Chapter 134: Did It Scratch You?

"Domestication?"

The word seemed a bit too dramatic. Xu An'an felt that Xue Shengnan was only seeing the tip of the iceberg and letting her imagination run wild; the reality was nothing like that. She couldn't be bothered to explain, nor could she explain it clearly.

Xue Shengnan, however, took this as an admission. With a playful glint in her eyes, she nudged Xu An'an with her elbow. "In that case, I’m going downstairs to play with the cats."

"Oh, by the way, can I stay with you for a while?"

Perhaps reminded of her own messy love life, the light in Xue Shengnan's eyes dimmed. The urge to escape had never felt so overwhelming. Heart aching for her, Xu An'an gave her a comforting hug.

"You can stay as long as you like."

Encased in Xu An'an’s embrace, Xue Shengnan nearly broke down. Her eyes grew red, and she choked out, "An'an, thank you."

Although Xue Shengnan had been putting on a brave face, Xu An'an knew she had been bottling it up for a long time. She patted her friend’s back gently and said softly, "If you want to cry, just let it out."

"Crying isn't a sign of weakness; it’s a way to release your emotions."

Hearing this, Xue Shengnan finally burst into loud, unrestrained sobs. Ever since the engagement party, she had forced herself to be strong, telling herself it was nothing, that there was no reason to be sad, that she should just treat him like trash she had discarded.

But she had poured so much genuine heart into it...

Why? Had she not done enough? Had she not been good enough?

When Xue Shengnan was finally cried out, Xu An'an helped her to the sofa and even went downstairs to bring up a few cute kittens to keep her company. Stroking the cats, Xue Shengnan’s mood began to lift.

Xu An'an went to brew some brown sugar ginger tea. "Drink this. You usually drink too much coffee; this will be better for you."

Xue Shengnan took a sip. It felt warming to both her stomach and her heart. Her parents had tried to comfort her, but she didn't want to worry them, so she had to pretend she was fine. She usually threw herself into work and rarely made friends. Xu An'an was the only person she considered a true confidante.

They had met through work. Their friendship hadn't been this deep before, always keeping a certain distance, but ever since the incident with Tang Jin’s infidelity, they had been drawn much closer.

After Xue Shengnan finished the tea, Xu An'an urged her to get some sleep. "It’s the weekend, anyway. Don't think about anything else. Let’s go out for hot pot later."

To fit into her beautiful gown for the engagement party, Xue Shengnan had eaten nothing but boiled vegetables for a month; now, she felt like she hadn't tasted real food in ages. She swallowed hard, eager to drag Xu An'an out right then and there. However, after the emotional toll of crying, she felt exhausted and decided to head back to her room to rest.

Xu An'an went downstairs first to take care of all the cats. Seeing the fat cat approach, she couldn't help but think of Jiang Li, and how she had once said, "If my boyfriend made me angry, I’d beat him until even his mother wouldn't recognize him!"

To which Jiang Li had replied, "Then go ahead and hit me."

What did he mean by that? When had they become a couple? Why didn't she know about it? It had to be a new trick that dog of a man was playing on her! If Xue Shengnan hadn't appeared just in time, she would have naturally retorted, "You aren't my boyfriend, why would I hit you?" She would have fallen right into his trap!

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. If Jiang Li really wanted something with her, why hadn't he done anything to stop her from marrying Jiang Yu?

"Meow."

The fat cat climbed into her lap of its own accord, kneading its paws comfortably. Xu An'an couldn't help but laugh, picking the cat up. "How old are you? Still kneading?"

"Meow." The cat looked innocent, its paws flexing in and out.

Realizing the cat needed its nails trimmed, Xu An'an decided to leave it to Jiang Li—since the cat was so attached to him. Afraid she might forget, she pulled out her phone and sent him a message. The moment she hit send, she felt a pang of regret. She was terrified that if he didn't reply, she would look like a fool.

*Ding-a-ling!*

Startled, Xu An'an clumsily answered the video call from Jiang Li. She was stunned; she hadn't expected this reaction from him.

Seeing her bewildered expression, the corners of Jiang Li’s lips curled upward. He propped his phone up, framing his face. He went back to the documents on his desk, signing his name with a swift, decisive stroke of his fountain pen. "You could just trim them yourself. Why dump the work on me?"

"Then what are you doing at home?"

As he spoke, Jiang Li closed the file and looked up at Xu An'an on the screen. She happened to be rolling her eyes; she had assumed he was still focused on his work, so his sudden gaze caught her off guard. She rubbed her nose, feeling guilty.

"It’s because the fat cat is more attached to you."

"Just bribe it with some treats."

"No way. I'm leaving it to you. If it scratches you, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Did it scratch you?" Jiang Li looked at her intently, his eyes full of concern.

Meeting his gaze, Xu An'an’s face flushed hot. She shook her head like a bobblehead. "N-no, not yet..."

Looking at the fat cat still lounging in her arms, Jiang Li frowned. "Put it down. I’ll trim its nails when I get back tonight."

Xu An'an gave a distracted "mm" and hurried to end the call. She obediently placed the cat on the carpet and curled up on the sofa. Even though she hadn't wanted to a moment ago, the thought that it might scratch her made her suddenly willing to comply.

Xu An'an tossed and turned, still not daring to think too much.

The cat, having been dumped on the carpet, stood up, shook its flabby body, and walked away with an elegant gait, not forgetting to brush its tail against Xu An'an’s foot. Feeling the soft fur brush against her, she finally calmed down. *Stop thinking about it, get to work!*

...

Soon, the new product was ready, and it was time to shoot the commercial.

Xu An'an arrived at the studio early, intentionally skipping makeup and applying only moisturizer, as she assumed the shoot required her to be bare-faced. As it happened, Ning Xiyue was also shooting in the studio next door. Both were filming ads for the Jiang Corporation.

However, Xu An'an’s studio was clearly larger and better equipped than Ning Xiyue’s, with professional-grade gear and a larger crew. This made Ning Xiyue incredibly jealous, as she believed such a setup should have been hers. She decided to ask around.

"For a luxury skincare line, they should be using an A-list star, right? Does anyone know who it is?" She was lingering in the area, hoping to get noticed and make connections.

Just then, Xu An'an walked over, and the two locked eyes.

Ning Xiyue greeted her with a smile, though her eyes flashed with coldness. "An'an, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're here to work a part-time job?"

She had heard from Jiang Yu that Xu An'an often took part-time jobs to earn money for her mother’s medical bills.

Xu An'an’s lips curled slightly, and she said indifferently, "I suppose you could say that. I'm here to film an ad."