Katzenliebling 1

Kapitel 10

Mona Lisa Mansion is indeed a place of birdsong and fragrant flowers. Every morning, I'm woken up by birdsong, which is quite pleasant. Except for weekends, I can't sneak in a nap when I'm at work. Some people envy the mansion's natural beauty, but of course, it also has its shortcomings. The most obvious one is the ominous bird calls every night, such as the hooting of owls, which I still don't quite get used to.

Recently, for some reason, owls have been landing on the big tree near the mansion again, making noise for two or three nights. I don't know where these birds came from, they've got some nerve to mess with the well water here. And what's even stranger is that there are torn bird claws and wings next to the well cover, with feathers scattered around, which is quite a shocking sight.

One day, returning home from get off work, it was still early dusk. As I passed the dirt road beside the botanical garden, a flock of crows took flight from the pine tree where we had first arrived—the one with half its canopy choked off—cawing incessantly as they flew north. A shadow fell over me; I felt a sense of unease. The next morning, still early, before our usual time to get up, I was running through an endless forest, chased by several people. Desperate to run, I couldn't move my legs. I was grabbed and tightly bound to a tree, unable to move. My limbs felt incredibly heavy, and I struggled to breathe. Just as I was about to scream for help, I saw several guns pointed at me, about to pull the trigger. My God, I was about to be killed! I didn't want to die! I tried to struggle, but it was too late. A series of gunshots rang out, aimed at my head…

43. The Poisonous Bird Occupies the Magpie's Nest (Part 1)

I kicked my arms and legs hard, springing up to realize I was having another nightmare. The scene of that night I was attacked in high school always haunts me with different nightmares, making it hard for me to escape. Zhu Qingyuan was also awakened by me; he was used to my nightmares several times a year, and then he offered me some words of comfort. Before Zhu Qingyuan could even speak to comfort me, I heard another gunshot. I jolted again and saw that Zhu Qingyuan was reacting the same way. Was I still dreaming? But seeing Zhu Qingyuan made me feel like I wasn't dead. Just as I was about to feel confused, Zhu Qingyuan pinched me.

"You're having another nightmare, aren't you? Wake up, I'm right here with you, don't be afraid!"

I felt pain; I wasn't dreaming. How come I heard another gunshot? "Ugh, I feel so bad. I was being chased and killed again. They shot me in the head several times, and that's why I woke up."

"You're not dreaming. I heard several gunshots too. It's real. There was another shot fired after I woke up. Did you hear it?"

"Huh? If it's not a dream, then what's going on?"

"There were gunshots outside, I'm going to check it out." He paused, then added, "There's been an owl crying in this yard at night again these past few days, I guess it's Teacher Yang's place again!"

I think that's most likely the case. But it's such a coincidence that my dream overlapped with the sound of gunfire. Wanting to know what was happening outside, I got dressed and went out to see for myself.

Upon reaching the terrace, I saw Yang Kai standing near the dry well, his face haggard and grave, gazing up at the trees. He held the silver-gray air rifle in his hand, looking up and down. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and worst of all, I saw that the two sunflowers that had grown more than a foot tall in the well were gone. Only a few broken stems and fist-sized flower heads remained on the well cover; they had been robbed and killed!

We wanted to bring the sunflowers in the well into the light, but we never imagined they would suffer such a fate. It's unbelievable who would be so cruel as to cut them down. Judging from the situation, we can't make a judgment right now. Yang Kai, holding a gun, looked haggard; he had clearly been disturbed by the owl's hooting at night. But he was looking around; we wondered if he had hit the bird.

We quietly approached, and as we got closer, Yang Kai said to us, "Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry. I didn't sleep well either."

"Oh, it's okay. Do you know how these two sunflowers broke?" I asked bluntly.

"Uh, I broke it, so what?" Yang Kai admitted calmly.

"I thought the bird had broken it. We watered it for a long time, hoping it would bloom and bear fruit like the sunflower next to it."

"The reason I broke them is because this well is too unlucky and has too much yin energy, making it unsuitable for any creature to grow. Even if it did grow, it would be deformed. So I did it without consulting you, and I'm sorry to have troubled you." With that, he suppressed all the questions we wanted to ask. It seemed that we had done something unnecessary and all our efforts were in vain.

"Teacher Yang, did you shoot down the owl?" Zhu Qingyuan finally asked after waiting for a long time.

"I hit it, but it's probably not dead yet. It's still in the tree. I shot it again, but it still didn't fall down."

Is this owl new?

"Yes, that's right. Several owls used to roost here, but I chased them away. I don't know where this owl came from; I tried to shoo it away several times with stones from below, but it wouldn't leave. It seems it wants to take over the old owl's spot and claim it for itself. I couldn't stand the noise, so I hardened my heart and shot it down." It seems to be a stubborn owl, truly a "poisonous hog" unaware of the danger.

"What does this owl look like?" I asked a silly question, but it just slipped out.

"An owl is just an owl!" Zhu Qingyuan replied, as if telling me to shut up, that I didn't need to ask such a stupid question.

"I couldn't see it clearly either, but it was bigger than usual. I only saw part of its body; it looked like a ball."

"Where is it?" I asked curiously. No wonder Yang Kai had been looking up from the tree; the bird was still up there. The trees were very dense in August, with lush foliage. Even if I killed it, the bird would still have feathers and wouldn't be heavy enough to fall. Yang Kai pointed it out to me, and I looked up and around at the tree, but I still couldn't find it. Zhu Qingyuan was also looking up.

A sticky drop of liquid gently landed on my upturned face before I could avoid it. Oh no, bird poop! I sighed inwardly and instinctively wiped it away with my hand.

"Blood—" I realized my fingertips were red, not from bird droppings, but from fresh blood! I looked in the direction of the dripping blood and saw an angry, monkey-like face glaring at me!

44. Beauty and the Beast

The blood falling from the tree, and that hideous monkey face—was it human? Or animal? I was so terrified I almost fainted. In the blink of an eye, the monkey face disappeared. Luckily, Zhu Qingyuan saw my shocked expression, supported me, and then asked, "What did you see?... Ah, there's blood on your face!"

"Yes, it's a horrible monkey face! Not an owl, the blood is from when it was injured."

"How is that possible? I clearly saw an owl's body. Let me take a look..." Yang Kai couldn't wait and squeezed behind me to look, but he couldn't see it anymore.

Zhu Qingyuan pulled me aside, stepped aside, and wiped my face clean. Getting covered in that horrible thing's blood so early in the morning was really bad luck. I walked to the dry well and looked at the "headless" sunflower. Only a short section remained on the well cover, the stem, leaves, and flower head scattered haphazardly, still quite fresh, not wilted at all. I felt a pang of regret; such a beautiful life had been destroyed like that. I touched the small section of stem still sticking out with my foot, and suddenly, something gray leaped out from below with a "thud," spraying a thin stream of water onto my feet. It turned out to be a small toad; that wretched creature dared to urinate on my feet! I was furious, but it had already hopped back into the sunflower patch.

Zhu Qingyuan pulled me back, telling me not to look anymore. We turned around and started walking back, but after only a few steps, two more gunshots rang out behind us. After the gunshots, we heard the rustling of branches in the trees. We quickly turned around and saw a black, round object rolling down from the tree and landing heavily on the grass.

When we got there, Yang Kai used his gun to push aside the ball of feathers covering its body, revealing a monkey's face—an oval shape, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, quite frightening. I vaguely remembered seeing it somewhere before—yes, at the zoo. Thinking of its face, I remembered its name: the barn owl, a nationally protected rare animal, whose hunting is prohibited. Suddenly, we had become mere spectators of the hunting of a rare animal; how pathetic.

How ridiculous! This barn owl has become a sacrifice for the usurper, dying at the hands of some glamorous and refined figures. Before this vulnerable creature, Yang Kai is the mastermind, and we are the accomplices. For our own peace and to protect this territory, we have all become executioners. Only the mute old man remains oblivious to the world's turmoil, still sleeping peacefully in this restless morning.

The barn owl's face is ferocious and ugly, and it can use its feathers to conceal it; but humans are cunning and deceitful, and once disguised, no one can recognize it, especially in this secluded mansion where few people venture. If it weren't for the terrifying accident that happened to me at the mansion a month later, almost costing me my precious sight and future, I would have stayed there for a long time, and I would still be unable to unravel the mystery in Zhu Qingyuan's and my hearts. But this incident also exposed a hidden "barn owl," lurking behind me, coveting my bloodshot eyes!

That's a story for later; what happened before the monkey-faced eagle took over the nest was the human element. I learned the details of the matter later from the police, but I'll leave it at that for now, and the cause and effect will become clear. Remember the story of Gai Tianli that Yang Kai told me, the one without a sequel? That's where the fuse was lit.

The union of beauty and the beast is based on true feelings and love, but what would happen if beauty and the beast were together without love? When the painter lay bleeding, and when the millionaire "beggar" Gaitinli held the beautiful painter in his arms, a modern version of "Beauty and the Beast" unfolded...

In the painter's home, the beautiful wife swung a chair and struck him. The painter, already in poor health, collapsed in a pool of blood and, without timely medical attention, never rose again, his "glory" ending with his wife's impulsive actions. The female painter, seeing the painter lying in a pool of blood, regretted her actions too harshly; it was too late. She realized she had killed someone. Overwhelmed by extreme tension, her reason crumbled. Instinctively, she tried to help the painter up, but the alarm blared, completely overwhelming her. Her only instinct was to escape, and she fled to the iron bars of the window.

Her expression was blank; she huddled listlessly in a ball by the window. When Gaitianli reached out to pull her, she resisted even more fearfully, like a small animal about to be captured, refusing any attempt to catch her. Moreover, she had cuts on her arm from broken glass, already stained with blood; seeing the blood terrified her even more, and she waved her hands to keep Gaitianli away.

Gai Tianli had no choice but to open the window, climb onto the windowsill, and with a strength he didn't know he possessed, grabbed the woman's hand, lifted her up, and carried her down from the windowsill. The woman began to pound wildly on his shoulders. Having never been with a woman before, and holding this woman he had longed for for so long in his arms for the first time, Gai Tianli was incredibly excited. It was autumn, and holding her soft body made him feel almost intoxicated. In the living room, he wanted to put her down, but there was nowhere to put her; the sofa was a mess, with pieces of furniture overturned on it. So, he decided to just hold the woman on his shoulders.

The woman was still hitting him, but her strength waned until her arms slumped limply against his shoulder, motionless as if asleep. Remembering the study hadn't been messy, Gai Tianli carried the woman there. There was a single sofa, so he put her down, holding her hands to keep her still. The woman's eyes were open; she wasn't asleep, her gaze vacant and lifeless, completely still. Gai Tianli simply released her grip, and the woman slumped onto the sofa.

Only then did Gai Tianli remember the painter lying in a pool of blood on the ground outside. This was his teacher! Although they hadn't known each other long, the painter had still taken him as a disciple. He placed his hand on the painter's nose; he was already dead. This was terrible. The painter was dead, his wife was mentally unstable, and he was now a witness, and might even be suspected of murder by the police. He was completely flustered and didn't know what to do.

The person was dead, and he dared not annotate the artist's body, fearing it would leave a trace and make it difficult to explain himself later. Compared to his teacher, he was more inclined to save the female painter. The opportunity was simply too good to pass up; he had long admired her and had been trying to get closer to her, or even steal her away, but hadn't thought of a better way. And now, the opportunity had presented itself in this way, leaving him in a truly difficult position.

He remembered what he was supposed to do, and after thinking for a while, he slapped his forehead. "Right, get the female painter a glass of water to sober her up." Looking at the silly woman, he felt both pity and amusement. He had thought this female painter was so noble, yet she could be so frightened. He had been lusting after the female painter; just now, she was on his shoulders, his hands gripping her soft waist and delicate thighs—it felt so good. Thinking about it made him feel impulsive again. This woman was so alluring; the thought of her being his wife was just too wonderful.

He carried the water to the study and brought it to the female painter's lips. The woman didn't move; her gaze remained vacant, fixed on the outside. She was still breathing, much better than before, her chest heaving noticeably. The female painter was dressed rather conservatively and formally; although she wore casual clothes at home, the allure of her body stirred Gai Tianli's fantasies.

The woman was still immersed in fear and hadn't reacted when Gai Tianli, holding a cup in one hand and pinching her chin with the other, poured a mouthful of water into her mouth. Perhaps he poured too much, because the woman choked and sprayed all the water in Gai Tianli's face. The water he was holding accidentally spilled onto the woman's chest.

The woman's clothes were wet at the chest, revealing her pointed, perky breasts through her transparent bra—not the round, full kind. Gai Tianli couldn't suppress his lust, but he lacked the courage. The early autumn air was chilly; the water had soaked a large area of the woman's clothes, causing her to shiver and become slightly more alert. Her eyes shifted, looking at the man before her—a stranger yet seemingly familiar—as he took off his coat to cover her. Then, seeing her shiver, he tightly grasped her hand, hoping to offer her warmth. Perhaps the woman already felt the warmth; her panicked, numb mind gradually cleared. When she saw that it was Gai Tianli holding her hand, she pulled away with a sudden burst of strength, tossing her coat aside and curling up on the sofa like a wounded kitten.

"Danyan," he thought for a moment and called out the woman's name, because he felt that calling her "Master's Wife" or "Madam Chen" was inappropriate, and calling her this might be more intimate, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I'm here to protect you."

"You, how did you get here? Yang, how is Yang Kai? Did he send you to settle accounts with me?" The female painter regained her senses and asked a series of questions, her voice trembling with fear and cold.

“I saw you two arguing. You killed Teacher Yang with your weapon. She’s already dead!” Gai Tianli revealed the result.

"Ah? Ah, I killed someone, I killed someone..." the woman screamed in panic again, covering her head with her hands, shaking and shouting incessantly, her voice trembling!

Gai Tianli's teacher was the painter Yang Kai, who is now dead!

45. The Poisonous Bird Occupies the Magpie's Nest (Part Two)

The female painter was already weak and powerless. After crying and shouting for a while, she calmed down. But she was not dazed at this moment. Perhaps she had cried herself dry, and finally she weakly called out, "Water, water—".

Gai Tianli poured her a glass of water, and this time the woman took the water and gulped it down in one go. The woman tried to stand up, but she was too tired, and she almost fell over as soon as she stood up. Fortunately, Gai Tianli caught her in time.

"I'll go find you something to eat. You'll need the strength to walk around if you eat something."

"No, I don't want to!" The woman pushed away his hand, not wanting to touch his hand. Gai Tianli held her wrist to keep from being shaken off, and they staggered into the hall.

Yang Kai had moved the broken chair earlier, and he was quite clever; instead of using his hands, he wrapped the chair in drawing paper and moved it aside. The painter Yang Kai lay on his side on the ground, a pool of blood around his head, already congealed. The woman, seeing this, felt dizzy and nearly collapsed, but Gai Tianli caught her, and she fainted in his arms.

This time, he embraced the woman around the waist, face to face, standing parallel to her, instead of carrying her on his shoulder, and dragged her to the sofa in the study. The woman was still asleep. He laid her down, but tripped over a sofa leg and fell onto her, his face almost hitting hers; their mouths were only two or three centimeters apart. The woman exuded a delicate fragrance, not the smell of blood. He was captivated by this scent, looking at her beautiful face, her delicate lips, her closed eyes, and being pressed against her, a surge of desire rose within him.

Without hesitation, Gai Tianli pressed his lips against those alluring mouths, the passionate kiss filled with boundless bliss, his hands roaming over the woman's entire body! In this chaotic and blood-soaked villa, on this early autumn afternoon, Gai Tianli tasted the sweetness of a woman's kiss.

The woman may have woken up from hunger, or perhaps she was disturbed. When she woke up and saw Gai Tianli kissing and sucking her breasts, she was both ashamed and angry, and slapped Gai Tianli twice, but she was so weak.

The female painter, her hair disheveled and clothes in disarray, still gritted her teeth and cursed, "You scoundrel! What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Dan Yan, I was too impulsive!" Gai Tianli knew he was in the wrong and that taking advantage of someone in distress was hardly gentlemanly. But he was never a gentleman to begin with; he always considered himself a "beggar," a 35-year-old virgin who had never even touched a woman. He couldn't refuse such an opportunity, and he was already obsessed with this woman.

"Get out of here! I never want to see you again!"

"Alright, I'll go back then." Her scolding had taken a toll on Gai Tianli. Since this woman's husband was already dead, he figured he'd have to take things slowly to win her over. Right now, she was angry, so he decided to avoid her. As he walked out, he casually said, "You can handle the body here. I'm going to call the police." He wouldn't touch the painter's body; doing so could get him into trouble. He didn't need to call the police immediately, but it was the first thing he thought of in these kinds of situations.

"Gai Tianli, come back here!" As he reached the entrance of the villa's hall, the woman called out to him, surprisingly knowing his name. He turned around and saw that the woman had already reached the study door and was peeking out to call him back. He felt a sense of warmth in the woman calling his name for the first time, and since she was asking him to come back, something must have happened.

The female painter wasn't stupid; she was now fully aware of her grave mistake—murder—a crime. When she heard Gai Tianli say he was going to call the police, she panicked. Her first instinct was to stop him, buy time, and then discuss a plan. When she hit the painter with the chair and knocked him down, she heard the alarm and assumed she'd been discovered, so subconsciously she fled through the window. Now, with the police coming, she knew she'd be arrested and spend the rest of her life in prison.

Gai Tianli returned and went to the woman's side, asking with a puzzled look, "Is something the matter?"

"Help me inside and sit down, and get me something to eat. I have something to tell you." Gai Tianli was delighted to hear this, as he had been eager to do so. Without thinking too much, he complied.

This time, he not only found food and drink for the female painter, but also fetched a basin of warm water for her to wash her face and hands, behaving very gently. The woman, however, was less refined this time, picking up food and stuffing it into her mouth in large bites, perhaps because she was starving. Gai Tianli squinted at the woman eating cake, feeling quite pleased. Although he hadn't eaten lunch himself after rushing from the mall, and his stomach was rumbling as he watched her eat, he restrained himself, watching her finish before eating some of the leftovers himself.

After filling her stomach, the woman felt much more energetic and vibrant. She quickly tidied her makeup, and her beauty and poise immediately shone through. She sat up straight, ready to speak with Gai Tianli.

"Gai Tianli, thank you for taking such good care of me today. I need to talk to you for a few minutes. Are you ready?"

"Ready? Go ahead and tell me, I'm listening carefully."

"You saw what happened here today, right? What do you think should be done?"

"Hmm, I think we should call the police!" Gai Tianli was afraid of getting into trouble later, so calling the police was the best course of action.

The woman's face darkened. After a moment, she stopped sitting upright and moved closer to Gai Tianli, taking one of his hands to examine it. Gai Tianli, unsure of what the woman was up to, felt awkward and chuckled, unsure what to say.

"Are you married?" the woman asked, holding his hand.

"No."

Have you ever been in a relationship?

"No."

Have you ever dated a girl?

"No, I've never touched a woman... well, except for today's impulse."

"Then let me introduce you to someone, would you like to?"

"willing!"

"But there's a condition. I'll ask you again, how should we handle the painter's death today?"

"Hmm, let me think about it. Let's not call the police yet. We can discuss how to handle it later."

"Tianli, tell me the truth, do you have feelings for me?" The woman was quite calm, but Gai Tianli's face flushed red instantly. He had experienced many things, but he was a blank slate when it came to love. He hadn't expected the woman to be so direct.

"Uh, uh, I do like you, but I don't know if you like me." He mustered up his courage and voiced his thoughts.

"If I asked you to marry me, would you dare? I'm a murderer now."

"I, I... Nobody knows about this. I'll keep it a secret for you. As long as you agree to marry me."

"I can agree to marry you, but I don't know how you will treat me?"

"I've always dreamed of marrying you. I'll love you for the rest of my life, I'll take good care of you, stay with you, learn to paint with you, and take you on trips abroad. Anyway, I have plenty of money... Oh, I forgot, I specially bought you a brand new cell phone today as a gift." As he spoke, he went to the lobby to get it, but casually left it outside when he came back in.

Gai Tianli was about to get up to get his phone when the woman stopped him. "Don't rush, put it outside first." After he sat down properly again, the woman continued, "I know you'll be good to me, but you don't know me yet, you don't know my personality. If you want to marry me, you have to agree to a few conditions. Only if you can do them can I marry you." This time, it was Gai Tianli's turn to be dumbfounded. The woman put her hand on his chest, leaned on his shoulder, and looked like a little bird nestled against him.

"Tell me your conditions, and I'll seriously consider them!"

"Okay, then I'll say it. First, you'll live here from now on, and you'll change your name to Yang Kai, taking the place of that old geezer. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" There's no need to even consider this test.

"Secondly, now that you are Yang Kai, you must secretly get rid of that old bastard and keep this a secret forever. I will be your wife for life. Can you keep this a secret?"

"It definitely can."