Ha, Karma! – Chapter 44

This lifetime, do we have a possibility?

Fu Lianxue brushed her teeth, washed her face, tied up her hair, and sat at the table, eating the takeout Chu Zhaoqiu ordered for her.

This meal could be considered as Chu Zhaoqiu treating her.

            

Chu Zhaoqiu also bought her a large bag of snacks and biscuits, for her to nibble on when hungry, lest she really try to steal Baobao’s food.

While eating, her eyes followed Chu Zhaoqiu’s figure.

Chu Zhaoqiu was squatting on the ground, greeting Baobao.

            

It seemed to be her first time playing with a cat. Her actions were awkward, unsure of how to proceed. A long while passed before she softly said, “Hello, kitty.”

Then, spreading open her palm, she tried to feed it a piece of freeze-dried food.

Fu Lianxue couldn’t help but laugh, but didn’t speak.

            

Baobao never refused any food offered to it in this house. Immediately, it familiarly buried its face in Chu Zhaoqiu’s palm, chowing down vigorously.

After finishing, it licked its lips twice, then raised its round head to look at Chu Zhaoqiu.

Its amber eyes seemed to be anticipating a second piece of freeze-dried food.

            

Chu Zhaoqiu turned her head to look at Fu Lianxue.

Fu Lianxue lowered her head to pick up some food with her chopsticks: “Don’t feed it anymore. It ate not long before you arrived. That little belly hasn’t digested it yet.”

Her Baobao was never ambiguous about eating. Every time, it shoveled food into its mouth like an excavator. The floor should be grateful for its contributions; she still had to clean up afterwards.

            

Chu Zhaoqiu understood, turning back to look at the hopeful kitten. Extending her hand, she tentatively touched its head, softly saying, “Your owner says there’s no more. Eat again next time.”

——Truly gentle.

Fu Lianxue thought so.

            

As soon as Chu Zhaoqiu extended her hand, Baobao stretched out its paws.

The milky white kitten stood up at once, its two short little paws paddling continuously in the air, unable to reach this human’s hand.

Chu Zhaoqiu smiled and brought her hand to it.

            

Baobao patted her hand with both paws and then opened its mouth——

“Ei!” The mother, who was eating, immediately stopped it, her expression serious. “Fu Baobao, no biting! No biting jiejie!”

Baobao still went for it.

            

But it seemed to understand Fu Lianxue’s words. Its mouth made contact, but it didn’t bite down with its teeth.

Just like that, it started playing with this jiejie whom it was meeting for the third time.

Chu Zhaoqiu squatted on the ground, obediently reporting: “It didn’t bite me.”

            

Only then did Fu Lianxue pick up her rice bowl again.

“Chu Clan Head, be careful. If a cat bites you and draws blood, you’ll have to get a rabies vaccine.”

After she finished speaking, she heard a gentle laugh from Chu Zhaoqiu’s direction.

            

She turned her head to look. Chu Zhaoqiu was looking at her with gentle expectation, asking, “Does this count as you caring about me?”

She was the demon in this world who most wanted her dead.

But this demon was now reminding her to be careful, not to be bitten by a cat.

            

She seemed to want her dead, yet not so much…

Fu Lianxue, having her thoughts exposed, suddenly became awkward.

“Who cares about you! Baobao, bite her! Bite her hard!”

            

Baobao looked at its mama, meowing twice in confusion.

Then, putting down its front paws, it walked over to Chu Zhaoqiu’s leg, rubbing back and forth, meowing and suddenly acting coquettish.

Fu Lianxue: “?”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu looked at it, then at the dumbfounded cat owner, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Lianxue: “…”

The cat she raised had turned its elbows outwards! [胳膊肘往外拐 | gēbo zhǒu wǎng wài guǎi | idiom meaning to betray one’s own side; to favor outsiders]

            

She had a change of heart, a plan forming in her mind, and instantly felt relieved.

“Rub! Rub hard! Rub all your cat fur on her, annoy her to death, this germaphobe!”

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoqiu looked down and indeed saw strands of cat fur clinging to the pants where Baobao had rubbed against.

            

It’s alright, still bearable.

Fortunately, her germaphobia wasn’t severe.

She could even tolerate the cat’s owner making a mess in her room; what was a little cat fur?

            

Baobao, having rubbed itself in a circle, stopped rubbing, elegantly took two steps, and jumped onto the dining table, starting to observe its mother’s lunch.

It stretched its head, stretched its paws, looking eager to try.

Fu Lianxue tapped its little nose: “You’ve already eaten a lot. You can’t eat anymore.”

            

Then, holding it in her arms and hugging it, she said, “Baobao, stay here and accompany Mama while she eats~”

Baobao meowed twice, its eyes following the food in her hand.

Seeing the cat had gone, Chu Zhaoqiu also stood up, saying, “I’ll go look at the flower.”

            

Fu Lianxue: “Go ahead, the flower is in the study.”

Chu Zhaoqiu asked again: “Then where’s the lint roller?” [粘毛器 | zhān máo qì | lint roller; sticky hair remover]

Fu Lianxue turned her head to glance at her, then turned back with a smile: “It’s by the main door. You’ll see it when you walk over there.”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu responded with an “Okay.”

After she left, Fu Lianxue lowered her eyes and stroked the furry child’s head: “Good job, Baobao.”

The cat was hers; how could the trouble the cat caused not be considered trouble she caused?

            

Chu Zhaoqiu cleaned most of the cat fur off herself before entering Fu Lianxue’s study.

The Blue Star Flower needed a fixed amount of watering, and also needed to bask in the sun during the day and the moon at night, because it also needed to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Placing it under the blazing sun and bright moon for two to three hours before bringing it back in would allow it to grow better.

            

Therefore, she had brought the Blue Star Flower with her that night when she helped her younger sister search for demon.

The air in the mountains and forests was good, and spiritual energy abundant, making it the most suitable place to absorb the essence of the bright moon.

Fu Lianxue’s study held many books related to music.

            

Next to the study was the instrument room; the two were distinct.

As soon as she entered the study, Chu Zhaoqiu could see the Blue Star Flower placed on the small table by the bay window.

Outside the flower’s body faintly floated a gaseous protective shield; one could guess who it was meant to protect against.

            

Chu Zhaoqiu’s eyes drifted, and she saw the white wooden frame placed beside the flowerpot.

Preserved within the white wooden frame was a crooked flower branch that looked… very similar to the Blue Star Flower.

Fu Lianxue tidied the tabletop, then carried Baobao towards the balcony [陽臺 | balcony | balcony;阳台].

            

Chu Zhaoqiu was on the balcony tending to her flower, her brows and eyes lowered in concentration.

She leaned against the balcony door, silently watching Chu Zhaoqiu.

A gentle breeze brushed past their hair, and in the quiet, they smelled the fragrance on each other.

            

How could they have anticipated back then that they, and the person, the demon across from them, would have such a peaceful moment?

Fu Lianxue tilted her chin up slightly, sniffed delicately with the tip of her nose, and said with a smile, “Chu Clan Head, you smell so good.”

The corners of Chu Zhaoqiu’s lips curved upwards. She asked, “Do you like it?”

            

She said, “I like it.”

Chu Zhaoqiu said, “It’s good that you like it.”

Sincere and gentle, difficult to resist.

            

Fu Lianxue didn’t know how to respond to this sentence, so she turned and went back inside.

Chu Zhaoqiu followed her into the living room.

The two sat down on the sofa, letting the Blue Star Flower freely absorb the sunlight outside.

            

Fu Lianxue put Baobao down and watched as it walked towards Chu Zhaoqiu with its tail held high, then gently rubbed its small head against Chu Zhaoqiu’s palm.

Chu Zhaoqiu’s brows and eyes curved into a gentle smile.

Fu Lianxue: “?”

            

Why did her cat inexplicably like this person?!

“Lianxue.”

She heard her suddenly call her name.

            

“I saw a pressed flower on the table in your study,” Chu Zhaoqiu raised her eyes, “It looks a lot like the Blue Star Flower.”

Fu Lianxue paused.

In this moment, her heart inexplicably panicked.

            

“What?”

“Did someone else give that to you?”

“Why do you care about this? Do you want one too?”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu shook her head with a smile, lowered her eyes, and stroked the affectionate kitten.

“No, I’m just curious why that person would give you a Blue Star Flower that looks like it’s been stepped on, why not give you a good one?”

After she finished speaking, a sneer immediately followed, landing beside her ear.

            

She lifted her eyelids and discovered the demon opposite her was smiling, a very mocking and arrogant smile.

“That wasn’t given by someone else. It was the Blue Star Flower you gave me before, and it was also the one I stepped on. Didn’t expect that, huh?”

The fire she poured onto the Blue Star Flower was all directed at her.

            

It was only at that moment that she realized how worthless she was in her heart.

So she was angry, she was furious. She threw this gift, which she had once considered the best, beneath her feet and viciously crushed it.

It was a pity this person couldn’t see it at the time.

            

After she finished speaking, she looked at Chu Zhaoqiu haughtily, waiting for her to reveal a surprised expression.

Yet, she heard her say, “You crushed it… and then brought it back and carefully preserved it?”

Fu Lianxue: “…”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu suddenly shifted her position.

She was closer to her now.

She was right in front of her, gazing at her intently, her eyes burning.

            

“Lianxue, before, towards me, did you truly not have a single shred of liking?”

If she didn’t like her, why did she always intentionally or unintentionally compare her to her shijie?

If she didn’t like her, why did she crush the flower and then bring it back and carefully preserve it?

            

If she didn’t like her, why could she tolerate her entering her domain? [territory]

Towards her, did she truly not have a single shred, a single bit of heart-fluttering feeling?

Fu Lianxue didn’t know how to respond again.

            

Chu Zhaoqiu’s gaze was too intense, and too pitiful.

It was as if she hadn’t only liked her in this lifetime, so even her yearning surpassed everyone else’s.

But this couldn’t change reality.

            

How could she have possibly liked her before?

“What are you thinking? Just because I picked up the flower before, does that definitely mean I liked you?” she said. “I picked up the flower to remind myself not to forget you, this enemy. What, is that not allowed?”

Chu Zhaoqiu couldn’t respond.

            

A moment later, she extended her hand and gently held Fu Lianxue’s hand.

“Then what about now?”

Fu Lianxue was stunned for a moment: “What?”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu said, “This lifetime, do we have a possibility?”

She knew herself; she wasn’t a saint without desires.

She also longed for her love to be reciprocated, hoping that the demon before her might also have feelings for her.

            

Compared to hate, she wanted Fu Lianxue’s love more.

Very quickly, Fu Lianxue answered.

“There’s a possibility,” Fu Lianxue said, “There’s a possibility we’ll die together.”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu: “…”

She sighed and laughed helplessly again.

It seemed this topic couldn’t be continued.

            

“No, you have to live well.”

“Why should I listen to you?” Fu Lianxue started to rebel again, started to oppose her again. “I want to die together with you!”

Chu Zhaoqiu was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, “But if you die with me, wouldn’t that be letting me off easy?”

            

Fu Lianxue was taken aback.

Chu Zhaoqiu continued, “Think about it, being able to die with the person you like, isn’t that also something to be grateful for?”

Fu Lianxue stroked her chin: “That’s not entirely unreasonable…”

            

Chu Zhaoqiu summarized for her: “So you have to live well.”

Fu Lianxue nodded: “Indeed, I have to live well.”

Chu Zhaoqiu smiled faintly, stood up, and stroked her head, then went out to look at the Blue Star Flower.

            

Fu Lianxue sat there thinking. A long time passed before she lowered her head to look at Baobao.

“Was I just led along by her?”

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