"Yun Manman! Look what delicious treats I've brought you!"
Before the dessert shop even opened, Jin Luo burst through the door with bags in hand, causing the wind chimes to jingle loudly.
Yun Manman poked her head out from the preparation area and complained, "Don't break the wind chimes I worked so hard to find!"
She had spent ages choosing this string of wind chimes online. They were made of colored glass cat heads strung together, intricately crafted and adorable, with a crystal-clear quality that refracted various colors in the sunlight.
Yun Manman adored them.
That clumsy cow cat, so careless. How did he even become a police officer?
Jin Luo wiped the sweat from his brow and fixed his gaze on Yun Manman's back, saying plaintively, "I've been away on a business trip for so long, and you didn't even send me a single message!"
"I rushed here to bring you food as soon as I got back, and you're complaining about me."
Yun Manman turned to look at his travel-worn appearance, realizing he really did seem to have hurried over urgently.
Jin Luo's eyes drooped at the corners, his mouth slightly downturned, appearing genuinely hurt.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Yun Manman quickly washed her hands and prepared a cup of jasmine tea with ice for him, bringing it over.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to complain about you."
"I didn't message you because I've been so busy every day."
The last part was said with a hint of guilt. The truth was, Yun Manman simply hadn't thought to send Jin Luo a message to check in.
Jin Luo took the drink from her hands and gulped it down, finally quenching the fire in his parched throat.
Hearing her words, he pursed his lips, knowing Yun Manman was just making excuses.
He decided not to argue the point further.
Jin Luo handed the bags to Yun Manman, saying, "Here, I brought back some specialties from Gnaw Skill City."
He had recently received an urgent assignment about a "home invasion robbery" reported by beastmen, but upon arriving at the scene, they found only food items missing, not valuables.
Subsequently, many shops reported seeing a "flying beastman" committing "home invasion robberies."
The police department had no choice but to send Jin Luo to apprehend this "flying beastman."
Jin Luo ended up following the "flying beastman's" trail all the way to the neighboring Gnaw Skill City, then circling back to Lili Town.
That elusive "flying beastman" that gave cats headaches still hadn't been caught.
But Jin Luo had brought back plenty of delicious treats from Gnaw Skill City.
He thought that since Yun Manman loved food so much, she'd probably enjoy these novel snacks.
Yun Manman took the bag and opened it to find many packaged items inside.
She picked one up and saw it was labeled "Exploding Corn."
This was just popcorn!
She took out another package labeled "Nut Bars," which looked familiar – wasn't this just nut brittle?
Various nuts like melon seeds, sesame, and almonds, caramelized with sugar and cut into blocks. So fragrant!
Although it seemed the Gnaw Skill City version had added raisins?
In her previous life, Yun Manman had loved snacking on these while working, always keeping a piece in her mouth to chew on.
Now, seeing familiar foods in this other world made her so happy.
She hugged the bag of specialties tightly, her round cat eyes curving into crescents, dimples deepening sweetly as she said, "Thank you! I love them!"
Jin Luo's gaze fixed on her smile, and he couldn't help but reach out to pat her head, his eyes full of affection. "I'm glad you like them. Want to try some and see if they're good?"
After not seeing her for over a week, Jin Luo had missed her terribly.
He'd missed her so much that even his fur had become unruly.
In his mind, he was calculating when to confess his feelings to her, when he might be able to return to his original form and curl around her, grooming her fur.
Lu Qi poked his sleepy head out from behind the counter, eyeing Jin Luo, this beastman who looked somewhat familiar.
Lately, he'd been sneaking bites of Yun Manman's desserts whenever he could, while also using sleep to stabilize his spirit sea, hoping to regain his human form soon.
Relying on the spiritual energy Yun Manman emitted and the stolen sweets, Lu Qi's spiritual turmoil had become less and less frequent.
He estimated that his spiritual purity had improved to some degree, though he wasn't sure if it had reached the critical threshold yet.
Lu Qi glanced at the tail behind Jin Luo's back and the ears on his head, sticking out his tongue in distaste.
Another feline beastman.
He struggled to recall memories from the time when his spiritual power was sealed off, finally remembering that this cat beastman called Jin Luo was Yun Manman's friend.
They spoke with great familiarity.
He often came to the dessert shop, supporting Yun Manman's business.
"This is so delicious! The flavor is perfect!" Yun Manman said contentedly as she munched on the nut brittle, her ears twitching.
Jin Luo lowered his head, looking at her tenderly. "Is that so? Eat more if you like it."
The male was handsome, the female cute and adorable. They seemed well-matched.
Why did these two feline beastmen have such a strange atmosphere between them?
The way that male looked at Yun Manman was so sticky it seemed like it could form strings.
Yuck.
It just... inexplicably made the snake feel nauseated.
It gave him goosebumps. If snakes could get goosebumps, that is.
Lu Qi, having been single for over a hundred, nearly two hundred years, had no experience with flirting or romantic atmosphere. He just instinctively felt uncomfortable with the vibe between these two cats.
The little snake shook his body, and his long tail accidentally swept the tissues off the table, making a "thud" sound as they hit the floor.
Instantly, all the beastmen turned to look at the little white snake coiled on the counter.
Just as Yun Manman was about to step over, the fallen tissues were picked up by the diligent Yin Qian.
He warned Lu Qi expressionlessly, "Don't cause trouble," before striding away.
He still had egg whites to beat.
The admonished Lu Qi thought: You little...
Yun Manman and Jin Luo's attention had been drawn away. Jin Luo, looking at the snake that seemed different from before, said curiously, "Is this the pet snake you found earlier?"
"It's grown so much!"
Jin Luo reached out to touch the little snake, but it retreated a step and turned its head away.
Don't touch me, you clingy, unmanly feline beastman!
Lu Qi was thoroughly disgusted and crawled closer to Yun Manman, wanting to see if there was anything good to eat.
After spending so much time with Yun Manman, he had become quite the glutton.
Rejected silently by the little snake, Jin Luo awkwardly withdrew his hand. "This snake of yours has quite the personality."
Yun Manman looked exasperatedly at the little snake, which had half its head buried in the snack packaging: "It has far too much personality."
She had never seen such a gluttonous snake!
It was as if a game had become reality.
Just as the two were chatting happily, the wind chimes jingled again.
"Welcome... Ah!" Yun Manman had just turned her head when she saw a cold glint flying towards her, her pupils instantly contracting into a line.
"Die!" This vicious voice sounded somewhat familiar.
"Manman!"
"Hiss hiss!"