Kitten Names and Lingering Worries

The next day.

Lin Yi rarely slept until noon, free from nightmares or interruptions. This sleep was profoundly restful, and he felt his flagging spirits revive, his entire body brimming with inexhaustible energy.

“You’re awake?”

No sooner had Lin Yi stirred than Lin Yiting’s voice drifted from the living room. She approached him, a gentle smile gracing her features.

“Xiao Shu, have you thought about names for the kittens?”

Lin Yiting had actually wanted to discuss this with Lin Yi earlier. However, seeing him sleep so soundly, she hadn’t had the heart to wake him.

Now that he was awake, it was the perfect time for them to brainstorm.

Lin Yi hadn’t considered names for the kittens. Back home, he’d simply called them ‘kitty’ or ‘lazy cat.’ With new kittens, it was indeed time to think of proper names.

Lin Yi bowed his head in contemplation, yet with his limited brainpower, he couldn’t conjure a good name. They were either overly dramatic, utterly unoriginal, or even ridiculously tacky.

He felt that, no matter what, they needed something more sophisticated.

As he pondered, Lin Yi’s gaze fell upon the two kittens.

The white kitten had a single black stripe running down its spine, resembling a mountain ridge or an insurmountable bar.

The ginger kitten, on the other hand, was covered in intricate patterns and appeared slightly larger than its white counterpart.

“How about… the white one is ‘One Stripe’?”

“And the ginger one… ‘Big Ginger Flower’?”

The smile on Lin Yiting’s lips stiffened. She turned to look at the mewling white kitten. It was certainly a vivid description.

‘But could they actually use names like that for kittens?’

“Oh, come on, come on, just stop talking.”

Lin Yiting pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless. She had clearly overestimated her brother’s naming prowess; even picking a random name online would be better.

With that thought, Lin Yiting pulled out her phone. She scrolled through web pages, having already selected a few names in her mind.

“Xiao Shu, how about ‘Beiyue’ for the white one and ‘Yiyao’ for the ginger one?”

‘Those are very poetic names, like ones for girls. But I think the ginger cat is a male…’

“Sister, how about… we change the ginger cat’s name? It doesn’t sound like a male cat’s name.”

“Oh, who cares if it’s male or female, as long as it sounds good!”

Lin Yi’s lips twitched. His sister had a point. Kittens weren’t humans; what they were named wasn’t truly important to them.

“Alright, it’s settled then. The white cat is Beiyue…”

Mid-sentence, Lin Yiting realized Lin Yi’s earlier comment held some truth, so she quickly revised.

“And the ginger cat will be… Yiyao.”

The pronunciation remained the same; Lin Yiting had merely changed the character, at least making it a more suitable name.

With the kittens’ names sorted, only the mother cat remained. Before, they hadn’t bothered naming her, seeing as she was the only one.

Now that there were so many cats in the house, she deserved a name too.

“Xiao Shu, do you have any ideas for the mother cat’s name?”

“Nope!”

His blunt reply made Lin Yiting realize she shouldn’t have even asked. After a moment, she opened her phone and searched again.

“How about Mo Xiaoran?”

“I think… Mo Xiaolan would be better,” Lin Yi grumbled. “All day long, she just lies around, not even bothering with her kittens.”

With that complaint, Lin Yi gently picked up the sleeping kitten and placed it in the cat bed. The two kittens, finding their mother, quickly snuggled into her embrace and began to nurse.

The tabby lifted its head, seemingly glaring at Lin Yi, before looking as if it wanted to run off again.

Seeing this, Lin Yiting sighed helplessly.

“Then ‘Xiaolan’ it is.”

****

After they finished lunch, Lin Yiting left for some errands.

Lin Yi, with nothing else to do, decided to invite Li Yan to play some games.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yi’s phone received a message.

[Qin Ruoxue: Are you okay? You didn’t run into Chen Sishi, did you?]

Lin Yi felt a flicker of confusion at the message. He hadn’t seen Chen Sishi in days, indeed.

[Lin Yi: No, why? What’s wrong?]

[Qin Ruoxue: Nothing…]

Qin Ruoxue had no intention of revealing what happened yesterday; she feared Lin Yi would worry about her.

Lin Yi put his phone down, feeling rather perplexed.

–Hey, Brother Lin, whose message was that?

Li Yan’s curious voice came through the headset.

They had been scavenging for supplies when Lin Yi suddenly stopped. Knowing Lin Yi, he was likely replying to a message.

“It’s Class Monitor Qin. You keep playing, I’m going out for a bit.”

–Is the class monitor asking you on a date? As expected of my Brother Lin, girls are always throwing themselves at you.

Lin Yi’s lips twitched.

‘You think I want them throwing themselves at me?’

Muttering silently to himself, Lin Yi walked to the living room and initiated a video call to Qin Ruoxue.

Lying on her hospital bed, Qin Ruoxue’s heart jolted. She quickly pressed the reject button and tossed her phone aside.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and a blush crept across Qin Ruoxue’s face.

She hadn’t expected Lin Yi to video call. If he saw her in this state, he would surely be worried.

‘But if I had answered, I would have seen Lin Yi’s face.’

A pang of regret struck her. Qin Ruoxue picked up her phone again and typed out a string of characters.

Finding it unsuitable, she deleted and revised it repeatedly, ultimately sending Lin Yi a single question mark.

However, Lin Yi didn’t receive a reply from Qin Ruoxue for a long time, leading him to believe she was angry.

In truth, Lin Yi was merely testing Qin Ruoxue, trying to ascertain her whereabouts. Her reluctance to answer the call clearly indicated she was trying to hide something.

After a moment of careful thought, Lin Yi typed a message on his phone.

[Lin Yi: What did Chen Sishi do to you?]

Upon seeing the message, Qin Ruoxue bit her lip, torn between telling Lin Yi or not.

Yet, she didn’t know how to explain it to him. Perhaps some things were best told in person.

[Lin Yi: If it’s inconvenient… I won’t ask.]

After sending that message, Qin Ruoxue on the other end of the line remained silent. Lin Yi didn’t dwell on the incident, turning instead to return to his bedroom and resume playing games.

****

After nearly a full day of gaming, a physically and mentally exhausted Lin Yi stretched. His bones popped with a crisp sound, and he had never felt such profound comfort.

After resting in his chair for a while, he stood up to pour out the cat food. This ‘Xiaolan’ cat was precious now; if she didn’t eat well and produce milk, both kittens risked starving.

He quickly stir-fried two dishes, then sat at the dining table, waiting for Lin Yiting.

An hour passed…

Two hours…

Lin Yi reheated the food several times, but Lin Yiting still hadn’t returned.

A sense of unease settled in his heart, and Lin Yi called her.

Lin Yiting didn’t answer. She decisively hung up and then sent a message.

[The Most Secure Sister: Don’t worry, Xiao Leng, don’t worry. Things are a bit complicated today. I won’t be back until tomorrow.]

[Lin Yi: Alright, I’ll eat first then. Come back safely.]

[The Most Secure Sister: Mm, got it.]

Putting her phone away, Lin Yiting looked at the clothes in her hands, a smile gracing her lips.

“Tomorrow, Big Sister will give you a surprise.”