Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 19

Yu Qiao carried Curry back to Dormitory 301.

As soon as she pushed the door open, Yao Rudong, who had been playing on her phone, leaped off her bed and sprinted to Yu Qiao’s side. She let out a high-pitched squeal: “Oh my god! He’s so cute!”

Lu Yun, who was busy typing away at her keyboard, also cast a fervent gaze over, murmuring, “I have a cat… I finally have a cat!”

The duo’s terrifying level of enthusiasm made Curry shudder; the fur on his back stood on end, and he tried to burrow deeper into Yu Qiao’s arms.

Yu Qiao cautioned, “Calm down, both of you. Curry is timid; don’t scare him.”

“Is this Senior Xie’s Ragdoll?” Yao Rudong reached out eagerly, her ‘devilish claws’ itching to poke at that ball of white fluff.

As a certified level-ten cat lover, her dream was to pet a cat to her heart’s content. Unfortunately, while she spent every day watching cat videos on Bilibili and was virtually an expert on every breed, she rarely had the chance to practice in real life.

Today, that dream was finally coming true!

Lu Yun also leaned in, saying in wonder, “His eyes are so beautiful, just like the color of the sky.”

Curry watched as two giants approached him with looks of pure avarice and let out a weak, pitiful, and helpless meow.

Yu Qiao reached out to gently stroke Curry’s head and nodded. “Yes, they are.”

She knew that her two roommates were the type of people who couldn’t walk past a cat on the street without stopping, which was why she had felt confident making the suggestion to Xie Bufei. They would certainly never mistreat Curry.

“Why is he named Curry?” Lu Yun asked. “Is it because Senior likes eating curry?”

Yu Qiao shook her head. “Senior said she just picked the name randomly.”

“How can Senior be so casual!” Yao Rudong tried to scratch Curry’s chin, but he hissed at her, baring his teeth. She retracted her hand in a fright. “Waaah, he doesn’t want me to touch him.”

Lu Yun received the same treatment, her face falling with dejection. “Why…”

The two watched as Curry obediently buried his face in Yu Qiao’s arms, his small paws gripping her sleeves. He looked quiet and gentle—a complete 180-degree turn from the baring-teeth version of himself just a second ago. They both cast looks of resentment.

Yao Rudong cried, “Why is he so clingy with you!”

“I can’t accept this…” Lu Yun said gloomily. “Is it because Senior favors you, so even her cat likes you that much?”

Yu Qiao replied helplessly, “How could that be?” She pulled over a stool and sat down, placing Curry on her lap and giving him some water. “It’s probably because I bought him sausages earlier, so he recognizes me.”

After finishing the water, Curry licked Yu Qiao’s palm a few times, tilted his round face up to give a meow, and flicked his tail from side to side.

Seeing this, Yao Rudong was practically green with envy. She wailed, “Ugh, it’s so nice to be you…”

“Let’s feed him again when he’s hungry,” Lu Yun suggested. “Should we build him a cat bed first?”

Yu Qiao agreed. The three of them began rummaging through the dorm. They dragged out a cardboard delivery box from under a bed, found some old clothes, and followed a tutorial to build a simple, warm, and thick cat bed.

Curry sat quietly on the chair, playing with his own tail, occasionally looking up to watch them work, his round blue eyes darting around curiously.

“Mission accomplished!” Yao Rudong straightened her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Looking at the cardboard box they had trimmed into a sofa shape, she put her hands on her hips with a sense of pride. “As expected of me.”

Lu Yun took a sip of water and asked, “Did Senior say how long Curry will be staying here?”

Thinking about Xie Bufei’s family situation, Yu Qiao pondered for a moment. “She didn’t say, but I think it might be for a long time.”

Yao Rudong gave Curry a ‘wicked’ grin. “Yoshi! Little kitty, you won’t escape my grasp! We have a long time together!”

Curry gave her a look, jumped off the stool, darted into the box at their feet, and curled up into a big, white, fluffy ball.

Lu Yun squatted down to look at him and chuckled. “Curry really knows how to enjoy himself.”

Yu Qiao squatted down as well and stroked the fur on Curry’s back. She could still faintly smell the lingering scent of lily-of-the-valley from when Xie Bufei had been holding him. It was light and sweet, gradually smoothing out the inexplicable restlessness and pain within her.

Yao Rudong asked from the side, “By the way, Qiaoqiao, you went to the infirmary this morning. Are you okay? What did the doctor say?”

Yu Qiao finally remembered. She stood up, took out the powdered medicine from the plastic bag, and boiled some water. Without turning around, she said, “The doctor said it’s likely just a minor cold from the changing seasons.”

Behind her, Lu Yun breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as it’s just a cold. Remember to wear more layers.”

Yao Rudong nodded. “Since there are no classes this afternoon, you can get some good rest.”

Yu Qiao paused but said, “It’s not serious. I plan to go out and look for a part-time job this afternoon.”

Yao Rudong was shocked. “Again? You should rest first. It won’t be too late to look once you’ve recovered…”

Yu Qiao thought of her mother’s previous phone call, and her fingers tightened. She said softly, “No, I’m fine.”

Since her father went to prison, her mother’s meager salary was only enough to support herself. She had to work hard and study so that she could provide a better life for them in the future.

Yao Rudong and Lu Yun exchanged a look and sighed silently, no longer trying to stop her.

They saw how hard Yu Qiao worked every day. When they first found out this roommate had entered A University with the second-highest score in the entire province, they had expected a total bookworm.

It turned out she was indeed a bit of a “dull” girl, and to put it bluntly, Yu Qiao’s personality was serious to the point of being stubborn.

Yu Qiao placed immense importance on every choice she made. Her self-discipline was terrifying. She would stay up until 3:00 or 4:00 AM for a minor quiz or a short essay. She spent every day in the library eating bread for meals just to stay ahead of her previews. For a part-time job, she would sleep and wake early and never once be late.

She held herself to increasingly high standards, striving for perfection in everything. While others were enjoying the carefree early days of university, she used her self-discipline to climb higher. Her life was like a packed schedule with almost zero time for entertainment no games, no celebrity gossip, and no TV shows. The things people her age were interested in were almost entirely alien to her.

If it weren’t for Xie Bufei, Yao Rudong never would have imagined that Yu Qiao would one day bring a cat home.

Yao Rudong sighed inwardly; perhaps such a change was a good thing for Yu Qiao.

Once the cat bed was settled, Yu Qiao finally had a moment to sit and rest. She picked up her phone and noticed a message from Xie Bufei sent ten minutes ago.

Gary: “How is it going?”

Yu Qiao: “I was just setting up a cat bed and only just saw your reply. Sorry.” Yu Qiao: “Curry is doing great, don’t worry.”

After sending those messages, Yu Qiao watched Curry biting his tail at her feet. She thought for a moment, raised her phone, and took a quick photo.

Yu Qiao: Curry biting tail.jpg

A few minutes later, Xie Bufei replied.

Gary: “Mm-hm, then I can rest easy.” Gary: “What about you?”

Yu Qiao: “Me?”

Gary: “What is Qiaoqiao doing now?”

Yu Qiao was confused: “I am chatting with you.”

Gary: Blushing cat.jpg Gary: “By the way, Curry still has some things at Cheng Yeli’s house. I’ll find a time to bring them over to you some other day?”

Yu Qiao found the conversation slightly nonsensical but unconsciously curled her lips into a smile. “Sure. If there are many things, I can help carry them.”

Gary: “Great! Are you free this weekend?”

Yu Qiao: “Yes.”

Gary: “Then it’s settled. I’ll come find you on Saturday.”

Yu Qiao: “Okay, anytime works for me.”

Gary: “Mhm! Do you plan on taking a nap now? If so, I won’t disturb you. Cat waving.gif”

Yu Qiao: “No, you’re not disturbing me. I plan to head out in a bit.”

Going out? With whom?

At the same time, on the fourth floor of the dormitory, Xie Bufei was leaning against her headboard playing on her phone. She raised a slender eyebrow, her fair finger hovering in the air as she pondered.

She asked with feigned casualness, “Going out to play with friends?”

Yu Qiao answered honestly, “No, I’m looking for a part-time job.”

Oh, looking for a job…

Xie Bufei smiled. After thinking for a moment, she narrowed her eyes and replied with a grin, “Okay, then I hope you find one today.”

“Thank you for the kind words, Senior.”

After saying goodbye to Xie Bufei, Yu Qiao opened the school’s part-time job exchange group to see if there were any new listings.

Suddenly, the penguin icon in the bottom right corner of her computer screen changed to an unfamiliar avatar and started flashing frantically.

Yu Qiao didn’t recognize the avatar, so she moved the mouse and double-clicked. She scanned it briefly; it was someone named “Eat a Melon” (Ken Da Gua). It wasn’t someone on her friend list; the ID sub-text said “From the Part-time Group,” indicating they were a group member.

Eat a Melon: “Are you looking for a part-time job?”

Yu Qiao clicked the profile. All the information was blank; it seemed to be a burner account.

She replied cautiously, “Yes, can I help you?”

Eat a Melon: “I’m looking for a tutor. Are you interested?”

Yu Qiao paused. A tutor? That is actually a very good suggestion.

However, this burner account’s profile was empty, making the identity suspicious. It looked very much like those scammers who prey on students for agency fees.

Seeing she didn’t reply, Eat a Melon added: “Tutoring middle school math and English homework. As long as the level is sufficient. Only two days a week, room and board included, with transportation subsidies and afternoon tea. How about it?”

Yu Qiao was speechless. “It sounds very good.”

It was exactly because the benefits were too good to be true that she felt even more like the person was a scammer.

Eat a Melon: “It’s so good, so why are you hesitating!!”

Whether it was a hallucination or not, Yu Qiao felt she could read a hint of urgency and anger from the messages.

She thought for a moment and asked, “Pardon me for asking, but where is the address?”

Eat a Melon: “The address is in Wandong Community.”

The address wasn’t far from school, making it convenient for her. Yu Qiao paused, falling into thought. If this job was really as the person described, she absolutely couldn’t miss it.

Seeing her delay in replying, Eat a Melon said again: “Tsk, if you’re not satisfied with the benefits, you can propose something else.”

Yu Qiao: “No, I am very satisfied with the benefits.” Yu Qiao: “I also wanted to ask about the salary?”

Eat a Melon: “Uh, eight thousand a month?”

Yu Qiao: “…”

She was certain that if this person wasn’t a scammer, they were a fool.

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