Chapter 615 - 618: The Price

Chapter 615: Chapter 618: The Price

Li Ji squatted down, extending a long, slender finger to poke the calico cat’s belly.

The calico cat obliged with a meow.

Yue Niang found the scene unbearably cute. She covered her face and squealed.

"The little kitty is so adorable!"

Hua Manman, however, had a bad feeling.

She remembered that Li Ji possessed the Mind Reading Technique.

She wasn’t sure if the Mind Reading Technique worked on animals.

’If it works... then wouldn’t the system’s cover be...?’

At this thought, a strange look crossed Hua Manman’s face.

The little calico cat didn’t know its cover was in jeopardy.

It was still crying out, "MEOW, MEOW," doing its best to show off its feline charms.

Li Ji withdrew his finger, stared at the cat for a moment, and then suddenly asked a question.

"Are you male or female?"

The little kitty: ???

Before it could react, Li Ji yanked its hind legs apart, his gaze landing on the two small, furry balls there.

"Ah, so it’s a male."

The little kitty let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

MEOW MEOW MEOW!

’SCREW YOU! How dare you act like such a pervert in public? You’re so shameless!!’

It kicked its legs and writhed desperately, doing everything in its power to cover its private parts.

Li Ji let go.

The little calico cat shot off like an arrow released from a bow, diving headfirst into Hua Manman’s arms and whimpering pitifully.

’Boohoo, I’m tainted!’

’I’ve been defiled!’

Hua Manman struggled to keep from laughing out loud.

She wrapped her arms around the scrawny calico cat and said to Li Ji.

"The poor thing. Don’t frighten it."

Li Ji glared at the little calico cat in her arms and said coldly, "It’s a male."

Hua Manman was confused. "I know."

Li Ji frowned. "Since you know, you should keep your distance from it. After all, men and women must maintain a proper distance."

His words left everyone else baffled.

Only Hua Manman understood his meaning in an instant.

’He heard the little calico cat’s thoughts!’

’The little calico cat’s cover is blown!’

Hua Manman silently placed the little calico cat on the ground and lectured it earnestly.

"You’re a grown-up cat now. You need to learn to live independently and stop clinging to me all the time, understand?"

The little calico cat stared at the woman before it with wide, incredulous eyes.

Its gaze was filled with condemnation, as if it were looking at a faithless lover.

MEOW! MEOW!

’I waited for you for so, so long, and this is how you treat me?’

’You heartless woman!’

Seeing this, the deep furrow in Li Ji’s brow smoothed out, and he immediately felt a sense of satisfaction.

’I don’t care if this cat is a monster or something else entirely. As long as it’s male, it can’t get too close to Manman!’

Yue Niang squatted down, stroking the little calico cat gently. She looked up at Hua Manman and asked.

"Young Master, what’s this little cat’s name?"

Hua Manman remembered the calico cat from her memories and answered without a second thought.

"Little Flower."

Yue Niang stroked the calico cat again and called out softly, "Little Flower."

Little Flower sat on the ground, head tilted back and eyes narrowed in what looked like pure enjoyment.

His bones could be felt distinctly through his fur.

He was truly far too skinny.

Yue Niang’s heart ached for him, and she picked him up.

"Young Master, I’ll go get him something to eat."

Hua Manman nodded. "Alright."

As Li Liao watched Yue Niang’s departing figure, he suddenly spoke.

"How long do you plan on deceiving her?"

Hua Manman knew he was talking about her being a woman disguised as a man.

She scratched her head, feeling deeply conflicted.

If she told Yue Niang the truth, Yue Niang would surely be angry and upset. But she couldn’t keep hiding the truth forever. Avoiding the problem wouldn’t solve it, and the matter would have to come to light sooner or later.

Hua Manman replied, "Let’s just wait a bit longer. I’ll wait until she’s in a good mood, then I’ll have a proper talk with her."

Li Liao noticed his son staring at Manman and, guessing they had things to discuss, tactfully rose to take his leave.

As soon as Li Liao was gone, Li Ji asked,

"What’s the deal with that calico cat?"

Now that Hua Manman was free from the system’s control, she no longer had to fear the restrictions set by the Main God. She decided to tell him everything.

"It’s a long story. Let me start from the beginning..."

She recounted her entire experience, from transmigrating from modern society and being bound to a system to being forced to complete its missions.

Li Ji listened quietly, his expression never changing.

The story was so long that by the time Hua Manman finished, her throat was parched.

Li Ji poured her a cup of hot tea.

As he watched her gulp down the tea, Li Ji asked out of the blue,

"This world is a book, and we’re all characters in it?"

Hua Manman swallowed her tea and nodded. "Yes."

Li Ji continued, "According to the book’s plot, I should be dead by now?"

Hua Manman nodded again.

He had only escaped death because she had used a Life Reviving Pill to save him.

But that raised a question—

Li Ji asked, "What price did you pay to save me?"

Hua Manman froze.

She couldn’t help but admire Li Ji’s perceptiveness.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

She had helped Li Ji change his fate of an early death, causing a huge deviation in the plot. It was inevitable that she would have to pay a price for it.

And yet, Hua Manman had omitted that part from her story.

She met the man’s profound gaze and said hesitantly,

"It wasn’t really a big deal. It’s all in the past, and I..."

Li Ji cut her off, his voice firm. "Tell me."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Hua Manman knew she couldn’t brush it off and had no choice but to confess.

"I was punished."

Li Ji pressed on, "What kind of punishment?"

Hua Manman tried to sound as casual as possible, as if the punishment was nothing to her.

"Just a little pain in my chest, that’s all."

Li Ji immediately remembered.

After the poison in his body had been neutralized, Manman had disappeared for a while.

Although she was found not long after, she had fallen gravely ill the moment she returned.

While she was delirious with fever, she had kept crying out that she was in pain.

The Imperial Physician had privately told Li Ji that Hua Manman might have a heart condition, advising him to be vigilant.

Afterward, Li Ji had asked Feihua Zhenren to examine Hua Manman, but he found no sign of a heart condition.

The matter had been dropped, but now, hearing Hua Manman’s account, the truth suddenly became clear.

Hua Manman didn’t have a heart condition, but she suffered from excruciating chest pain as a result of changing the plot.

The pain was so agonizing it made life feel worse than death, so much so that she would cry out in her sleep even after passing out.

Li Ji slowly sank to a squat in front of Hua Manman.

He looked her directly in the eye, raised his right hand, and gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek.

His gaze made Hua Manman uncomfortable, and she explained in a small voice,

"You don’t need to feel guilty.

My decision to save you back then wasn’t entirely for your sake.

It was mostly for my own sake.

We were like two grasshoppers on the same rope. Only if you lived could I continue to live a peaceful life."