Chapter 155

Under the gaze of ten thousand onlookers, the trapped Liu Xi was finally pulled up; his clothes were torn, his wounds a bloody mess, and the crowd couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

It was too horrible; seeing it made people feel somewhat empathetic.

Moreover, he looked truly pitiable, his face covered in dusty mud prints; if it weren't winter, he'd probably be soaked all over.

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, the boy's mental state was still quite good, and he still had some strength.

When asked about these matters, Liu Xi lowered his head shyly; everything that had happened before, he still hadn't recovered from.

He had been on the verge of utter despair, thinking he would starve to death here, but in the blink of an eye he was rescued.

That flying little mouse seemed more like a creature he had imagined.

If it knew his thoughts, the treasure‑seeking rat Duo Duo would surely be furious, scolding him: "You're the one who's imaginary, you don't even exist!"

Fortunately, it doesn't know.

Moreover, Liu Xi didn't think it was his own hallucination; he ruffled his hair, and the next moment his mother brought him before Ling Yue: "Come, come, come, little Xi, look—this is the one who called the police, your lifesaver!"

"You kid, why are you standing there stupidly? Thank her!"

In an instant, everyone's gaze converged on Ling Yue; under the flashbulbs she hurriedly covered her face: "I just lent a hand; most of it was thanks to Liu Xi himself—he persevered, which let me notice and rescue him."

His mother, both crying and laughing, covered her face while his father embraced her: "No matter what, you saved our child—how could we as a couple not thank you? Aren't we ungrateful?"

They produced a thick envelope of money; Ling Yue hurriedly refused, saying she lacked nothing, but they insisted, so she said directly: "I don't want it, I'm not short of money; if you really want to give, donate it—it counts as virtue."

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll donate it when we get back!"

As the wife spoke, she suddenly noticed her son was distracted; she called out, and Liu Xi turned his head: "Mom."

"What are you looking at? This is your lifesaver!"

At that moment, Liu Xi's mind was full of the flying mouse and the letters; but since Ling Yue dared to act, she wouldn't leave anything behind—except snacks, she had the treasure‑seeking rat Duo Duo bring everything up.

Thus, she gazed at Liu Xi calmly; he pursed his lips, then suddenly reached out and pointed at her pocket: "Flying mouse!"

"Is it the flying mouse that delivered my message?"

Ling Yue blinked, then lowered her head to see a round, golden little head, like a stuffed doll, utterly adorable.

Duo Duo's treasure‑seeking rat's heart at this moment: "⊙﹏⊙"

Oh no, I've been discovered!

With so many glaring eyes, even it couldn't help but stiffen its body.

Others who saw this scene were startled.

Ling Yue heard their trembling shouts: "Mouse!"

"How, how could there be a mouse!" No matter how cute Duo Duo is, to some people it's always just a mouse.

Some media people sensitively sensed something: why did Liu Xi suddenly value this little mouse so much?

Moreover, its special name raises suspicion: "Flying mouse? What flying mouse?"

"Liu classmate, why do you say that?"

Ling Yue: "……"

After all her calculations, she never expected to slip up here, but Ling Yue isn't panicking; she can still fix it.

Ling Yue smiled and explained: "How do you know it's called a flying mouse? This is my little mouse plushie—cute, right?"

She said this while pulling the treasure‑seeking rat Duo Duo completely out.

At the same time, Duo Duo, having caught her hint, immediately cooperated, holding its pose like a doll lying in Ling Yue's palm; needless to say, its appearance is still rather deceptive—golden, fluffy fur, the fur that had previously puffed up remains unsmoothed, making it look even cuter.

Since following Ling Yue, this guy has eaten plenty of good stuff, becoming round and chubby; its unique little bow‑tail is adorable to the extreme.

Ling Yue gently poked its belly, then looked at Liu Xi: "This is my flying mouse plushie; have you seen it somewhere before?"

Liu Xi suddenly felt uncertain.

Seeing this, Ling Yue put the flying mouse back into her pocket, somewhat apologetically: "Sorry, my flying mouse means a lot to me; if you like it, you can go look for one in a store."

Liu Xi's mother, eyes brimming with tears, wiped them and told her son: "You like this plushie? Mom will buy you one when we get home—this is your sister's."

Liu Xi opened his mouth: "No, that's not what I meant!"

However, there was no chance left for him to speak.

Lying in Ling Yue's pocket, the treasure‑seeking rat Duo Duo finally relaxed; having delivered a message for him earlier, he now repaid kindness with hostility—if he truly admitted to being a flying mouse, he'd surely be sent to a lab, trussed up by humans, and dissected!

Just thinking about it made Duo Duo shudder uncontrollably—it's absolutely terrifying!

On this side, the weeping mother looked at her son; if not for worrying about his wounds, she would have thrown herself at him in tears, but even so she wept while gazing at him: "Little Xi, how did you end up here? You're going to scare your parents to death!"

"We checked the surveillance; we saw you leave school—why didn't you go home? What exactly happened?"

This remark voiced everyone's thoughts and drew attention. Yeah, what exactly happened to make him suddenly deviate from his route and appear here?

You should know, this place is completely opposite the direction of Liu Xi's residential complex, and because it backs onto wasteland, there are few people around.

That's also why Liu Xi called for days, only Ling Yue came, and moreover, this was the result of his pleading with the little mouse A Hui.

Hearing his mother weep as she questioned him, Liu Xi's face turned deathly pale: "I—I…"

His state made his already worried mother even more anxious: "Little Xi, speak up—Dad and Mom are here, along with all those police uncles and reporters; they're on our side. As long as you haven't stolen or robbed, everyone will help you if you've done something wrong."

Upon hearing the words "no stealing, no robbing," Liu Xi turned pale and stepped back half a pace; if his father hadn't steadied him in time, he would have collapsed straight to the ground.

Suddenly receiving his son, the man's expression shifted instantly; feeling his son's weight, it was incredibly light—almost like just a skeleton—prompting him to recall his wife's earlier complaints.

Because he is an engineer who often travels for work, the household usually consists only of mother and son, so their feelings have inevitably grown a bit distant; yet he has only this one son, and how could a bond of blood not make him care about his child?

He frequently called his wife; for a long stretch before Liu Xi went missing, she kept complaining to him that the child was growing up and never spoke to her.

He also grew ever more silent; his grades didn't drop, but his expenses kept rising—two thousand a month couldn't even be covered.

He comforted his wife: "Aren't you saying those are just material fees? Besides, look at our son's grades—aren't they fine now? I earn over twenty thousand a month, you over ten thousand; we can still afford it."

The wife then said no more.

But now he suddenly had a thought, gripping his son's gaze: "What on earth happened? Tell us—do you realize how anxious we've been because of this disappearance? She cries every day, her eyes are almost swollen shut; if you aren't found, she told me she wouldn't go on living!"

"What do you want us to do?"

Mom! Dad!

Liu Xi suddenly burst into tears, tightly gripping his mother's sleeve: "I, I didn't come here on purpose; someone, someone was chasing me..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked; no one expected there to be such a follow‑up, just as netizens had guessed—there was also a hidden case.

In an instant, the reporters, like sharks smelling blood, swarmed over, the magnesium flashes popping nonstop, annoying everyone.

In Liu Xi's halting account, they finally learned the whole story.

As it turned out, Liu Xi, because of his good grades and affluent family, was targeted by a gang of outside thugs.

At first, he thought it better to avoid trouble, so he meekly paid the protection money; instead, it only whetted the thugs' appetites.

Starting from ten yuan, then twenty, fifty, a hundred—from once a month to once every ten days, then once a week, each time several hundred yuan; this week, Liu Xi, trying to save money for his mother's birthday, didn't want to pay anymore.

So after school he rushed straight out of the gate; he never expected the thugs to chase him all the way, and he was so terrified he realized he was running farther off course, ending up near a wasteland.

In his panic, he fell into an uncovered sewer; the thugs saw it, didn't bother to check, assumed he was dead, and fled in fright.

Liu Xi took out the money from his schoolbag and stammered, "Mom, I, I didn't mean to."

Feeling her child's trembling body, a surge of anger welled up in the mother that she could not contain; her child was still afraid.

On one hand she blamed herself for not paying attention to her child—was her work really that busy that she couldn't even pick him up after school? If she had, she would have discovered her child was being bullied. On the other hand she was furious at those thugs—no, they were robbers!

Burning with rage like a fire‑breathing tyrannosaurus, she shouted, "Officers, you heard that, right? I want to file a report! I want to report those thugs—no, those robbers! My son is only thirteen, a minor, and they dare to rob him; what else won't they dare to do?"

No one expected the truth to be like this.

The police attached great importance to it.

Robbing minors, and not just once; according to Liu Xi's account, that gang had been staking out near the school, seriously threatening the physical and mental health of minors—if they are confirmed as adults, the law imposes at least three years in prison!

After filming the whole story, the reporters scattered.

Next, Liu Xi's parents prepared to take him to file a report, then go to the hospital for a check‑up; although he seems fine now, how could parents put their minds at ease?

But before leaving, Liu Xi glanced at Ling Yue: "That little flying squirrel..."

He leaned close to Ling Yue and whispered, so only the two of them could hear: "The flying squirrel is real, right? It's so cool!"

"And big sister—"

He blinked his dark, deep eyes: "I don't have the strength to call for help today—did the little mouse summon you?"

"Thank you, thank you, flying squirrel and the little mouse in the sewer."

Ling Yue pressed her lips together and remained silent.

But sometimes, silence is the best answer.

The boy laughed heartily, left with his parents, and afterward only Ling Yue remained at the original spot—oh, no, wait, plus Xunbao Shu Duo Duo and the socially anxious little A Hui.

Before she left, the wide‑open manhole finally got a cover, so it would never swallow anyone again.

A Hui was especially excited.

As a socially anxious little mouse, seeing sunlight every day was truly frightening; it preferred darkness, curling up in a tiny nook in the sewer pipe, a mouse happy and content, enjoying solitude.

When they parted, Ling Yue gave it a packet of pet food; A Hui was instantly astonished, jumping about excitedly, but because of its shy nature it could only stammer, unable to say anything.

In the end, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo stepped forward, taking the little brother aside for a private talk.

Ling Yue waited in the car for a while before Xunbao Shu Duo Duo returned swaggeringly; it stepped on the prepared wet wipes and wiped its face, paws, and jiojio.

It is indeed a very clean‑loving little mouse.

Ling Yue glanced over and asked, "How is it?"

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo was tossing trash, perched in the prepared little basket; hearing Ling Yue's question, it gave an OK sign and said proudly, "Who am I? Of course I succeeded!"

As it spoke, both its jiojio perked up, swaying back and forth.

Ling Yue burst out laughing at once.

However, for A Hui, this matter still has a continuation.

That was a long time later, when it suddenly noticed several pieces of bread appearing at its doorstep, and food would show up from time to time, tossed down from above.

At first it was wary, but after trying it, it realized the food was all edible and fragrant; later it grew old, becoming a mouse elder living in the sewer, and because of the damp it caught a chill, coughing now and then.

It felt its lamp was running out of oil, preparing to fulfill its last wish; it wanted to see who was daily tossing food at its doorstep.

Unexpectedly, it saw the boy from years ago, lying near the sewer, dropping bread bit by bit; after not seeing him for years, he had grown tall and handsome—if not for the familiar scent, A Hui's dim mouse eyes might not have recognized him.

The boy tossed food while muttering, "Eat more, eat more."

As a socially anxious mouse, A Hui would not have dared to approach him, but it couldn't hide its cough; in the silence, the faint cough was especially clear.

The boy turned his head, saw a little mouse whose fur was completely white; it was much smaller than before, yet he could instantly recognize it as the mouse he had encountered in the sewer years ago.

He greeted it, and in the blink of an eye the mouse vanished into the deep‑red fallen leaves.

That was also the last time he saw it.

Soon after, no mouse ate the food thrown in; the life‑exhausted A Hui lay in a little nest made of food, a socially anxious, home‑body mouse—though it had no partner or offspring, it felt no regret.

In its lifetime, it was actually quite happy.

In the villa.

Ling Yue had just opened the door when Xunbao Shu Duo Duo, eager to go, shot out with a swish and lunged at a dark silhouette; looking closely, she realized it was the Black Cat Queen coming to greet them.

Beside it stood Bai Ze in a small floral apron; Ling Yue stared for a moment, then the excited big black dog licked its nose and pushed against her leg, saying, "Master, master, today's food smells so good!"

Ling Yue instantly realized: "You can cook?"

Bai Ze nodded: "Well… I know a little."

After entering the house and seeing the dazzling array of dishes, Ling Yue was almost stunned—this counts as knowing a little?

The fragrant aroma wafted into their noses; meanwhile, Da Lao Hu Junjun snorted coldly and said, "Hypocrite!"

Bai Ze pushed up his glasses and said nothing.

The other little animals were a bit dissatisfied, mainly because during this period Da Lao Hu Junjun had turned into a contrarian, opposing whatever Bai Ze did; even the most talkative crow couldn't help but interject: "Jun Jun, are you really a tiger? Or just a construction‑site nitpicker reborn?"

Da Lao Hu Junjun was furious: "Are you my friends, or his friends?"

I'm going to die of anger!

This is, the usually slow-witted feng shui turtle grandpa suddenly spoke up, saying with a strong research spirit: "According to common sense, the rebars on a construction site shouldn't become spirits; this isn't too mystical."

Da Lao Hu Junjun: "T^T"

It finally realized, there's no place for it in this home!

Ling Yue couldn't help but hold her forehead: "Jun Jun, come to my side."

Da Lao Hu Junjun instantly felt proud, shook its long fur, and when passing Bai Ze, it even shook its butt, trying to sweep him off the table edge with its butt; in short, it just wants to stay far away from Yue Yue.

Bai Ze slightly curled his lips, using a voice only the two of them could hear, saying: "You forgot, when she strokes you, she's stroking me."

Da Lao Hu Junjun instantly went stiff all over.

It, it simply didn't know!

Ling Yue rubbed its fur, a bit surprised: "Jun Jun, what's wrong with you?"

She thought it was another argument between a person and a tiger, she scratched its chin, hearing it make a gurgling sound, then soothed it: "Don't listen to him, let's keep eating!"

She said this, placing the juicy, tender meat patty into Jun Jun's big meal plate.

Bai Ze opposite gave a slight smile, cut the meat patty, put it in his mouth, and while eating, he looked across with interest.

Suddenly, the newly hung copper wind chime outside the window clanged loudly; Bai Ze withdrew his gaze, as if unintentionally glancing out the window.

The bright moon was pure and clear, illuminating the night sky.

In the following time, Ling Yue suddenly became idle, but the Mysterious Cat Queen, as the pet CFA competition approached, showed contempt for rivals in words but paid great attention in actions.

Ling Yue gave all material and spiritual encouragement.

Pet food and fruit wine were sufficient; I took it to the pet store for a full spa-grade treatment, which caused an unpleasant incident.

She carried the Mysterious Cat Queen and a man's ragdoll cat, one after another, into the shop; Ling Yue directly requested the full spa-grade treatment, and the man behind her also spoke up, ordering a set for himself.

Ling Yue had no reaction, because she didn't even look; her full attention was on the Mysterious Cat Queen. She lowered her head to ask the Mysterious Cat Queen, whose paws blossomed, meowing: "No problem at all!"

"I'm not a clueless little idiot; even if those people smear random stuff on me, I won't struggle, so rest assured!"

This is probably the longest passage the Mysterious Cat Queen has ever said in one breath; Ling Yue was still a bit surprised.

At this moment, the clerk who just began to respond stared in amazement at the cat in her arms; the Mysterious Cat Queen was no longer her former self, and Ling Yue's feeding and training during this period had given it a complete transformation.

From its appearance, demeanor, and spirit, one can see it is a cat that has been carefully fed and is very free.

In the warm winter sunlight, its fur was jet-black and glossy, with a reddish hue, thick and silky, like clusters of seaweed in a blue sea; its beautiful amber eyes were especially clear and bright, like a golden water surface rippling with waves.

At the same time, its demeanor was aloof.

As a veteran employee, she actually felt a bit nervous, hurriedly asking Ling Yue: "Miss, may I ask what your cat's name is?"

"Queen."

Ling Yue had just spoken when a low, hoarse laugh suddenly came from behind her.

Ling Yue frowned at him, a middle-aged man with handsome features, holding his long-haired ragdoll cat; seeing her look over, his contempt grew stronger, though he hypocritically explained: "Sorry, I never expected someone to have the same name as my Queen."

"However, my Queen was the winner of the previous CFA, oh, and also the champion of the one before that; I don't know what honors your Queen has."

As he spoke, the well-behaved ragdoll cat in his arms also moved, meowing: "Wow, this cat is so black, it's practically a coal ball, hahaha!"

"Indeed, coming to this CFA wasn't in vain; just arriving, I saw this little black coal ball, dying of laughter!"

Just like its owner, it lacks manners.

Ling Yue didn't answer the man's words, staring at him expressionlessly for three full minutes: "Do you really think you're funny like this? We've never met before; today is our first meeting, don't you feel truly embarrassed acting like this?"

The man obviously didn't expect her to say that directly, his face showing annoyed anger; however, by now many people had been drawn to them, and those gazes were what made him hold back.

He clenched the fist hidden in his sleeve: "Sorry, I apologize."

Ling Yue: "I don't accept your apology."

After she said that, she turned her head to tell the clerk some precautions; at that moment, another clerk approached the man and said: "Sir, sorry, because of the CFA pet cat competition, cats from all over the country have gathered here, the shop is short-staffed, you'll have to wait a bit longer."

The man was taken aback, then looked at Ling Yue: "Is she the last one?"

The clerk was taken aback, then reacted and nodded.

He looked around, seeing various breed cats around—American Shorthair, tabby, Siamese, Maine Coon, etc. —each with several individuals; only this ridiculous native cat, aside from it, there were no other native cats.

He immediately snorted, ordering the clerk: "Here, only her cat is a native cat; how can a native cat have the face to join this world-class competition? I'm in a hurry, so first give my Queen the spa-grade treatment."

"Tell her, just say I'll pay for a free grooming session to let her give up this spot; after all, no matter how you dress up a native cat, it's still a native cat—could a single spa-grade treatment possibly win a prize? That's pure daydreaming."

Who doesn't know, this kind of cat is the most common stray, the most abundant and worthless breed in the country.

This is the CFA pet cat grand prix; if the judges were to award the championship to it, he'd take off his head and use it as a ball to kick her!

He still had his reason, didn't utter those following words, but this was already enough; at least, Ling Yue heard every word.

Ling Yue raised her eyebrows; the top-tier spa-grade treatment she chose costs nearly a thousand each time—this person is quite wealthy, but does she lack money?

Ling Yue smirked at him, directly telling the staff: "Just a thousand bucks and you want to send me away? I'm not changing!"

The man looked at her contemptuously: "Then how much do you want? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand?"

Ling Yue: "Ten million."

"Looking at you, you must be loaded; surely you can't not come up with ten million?"

Ling Yue clicked her tongue: "Pauper!"

The man instantly sobered, realizing he'd been fooled by her, his chest heaving with anger, like a thorn in his throat: "You, you just wait!"

He recalled the previous two competitions, where he had been the champion both times; this time he came just to win a third straight! Not only are there generous rewards, but it also promotes his fame.

As for that dull little native cat, what's its smugness now? Wait until the competition field—when she sees me, she'll likely be scared to death by me!

The more he thought, the happier he felt, as if he'd already seen Ling Yue's regretful defeat afterward; he couldn't help laughing, saying meaningfully: "Tomorrow's competition, you must definitely bring your little native cat!"

"I'll be waiting to see how I defeat you; don't cry, okay, little girl!"

The gunpowder-laden words made the onlookers somewhat astonished; the CFA competition hasn't even started yet, and someone already declared they'd surely defeat the opponent—what big talk!

Although they all know that, given the CFA's style, it indeed doesn't favor domestic native cats, preferring pedigreed pet cats—but who dares say that?

Aren't you afraid the wind will blow so hard you'll bite your tongue?

Taking a closer look, as a contestant who had participated in both sessions, Tian Ling gasped in shock: "Zhao, Zhao Yan!!"

As soon as those words were spoken, they immediately attracted countless gazes from around.

Although to others it's just an ordinary name, anyone who has taken part in these two CFA pet cat competitions knows that Zhao Yan, the winner of the previous two editions, is an insurmountable mountain that countless competitors wish to climb before they can claim the championship!

He and his Ragdoll cat Queen are also the demon king in the hearts of these twice-cooked pork fans.

The kitten and neutered groups won't feel this much pressure, but as the adult cat group, they are bound to run into him!

In an instant, countless eyes, either shocked or reverent, fell upon him; Zhao Yan couldn't help feeling a little proud, he turned his head to look, and Ling Yue was already sitting on a leisure chair to the side, playing with her phone with her head down.

Her black, soot‑like local cat had already begun washing up!

Zhao Yan: "!!!"

From becoming famous to now, who knows how many people call him Teacher Zhao and treat him with utmost respect—yet she, how dare she!

If Ling Yue knew what was going on in his mind, she'd scold him for his chuunibyou and tell him to get over it!

But she doesn't know, and that's actually a good thing—her fingertips swipe the phone as she plays a match‑three game, completely unaware of the prickling gaze on her back.

After she clears two hundred levels in a row, all she sees are admiring looks filling the room, and from time to time someone gives her a thumbs‑up: "Sis, you're awesome!"

Ling Yue was completely bewildered—turns out, just a moment ago Zhao Yan had strained his eyes from staring; Ling Yue didn't even react, not even a glance, which only made him look like a big fool.

Under everyone's gaze, he actually held his cat and slunk away embarrassed.

Ling Yue blinked, she had no idea what was going on—who knew he'd be this… stupid? Ignoring him only made him try harder.

As Ling Yue would say, he's just gotten full of himself.

The next day, she ran into him at the two‑day CFA pet cat competition.

At that moment, Ling Yue was making preparations when she suddenly heard a cold snort; Zhao Yan pushed through the crowd, carrying his bag, and walked over, saying: "Long time no see."

Ling Yue looked around and realized he was speaking to her; she lowered her eyes, hiding the smirk at the bottom of her gaze, then looked up at him bewildered and asked: "We… know each other?"

"Sorry, or you could tell me, have we met before? I have selective face blindness—I can't remember people who aren't important." ，，.