Professional Training

"Whew... purr purr."

Ye Feng looked at Xie Yuyan, who was sleeping quietly in his arms. He reached out and gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, his eyes filled with doting affection for her.

But what surprised Ye Feng was that a pair of cat ears seemed to have sprouted from nowhere on Xie Yuyan's head. Not only were they fluffy to the touch, but they also twitched back and forth.

"Ye Feng~"

For some reason, it seemed Xie Yuyan's cat ears were connected to her nerves. Despite being thoroughly exhausted, Xie Yuyan was eventually woken up by Ye Feng's movements.

"Hm? Yuyan, you're awake!"

Ye Feng, who had been playing with her cat ears, stopped the moment he noticed, asking with slight surprise.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Mmm..."

Xie Yuyan nodded slightly and burrowed her head deeper into Ye Feng's embrace in her fatigue.

"It's okay. As long as you like it, darling, I'm happy."

Whether it was because she had turned into a catgirl or because she was currently immersed in bliss, her tone was much softer than before. Ye Feng leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on Xie Yuyan's forehead, then interlaced his fingers tightly with hers.

"Sorry to disturb your rest, I just think you look really cute right now, Yuyan."

"Meow~"

Xie Yuyan looked at Ye Feng with eyes full of deep love, even deliberately letting out a meow. Feeling Ye Feng's grip on her hand tighten, she couldn't help but giggle.

"It's fine, Ye Feng. As long as you like it, I'm willing to do anything. I won't make those painful mistakes again. I finally understand what Mengli meant."

"Thank you all, and thank you, Yuyan."

"You're not allowed to say that. I should be the one thanking you. You gave me this chance, Ye Feng, and I'm going to hold onto it tightly and never let go."

"Okay..."

Although Ye Feng still had energy, considering that Xie Yuyan had already entered a trance-like state of fatigue, he simply held her as they drifted off to sleep together.

"Goodnight, Yuyan."

"Meow meow..."

......

"Gulp, gulp."

Early the next morning, a disheveled Xie Yuyan stood in the living room, gulping down cold water. She kept reaching up to touch the top of her head, finally breathing a sigh of relief when she found no cat ears.

Although Xie Yuyan wasn't entirely opposed to turning into a cat—after all, it did get her more affection from Ye Feng—it would be absolutely mortifying if Shen Mengli or the others saw her in such a shy, embarrassing state. So, returning to normal was a good thing for her.

"Mmm..."

Xie Yuyan raised her hand to rub her cheeks, trying to push the chaotic thoughts to the back of her mind.

It was still early; she should go back and spend a bit more time with her darling.

Rustle.

Just as Xie Yuyan turned to leave, a slight noise came from the dark hallway.

"Who's there?"

Sharp as ever, Xie Yuyan immediately looked toward the source of the sound, her guarded gaze ready to react to any movement.

After a long pause, faint whispering voices came from the hallway.

"See, Mucheng, it's all your fault. I told you Yuyan would notice."

"It's because you were pushing me just now! And you made noise too."

That voice... Li Mucheng and Shen Mengli?

Hearing the familiar voices, Xie Yuyan immediately dropped her guard. Her arms fell loosely to her sides as she looked thoughtfully toward the hallway.

Sure enough, a moment later, two beautiful figures walked awkwardly out of the shadows. It was Shen Mengli, her face flushed red, and Li Mucheng, who looked embarrassed.

"Why are you two here?"

Seeing them look like children who had done something wrong, Xie Yuyan crossed her arms with interest, looking down at them with a meaningful curve on her lips.

"Uh..."

"Um..."

Li Mucheng and Shen Mengli glanced at each other. Finally, Li Mucheng confessed honestly.

"Sorry, Yuyan. Actually, we wanted to see how you were doing."

"How I was doing? What do you mean by that~?"

How could Xie Yuyan not know what was going through these two little girls' minds? She was the big sister, after all. If she let them mock her, they would hold it over her head forever. She had to be tough to maintain dominance.

"Your physical fitness is so good, so we wanted to see what the result would be. But looking at you now, it seems you're perfectly fine."

Li Mucheng looked Xie Yuyan up and down before giving her answer.

"Naturally. I've undergone professional physical training in the past, after all. You two still need practice~"

Xie Yuyan raised her chin triumphantly. Just as she was preparing to show off her superiority further, Shen Mengli, who had been silent, spoke up.

"Hmph, did your professional training involve learning to meow? With the noises you were making last night, I could hear you from downstairs. Anyone who didn't know better would think spring had arrived."

Xie Yuyan, who had been composed just a second ago, froze like an ice sculpture upon hearing Shen Mengli's words. It took her a long time to recover, biting her lip and lowering her head as a blush crept onto her face.

"Shen Mengli! If you can't sleep, wear earplugs! No one will think you're mute if you keep your mouth shut."

"Meow meow meow~"

"Alright, Shen Mengli. I'm going to order a cat costume right now, and I'll make sure you wear it in front of Ye Feng!"

Shen Mengli, who had been teasing Xie Yuyan, instinctively shrank back upon hearing this, her arrogant aura completely vanishing.

She knew Xie Yuyan would actually do it. While she didn't mind what she wore in front of Ye Feng, doing it in front of Xie Yuyan was a different story.

"I... I'm sorry, okay? I apologize."

Shen Mengli blinked her bright eyes, trying to act cute to hide her embarrassment and indignation.

"Heh, you're lucky today. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you off."

Xie Yuyan stepped forward and gently poked Shen Mengli's forehead, then turned and lazily walked upstairs.

"I need to go back to sleep for a bit. I won't keep you company."

"Don't sleep too long! We're timing you!"

"Don't worry, don't worry~"