Chapter 35

Page Thirty-Four Things Are Not As You Think…

[July 10th, Thursday]

I opened my eyes.

It was a familiar… but slightly high ceiling. After all, I slept on a makeshift bed.

“Will you give me a hug only after completing the first goal?”

Even in a dream, hugging wouldn’t make me lose any flesh. The master is so stingy. In reality, even if I were an old man, I wouldn’t want to hug anyone!

The alarm had already passed 10 AM. Warm sunlight filtered through the sliding window of the balcony, filling most of the room with gold. It was about to reach the bed, so I quietly pulled the curtains shut.

Xiǎo Lěi was still sleeping, mumbling in her dreams. Afraid of waking her, I silently brushed my teeth and washed up with a towel, tiptoeing downstairs.

Old Dad had gone to work. There was no porridge prepared for breakfast today. So, did Zhao Zhào stay over last night because I prepared the porridge?

Fortunately, there was half a bag of toast bread at home, so we wouldn’t starve. But eating just toast was too monotonous. With some free time, I decided to prepare something else for breakfast.

I lit the stove and poured oil. Skillfully, I cracked an egg with one hand.

With a sizzling sound, the clear egg liquid slowly congealed into white in the pan. I sprinkled some fine salt while it was cooking.

This single-handed egg-cracking operation took me quite some time to master, and I had wasted many eggs in the process. Therefore, I was eager to show off this skill.

I fried eggs, bacon, sliced the toast, and poured a glass of soy milk.

Though it was a late breakfast around ten, this amount was enough to last until lunch.

After preparing breakfast and washing the pan, I stepped out of the kitchen and saw a messy-haired girl descending the stairs… I was about to go upstairs and wake her up, but she came down rubbing her eyes.

“How fragrant~” The sleepy girl raised her nose, sniffing the scent as she wandered into the dining area.

“Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?”

“Mmm, Chairman, good morning… Hah… good.” Her eyes were still drowsy, making her speech disjointed.

“Did you finish your morning routine?”

“Mmm.” She nodded. I reached out and pinched her soft cheek, feeling like I was touching smooth pudding.

She was wet, meaning she had washed up.

However, her hair was messy, like it had been bombed. Some parts were sticking out here and there. It looked uncomfortable, almost like a little beggar or wild girl.

Zhào Zhào’s original hair was short and stiff, requiring no combing. This girl hadn’t developed that habit either. If she were more awake, she might tidy herself up due to her love for beauty. But now, she had forgotten about combing her hair.

I pulled out a chair and pressed her shoulders to sit down. Then, I fetched a comb, towel, and a basin of hot water from the bathroom. Slowly, I combed her hair with a wooden comb, pressing down stubborn strands with hot water.

She actually had two whorls of hair, one on each side, converging at the center of her scalp. Noticing this, my eyes were drawn to these seemingly spinning hair whirlpools, always fascinated by them. Xiǎo Lěi’s hair wasn’t as thick as Zhao Zhào’s, but it was resilient. Like wild horses, it was hard to tame but once tamed, it stayed in place.

It took about five minutes before I put down the comb. Her unruly hair was now neatly arranged, giving me a sense of accomplishment.

“Thank you so much~” Xiǎo Lěi looked much more alert, her drowsiness gone. She was holding her phone up like a mirror, examining my work.

To me, combing her hair was no different from grooming a cat.

“Why be polite? Eat quickly. We have more important things to do.”

She took a slice of toast, wrapped an egg and bacon in it, and began chewing slowly with soy milk.

Xiǎo Lěi… or rather, Zhao Zhào, has to return to school for retakes and summer classes next Monday. Today is Thursday, so we have at most four days to handle Old Feng’s affairs.

Originally, I planned to visit Old Feng’s residence today to gather information, and Xiǎo Lěi could assist as a “divine envoy” if necessary. But…

“Hey~ Chairman~ First day of summer break! Not going out to play?”

Instead of calling, Xiǎo Hǎi Táng brought Orange directly to my door to invite us out!

Wearing a casual red-and-white striped shirt and suspenders shorts, the ponytail girl leaned against the doorframe, raising her delicate eyebrows and glaring at me with her clean nose. Her defiant posture seemed to imply she would use her favorite Rider Kick if I refused.

She reminded me of a certain character… no, she was the embodiment of that character!

Orange stood behind Xiǎo Hǎi Táng, wearing a white shoulder-baring top with a strap on one side, revealing part of her shoulder and collarbone, which were rosy from the heat. The top had some unreadable English letters printed on it. Below, she wore a beige pleated skirt. A closer look revealed the outline of her tail wrapped around her leg.

Her simple outfit highlighted her orange hair.

Since Xiǎo Lěi was still eating in the dining room, letting them in would cause numerous unexplainable situations. My back was sweating, my stomach aching from anxiety.

The entrance hall faced the stairs. Escaping upstairs with Xiǎo Lěi would not work, nor could I block Xiǎo Hǎi Táng’s view… she was 176 cm tall, 2 cm taller than me.

Seeing no reaction, Xiǎo Hǎi Táng seemed displeased, “Chairman, whether you go out or not, you should at least let us in for some air conditioning. We’ve been sweating all the way here. You’re leaving us outside?”

On closer inspection, Orange was already dripping with sweat. Ah! The drops fell to the ground, so sad… cats seem to hate heat.

“Is this… Aunt Hǎi?” Seeing I couldn’t hold it anymore, Xiǎo Lěi came out to face them.

“… Xiǎo Hǎi’s expression flickered subtly. She glanced at Xiǎo Lěi then at me, her surprise growing, “Wait, is this a 110 call?”

“Don’t call the police! Xiǎo Lěi is here for a reason!” Although I didn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.

“How close are you? Calling her by name?” Xiǎo Hǎi teased me, turning to Xiǎo Lěi, “Where’s your brother? Leaving his cousin alone at a friend’s house?”

“He… his cousin left on a journey to find himself!” Xiǎo Lěi blurted out.

“What’s that?”

Following her lead, I continued with a fabricated excuse, “Zhào Zhào skipped the summer classes because he didn’t want to attend. So, he left his sister under my care.”

“No, even if he’s missing, why leave her with you? Shouldn’t she go home?”

“Because… because if she went home, Vomom wouldn’t immediately notice she’s missing!”

“…”

Honestly, this excuse was full of holes. It was impossible to fool someone as clever and strong as Xiǎo Hǎi.

“Oh, I understand now,” she actually believed me. Is it the heat affecting her brain?

Finally entering the house, Orange took a slice of toast and started munching, “Brother, did you just finish breakfast?”

“Yes, we slept too late last night. When we woke up, it was already ten.”

As soon as I said that, I felt something was off.

“Brother, did you sleep together last night? We haven’t slept together before!”

Even Orange noticed, her gaze at Xiǎo Lěi like she was looking at a cat caught stealing fish.

But I slept with Orange more often, when she was still a cat.

Xiǎo Lěi blushed inexplicably, holding her cheeks and twisting her body, like a girl recalling a beautiful night. What’s going on? This is making things worse!

Xiǎo Hǎi smiled, her mouth nearly splitting to her ears, like a horror story character. Terrifying.

“Hmm? Slept late? Can you tell me what you did?”

Could you please stop moving your ankle while speaking gently?

“We did nothing! There’s a misunderstanding, but things aren’t as you think! I slept on the floor last night. The floor is still upstairs!”

Is today Cháng Kǎi’s day of suffering? Why must I endure this early in the morning?

Clearly, a suspect’s self-defense is worthless. Xiǎo Hǎi smiled at Xiǎo Lěi.

“Xiǎo Lěi, can you tell me what Chairman did to you last night?”

Xiǎo Lěi honestly denied it.

“No, no, Wei… Brother Kǎi was very well-behaved. Even when I suggested we sleep together, he insisted on sleeping on the floor.”

“Oh? Looks like you’re a gentleman,” she said sarcastically. What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve always been a gentleman!

Xiǎo Hǎi placed her delicate hand on Xiǎo Lěi’s head… “Clink”… Did I hear a bone cracking?

“But girls shouldn’t casually invite other men to bed,” Xiǎo Lěi obediently nodded.

“Then today, will you replace your missing brother and go shopping with us in the Balance Commercial District?” Xiǎo Lěi nodded again.

“How about it, Chairman? Three girls are going out with you today. Are you going or not?” Xiǎo Hǎi released Xiǎo Lěi’s head, clapped her hands happily, and asked with a smile.

Without support, Xiǎo Lěi fell straight onto the sofa… only whites in her eyes… This isn’t a question, it’s intimidation!

“Xiao—Lěi—!… Fine, I’ll go, I really want to go!”