Chapitre 2: 2
The sudden ring of the phone interrupted Luo Li's cozy moment with the kitten. Her expression instantly fell when she saw the caller ID, and she switched to speaker mode.
"Dad, I already told you I'd go to work on Monday as scheduled. Do you know how many times you've called today?"
"I'm calling to tell you that I've arranged for someone to guide you. Add them on WeChat," the middle-aged voice on the other end turned serious. "Xiao Lu is only three years older than you, so you'll get along well. Learn from them properly."
Luo Li chuckled to herself as she hung up and saw the WeChat contact her father had sent. She couldn't help but laugh out loud, complaining to the kitten in her arms.
"Three years older, huh? Little kitty, look at this person's profile picture. Even my dad doesn't use something this old-fashioned. Hey, why are you pushing me…"
The kitten's soft paw pressed against her face. It didn't hurt, and Luo Li didn't mind, but it seemed her little kitty was unhappy.
"Alright, alright, I'll go get you something to eat." Luo Li placed the white kitten on the side, completely oblivious to the resentment in those blue eyes.
She prepared a clean ceramic bowl with soaked milk and placed some cat food beside it. Luo Li eagerly called the kitten over from the living room.
To her disappointment, the kitten jumped off the sofa and headed straight into her bedroom.
Luo Li felt a bit troubled but didn't dare feed the kitten something inappropriate. She got up and followed the kitten, talking to herself, "You don't like it? It's so late now, I guess I'll have to take you to the pet hospital tomorrow…"
But wasn't this kitten a bit too clever? Not only did it find her bedroom accurately, but it even closed the door behind it.
Luo Li pressed down on the door handle but couldn't push it open. Her eyes widened in shock as she entered the password on the smart lock.
With a soft click, the dark bedroom was illuminated, and as her vision cleared, Luo Li was dumbfounded.
What on earth?
"How did you get into my house?!" Luo Li's voice turned sharp, her mind racing through every ghost story she had ever read.
Maybe her parents had bought a house with bad feng shui.
Luo Li couldn't help but admire herself; her first reaction wasn't to call the police but to wonder if she had gotten involved with something unclean.
But were the standards for female ghosts this high now?
The woman's suit from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Her thin white shirt had several buttons undone, barely covering anything.
Her flawless shoulders, delicate collarbones, and the fullness barely restrained by a purple lace bra… Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes teary, and her body so weak that she had collapsed onto the white woolen carpet as soon as she escaped into the bedroom.
Luo Li had to admit, this woman was incredibly captivating.
She was clearly at her limit, yet she stubbornly maintained a cold and indifferent facade, which only made her all the more alluring.
When the woman looked up at her, Luo Li was struck by a strange sense of familiarity.
Wait, her cat.
Where was her little kitty?!
"I don't know." The woman's hands trembled as she tried to stand up, leaning on the floor.
Those four simple words left Luo Li momentarily stunned, before realizing the woman was responding to her earlier question.
But why was she coming closer?
Luo Li's mind went blank until the woman's scorching skin touched her thin white undershirt, leaving her too stiff to move.
But this woman wasn't a ghost conjured out of thin air.
She was soft, warm, and smelled so good that Luo Li couldn't help but swallow.
"I don't remember…"
"Can you help me…" Her voice trembled as she clung to Luo Li.
Luo Li, though dazed, felt an odd sense of familiarity with this situation.
The usually composed woman's eyes were red and filled with tears, completely disregarding any sense of shame.
This damned body of hers was utterly wretched.
But under normal circumstances, Lu Cixue would never bow her head so easily; she couldn't even accept the idea of self-relief.
Because doing so would reduce her to being like those mindless creatures at Xinggu Qian, devoid of reason. She preferred to numb herself with pain.
But this human was different.
She liked her and hated her. Yet in her desperate attempt at self-preservation, she had impulsively followed her back after transforming into a cat.
Humans often say that cats are disloyal. Was she any different?
Silently abandoning her and then picking up another kitten.
In a daze, Lu Cixue bit down on the soft flesh of Luo Li's neck in frustration.
"What are you doing…" Luo Li's legs almost gave out. The woman was biting her lightly, occasionally licking, like a kitten nibbling on its favorite fish. Her hands were restlessly wandering under Luo Li's clothes.
Sweat beaded on Luo Li's forehead as she instinctively tightened her grip around the woman's waist, her eyes darting around in search of her cat.
Although she had always been disciplined, avoiding the wild nightlife that some of her friends indulged in abroad, she was still a normal adult woman!
Being held like this and touched in this way, how could she not react?
Clinging to a shred of sanity, Luo Li tried to push her away, her voice hoarse. "Wait, let me take you to the hospital."
"No hospital…" The woman's tone was slightly forceful but then suddenly turned cold and indifferent, her teary eyes darkening as she remembered Luo Li's resistance outside the bar. "You don't need to be responsible."
Humans were like this, able to feel desire without love, intimate to the extreme one day and strangers the next, even pretending nothing happened as they embraced someone else.
It seemed to be an unwritten rule in the human world.
Somehow, Lu Cixue felt she understood the human world well enough.
Indeed, how else could she navigate it so smoothly?
Her learning abilities were always strong, even though she couldn't accept these strange conventions.
So before Luo Li could react, the feel of soft lips against hers sent a tremor through her soul.
The woman initiated the kiss, but it was clear she wasn't very skilled. The kiss was messy, and Luo Li could still taste the lingering alcohol on her lips.
Even so, the woman's face grew even redder. As she pulled back to catch her breath, a belated sense of shame and panic flashed across her features.
A strange feeling suddenly welled up in Luo Li, making her want to laugh.
"Are you really sure about this?" Although Luo Li wasn't the type to act recklessly, she couldn't take advantage of someone in such a state, even if she didn't understand why the woman was behaving this way.
So… maybe she should have her take a cold shower first?
Lu Cixue noticed the teasing look in those clear eyes but couldn't care anymore.
Why did this heat feel so intense this time?
"Yes, the hospital won't help… Please…" Her pleading tone even carried a faint sob, though she couldn't bring herself to say the more explicit words, her actions spoke boldly.
Luo Li's cool fingers brushed against a softness they shouldn't have.
Luo Li froze, wanting to understand what was wrong with the woman, but the woman gave her no time to think, pulling her into the bathroom.
This was all so strange, incredibly strange.
Luo Li couldn't wrap her head around it. It was bad enough that her parents had forced her into the company to work for free, but why was everything so bizarre today?
When she lay in bed later, there was no room for idle thoughts, as the woman in her arms was marked with signs of their encounter.
The cool, tearful beauty whispering and crying in her ear was bewitching.
Luo Li, not used to such things, blushed, her expression a mix of emotion, but she stubbornly bit her lip to keep quiet. The unfamiliar pleasure made her tremble, tears streaming down her face.
Her reaction drove Luo Li's senses wild, making her want to both break and cherish her, though in the end, she was the one left comforting her in her arms.
By the time they left the bathroom, the exhausted woman had already fallen asleep in her arms. Just as Luo Li was about to gently place her on the bed, she felt a sudden lightness in her embrace.
The woman had transformed into a sleeping cat.
The same white kitten she had brought home.
Any drowsiness Luo Li had vanished instantly as she stood beside the bed, staring in shock at the peaceful little white cat. She raised her hand and slapped herself.
Ouch, that hurt—it wasn't a dream.
A person turning into a cat and a cat turning into a person?
So what should she call this little thing? A demon? No, that didn't seem right, but her mind was going off track.
They had just… Was it here to drain her life force?!
Luo Li had always been proud of her imagination, which made her quick to accept new things.
But this situation was beyond absurd.
Luo Li didn't disturb the sleeping kitten, but it squirmed a bit, rolling over and inching closer as if feeling cold. It curled up into a small ball, looking so vulnerable and insecure.
Luo Li, out of a sense of conscience, covered the kitten with a blanket.
Tsk, still so cute—what should she do?
Luo Li quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought.
If she called the police, they might think she was crazy. Maybe she should find an exorcist? But then again, the woman—or was it a cat?—hadn't harmed her at all. In fact, it seemed like she was the one who might have taken advantage of the situation.
Luo Li frowned in deep thought, her gaze fixed on the peacefully sleeping white kitten. After wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, she finally got up and sat on the sofa by the bay window.
She didn't sleep a wink that night.
When dawn broke, Luo Li, with dark circles under her eyes, watched as the kitten transformed back into the woman.
This time, she wasn't as shocked. Luo Li realized she had a pretty strong ability to adapt.
Lu Cixue's long eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes in the faint morning light.
Her slightly tousled hair made her look less aloof, and her face, free of makeup, was pure and soft, giving her a gentle appearance.
She was exhausted, her body sore, and when she saw Luo Li sitting nearby, she was startled, her pupils dilating in surprise.
The cat didn't quite understand the situation. Based on her understanding, she should have slipped away while Luo Li was still asleep. That's how it always worked in the dramas she had seen.
So… did they not sleep together last night?
The kitten still hadn't realized she had been caught.
"You're a demon?" Luo Li blurted out, instantly regretting it. Maybe she should have said "demon clan" instead. The term "demon" sounded a bit harsh.
Lu Cixue hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her composure.
As someone in a management position, she couldn't afford to make mistakes. Even if she did, she couldn't admit to them.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Luo Li's frustration flared at the sight of the woman blatantly lying, "Don't play dumb. If you're honest with me, I might consider keeping your secret."
Lu Cixue gave her a look as if she were an idiot, wondering why this person thought they were being magnanimous.
What would happen if she admitted it? No one would believe Luo Li unless she confessed. Otherwise, people would just think Luo Li was crazy.
Besides, as a member of the cat demon clan, which had long been left behind in this world, she wasn't much different from humans, apart from the ability to transform and the troublesome mating cycles.
In fact, she found it even harder to survive than humans did.
Lu Cixue's gaze dropped to the blanket covering her, her lips pressing into a thin line.
But after what they had done last night, here she was being interrogated first thing in the morning.
It seemed like Luo Li didn't care for her at all.
Just like everyone else.
If she knew that Lu Cixue was the cat she had once abandoned, would she dislike her even more?
"I don't know what you're talking about."
That cold, unyielding tone made Luo Li want to pin her down again and make her cry out. She much preferred the sound of this woman when she was in tears.
"But…"
Luo Li looked up at the woman's expressionless face, and the woman looked back at her.
"Sometimes I forget things. When I wake up, I find myself in a different place."
Huh?
So she didn't know that she could turn into a cat?
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone