One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 6

What on earth... This, this...

Song Xici stared at the items placed by her door, taking a step forward, then half a step back.

Clutching her towel tightly, legs nearly giving way from fright, Song Xici ventured out again only to hear a soft door opening from nearby.

Tang You'an emerged, looking at her questioningly with an innocent expression.

"Tang You'an! Tell me, did you do this?!" Song Xici pointed at the apples on the floor.

"I merely..." Tang You'an's words caught in her throat.

Song Xici looked far from pleased; in fact, she seemed furious. Clearly, Tang You'an had erred.

"I'm not dead yet, why are you in such a rush to burn incense for me? What's this about?! Were you planning to burn paper money for me too?" Song Xici crouched down, picked up an apple, and pulled out the incense in front of Tang You'an, demanding answers.

Truthfully, had Tang You'an found paper money, she would have burned that too.

"But Xici, you just said you were a fairy," Tang You'an's mind went blank at the sudden outburst.

"Huh? When did I say that?" Song Xici was confused.

Tang You'an showed Song Xici the contact name in her phone.

"So... because of this, you..." Song Xici suddenly understood, her eyes widening as she raised her hands, "decided to burn incense and worship me?"

Tang You'an nodded.

"Forget it, it's my fault..." Song Xici smacked her forehead, torn between laughter and exasperation. "Although I call myself a fairy, it's different from what you're thinking. Here, 'fairy' is just a playful term, not referring to celestial beings!"

"I see," Tang You'an nodded.

"Think about it, if I were really that kind of fairy, would I need you to tell my fortune?" Song Xici glanced at her.

"I thought even immortals, like myself, couldn't see their own fate, even the near future," Tang You'an replied.

She then extended her hand, bowing slightly: "I sincerely apologize."

Seeing Tang You'an's remorseful expression, Song Xici couldn't bring herself to scold her further. She chuckled, nodded, and linked arms with Tang You'an: "Alright, alright. The point is, we're both mortals, so stop all this nonsense. Come on, let me show you how to bathe, or rather, shower. You haven't showered yet, right?"

"Not yet," Tang You'an nodded, having just been figuring out how to do so.

"Haha, okay, okay, follow big sister. Let me introduce you to the wonders of modern high-tech bathing!" Song Xici said, leading her to the bathroom.

"Alright." Tang You'an's lips curved slightly upward as she followed, her gaze soft on the petite figure before her.

"That's the sauna, next to it is the toilet, and here's the shower... This is the water heater, here's the switch, turn it this way for cold water, that way for hot..." Song Xici showed her around, pointing out all the facilities.

She then indicated the various bottles, introducing shower gel, shampoo, and other toiletries.

"Oh right, here's the bathtub. Do you want to shower or take a bath?" Song Xici pulled back a white curtain, revealing a half-oval white bathtub.

"A bath," Tang You'an chose after careful consideration, finding the bathtub most similar to the wooden tubs she was familiar with.

"Okay, let's do a bubble bath then! I'll run the water for you, watch carefully!" Song Xici demonstrated the steps.

After a while, when the tub was full of bubbles, Song Xici dried her hands on a towel and turned with a smile: "Alright, you can undress and get in now. After soaking, just rinse off with the shower head. I'll head out now."

"Okay," Tang You'an nodded.

Song Xici stood up, closed the curtain, exited the bathroom, and closed the glass door, standing by the sink.

She didn't leave immediately, worried Tang You'an might have questions. It felt like caring for a baby; she was truly a qualified mother.

"Xici, you often call yourself 'big sister.' Is that also a playful term?" Tang You'an's voice came from inside.

"Well, it's not wrong for you to call me that, since I'm two years older than you," Song Xici replied.

"I see. By the way, did you ever love my original self?" Tang You'an asked.

"No. That's precisely why I married her. Love is too troublesome," Song Xici leaned on the small chair.

"Why such prejudice against love?" Tang You'an inquired.

She had never experienced love, understanding it only from books and poetry. She was curious why some were infatuated with love, while others shunned it.

"My parents were known as a model couple in business circles. In fact, before I was ten, they were as harmonious as they appeared," Song Xici held onto the sink. "I thought they'd love each other forever."

Tang You'an lay in the tub, quietly pouring water over her arms, listening.

"But people are fickle creatures, you know? Later, they started fighting frequently, cursing and hitting each other. They both changed completely. And then..." Song Xici laughed. "So, You'an, what's the point of love? Those grand vows mean nothing in the face of time!"

Tang You'an remained a silent, attentive listener.

"Later, I really liked a poor boy named Zhang Ke, whom I met near the end of my senior year," Song Xici continued playing with her nails. "He said he liked me too. So we started dating. But my father strongly opposed it. Right after college graduation, to break us up, he cut off all my financial support."

Tang You'an simply gazed at the bathwater, listening.

"I thought, fine, I have hands and feet, I can earn my own living. I had our future all planned out, sure it would work. But fate had other plans," Song Xici stared blankly at the floor.

Tang You'an glanced up slightly, looking towards the curtain.

"He cheated. He broke up with me, didn't want me anymore. Said we weren't compatible. But later, he hooked up with a rich older woman. She gave him a car and a small company."

Song Xici rubbed her forehead: "I thought it was nothing until I met an old classmate. This classmate used to be close with Zhang Ke but had a falling out. During dinner, drunk, the classmate told me Zhang Ke had said, 'Being with Ni Yue is much more interesting than being with Song Xici. With Ni Yue, I get money and sex, but with that conservative girl Song Xici who relies on her family, I get nothing...' It was disgusting."

"What's wrong with platonic love?! That pig! Men are all *** who only think with their lower halves, just *** who watch adult films! To hell with hormones!"

"So, to hell with love. I couldn't care less."

After her outburst, Song Xici shrugged nonchalantly: "A business marriage is better. At least it won't trap me in emotional turmoil, sparing me trouble. Besides, it's not a lifelong marriage. The contract expires in half a year, then we can go our separate ways."

"What is Plato? Thinking with the lower half? What are action films? And hormones?" Tang You'an, who had been listening to the story, finally couldn't help but ask.

She was curious about everything in this world, especially unfamiliar terms.

"Oh... that. Don't ask about those things. Just memorize what I've told you first," Song Xici ran a hand through her hair, looking at herself roguishly in the mirror.

"Alright. So, Xici originally liked men?" Tang You'an asked again.

"I suppose, in the past. It's been ages since I've had feelings for a man," Song Xici gazed at her reflection, feeling like a walking AI now.

By this time, Tang You'an had tied her bathrobe sash and stepped out from behind the curtain.

Her slender frame was wrapped in a loose white robe, long hair cascading down her back like spilled ink. Her long, porcelain-like neck, amidst the bathroom's steam, made her look like a woman who had stepped out of a painting.

That appearance, that figure... Song Xici found herself inexplicably transfixed.

"Then, what about women?" Tang You'an approached, her eyes seemingly veiled by a thin mist.

"Huh?"

"If you don't like men, have you ever developed feelings for women?" Tang You'an's eyes were like deep oceans.

"How would I know..." As Tang You'an drew closer, the light around them seemed to dim. Song Xici felt the situation growing strange.

"Ha..." Tang You'an's lips curled into a cool smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Song Xici looked at her, like a cat with all its fur standing on end.

"I'm merely curious about this. If Xici doesn't know, it's no matter. I'll explore it myself," Tang You'an said with a faint smile.

"Oh..." Song Xici glanced at her and nodded. Explore it herself...

"That man was blind. Miss Song, you needn't dwell on him. You deserve better," Tang You'an continued smiling.

Song Xici smiled back: "It's fine, I can manage on my own..."

However, Tang You'an then took another step forward, leaning in slightly and tilting her head near Song Xici's neck...

"What are you doing?" Song Xici instinctively pressed against the wall, raising a hand to protect her chest.

"I've heard that when one falls in love, they can smell a unique scent on the person that others can't detect. I wonder if that's true..." Tang You'an's eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings as she gently lifted a hand to brush a strand of hair from Song Xici's lips.

Strangely, Song Xici had the bizarre feeling that she wasn't caring for a big baby, but rather raising a small wolf cub in her home...

Author's note: All revisions are complete up to this point. I wonder how many readers are still following...