"I'll go to the warehouse to get something," Lu Qi said as he walked away.
Yin Qian watched the general's retreating figure with confusion, wondering why he felt the need to explain himself.
The small warehouse of the dessert shop was near the back door. Leaning against the wall, one could clearly hear the voices coming from the entrance.
"Manman, I like you."
Lu Qi stood with his arms crossed, leaning lazily against the wall. His long, curled eyelashes were lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes. The snake tail behind him remained motionless, making him as still as a stone statue.
"I don't know when it started, but your smiling face appears before me all the time. I'm always wondering what you're doing at any given moment."
"You've been living in my heart without my realizing it."
"Manman, can I be your partner?"
After Jin Luo's heartfelt and nervous confession, there was a long silence.
Lu Qi stood in the shadows, quietly imagining Yun Manman's reaction.
Surprise? Touched?
Would she accept?
Not to brag, but this dairy cat police officer had only one advantage: growing up with Yun Manman. In all other aspects, he wasn't worthy of her.
His spiritual power was only A-level, his attack power was average, his looks were ordinary, and he was a feline beastman.
How could such a beastman protect her well?
Lu Qi's fingers whitened as he gripped his arms. He leaned slightly towards the door, holding his breath to hear Yun Manman's answer.
Yun Manman was shocked.
Hearing Jin Luo's confession and meeting his light golden cat eyes full of love and expectation, she finally realized the situation and became flustered.
"Ah... what? How..."
The orange cat in the stroller unconsciously took a step back, its head hitting the canopy, causing the stroller to slide backward a bit.
Jin Luo quickly stepped forward, placing his hands on both sides of the stroller to prevent it from rolling further.
Yun Manman, still rattled, crouched in the stroller with her ears flattened against her head.
Jin Luo apologetically said, "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"It's fine, it's fine..." Yun Manman replied reflexively.
Jin Luo looked at her expectantly, his eyes bright: "So, what do you think of me?"
Yun Manman considered for a moment before carefully replying, "You're great. But I don't have those kinds of feelings for you. I've always thought of you as a brother..."
Her voice grew softer as she saw the light in Jin Luo's eyes shatter.
"So I'm sorry, I can't reciprocate your feelings..."
Jin Luo closed his eyes briefly, his lips trembling slightly. Eventually, he forced a smile that looked worse than crying: "It's okay, I kind of expected this."
Childhood friends often find it difficult to transition from family-like relationships to romantic ones.
Besides, they had been apart for a long time since starting university, so their relationship had naturally become somewhat distant.
He looked at the little cat seriously: "But I won't give up."
"In the future, when I'm good to you, you can think a bit more about it. My feelings for you are more than just brotherly or sisterly."
Yun Manman was scalded by the burning love and possessiveness in his eyes, unable to meet his gaze: "Actually, you don't have to..."
Jin Luo didn't want to hear her rejection. He felt that if she rejected him again, he would be even more heartbroken.
So he abruptly stood up, pushing the little cat back into the shop: "Don't refuse. I'm leaving now, I have to go back on duty."
"Hey! Jin Luo! Your umbrella!"
The dairy cat police officer quickly left the dessert shop, not even taking his umbrella.
Inside the shop, Lu Qi and Yin Qian were still tidying up the remaining desserts, as if they hadn't noticed what had happened between her and Jin Luo.
Yun Manman grabbed a tissue to fan her heated face, feeling troubled.
It was fortunate that she was in beast form; at most, her ears would be a bit hot and red. If she had been in human form, her face would definitely have been flushed.
It was too sudden!
Yun Manman had only known Jin Luo for just over a month. He should have liked the original owner of this body.
But the original owner had passed away, and she could only glimpse a bit of her feelings towards Jin Luo from the diary she had left behind.
It didn't seem like dislike, more like annoyance, but there was certainly no love.
She truly saw Jin Luo as just a good brother.
But now, pondering over these things was useless. She was wondering how to reject Jin Luo's pursuit.
As Yun Manman was lost in her thoughts, a bowl of cut fruit was placed on the table next to her.
Lu Qi handed her a fork with a piece of strawberry on it: "Have some fruit."
"Oh, okay. Thank you," Yun Manman accepted with gratitude.
"You're welcome," he replied, his voice almost floating.
Yun Manman looked at Lu Qi's upturned snake tail swaying cheerfully left and right behind him, tilting her head in confusion.
Had something good happened to the general to make him so happy?
How did his mood become so cheerful in such a short time?
Not long after Jin Luo left, a familiar figure in a police uniform entered the Perfect Sweets Shop.
It was Bian Yu.
He seemed to have rushed over in a hurry, with another male beastman Yun Manman didn't recognize following behind him.
Bian Yu's gaze searched the shop before finally noticing the orange cat in the stroller. Sensing the familiar aura, he let out a sigh of relief:
"I almost didn't see you, boss."
It was his first time seeing Yun Manman's beast form, and he hadn't expected her to be so small and delicate.
Yun Manman thought: There's no need to be so blunt.
She put down the communication device in her hand and licked the white fur on her chest: "Bian Yu? Why did you rush here so urgently? Is something wrong?"
Bian Yu pushed forward the male beastman behind him and introduced: "This is my brother, Bian Yan."
"I just heard from Jin Luo that you're looking to hire new people, so I thought I'd bring my brother for an interview."
Like Bian Yu, Bian Yan was also a black and white border collie. His demeanor was even more gentle than Bian Yu's. The exposed muscles on his arms were well-defined, with a conspicuous scar on his left arm.
Bian Yan's gaze, initially directed at Yun Manman, shifted to the man standing behind her. His eyes revealed a complex mix of shock, excitement, and admiration.
Then, he suddenly stood at attention, his body tense, and raised his right hand to his forehead in a standard military salute: "Greetings, General!"
Yun Manman instinctively looked at Lu Qi, who had shed his casual demeanor and returned the military salute with solemn dignity: "Hello, Corporal Bian Yan!"
In that instant, Yun Manman was struck by the commanding aura emanating from him.
Hearing Lu Qi's words, Bian Yan's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He smiled and waved his hand: "I can't believe the General knows my name... I'm not a corporal anymore, I've long since retired."
"A soldier who has guarded Kashida deserves to be remembered by all," Lu Qi said seriously, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He asked Bian Yan, "Has your mental power disorder improved?"
Bian Yan nodded, looking at the dazed Yun Manman beside them: "Thanks to Miss Yun, I'm much better now."
Everyone present knew what he was referring to, and all eyes turned to the cat sitting in the stroller.
The orange cat, feeling uneasy under everyone's gaze, kneaded her paws: "It's nothing, I didn't do much..."
"By the way, why do you want to become an apprentice at a dessert shop?" she asked, changing the subject with a nervous laugh.
Bian Yan spoke gently: "Since retiring from the military, I haven't had a proper job. Now that my mental power is relatively stable, I want to do something to enrich my life."
"It was your desserts that gave me a new lease on life and showed me hope. At the same time, I'm very interested in making desserts, so I wanted to try when I heard about this opportunity."
Yun Manman thought for a few seconds, then looked into his eyes and asked: "Would you still want to come if the desserts didn't have a calming effect?"
Although she didn't like to think badly of others, when it came to managing the dessert shop, she needed to be more serious.
Bian Yan didn't feel offended, understanding why Yun Manman asked this: "Yes, I would."
"To be honest, the calming effect of the desserts we've bought recently has already decreased significantly."
Yun Manman knew this was partly due to Yin Qian's involvement, and partly because she had learned to withdraw her mental power.
Bian Yu chimed in to help: "My brother really likes the desserts you make, and he's a great cook too. He makes all the meals at home."
Yun Manman pondered for a few seconds: "Alright then, you can come for a trial."
Bian Yan was a retired soldier, and with that assurance, she had faith in his character.
"But you'll have to wait until I return from the capital. If you're free these few days, come to the dessert shop and let Yin Qian teach you the basics."
She then turned to Yin Qian and said: "We won't be open for business these few days. If you're not leaving yet, please teach Bian Yan some basics..."
Yun Manman methodically arranged her tasks for when she wouldn't be at the Sweet Shop, her round cat eyes sparkling with focused thought, her ears on top of her head twitching occasionally.
Lu Qi looked at the cat in the stroller, and a phrase suddenly popped into his mind: "Anthropomorphic animals are most beautiful when working."
The light orange cat was small in stature and adorably fluffy, as if a tremendous energy was hidden within its body, constantly attracting the gaze of passersby like a miniature sun.
Ming She looked at the border collie gently swaying its black and white tail in front of him, thinking of the Holstein cat that had just confessed its feelings.
He softly snorted.
"You've got quite an eye, kid."