Is this also part of the baby’s attempt to torture me?

No matter how many treats or dried fish were offered, the Maine Coon couldn’t master a backflip.

At 108 centimeters long, it scampered around on its big paws, collapsing dramatically when full, feigning pity.

The backflip remained unlearned, but its belly grew rounder.

Frustrated, Xu Fengluan grabbed its front paws, making it stand upright, and scolded, “If you don’t try harder, you’ll become a fat cat with no edge.”

“No lady cats will like you.”

The Maine Coon responded with a meow.

Liu Tingsong chimed in, “San Jin is a girl.”

San Jin—Three Pounds—was named for its weight when Liu Tingsong bought it.

Xu Fengluan, unaware, shot her a look. “Can’t she take after me?”

Liu Tingsong blinked, then laughed, her voice soft. “Of course, kids take after their mom.”

Xu Fengluan frowned, sensing a trap. She’d brought it up, and Liu Tingsong just ran with it, leaving her no room to argue.

Liu Tingsong took the cat, saying earnestly, “San Jin, listen to your little mom, or no lady cats will like you.”

Xu Fengluan snapped back, “You’re the little mom!”

“What, then… big mom?” Liu Tingsong tilted her head, as if asking.

The cat meowed, unclear in its intent.

Xu Fengluan realized Liu Tingsong’s thick skin and knack for climbing poles. Her slip of the tongue had been seized, turned into a title.

She glared, but Liu Tingsong just grinned, unfazed. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

Instinctively, Xu Fengluan kicked out, only for Liu Tingsong to catch her ankle.

Xu Fengluan’s long, slender legs, especially her delicate ankles with their prominent bones, were now under Liu Tingsong’s fingers, rubbed in circles like polishing jade.

Her kick backfired into teasing.

Xu Fengluan’s expression shifted, blurting, “Pervert!”

She tried to kick again, but San Jin meowed sharply, leaping to Liu Tingsong’s defense.

Xu Fengluan’s raised leg froze mid-air, reluctantly lowered, stifling her frustration.

The first kick barely landed, and she was outmaneuvered. The second didn’t even get a chance before the cat intervened.

Fuming, Xu Fengluan flipped over, grabbing the cat and grumbling, “You bad cat! She’s bullying me, and you help her? After I snuck you treats last night…”

Halfway through, she froze, glancing at Liu Tingsong.

Liu Tingsong’s expression was helpless, her scolding gentle. “A-Feng.”

Her drawn-out tone was provocative, making Xu Fengluan’s ears itch. She looked away, unconsciously hugging the cat tighter.

“San Jin really needs to lose weight.”

Xu Fengluan tried burying her face in the cat’s belly, pretending not to hear, but San Jin, seeming to understand, burrowed into her arms, playing pitiful.

Both lowered their heads, white-haired heads colliding, staring at each other in confusion.

Kneeling nearby, Liu Tingsong muffled a laugh. Dressed in a linen apricot dress from her errands, her hair pinned with a jade clasp, she revealed a refined profile, faint mask marks on her cheeks. She looked warm and soft, far from her usual aloofness.

Xu Fengluan, knowing she was in the wrong, felt her ears redden under her white hair. Unable to stay bold, she bluffed, “San Jin doesn’t need to lose weight. She’s just a little thing.”

How she called the cat, nearly as long as half her body, “little” was a mystery.

“She’s a bit chubby,” Liu Tingsong explained gently. “The vet said twenty pounds is better.”

San Jin was five pounds over, fatter than most male cats her size.

“But she keeps meowing at me,” Xu Fengluan admitted, a bit soft-hearted.

No wonder San Jin clung to her after just days. Xu Fengluan had been sneaking it treats, making up for its diet.

Liu Tingsong suddenly said, “Should I meow at you, then?”

Xu Fengluan froze, her jade-green eyes—prettier than the cat’s—reflecting Liu Tingsong, unwittingly showing a hint of innocence.

Kind of cute.

Liu Tingsong tucked a stray strand behind her ear, her porcelain fingers grazing her earlobe, then meowed softly, “Meow.”

Her imitation was clumsy but carried a teasing, hesitant charm. Her eyes flicked down, then up, watching Xu Fengluan’s reaction.

“You…” she prompted.

It was dusk, the orange sunset melting the city’s harsh edges, spilling over Liu Tingsong’s dress and into her eyes, stirring a captivating softness.

“Meow?”

When Xu Fengluan didn’t respond, she meowed again. A true diva, she’d mastered the art, outdoing San Jin with a seductive lilt, like hooking an ankle.

San Jin turned, searching for its kind.

Xu Fengluan stiffened, her ears unnaturally red. Having just sat up while holding the cat, she leaned back, elbow sinking into the carpet, her T-shirt collar pulling down, revealing a flush of delicate skin.

“You…” She tried to speak but faltered.

Liu Tingsong, now a cat, meowed twice in mock confusion.

Xu Fengluan’s hand weakened, collapsing backward, sinking lower into the carpet.

“Liu Tingsong, you!” She tried to stop her.

“Don’t you like it, baby?” Liu Tingsong teased, her smile spreading, openly admitting her provocation.

As Xu Fengluan opened her mouth, panicked, she raised a hand to cover Liu Tingsong’s lips.

But her position left her hand hovering half an inch away. Liu Tingsong leaned in, her lips brushing Xu Fengluan’s palm.

“Meow.”

Another meow, her lips soft and moist, breath warm, filling Xu Fengluan’s palm with faint lipstick marks.

San Jin, unable to find its kin, circled Liu Tingsong, seeking backup.

But Liu Tingsong, usually doting, spared it no glance.

“Baby, you’re blushing again.”

“So cute.”

No meows now, but her words were bolder.

Xu Fengluan recalled a cat in heat, seeking a mate.

Her fingers curled instinctively, then pinched Liu Tingsong’s face, freezing her. Wanting to pull back but needing to keep Liu Tingsong at bay, she was stuck in a dilemma. @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

“No,” she tried to stop her.

She saw Liu Tingsong’s next move, her trembling voice firm. “No kissing.”

Liu Tingsong’s eyes drooped, looking more pitiful than San Jin denied treats.

She whined, “It’s been days.”

Xu Fengluan looked away, resolute. “No.”

“Not allowed.” @Infinite Good Stories, Exclusively at Jinjiang Literature City

“I said, only I can kiss you now.”

“Don’t forget our deal.”

Since that night, Xu Fengluan had laid down three rules.

First, she held the reins. Without her permission, Liu Tingsong couldn’t get close—not even for a hug.

Second, until Xu Fengluan fully forgave her, Liu Tingsong had no status, and their relationship stayed secret, except from those like Chu Cheng who already knew.

The third rule was TBD, but Xu Fengluan could set it anytime.

Harsh terms, but Liu Tingsong’s guilt made her agree to everything. She’d gone days without kissing Xu Fengluan.

Even two days ago, she’d only touched Xu Fengluan’s hand briefly while passing the cat, a fleeting moment with no real feeling.

That’s why, when Xu Fengluan raised her hand, Liu Tingsong leaned in eagerly.

“Meow,” she drawled, trying her old trick.

Xu Fengluan dropped her hand, clenching it into a fist to suppress the tingling.

“Liu Tingsong,” she warned coldly.

Liu Tingsong pursed her lips, reluctantly giving up.

Xu Fengluan wasn’t fooled. It was just no kissing—she acted like she was being banished. Turning, Xu Fengluan hugged the cat, nuzzling it to cool her cheeks.

San Jin, clueless, thought she wanted to play, wagging its tail and sticking close.

Only a Maine Coon’s clingy nature could handle this—other cats would’ve fled.

After playing, Xu Fengluan noticed the sudden quiet and glanced over curiously.

Liu Tingsong knelt on the carpet, engrossed in her phone.

“What’re you looking at?” Xu Fengluan asked.

Liu Tingsong looked up, expression serious. “Research.”

“Huh?” Xu Fengluan blinked, misunderstanding. “How to teach the cat backflips?”

Still hung up on that.

Liu Tingsong smiled, drawling, “Nope.”

“I’m researching how to get you to kiss me.”

Her words reignited the heat in Xu Fengluan’s cheeks.

Before she could respond, Liu Tingsong meowed again, eyes glinting with expectation, more eager than San Jin for treats.

Xu Fengluan, mortified, gritted her teeth. “Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll gag you.”

The imagined scene didn’t unfold. Liu Tingsong’s eyes lit up, saying instantly, “A gag?”

“Part of your plan to torment me?”

“We don’t have one—should I order it now?”

Xu Fengluan’s mouth fell open, her ears flaming.

Meanwhile, San Jin, bored, stepped over Xu Fengluan’s stomach, sauntering off.

As shameless as its owner.