Whether I was joking or not, I didn't want to continue this topic, so I grabbed Yin Tianyu's white shirt and rubbed it vigorously, then pretended to be surprised: "Wow, it's linen, it's very comfortable."
"You like linen clothes too? What a coincidence! I bought matching outfits for couples, and this one is yours." Yin Tianyu grinned from ear to ear, overjoyed, and produced several paper bags from behind his back.
"Do you know how sinister your smile is?"
"No, girls usually start liking me because of my smile."
I was furious. I couldn't accept being schemed against. I didn't know why my IQ, which made me so arrogant in front of others, was always inferior to his! So I resolutely refused to take the pile of clothes and shoes.
"I knew you'd do this. You'll definitely regret it if you refuse, because to be honest, the money for this outfit was originally your work uniform replacement allowance for this quarter, but you submitted your resignation letter right after the allowance was approved. Rather than waste it, I simply changed your outfit for you..."
"What!" I almost jumped up and capsized the small boat. "How dare you take my money to do this kind of thing!"
"Calm down, calm down. You need to understand, even if this money is saved, it won't end up in your hands. Besides, to be honest, I even paid out of my own pocket for a lot of the clothes and shoes."
Before Yin Tianyu could finish rambling, I snatched the bag from his clothes.
I really don't know what Yin the devil is up to, insisting on rushing back to Guangzhou overnight. So, after a meal of Xikou braised goose, Caitang tangqian (a type of fried tofu), and Fenghuang fried tofu, all with a distinctly Chaozhou street flavor, we hit the road again that night. Yin Tianyu drove, and I sat in the passenger seat, rubbing my stomach. I'd eaten way too much, but I couldn't entirely blame myself for being unrestrained; the food was just too delicious. Yin the devil really has a keen sense of smell; he can find all the good food, no matter where it is.
As the saying goes, "A full and warm stomach makes one think of a comfortable bed," and after my stomach started to feel less uncomfortable from being so bloated, I quickly became drowsy. Although I repeatedly reminded myself not to trust Yin Tianyu's driving skills too much, reason couldn't overcome sleepiness. I mumbled a few words incoherently before finally falling into a deep, restful sleep. In my hazy state, I vaguely saw Yin Tianyu lean over and gently kiss my cheek, the warmth lingering there for a long time. I mentally yelled, "You bastard, drive carefully!"
I was awakened by the barking of a dog. A thin blanket had somehow been draped over me, and although the chair back was adjusted to bed-like height, my back still ached. Realizing Yin Tianyu wasn't in the car, I quickly sat up. Getting out, I looked around. It was already slightly bright, with a ring of dark green mountains surrounding me. The car was parked in a large courtyard, but both the outside and inside were overgrown with weeds. The only distinguishing feature was a row of barbed wire. The courtyard was neatly arranged with many white, blue, and pink houses, most of them low to the ground, not seeming intended for normal living. There was a strange smell in the air.
"Woof woof!" The barking that woke me came from behind a row of blue fences. I followed the sound around a few houses, and there was a large, open lawn behind it. A tall, burly man was playing with several black and yellow mongrels like a child—sigh, who else could it be but Yin the Demon? Sometimes I really can't help but wonder if this guy is even human. He's been driving all night, and he can still be so energetic playing with dogs here!
"Hey, are you made of iron? Aren't you sleepy at all?"
Yin Tianyu then noticed me, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly ran towards me. I then realized that his running posture was very professional, almost beautiful. The sunlight shone back on him from behind, gilding him with a golden edge, and with each movement, he seemed to shimmer.
"This guy has a great stage presence." I couldn't help but secretly praise him, then wondered why he always seemed so dreamlike and unreal when he appeared lately. Was it that I hadn't noticed it before, or was there something wrong with my senses lately? I shook my head, trying to shake off the faint unease that was rising in my heart.
"You think I'm like you? I don't even know if you were born in the Year of the Pig. You can really sleep. When I first saw you sleeping like that, I thought you had passed out. But just as I was about to give you CPR, I heard you talking in your sleep."
"Talking in my sleep?" The thought of my unseemly sleeping posture made my face flush slightly. "What did I say?"
“You said, ‘Tianyu, please, don’t leave me. I’m willing to give you all my savings.’” Yin Tianyu grinned mischievously, and I knew he was making things up again.
In a fit of shame and anger, I threw a punch: "Die!"
Yin Tianyu grabbed my hand: "Don't say that. Such sentimental words are my specialty."
Without thinking twice, I used all my skills to attack the major and minor acupoints on his body. The puppies also joined in the commotion, jumping and barking as they followed us, darting left and right on the grass.
"By the way, whose yard is this?" After playing around for a while, I finally remembered this crucial question.
Yin Tian smiled mysteriously and led me towards the gate of the courtyard, stopping in front of a plump tree stump about half a person's height. I looked over suspiciously and saw that one end of the tree stump had been cut off at an angle, with the three characters "Good or Bad" written on it.
What does this mean?
"Your 'goodness,' combined with my 'giving,' is naturally a match made in heaven, unparalleled in the world, a legendary masterpiece..."
"Do you want to play again?" I was losing my patience.
"Hey, you're really dense. You still can't see that this is our pet shelter? The shelter is called 'Good and Shelter'. What do you think? Isn't that a great name? I came up with it in just thirty seconds."
"What?! An animal shelter? Ours?" I must be sleep-deprived; my brain isn't quite processing this.
"Come with me." Yin Tianyu led me toward a row of white houses. Before we even entered, a meow rang out. Hearing that familiar sound, I shuddered. "No!" I resisted, refusing to take another step. Yin Tianyu grabbed my hand and gently but firmly pulled me inside, completely ignoring how quickly my palms were losing warmth.
This is a cattery with about a dozen cats, old and young, white and black, all kinds. Two staff members were putting them from their cages into a larger netted enclosure filled with various cat toys. Yin Tianyu dragged me into the netted enclosure, squatted down, and carefully picked up a kitten that looked about four or five months old. He grabbed me, who was backing away, and shoved it into my arms, saying, "If you don't catch it, you'll break it."
Of course I knew what would happen if I let go, so I had no choice but to hold the poor cat. Good heavens, its body was warm, its fur incredibly soft; I remembered "Rogue" looking exactly like this when I first brought it home, its puppy fur still fully shed. This kitten had probably never been held so high before; it was very nervous, its four paws gripping my hands tightly, staring at me with its brown eyes and meowing. I instinctively held the kitten close to my chest, freeing one hand to gently rub its nose, then stroked its head down: "Don't be afraid, sweetie." I reassured it as I squatted down, intending to put it back on the ground. But it wouldn't budge, climbing all over me with its paws and claws, hooking onto the front of my clothes, refusing to come down. I could only kiss its forehead, and it responded with a soft, babyish "Meow—" It felt like I'd been hit by an ice bullet; tears gently trickled down my throat, and before I could catch my breath, my face was wet. Ugh! I cried again! Afraid someone would notice, I quickly wiped my face on my sleeve. Unexpectedly, Yin Tian squatted down beside me, gently pulled me into his arms, and said softly, "Cry if you want to, you're not pretty whether you cry or not anyway. Just don't wipe your snot on me... Hey, I'm talking to you, why are you doing this again!"
Part Two, Chapter Nineteen
I stayed at "Good and Rest" until three or four in the afternoon, reluctant to leave. I helped the staff bathe, feed, and clean the cats and dogs... Time flew by without me even noticing. To others, they might not seem like beautiful pets; some even have dermatitis or disabilities. But it was precisely because of this that I felt even more heartache for them.
Some of the staff here are volunteers who come to help on holidays, while others are full-time employees. Although everyone comes from different backgrounds, the expressions on their faces are so gentle and happy when they are handling those little things, and I quickly and naturally became familiar with them.
While helping Xiao Kuang, a young woman who graduated from South China Agricultural University and became a veterinarian, apply medicine to a Pomeranian, Xiao Kuang suddenly said, "Mrs. Yin, you must make some nourishing soup for Mr. Yin this time. He's really exhausted from running around so much to get 'Hao Yu She' up and down in such a short time!"
I was stunned for a moment. "Mrs. Yin"? Hearing that word twice in one day made my heart skip a beat. "We're just boyfriend and girlfriend." My smile must have been forced because Xiao Kuang's expression became very embarrassed. "Ah, I'm sorry. When we were deciding on the cattery design, Mr. Yin kept saying, 'My wife will like this, my wife will like that.' We were all very envious, thinking that you two had been married for many years and still had such a good relationship. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
It's Yin Tianyu again! The urge to beat him up made my blood boil, and then I realized that I hadn't seen "Mr. Yin" for a long time. I think I forgot about him after leaving the cat shelter.
When I found him, he was sprawled out on the grass, completely unconcerned about his white shirt and trousers. I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for this ostentatious display of wealth in his linen attire. He slept so peacefully, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if he were dreaming of something joyful. Even though I was filled with anger, I couldn't bear to wake him, so I simply sat down beside him. Watching his childlike, willful sleeping posture, I couldn't help but wonder how his spoiled, aristocratic temperament and down-to-earth nature could coexist so harmoniously.
A dragonfly flew over and landed on his chest. Whether afraid of startling it or disturbing his sweet dreams, I instinctively reached out and gently brushed his chest. The dragonfly took flight, skimming across Yin Tianyu's face, scattering a trail of reflections like shards of glass across his skin. Only then did I realize how much weight he had lost in the days since I'd last seen him. My heart skipped a beat: how could this cunning man, as cunning as a weasel, act like a lovesick high school student? Was it worth it for me? Even if he knew my past was scarred, even if he knew my heart was still adrift, even if he knew… I suddenly felt terrified, because I had no confidence in my self-control in anything except making money. But leaving him like this already felt too much for me. Looking at his face, my hand involuntarily fell, gently stroking Yin Tianyu's cheek. Suddenly, Yin Tianyu, who had been asleep, turned his head and quickly kissed my palm. I was startled and was about to pull my hand away when he nimbly flipped over, grabbed me, and pinned me down.
"What are you doing? This is a public place!" I was so embarrassed by the situation that I struggled awkwardly.
"You know this is a public place, so why did you molest me in broad daylight?" Yin Tianyu said righteously.
"Are you kidding me? You're a man, how could I, a weak woman, possibly molest you?"
"Still being stubborn! You touched my chest first, then stared at my face for two whole minutes, making me afraid to even blink. Do you know how tiring that was?! What's even more outrageous is that you actually touched my face with your hand at the end!"
"You've been pretending to be asleep the whole time!" I was furious.
"Alright, it's my turn now, it's my turn to molest you."
Seeing his strange expression, I knew something was wrong. But my body was pinned down and I couldn't move at all. I was very anxious, and only my mouth was free to move, so I threatened, "You dare! What are you going to do? I..." Yin Tianyu's mouth pressed down hard, forcibly suppressing my objection. My resistance soon surrendered in a sea of firm yet gentle affection.
I don't know how much time passed; I just felt like I was adrift in this ocean, completely devoid of fighting spirit and in a hazy state of consciousness. I was jolted awake when someone patted my cheek. I saw Yin Tianyu's angry face, his eyes practically popping out of his head: "Hey! Are you kidding me! We were kissing, and you almost fell asleep?!"