Chapter 71

While the treasure-finding mouse flew over her head, Ling Yue, quick-eyed and quick-handed, snatched it down.

The treasure-finding mouse landed safely, let out a huge sigh of relief, and suddenly met the little girl's astonished gaze. She covered her mouth, and her soft, childish voice whispered into her ears: "Wow, the flying mouse has landed!"

Mom also froze: "What, what kind of show is this? A flying little rat?"

Hearing this, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo: "⊙﹏⊙"

Not long after, a legend suddenly appeared in the square: once, a magical flying little mouse had appeared here, its whole body glittering gold, and whoever encountered it would have good luck!

At this very moment, Xunbao Shu Duo Duo no longer dared to tie balloons; it could only have Ling Yue help hold them, for if it tried again, its life would be in danger!

Ling Yue held back her laughter and nodded; seeing it, she couldn't help but recall that earlier scene, forcing her lips down, when suddenly her pocket phone rang, and an unfamiliar female voice came from the earpiece.

Ling Yue's eyes lit up: "It's me,... all right? I'm, I'm..." She hesitated, looking around; at the center of Times Square, the huge sensing musical fountain was right before her eyes. She paused: "I'm here at this musical fountain."

After hanging up, she only then noticed a cat and a mouse staring at her. Ling Yue leaned forward: "Do you want to know what I just did?"

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo raised its paw and nodded.

Ling Yue curled the corner of her mouth: "I'm telling you—this is a secret, I can't tell you!"

The Mysterious Cat Queen, ears subtly perked, walked forward with a catlike gait, lifted her head haughtily, and snorted, "Who cares!"

Actually, deep down, it was still looking forward to it. But knowing Ling Yue's personality, it wasn't unaware that with all this mystery, she definitely wouldn't reveal it until the very last moment!

Just then, it heard noisy piano sounds mixed with barking "woof woof woof". Looking up, two short-legged corgis were darting wildly across the fountain square, multicolored lights spraying from the fountain everywhere, and the chaotic piano music rang out urgently, annoying the cat.

Some droplets even splashed onto the Mysterious Cat Queen's clean fur; the cat's eyes narrowed, while the two short legs kept playing wildly.

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo immediately put its hands on its hips and said: "You two little dogs, get down now!"

The little corgi wasn't afraid of the Mysterious Cat Queen but wasn't afraid of the treasure-finding mouse either; it even thought it was some new breed of tiny mouse, and burst out laughing: "No way I'm coming down—if you've got the guts, come up here, nyah nyah nyah!"

Taozi came over, charging straight up, standing at the irregularly arranged spray nozzles; as its body shifted, the heated musical fountain jolted, and a crystal-clear water column shot up instantly!

Then it fell back down just as quickly, and the nearest Xunbao Shu Duo Duo turned tail and ran.

With a "splash".

The treasure-finding mouse kicked up water everywhere, cold water drenching it; it let out a yelp, soaked to the bone.

The treasure-finding mouse immediately ran to the Mysterious Cat Queen's side: "Honey, you gotta stand up for me, QAQ".

Hearing this, the corgi brothers froze, stared at it in shock, and said in unison: "Impossible/Fake!"

How could a cat stand up for a broken mouse?

The Mysterious Cat Queen said nothing, stepped forward, its deep cat eyes locked on the two brothers; the frightened dogs let out a miserable howl and bolted.

The musical fountain in Times Square is a sensing device that sprays when it detects temperature; the two madly fleeing dogs literally ran out with the force of a volcanic eruption, and the resting crowds around them scattered.

Because water also splashed onto them.

"Hey kid, can you control your dog?"

"Eh, where did this water come from? Whose little dog is running wild up there—can't you do something about it?"

Nearby, the poop-scooper, clothes soaked and holding balloons, sneezed hard: "I—I can't catch them either!"

He increasingly felt that going out today was utterly disastrous, as Taozi and Guoguo went crazy, insisting on playing in the water, unaware that the two dogs were heading for disaster.

At the same time, in the coffee shop on one side of Times Square, the tardy woman walked toward a booth, bundled up tightly, a baseball cap covering half her face; she silently cursed her dowdy outfit, but the next moment she looked up and saw nobody there.

She hadn't even reacted when her agent behind her muttered an exasperated "oh no", hurriedly summoning the waiter: "What about the guest at booth 9? Did he step out for something? When will he be back?"

The waiter blinked, then, recalling this guest vividly, said calmly: "That guest left ten minutes ago; let me pass this note to Ms. Xu."

The agent snatched it away: "She is Ms. Xu."

She was already fuming inside; this was a connection she'd painfully pulled together using multiple contacts, and she'd blown it by being late!

Thinking this, she couldn't help but shoot a fierce glance at the nearby entertainer, who finally realized something and remained silent.

No one would ever guess that this woman, dressed in such a dowdy, tight-fitting outfit, looking like she was about to rob a bank any second, is actually the current top-tier domestic female star Xu Molii.

The one who opened the note was her agent, and the person that made them so nervous was the renowned fashion magazine chief photographer, Jonathan.

He is famed far and wide for his outstanding photographic achievements; since his debut, he has won countless awards, and the covers he shoots are bestsellers.

Because he skillfully uses the lens to endlessly magnify women's beauty, many female stars call him the "Divine Hand"!

Xu Molii's weakness is obvious; relying on hype and marketing of pure beauty, she has begun to lose steam.

The industry is flooded with female stars younger and prettier than her, and many can't hold back, wanting to step on her to rise; at this point, she urgently needs top-tier resources to maintain or even elevate her standing.

The cover of next month's fashion magazine is the perfect opportunity! Her agent learned that the magazine's cover still has no suitable candidate, and with the manuscript deadline less than ten days away.

The agent went to great lengths to locate Jonathan, arranged a meeting, all to promote her own client.

Xu Molii has a lovely name and a pure-looking appearance, but as the hype faded, fans began seeking novelty, and her old card has been played out.

So the purpose of this trip for the agent is to effect a transformation!

Once a pure little flower, she now transforms into a wild queen returning!

She wanted hype and twists, but plans can't keep up with change; the day before, Xu Molii, provoked by a colleague, flew into a rage, dismissed her assistant, slept for half a day, and thus missed the appointment.

When the two finally rushed over, they were already nearly half an hour late!

The agent opened the note, finished reading, turned pale, and Xu Molii beside her blinked: "What's wrong? What did he say?"

The agent, utterly despondent, handed her the note; the severe condemnation between the lines made her catch her breath, as Jonathan sharply rebuked her for breaking promises, declaring he would never employ an untrustworthy star in this lifetime!

Xu Molii spat back: "Then let me see what he can dig up!"

The agent shook his head, wondering what she could say; if it weren't for Xu Molii herself, how would they have missed this opportunity?

At that moment, outside the coffee shop, the fountain's strange noises and spraying jets drew a crowd; a foreign man in casual wear, camera in hand, walked into the throng.

Normally he wouldn't care about such things, but he suddenly heard dog barking coming from the fountain.

The man frowned, his tall, bulky frame pushing into the spring's center; in an instant he saw the energetic corgi brothers hopping about.

"What, how... is this happening?" he muttered in strange-accented Chinese, "Dog abuse?"

"What the... what's going on?" he said in strange-accented Chinese, "Dog abuse?"

How coincidental, the poop scooper was right beside him; hearing dog abuse, he flushed red with anger: "Abusing dogs? These two unfilial brats are going to make me die of anger!"

As the words ended, scattered piano notes rang out, accompanied by the sound of water spurting.

Whoosh—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!

The two dogs shook their rear ends, their short legs slipping, and the water-soaked fur flung about in all directions—almost an indiscriminate assault.

They hid in the fountain, trying to shake off the Black Cat Queen's gaze clinging to them, their short legs trembling; Guo Guo looked at his brother and said, "Should be safe now?"

Taozi panted, tongue out: "Definitely fine!"

Just as the words ended, a sudden chill ran down his back as he met a pair of deep cat eyes; the dog howled and scattered in flight.

Good heavens, what madness have they gotten into again?

All sorts of discussion voices rose, but having learned from the poop-scooper's prior mishap, he still clung to his clothes, shivering; with the weather turning cool, no one wanted to venture into the fountain pool to catch the dogs.

These aren't two dogs—they're clearly two little grenades bouncing up and down!

Could they have rabies? Who would dare go grab them?!

Upon hearing this, the crowd: "!!!"

Who would dare grab something with rabies? This is sheer idiocy!

The poop-scooper covered his face, himself unaware why the dogs were unusually excited today.

The corgi brothers: "……"

If you're targeted by an enemy that once hammered you and came back chasing, you'd be jumping around wildly like us!

Ling Yue was holding a towel, wiping Xunbao Shu Duo Duo's body, when suddenly a commotion arose: "How did another cat show up?!"

Good heavens, isn't this chaotic enough?

Whose cat is this? Aren't you afraid it'll clash with the dogs?

In the crowd, upon first glimpsing the Black Cat Queen, Jonathan immediately raised his camera: "What kind of cat is this? Why is its fur so uniquely colored?!"

Though it is pure black, in the light it reveals a brownish-red fiery hue; from afar it looks like a cluster of burning black flame.

Its agile posture and smooth lines resemble a miniature cheetah; in the following moments, his hand hardly ever stops!

Each frame captured, the interplay of light and dark, made him continually exclaim in admiration.

Likewise, there is a little mouse—Xunbao Shu Duo Duo waving its paws, cheering for his wife: "Ahhh! Hit it, hit it! Kick its butt, grab its little chick! Wife, keep going!"

Ling Yue: "???"

Could it be that I don't exist?

At that moment, the Black Cat Queen was like a gust of wind; she stepped over the sensor-activated fountain mouth and leapt high; the next instant, the fountain's water column behind her belatedly rose.

The two corgis yelped and fled; the Black Cat Queen tapped with her claw tip, like a cheetah seizing prey, and delivered a fierce cat-punch kick to the corgi's peach butt.

Its dry fur remained untouched by moisture; its lithe, agile form was full of explosive power; hearing his brother's miserable cry, the corgi Taozi was frightened to the point of almost leaving an afterimage as he ran.

The Black Cat Queen stepped over the fountain mouth, placed a paw on the corgi's back, and said, "Stupid dog!"

In terms of speed, the Black Cat Queen has never lost.

It is as fast as a shadow, precisely striking each corgi, and even quickly learned to anticipate!

The sensor-activated musical fountain is round; the corgis scrambling wildly inside are like little gophers—each time they pop their heads up, the Black Cat Queen smashes them with a fierce punch, slams down, then they pop up again and get punched again.

Though everyone is in the fountain, compared to the two soaking-wet corgis, it is practically clean like a little fairy, every strand of fur radiating dazzling light.

Ahwoo!

The two corgis, panicking, collided head‑on; just as they were about to turn swiftly, the invisible cat‑paw already stepped on them, and the two corgis yelped and collapsed onto the ground.

And atop the plump, side‑by‑side bodies of the corgis lay an extremely beautiful Black Cat.

As if sensing something, it suddenly turned its head; its gaze, filled with killing intent, pierced through the crowd like a hidden nocturnal assassin, possessing a captivating, soul‑stealing magic.

Click—

Jonathan's heart surged; it wasn't a little fairy, but a queen reigning high in hell—he thought that, yet saw the arrogant big cat suddenly leap into the air.

His heart clenched instantly!

At the same time, Ling Yue felt a weight on her shoulder; the Black Cat Queen steadily stepped onto her shoulder, its long black tail slightly swaying, the pose very lovely—except her human frame was a bit injured.

Several tens of catties' weight fell from heaven; fortunately she cultivated Dao arts, strengthening her physique; otherwise, this blow would be enough to land her in the hospital.

The Xunbao Shu Duo Duo in her pocket squeaked wildly: "Wife, you're so handsome!"

A pair of mouse eyes glittered, fixed on the Black Cat Queen, bursting with admiring starlight.

Ling Yue suddenly heard someone calling her; a uniformed store clerk approached, holding the items she had ordered; she quickly went to meet them: "It's me."

The handover went smoothly.

Ling Yue left the square with light steps, one hand holding a box, the other cradling the Black Cat Queen: "We're heading home!"

After Jonathan pushed through the crowd, he found she had vanished without trace; if not for the photos in his camera, he would have thought it was merely a dream of his own.

Immediately, he excitedly got through to his assistant on the phone, face flushed: "I've found it—the October magazine's cover candidate!"

On the other end of the line, the assistant's surprised voice came: "Who is it? A star or an amateur from the circle? Do I need to make any preparations?"

Jonathan quickly shook his head: "No no no, it's not a star nor an amateur, it's not a person, it's the queen of hell—a cat—I've never seen such a powerful feline!"

When Ling Yue rushed back to the villa, only a small lamp was lit inside; in the dim environment, a large black shadow suddenly leapt out.

When it reached her, Ling Yue realized it was Da Lao Hu Junjun; its pure white fur swayed with its movements, long-haired tiger handsome and beautiful.

A tug of the tiger's claw, and the white tablecloth covering the table receded like a tide; in an instant, the full table of pet meals came into view.

Only the center revealed a large empty space.

Ling Yue raised her hand, and the box she had brought fit perfectly into place.

The small animals then pushed their own exclusive little stools to the table's edge and sat down; the Black Cat Queen glanced around—Big Black, Crow Crow, Jun Jun, the Feng Shui turtle… and also Xunbao Shu Duo Duo, all her good friends she knew.

At this moment, the usually composed Black Cat Queen suddenly felt somewhat unable to control herself; even though she had vaguely guessed some things, she still dared not confirm.

Ling Yue rose to her feet and placed it in the seat of honor.

All the little animals stared at it, surrounded by gazes; Xuan Mao Nüwang's cheeks rarely flushed, its tail flicked irritably, and it said aloofly, "What do you want?"

I really don't like pranks!

Ling Yue looked at it, stood up, and opened the cake box.

A gold birthday hat that had been prepared long ago was placed on Mao Mao's head; she waved her hand, and the candle stuck in the pet cake suddenly lit up, illuminating all of Xuan Mao Nüwang's expressions.

In the dim candlelight, it saw all its close friends pressing their paws or fingers together and placing them on their chests.

Their eyes shone brighter than the stars in the sky, a light, pleasant melody echoed in the room, and all its close friends looked at it: "Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you…"

Xuan Mao Nüwang felt at a loss for the first time; it had not received such affection in a very long time, it blinked, and forced itself to look at its friends.

Even its birthday, which it had forgotten.

It blinked, and, usually not good with words, it suddenly didn't know what to do.

Ling Yue seemed to know what it was thinking; she smiled, lowered her head, and said softly, "Our Mao Mao queen, it's time to blow out the candles and make a wish."