Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 17

The small, pointed ears of the Ragdoll cat stood tall, twitching slightly as it emerged from the bushes, following the sound of the voice.

It shook its head to brush off the leaves clinging to its fur and stepped onto the concrete. Its deep blue eyes were wide and round, gazing at Yu Qiao with a mix of timidity and wariness; it seemed curious, yet didn’t quite dare to approach.

Yu Qiao moved a bit closer, squatting down to call softly, “Curry?”

The Ragdoll gave a soft meow and, with its head held high, walked step by step toward Yu Qiao.

The cat appeared very clean, its white fur fluffy and soft; it was clear that its owner took great care of it, and it didn’t look like a stray. Its blue eyes were clear and bright, as beautiful as a salt lake reflecting the sky and water.

Yu Qiao cautiously reached out her hand, attempting to pet it. The Ragdoll didn’t shy away, sitting quietly in place and allowing her to stroke its fur from its head down to its back.

This is too well-behaved…

Yu Qiao had never raised a cat. She had heard that cats in big cities possessed an arrogance that looked down on everything, so this was truly her first time meeting one so sweet. The orange cats she had encountered in her hometown weren’t afraid of people either, but they were full of spice—plump and sturdy, often seen chasing after dogs to bite them.

She pinched the Ragdoll’s soft ears and looked at the profile picture on WeChat, murmuring to herself, “Are you Senior’s cat?”

The Ragdoll meowed, tilting its head at her.

Yu Qiao chuckled; how could a kitten possibly understand what she was saying? She gently patted its little head and said, “Wait here a moment, I’ll go buy you something to eat first.”

Yu Qiao stood up, only to find the little cat behind her standing up as well, its tail perked up as it quietly took a step toward her.

Yu Qiao: “You want to follow me?”

The Ragdoll—not knowing if it understood or not—swayed its tail back and forth: “Meow!”

On the way to the convenience store, Yu Qiao and the “little tail” following her garnered many surprised looks. When she stood in front of the shelves picking things out, the kitten stood silently by her side, its head bobbing left and right with her movements.

The lady at the checkout counter asked with envy, “Your cat is so beautiful and so obedient. What breed is it?”

Yu Qiao said, caught between laughter and tears, “It’s a Ragdoll.”

She bought a few ham sausages and some water. Returning to the front of the dormitory, she tore open the plastic packaging of one sausage, broke it into small pieces, and placed them in her palm.

Yu Qiao extended her hand toward the kitten: “Want to eat?”

The kitten’s gaze landed on the fragrant sausage. Its little pink nose sniffed gently, and it lowered its head to eat from her palm. It buried its entire face in Yu Qiao’s hand, eating with gusto as if it had been hungry for a long time; its movements could even be described as wolfing it down.

After finishing, it looked up at her expectantly.

Yu Qiao couldn’t help but laugh. “Eat slowly, there’s more.” She used the cap of the mineral water bottle to pour a little water and placed it aside.

Watching the cat quietly stick out its tongue to drink, Yu Qiao wiped her hands, took a photo with her phone, and sent it to Xie Bufei.

Kitten drinking water.jpg… “Senior, is this your cat?”

Before long, Xie Bufei sent a reply.

Gary: “!!” Gary: “It’s my cat! Where did you find him?!”

Yu Qiao: “Right in front of the dormitory building. He suddenly popped out of the bushes.”

Xie Bufei: Cat shock.jpg! “Okay, stay right where you are. I’m coming over immediately.”

Yu Qiao smiled and scratched the kitten’s chin, saying, “Your owner is coming.”

The Ragdoll tilted its head: “Meow?”

Yu Qiao waited for less than five minutes before a familiar figure appeared at the end of her vision.

Xie Bufei seemed to have run all the way from the teaching building. Her long hair was tied up simply, her skirt swayed as she ran, and her fair cheeks were flushed from the exercise. The autumn sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees along the road, falling in fragments upon her, illuminating those beautiful fox-like eyes. Her black braid was tinted a light golden-brown, swaying left and right in the breeze.

Xie Bufei sprinted all the way to Yu Qiao but couldn’t stop in time. Due to the momentum, she took a step forward and accidentally tumbled directly toward Yu Qiao.

Yu Qiao reacted quickly, immediately reaching out to catch her. The girl’s soft, slender body crashed into her arms like a shooting star. Yu Qiao retreated a few steps uncontrollably, barely managing to come to a halt.

“Senior, are you okay?”

Xie Bufei was buried in the crook of her neck. When she spoke, small currents of air brushed against Yu Qiao’s nape, sending a prickle of itchiness through her heart.

She heard Xie Bufei laugh softly, her voice a bit raspy. “I’m fine.”

“You didn’t need to run so fast,” Yu Qiao said seriously, one hand supporting Xie Bufei’s waist. “I’ve been waiting here; I wasn’t going to leave.”

Xie Bufei leaned halfway against Yu Qiao, one hand resting on the other’s shoulder to calm her racing heart. She muttered softly, “I was afraid of making you wait too long.”

After a moment, she added, “Qiaoqiao, lend me your shoulder to lean on for a bit.”

Having said that, her soft, fair cheek pressed against Yu Qiao’s neck, nuzzling gently like a cat. Her warm, hurried breath fell faintly against the nape of Yu Qiao’s neck. A light scent of lily-of-the-valley drifted silently into the surroundings, like an invisible and exquisite cage, trapping Yu Qiao inside.

Yu Qiao paused, silently allowing Xie Bufei’s actions. She lowered her eyes, her throat feeling dry and itchy. She felt her slight headache suddenly ease, and her irritable, restless mood calmed down, transforming into another, more unfamiliar and strange emotion.

It was scorching and burning. It felt like a dazzling, brilliant afternoon in the height of summer—heat waves rolling, sweat soaking her back, the sunlight so blinding it made her dizzy.

After a moment, Xie Bufei lifted her face. Her upturned eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were slightly curled in a smug smile. “Thank you, Qiaoqiao.”

She used the back of her hand to wipe her sweaty nose and took a step back, proactively creating some distance from Yu Qiao.

Yu Qiao looked at her flushed cheeks and held out the mineral water in her hand. “Do you want a drink?”

Xie Bufei looked at her and nodded with a grin. “Sure.”

She reached out to take the bottle from Yu Qiao’s hand. Her slender, fair fingertips brushed lightly against Yu Qiao’s palm—whether intentionally or not—as her fingers gradually closed around the bottle covered in icy mist.

Yu Qiao watched as she tilted her head to take a sip. Her moistened lips were even more vivid, looking as though they were coated in a layer of glossy lip glaze.

For some reason, Yu Qiao was stunned and instinctively looked away, only to hear Xie Bufei say casually, “Qiaoqiao, your heartbeat was so loud just now.”

She was talking about when they were hugging.

Yu Qiao didn’t know how to answer. After a long silence, she simply stated the fact: “Yours was too.”

Xie Bufei arched an eyebrow, shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks. “Then I guess we’re even.”

The Ragdoll cat, left out on the side and unwilling to be lonely, let out a series of cries and rushed forward to rub its furry body against Xie Bufei’s ankles.

Xie Bufei looked down at it, her eyebrows instantly shooting up as her tone turned fierce. “Curry! You’ve grown quite a pair, haven’t you? How dare you sneak away!”

The Ragdoll gave a soft meow and immediately darted to the side, hiding behind Yu Qiao.

Seeing this, Yu Qiao had no choice but to block the aggressive Xie Bufei, saying helplessly, “Don’t scare him, he might run off again.”

“He wouldn’t dare run around in front of me. It’s only because Cheng Yeli indulges him too much and buys him everything,” Xie Bufei said angrily. “Don’t stop me, let me teach him a lesson!”

Yu Qiao frowned upon hearing this: Cheng Yeli is involved in this too?

Curry trembled piteously, his small paws clinging to Yu Qiao’s sneakers as he poked his head out to peek secretly at Xie Bufei.

Blocked by Yu Qiao’s hands, Xie Bufei could only sway left and right, pointing a finger at Curry’s nose as she scolded, “You still dare to look! Do you know you did something wrong?”

The kitten shivered: “Meow…”

Yu Qiao felt like the mother hen in a game of “the eagle catches the chicks,” blocking Xie Bufei while struggling to find the right words. Since she was clumsy with words, she could only reference lines from TV dramas, saying instinctively, “Senior, don’t hit the child. Children are the flowers of the motherland.”

Xie Bufei’s gaze shifted to her, a half-smile playing on her lips. “If I don’t hit him, should I hit you instead?”

Yu Qiao paused, then insisted, “If you must hit someone, then hit me.”

“Fine,” Xie Bufei said, stopping her movements. “Then I’ll hit you. Close your eyes.”

Yu Qiao hesitated but closed her eyes. Her vision was covered by a heavy dark red, and her surrounding senses became sharp. She felt a rush of wind approaching rapidly and aggressively, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

However, the sound of the wind suddenly stopped in front of her face. The next second, a warm palm lightly tapped her cheek.

Yu Qiao opened her eyes in surprise to see Xie Bufei gazing at her, the smile at the corners of her mouth light and tender:

“Done hitting you.”

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