“Meow!” The black cat was startled and shook its head violently, trying to throw Xia Yu off.
Xia Yu held tightly onto the black cat, but the cat’s struggle was too intense. He felt his grip loosening; it was only a matter of time before he was thrown off.
There was no choice then.
Xia Yu tensed his body.
“Squeak—”
Intimidation launched!
The black cat froze and stopped resisting.
This was only temporary; the cat quickly recovered, baring its teeth, ready to struggle even more fiercely.
But this brief pause was more than enough!
Xia Yu extended his paw and grabbed the fur on the black cat’s head.
Candao no sixty-three—Gotcha on the head!
“Meow—!”
“Meow meow meow!”
“Meow meow meow meow meow~”
In ten seconds, the black cat’s cries shifted from anger to weakness and finally to begging.
Hmph, want to challenge me?
Xia Yu gave the cat’s head another tug, then loosened his grip.
Still, his paw remained on the cat’s head, ready to tighten again at any sign of rebellion.
The black cat understood this clearly and lay on the ground, adopting a harmless posture.
Xia Yu thought the cat had surrendered and released his grip from its head.
As soon as his hand left, the black cat revealed its true intentions.
It kicked off the nearby chair and rolled sideways.
It wanted to pin Xia Yu down!
Remaining calm under pressure, Xia Yu leaped off the cat’s body, and after the cat completed its roll, he jumped back on and grabbed its head again.
“Meow—” Unable to bear the pain, the black cat darted away.
Although clever, the cat was still inferior to humans and had now lost its composure.
Xia Yu found a comfortable position and sat atop the black cat’s head.
Giddy up!
The black cat raced through the living room.
In the dining room, You Xue heard the commotion and opened the door: “Xiaohei! Don’t bully Xiaohui!”
The girl stood with hands on hips and eyes wide.
Yet what she saw was a black cat being ridden on the head by a hamster, crying meows.
“…?”
Before she could react, the black cat darted beneath her skirt, and amidst the girls’ screams in the dining room, jumped out the window.
Hamster Yu rode atop the black cat’s head; compared to the bumpy ride on the cat’s back, the head was very stable—not just for cats, but for chickens and humans too.
Out the window, the black cat continued running along the path in the backyard. The wind brushed through Xia Yu’s fur, feeling very pleasant.
This low-angle view of the garden was also quite novel for him.
After running a circle, the black cat’s stamina dropped, and Xia Yu also lost interest.
Passing a bush, he leaped, grabbing a branch.
The black cat didn’t notice his departure and kept running, soon disappearing from Xia Yu’s sight.
Climbing to the top of the bush, Xia Yu scanned the surroundings, confirming his location.
Back on the ground, he started walking toward the house.
Along the way, he encountered two maids, but there were many hiding places in the garden, so he wasn’t discovered.
Without incident, he reached the back of the house and found an open window to climb through.
This was the kitchen window, where Yan Wei was humming while making pastries near the oven.
Xia Yu climbed down from the windowsill and approached the oven, timing his opportunity when Yan Wei turned around, then dashed toward the door.
Passing a plate beside the oven, he glanced at it.
It was white jade dumplings!
His steps halted immediately.
There were four white jade dumplings and three red jade dumplings on the plate, exuding a sweet aroma that tempted Xia Yu.
He couldn’t help extending his hamster paw.
“No!”
A hand grabbed Xia Yu—it was Yan Wei’s hand.
“Hamsters can’t eat these.” Yan Wei took Xia Yu away from the plate.
“Squeak squeak squeak! (I just wanted to smell them!)” Xia Yu looked at the retreating white jade dumplings, realizing he still had seven hours before he could return to normal and wouldn’t get to eat these dumplings. He felt a surge of sadness.
He glared at Yan Wei: You’re doomed tonight!
Unaware of her impending doom, Yan Wei placed Xia Yu into a small basket and handed him a sunflower seed: “Here, for you.”
Xia Yu turned his head away.
“Here.” Yan Wei placed the sunflower seed in front of him again.
Xia Yu turned his back.
“Eat the sunflower seed.” Yan Wei offered it to him once more.
Annoyed by the repeated offer, Xia Yu snatched the seed and threw it heavily to the ground.
I won’t eat it!
Yan Wei scratched her head in frustration, pulled out her phone, and called You Xue to come pick up the hamster.
Xia Yu didn’t want to return to the cage or reveal his identity. Taking advantage of Yan Wei’s distraction, he climbed out of the basket and rushed out of the kitchen.
Right now, he was just a hamster powerless against cats, wandering alone in the villa was too dangerous. If he were seen by Kong Hanyue, You Xue, or Yin Yin—the three generations—he would surely face teasing, even if he revealed his identity.
The remaining people like Xu Youxiang and Yan Wei were also the types to take advantage.
He couldn’t even go to his own room, in case You Xue might find him there.
Only An Siyao and Yan Wei’s places were safe.
Yan Wei was too soft to protect him properly, so going to An Siyao’s place was the more reliable option.
Thinking this, Xia Yu ran toward the stairs, preparing to go to An Siyao’s room.
Normally, he could easily take two steps at a time, but now the stairs seemed like a tall wall to him. He could only climb by using the angle between the stairs and the wall.
This greatly slowed Xia Yu’s speed.
After climbing another step, Xia Yu lay on the stair, panting.
These stairs were too high!
Why not install an elevator?
After resting a while, Xia Yu stood up, ready to continue forward, when suddenly he heard two voices from behind.
“…Have you found him?”
“No, don’t know where he ran off to.”
“What about Xiaohei?”
“Xiaohei was found. I don’t know what’s wrong today, but Xiaohui actually bullied Xiaohei.”
The two speakers were Xu Youxiang and You Xue.
They were approaching the stairs!
Xia Yu was still five steps away from the second floor, unable to climb up quickly, and there was nowhere to hide on the stairs. Getting discovered was inevitable.
At this moment, it was time to activate the hamster’s special ability!
Candao no ninety-nine—Play dead!
Lying on the stair, Xia Yu peeked at the approaching two with half-closed eyes.
He imagined that upon seeing him lying there, the two would panic, giving him the chance to act.
The footsteps grew closer. Xia Yu first saw Xu Youxiang, who also spotted Xia Yu.
Xu Youxiang stopped, saying to You Xue behind her: “By the way, check the hamster’s cage to see if he’s back.”
“Right, I’ll go check!” You Xue immediately went downstairs.
Xu Youxiang continued upstairs, picking up the seemingly lifeless hamster Yu.
The hamster didn’t move at all, even when held in her hand.
But Xu Youxiang wasn’t worried at all. She extended her finger and poked Xia Yu’s belly: “Stop pretending to be dead, get up.”
Xia Yu was shocked; could this woman see through his act?
Possibly a trap, I’ll keep lying still and see.
Seeing no reaction from the hamster in her hand, Xu Youxiang continued: “Why did you turn into a hamster today?”
Xia Yu’s body stiffened. Not only was his act exposed, but his identity as well?
“How could a hamster possibly bully a cat?” Xu Youxiang pointed out Xia Yu’s flaw.
Xia Yu couldn’t refute it. He opened his eyes and sighed.
“How did you turn into a hamster?” Xu Youxiang held him, walking toward the bedroom.
“A spell mishap.” Xia Yu warily watched Xu Youxiang, preventing her from taking revenge for the previous night.
“Will you stay a hamster for eight hours?” Xu Youxiang entered the bedroom and closed the door.
“Mm.” Xia Yu dared not say much, fearing to provoke Xu Youxiang.
Xu Youxiang placed Xia Yu on the desk, first calling You Xue to inform the girl that the hamster was found, then continuing to pet Xia Yu.
The hamster’s body was very soft, feeling very pleasant to touch.
However, the hamster was a bit small, making it impossible to enjoy the entire body with one hand.
Observing Xu Youxiang’s calm expression, Xia Yu gradually lowered his guard.
He pushed away Xu Youxiang’s hand: “Don’t touch me.”
Xu Youxiang stopped petting his back, then started playing with his hind legs.
“I don’t like that either.” Xia Yu pushed her hand away again.
Xu Youxiang then placed the hamster back on the desk and switched to poking Xia Yu’s cheeks with her finger.
“It’s uncomfortable, stop it.” Xia Yu pushed her away for the third time.
“Now you know it’s uncomfortable?” Xu Youxiang’s sudden words made Xia Yu’s body stiffen.
Xu Youxiang’s words seemed to carry double meaning.
He tried to retreat backward, but Xu Youxiang grabbed his tail.
Xu Youxiang let out an evil laugh and extended her devilish hand toward Xia Yu.
…
Eight hours later, Xia Yu returned to his original form.
He silently walked downstairs, grabbed the black cat from the living room, and threw it into the cage. Then he went to Xu Youxiang’s door, placing his hand on the doorknob.
The door didn’t open—Xu Youxiang had locked it.
Xia Yu smirked contemptuously, took out a spare key, and opened the door.
“What do you want! Don’t come any closer!” Xu Youxiang’s panicked voice rang out.
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