Chapter 4: So Scary

The novel's male lead, Fu Jinxing, was tall with broad shoulders. His face had well-defined, smooth contours, deep-set eyes, and a high-bridged nose.

In the past, Jiang Yuan would have been unable to tear her eyes away, but today, she didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Why didn't you answer when I called you yesterday?" he asked.

Jiang Yuan felt guilty. "You called me? I... I didn't notice my phone."

"Jinxing, do you two know each other?" A surprised voice came from behind.

Jiang Yuan turned around and saw the two elderly ladies from the elevator earlier.

The living room was filled with the fragrance of tea, and tiny snowflakes drifted outside the panoramic glass windows.

Jiang Yuan sat stiffly on a single-seat sofa, holding a cup of tea in her hands.

Damn Xie Yuchen.

If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have run into Fu Jinxing and his grandmother.

"So Miss Jiang came to see Jinxing." Old Mrs. Fu, who had short, curly hair, looked at her with a smile, though her attention was diverted to the blue cat a second later.

The cat jumped onto the armrest of Jiang Yuan's chair and let out a series of meows.

"Human, tell this old lady quickly that I am not her Nini!"

"I am someone else's princess! Tell her to send me home!"

Seeing the cat's agitated little appearance, Jiang Yuan found it amusing and reached out to stroke its fur.

The blue cat felt her unique aura and became docile in an instant, its meows softening significantly: "Please, please."

Seeing this, Old Mrs. Fu said in surprise, "Nini hasn't been this well-behaved in many days."

Auntie Zhou, who had been taking care of Old Mrs. Fu, spoke up: "Miss Jiang just said that this might not be Nini?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the three people and one cat stared intently at Jiang Yuan.

"Why do you say that?" Fu Jinxing asked.

Jiang Yuan blinked. "I saw a video before where owners took their pets out to play and accidentally swapped them."

Old Mrs. Fu and Auntie Zhou exchanged a look. "Have we taken Nini anywhere to play these past few days?"

Auntie Zhou frowned and shook her head. "No."

The princess blue cat shouted anxiously: "Yes, yes, yes! They took me to get a bath!"

It stared at Jiang Yuan with wide cat eyes. "My fragrant treasure, tell them quickly!"

Jiang Yuan stroked its head and said unhurriedly, "Did you take it to any pet shops or places like that?"

Auntie Zhou thought for a moment, her expression gradually becoming excited. "I remember now! At the beginning of the month, Xiao He took Nini to a pet shop for a bath!"

"That's right! I remember too!" Old Mrs. Fu nodded. "Quick, have Xiao He contact the pet shop and ask."

"Okay!" Auntie Zhou hurried off to make the call.

Not long after, Xiao He called back.

He said the pet shop had verified that two pets had indeed been swapped after their baths.

"That explains it!" Old Mrs. Fu had a sudden realization and looked at Jiang Yuan gratefully. "We really must thank Miss Jiang properly; otherwise, who knows when we would have discovered it!"

Jiang Yuan smiled. "You're too kind, it was just a coincidence."

Fu Jinxing looked at her, a hint of something unreadable hidden in the depths of his eyes.

With the truth revealed, the princess blue cat happily threw itself into Jiang Yuan's arms, rubbing its fluffy head against her repeatedly.

"Great! I can go home!"

"When I get home, I'll treat my fragrant treasure to my favorite cat strips!"

**

【System 009: Congratulations to Miss Jiang for completing the hidden task "Help the cat return home." Reward received: Bird Dictionary.】

Inside the elevator car, Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.

Another reward!

Fu Jinxing glanced at her. "How did you know I was here?"

The smile on Jiang Yuan's face froze.

He couldn't possibly think she was stalking him, could he?

"I didn't," Jiang Yuan said, thinking quickly. "I came here to look at an apartment, but the agent stood me up."

Fu Jinxing: "Is that so?"

Jiang Yuan feigned calmness: "What else?"

"You're different today," he said.

Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The air suddenly went quiet.

The elevator reached the B1 parking garage.

Jiang Yuan slowly spat out a few words: "Maybe it's because I'm on my period today."

Fu Jinxing: "..."

The two parted ways in the parking garage and drove off separately.

On the road, amidst the heavy traffic, Jiang Yuan received a call from Jiang Die, who wanted to transfer back the 200,000 yuan from last night.

"Sis, the money was from a lottery win. Don't worry about spending it."

"Don't transfer it back."

"I'm driving, let's talk later."

After hanging up, Jiang Yuan had just gripped the steering wheel when her phone rang again.

This time, it was Fu Xiaoxiao.

"Yuanyuan, what happened last night? Why was your complexion so bad when you left?"

Jiang Yuan thought of the dream, where Fu Xiaoxiao had stood by her side from beginning to end, even when she was abandoned by everyone and left permanently disabled, without a single regret.

She gripped her phone tightly and secretly vowed to herself that she would definitely keep Fu Xiaoxiao safe.

"Xiaoxiao, where are you? Let's meet and talk."

Half an hour later, Jiang Yuan arrived at a café.

On the second floor, Fu Xiaoxiao, wearing a short, ear-length curly hairstyle and a pink Chanel-style suit, sat by the window, resting her chin on one hand and looking outside.

"Xiaoxiao." Jiang Yuan sat down opposite her.

Seeing her, a smile appeared on Fu Xiaoxiao's face. "Yuanyuan, I ordered the Basque cheesecake you like."

The two chatted while eating cake.

Jiang Yuan told Fu Xiaoxiao about how she had intentionally gotten rid of Momo, only to feel guilty and go looking for her.

"Did you find her?" Fu Xiaoxiao asked nervously.

Jiang Yuan nodded.

Fu Xiaoxiao let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good."

Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly: "Xiaoxiao, I've decided to live in peace with Jiang Die from now on."

A look of surprise appeared on Fu Xiaoxiao's face. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only said, "I support whatever decision you make."

"Thank you, Xiaoxiao," Jiang Yuan said gratefully.

Fu Xiaoxiao chided her: "You're so silly, don't be so formal with me."

"I won't," Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

**

Two days later, Jiang Yuan received a call from a strange number; it was actually Old Mrs. Fu.

To thank her for helping find Nini, Old Mrs. Fu wanted to invite her to dinner.

Jiang Yuan wanted to refuse, but System 009 issued a task.

【System 009: New task triggered: Chat with Nini. Task reward: Rat Dictionary and one million in cash. Task failure: Electric shock.】

Electric shock???

The words Jiang Yuan was about to say changed instantly: "Grandma Fu, where are we eating?"

Old Mrs. Fu: "Come eat at home, try Auntie Zhou's cooking."

At 5:30 PM, the horizon was dyed with a faint orange glow.

Jiang Yuan took the elevator to the 19th floor and couldn't help but kick Xie Yuchen's door as she passed by.

When she pressed the doorbell at Old Mrs. Fu's, she vaguely heard someone shout, "So scary."

"Miss Jiang is here." Auntie Zhou opened the door and placed a pair of women's slippers at her feet.

As soon as Jiang Yuan walked into the living room, she saw the blue cat, Nini, huddled in the corner of the sofa. It did look like the princess from two days ago, but perhaps a bit thinner.

"Xiaoyuan." Old Mrs. Fu looked at her with a kind expression.

When she heard Jiang Yuan ask about Nini's condition, she sighed: "Nini must have stayed at a stranger's house for too long; her personality has become very introverted. The doctor said she needs to adapt slowly."

Jiang Yuan was just about to say something when she heard that "So scary" again.