"A strange item has been added." Wen Yun muttered, putting the new item into her inventory, and then exchanging the remaining Tea Flavor Points from the card draw for a Life Extension Card.
As soon as the bell rang and the proctor collected the papers, she packed up her things and left the classroom.
This time, her exam room was in the teaching building and Ruan Yu's room was in the laboratory building, which were much farther apart. On her way back to the classroom, she ran into Lin Qiqi and they chatted about the upcoming National Day holiday.
"I always felt that the elective exams shouldn't be scheduled after the National Day holiday," Lin Qiqi sighed. "I just got back from vacation, and it's taking me a while just to get back into the motivation to prepare for them!"
According to the province's examination schedule, the elective and academic proficiency tests for the second half of the year will be held from October 14th to 16th. Since schools are prohibited from arranging make-up classes, the National Day holiday will be a full seven days, equivalent to almost half of the winter break.
"Organizing a group study session isn't out of the question," Wen Yun said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm not planning on going out to play, unless there are other plans at home."
Lin Qiqi pouted and said disappointedly, "I was thinking of asking you to come with me to visit the finance and economics university in our province!"
Wen Yun was taken aback. "Are you going to apply to the University of Finance and Economics?"
“Yes! I asked a few of the sisters from wealthy families, and they all plan to apply to the University of Finance and Economics!” Lin Qiqi nodded. “It’s close to home and also close to the companies under the family name, so it will be convenient for both studying and working in the future.”
"But isn't the educational resources and prospects of the University of Finance and Economics in City C better?" Wen Yun asked.
“It’s too far from home!” Lin Qiqi shrugged. “Besides, the cutoff score for C University of Finance and Economics is ridiculously high every year! If I could have Xiaoyu’s grades, I might as well go for it. Otherwise, it’s better to stay in the province and play it safe.”
Wen Yun opened her mouth, but then remembered their wealthy background and realized that what they said was indeed true, so she nodded.
"Yunyun, haven't you made up your mind yet?" Lin Qiqi asked. "I remember you said before that you didn't really want to go to a university that majors in finance."
"Let's talk about it next year, there's still plenty of time," Wen Yun said helplessly. "Anyway, no matter where I go, I have to make sure I get good grades first."
Because Wen Yun is bad at math, she studied humanities in her previous life, the pure humanities kind. She also learned about other majors during her university years. She hasn't decided whether to change her major in this life yet, so she plans to take it one step at a time.
When they returned to the classroom, Ruan Yu's seat was still empty and her desk was clean, so she probably hadn't come back from the lab building yet.
Lin Qiqi didn't attend evening self-study sessions. After saying goodbye to Wen Yun, she picked up her schoolbag and left.
Wen Yun packed up her study materials to take home and sat down to browse current events while waiting for Ruan Yu.
She waited and waited, but no one came. She suddenly realized something was wrong, hurriedly stood up, and ran towards the laboratory building while calling Ruan Yu.
The moment the call connected and she heard the familiar voice say "Hello," Wen Yun almost lost control of her emotions: "Where are you?!"
“I’m in the lab building,” Ruan Yu said. “There’s a kitten trapped on the balcony, it keeps meowing, and the door is locked. I’m still trying to figure out what to do.”
Wen Yun:?
-
At the end of the corridor on the third floor of the laboratory building, there is a balcony.
This is a shared cultivation base for the plant club and biology teachers, separated from the area by a security door, a fence gate, and a corridor.
On sunny days, only one gate is usually closed, while the security door is left open, supposedly to facilitate students visiting the plant area when they come to the laboratory building for classes.
When Wen Yun arrived at the place, only Ruan Yu was squatting at the door, teasing a black and white striped cow cat outside the door with a piece of draft paper folded into a strip in her hand.
“The proctor actually came to check and said it was probably a stray cat that climbed up the water pipe and that we didn’t need to worry about it,” Ruan Yu said when she saw Wen Yun. “But I’m afraid it might damage the breeding center or fall off the building… The railings on the platform are too low for a cat.”
Wen Yun hummed in agreement, took out the multi-hole key that had just materialized on the way from her pocket, and walked towards the iron gate.
The tool's head, originally rectangular, transforms into the shape of a keyhole upon contact with it, making a smooth, seamless contact.
With the cheat code at her fingertips, Wen Yun opened the gate effortlessly.
As soon as the door opened, the black and white cat darted away from them, but as soon as Wen Yun locked the door again, she looked down and saw a fluffy thing rubbing against Ruan Yu's shoes.
Ruan Yu casually ruffled its fur, causing the black and white cat to squint its eyes and purr affectionately.
Wen Yun was both amused and exasperated. She was about to tell Ruan Yu that it was time to go back when the girl swiftly reached under the cat's armpits and then lifted it up with her other hand, pulling the cat into her arms.
Wen Yun: "..."
"You want to keep it?" she asked after a few seconds of hesitation.
"Can I keep it?" Ruan Yu asked.
Wen Yun recalled that the Wen family didn't have any rules against keeping animals, but she wondered if they would mind the breed. After all, the Wen family elders even disliked their own daughter who came from the countryside, let alone a stray cat of mixed breed.
“I support you getting one,” she said. “But your parents might not allow it, so be prepared. If they can’t, we’ll contact a nearby rescue center. In any case, it won’t stay a stray.”
Ruan Yu responded, carrying draft paper and pencil case in one hand and holding the cat in the other, and followed her out of the laboratory building with a bright smile on her face.
Considering that it would be inconvenient and unhygienic for her to bring a stray cat into the classroom, Wen Yun suggested, "Why don't you wait for me in the car first? I'll help you pack your bag."
A note from the author:
The second update is here!
Chapter 25
Just as Wen Yun had expected, not only was bringing the cat home impossible, but even carrying the cat into the car was met with strong protests from the housekeeper.
After she got into the car carrying two backpacks, she sensed that the atmosphere inside was very subtle.
Ruan Yu lowered her head and stroked the cat. The black and white cat lay on her lap, its fur standing on end, occasionally letting out a low growl as a warning towards the passenger seat.
Wen Yun herself had never owned a cat, but she had watched many cat-raising videos and had a colleague who owned a cat in her past life. Seeing this, she quickly said to Ruan Yu, "Let's take the cat to the rescue station first. Stray cats need to have a physical examination and deworming before they can be kept at home. Don't rush it."
Seeing that Ruan Yu was still skeptical, she instructed the driver to take her to the rescue station and showed Ruan Yu some videos on precautions for adopting stray cats.
To avoid startling the cat, she even put headphones in Ruan Yu's earphones before playing the video.
This is probably due to the limitations of growing up in the countryside and never having seen a "poop scooper" in the city. Wen Yun had a similar experience when she was very young. If she saw a cat or dog that was friendly to her in the countryside and confirmed that it was ownerless, she would take it home and raise it. At most, she would take it to get a rabies vaccination and deworming.
She could tell that Ruan Yu really liked the cat, so she thought that if the Wen family wouldn't allow her to keep the cat, she could temporarily foster it at a rescue center, and then when they were both in college, they could rent a place where they could keep the cat and take it there.
Wen's parents weren't coming home for dinner again today, so they drove straight to the nearest stray cat and dog rescue station. Wen Yun, holding her phone, walked ahead to the front desk to get a receipt and pay the fees.
Ruan Yu followed closely behind her, clutching the cat, speechless with shock at the sheer number of animals at the rescue center.
Wen Yun wasn't quite sure what the main items of a cat's health checkup were, so she booked a full-service package and then followed the professionals with Ruan Yu as they went from room to room.
Perhaps because it was used to seeing people on campus, the cat was very well-behaved and cooperated well. It only struggled and grumbled a few times when it was having its blood drawn, but it was quickly calmed down by the doctor. It ate the cat treats that Wen Yun had specially bought and completed the entire set of examinations little by little.
The test results would take at least an hour to come out. While waiting for the results, Ruan Yu said she wanted to stay and keep the cat company, so Wen Yun and the housekeeper went to a convenience store near the rescue station to buy some oden. Wen Yun took the opportunity to ask the housekeeper if she could keep the cat at home.
The housekeeper said, "If you really want to keep a cat at home, you can go to a reputable cattery and choose one during the National Day holiday."
Wen Yun frowned and said, "Aunt Ge, I don't mean anything by it, I just want to know, when has our family ever had such a rule as discrimination based on breed?"
"It's not about breed discrimination, but stray cats are unhygienic and carry a lot of viruses and bacteria," the housekeeper said seriously. "Moreover, stray cats are very wild and difficult to train. Even if the medical report is fine, I will not allow you two ladies to take it home!"
Wen Yun was speechless. This person claimed it wasn't breed discrimination, but his words were full of disdain for stray cats, and he did it with such self-righteousness!
Just as she was about to argue with the housekeeper, a lazy female voice suddenly came from behind her: "What a coincidence, my deskmate."
Wen Yun turned her head and saw He Sheng walking over with a cup of oden, sitting down next to them in a very natural and generous manner.
"Are you here to adopt a pet too?" He Sheng asked, gesturing towards the animal rescue station outside the convenience store.
“No, not at all.” Wen Yun shook her head. “I rescued a stray cat after my exam today. I just finished examining it and I don’t know what to do next.”
"Is it because the family won't allow us to keep pets?" He Sheng popped a meatball into his mouth, and seeing that Wen Yun and the housekeeper were not speaking, he said indistinctly, "How strange, the Wen family is such a big mansion, can't they even keep a kitten?"
The butler quickly clarified, "Miss He, it's not what you think—"
“Then I’ll take care of it,” He Sheng interrupted. “I was just thinking of picking out a kitten to take home. My house is quite big; even ten cat trees wouldn’t be enough.”
The butler's expression changed drastically, while Wen Yun vaguely guessed He Sheng's thoughts.
After all, He Sheng cares a lot about "aura". Under normal circumstances, she would never ask to take a cat home without even seeing it or knowing its personality.
She probably wanted to deliberately provoke the housekeeper, so that he would be pressured by the Wen family's reputation and other wealthy young men to allow them to bring the cat home.
So she didn't reply, continued eating her oden, and waited for the housekeeper to speak.
After a long silence of ten seconds, the butler said, "I need to contact the master and mistress about this matter. Please excuse me."
Watching the housekeeper leave the convenience store, Wen Yun clicked her tongue softly.
She must have gotten dizzy wandering around the shelter; she should have asked the Wen family elders directly instead of the housekeeper. How could a hired hand make decisions for their masters?
Fortunately, He Sheng intervened to save the situation; otherwise, she would have wasted time arguing with the housekeeper.
Thinking of this, she quickly thanked He Sheng.
"Don't mention it, helping out my classmate is the right thing to do." He Sheng waved his hand. "But if it's a stray cat, I suggest leaving it at the rescue center for a few days until it's dewormed and bathed before taking it home."
"Thank you for reminding me!" Wen Yun said embarrassedly, "Neither Xiaoyu nor I have ever owned a cat before, so we don't have much experience in this area."
"Hey, everyone starts somewhere." He Sheng didn't think it was a big deal. "But if your family really doesn't welcome it, you should keep the cat here for now. If it gets too stressed, it might die."
Wen Yun had heard this before and nodded, but still asked worriedly, "You haven't seen our cat, have you? What if its aura doesn't suit you..."
"The aura I'm bothered by is directed at humans," He Sheng said. "Who doesn't like cats?"
Wen Yun: "..."
I didn't know there was such a way of saying it.
The housekeeper hadn't returned yet, so Wen Yun bought some food for Ruan Yu, carrying it along with some hot oden.
He Sheng glanced at her hand and teased, "Is this another case of exchanging sincerity for sincerity?"
"Pretty much," Wen Yun smiled. "Xiaoyu really helped me a lot."
If the protagonist hadn't helped her with math every day, she wouldn't have improved so quickly.
He Sheng laughed along, bent down to throw the paper cup and skewers into the trash can, and slightly raised his chin toward the door, "Let's go, let's finish this quickly and go home."
As the two were leaving, Wen Yun noticed that the housekeeper was still on the phone, so she didn't disturb him and headed straight for the shelter.
The calico cat has been placed in the isolation room, and Ruan Yu is talking with the staff.
She caught a glimpse of someone approaching out of the corner of her eye, and instinctively turned her head. When she saw He Sheng, she was stunned for a moment.
"I'm here to visit the kittens," He Sheng greeted her, then asked the staff with a smile, "How is Rikka doing?"
"She's basically fully recovered." The staff member seemed to know her well and said with a smile, "If nothing unexpected happens, she should be able to be discharged on the 11th."
“Rikka is…?” Ruan Yu asked.
“I rescued a stray cat about two weeks ago; it’s a hawksbill turtle,” He Sheng explained. “You may have seen it at school; it’s always wandering around outside the cafeteria.”
She asked the staff to take them to see the baby hawksbill turtles.
The tricolor tortoiseshell cat curled up in its cage. As soon as it saw He Sheng, it stretched out its black and white paws and scratched at the door. When it realized it couldn't reach He Sheng, it simply lay flat in the cage and started rolling around.