Everyone was stunned by the scene before them.
The zombie black cat, which had just been as fierce as a small mountain, was now lying on its side on the ground.
Its throat rumbled with a purr, sounding just like a person sighing in comfort.
Chu Liuyue looked at it, unable to resist reaching out to pet it.
Beside her, Zhou Yu'an nervously stole a glance.
Chu Liuyue noticed.
"It's fine," she said.
The zombie black cat obediently lowered its head.
As she stroked it, its originally terrifying, hollow eye sockets narrowed happily, and its tail, thick as a black python, wagged joyfully from side to side.
Chu Liuyue slowly spoke:
"I know it."
"It was a stray cat near the research institute."
"It's very timid because it was hurt by humans before."
Chu Liuyue pointed to its torn ear.
"This is a scar left by someone who abused it in the past."
"Later, I took it to a pet hospital to get its wounds stitched up..." She paused, confusion lacing her tone. "But how did it get zombified, and how did it end up here?"
The Jiang City Research Institute was in the west, while this abandoned hotel was in the east.
There was a very long distance between the two.
Regardless.
The crisis was temporarily resolved.
Gu Man watched the terrifying monster act as docile as a normal little kitten under Chu Liuyue's hand, and couldn't help but say sarcastically:
"Since you can boss this freakish thing around, hurry up and chase it out of the hotel."
"Otherwise, with it staying here, how will any of us dare to sleep tonight?"
As soon as she said this, she immediately drew the stares of the others.
Gu Man didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest and continued:
"This monster only listens to Chu Liuyue; it doesn't know the rest of us."
"Are you all that brave? Are you really comfortable staying in the same hotel as this monster?"
Hearing this, Sister Wan rolled her eyes at her and said in annoyance:
"If you want to go out, you go out. You're such a handful!"
Chu Liuyue nodded in agreement and said, "Exactly, the little kitty is so cute."
Gu Man froze.
She looked back and forth at the two-meter-tall black cat in front of her.
And exclaimed in shock:
"...Little kitty?"
The corners of Chu Liuyue's lips curled up slightly.
She smiled at the zombie black cat and said:
"Mimi, it seems she doesn't like you."
As her voice fell.
The black cat, which had been docile and harmless just a moment ago, immediately arched its back. Its python-like tail stood high as it let out a fierce roar at Gu Man.
As it opened its mouth, a stench of rot filled the air.
It bared its large, sharp fangs.
It looked as if it would pounce on Gu Man in the next second.
Gu Man was so terrified she stuttered, quickly hiding behind Zhou Yu'an.
Zhou Yu'an was prepared and immediately dodged out of the way.
Gu Man then looked toward Yan Qingdou.
He gave a cold snort and said:
"Are you that eager to die? I won't stop you."
In the end, she could only squeeze into Brother Zhong's group, looking hesitantly at Pei Ruoxue.
After the life-and-death moment just now, Pei Ruoxue's attitude toward Gu Man was no longer as accommodating as before.
With a cold face, she said:
"Miss Gu, you better stay away from me."
"After all, I don't have a second life to use as a meat shield for you."
Hearing her say this, Gu Man actually got angry.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean 'use as a meat shield'?"
"What's wrong with me running away on my own when we encountered danger just now? We're just strangers meeting for the first time."
Pei Ruoxue took a deep breath and nodded.
"Right, strangers. So don't come crowding around me now either."
Gu Man looked at the few of them.
And then looked at Zhou Yu'an.
She couldn't understand why she seemed to be excluded by both groups, completely isolated.
...
To ensure everyone's safety, the zombie black cat Mimi stayed on guard in the first-floor lobby, while everyone else stayed in the rooms on the second floor.
The Old Yu couple shared one room, and Brother Zhong took one room.
Originally, Gu Man wanted to share a room with Pei Ruoxue, but was rejected by the latter.
So they each took their own room too.
At this point, there were three rooms left.
But there were four people left: Zhou Yu'an, Yan Qingdou, Li Xichen, and Chu Liuyue.
Li Xichen, not having any hidden motives, offered:
"Sister Xiaoyue, let me share a room with you."
"You can sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa to protect you."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu'an frowned.
"You're a man, how can you share a room with Liuyue?"
Li Xichen couldn't help but chuckle lightly upon hearing this.
"You're a man too, so how come you couldn't protect Sister Xiaoyue?"
Zhou Yu'an fell silent.
Pfft, Yan Qingdou couldn't hold back and burst into laughter from the side.
Li Xichen shot him a glance and added:
"And you, Researcher Yan. If it weren't for the mess your research institute created, we wouldn't be running for our lives."
"What's so funny?"
Yan Qingdou also fell silent.
After scolding them, Li Xichen looked at Chu Liuyue with an obedient and harmless expression.
"Sister Xiaoyue, what do you think?"
Chu Liuyue nodded.
"I think you're right."
Before Li Xichen could rejoice, he heard her continue:
"An'an and Yan Qingdou will share a room."
"The two of us will each get our own room."
Li Xichen parted his lips, masking the disappointment in his eyes.
...
Late at night.
Everything was quiet all around.
There was a knock on Chu Liuyue's door.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw Yan Qingdou's face through the peephole.
She muttered in her heart, what kind of trick is this guy trying to pull now?
So, she decided to keep pretending to be asleep and ignore him.
Outside the door, seeing no response, Yan Qingdou knocked gently again.
Chu Liuyue still ignored him.
Until a faint but clear voice called out from outside.
"Master."
"I have something very important to tell you."
Chu Liuyue smacked her lips, not knowing what was up with this guy.
He was getting more and more used to calling her by that title.
She suddenly threw the door open, catching him completely off guard.
Yan Qingdou had been leaning against the door, and losing his balance, he stumbled forward a few steps.
This stumble not only caused him to lose his footing, but he also ended up pulling Chu Liuyue, who was standing by the door, into his arms.
Together, they tumbled onto the bed behind them.
And the door, which had been slightly ajar,
swung shut on its own with a passing breeze.
Shutting out all the noise from the outside.
The two looked at each other, the air thick with an indescribable awkwardness and ambiguity.
Chu Liuyue remained quite calm.
She simply raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze holding a hint of scrutiny.
But Yan Qingdou, who was pressing down on her, looked as if he had caught on fire. His face instantly turned as red as a tomato, and his ears were so red they looked like they might drip blood.
"Did you do that on purpose?" Chu Liuyue finally spoke, her voice carrying a touch of teasing and provocation.
Hearing this, Yan Qingdou lowered his head.
A trace of complex emotion flashed through his eyes.
The hot breath from his words brushed gently against Chu Liuyue's face.
His voice was so deep it sounded like a whisper right by her ear.
"Yes, I did it on purpose."
