaotic enough, and tomorrow would be even more so. She needed to head back early to prepare.

"I’ll be going now," Nan Jiamu took her leave. Just as she turned around, she paused, turning back to say, "The nights in Guan City haven’t been very peaceful these past two days. Doctor Bai, you should head back early. Don’t be alone; it’s best to have a companion."

"Thank you. I’ll be careful."

Nan Jiamu nodded and left. Bai Qiang stood in place holding the cat, watching Nan Jiamu’s back disappear into the night. Once the woman had gone far away, she lifted the Li Hua cat in her hands and slowly revealed a smile just like Lady Shiji’s.

"Bad cats have to accept punishment~"

MEOW-AWOO—