Chapter 5: Chapter 36: A Thieving Cat’s Punishment

“S-Sister, good evening, haha… Was work hard today? Have you bathed? Are you hungry? I’ll go get some hot water and a late-night snack!”

Xiao Xi forced a laugh, turning to flee. ‘Meow— I’m staying at a hotel tonight!’

But before he could reach that door of hope, Sister Yuan snatched him up, pulling him into a fierce embrace as if catching a little chick.

***

Shi Yuan buried her face in Xiao Xi’s long hair, taking a deep breath of his scent. After a moment, she lifted her head and looked down with a wicked smile at the little wife trembling in her arms.

“I want to bathe, I want to eat, and I want to devour a certain thieving cat,” she purred. “You can’t prepare hot water and snacks by running out the door, Xiao Xi.”

“Um… hahaha, I was just going out to buy a snack, Sister. C-Can you let go?” Xiao Xi struggled, and seeing this, Shi Yuan suddenly released him. Her expression hardened as she questioned both him and Shi Meng.

“Out with it! What were you two doing sneaking out today?”

“We…” Shi Meng was also a little intimidated. She could only manage a professional, forced smile while poking her brother in the back, silently urging him to come up with an excuse.

‘Meow— why do they always push everything onto me?’ Xiao Xi’s brow furrowed as he racked his brain.

Generally speaking, if one had to tell a lie, what was the best way to make it believable?

That was it. Mix truth with falsehood. Weave the real with the unreal until fact and fiction blurred. Such a lie was far more logical and convincing than a pure fabrication, and much harder to expose.

Xiao Xi mentally reviewed the day’s events, chose his words carefully, and then, facing the sister who was so confidently waiting to expose him, he decisively went on the offensive.

“We went to school today, but when we got there, we realized our vacation wasn’t over yet. So, we just wandered around and found a little cat stuck on a roof. We tried to get it down for a long time but couldn’t, haha… Do you have any ideas, Sister?”

Xiao Xi had deliberately omitted the most critical part of the story: they had asked their Senior Sister for help. If his sister found out he had involved an outsider in their relationship, she would surely break his legs.

‘Phew—’

Though he maintained his practiced smile, Xiao Xi’s heart was pounding in his chest. The room fell so silent he could hear the frantic beat, loud and clear.

And it seemed… his legs were shaking, too. A numbness was spreading through his entire body.

‘Deep breaths—’

‘No, that’s too obvious! Sister Yuan will see how nervous I am!’

His thoughts were a complete mess. He could only wait for his sister’s next words. But Shi Yuan seemed in no hurry to refute him or pick his story apart. Instead, she stared at him with great interest, as if studying his expression.

After a long moment, her curious gaze softened, and the silent interrogation ended. Sister Yuan gave a playful smile, then turned and walked to the sofa. With her back to them, she sat down and spoke, her voice chilling.

“Xiao Xi, you smell of another woman’s perfume. Little Meng never wears any. You thieving cat, you dare lie to my face?”

“N-No…” Xiao Xi’s face paled. ‘Perfume? Is there really a scent on me?’ He hadn’t noticed it himself.

If there was, it must have been from Senior Sister Gao Meiyou. This… this made the lie much harder to maintain. He had no idea what kind of perfume she wore, so he couldn’t just invent an identity for its owner.

‘Wait, think.’ An idea struck him. Since his sister and Senior Sister Meiyou moved in similar social circles, and his sister could identify a scent he couldn’t even detect, that must mean…

That’s right. His sister must have used this perfume before. She would know exactly who a person wearing it might be.

In that case…

“Ahaha… it’s probably because Meng and I ran into one of her friends at school. A girl, from a pretty wealthy family. We just chatted for a bit.”

That wasn’t a lie at all. Hearing this, Shi Meng quickly nodded along. “Yes, yes, that’s right.”

Shi Yuan paused. With her back to them, they couldn’t see her expression, but they saw her give a slight nod. In the next instant, however, her tone became severe again.

“You lied the first time, Xiao Xi. And that’s no excuse for leaving without telling me. Naughty children who lie must be punished, understand?”

Punishment?

Xiao Xi and Shi Meng fell silent. The weight of their sister’s tone was suffocating. All Xiao Xi could do now was hope the punishment would be light.

“Xiao Xi, come here.” Turning her head, his sister commanded him with the air of a queen. A shiver ran down Xiao Xi’s spine. He walked toward her, trembling, his silver hair a mess. He bowed his head in terror, not daring to meet her eyes.

Shi Yuan gave another cold wave of her hand, gesturing for Shi Meng to stand beside her. Frightened and confused, Shi Meng had no choice but to obey, moving to Shi Yuan’s side.

Before she could even guess at Shi Yuan’s intentions, her sister issued a second command to Xiao Xi.

“A naughty child must first show a good attitude of repentance~” Sister Yuan picked up a throw pillow, placed it on the floor, and pointed with a wicked grin. “First… kneel here for me~! You thieving cat!”

Xiao Xi knelt before Shi Yuan as if by reflex. Though the pillow was soft, his body couldn’t stop shaking. Shi Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then, with a queenly air, lifted one of her silk-stockinged feet and dangled it before him.

“Xiao Xi, do you know how a dog comforts its angry master? I want you to comfort me just like that~”

Shi Meng froze. ‘Sister Yuan’s idea of punishment is… so twisted.’ She couldn’t bear to watch what happened next and turned to slip back to her room, but Sister Yuan grabbed her arm. Her face was still a cold mask as she said, “Don’t you dare move. Watch.”

Shi Meng could only stand there, mortified.

Xiao Xi turned his head away, unable to look at Sister Yuan, unable to bring himself to do as she said. Seeing his inaction, Shi Yuan nudged him lightly with her foot in displeasure.

“Hurry up, you thieving cat. Isn’t this a reward for you? Or could it be… my cute little Xiao Xi, you’re not getting excited, are you?”

“O-Of course not,” Xiao Xi retorted stubbornly.

“Then hurry up~”

Sister Yuan suddenly leaned close to Xiao Xi’s face and whispered the seductive words into his ear. A fog descended over his mind, and he could only… could only obey Shi Yuan’s command by instinct, unable to resist…

Nor did he want to resist…

He gently took hold of that black-stockinged foot. The rustling texture of the silk echoed at his fingertips. A soft inhale brought his sister’s scent to him. Xiao Xi closed his eyes and leaned closer…