My Sweet Little Flower Turned Out to Be a Sinister Ghost - Chapter 5

“Bai Qingyu?” Song Yuehua’s eyes widened in surprise, her drowsy gaze suddenly alert.

Bai Qingyu also froze for a moment, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. “Yuehua?”

Her gaze drifted to Song Yuehua’s disheveled hair and the lingering traces of sleep on her face, the corners of her lips curling almost imperceptibly.

Only then did Song Yuehua belatedly glance down at herself, her crumpled pajama collar was askew, and the stray strands of hair at her forehead stuck up like unruly weeds.

Embarrassed, she raised a hand to scratch her head, her fingers brushing through the frizzy strands as a faint warmth crept up her ears.

Bai Qingyu remarked, “So you’re the one Yu Xian told me about.”

Yu Xian?

Song Yuehua remembered.

“Mm.”

“May I come in?” Bai Qingyu asked politely.

“Of course,” Song Yuehua replied.

Bai Qingyu carried a large hiking backpack on her shoulder, the straps digging in and leaving faint red marks, as if it were packed with quite a few things.

Song Yuehua quickly stepped aside, letting Bai Qingyu enter before gently closing the door behind her.

Once inside, Bai Qingyu set down her backpack and glanced around. “Where’s the kitten?”

“Oh, it’s in my bedroom,” Song Yuehua said, pointing toward the door at the end of the hallway.

Bai Qingyu asked, “Then…?”

“Follow me,” Song Yuehua said, leading the way.

As they pushed the door open, both of them instinctively softened their breathing. Song Xiaomi lay sprawled on the soft bedding, its little belly rising and falling with each breath, pink paw pads exposed, sleeping completely unguarded.

Song Yuehua’s eyes quickly swept over the crumpled sheets at the foot of the bed and the haphazardly stacked textbooks on the desk. A wave of regret washed over her, she wished she had tidied up earlier.

“I’ll feed it a little later, is that alright?” Bai Qingyu turned back and whispered, careful not to wake the little one on the bed. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids.

Song Yuehua nodded quickly and followed her out, quietly closing the bedroom door behind them.

“Have a seat. What would you like to drink?” Song Yuehua gestured toward the sofa, trying to mask her earlier awkwardness.

“Just water is fine,” Bai Qingyu replied obediently, sitting down with her backpack at her feet and her hands folded neatly on her knees, her posture somewhat reserved.

“Alright.” Song Yuehua turned to fetch the water.

When she returned, Bai Qingyu was still sitting exactly as before.

“No need to be so nervous,” Song Yuehua said, handing her the glass. “There’s nothing valuable here, make yourself at home.”

“I’m not nervous,” Bai Qingyu replied, taking the glass. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against Song Yuehua’s hand, and she flinched slightly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear to reveal a small, delicate earlobe. “I just don’t want to accidentally break anything of yours.”

“It’s really fine,” Song Yuehua assured her, sitting down opposite her and sinking slightly into the sofa. “This place is a mess, I’m always tossing things around carelessly.”

Only then did Bai Qingyu relax a little, giving a soft nod.

Song Yuehua’s gaze fell on the bulging backpack, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s in your bag?”

“Cat supplies that Yu Xian asked me to bring,” Bai Qingyu explained, patting the backpack. The feathers of a cat teaser peeked out from the half-open zipper. “She said it’s best to play with Xiaomi for a while after feeding, so I brought some toys too.”

“I see,” Song Yuehua said with a laugh. “If it were all cat food, Xiaomi would be eating way too much.”

“Is it called Xiaomi?” Bai Qingyu’s eyes sparkled as if two stars had fallen into them. “What an adorable name.”

Song Yuehua unconsciously straightened her posture. Though she hadn’t chosen the name herself, the cat was “hers” after all.

“It’s coming out.” Bai Qingyu suddenly pointed toward the bedroom door with her fingertip, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Both pairs of eyes turned simultaneously to see Song Xiaomi emerging from the bedroom with perfect feline grace, its tail held high.

Completely ignoring the stranger in the living room, it walked directly to Song Yuehua’s side, leaped lightly onto her lap, and curled itself into a fluffy ball.

Song Yuehua’s hand immediately began stroking its fur.

Observing this scene, Bai Qingyu quietly unzipped her backpack and began taking things out. “Yuehua, where’s the cat’s bowl?”

“Over there in the corner.” Song Yuehua gestured with her chin.

Bai Qingyu walked in the indicated direction, picked up the enamel bowl, poured in some cat food, then opened a can of wet food and mixed it in. The aroma instantly filled the air.

“Xiaomi~ Xiaomi~” Song Yuehua lowered her head and rubbed her chin against the cat’s head, the furry sensation tickling her neck. “Are you ready for dinner?”

“Meow~” Xiaomi responded lazily.

“Let’s go eat then.” Song Yuehua carried the cat to the food bowl. The moment she set it down, the little creature eagerly pounced forward, burying its head in the bowl and eating with enthusiastic crunching sounds.

“Wow, it seems Xiaomi really likes this.” Watching it devour the food, Song Yuehua couldn’t help but laugh. “What brand is this cat food? I’ll get some too.”

Bai Qingyu handed her the packaging bag, which featured an English brand name.

“I’ll remember this. I should stock up on more of this kind next time.” Song Yuehua silently repeated the name twice, afraid she might forget.

“No need, no need.” Bai Qingyu quickly waved her hand, lightly tapping the packaging with her fingertip. “Yu Xian left plenty more at my place. I can bring some next time I come by.”

“That’s too much trouble.” Song Yuehua scratched her head, though she understood the underlying meaning.

It seemed Yu Xian wasn’t very confident about “Song Yuehua’s” capabilities.

While they were talking, Song Xiaomi continued eating voraciously, its tail wagging proudly from side to side.

Watching the swaying orange fluffball, Song Yuehua felt her heart melting.

“Yuehua, why don’t you go freshen up first?” Bai Qingyu tilted her head to look at her, her gaze lingering on the messy hair with amused understanding she didn’t voice. “I’ll stay here with Xiaomi. No rush.”

Only then did Song Yuehua snap out of her “cat eating show” trance, her cheeks flushing instantly. “Oh right! Wait for me, I’ll be quick.”

She dashed toward the bathroom while mentally scolding herself a hundred times for having chatted so long in such a disheveled state.

One look in the mirror made Song Yuehua even more horrified. Her hair resembled a bird’s nest after a hurricane, with several stubborn strands sticking straight up. Her pajama buttons were fastened crookedly, with the top two mistakenly buttoned into wrong holes, revealing a generous portion of her fair collarbone.

“Oh my god…” she groaned, frantically beginning her washing routine.

Bai Qingyu hadn’t come particularly early, it was already ten o’clock.

Sunlight streamed diagonally through the floor-to-ceiling window, painting bright spots on the wooden floor.

Bai Qingyu sat on the sofa, holding a feather teaser wand in her hand.

Song Xiaomi, having just eaten his fill, was energetically chasing after a feather, leaping into the air one moment and spinning in place the next, his little paws patting the feather with soft thwaps.

Bai Qingyu’s gaze never left the kitten, a faint smile playing on her lips, her eyelashes gilded by the sunlight.

Wrapped in the warm, gentle light, even the dust settling on the tips of her hair seemed like a tender embellishment, as if she were a painting meticulously washed with soft hues.

Song Yuehua took a deep breath, reluctant to disrupt such a beautiful scene.

“Yuehua, come give it a try.” Bai Qingyu had already noticed Song Yuehua standing at the door and beckoned her over, waving the cat teaser in her hand.

Song Yuehua walked over and took the teaser, moving it stiffly up and down.

Song Xiaomi crouched in place, his round eyes fixed intently on her, not even a twitch from the tip of his tail.

Flustered, Song Yuehua looked at Bai Qingyu, her eyes pleading, “What do I do?”

Bai Qingyu chuckled softly and reached out to take back the teaser. “You have to do it like this.”

With a gentle flick of her wrist, the feather traced a nimble arc through the air. Instantly, Song Xiaomi perked up, arching his back and pouncing left and right.

After playing for a while, Bai Qingyu handed the teaser to Song Xiaomi to chew on and pulled a new one from her backpack, her eyes sparkling with encouragement. “Want to try again?”

Under such a gaze, who could refuse?

Song Yuehua took the teaser and waved it in front of Song Xiaomi, mimicking Bai Qingyu’s movements. But the little guy was too busy gnawing happily on the one in his mouth to pay any attention to the new one.

Song Yuehua couldn’t help but pout.

“Look, you need to add a bit of rhythm to it.” Bai Qingyu gently placed her hand over Song Yuehua’s, her fingertips cool to the touch.

Song Yuehua caught the scent on her first, a clean fragrance, like a freshly laundered white shirt dried in the sun, mingled with a hint of faint gardenia. Her head spun slightly.

She didn’t catch what Bai Qingyu said next, simply following the guidance of that hand as they moved the teaser together.

The feather darted left and right, now fast, now slow. Finally, Song Xiaomi released the toy in his mouth and leaped toward the new target.

Bai Qingyu let go at just the right moment. Just as Song Yuehua was about to feel proud, Song Xiaomi pounced a bit too eagerly, clamping down on the teaser with a thwack and tugging her wrist along with it.

“It’s alright, he gets a little wild when he’s excited,” Bai Qingyu reassured with a laugh.

“Mm.” Song Yuehua lowered her head, the tips of her ears burning quietly.

She’s going to be your sister-in-law someday, no wild thoughts, no wild thoughts.

“Huh?” Bai Qingyu suddenly exclaimed softly.

Song Yuehua looked up to see Song Xiaomi had already released the teaser and was waddling his plump little rear toward the litter box.

A moment later, a less-than-pleasant odor wafted over. Song Yuehua instinctively covered her nose. “So smelly…”

Bai Qingyu grinned, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “Seems like he had a bit too much canned food earlier.” She pulled out an air freshener from her backpack and gave a couple of light sprays toward the litter box. “It’ll be fine once we change the litter.”

“Do you have a cat at home, Senior? You seem really familiar with them.”

“Did Yu Xian not tell you?” Bai Qingyu replied. “I work part-time at the cat café she runs.”

“No, she didn’t mention it.”

“Maybe she just hasn’t had the chance to yet,” Bai Qingyu said.

By this time, Song Xiaomi had already buried his head in the litter box, carefully covering his accomplishment, then picked up the feather wand from the floor and trotted over to Bai Qingyu’s feet. With his round, moist eyes fixed on her, his tail swished back and forth across the floor.

Bai Qingyu smiled and picked up the feather wand, offering it to Song Yuehua. “Would you like to give it a try?”

“You go ahead,” Song Yuehua replied with a wave, watching as Song Xiaomi chased the feather in Bai Qingyu’s hand.

After a while of playful teasing, Song Xiaomi finally collapsed onto the carpet, exhausted, lying on his back with his belly rising and falling as he panted. Bai Qingyu glanced at her phone. “It’s getting late. I should head back.”

“Leaving so soon?” Song Yuehua sounded a bit reluctant and quickly suggested, “How about having lunch together? As a thank you for taking care of Song Xiaomi.”

“No need, Yu Xian already paid me for the part-time work,” Bai Qingyu declined with a smile.

“Alright,” Song Yuehua said, her voice tinged with disappointment.

“But,” Bai Qingyu’s tone shifted, “thanks to you getting the guard to open the door yesterday, I should treat you to this meal.”

“Great, great!” Song Yuehua’s mood instantly brightened.

Bai Qingyu began packing her bag.

Seeing his beloved feather about to be taken away, Song Xiaomi immediately pounced, pawing at the zipper of the backpack and meowing anxiously.

“Do you have another feather wand at home? We can use that to distract him,” Bai Qingyu said, careful not to pull too hard and hurt Xiaomi.

“Um, probably not…” Song Yuehua scratched her head, her voice trailing off.

Bai Qingyu gave her a disapproving look. “How can a kitten not have any toys?”

“Meow~” Xiaomi, realizing he couldn’t retrieve his toy, quickly changed tactics. He trotted over to Song Yuehua’s feet, rubbing his head against her pants leg and letting out pitiful, pleading mews, looking utterly heartbroken.

“Uh, I…” Song Yuehua felt guilty. “I’ll go buy some this afternoon, a whole bunch for him.”

“Okay, okay, I admit I was wrong,” she quickly picked him up, rubbing her cheek against his fur until the little guy closed his eyes contentedly. “We’ll go this afternoon and buy you a whole pile of toys, alright?”

Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Qingyu finally managed to zip up her backpack.

“I know a great pet supply store. Would you like me to go with you?”

“Sure, sure! Thank you so much, Senior,” Song Yuehua said gratefully.

“Can we bring Xiaomi along?” she asked, holding the cat, her eyes sparkling.

“We can,” Bai Qingyu thought for a moment, “but we’ll need a cat carrier for the trip. Do you have one?”

“…No,” Song Yuehua admitted sheepishly.

Bai Qingyu sighed.

“How about we go for lunch first, buy a carrier on the way, and then take Xiaomi to pick out some toys?”

“Great!” Song Yuehua nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice, and snuggled Xiaomi in her arms. “Did you hear that? We’re taking you to buy new toys this afternoon.”

Xiaomi seemed to understand, yawning comfortably in her arms and revealing a tiny pink tongue.