Chapter 111: My Sister Is a Stick-in-the-Mud

At night, Wangchuan’s quiet kiss let me know that he was aware of my injury. Perhaps, within this rift, there truly was nothing he did not know.

More than two months passed in a flash. Whatever methods Wangchuan had used, the Netherworld had truly fallen silent. The entire void rift returned to its previous state, where days were spent lounging like kittens basking in the sun. My days spent sunbathing alongside the heavily pregnant Xiaomi also increased.

The Big Cat remained the same toward me—forbidding me from doing this, preventing me from eating that. It seemed that anything I craved was strictly prohibited by him. Although the Big Cat kept insisting that the little one was fine and the real concern was me, well... I knew I was just too weak, but that was his fault—who told him to pick me? I am only human; why didn't he find some spirit beast instead? He had to pick me! Hehe!

The only regret was that my belly still hadn't shown at all. It had been three months, and there wasn't the slightest movement inside. Watching Xiaomi’s belly, which was always bustling with the little one kicking and rolling around, made my flat, empty stomach truly infuriating! I even grew so suspicious and anxious that I asked Yubao to go to the human world to buy a pregnancy test! Heaven knows how worried I was! Who knew what kind of creature I was carrying? And were human pregnancy tests even effective for me?

Fortunately, the test showed two lines, proving that this pregnancy hadn't strayed too far from the human norm. But what exactly would I give birth to? A little Qiongqi? Or a human child? Sometimes I wondered, if I really gave birth to a little Qiongqi just like Wangchuan, I would be the first person to achieve cross-species reproduction! But then again, this body was given to me by Wangchuan; perhaps he was the one who decided what I would produce.

As the days went by, winter arrived, and the rift was blanketed in white snow. Half a year had passed so quickly. I had been in the rift for over six months, and had been with the Big Cat for several. Perhaps unlike typical couples, our life remained playful, with something fresh every day. The guy still delighted in teasing me, but as my skin grew thicker and my temperament more temperamental, he began to change his tactics. Though he no longer scolded or teased me as before, he would always tempt me with some delicious treat from the Spirit Realm or the Demon Realm that I had never seen before. Of course, since it was a temptation, it wasn't given for free; I had to pay a price—ahem—of sorts.

Because the Big Cat feared I would be bored, he got me a tablet to play with. I won't go into how he acquired it, but thanks to this device, I finally became someone who knew the date. I also realized that the New Year was approaching, and Xin'er’s birthday was at the end of the year. I hadn't seen Xin'er in a long time; the last time I snuck a peek, it led to the "underwear incident," a scandal that nearly cost me my life.

But as they say, you forget the pain once the wound heals, especially for a half-human, half-cat like me who had been spoiled rotten! So, after a few days of fussing, coaxing, and being on my best behavior, I finally got Wangchuan to agree to let me go back to see Xin'er! Wangchuan didn't intend to see Han Mingxuan, so he arranged for Yubao to take me.

Because the human world was different from the rift—where the temperature was controlled by Wangchuan and never felt too cold—the human realm was far chillier. Wangchuan specifically had Yubao buy me several oversized down jackets. Before I even left, he bundled me up like a giant rice dumpling, layer upon layer, constantly reminding me to be careful.

"Alright, alright... when did you become so talkative? I'm only going for a little while!" I said, looking at Wangchuan as he hunched over to button my jacket. I couldn't help but boast, my mouth curled into a proud smile.

He flicked my forehead, followed by a gentle kiss. "If you find me too talkative, I won't worry about you in the future."

I blushed instantly, hanging onto his neck and rubbing against him happily. Nearby, Xiaoyun and Yubao, who were waiting to take me out, coughed a few times and turned away. Only then did I purse my lips, turn around, and wave my paw obediently at Wangchuan.

"Goodbye, Master."
"Mm."

The pine mushrooms by the path were beautiful; as the wind blew, ice crystals fell like petals. The three of us walked in a line, leaving tiny footprints in the snow.

"Qianqian..." Xiaoyun pouted, kicking at a snowball and muttering, "I'm so envious of you... when will I ever find a good man?"
"Soon, I hope..." I looked at Xiaoyun and snickered. Wangchuan had only asked Yubao to accompany me, but once Xiaoyun found out, she clung to Yubao's arm until he agreed to bring her along. This was a case of "Sima Zhao’s heart—everyone knows what he’s after." Wasn't she just trying to see Han Mingxuan?

Seeing my knowing look, Xiaoyun lowered her head, blushing. Yubao, however, seemed lost in thought the entire way. I supposed he was worried about his wife at home, but there was no help for it; Yubao was the strongest among us, so we just treated it like a business trip.

We reached the human world quickly. Having prepared in advance, the three of us in our human forms barged straight into Han Mingxuan’s home. In less than three months, Xin'er had grown quite a bit! Dressed in a light green fur-trimmed dress and a small woolen hat, she carried the air of a noble young lady. The moment she saw me, Xin'er rushed over, "Sister, you're back!"

"Yes, yes." I hugged Xin'er, my eyes brimming with tears.

Han Mingxuan was wearing a thick red mink coat, looking like a wealthy nouveau riche. He still had that cheeky smile on his face as he invited us inside, serving us each a cup of hot honey tea. Cats love sweets, and foxes do too, so Xiaoyun and Yubao sipped their honey tea happily. I was even happier; seeing Xin'er had grown taller, I knew Han Mingxuan deserved the credit. I assumed the nutritious meals and the afternoon tea snacks I could never afford in the past had worked their magic. Indeed, the wealthy raise children much better than us peasants.

Xin'er was already beautiful, but after a few months with Han Mingxuan, she hadn't just grown taller with long, slender limbs; her face had become supple and pink, looking lovely. Her large, beautiful eyes blinked like bright, shimmering stars. If someone said Xin'er was a young lady of twelve or thirteen, they would surely be believed. Who would guess this girl was only nine?

As her sister, I was overjoyed. Even the honey tea couldn't stop me from chatting with her. Xin'er had truly grown up. Perhaps because she had been with Han Mingxuan, she seemed much more mature. Her words weren't the whimsical, childish ramblings they used to be, but rather something unexpectedly mature—to a point that I found hard to accept.

"Sister, did you know? Many of my classmates have boyfriends now! They're so cool!"
"Uh?" I was speechless.
"And so many classmates envy me because someone as handsome as Brother Han picks me up! They keep asking if Brother Han has a younger brother! They all want to be the girlfriends of Brother Han’s younger brother!"
"Uh-uh?" I was speechless for a second time.
"There are no younger brothers, just bring them to Brother Han. As long as they've hit puberty," Han Mingxuan said, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, laughing heartily.
"Don't talk nonsense!" I grabbed an orange and threw it straight at him.
Han Mingxuan caught it with a grin. "It's true, though! In another dozen years, I'll still look like this; it's a good deal!"

I shot him a glare and hurriedly explained to Xin'er, "Children should focus on school; you can't think about such crooked things, you hear?"
"Sister, you're such an old fogey." Xin'er pouted. "I was just saying... I... um... I do have someone I like..."

Mid-sentence, my heart skipped a beat. Seeing the direction Xin'er was glancing, I froze in place! She was looking at Han Mingxuan! How could this be?! After my mind blanked for a moment, I stood up, grabbed Han Mingxuan, dragged him to a quiet corner, and pinned him against the wall!

"Tell me! How have you been educating my sister? Why has she become so precocious?!"