Scum A with a Sweet Black Lotus O – Chapter 82
by Little Panda“I want to see you, I want to see… Zhizhi.”
“…”
Meeting again, Pei Xuezhi was once again shocked by Fu Chaoyun’s startling words, just like so many times before… as if it were only natural.
The Alpha in front of her, more than angry, displayed pure aggrieved feelings, shattering all pretense of a hardened exterior with just one sentence.
She should say, “This is a kitten I’m going to raise, and it has nothing to do with you,” but the cat was raised for this person, and in the end, it became—
“Your little goldfish tank has a total of twelve, so this should be Thirteenth Treasure.”
Pei Xuezhi’s slightly cool voice was particularly clear in the night.
Such a reasoned and justified rebuttal left even Fu Chaoyun stunned for a moment.
“…Is that so?”
Realizing what she had said, Pei Xuezhi could only bite the bullet at this point, “It is!”
Fu Chaoyun looked at the kitten again, hesitating, “So… this is Little Thirteen? That’s not a very nice name.”
Pei Xuezhi: “…”
“Never mind.” Fu Chaoyun quickly put aside these entanglements, seriously thinking for a moment, “Da Bao1 was raised on the same day, so let’s just say they’re twelve siblings, and this one can be Er Bao2.”
As she spoke, she walked to Pei Xuezhi’s side, leaned slightly closer, and bent down to touch the kitten’s head.
Under the streetlight, the Alpha’s eyes curved upwards, without the slightest worry, as if nothing could affect her, always in a light and relaxed state.
“Good girl, good girl~”
She was so close, so very close.
In a daze, Pei Xuezhi seemed to vaguely smell the scent of red wine on the Alpha’s body again, even though pheromones were not being released now. As long as this person stood in front of her, all the barriers from not long ago would disappear completely.
As if they had never existed.
The kitten, tentatively named “Er Bao,” was still being held in Pei Xuezhi’s hand. It had been incredibly well-behaved earlier, but now, it looked up and its amber vertical pupils met Fu Chaoyun’s, and it mewed sweetly, “Meow~.”
The Alpha, who had never seen the world, exclaimed in surprise, “Er Bao’s eyes are a little like mine~”
So, she didn’t see her messages?
That’s why she didn’t reply.
This realization made Pei Xuezhi feel slightly better.
“They are a little bit.” She replied.
At the same time, the kitten in her arms, which had always been obedient and allowed itself to be picked up and hugged, suddenly started to fidget, as if wanting to climb into Fu Chaoyun’s arms.
It hasn’t even been that long!
Today was confession night, and Fu Chaoyun, dressed up carefully, was especially beautiful. Pei Xuezhi looked at the other’s clean clothes and violently suppressed the kitten.
“Don’t make a fuss.”
Beside her, Fu Chaoyun laughed heartily, as happy as an elementary school student, completely pure, “I guess cats just like me better.”
Pei Xuezhi let out a soft “Mmm,” considering it a response.
The Alpha’s clean, fair fingers landed on the kitten’s not-so-soft fur. The scene looked like two people raising a baby.
“Did you pick it up?”
“Just happened to see it, a stray.” Pei Xuezhi repeated the contents of the text message.
Fu Chaoyun gently pinched the kitten’s head. The little cat was being rua’d3 very comfortably, and its amber eyes narrowed, resembling Fu Chaoyun’s smiling eyes.
“Zhizhi, are you planning to take it home to raise?”
“Yes.” Pei Xuezhi said, “But I have to take it to the vet first to get it cleaned and vaccinated.”
“True, raising a cat is different from raising little goldfish, you have to get a pet license later, right… What’s its name?”
None.
The word “none” had just reached her lips when Pei Xuezhi looked up at the Alpha in front of her and changed it to, “Didn’t you call it ‘Er Bao’?”
“Haha, that’s just a nickname. It’s cute, but I’m worried that it will resent you after it grows up, kids all have a rebellious phase, right?”
“To avoid the child’s resentment in advance, we should give it a proper name from the start.”
Oh, now she’s being so serious.
Pei Xuezhi thought.
As Fu Chaoyun spoke, she stopped what she was doing, stood up straight, and looked at Pei Xuezhi. Her amber eyes were filled with laughter and stars, brighter than the kitten’s eyes.
Earlier, when Fu Chaoyun was playing with the kitten, Pei Xuezhi had been watching her. Now that she looked up, Pei Xuezhi chose to look down and play with the kitten.
“I haven’t thought of one yet, do you have any good suggestions?” She asked Fu Chaoyun.
Fu Chaoyun also thought for a moment, “I can’t think of one right now.”
She gently stroked the kitten’s ear again. At this time, Pei Xuezhi was rua’ing the kitten’s head, very casually, and their fingers bumped together.
A touch of numbness, and then quickly separated.
A seemingly unintentional tease, or perhaps a test.
“I can’t raise a cat. This is Zhizhi’s cat, so Zhizhi should be the one to name it, right?”
Was this drawing a line or another form of… respecting her?
Pei Xuezhi looked at the Alpha, “Then how about calling it ‘Nao Nao’?”4
Like someone, chattering like a little sparrow since they met, noisy.
Fu Chaoyun looked up at Pei Xuezhi, then at the quiet and obedient kitten in her arms, and was silent for a long time.
“Okay, I guess.”
Sigh, words spoken… cannot be taken back.
“Oh, right.” Pei Xuezhi’s way of petting the cat was completely based on the traces Fu Chaoyun had left earlier. This time, she also stroked the kitten’s ear in the way that the other had.
“Did you name those twelve little goldfish earlier?”
“No.”
“Maybe… it’s not scarcity but uneven distribution that causes discontent?”5
Pei Xuezhi hinted subtly.
“But they all look the same, how am I supposed to tell them apart! I want to be a good parent, but the conditions don’t allow it!!” Fu Chaoyun was silent for a while, and then, began to bai lan6— reconciling with herself.
“Well… they can’t get out of the fish tank and can’t make a fuss. Now we’re naming Nao Nao outside. The Da Baos don’t know anything. It’s fine.”
Pei Xuezhi: “…”
So sloppy? As expected, she couldn’t let Fu Chaoyun raise the little one.
Before she could think of what to say, she heard Fu Chaoyun say heavily, “Now there’s a more serious problem in front of us.”
“What?”
“Da Bao is a fish, and Er Bao is a cat, forming a food chain. What if Er Bao takes advantage of its agility and eats the slow-moving Da Bao later!?”
“…”
“A crime scene, oh no! A family ethics drama!!”
Pei Xuezhi’s hand, which was petting the cat, paused, and she said softly, “Da Bao and Er Bao don’t live together, they won’t fight.”
Fu Chaoyun looked at her strangely, or rather, with absolute certainty, “Are you not going to bring the cat to see me later? Or—Zhizhi, are you really planning to abandon your wife and child!!”
“…”
Such a big hat was placed on her head that even Pei Xuezhi couldn’t handle it, but the meaning in the other’s words made her feel two points brighter.
“If you like, you can come and see them.”
“No!” This time Fu Chaoyun refused directly, “You have to come see the Da Baos too. The little goldfish will be lonely if they don’t see you, and maybe I’ll kill them one day if it’s just me.”
“…”
Life threat.jpg
“Zhizhi.”
Fu Chaoyun called her, her hand landing on Pei Xuezhi’s head at some point, gently rubbing it as if rubbing a cat’s head.
Gentle and warm.
The Alpha spoke earnestly:
“I can’t just be the one trying to understand you. Sometimes you have to try to enter my world.”
“I welcome it.”
“And, you’re more important than you think.”
The warmth from the palm made Pei Xuezhi freeze slightly. She looked up, opening her mouth—was this Fu Chaoyun’s alternative confession?
“Does this mean you want me to help you raise the little goldfish?”
Fu Chaoyun smiled, her bright and beautiful features revealing a bit of agility and playfulness, blinking gently, “If that’s how you understand it, you can.”
“Okay.” Pei Xuezhi suddenly let go, “I can help you look at the little goldfish.”
“That’s great.”
Fu Chaoyun smiled even more beautifully, her gaze falling on the kitten in Pei Xuezhi’s arms, “As for the relationship where a bloody event might happen between Da Bao and Er Bao, let’s slowly teach them together.”
“Mmm.”
Pei Xuezhi responded, and after a while.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What?” Fu Chaoyun was also in a happy mood at the moment, raising her bright eyes and looking directly over.
Pei Xuezhi’s clear voice sank, “The hand you just touched my head with, did you touch the cat first?!”
Super fierce.jpg
“…”
“I didn’t! I didn’t! Don’t talk nonsense!!”
Under Pei Xuezhi’s dangerous gaze, Fu Chaoyun denied it three times in a row. At this moment, she wished she could raise both hands to prove her innocence.
“The right hand touched the cat, the left hand touched Zhizhi… injustice, Officer Pei, how could I get such an important thing wrong!”
Pei Xuezhi narrowed her eyes, “Is that so?”
Fu Chaoyun was about to swear to the heavens!
“If I lie to Zhizhi, let my car be towed away, and I won’t be able to go home tonight and have to sleep here!”
“…”
Pei Xuezhi glared at someone, “Denied.”
What kind of poisonous oath is that! It’s actually so beautiful!!
…to someone, to her, both.
This matter was eventually picked up heavily and put down lightly.
Fu Chaoyun breathed a sigh of relief, “So are we sending the kitten to the vet now? It’s not even ten o’clock, it should still be open.”
“Mmm.”
“Then can I hold Nao Nao?”
The calmed-down Pei Xuezhi looked Fu Chaoyun up and down, “No need.” She paused and then said.
“The luggage, you can help me carry it.”
“Okay.” Fu Chaoyun thoughtfully took it, “I drove here, so shall we drive over?”
“No, I just checked, there’s a pet clinic nearby, and it’s still open, about a few hundred meters away.”
“Alright then.”
Pei Xuezhi held the cat, and Fu Chaoyun walked beside Pei Xuezhi, dragging the suitcase. After walking a few steps, Pei Xuezhi glanced at the person beside her and changed her mind.
“Forget it, let’s drive.”
Fu Chaoyun paused for a moment and smiled softly, “Okay, my car is parked at the park entrance, it’s very close.”
“Mmm.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder for a while, and Pei Xuezhi asked again, “How did you come here?”
“Someone online said they saw you, and her Weibo happened to have a location, so I came looking!” Fu Chaoyun said matter-of-factly, “Doesn’t Zhizhi know? You’re also a celebrity now…”
Pei Xuezhi looked at her, “You too.”
“Yeah, we’re both in the limelight now.”
It’s them, without the other guests.
Pei Xuezhi tried to open her mouth, then closed it.
The villa where they filmed was some distance from Rong University. She arrived at the park not long before Fu Chaoyun arrived and accurately found her. The latter’s location was leaked, but what about the former?
Pei Xuezhi lowered her head, her eyes filled with darkness. She kept trying to find the words and open her mouth.
She wasn’t a timid person, but when she encountered these things, she always found it difficult to speak and express herself.
In this regard, she was far inferior to Fu Chaoyun.
She should make some changes, instead of always standing still and waiting for others to find her.
Poking her once to get a single sentence as a reply.
So dull.
Even the most optimistic, cheerful, and easy-going Fu Chaoyun would eventually be unable to bear it.
Just like her posting on the supertopic and sending WeChat messages before…
“So, did jiejie deliberately come to find me tonight?”
Finally, she said it.
The person beside her suddenly stopped, the sound of the suitcase wheels rubbing against the ground disappeared, and the kitten “Nao Nao,” which had been meowing from time to time, seemed to understand her feelings and fell silent. The park at night was extremely quiet everywhere.
After a moment.
Fu Chaoyun’s voice sounded.
“Yes.”
Pei Xuezhi suddenly looked up, meeting the Alpha’s bright and shining eyes, which were filled with undisguised lightness and joy.
She reached out and tucked a strand of Pei Xuezhi’s hair behind her ear, her movements gentle and natural, and leaned closer to whisper.
“I wanted to see you.”
“I wanted to see… Zhizhi.”
—So, so, so straightforward.
The author has something to say:
This chapter is brought to you by the joint and friendly sponsorship of Er Bao, who plays the tool cat throughout, and the Da Baos, who only made a name appearance!
Footnotes
- 大宝 | Dà Bǎo | “Big Treasure”
- 二宝 | Èr Bǎo | “Second Treasure”
- Rua (撸) | lū | Onomatopoeia for petting or stroking an animal affectionately, often referring to the act of vigorously petting the head or back; Internet slang
- 闹闹 | Nào Nào | “Noisy,” “Mischievous”
- 不患寡而患不均 | bù huàn guǎ ér huàn bù jūn | From The Analects of Confucius; highlights the importance of fairness in preventing social unrest
- 摆烂 | bǎi làn | To give up and let things go; to do the bare minimum; to be apathetic; originally from gaming slang, where a player gives up and lets the game be ruined
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