The cat leapt onto the bed, its soft paw brushing against a face
"Meow~"
Krokkkkkk… huiiii…
"Meow? Meow meow."
KROKKKK… HUIIII…
"!?" Startled by the loud noise, the cat's ears twitched. Then, in fury, it unsheathed its claws
"MEOW MEOW!!!" the cat hissed, scratching the face in front of it
The person jolted awake, shouting and shoving the cat away
"Chubby!! Khiss…"
Holding back the pain, Zhilin glared at Chubby — who arrogantly turned his chubby body around and strutted out of the room like a little king
"Ouch…"
Zhilin got up and staggered toward the mirror. Scratches lined her face like a battlefield
"You beast! Hiss…"
"It hurts…"
She rushed out of the room, running from the bedroom to the kitchen in search of the first aid kit — nothing there. Panting, she darted to the living room and finally spotted it… on the sofa, under Chubby's plump belly
"Chubby~"
Hearing his name, Chubby glanced at her lazily while licking his paw
"Meow?~"
"Chubby, my dearest little bachelor~" Zhilin cooed, forcing a smile
"Chubby~"
Before Chubby could react, a swift hand reached out and grabbed him by the scruff. His eyes widened in shock as Zhilin smiled coldly
"Chubby~"
"Meow…" he squeaked, frozen in terror
Zhilin's eyes turned icy as she glared at Chubby, then with a swift motion, she flung him across the sofa. With surprising grace, Chubby landed on the other side, tail high, as if nothing had happened.
He shot Zhilin an arrogant look, twisting his plump body and presenting his round little behind. Dangling between those chubby cheeks were two tiny, wobbly "beans." Zhilin couldn't help but laugh
"With that fat body and that tiny… thing, which female would ever want to mate with you?" she teased, pointing at him
Chubby just turned his back, still flaunting his rotund rear as if daring her to say more
Zhilin laughed uproariously, accidentally grazing the scratches on her face with her hand
"Hisss… damn it!" she muttered, wincing
She grabbed the first aid kit and plopped down on the sofa, rummaging through it until she found a small, circular ointment the size of a thumb. Frowning, she noticed it was already a third used
"Couldn't you have woken me up gently, you fat little brute?"
Scooping a bit of the ointment, she began applying it to her scratched face, glancing at the mirror set near the first aid kit
"This ointment… gone just because of your claws. Even if it's low quality, it cost 350 silver coins!!"
"That could buy three bags of dry food, two packs of wet food… or even keep me alive for a whole month!!"
Zhilin snapped the lid back on the ointment and returned it to the first aid kit. Slowly, the scratches on her face began to heal
She placed the first aid kit back on the table and stood, walking toward the kitchen. She grabbed Chubby's bowl, labeled with his name, and filled it with dry cat food
"Chubby…" she called
No response
"Chubby!" she tried again
Still nothing. Sighing, Zhilin carried the bowl back toward the living room, determined to hand it to him despite his stubborn silence