C9 A Fake Cat Smiled

If Cang Xu comes back and finds her missing, it's going to be a disaster. She searched everywhere for a way out, but everything was unfamiliar, and all the courtyards looked the same.

As the sky grew darker, suddenly, a pair of eyes appeared in the bushes. The bright eyes made Lu Xiaoxiao's hair stand on end. What... what is that? She took two steps back, and a huge rat darted out.

Ahhh—! A rat! The thing she feared the most was rats. Lu Xiaoxiao started running for her life, but the rat, sensing her fear, chased after her relentlessly. In her panic, she spotted a tree and scrambled up it, her small, furry body trembling among the branches. A rat, a rat... She covered her head, and after a long while, she dared to peek down. In the dim twilight, the rat was nowhere to be seen.

Phew—Lu Xiaoxiao let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest with her little paws. Finally safe, but—how was she going to get down?

Not far away, she heard someone calling out. Her heart leaped with joy, and she eagerly called out, "Meow meow!" I'm here, Yue'er, come save me!

"You actually climbed up a tree." Below, Cang Xu, who had arrived without her noticing, looked up at the little white fluffball in the tree. Behind him was Yue'er, who had rushed over.

Lu Xiaoxiao had hoped Cang Xu would rescue her, but the jerk remained indifferent to her pitiful cries. When she saw Yue'er, she finally found her savior and called out to her with a pitiful voice.

"Fluffball, how did you end up in a tree?" Yue'er asked, looking at her. "Can't get down? I'll come get you." She started to roll up her sleeves to climb the tree.

Cang Xu stopped her, looking up with a cold voice, "Had the courage to climb up but not to come down?" She dared to run off, making him and Yue'er search for so long. She deserved to be punished!

Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at the height of the tree and couldn't help but swallow hard. Jumping from such a height, even if she didn't die, she'd surely be injured!

"Meow~" Lu Xiaoxiao looked pleadingly at Cang Xu.

Again with the begging. This time, he decided she needed a lesson. Cang Xu remained unmoved, even turning to leave. "If she likes being up there so much, let her stay. Come on, let's go eat," he said to his companion.

Heartless guy! Lu Xiaoxiao watched his back, feeling a bit wronged. If he wouldn't help, she'd just jump down herself. After all... cats should be able to handle this height, right?

She closed her eyes, her little cat face scrunched up, and with a determined "meow," she leapt, resigning herself to whatever fate awaited.

But instead of hitting the ground, she landed in a soft embrace. She cautiously opened her eyes to find Cang Xu had returned to catch her, now gazing down at her with a stern expression.

"Meow~" she whimpered, snuggling into his arms. Cang Xu, surprisingly, found himself reluctant to scold her. He gently pulled her face out from her fur and lifted her chin, asking, "So, how exactly did you end up in that tree?" His voice had a teasing lilt that was oddly enticing.

Lu Xiaoxiao's little heart couldn't help but race. What a scoundrel! Flirting with a cat—how outrageous!

Naturally, Lu Xiaoxiao couldn't answer him, but Cang Xu, understanding animals' instincts to avoid danger, guessed something must have frightened her. His sharp gaze swept the bushes below the tree, spotting a dead mouse in the shadows. Could that be the reason? Cang Xu raised an eyebrow.

Lu Xiaoxiao followed his gaze and saw the mouse too, immediately burrowing deeper into Cang Xu's arms. Such a big reaction? Cang Xu's eyes reflected disbelief. Could it be that he had a cat that wasn't really a cat at all?

Where have you ever seen a cat afraid of a mouse?