DSMC Chapter 31.1

Yan Jiyun managed to mooch a whole salmon fillet from Zhao Renfu. On an ordinary day, a delicious salmon would have left him deeply satisfied. But now, he didn’t care much whether the fish was fresh enough or the portion large enough. He ate slowly, dragging it out on purpose, just to stall Zhao Renfu and Lao Fang from suddenly doubling back to the study.

Hopefully, Lin Xie wouldn’t need an entire hour to finish downloading the data, he really couldn’t stomach another chunk of salmon. Even this piece was already on the thick side.

Yan Jiyun deliberately dawdled as he gnawed on the fish to waste time. After finishing, he sprawled on the sofa, licking his fur and paws, ears angled toward the study to monitor every sound.

Although humans could train to improve their physical abilities, hearing was something that cannot be improved unless aided by advanced technology. Normally, humans couldn’t pick up noises twenty meters away. But as a cat, Yan Jiyun could.

Inside, the computer was still running. Lin Xie was still downloading. Maybe the files were too many, because the machine occasionally let out a humming whir.

Zhao Renfu and Lao Fang sat down for tea. The alcohol buzz was wearing off, and Zhao Renfu could now smell the faint scent of shampoo on Yan Jiyun.

“Lin Xie takes pretty good care of this cat, even gives it baths. But… how did it get here?”

Lao Fang thought Zhao Renfu was reading too much into it. “Probably just mischievous. Its black fur makes it hard to notice anywhere.”

Something occurred to Zhao Renfu. “Replace those two guards at the door. They didn’t even notice a cat slip in.”

Both Zhao Renfu and Lao Fang were cold-blooded killers. If he could still get a piece of fish from them, it meant that his life wasn’t in danger for now.

The one truly in danger was Lin Xie. The computer’s hum was growing louder. As long as Zhao Renfu and Lao Fang stopped talking, they would hear it. Yan Jiyun himself was getting nervous on Lin Xie’s behalf. He quickly scanned the room for appliances that could make noise.

His gaze landed on a remote control sitting on the table. He leapt up and “accidentally” stepped on the power button.

The television blared to life, filling the room with noisy commercials.

Yan Jiyun had no intention of showing off his cleverness. He stomped around on the remote deliberately, raising the volume. Now it was loud enough to cover the computer’s noise, but not so loud that it would annoy Zhao Renfu and Lao Fang.

Zhao Renfu was amused, laughing heartily. “This cat’s pretty entertaining. Even playing with a remote is so funny. It’s like a cheeky grandson.”

Lao Fang added, “Aren’t the Second Young Master and Third Young Master’s cats basically grandsons to you?”

Zhao Renfu wasn’t bothered by the joke. “One of these days, I’ll count on Jiang Yan to give me a real grandson to play with.”

Lao Fang grinned. “With his looks, he’ll definitely have a handsome boy.”

Yan Jiyun finally breathed in relief. The TV’s noise completely covered the hum of the study’s computer. Even if Lin Xie made a bit more sound, it wouldn’t matter.

But although Yan Jiyun was working hard to keep their attention diverted, Zhao Renfu was already older. After less than half an hour, he started to feel drowsy.

Seeing his fatigue, Lao Fang suggested, “Sir, you should rest. I’ll have someone send the cat back to Lin Xie.”

Zhao Renfu nodded. “Fine. Tell him to keep the cat from running around. There are treasures all over this place.”

Lao Fang agreed and moved to take Yan Jiyun away.

But Yan Jiyun didn’t want the middle-aged man to touch him. The sound of the computer seemed to have stopped, so Lin Xie must have left. Yan Jiyun jumped down from the table and bolted toward the door.

Lao Fang tried to chase, but Zhao Renfu stopped him. “Leave it. Seems the cat’s quite familiar with this place, even knows to come to us for food.”

Lao Fang chuckled. “That’s your mercy.”

Zhao Renfu laughed, though with a tinge of self-mockery. “Enough, don’t flatter me like the kids do. We know each other too well. Go get some rest.”

“Alright. If you need anything, call me or the men outside. I’ll swap in some others.”

Zhao Renfu waved him off. “Go.”

Lao Fang ordered the two guards at the door to keep an eye on the cat and deliver it back to Lin Xie.

Once Jiang Yan’s men left, Lao Fang reassigned the same black-uniformed guards who had intercepted Jiang Yan before.

Yan Jiyun was trailed by two men clad black uniforms. He had no choice but to trot down the stairs. But instead of returning to Lin Xie’s place, he wandered aimlessly. The two guards, eager to prove themselves and complete Lao Fang’s order, stuck close on his tail.

Almost none of the doors on each floor were open. After circling around, Yan Jiyun still couldn’t shake them.

Only once enough time had been burned did he finally head back to Lin Xie’s place. He had intended to check on Zhou Ying’s team too, but it was nearly midnight and there’d been no commotion from the production site. It was odd. Though the three weren’t great at finding clues, their abilities weren’t weak, and they were smart enough.

Unless something else had delayed them.

Judging from the pace, the instance’s main storyline should have five parts. The fifth would be the most important, likely the key to clearing it.

Feigning nonchalance, he padded back to Lin Xie’s door.

But he hadn’t received any mission completion notification. That meant Lin Xie wasn’t back yet? Had something happened on his way back?

One of the men knocked on the door in front of Yan Jiyun.

They waited for a while before the door opened. But it wasn’t Lin Xie. It was Jiang Yan, face dark and vicious, towel in hand as he rubbed his wet hair. His upper body was bare, solidly built with a long scar across it, and his lower half was covered only by a bath towel. He had clearly just stepped out of the shower.

He glared furiously at the two guards. “Knocking on my door at this hour, are you looking to die?”

The guards usually worked under Jiang Yan. They had only knocked because the little black cat had stopped here. They hadn’t noticed that the doors to either side looked identical.

“Boss, we didn’t know— it was the cat…” Guard A pointed to Yan Jiyun, who had slipped inside Jiang Yan’s room.

“The cat? What, can it talk? Can it read door numbers? Disturbing me in the middle of the night… tell your squad leader to dock your pay tomorrow!”

The two guards were left speechless. “…”

Guard A stammered nervously, “We didn’t notice. We meant to knock on the Second Young Master’s door. Boss, we won’t disturb you anymore, we’ll just take the cat.”

Jiang Yan shot them a glare. “Get lost. Leave the cat here. If Lin Xie wants it back, he can come get it himself.” Then he added pettily, “That’ll piss him off.”

In truth, Yan Jiyun had stood deliberately in front of Jiang Yan’s door, just to buy Lin Xie a little more time. If no one answered a knock, suspicion would arise, and his salmon would’ve been eaten for nothing.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Yan hadn’t sent him back next door, instead dismissing the guards entirely.

The guards, of course, wouldn’t dare disturb Lin Xie or Jiang Yan again. The cat was now in the boss’s room. If Lin Xie came asking, they’d just pin it on the boss. Perfect.

They left quickly.

As for Yan Jiyun, he decided that as long as Lin Xie wasn’t back, he wouldn’t return either.

He padded easily into Jiang Yan’s place, where he noticed the framed photo on the desk had been replaced with a new frame and placed on a higher shelf, clearly to keep it out of his reach.

Yan Jiyun leapt onto the nearest single sofa and sprawled out, making himself at home.

When Jiang Yan came back into the room, he found the black cat lounging across his sofa as though it owned the place.

“You really know how to pick. That sofa is the most comfortable one.”

Yan Jiyun, lying lazily, only cast him a sideways glance.

Jiang Yan didn’t bother arguing with a cat. He just gave a look of disgust at the black hairs on the sofa, then turned to his room to change clothes.

Yan Jiyun observed his every move. Jiang Yan and Lin Xie were completely different in temperament.

Lin Xie was meticulous, mature, steady, sometimes whispering little secrets to Yan Jiyun in private.

Jiang Yan, on the other hand, simply grabbed a book and plopped himself onto the single armchair. He deliberately squeezing onto the same seat as him, childish and impatient.

Jiang Yan said to Yan Jiyun: “Move over.”

Yan Jiyun, now forced into a tiny corner of the chair: …

‘Fine, I’ll tolerate you.’

‘Once Lin Xie comes back, I’ll just slip next door.’

Not long after, noises drifted in from the balcony next door. Yan Jiyun’s ears twitched, but he stayed put.

Jiang Yan’s hand paused mid-turn of a page, then resumed flipping. Man and cat, for the moment, shared a rare tranquility.

If not for the system’s notification chime announcing task completion, this scene viewed from afar looked like nothing more than a warm, domestic moment of man and cat coexisting peacefully.

[Want to be Human] livestream channel: 

“Did I just see a completely different Jiang Yan? Did he just squeeze the kitten?”

“Hahaha our kitty just gave Jiang Yan the biggest eye-roll! Don’t be mad, Little One, I’m dying of laughter!”

“Wait, based on Jiang Yan’s personality, shouldn’t he have thrown the cat off the balcony? This isn’t the development I signed up for! Jiang Yan, you’re supposed to be the villain in this instance!”

Once the sounds next door ceased, Yan Jiyun hopped off Jiang Yan’s chair, leapt up to the balcony railing, and slipped back into Lin Xie’s place.

Jiang Yan didn’t care that the black cat had left. After Yan Jiyun was gone, he turned off the light and went to bed as though nothing had happened.

When Yan Jiyun returned, Lin Xie had already changed out of his black night gear. He leaned lazily against the doorframe, studying him.

It was like he was speaking to Yan Jiyun, yet also muttering to himself, “Blake, why did you run out?”

Yan Jiyun pretended not to understand a thing. Having eaten late at night, his mouth was a little dry. He padded over to his water bowl, drank, and then rubbed his paws clean on the small towel hanging beside it.

Lin Xie’s sharp gaze stayed locked on him for quite a while. Yan Jiyun felt his back almost pierced through by it. Only after he finished drinking did Lin Xie look away, returning to his room to rest.

Yan Jiyun didn’t follow. He sprawled on the living room sofa instead, sulking.

To stop him from sneaking out again, Lin Xie had added two more locks to the main door, and had also bolted the balcony doors.

Yan Jiyun had originally planned to slip out once Lin Xie fell asleep.

Before going into his room, Lin Xie glanced once at the cat lying there, his mood rather pleasant.

Ever since the day he’d decided to keep Blake, it seemed as if his luck had improved.

[Player Yan Jiyun has gained +25 Favorability with Lin Xie]

Yan Jiyun: …

Why is it that some people lock cats inside, laugh at them, and yet somehow give him favorability points?

Lin Xie had a streak of wickedness in his personality, just enough to make one want to get mad. Sigh.

Yan Jiyun lay gloomily sprawled, checking the game timer.

[Time until the instance ends: 22 hours, 12 minutes, 30 seconds]

His Main Mission (4) was still incomplete.

The production site wasn’t far from here, yet why was there no noise at all? If something had happened there, surely Lin Xie or Jiang Yan would have noticed. Just what had Zhou Ying’s team encountered?