Chapter 81: Give Me Your Autograph
The voices from next door suddenly dropped lower.
Chi Qian couldn’t resist leaning toward the railing, trying to catch more.
She leaned closer and closer, until more than half her body was hanging over the terrace.
Then she heard from next door:
“Send him to the hospital and have it cut off. Without his weapon, he won’t be fooling around anymore.”
Chi Qian: !!!
Good heavens!
Wasabi-level sting??
Her little ears twitched with excitement, inching even closer to the voices.
“Do we really have to be this cruel? Honestly, I can’t bear it sometimes. After all, he can be good to me.”
At this, Chi Qian almost slapped her thigh.
Girl, your husband’s cheating like an octopus and you’re still soft-hearted? … Wait—something’s not adding up here.
“Your mercy now is cruelty to yourself later. Think of how many he’s already ruined. One or two is forgivable, but five? You plan to keep cleaning up his messes forever?”
Chi Qian sucked in a breath—what the heck!
A scumbag this terrifying? Five mistresses already?!
Brother, what are you even waiting for? Why keep such a husband around for New Year’s dinner?!
On the terrace next door sat two strikingly handsome boys.
One was Shi Jianchen, the other his friend Qi Lan.
Qi Lan had an orange cat named “Dead Ghost.” While he was away, the cat went around fooling with every female in the neighborhood, getting them all pregnant, and then lazed at home like nothing happened.
A complete scumbag… cat.
Qi Lan suddenly burst into tears. “I only went to my grandma’s for a few days, and when I came back, Dead Ghost had piled up so many love debts. What can I do? I feel so helpless!”
And of course, it had to be during the cat’s special period.
Shi Jianchen’s lips twitched. “If you’d just gotten him fixed earlier, would any of this be happening?”
Chi Qian nodded vigorously, melon in hand. “Exactly! Cheating is never just once—it’s either once or countless times. If you don’t put your foot down now, aren’t you just giving him face?”
She was so absorbed that she didn’t even realize she’d climbed over the railing.
Now she was sitting on their chair, happily gnawing melon, and joining in the scumbag-cat bashing session.
Qi Lan’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I really thought he’d change. He promised me before I left…”
Chi Qian rolled her eyes. “Pfft, anyone can talk big! A man’s mouth is the most untrustworthy thing on earth. Believe a man’s words and your life’s over! Why even keep him—wait, sorry, sis—uh, bro…”
Qi Lan blinked in confusion. “…What man? We’re talking about my cat.”
“…Cat?”
Chi Qian froze. “Weren’t you talking about your cheating husband?”
“Husband??” Qi Lan was all question marks.
Shi Jianchen finally realized something was off. He turned around.
Both boys stared at the sudden “intruder” who had appeared from nowhere.
The moment they saw Chi Qian’s face, their expressions changed in unison.
Qi Lan pointed at her. “You’re that… that Chi Qian that my Dead Ghost is obsessed with!”
Shi Jianchen ground his teeth. “Scoundrel!”
Chi Qian blinked.
Oh crap.
What was going on here? One of them even looked vaguely familiar.
“You guys… know me?”
Qi Lan flushed with excitement. “My cat is obsessed with you! He sits in front of the TV watching your livestream every day, even learned to steal my credit card to send you gifts! Can you give my cat an autograph?”
Chi Qian: “……” This was the most absurd request she’d ever gotten.
But wait—that wasn’t the main issue here.
“Uh… bro—sister—mind if I ask, how old are you?”
“Me? I’m sixteen. About the same as you, right?” Qi Lan replied brightly.
Chi Qian was speechless. “So the cheating you were talking about… was your cat?”
“Hahaha, did we make you misunderstand? We didn’t want to be too direct in public, so we were being… subtle,” Qi Lan explained cheerfully. “Yep, we were talking about my cat.”
Chi Qian thought: Subtle? You nearly gave me a heart attack!
Still, she accepted the pen Qi Lan handed over and signed for his cat.
“What’s your cat’s name?”
“Dead Ghost. Isn’t it cute?”
Cute wasn’t the word—scumbag fit better.
Chi Qian nodded vaguely. Just then, a voice chimed in beside her:
“My cat’s name is Spicy Hotpot.”
She glanced over. Shi Jianchen crossed his arms and turned away with a huff. “Nothing. I was just saying.”
Chi Qian: “…It’s a good name. Only problem—it won’t fill your stomach.”
Shi Jianchen’s lips quirked upward, but he quickly suppressed it.
“Brother Chen, do you want her autograph too?” Qi Lan nudged him.
Shi Jianchen lifted his chin. “I have no interest in such things.”
Qi Lan thought, Of course—how could he ever want a girl’s autograph.
“But your cat Spicy Hotpot likes her.”
Shi Jianchen hesitated, then said begrudgingly, “Then… maybe—”
“Qian Qian! Why are you over there?” Chi Chaoshen’s voice came from across the railing. “Come back right now before the dishes get cold!”
He had only gone to wash his hands. When he returned and found her missing, he nearly thought she’d been kidnapped again.
Instead, there she was, perched next door with a slice of watermelon in hand, munching happily.
“I’m coming!” Chi Qian answered, then hopped straight over the railing.
It was only a few dozen centimeters. With a little agility, she made it easily.
Chi Chaoshen’s heart nearly stopped. He reached out to catch her mid-jump.
Then he scolded softly, “Reckless. What if you fell? Why did you run over there?”
“I went to eat melon,” Chi Qian said sweetly, letting her uncle set her down.
She wasn’t that young anymore, but for some reason, she just wasn’t growing—always a head shorter than kids her age.
Chaosheng sighed, setting her on the chair. “If you want melon, I’ll have them bring it here.”
“Chilled watermelon! melon!”
“Alright.”
The screen partition was pulled back into place, blocking Shi Jianchen and Qi Lan’s view.
Qi Lan noticed Shi Jianchen’s less-than-pleasant expression and cautiously asked, “Brother Chen, how about… I give you my autograph?”
“I don’t want it.” Shi Jianchen refused flatly. “I couldn’t care less.”
It was just a signature.
Qi Lan was only teasing anyway, and then happily admired his own signed paper.
“Can’t believe Chi Qian looks even cuter than in her livestreams. No wonder my Dead Ghost is so obsessed with her… Wait—what if the reason he refuses to take responsibility for all those cats… is because of Chi Qian?!”
Qi Lan suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe, frozen in place with a dazed look.
Shi Jianchen glanced at this idiot, snorted coldly—
Another lunatic.
*
After a day of playing outside, Chi Qian went home and first stopped by the study to greet her grandfather.
Chi Lisen sat behind his desk reading documents, not lifting his head as he asked, “What did you eat today?”
“Grandpa, don’t worry, I ate super light today!” Chi Qian grinned, looking entirely innocent.
Barbecue? No chili = not heavy.
Fried chicken? Peel off the crispy skin = zero calories.
If that wasn’t “light,” what was?
Chi Lisen slowly looked up, his sharp eyes behind the glasses seeming to pierce right through her.
“The snacks in your bag fell out.”
“Eh?” Chi Qian hurriedly looked down to check.
