My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 12

The wind chimes on the door jingled softly.

Bai Qingyu looked up at the sound, her eyes lighting up when she saw who it was, a gentle smile curving her lips. “You’re here.”

“Yeah.” Song Yuehua stepped in hesitantly.

The cat café was cozier than she had imagined, with wooden tables and chairs, soft knitted blankets draped over the sofas, and multi-tiered shelves along the wall filled with cat treats and teaser wands.

It was still early morning, not yet opening time, and the hall was empty except for Bai Qingyu and the large orange-and-white cat nestled in her arms. Sunlight streamed in diagonally through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a checkered pattern of light on the floor.

“Where are the cats?” Song Yuehua asked quietly, glancing around curiously but not seeing the fluffy balls she had expected to be running all over the place.

“They’re still in the back room,” Bai Qingyu replied with a smile, tilting her chin toward a wooden door beside the service counter. “They nap in their little beds when there are no customers and only come out to ‘work’ when we open.”

As she spoke, the cat in her arms rubbed comfortably against her arm, purring softly.

“Oh, I see.” Song Yuehua looked around with fresh interest, her gaze sweeping over the menu board. It was densely packed with drinks, from lattes to fruit teas, and even the desserts were decorated with little cat paw prints.

It felt like she could spend the whole afternoon here without getting bored.

When she turned back after her survey, she saw Bai Qingyu bending over to brush the cat’s fur. She quickly walked over. “Senior, is there anything I can help with?”

“Yes, you can sweep the floor and clean up the cat hair,” Bai Qingyu said without pausing her task, assigning Song Yuehua a simple job.

Sweeping was easy.

“Okay!” Song Yuehua deftly took the tools, rolled up her sleeves, and started sweeping.

After she had been cleaning for a while, the wind chimes at the door jingled again.

Still holding the broom, Song Yuehua thought it might be Song Yuelan and instinctively looked toward the entrance. Instead, she saw a stranger standing there, a girl with thick, curly hair, fluffy like a burst cotton candy, the ends tinged with a light brownish-yellow.

“Hi, Qingyu,” the girl greeted with a wave.

Bai Qingyu looked up and waved back. “Morning.”

The curly-haired girl’s eyes fell on Song Yuehua, and she blinked. “Oh, a customer? Sorry, we’re not officially open yet.” She stepped aside, gesturing toward the service counter. “But if you’d like to order something, I can start preparing it for you?”

“No, no!” Song Yuehua quickly waved her hands, her cheeks flushing slightly, almost dropping the broom in her grasp. “I’m not a customer. I’m here to help.”

“This is my friend, Song Yuehua,” Bai Qingyu interjected, coming to her rescue. “She’s here to lend a hand today.”

“Oh, I see!” The curly-haired girl’s face lit up with understanding. “Well, welcome! Our cats are super cute, once we’re done, I’ll let you pet them as much as you want~”

“Thank you.” Song Yuehua was warmed by her enthusiasm and smiled back.

“Then I’ll go prep the ingredients!” the girl said, turning toward the front counter. She deftly tied her curls into a bun and began bustling around the coffee machine.

Song Yuehua turned her attention back to sweeping. By the time she had cleaned every corner of the hall, straightened up, and rubbed her sore lower back, she realized that Bai Qingyu had disappeared at some point without her noticing.

“Um…” She moved closer to the counter and asked the curly-haired girl who was wiping glasses in a soft voice, “Where’s Bai Qingyu?”

“She’s in the back trimming the cats’ nails.” The girl gestured with her chin toward the wooden door behind the service counter. “She just went in a moment ago.”

“Can I go in and take a look?” Song Yuehua’s eyes lit up, a little curious.

“Of course, but be quiet. Some of the little ones are shy,” the girl reminded her. “Don’t startle them.”

Song Yuehua gave an “okay” sign and tiptoed as she gently pushed the door open.

The room behind the door was covered with anti-slip mats, with over a dozen cat cages neatly arranged. A few kittens were dozing inside their cages, and as someone entered, they perked up their ears.

In the center of the room, beside a small table, Bai Qingyu was holding an orange-and-white kitten, carefully trimming its nails with focused attention.

Her eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyes, and her movements were as gentle as if she were handling fragile glass. Her left hand held the cat’s front paw steadily, while her right hand held a small pair of nail clippers, carefully positioning them at the tip of the claw. With a slight lift of her wrist to avoid the quick, she snipped off a small piece of nail with a soft “click.”

What could have been a chaotic scene was instead quiet and orderly in her hands. Even the kitten in her arms stayed still, its eyes half-closed in contentment.

After finishing one paw, Bai Qingyu gently stroked the cat’s back and placed it back into its cage. As she turned around, she met Song Yuehua’s gaze.

“How much work do you have left?” Song Yuehua walked over, smiling as she noticed the cat hair clinging to Bai Qingyu’s apron.

“Huh?” Bai Qingyu was momentarily taken aback, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “You finished cleaning so quickly?”

Song Yuehua nodded emphatically.

“Well… can I take a look?” Bai Qingyu asked, then suddenly realized how her question might sound. The tips of her ears turned slightly red as she quickly added, “Not that I think you did a bad job! It’s just that some corners are easy to overlook, like the cat hair in the sofa seams, guests might get it on their clothes when they sit down… I’ll check so we don’t forget about it later when things get busy.”

“I understand,” Song Yuehua said, watching her flustered explanation. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Bai Qingyu finally relaxed.

She stepped out of the cat room and scanned the hard-to-reach spots in the main area.

Bai Qingyu crouched down and lightly touched the floor behind the legs of the coffee table. Her fingertips came away clean.

Song Yuehua had even taken care of the most easily overlooked places.

After all, Song Yuehua was Song Yuelan’s younger sister, raised in a privileged environment. How could she be so skilled at household chores?

And then there was her unfamiliarity during their first meeting at university, her sharp personality, so different from before.

Bai Qingyu glanced sideways at Song Yuehua. The girl stood where she was, clutching the hem of her clothes, her back straight as if waiting for a teacher’s evaluation.

Her current demeanor seemed to have reverted to the person she was that night.

Bai Qingyu suppressed her curiosity, quietly tucking those questions back into the depths of her heart.

Song Yuehua watched Bai Qingyu staring intently at the corner she had just cleaned, her heart pounding so hard she could feel her fingertips sweating. “Is it not clean enough? I’ll go get the lint roller and do it again!” she said, turning to hurry toward the utility room.

“Wait.” Bai Qingyu reached out and grasped her wrist, her palm warm. She looked up, her light brown pupils shining like a clear stream, her tone filled with sincere praise: “It’s not unclean at all. You did an amazing job, even more thorough than when I clean.”

“Really?” Song Yuehua’s cheeks flushed bright red, the color spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

“Of course.” Bai Qingyu watched her shy expression and tentatively asked, “You must be someone who often does housework, right?”

“Just a bit…” Song Yuehua scratched her head.

By now, she had completely forgotten the state of her own apartment on the first day she arrived, the floor littered with trash.

“By the way, is there any work left? I’ll help you!” Song Yuehua lifted her face with enthusiasm.

Bai Qingyu, seeing her eagerness, secretly smiled but deliberately drew out her words: “The remaining work… is a bit challenging. Are you sure you want to try?”

“Absolutely!” Song Yuehua patted her chest confidently. “No matter how hard it is, I can handle it!”

Suppressing a laugh, Bai Qingyu turned and led her back to the cat room next door: “Then I’ll have to trouble you. If it gets too much, just call me anytime.”

As soon as the door opened, a strong odor of cat feces hit them, even a face mask couldn’t block it.

Song Yuehua held her breath abruptly. Seeing the several litter boxes piled beside the cat cages, she belatedly realized that the so-called “challenging work” was actually scooping litter!

She turned to look at Bai Qingyu. The girl’s eyes sparkled with mischievous amusement, and her usually gentle demeanor now carried a lively playfulness that made her exceptionally captivating.

Song Yuehua couldn’t help but laugh.

Only after Bai Qingyu left did it dawn on her: she still had a pile of cat waste to deal with.

Song Yuehua: …

Damn!

Rolling up her sleeves, Song Yuehua began moving among the cats.

“Sister Qingyu?” A curly-haired girl’s voice called from the main hall. “Someone’s here to see you again.”

Since the cat room where Bai Qingyu and Song Yuehua were was nearby, and Song Yuehua still held the litter scoop in her hand, she heard it clearly.

Her heart skipped a beat. Peering toward the entrance, she saw Song Yuelan standing at the door of the cat café.

Worried that something might go wrong if the two were left alone, Song Yuehua quickly took off her apron and gloves and hurried out.

She saw Song Yuelan and Bai Qingyu talking by the front counter. Sunlight fell on them, creating a rare, harmonious scene.

Just as Song Yuehua breathed a sigh of relief internally, she noticed Song Yuelan walking straight toward her with her usual impatience written all over her face.

Today, Song Yuelan had clearly put effort into her appearance: instead of her usual stiff suit, she wore a crisp white striped shirt with the top two buttons undone, paired with black straight-leg trousers, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders.

Not bad, her face was still worth looking at.

Song Yuehua silently assessed.

But before she knew it, Song Yuelan had walked right up to her.

Catching a whiff of something, Song Yuelan’s nose immediately wrinkled, her brows furrowing so tightly they could crush a mosquito: “What are you doing?”

“Uh… scooping litter.” Song Yuehua blinked and raised the litter scoop in her hand.

Song Yuelan’s face instantly filled with revulsion. She closed her eyes, as if steeling herself for something monumental.

Song Yuehua stared at her, wondering inwardly: What is this young lady up to?

The next moment, Song Yuelan opened her eyes, her tone stiff: “Give it to me. Go find another set of tools.”

Song Yuehua was taken aback for a moment, then obediently handed over the tools, her mind swirling with disbelief.

She couldn’t believe she was actually going to scoop cat litter.

But before her astonishment could fully settle, a loud clatter echoed from the cat room, followed by Song Yuelan’s retching sound. She practically burst out of the room.

She flung the litter scoop onto the floor with a sharp smack, her tone dripping with irritation: “You do it. I’m going to find Bai Qingyu.” With that, she ripped off her apron and tossed it aside, then stormed off toward Bai Qingyu’s room.

Song Yuehua crouched down, picked up the discarded litter scoop and apron, and let out a helpless sigh.

At home, there were cleaners to handle the messes; outside, she was always the one left to clean up after others.

She leaned back slightly and glanced toward the room where Bai Qingyu and Song Yuelan were. The door was slightly ajar, and faint voices drifted out from inside.

Song Yuehua felt torn.

Should she go in?

Should she give them some time alone?

Or was she worried that Song Yuelan might offend Bai Qingyu, and she needed to step in as a mediator?

After weighing her options, Song Yuehua decided against it.

After all, if they constantly needed her to mediate their interactions, would she have to follow them around forever once they were together?

She recalled the original novel, which described their relationship as rocky but noted that Song Yuelan genuinely cared for Bai Qingyu. There probably wouldn’t be any major issues.

With that thought, she neatly folded the apron, set it aside, put her gloves back on, picked up the litter scoop, and returned to the cat room.

Song Yuehua made seven or eight trips carrying bags of cat litter before finally cleaning the last litter box. When she straightened up, her back ached slightly.

She picked up the last bulging trash bag, bent down to scoop the final bit of litter, and was about to tie the bag shut when a sudden commotion erupted outside, accompanied by a girl’s soft exclamation.

“What’s going on?” Song Yuehua’s heart tightened, and she hurried out.

As she rushed into the hall, she saw Song Yuelan standing in the center, her face ashen and terrifyingly grim. Bai Qingyu and the curly-haired girl were gathered around her.

“What happened?” Song Yuehua quickly squeezed her way closer, her eyes darting rapidly across the three of them.

“President Song accidentally got scratched by a cat just now,” Bai Qingyu bit her lower lip, her voice tinged with helplessness. Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, making her look utterly pitiable.

“What? How could you be so careless?” Song Yuehua turned to Song Yuelan and saw her clutching her injured left hand tightly. A few shallow red marks on the back of her hand were oozing tiny beads of blood, and her expression was so dark it looked like she wanted to kill someone.

The curly-haired girl stepped forward to check the injury, her face full of apology since it had happened during her shift. “President Song, let me disinfect it for you? Please don’t worry…”

But Song Yuelan jerked sideways, her movement clearly resistant, her brows furrowing even deeper.

The curly-haired girl’s hand froze mid-air, her face instantly flushing with embarrassment.

“Let me take a look,” Song Yuehua quickly intervened, squeezing next to Song Yuelan and gently taking her wrist to examine it. After a moment, she concluded, “The scratches aren’t deep. They’ll heal in a few days with some disinfectant.”

“Yes, yes, there’s no need to worry too much. All the cats in our cat café are regularly vaccinated. If you’re still concerned, we can accompany you to get checked out, and we’ll cover all the expenses,” the curly-haired girl hastily added.

But Song Yuelan’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest. She pointed stiffly at Bai Qingyu and demanded, “You come with me to the hospital.”

Bai Qingyu looked troubled. “I’m sorry, President Song, but I have a lot to do today and can’t get away. Could another staff member accompany you instead?”

Aside from Bai Qingyu and the curly-haired girl, there were several other female employees working at the cat café.

Song Yuelan’s face instantly darkened as if dipped in ink.

“Sis, I’ll go with you!” Seeing this, Song Yuehua quickly tugged at Song Yuelan’s sleeve. “I’m free this afternoon. Shall we go now?”

But Song Yuelan shot her an icy glare. “No need.” With those two words, she clutched her injured hand and turned away without looking back.

Left behind, Song Yuehua and the two others stood in place, watching Song Yuelan’s furious retreating figure.

The cat café fell into sudden silence, the air thick with tension.

“Yuehua, I’m sorry…” Bai Qingyu’s voice broke the quiet, heavy with tears. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks like broken pearls. “It’s all my fault things turned out this way…”

Seeing her red-rimmed eyes and tightly bitten lower lip, Song Yuehua’s heart clenched. She waved her hands hurriedly, dismissing the thought. “How could this be your fault?”

But Bai Qingyu only shook her head, crying even harder. Her shoulders shook with sobs, and her words came out choked. “It’s because I didn’t keep a close enough watch on the kitten…”

Watching her tear-streaked face, Song Yuehua felt frantic. She fumbled in her bag, pulled out several tissues, and handed them over. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. It really isn’t your fault. My sister just has a quick temper, she’ll calm down soon.”

Bai Qingyu leaned gently against Song Yuehua’s shoulder. Song Yuehua stiffened for a moment, then softly raised her hand and patted Bai Qingyu’s back.

She turned to the curly-haired girl with a pleading look. “Um… may I take her aside to rest for a bit?”

“Of course,” the curly-haired girl nodded quickly. “Over there.”