Long, fair fingers gripped her chin firmly. The man frowned.
At almost the same moment, Wen Qian reacted. She shrieked, violently pulling his hand away. Ignoring his deeply meaningful gaze, she bolted for the bathroom.
'Damn it, I'm actually getting a nosebleed... while in Yin Zhi's arms, of all places.'
'My reputation! My perfect reputation is ruined!'
Watching the girl's scurrying figure, Yin Zhi raised an eyebrow. His gaze then fell to the back of his own hand, where a red mark had appeared on his previously flawless skin.
'It must be from when Wen Qian struggled just now.' He seemed lost in thought, the smile in his eyes deepening.
...
After cleaning up her nose, Wen Qian was a wreck. She had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. Even though she was a pro at slinging risqué comments online, when faced with the real deal... all she wanted to do was run.
'But could you really blame her?'
'All she'd ever seen were handsome guys on the internet. This was the first time she'd seen a handsome Beastman in the flesh!'
Wen Qian admitted that when he was hugging and holding her, she'd had some impure thoughts about Yin Zhi... but every time she met his clear eyes, she just wanted to slap herself.
'I'm the absolute worst!'
'What could a cat possibly understand?'
'His so-called cuddling was just him treating her as his owner, his playmate... It was his way of expressing the purest form of affection! How could the thought 'might as well...' have even popped into my head!'
'I'm so dirty-minded, so petty, so shameless...'
...
After rejecting all of Yin Zhi's kisses and cuddles countless times, Wen Qian felt her heart had become as hard as a rock.
She kept scrolling through Beastman literature online, trying to learn the proper way to get along with a Beastman.
'But why... does it all seem so improper?'
After a busy afternoon, just as the sky was beginning to darken, Wen Qian emerged from the kitchen with three dishes and a soup. She wore a light pink apron, its cartoon print smudged with oil stains.
Yin Zhi looked completely unfazed, reaching out to hug her, but she fended him off with a spatula. Her expression was stern. "Remember what I said? Beastmen need a sense of boundaries."
"No," Yin Zhi refused softly. Then, he added reluctantly, "You started it."
Wen Qian was completely confused by his words, but she quickly understood. Yin Zhi was talking about before he transformed, when Wen Qian would hug and kiss him every day.
"You were a cat back then!" Wen Qian retorted.
Yin Zhi gave her a deep, complicated look. But he still reluctantly turned his head away.
"Meow."
Wen Qian: "..."
Good grief. Wen Qian's HP bar hit zero again.
This meal was no different from usual. Even before he transformed, Yin Zhi had always refused to eat cat food, opting instead to wait on the dining table at the same time every day for Wen Qian to feed him. Now that he was in human form, everything was actually more convenient for Wen Qian.
Yin Zhi didn't know how to use chopsticks, so Wen Qian got him a spoon and fork, figuring she could teach him slowly when she had time.
After the meal, Yin Zhi took the dishes to the kitchen. He mimicked her actions, squirting detergent and meticulously cleaning the grease off the plates. Wen Qian enjoyed the leisure, leaning lazily against the wall and giving a command or two now and then.
It had to be said, Yin Zhi had a talent for chores. He organized everything neatly and even wiped the countertops clean. The whole kitchen looked even more pleasant than when they had first entered.
"Qianqian." Looking down at her, Yin Zhi's ears twitched twice.
"I want a reward."
Wen Qian blinked, agreeing readily. 'It's perfectly normal for a little animal to want praise. It'll be nothing more than a pat on the head or a request for some snacks.' Just as she was waiting for Yin Zhi to say what he wanted, the man suddenly leaned down and began rubbing his sharp canines against Wen Qian's neck.
He ground them gently, the cold, hard sensation making Wen Qian stiffen. But the next second, a sharp pain shot through her neck, and Wen Qian cried out in surprise... The little brat had actually bitten her!
"Y-Y-You... you bit me!" Wen Qian leaped a meter away, pointing at him and yelling.
Before she could react, Yin Zhi's tail hooked around her and pulled her back. His cool fingers pressed firmly on the spot he had bitten, forcing her into silence. His tone was somewhat meaningful. "I like it."
'This brat is going to drive me crazy. Like what, biting people? The thought process of a Beastman is truly something I'll never comprehend.'
Wen Qian gritted her teeth. "Fine, I'll be the bigger person! I'm not stooping to your level!"
She stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door shut.
...
Wen Qian felt that Yin Zhi didn't like to talk much; he relied more on physical actions. When he was happy, he would nuzzle her. When he was unhappy, he would nuzzle her gently. Occasionally, he would even grind his canines lightly against Wen Qian's fingers. But after Wen Qian's stern "warning," he hadn't broken her skin again. When he really couldn't help it, he would just lick her intently.
Wen Qian suppressed the urge to throw him out and tried to get used to his way of showing affection.
She never considered that, in fact, Yin Zhi had learned many of these behaviors from her. The first time she brought him home, she had ignored his objections, holding him in her arms, kissing and nuzzling him. She even deliberately lifted him high to watch him flail his paws.
Yin Zhi had been utterly mortified. He tried to resist, but the result...
"Qianqian, I need my nails clipped." At night, Yin Zhi, who had been in his cat form, transformed back into a human. He sat on the edge of the bed, turning to the side to tug on Wen Qian's hand.
Wen Qian was just about to fall asleep. Hearing Yin Zhi's voice, she became a little more awake.
She pulled out the nail clippers in confusion. 'Didn't I just clip this guy's nails three days ago?' she thought, right before Yin Zhi suddenly pulled her onto his lap. He positioned her in the same way she used to hold him, making her lie sideways in his arms, and then took her hand...
"!!!" Wen Qian was instantly wide awake, her eyes wide with disbelief.
'What kind of trick is this bad cat trying to play now?!'
She tried to pull her hand back, but the man rubbed her stomach twice through her clothes, then gave her palm a gentle squeeze.
'What on earth is he doing?!'
'Aren't these the exact same moves I used on him before?!'
Seeing the man's dead-serious expression, Wen Qian's anger instantly deflated.
She looked up at the ceiling. Even though there wasn't a mirror, she knew the light had gone out of her eyes.
After having her nails forcibly clipped, Wen Qian limply climbed out of Yin Zhi's arms. She lay back on the bed, her eyes vacant, and asked weakly, "Yin Zhi, do you have any idea what 'propriety between men and women' means?"
Yin Zhi looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm a cat."
Before she could react, he transformed back into his silver gradient form.
Wen Qian froze, then gritted her teeth. 'Oh, great. So now you're a cat again, is that it!'
...Fine!
Mustering strength from who knows where, Wen Qian leaped right out of bed. Under Yin Zhi's confused gaze, she ran out of the bedroom and returned with a round object in her hand.
She tossed the ball of yarn onto the bed, a mischievous smile on her face. "A reward for clipping my nails."