Chapter 42: Teasing the Tail

“By the way, what were you looking at when I came in just now? You were so absorbed.”

Duan Yan asked curiously.

‘The obscene/obscene content, can that really be mentioned?’

“Oh, it was nothing.”

Song Jin’s ears turned slightly red. She unnaturally tucked her hair back in an attempt to hide it, pursed her lips, her gaze wandering, and then quickly changed the subject. “Sister Duan, why did you choose this script?”

As expected, Duan Yan forgot her previous question and began to explain patiently.

“The female lead in this drama fits your image perfectly. Although you’ve participated in many productions, there aren’t many roles that are truly memorable. This isn’t to say your acting is poor; you just lack the opportunity for a role that can deeply resonate with people and become a classic.”

“I understand.”

Song Jin could tell that Duan Yan was genuinely considering her best interests, and a warm current flowed through her heart.

“I’m leaving for Country F the day after tomorrow. The auditions for this drama will be held in the next few days. You need to seize the time to prepare and strive to win this role, okay?”

Duan Yan moved a chair and sat beside Song Jin, taking the script out of her bag and handing it to her. “Today, just focus on the basic plot and character analysis.”

Song Jin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sister Duan, how do you have this script?”

“Silly, the director is one of Yuan Si’s star pupils. Naturally, she had to ask this ‘senior’ sister for her esteemed opinion, so the script flew into my hands ahead of time.”

Duan Yan raised her eyebrows triumphantly.

Song Jin nodded blankly, took the script, and lowered her head to read its contents.

Duan Yan handed Song Jin a pen. “Just give it a general read-through today. Ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

The surroundings were quiet, with only the rustling sound of the pen tip on paper and the turning of pages.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment; everything became slow and clear.

Song Jin quietly turned her head, her gaze as gentle as a spring stream, delicately brushing over every contour of Duan Yan’s face.

Duan Yan was completely focused on analyzing the script, the pen in her hand dancing ceaselessly. Her face showed seriousness and professionalism, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were solving a complex puzzle.

That focused aura made Song Jin’s heartbeat quicken involuntarily.

Duan Yan at work exuded a unique charm that, without a single word, left Song Jin infatuated and mesmerized.

A strand of raven-black hair silently slipped down, gently brushing against Duan Yan’s smooth forehead, obscuring Song Jin’s view.

Song Jin suppressed the impulse to reach out and push that strand of hair away, merely biting her lip lightly, holding the desire back in her heart.

Duan Yan also noticed the interference of this strand of hair. She casually tucked it behind her ear, the movement fluid and elegant.

She turned her head slightly, and her eyes met Song Jin’s entranced gaze unexpectedly.

Duan Yan’s eyes held a playful look, as if silently asking: ‘Why are you peeking at me?’

Caught peeking, a flash of panic crossed Song Jin’s eyes, but she quickly found a righteous reason for herself in her heart—she was now Duan Yan’s officially acknowledged girlfriend.

‘Isn’t it perfectly natural to look at my own girlfriend?’

And so, Song Jin straightened her back without a word and stared at Duan Yan openly and honorably.

Duan Yan gave Song Jin a gentle smile, silently moved her lips, and tapped the paper with the tip of her pen, mouthing the words “focus,” a hint of doting in her eyes.

Song Jin blinked, mimicking Duan Yan’s mouth movements and responding with an “understood.” The corners of her lips turned up slightly, revealing a knowing smile.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

At that moment, the air was filled with pink bubbles, silent yet full of affection.

Afterward, Duan Yan averted her gaze and continued to study the script.

Song Jin, however, remained lost in Duan Yan’s smile, silently savoring that unique intimacy and sweetness.

The more she thought about it, the happier she felt, and a mischievous idea sprouted in her mind.

She quietly let out her fluffy tail.

The tail showed a soft orange color under the light, like the last ray of a sunset in autumn.

While Duan Yan wasn’t looking, Song Jin’s tail, like a little thief, stealthily crept onto the tabletop, attempting to tease Duan Yan’s face.

However, not long after it had climbed onto the table…

Song Jin made a terrible discovery.

Her tail was not long enough. No matter what, it couldn’t reach Duan Yan’s face.

Song Jin bit her lip, her eyes darted around with a hint of cunning, and she decided to change her target.

And so, the fluffy orange tail made a turn in the air and gently crawled onto Duan Yan’s arm.

Seeing her tail touch Duan Yan’s skin, Song Jin was utterly satisfied.

She continued to look down at the script, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift into a smug arc.

As for Duan Yan’s reaction?

Hehe, she didn’t care about that.

The little tail seemed to have a mind of its own, quietly rubbing against Duan Yan’s smooth arm.

As if it were acting cute.

Duan Yan felt a tingling itch on her arm. She frowned slightly and looked down curiously.

It turned out to be the tail of a little orange cat, rubbing against her.

Although the tail was rubbing back and forth on her arm, its owner was sitting upright and proper, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

Song Jin’s back was ramrod straight, her hands placed neatly on the table, her eyes focused on the script, seemingly completely unaware of her tail’s actions.

But Duan Yan could see that Song Jin’s movements were a bit unnatural.

Her shoulders were slightly shrugged, as if she wanted to… but that subtle tension did not escape Duan Yan’s eyes.

Duan Yan laughed inwardly and gently caught the mischievous tail with her other hand.

Her fingers gently ran through the soft fur, lightly stroking the smooth coat.

The owner of the tail didn’t seem to mind at all.

Song Jin’s face showed no sign of displeasure. On the contrary, under Duan Yan’s gentle stroking, the tips of her ears unconsciously blushed a few shades of red, like cherry blossoms brushed by a spring breeze, delicate and charming.

Her fingers moved lightly through the soft fur, like flowing clouds and water, gently stroking the tail’s smooth coat.

It seemed the owner of the tail had no objections.

Naturally, Duan Yan did not miss this subtle change in Song Jin. And so she grew bolder, her palm and the back of her hand indulging in the silky, soft touch of the tail.

‘How dare she bully my tail?’

What was even more outrageous was that Duan Yan actually used her fingers to gently press down, trying to feel the warmth and elasticity beneath the tail.

Song Jin, who had intended to tease Duan Yan, had now become the one being teased.

Not only was Song Jin’s little plan seen through by Duan Yan, but Duan Yan had also turned the tables, making her the object of her play.

A look of slight shame and annoyance appeared on Song Jin’s face. She tried to gently pull her tail back, only to find it was gently held by Duan Yan, unable to move.

Helpless, Song Jin could only puff up her cheeks, her eyes wide, and say petulantly, “You’re not allowed to touch it anymore.”

“But, it was the one that came to me, wasn’t it?”

Duan Yan blinked, looking very innocent.

“Anyway, you can’t touch it anymore. If you keep touching it, my tail will go bald.”

Song Jin protested seriously, her gaze falling on the table, where there were a few strands of fur that had fallen off after being gently stroked by Duan Yan.

She pointed at the fur as if she had found evidence of a crime. “It’s all your fault, my fur is falling out.”

“But, that one night, didn’t you say I could touch your tail and ears forever?”

???

Song Jin’s eyes widened, her face full of confusion. “When did that happen?”

Last night, she had clearly promised to let Duan Yan pet her after she turned into a cat. When did this happen?

“It was that night you were completely drunk. You insisted on pulling my hand and making me pet your head. You were about to cry if I didn’t, so I had no choice but to agree.”

Duan Yan’s tone was perfectly natural, as if she were recounting a fact.

That night, the only thing Song Jin remembered was confessing to Duan Yan, but she had no memory of anything else.

If it was that night, it seemed it wasn’t impossible.

After all, she liked Duan Yan and knew that Duan Yan liked to pet fluffy things.

However, if she admitted to this, wouldn’t she become a plaything in Duan Yan’s hands in the future, repeatedly kneaded by her, and eventually turn into a bald cat?

Song Jin blinked her innocent eyes, trying to play dumb. “I was drunk! How can you take words like that seriously?”

“Is that so? In that case, does the confession from that night not count either?”

Duan Yan smiled cunningly.

That smile looked particularly playful on her usually calm face, inadvertently blowing away her customary seriousness and composure.

In the eyes of outsiders, Duan Yan was always a mature and reliable senior, a respectable teacher.

She was used to maintaining a mature and steady image in public. Those childish actions seemed to have no connection to her and rarely appeared.

However, whenever she was with Song Jin, Duan Yan found herself becoming a different person.

Whether it was due to being infected by Song Jin’s innocence, or because she had stimulated the childlike innocence deep within Duan Yan’s heart, in short, whenever she was with Song Jin, some extremely childish thoughts would involuntarily pop into her head.

This sentence made Song Jin’s heart tighten. She jumped up almost reflexively. “No! That was what I truly felt in my heart, and you already agreed. How can it not count?”

‘Forget it. Being petted is just being petted.’

‘Compared to losing my Wifey, this is a completely minor loss, wuwuwu…’

Song Jin nodded helplessly, a look of resignation on her face. “Alright then, you can touch it.”

The tail obediently lay back in Duan Yan’s hand, allowing her to stroke it gently.

A triumphant smile appeared on Duan Yan’s face. She pressed her face against it and gave it a good, hard rua¹.

She looked like a child who had found their favorite toy, satisfied and joyous.

A tingling, numbing itch crawled up her spine from her tailbone. Song Jin shuddered all over.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The sound of knocking from outside the door broke the warm atmosphere inside the room. Song Jin and Duan Yan were both stunned and looked towards the door at the same time.

“Xiaoyan, Xiaojin, it’s almost six o’clock. Hurry down for dinner.”

Auntie Lian’s voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of urgency and concern.

‘Oh no, we forgot the time.’

Duan Yan quickly let go of Song Jin’s fluffy tail, cleared her throat, and returned to her usual tone. “We know. We’re looking at the script. We’ll be down right away.”

With a “swoosh,” Song Jin quickly retracted her tail. Feeling the lingering warmth and touch of Duan Yan on it, her ears turned red against her will.

“Let’s go.” Duan Yan’s voice sounded softly. She opened the door and stepped out first, with Song Jin following closely behind.

At the top of the stairs, Auntie Lian saw the two of them come out and keenly sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

She frowned slightly and glanced at Duan Yan, as if trying to find an answer in her expression.

Suddenly, as if she understood something, a flash of realization crossed her eyes.

Duan Yan felt Auntie Lian’s gaze and could only awkwardly avert her eyes, forcing a look of nonchalance.

‘Heaven is my witness, all I did was sniff Song Jin’s tail.’

‘What’s wrong with a cat s*ave sniffing a cat?’

Seeing this, although Auntie Lian was full of questions, she ultimately chose not to ask. She just shook her head slightly and turned towards the dining room, saying as she walked, “The food is getting cold. No matter how busy you are, remember to eat on time next time.”

Hearing this, Duan Yan and Song Jin exchanged a glance, seeing a hint of embarrassment in each other’s eyes.

Footnotes:

1. rua (揉啊): A popular Chinese internet slang term, often used in the context of pets (especially cats). It describes the action of petting, rubbing, or kneading something soft and fluffy in a very affectionate and slightly forceful way. It conveys a deep sense of love and enjoyment in the act of petting.