“It injured its hind leg in a fight back then, and a lot of its fur was torn off.” He Sheng pointed into the cage. “It was so hot half a month ago. If we hadn’t taken care of it, its wound would definitely have gotten worse.”
After saying that, she reached out to tease the little tortoiseshell cat, asking as she did so, "Where's your cat? What's going on with it?"
While eating oden, Ruan Yu recounted the events of rescuing the cat that afternoon.
He Sheng laughed after hearing this: "Not bad, no wonder it's called the 'Husky of Cats', it dares to climb such a high place in the breeding base."
The topic of cats brought the three of them closer together without them even realizing it.
After the cat's medical examination report came out, it showed that it did not have infectious diseases such as feline panleukopenia, but it needed to be dewormed for a period of time. Wen Yun paid another boarding fee and asked the staff how to disinfect the clothes and skin that had been in contact with the stray cat before saying goodbye to He Sheng with Ruan Yu.
He Sheng escorted them to the car, waved, and before the car window was fully rolled up, deliberately raised his voice and shouted, "If your family doesn't allow cats, don't worry, leave them to me!"
After the car drove away, Wen Yun asked the housekeeper again, "Does Mom agree to keep a cat?"
“Madam has no objection, but hygiene must be guaranteed.” The butler’s voice sounded slightly tired. “Ringworm and parasites can be transmitted to humans.”
“That’s no problem. We’ll leave the cat at the rescue center for observation and care first,” Wen Yun said. “We’ll take it home once we’re sure it’s fully recovered.”
The butler responded, remained silent for a long time, and couldn't help but remind them, "The two young ladies should take a bath and change their clothes immediately after returning home, especially Miss Xiaoyu!"
-
At 10 p.m., Wen Yun, as usual, took her math test paper to find Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu had already finished showering and was sitting at the table in a white nightgown. There were chemistry exam review materials on the table, but she was rapidly tapping on her phone screen.
Wen Yun sat on the stool she had prepared for herself, placed the papers she had already graded next to her, and curiously observed her actions.
Typing so fast, who are you chatting with?
Ruan Yu didn't keep her waiting long. She quickly put down her phone, picked up the test paper, and started looking at the wrong questions.
“I’ve added He Sheng as a friend,” she suddenly said after a short while.
Wen Yun suddenly realized: "So you were talking to her about raising cats just now?"
Ruan Yu hummed in agreement, but said with a troubled expression, "I didn't realize there were so many things to be careful about when raising a cat! If we bring the cat back, what will happen to it when we're all at school during the day?"
“It’s okay. Many office workers who leave early and return late also keep cats,” Wen Yun comforted. “You can ask He Sheng more questions. Let’s thoroughly understand the theoretical knowledge first. We can even buy things like litter boxes, automatic feeders, pet water fountains, and cat toys in advance, so that we will have a better idea of what to do when we bring the cat home.”
Ruan Yu blinked. "I thought you would say that you could ask Aunt Ge to help take care of the cat during the day."
“Aunt Ge doesn’t like stray cats at all, how can I trust her to take care of them?” Wen Yun said angrily, recalling what the housekeeper had said before. “You have no idea! When I asked her if I could keep a cat at home, she actually told me to go to a cattery and pick one out!”
"Cat shelter?"
“Yes, catteries are basically places that breed purebred cats, and they have very high requirements for pedigree,” Wen Yun explained. “Cats like Siamese, Munchkin, and Ragdoll, which look very elegant and cute, are purebred cats. Most of the cats that can be seen everywhere in the countryside and on the streets are called ‘domestic cats’.”
Ruan Yu thought for a moment, shook her head, and said softly, "If Aunt Ge really said that, then it should also be... what Mom and Dad think."
A note from the author:
The first update is here!
Chapter 26
Ruan Yu's guess startled Wen Yun. After realizing what she meant, she blurted out, "Isn't it a bit much? They're all cats. The point of keeping pets is to have fun. Why are you making such a big deal out of them? Are you crazy?!"
"Who knows?" Ruan Yu murmured.
Just like how she could never understand why her biological parents disliked her so much until her death, even after being reborn, she could hardly feel any genuine care from them.
Noticing her inexplicably low spirits, Wen Yun quickly comforted her, "Don't take it to heart! Didn't He Sheng say today that if the family doesn't allow us to keep the cat, we can give it to her? I think that little tortoiseshell cat really likes her, she'll definitely treat the cat well!"
Ruan Yu gave a soft "hmm".
“Anyway, you’ll be going to university in a year. If you don’t like staying with your parents, then go to university far away,” Wen Yun continued. “We can apply to universities in the same city. If you want to have a cat, we can rent a small apartment off-campus that allows pets and live together. We can live freely for four years. If you don’t want to work, you can study hard for a master’s degree. After graduation, you can go to university and study for another two or three years without getting scolded.”
"...Is that even possible?" Ruan Yu asked in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“Why not?” Wen Yun asked with a smile. “You’re an adult, you have hands and feet, you’re educated, and you’re good at taking care of yourself. Why can’t you have your own choices and leave places you don’t like? Besides, don’t you still have the right to choose? Your father gave it to you personally.”
Ruan Yu stared at her blankly, as if struck by lightning, and remained motionless.
Wen Yun didn't urge her, but just smiled and slipped a red pen into her hand, waiting for her to realize what was happening.
When she used to read novels, she always felt that many of the characters in the novels didn't seem to have any career plans of their own.
For example, a love-struck female protagonist spends all her time revolving around a scumbag, feeling so humble that she's practically invisible, and is subjected to physical and emotional abuse by him, instead of thinking about how to love herself, become better and better, and build her own little nest egg.
They could have achieved a bright future through their own efforts.
However, the novel she's reading, "The Rich Family: The True Heiress's Counterattack," is probably an exception.
If the entire environment is filled with malice, and not a single normal person is willing to lend a helping hand to the protagonist, then the more effort you put in, the more despair you will reap. In that case, it would be better to just give up.
Tired, let's destroy the world.jpg
"...Will you leave the Wen family with me?"
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Yun heard Ruan Yu ask in a low voice.
The girl gripped the red pen tightly in her palm, her head bowed, not daring to look at her.
Wen Yun was taken aback.
For a moment, she even wondered if the protagonist had exhausted all his courage to ask such a question.
But she felt that the protagonist was no longer a cowardly person, but the key point was this: since he was no longer cowardly, why didn't he dare to look her in the eye and ask boldly?
She couldn't understand it and felt confused, but on the surface, she quickly nodded in agreement: "If nothing unexpected happens, I want to leave the Wen family with you."
She didn't like staying in this house anyway. The Wen family elders' educational philosophy was already very distorted, so it's no wonder that the original owner became so ruthless that she wanted Ruan Yu to disappear.
She saw the girl raise her head, her gaze quite complicated, before she nodded seriously, "Then I'll have to think of more ways."
Wen Yun:?
However, she soon realized what Ruan Yu meant by "solution".
Looking at the stack of math review materials in front of her, Wen Yun could barely hold her pen.
The logic is sound; as long as she excels in math, she won't have trouble getting into a good university.
Because of her promise to the protagonist, Wen Yun no longer had any time to slack off on weekends. While Ruan Yu practiced the piano and painting, she would stare blankly at the challenging math problems in her room, relying on a bottle of red tea to stay awake.
Next Monday will arrive in the blink of an eye. There are still three days of classes before the National Day holiday.
At Monday morning's meeting, Wen Yun saw Luo Qin and Zheng Jiafei again.
First, there was a public reprimand from the grade head, then they took turns reading their letters of repentance, and finally they had to bow and apologize to Ruan Yu in front of the whole school before the matter was considered over.
The grade head, Ms. Mo, was a strict teacher. At first, Zheng Jiafei read very softly and was even scolded by Ms. Mo to "speak louder," which made her raise her voice and read again:
"Ruan Yu, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have insulted you repeatedly just because you're a transfer student from the countryside! I shouldn't have hidden your ID card in your bag and accused you of theft just because I was jealous of your grades! All of this was my mistake, and I fully realize my error. I will never do it again! Now I apologize to you in front of the entire school, not asking for forgiveness, but simply admitting my mistake!"
Wen Yun stood below. When Zheng Jiafei finished reading her confession, and she heard Luo Qin loudly proclaim, "I shouldn't have instigated Zheng Jiafei," she couldn't help but sneer, which drew the attention of several girls around her.
In contrast, she felt that Zheng Jiafei was more sincere, wiping away tears as she read, which did seem like she was genuinely repentant.
After apologizing, Zheng Jiafei's eyes were red, and she glared at Luo Qin before clutching the letter of repentance and walking off the stage.
Wen Yun watched her figure disappear into the distance, and suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a scene with this character at the school sports meet at the end of October in the original text.
Zheng Jiafei even won two silver medals for her class as an 800-meter and shot put athlete. At that time, some people wrote radio scripts to cheer her on, some people helped and surrounded her after she crossed the finish line, and some boys who admired her gave her water and towels.
In a single wrong decision, she lost her bright future.
Wen Yun couldn't help but close her eyes, feeling her heart pounding. A complex mix of emotions, including pity, guilt, relief, pleasure, and even sorrow, surged up within her.
It doesn't feel good to be involved in destroying someone else's future.
I hope that something like this will never happen to Ruan Yu and myself again.
Zheng Jiafei has been expelled from school, and Luo Qin, who is still in the period of reflection, also left the school after apologizing.
The incident did not escalate, and campus life continued as usual after the morning assembly.
The scores for all subjects in the monthly exams are out. Since Langying doesn't prohibit ranking, the math teacher projected the score sheets directly onto the screen as soon as class started today.
"Compared to the end of last semester, many students' grades have visibly declined," the math teacher said, glancing at Wen Yun.
Wen Yun became nervous as soon as she saw the report card, and was immediately embarrassed upon hearing this.
There was nothing she could do; the gap between her math scores and the original owner's was too large. Despite squeezing in extra time to catch up over the past month, she still couldn't return to the original owner's level.
Fortunately, the math teacher spared her and the other students whose grades had dropped, only mentioning it briefly before closing the report card, taking out the test paper, and starting to explain the questions.
Wen Yun remembered that Ruan Yu had said that besides the three mock exams, the monthly exams and the mid-term and final exams were the most important. She quickly put to use the phrase she had drawn earlier, "I can understand everything in this math class!"
Because the props were expensive, she felt like her meridians had been opened after the class. She could follow the teacher's train of thought perfectly and did not feel the strain and helplessness that she usually experienced!
Of course, the buff only lasted until the end of this math class, and it was canceled when the bell rang. The teacher was still explaining the last big problem, which was a state of complete confusion.
Finally, after the math teacher left the classroom, Wen Yun looked down at her notebook, which was full of writing, and felt a little relieved. She then opened her attribute panel to check her survival time and began to wonder whether she should save up 88 points of tea flavor to exchange for math class props again.
This tool is so useful, and the problem-solving ideas she received during its effect are retained. For her, it was like a revelation.
However, she strongly resisted frequent teasing and sarcasm. Even if she could just read from a template, that was, after all, the original owner's "characteristic" way of doing things. If it weren't for the need to exchange for a life-extending item, she wouldn't want to say a single word!
"You understood everything?"
Just then, she heard He Sheng ask.
"No," Wen Yun lied without batting an eye. "Some of the questions were just too difficult; I couldn't understand them at all."
He Sheng rested his chin on his hand, scrutinized her for a moment, nodded, and said earnestly, "Don't make things difficult for yourself. Don't dream of problems beyond your capabilities."
Wen Yun: "..."
She always felt that these words were mocking her, or perhaps they were deliberately reminding her of something.
However, her deskmate always spoke in a strange way and occasionally acted out of a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) state. Perhaps he was just trying to comfort her.
When Wen Yun went to the restroom, she passed by the back row of the classroom and saw Su Manying and Ruan Yu discussing the solution to the last big problem.
She couldn't help but listen for a while longer, and felt that Ruan Yu's voice and tone were cold and indifferent, completely different from when she taught her math problems at home.
But she could also understand the resentment the reborn protagonist felt towards the best friend who abandoned her in her previous life. If she were in that situation, she might not be able to maintain such enthusiasm towards that person, acting as if nothing had happened…
Thinking of this, Wen Yun suddenly stopped in her tracks.
If Ruan Yu treats others this way, why is she so enthusiastic and dependent on Wen Yun, whose personality has changed drastically?