As morning light crept onto the edge of the bed, its warmth fell gently upon a pair of small feet stretching out from under the blanket.
The young woman's dark hair spilled across the pillow like satin. Her face was soft without being round, still touched with a lingering hint of baby fat around her cheeks.
When the light brushed against her face, her apricot-shaped eyes slowly fluttered open.
After a sound night's sleep, Bai Yu felt as though she had been sleeping on a cloud, and she was reluctant to get up.
*Tap, tap, tap.* A knock sounded at the door.
The young woman hurriedly put on her slippers. Opening the door, she saw a servant dressed in a Chinese-style qipao, standing respectfully with breakfast in hand.
A steaming bowl of beef noodles, a piece of milky-white osmanthus cake, and a glass of milk.
Arranged across several exquisite serving dishes, it looked utterly appetizing.
"Miss Bai, Assistant Liu gave special instructions that if you hadn't woken up yet, your breakfast should be brought directly to your room."
Bai Yu swallowed hard, stepping aside to let the servant bring the breakfast inside. Just as she was about to devour it like a starving wolf, a commotion sounded from outside the window.
Quite a few servants were hurrying past, as if something major had happened.
Holding a bowl larger than her face, the young woman shuffled over to the windowsill, noodles dangling from her oily mouth as she looked around in all directions.
Her phone on the bedside table buzzed with a few vibrations.
She hastily put down the bowl and checked her phone.
[Animal Chat Group]
Orange Cat: The Big Boss is having another episode! Quick, save me meow, save me meow wa~~~~
Dobin: It's definitely because my dad slept with a fat cat like you that he had an episode! You should all be thrown out of the Lin Residence.
Orange Cat: Human! Come save me meow! The Big Boss suddenly got bloodshot eyes, started smashing the wall like crazy, and bled a lot. It's so terrifying~~~
Bai Yu: Which direction are you in? I'll come find you.
The young woman's heart leaped to her throat as she bolted out the door.
Actually, Lin Du's location was easy enough to find; the servants were hurrying back and forth, all converging on a single direction.
Through the shifting crowd of figures, Bai Yu saw Lin Du being held down on the bed by two strong men, their grips tight on his limbs. Assistant Liu's glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose in his panic. "Hurry! Hurry up and call Dr. Bai!"
The man's fists were a bloody mess, and two streaks of blood smeared the wall.
He growled like a wild beast, yet refused to speak a single word.
Daju jumped out of Lin Du's room, weaved through countless pairs of feet, and stopped right in front of Bai Yu.
Orange Cat: Human, you took too long! Meow almost thought I was going to meet my ancestors, woooooo.....
Bai Yu picked up the chubby puddle of a cat, a cloud of suspicion gathering between her brows. "Weren't you doing fine last night? Why is he like this again today?"
The orange cat buried its head into the crook of the young woman's armpit: Human, hug me tight! Just like you did when meow was a kitten, hold me real tight.
"Daju, was there anything unusual last night?"
Orange Cat: Aside from the Big Boss's pectoral muscles being unusually hard, nothing unusual.
Cold sweat dripped down Bai Yu's forehead. "Do you know that you're a male cat?"
Sensing something peculiar about Lin Du's sudden attack, the young woman took advantage of the dispersing servants to stealthily slip into his bedroom.
The rooms in the Lin Residence were largely similar in layout; Lin Du's room was simply a bit larger.
The moment they stepped inside, Daju began to shiver all over, wriggling deeper into Bai Yu's embrace.
The man had been given a sedative and now lay quietly on the bed, breathing shallowly with the injuries on his hands wrapped in white gauze.
Bai Yu glanced around the room, her gaze finally landing on the incense burner resting on the windowsill.
Her light brown pupils suddenly constricted.
She recalled what the orange cat had said in the [Animal Chat Group] last night.
[Orange Cat: Then meow will just keep sleeping on the Big Boss's pectoral muscles. How strange, the aromatherapy in this room makes me want to puff up my fur.]
"Daju, sniff this incense and see if there's something weird about it." The young woman held the orange cat directly over the incense burner.
The orange cat sneezed repeatedly, its paws flailing: Meow's fur is going to stand on end! Smelling this incense makes me so irritated!
Daju's words instantly confirmed Bai Yu's suspicion.
Without hesitation, she picked up a pot of tea from the coffee table and poured it directly over the incense, dousing it completely.
Anxious footsteps echoed from outside the door, and Assistant Liu's voice drifted down the corridor.
"Dr. Bai, thank you for making the trip. Young Master Lin's condition has been terribly unstable. After being missing for three days and finally being found, he's had another relapse. Please take a look at him."
"Young Master Lin's condition has been managed by me for the past few years, and I understand his illness better than anyone. Assistant Liu, you can rest easy."
It was a familiar and irritating female voice.
Holding Daju, Bai Yu stood by Lin Du's bed. When she saw that the woman Assistant Liu had brought in was Bai Yujiao, the world went dark before her eyes, as if a layer of bacteria had smeared across her vision.
Upon seeing Bai Yu, the muscles in Bai Yujiao's face stiffened involuntarily.
"Why are you here?"
"None of your business." Bai Yu's displeasure was written all over her face, and Daju in her arms even began hissing repeatedly at Bai Yujiao as a warning.
"Assistant Liu, does the Lin Residence let just anyone in? Young Master Lin is already having an attack—how can you allow such idle people to loiter in his room? Is this how you take care of Young Master Lin?"
"I'm allergic to animal fur. If she stays here, I'm not going in. If Young Master Lin's condition is delayed and Madam Fang blames someone, don't expect it to fall on me."
Bai Yujiao raised her voice slightly, realizing her loss of composure only after speaking, and cast a sideways glance at Bai Yu, who was sitting casually on the sofa petting the cat.
Yesterday, she had gone to great lengths to drive this wild country girl out of the Bai Family, and today, the girl had actually shown up in the Lin Residence again.
Truly like a ghost that wouldn't disperse.
Assistant Liu wore an awkward expression, but out of concern for Young Master Lin's condition, he looked apologetically at Bai Yu.
At that moment, Bai Yu's phone in her back pocket was practically vibrating itself to death.
Orange Cat: Bacteria! Bacteria!! Scram, scram, get away from the Big Boss!
Orange Cat: Claiming she's allergic to animal fur—such a pretentious bitch! You don't have fur on your body yourself, aren't you an animal too?
Orange Cat: I really want to take a dump on your head!
Dobin: You fat cat, you better stay away from my dad's bed! Dr. Bai is my dad's psychiatrist, and if you offend her, my grandma won't let you off!
Attached was a meme of 'Empress Zhen Huan' turning back for a lethal glare.
Orange Cat: You watchdog, since you can't sleep on the Big Boss's bed, you're just yapping a bunch of nonsense as if meow would ever deign to care about you.
Dobin: Just you wait, I'm coming over right now to bite you.
Completely oblivious to the conversation in the [Animal Chat Group], Bai Yu could only see Assistant Liu's constipated expression.
"Dr. Bai, this Miss Bai Yu is the benefactor who brought Young Master Lin back yesterday, and she's a distinguished guest of the Lin Residence, not just some idle person."
"Hmph, what a stroke of sheer dumb luck. Since Assistant Liu says so, I'll be heading back then. Have fun entertaining the distinguished guest of the Lin Residence."
Knowing that Assistant Liu would surely try to keep her, Bai Yujiao shot Bai Yu a provocative look as she spoke.
That look seemed to say: *What are you compared to me?*
Assistant Liu hurriedly chased after Bai Yujiao toward the door. Seeing the 'bacteria' finally vanish from the doorway, the orange cat instantly leaped onto the Big Boss's bed, rubbing its furry head against his face.
Orange Cat: Big Boss, Big Boss, wake up! Meow's life is in danger, please protect meow!
Dobin: Cut the useless crap, I'm not eating dog food today, I'm eating cat meat!
Down the corridor, Assistant Liu's earnest pleas to make Bai Yujiao stay could be heard from afar, accompanied by a few barks.
The barking grew closer and closer.......
Daju kept licking Lin Du's face, rubbing his head against it with such intensity it seemed about to spark a flame, all while letting out a constant stream of high-pitched, tomcat-like meows.
"Woof! Woof! Woof woof!!!!"