Lu Yuan couldn’t check Ning Guiqu’s messages this time as he was holding the cat. After taking it to the pet hospital, the veterinarian performed a routine examination on the kitten. Ning Guiqu stood by, visibly worried.
The doctor felt the kitten’s belly and said, “It seems like it might have an upset stomach. What have you been feeding it recently?”
Ning Guiqu replied, “It’s a stray cat. I’m not sure.”
The doctor continued feeling the kitten’s abdomen and remarked, “It looks so clean, I thought it was your pet. I’ll need to do a checkup, and if there are any issues, we’ll have to prescribe medication. Is that alright?”
Ning Guiqu nodded, “That’s fine.”
The final diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis. It wasn’t a serious condition, but the doctor’s words nearly brought Ning Guiqu to tears.
“It’s common for stray cats to get upset stomachs. They either recover on their own or die if left untreated. Luckily, you brought it in today. I’ve prescribed medication for acute gastroenteritis and a nutritional paste. The nutritional paste is optional.”
“We’ll take both!” Ning Guiqu hastily replied.
The doctor said, “That’ll be 398 yuan in total.”
Ning Guiqu’s eyes reddened as he prepared to pay the medical bill. However, Lu Yuan immediately covered the cost, saying, “It got sick from eating my cat food. It’s only right that I pay.”
Ning Guiqu insisted, “Although it was in the same place, this isn’t the one from yesterday.”
Lu Yuan didn’t respond to that comment.
The veterinarian continued treating other animals.
Lu Yuan suggested, “Let’s give it the medicine before we leave. What do you plan to do with this cat? Pets aren’t allowed in the dormitory.”
Ning Guiqu sat on a bench in the pet hospital, watching awkwardly as Lu Yuan administered the medicine to the kitten.
He felt extremely anxious.
What should he do?
The kitten still needed medication. He didn’t even know where the original owner’s home was, so taking it back wasn’t an option. Suddenly, Ning Guiqu had an idea.
The protagonist shou loved cats! And he lived in Linhai City. He could ask if the protagonist would take the cat! But as Ning Guiqu glanced at Lu Yuan’s face, he realized something.
He couldn’t let Lu Yuan meet the protagonist shou!
In the novel, Lu Yuan was just a background character with no connection to the protagonists. If Lu Yuan were to meet the protagonist shou because of him, it could alter the storyline. What if Lu Yuan didn’t start his company after the change?
What if Lu Yuan ended up working for the protagonists’ company?
So, he had to go alone!
Ning Guiqu said, “I have a friend who really likes cats. I’ll ask if he’d be willing to take care of it.”
Lu Yuan grunted, “That’s fine.”
After administering the medicine, Lu Yuan washed his hands. They then returned to the university.
At the campus entrance, Ning Guiqu parted ways with Lu Yuan, saying, “He’s from our university, too. You don’t need to come with me. I’ll go alone.”
Lu Yuan didn’t insist, “Alright, let me know if your friend agrees to take it. If not, I’ll ask my friends.”
Ning Guiqu nodded.
On his way back to the dormitory, Lu Yuan deactivated his high school WeChat account once again. Three strikes and you’re out—this was the third and final time. Ning Guiqu had completely given up on him, and he couldn’t keep lurking on Ning Guiqu’s venting posts.
Yet, at the moment of deactivation, Lu Yuan felt a faint reluctance. But this unpleasant emotion was instantly suppressed by Lu Yuan, with no chance of resurfacing.
The afternoon class started at 2:30 p.m.
Ning Guiqu sent Lu Yuan a message: [The cat’s been given away. I’m accompanying my friend to his place to settle the kitten. Could you excuse me from class? Thanks (▽)]
Lu Yuan: “……”
Using cute emoticons again.
Lu Yuan had no choice but to explain the situation to the professor. The professor was understanding but still used Lu Yuan’s phone to send a voice message to Ning Guiqu, instructing him to return to class immediately after delivering the cat.
By the time Lu Yuan returned to his seat, Ning Guiqu’s reply came through.
[Understood, Professor! I’ll rush back right away!]
[Saluting emoji.jpg]
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and replied: [The professor has already started the lecture.]
This time, Ning Guiqu’s response was faster: [You scared me to death! The professor’s voice is terrifying! I nearly jumped out of my skin!]
Lu Yuan instinctively tried to open his high school WeChat account but found he needed to log in again.
Lu Yuan: “……”
He’d deactivated it, so he wouldn’t look anymore! There was nothing worth snooping on in Ning Guiqu’s account.
Ning Guiqu returned an hour later. The professor was halfway through the lecture when Ning Guiqu slipped in. He initially planned to sit with Lu Yuan, but Jiang Xu was already beside him. Shi Wen, however, was waving him over.
Ning Guiqu went to sit with Shi Wen.
Shi Wen whispered, “I heard from Lu Yuan that you rescued a cat and gave it to a friend. Xiao Qu, you’re so kind-hearted!”
Still catching his breath, Ning Guiqu explained in a low voice, “Lu Yuan was with me.”
Shi Wen’s eyes were filled with admiration, “That’s not important. You truly are the kindest. Our dormitory is blessed to have you.”
Ning Guiqu felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.
Indeed!
Once he’d established an image of being considerate, everything he did was praiseworthy!
“I just helped out. It was nothing,” Ning Guiqu said modestly.
Ning Guiqu had only been seated for a few minutes when the class ended. After this large lecture, they needed to change classrooms for another professor’s class. This time, Ning Guiqu finally got to sit next to Lu Yuan!
He no longer needed to snoop on Lu Yuan; naturally, he needed to establish a good friendship with him!
Seeing that Ning Guiqu had already taken the seat next to Lu Yuan, Jiang Xu voluntarily sat behind them. Shi Wen sat beside Jiang Xu.
After school, Ning Guiqu invited Lu Yuan to have dinner together again.
Lu Yuan agreed once more!
Ning Guiqu felt that after rescuing the cat together, Lu Yuan might consider him a friend now!
Not bad at all!
Ning Guiqu tapped on his phone screen, this time not to vent but to express his joy. This happiness was something Ning Guiqu couldn’t share with anyone; if he didn’t release it through his phone, he felt he might burst from excitement!
When Ning Guiqu was poking at his phone, Lu Yuan reflexively glanced at his own phone. Then, he quickly looked away as if nothing had happened.
Habits were truly frightening!
“Did your friend take the cat home?” Lu Yuan asked.
Ning Guiqu nodded, “Yes. He loves cats so much that he’s planning to stay home tonight to keep the kitten company.”
Lu Yuan thought that was nice.
“Do you have any photos? I’d like to see how it’s doing now.”
Ning Guiqu shook his head, “I didn’t take any.”
Lu Yuan let it go.
However, Lu Yuan didn’t expect to see the cat when he was scrolling through his Moments feed that night.
[Xu Zhi: Adopted an adorable kitten. Once he’s feeling better, I’ll take him for vaccinations.]
The accompanying picture was of the cat Lu Yuan and Ning Guiqu rescued today. However, the cat was now sleeping in Xu Zhi’s backyard.
Comments:
Song Huai: First!
Song Huai: My wife is so kind-hearted!
Song Huai: The cat is as cute as my wife.
Lu Yuan automatically ignored Song Huai’s fawning comments and opened Xu Zhi’s chat window.
[Where did that cat come from?]
Xu Zhi had just posted on his feed, so he replied quickly. Xu Zhi: [Your roommate Ning Guiqu gave it to me. Isn’t the cat cute? Even you’re asking about it]
???
Ning Guiqu’s friend was Xu Zhi? How did he not know this??
Lu Yuan: [Are you close enough to be giving each other cats?]
Lu Yuan felt bewildered.
Xu Zhi’s message came quickly.
Xu Zhi: [Not really. He was looking for someone to adopt the cat outside our dorm building. He firmly rejected some people who wanted to adopt it, but when it came to me, I also wanted to adopt it. So I asked him, and he just gave it to me.]
Lu Yuan: “……”
So deliberate? So this was Ning Guiqu’s “friend”?
Xu Zhi was Song Huai’s early love interest. Because of Song Huai, Lu Yuan also became friends with Xu Zhi.
So why did Ning Guiqu specifically choose to give the cat to Xu Zhi? And in such a deliberate manner? Xu Zhi’s love for cats wasn’t common knowledge. Only a few close friends knew about it.
Ning Guiqu must have specifically planned for Xu Zhi to adopt the cat today. Also, when exactly did Ning Guiqu get to know Xu Zhi?
Hypothesis 1: Ning Guiqu knew Xu Zhi one-sidedly since high school. But in high school, Xu Zhi wasn’t at the same school as them. If Ning Guiqu knew Xu Zhi and knew he loved cats, it meant Ning Guiqu had been closely, almost stalker-like, following him in high school, thus learning about his friends.
The conclusion drawn was that Ning Guiqu loved him very much. Lu Yuan felt embarrassed. What a narcissistic conclusion.
Hypothesis 2: Ning Guiqu only got to know Xu Zhi in university. Not long after the semester started, Xu Zhi and Song Huai came to find him, so it wasn’t surprising that Ning Guiqu had met him then.
After meeting Xu Zhi, Ning Guiqu, being gay, took a liking to Xu Zhi, and even deliberately learned about him. If he hadn’t specifically paid attention to Xu Zhi, how would he know which dorm building Xu Zhi lived in?
Conclusion: Ning Guiqu now liked Xu Zhi.
Once this idea took root in Lu Yuan’s mind, it quickly grew and flourished.
Lu Yuan messaged Xu Zhi again: [Did Ning Guiqu say anything strange to you today? Or did he ask for your contact information?]
Xu Zhi: [He didn’t say anything strange, just exchanged contact info. But there was something odd. I saw him texting you and wanted to use the opportunity to get closer to him. As soon as I mentioned your name, he changed the subject. When I brought it up again, he changed the subject again. It’s like he didn’t want to talk about you with me. Did you two have a fight?]
Lu Yuan pondered deeply.
It was different from when he had pursued him before. If so, did it mean Ning Guiqu didn’t like Xu Zhi?
But he couldn’t be certain.
Lu Yuan now wished Ning Guiqu still liked him. Although he was straight, he was at least single. Xu Zhi might be gay, but he already had a partner. What was Ning Guiqu trying to accomplish by getting involved?
Although three strikes should be out, Lu Yuan cancelled the deactivation of his WeChat again, wanting to see what Ning Guiqu was thinking.
This time, he wouldn’t deactivate it again. He’d either confront Ning Guiqu directly or continue to lurk on Ning Guiqu’s venting posts.
[Bunch of idiots, look at yourselves, you can’t even take care of a little cat!]
[The protagonist has appeared!]
[Scared me to death. Why did the professor send me a voice message? Stupid class monitor, you’re the monitor now, and you still can’t excuse me from class!]
[Frightened again! The protagonist shou saw Lu Yuan’s name! Damn it, you can’t get to know Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan can’t hang out with you guys]
Lu Yuan was confused.
Protagonist shou?
Same-sex marriage was now legal, and although Lu Yuan was straight, he knew about “gongs” and “shous.” But “protagonist shou”? What a strange description. Was he referring to Xu Zhi?
If there’s a shou, there must be a gong. If Xu Zhi was the protagonist shou, could Ning Guiqu consider himself the gong? Lu Yuan thought it unlikely; Ning Guiqu didn’t seem like a top at all.
Lu Yuan continued reading. The next message was:
[Genius Xiao Qu, easily resolved. Lu Yuan can only be mine!]
[Praised for being kind-hearted! Genius Xiao Qu, you’re amazing!]
[Lu Yuan finally considers me a friend (≧▽≦)]
Lu Yuan’s pupils dilated slightly.
Ning Guiqu didn’t like Xu Zhi; he was still stubbornly fixated on him!
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