GV – Chapter 79

Having agreed to go see her aunt, Song Zhiqing was particularly dedicated to the matter.

So dedicated that at midnight, she started a video call to ask Ye Yuhuan what style of girl Si Shan liked. The background was her entire room full of clothes. In that instant, Ye Yuhuan knew this was going to be a big problem.

She used to think that with so many clothes, one person could never wear them all in a lifetime.

However, in just an hour and a half, Song Zhiqing made her understand that clothes weren’t just for buying and wearing; they could also be for buying and trying on.

Ye Yuhuan had only said one sentence: My aunt likes lively girls.

And then she discovered that the varieties of “lively” in the world were as vast as the shades of pink in Song Zhiqing’s closet.

When Song Zhiqing attempted to dress up in a magical girl style, Ye Yuhuan stopped her hand as she reached for a magic wand.

“The last outfit. The last one was perfect.”

“Huh? Does your aunt like the lazy, sweet, cat-girl style?”

Ye Yuhuan nodded emphatically. “Yes, my aunt is a cat lover. Her biggest dream is to have a little cat, but she can’t because of her condition. If you wear this, she’ll definitely be impressed!”

“But won’t that make her miss having a cat when she sees me?” Song Zhiqing’s empathy was always abundant.

In reality, Si Shan had only once mentioned wanting to have a cat. She was about ten Ye Yuhuans away from being a cat lover.

But Ye Yuhuan still replied with a confident expression, “No, my aunt has never truly owned a cat, so that won’t be a problem.”

“Oh, then let’s get her a kitten tomorrow.”

Ye Yuhuan considered it. Her aunt had mostly recovered and had been transferred to a more relaxed sanatorium. She should be able to care for a cat, and if there were any issues, the nurses around would help.

So she agreed, “Okay, let’s set out early tomorrow to pick out a kitten at the pet store.”

It seemed that at this point, they could sweetly say good night.

But today’s moonlight did not have its usual effect on Song Zhiqing. She was full of energy and began to cast a critical eye on the unremarkable sky-blue pajamas Ye Yuhuan was wearing on screen.

“Darling, what do you say, should we wear matching couple outfits?”

Before Ye Yuhuan could open her mouth, she continued, “Do you think you’d prefer a dog-themed style that matches me well, or a catnip-themed style that also matches me well?”

At this point, Ye Yuhuan knew the space for refusal was gone. She forced a smile, watching as Song Zhiqing, from who-knows-where, produced a large pile of clothes in her size—most likely prepared long before they had even started dating.

It had to be said, the fashion world’s loss of Song Zhiqing was truly a great loss for the fashion world.

While Song Zhiqing was brainstorming outfit ideas, Ye Yuhuan went to make a cup of coffee, preparing to face the long night.

Although the process was arduous, the result was gratifying. Ye Yuhuan was styled in an outfit from a series she didn’t even know existed: Catnip-themed Spring Outing Style. It was a light and refreshing grass-green, which complemented the lazy calico kitten on the other side of the screen very well.

Ye Yuhuan woke up bright and early and first went to Song Zhiqing’s house to put on the clothes she had prepared for her. Honestly, this was the first time Ye Yuhuan had made such a formal preparation before seeing her aunt. A very strange thought couldn’t help but cross her mind: it felt like she was going to meet Song Zhiqing’s parents.

But she hadn’t dressed up specially when she met Song Chen and Gao Yiren.

Darn it, looks like I’ll have to dress up next time.

Can’t fall too far behind Song Zhiqing.

Dressed as if they were going to attend fashion week, the two of them arrived at the pet store. The pet store employee kept looking behind them, trying to find a non-existent camera.

Of course, she couldn’t find one, but this young girl who worked at the pet store had been immersed in the internet for many years. Out of a sense of self-preservation for her image, she still made an excuse to go fix her hair and clothes midway through.

After she came out, the whole scene had even more of a high-fashion photoshoot atmosphere.

“Ladies, what kind of kitten are you looking for?” the employee asked with a sweet smile.

Ye Yuhuan had no experience with pets, so she turned her gaze to Song Zhiqing.

Miss Song touched her cat-themed nail art and said, “Do you have any kittens that are particularly affectionate and well-behaved?”

The employee let out a soft hiss of difficulty at her words. Customers who requested a pet with a specific personality were the most challenging. If it were a request about appearance, it would be fine; you could always find one. But personality standards varied from person to person, making it very hard to meet expectations.

Song Zhiqing also realized her request was too vague, so she added, “Just something gentle, that doesn’t scratch or run around randomly. The owner is a patient and also a painter, so she needs a gentle little animal.”

The employee thought for a moment and brought over a short-haired Golden Shaded cat from a separate small cage. Its eyes were gem-green, and it looked exceptionally quiet.

“We found this kitten at our doorstep a month ago. It was probably abandoned. It hasn’t been abused, but it probably hadn’t eaten well for a long time, so its stomach is a bit weak. It doesn’t like to move much except during meal times. It should meet your requirements.”

Song Zhiqing fell in love with the cat at first sight, and even more so after hearing its story. She immediately decided to buy it.

They bought a large pile of cat supplies and took the kitten to the veterinary hospital for a check-up. The vet said they just needed to be careful with its diet, but it was otherwise healthy.

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief. After all that running around, it was nearly noon. They found a random restaurant for lunch and finally headed to Si Shan’s sanatorium with all their bags.

The glamorous aura they had when they first stepped out, as if they were on a fashion show runway, had completely vanished under the cute offensive of a real cat.

This statement could be applied to Song Zhiqing before entering the sanatorium, but after entering, it mainly served Ye Yuhuan.

After taking the cat from Song Zhiqing’s hands, perhaps the catnip-themed outfit Ye Yuhuan was wearing really did have a catnip-like effect.

The cat, which had been aloof in Song Zhiqing’s arms, changed its tune and flopped over, exposing its soft belly for pets. As for Ye Yuhuan, she became addicted to cuddling with the cat.

So much so that Song Zhiqing began to suspect that besides her aunt, Ye Yuhuan herself was also a cat lover.

Look, at this person smiling while feeding the cat milk.

Look, at this person constantly praising how cute the cat is.

Song Zhiqing didn’t really want to admit it, but she did feel a bit like she was less important than a cat.

Looking back at her own cat-themed outfit now, she inexplicably felt the bittersweetness of being a stand-in.

Fortunately, perhaps because the cat was monopolized by her niece, Si Shan had no opportunity to display her non-existent cat-lover attributes. At this moment, she was observing the young woman beside her. It was their first time meeting, but Si Shan felt none of the surprise of “how could my kid like someone like this.”

This girl named Song Zhiqing was indeed completely and utterly Huanhuan’s type. She didn’t seem to notice how similar she was to the little cat currently enjoying being kneaded in Ye Yuhuan’s arms.

A girl like a cat, not just in appearance, but in temperament and personality as well.

For example, although she was politely making small talk with her, her eyes had already drifted mostly over to Huanhuan’s side. She was probably a little angry, but had the cat-like personality of not saying she was angry unless coaxed.

Si Shan raised her teacup to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth. How could Huanhuan still be so clueless, rolling around on the grass with the cat, not noticing that the other cat was about to lose her patience?

However, as an elder, Si Shan felt she should do something.

The small talk had just reached the point of asking what Song Zhiqing liked to do in her spare time. Si Shan changed the subject and said, “Should I call Huanhuan over?”

Song Zhiqing’s face turned red. Even though she really wanted to agree, she still shook her head and refused.

She could settle the score later. Right now, Ye Yuhuan was having so much fun; it was better not to disturb her.

Besides, she was the one who had asked her to take good care of the cat. Calling her back now would feel like she was going back on her word.

Getting the expected answer, Si Shan smiled lightly, making the red on Song Zhiqing’s face deepen.

While Ye Yuhuan was playing, Song Zhiqing had been so attentive to meeting Si Shan, firstly out of her high regard for Ye Yuhuan, and secondly, in the hope that Si Shan would have a good impression of her—good enough to hear some stories about Ye Yuhuan’s past from her.

This didn’t mean Song Zhiqing distrusted the story Ye Yuhuan had told herself. However, any story is bound to have a biased perspective. The events from Ye Yuhuan’s point of view and a third party’s point of view would inevitably be different. Most importantly, Ye Yuhuan had a habit of downplaying everything, making serious matters sound light and trivial. One had to think them over several times to realize their true weight. That feeling was as uncomfortable as eating a sugar-coated bitter melon.

Song Zhiqing didn’t want to taste that bitter candy from time to time, so she decided to chew it all up and swallow it at once.

“Auntie Si Shan, can you tell me about Ye Yuhuan and her father?”

Regarding Ye Yuhuan and her mother, no matter how much she downplayed it, she would still reveal many details. With these details, Song Zhiqing could roughly piece together the true picture of what had happened.

Only her father, Ye Yuhuan never said much about. To this day, Song Zhiqing’s impression of the man was merely that he was handsome, a painter, and a womanizer. What was Ye Yuhuan’s relationship with him, what had happened between them—Ye Yuhuan had never mentioned a single word.

Song Zhiqing didn’t know why she was so curious about Ye Yuhuan’s past, as if it were some kind of call from the depths of her soul. Was this a manifestation of love? Song Zhiqing didn’t know.

Upon hearing Song Zhiqing’s request, the teacup in Si Shan’s hand suddenly trembled, spilling a few drops of tea.

Si Shan wiped them away with a tissue and said with downcast eyes, “Those are not things worth listening to.”

The story of a completely shameless person was naturally not worth listening to.

Song Zhiqing softened her voice, her gaze falling once again on Ye Yuhuan, who was currently purring into the cat’s ear.

“The first time I met Ye Yuhuan, she seemed to be doing very poorly.”

She got better later, but not by much. Song Zhiqing had been to places like cat cafes with her, and Ye Yuhuan had never shown such deep affection for cats as she did today. She didn’t dislike playing with cats, but it was just that—not disliking it, a far cry from her current state.

Song Zhiqing wanted to know what kind of upheaval could be enough to make a person suppress themselves to that extent, where even seeking happiness freely became a luxury.

Si Shan drained the tea in her cup in one gulp, her gaze distant.

“Huanhuan… has never had it very good.”

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