After Getting Married to My Obsessive Older Sister - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chu Yiqiao helped Bei Tong and Yan Yuanjing book a taxi for their trip home. The screen showed the driver had accepted the request and would arrive in about ten minutes. Chu Yiqiao turned off her phone and looked at her two friends.

“Thanks, guys. I’ll treat you to a meal soon,” Chu Yiqiao opened her arms and hugged Bei Tong and Yan Yuanjing: “Happy birthday. I’ll text you the actual ticket codes tonight.”

The taxi arrived quickly. Chu Yiqiao waved goodbye to her two friends, bundled up in her jacket, and walked through the community gate.

Yanjing hadn’t fully entered summer yet, and the evening breeze brought a slight chill. Most of the streetlights in the community were turned off after dark, sparsely illuminating the concrete road in patches.

Chu Yiqiao was afraid of the dark and had never been out alone at night. She held up her phone flashlight and hurried home.

After a few steps, her phone suddenly rang with a familiar tune. Chu Yiqiao was startled at first, then quickly realized who the caller was and answered the phone immediately.

Tan Ze’s voice was low and slow: “Chu Yiqiao, are you still playing?”

Chu Yiqiao was almost at her unit building. She looked up, saw the dark apartment, and replied: “Yeah, we’re playing Ludo.”

There was a pause on the other end for a few seconds. Tan Ze said: “I see,” and then hung up.

Chu Yiqiao was a little confused. What did she see?

Perhaps the brief conversation with Tan Ze dispelled Chu Yiqiao’s inner fear. She continued walking with her phone raised. As she passed a patch of bushes, Chu Yiqiao heard a rustling sound beside her.

Then came a faint meow. Luckily, the surroundings were quiet, and Chu Yiqiao successfully caught it. She hesitated and took a step towards the source of the sound.

A grubby, greyish little cat crawled out of the bushes. Its legs and body were covered in mud, so dirty that its original color and breed were indistinguishable. It was tiny, its body not even as long as Chu Yiqiao’s forearm, suggesting it was no more than three months old.

The small kitten was looking eagerly at Chu Yiqiao, its already large eyes looking even more prominent due to its thinness. Its meow was weak.

“Meow~”

Chu Yiqiao shined her flashlight on the ground near the kitten, careful not to shine it directly at the cat. She crouched down and slowly approached the kitten. In the dim light, Chu Yiqiao saw the color of the kitten’s eyes: completely green, like a spring forest.

“What should I do? I don’t have cat food at home.” Chu Yiqiao searched her bag and only found a chicken sausage she kept as a snack, Orleans flavor. The kitten probably shouldn’t eat it.

Just as Chu Yiqiao paused to search her bag, the kitten wobbled over. It wasn’t afraid of people. It rubbed its head against Chu Yiqiao’s shoe. To show its friendliness, it rubbed all the mud from its head onto Chu Yiqiao’s clean shoe.

“You’re so naughty,” Chu Yiqiao mumbled, thinking: “I should still have some milk at home.”

Her legs were a little numb from crouching. Chu Yiqiao braced her knees, intending to stand up. Who knew this little cat was incredibly smart? Before Chu Yiqiao could move her foot, it used all four paws to climb onto her shoe, straightened itself, and rubbed more mud onto Chu Yiqiao’s pant leg, all the while meowing, its attitude nothing short of eager flattery.

Chu Yiqiao looked down, meeting the pair of clear, beautiful green eyes. The kitten rubbed Chu Yiqiao’s pant leg again, staring at Chu Yiqiao without blinking.

“You little dirty cat, why are you so smart?”

Chu Yiqiao already liked cats, and this one was so intelligent. She was already considering adoption. If only it were daytime! Chu Yiqiao would first take the kitten to the pet hospital for a checkup, and then give it a good bath.

That way, when her sister returned, she could first show her the medical report, and then the clean kitten. Maybe she would be kind enough to agree to let Chu Yiqiao keep it.

Unfortunately, it was night. Chu Yiqiao knew exactly what Tan Ze would say.

“Chu Yiqiao, it’s too dirty. Don’t touch it.”

“Chu Yiqiao, what if it has a contagious disease? Go to the hospital with me now.”

Perhaps sensing Chu Yiqiao’s hesitation, the kitten rubbed more eagerly, its meows becoming even fainter than before.

Chu Yiqiao’s heart, already soft, melted into a puddle with each meow. Her amber eyes met the green eyes again. Chu Yiqiao sighed heavily, picked up the kitten into her arms, and now her top was dirty too.

“I just can’t with you,” Chu Yiqiao continued walking toward home with the kitten in her arms: “Then you have to be good. I’ll give you a bath first, and you’ll be all clean. That way, Sister will like you.”

The kitten tried hard to make Chu Yiqiao’s clothes even dirtier: “Meow~”

When she returned home and opened the door, the living room was empty. Chu Yiqiao had expected to feel very lonely, but now that she had a little dirty cat in her arms, there was no time for emo. She had to make the kitten adorable before Tan Ze came home tomorrow.

In the elevator, Chu Yiqiao had thought carefully: they had been married for so long; it was time to add a new member to the family. With the kitten, they would become a happy family of three.

Chu Yiqiao hastily changed into slippers and rushed into the bathroom with the dirty kitten. The entrance door closed behind her. The surveillance cameras at the door and in the living room silently turned an angle.

“I’m going to give you a bath now. You have to be good…” Chu Yiqiao held the kitten and was about to put it in the bathtub when Tan Ze’s fierce face suddenly appeared before her: “No,” the imaginary sister shook her head.

Chu Yiqiao quickly moved her arm and placed the kitten on the nearby floor, a lingering fear in her heart: “I almost made the house dirty. Wait for me. I’ll go get a basin.”

A few minutes later, Chu Yiqiao returned with a small stool and the plastic basin she usually used to wash her painting tools. This time, too, she didn’t notice the living room camera tracking her movements.

Chu Yiqiao sat on the small stool, placed her tablet next to her, and found a video on a website titled: “Nanny-level Tutorial! What to be aware of when bathing a kitten for the first time?” She learned as she went.

Afraid of being bitten—which would lead to a terrifyingly angry Tan Ze tomorrow—Chu Yiqiao even ran to the kitchen and put on the dishwashing gloves that Tan Ze rarely used. Wearing gloves two sizes too big, she cautiously helped the kitten bathe.

When the water temperature was just right, the gentle stream of water fell on the little dirty cat’s head, washing down the mud. Chu Yiqiao finally got a clear look at the kitten’s true appearance: a black top of the head, a white nose, and a snow-white, pointy tail. It was a little cow cat!

“My apologies, my apologies,” Chu Yiqiao was already immersed in the beautiful fantasy of a family of three, and everything about this kitten was pleasing to her eye: “So you’re Officer Meow! So cute. Sister will definitely like you.”

The kitten tilted its head and shook off the foam, splashing it all over Chu Yiqiao. Its round head was indeed cute, but heavy signs indicated this cat was no angel.

Chu Yiqiao, with her personality, was helpless even against a kitten. Her clothes were already dirty anyway, so a little more foam didn’t matter. She wiped the sweat from her head and continued washing, earnestly admonishing: “You absolutely must not do this to Sister. If she doesn’t let me keep you, there’s nothing I can do.”

The kitten probably hadn’t been stray for long. The mud on its body washed off easily, but the mud on its abdomen had been caked on through multiple rainstorms. Chu Yiqiao diligently cleaned the kitten with her face towel.

The video next to her quietly reached the end. The creator was teaching what to do if a cat runs wild when it touches water.

Chu Yiqiao turned her head to look at the kitten, which was lying obediently like a doll in front of her. Her tired body felt a glimmer of comfort.

“You’re actually quite good. How about I call you Guai (Goody)?”

The little cow cat turned its body and meowed twice. Chu Yiqiao automatically interpreted this as agreement.

“Guai, it’s a good thing you’re a cat,” Chu Yiqiao finished rinsing the cow cat’s foam, took out the hairdryer, and began to blow-dry the kitten’s fur, muttering: “If you were a dog, you’d be finished. Dogs need to be walked, and Sister would definitely not agree to keep one.”

“Aren’t we fated to be together? You can sleep with me tonight,” Chu Yiqiao paused for a few seconds, thought of Tan Ze, and quickly added: “But you can’t sleep on the bed. We’ll wait until I take you to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup.”

After all the fuss, the time had passed midnight. This city of Yanjing never truly slept. Chu Yiqiao easily found a pet store delivery service on the food delivery app. There was no need to be picky with a 24-hour store, so Chu Yiqiao mindlessly bought the most expensive items. The deduction notification was sent to Tan Ze’s phone.

A few minutes later, the courier arrived. Chu Yiqiao poured milk into a plate from home and soaked some cat food in it. Little Guai was starving. As soon as Chu Yiqiao set it down, the cat eagerly came up to eat, and the cat food and milk in the plate disappeared at a visible speed.

Chu Yiqiao temporarily refilled the plate, stretched, and massaged her back.

The cat was clean, but Chu Yiqiao was filthy all over now.

Grabbing her pajamas and bath towel, Chu Yiqiao checked the time before entering the bathroom. It was 00:14. Her sister hadn’t sent any more messages.

Chu Yiqiao turned off her phone. As the warm shower poured down, Chu Yiqiao realized she still deeply missed Tan Ze’s warm embrace.

Sister will be back tomorrow morning. Thinking of this, Chu Yiqiao’s mood improved slightly.

Chu Yiqiao suggested going home to sleep at 22:32. At 00:14, Chu Yiqiao finished settling the cat, took a shower, and prepared for bed. The total time elapsed was 1 hour and 42 minutes, just enough time for Tan Ze, who was on her way to the hotel, to resolutely choose to turn back, rush back to Yanjing at the fastest speed, and push open the door to their residence.

Chu Yiqiao’s dirty shoes were leaning against the entrance cabinet. Tan Ze looked over. The wooden floor, pristine when she left, now had many glaring paw prints. A transparent shopping bag was on the dining table. An opened bag of cat food lay quietly on the surface, and next to it was Chu Yiqiao’s tablet. The browsing history showed the last watched video was titled: “The owner is 8 years old this year. What should I do if my family won’t let me keep a cat?”

The sound of trickling water came from the bathroom. Chu Yiqiao must still be showering. Tan Ze looked down and saw the kitten Chu Yiqiao had picked up with her own eyes.

A round little head topped with two triangular ears, large green eyes that were especially lively, and a fluffy, cute tail with a white tip.

Tan Ze could completely understand why such a kitten would be considered adorable in the eyes of some humans.

She could also completely understand why the overly sympathetic and soft-hearted Chu Yiqiao would be completely manipulated by a cat, running around the house with it, completely ignoring the fact that her own physique was not robust, and stray cats carried many germs.

The milk and cat food Chu Yiqiao poured for this stray cat had already been devoured by the “pig” in front of her.

Tan Ze bent down, intending to move the plate to a place where people wouldn’t easily bump into it.

As soon as she moved, the cow cat in front of her quickly scurried away, leaving more white paw prints on the wooden floor. Its movement was so chaotic it could be described as jumping wildly.

If the house weren’t sufficiently soundproofed, Tan Ze believed she would have received a complaint from the owners’ group tonight based on the cat’s meowing.

Tan Ze’s face hardened, and she tried to grab the cat, but the sound was ultimately heard by Chu Yiqiao in the bathroom.

The trickling sound of water stopped. The door opened. Chu Yiqiao’s voice carried around the two doors: “Little Guai, don’t be noisy! We need to go to sleep…”

The footsteps, accompanied by the sound of water, suddenly stopped at the bedroom door. Chu Yiqiao stood there, dumbfounded, her almond eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at the figure standing by the dining table. It wasn’t the first time she had experienced hallucinations, but countless thoughts flooded her mind at once, freezing her completely in place.

Tan Ze walked over and embraced Chu Yiqiao.

As the pungent smell of alcohol rushed into her nostrils, a wave of joy rose in Chu Yiqiao’s heart. She wrapped her arms around Tan Ze’s waist, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed the corner of Tan Ze’s lips: “Sister, why are you back!”

Tan Ze inhaled deeply the pleasant scent of Chu Yiqiao’s shower gel, then released her: “Finished early. Couldn’t get used to the hotel, so I came back.”

“What a coincidence!” Chu Yiqiao’s face broke into a wide smile: “I just came home too!”

Tan Ze mused for a few seconds. Just then, a meow broke the atmosphere between them. Tan Ze suddenly remembered the cat, pointed at it, and asked Chu Yiqiao: “Right, Chu Yiqiao, what’s with this cat?”

Chu Yiqiao’s internal alarm bells went off. Sister is home early! What should I do? I didn’t have time to take the cat to the pet hospital yet!

“Oh, Sister, I picked it up,” Chu Yiqiao spoke with forced composure, hurriedly scooping up the little cat from the floor. Meeting Tan Ze’s exquisitely cold, gray-blue eyes, Chu Yiqiao nervously swallowed, telling Tan Ze: “Sister, its name is Little Guai.”

Then, Chu Yiqiao grasped Little Guai’s paw and waved it at Tan Ze: “Little Guai, this is Mommy.”

The little cow cat, which had been darting around in front of Tan Ze, lay quietly in Chu Yiqiao’s arms, its green eyes blinking in sync with Chu Yiqiao’s.

“Meow~”

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