Since they were going to close temporarily, Yun Manman also posted a message on the "Perfect Sweets Shop" account announcing a temporary closure due to personal matters.
As soon as the message was posted, a flood of beast-people in the comments were wailing and pleading, crying out things like "Boss, don't close!" and "Desserts are my life!"
Some also asked when they would reopen, but Yun Manman hesitated and didn't reply.
She didn't know how many days she'd be playing in the capital city either.
Hehe, although she loved making desserts, the happiest days were still those when she could completely relax and not work at all.
However, she was also thinking about recruiting new apprentices.
That day when Lu Qi carried her out of the tree hollow, Yun Manman saw Yin Qian standing in the search party nearby, wearing a military uniform.
At the time, Yin Qian's lips were tightly pressed together, his usually expressionless face full of tension and uncertainty.
Yun Manman only thought she might have frightened him.
Thinking back on it later and connecting it to his background and education, Yun Manman had a sudden realization.
Since General Lu Qi was with her, someone must have been protecting her.
Yun Manman wasn't very angry, just had a feeling of "as expected," along with a sense of frustration at being concealed from and deceived.
She really disliked the feeling of being kept in the dark, especially when she had already considered the other person important to her.
It was the same with Qiqi's situation, and now with Yin Qian's.
Let bygones be bygones.
After all, she had never had much luck with family relationships.
Even in her previous life, the old fortune teller by the roadside said she was destined to be alone in this world.
After being returned twice from the orphanage before, Yun Manman had completely given up hope.
There was only a tiny glimmer of wishful thinking left in her heart.
It's okay, what doesn't belong to her ultimately won't be hers. She just needed to focus on living happily and comfortably herself.
Miss Manman quickly cheered herself up, though her attitude towards Lu Qi and Yin Qian became more polite and distant.
On the day Yun Manman was discharged from the hospital, she thought about going back to the dessert shop to tidy up a bit. After all, she'd be gone for several days, and some fruits and such needed to be dealt with, otherwise they'd all be rotten when she returned.
The doctor advised her not to switch between human and beast forms, as changing forms would require reapplying medicine and rebandaging, which wasn't good for wound healing. Recovering in beast form was the quickest and best option.
However, it was very inconvenient to move around.
A cat can't walk upright for long periods!
Yun Manman was scrolling through her communicator, wondering who she could call for help.
Sister Qingqing had just asked, but she was busy with family matters and couldn't come.
Mimi was still in school, so of course that wasn't possible.
Jin Luo had to work...
Looking through her contacts, she realized she didn't have many friends to begin with, and almost none were available.
No one to pick her up.
Yun Manman grew more worried.
Just then, the hospital bed shook slightly.
She quickly turned her head and saw Lu Qi pushing a small stroller with a canopy, like a baby carriage, stopping beside the hospital bed.
He wasn't wearing his serious military uniform today. Instead, he had on a white T-shirt under a light blue dress shirt, with casual slacks. It made him look even more tall and handsome, with a relaxed and dashing air.
Lu Qi lowered his gaze to the cat on the bed: "Let's go."
Outside the hospital room, some female beast-people were peeking in: "So handsome, is he a snake-type beast-person?"
"Is that his cub on the bed? Such a tiny beast form!"
Yun Manman: ...
Although I know you beast-people don't have reproductive isolation, it's going too far to say I'm Lu Qi's cub!
The cat glared indignantly at the baby carriage, then glared at Lu Qi for a while: "Isn't there a normal wheelchair?"
Although this baby carriage was the right size, she was really an adult beast-person, and it seemed a bit inappropriate to sit in this.
Lu Qi clicked his tongue: "There are no wheelchairs left, this is all they had."
Seeing the orange cat's reluctant expression, he added, "Or would you prefer I carry you back?"
That cold tone was scary.
Yun Manman met Lu Qi's crimson eyes and immediately backed down, obediently moving to sit in the baby carriage: "This is fine, this works great."
How could she possibly let General Lu Qi carry her!
Although he needed her help now, he hated cats, right? What if he accidentally dropped her on the ground!
Seeing the cat settle down obediently, Lu Qi also felt relieved.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder, what if she really wanted him to carry her? Would he agree?
If she insisted, he probably would carry her.
Perhaps because she was a feline beast-person that didn't repel snakes.
Lu Qi thought with certainty.
The cat lay comfortably in the baby carriage, her fluffy, smooth fur filling the entire small stroller, like a light orange towel had been spread out.
You have to admit, this baby carriage was quite comfortable.
The tall, handsome man pushing a baby carriage through the hospital attracted a lot of attention.
Doctors and nurses who recognized Lu Qi would nod and greet him. One nurse even smiled and said, "Found a small stroller?"
"I'm so sorry to make you go all the way to pediatrics, the wheelchairs in orthopedics are really in short supply."
Well, it's confirmed to be a baby carriage now.
This was indeed a small cart for beast-person children to sit in!
There was no helping it, Yun Manman's beast form was about the same size as a beast-person cub.
Lu Qi looked at the despairing cat in the small stroller, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling upwards.
As they exited the hospital doors, a hover car stopped in front of them. The car's design was sleek and elegant, a mysterious and exquisite deep gray that seemed to hide starlight within.
Yun Manman watched as Lu Qi opened the car door, placed her, cat and all, into the stroller, then sat in the driver's seat.
Many cars these days were self-driving, but Lu Qi still preferred to drive himself.
Yun Manman, who had been settled in so properly, belatedly asked, "Why did the General come to pick me up from the hospital? Where are Lu Xi and the others?"
It was so embarrassing to have the General come pick her up.
Lu Qi pushed the baby carriage out of the room, his voice cool: "Lu Xi and the others are all busy, and I'm still on leave due to the mental power issue."
"Or would you prefer Lu Xi to come pick you up?"
The little cat instinctively felt this question was a bit dangerous, and quickly shook her head: "No, no, I just didn't want to waste the General's time."
Lu Qi snorted. You weren't this polite before at the dessert shop.
When the car stopped at the Perfect Sweets Shop, Lu Qi pushed the little cat into the store.
To Yun Manman's surprise, Yin Qian was actually in the shop.
When he saw Yun Manman and Lu Qi come in, he instinctively gave Lu Qi a military salute: "General!"
Lu Qi nodded indifferently, ducked behind the food counter to take out some packaged cookies, and asked Yun Manman with restraint: "May I eat these?"
You've already opened the cookie package, and you're still asking if you can?
Why don't you finish eating them and then ask?
Though she complained inwardly, Yun Manman still nodded on the surface: "You may."
The white jade-colored tail behind Lu Qi swayed contentedly, clearly showing how good the owner's mood was.
It's definitely Qiqi. This is exactly how Qiqi used to act when sneaking treats.
Yun Manman suddenly felt a bit annoyed: "You'll have to pay for those."
Lu Qi still had a cookie in his mouth when he heard her words, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
The sight made Yun Manman feel quite satisfied.
Hmph, that's what you get for always sneaking the desserts I made before.
Lu Qi quickly swallowed the cookie in his mouth, then wiped the oil off his fingers with a tissue before saying in a leisurely manner:
"How much? A hundred thousand per jar, or two hundred?"