When Yun Manman was awakened by the sound of thunder, it was already past nine in the morning.
She stretched lazily in bed before slowly hopping onto the floor, swishing her tail as she opened the bedroom door.
To her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, Lu Qi, who had been waiting outside, scooped her up into his arms. "The little lazy cat has finally woken up," he said.
Still groggy from sleep, the little orange cat was carried by Lu Qi to wash up. Only after finishing did her head start to clear.
Belatedly feeling embarrassed, Yun Manman looked at the young man standing motionless behind the orange cat in the mirror. Her fur slightly bristled as she said with a hint of coyness, "Get out! I need to change my clothes!"
Lu Qi resisted the urge to pat her, obediently turning to leave. "Come out quickly, I've bought breakfast," he said.
Lu Qi had been so excited he couldn't sleep all night. Early in the morning, he had rushed deep into the forest to deal with a Beastfiend, then returned to take a shower. Finding Yun Manman still asleep, he went out for a stroll and bought breakfast on the way back.
As soon as Yun Manman came out after changing, she felt a burning gaze fixed on her. Her face grew hot, and she felt like she was about to trip over her own feet.
Although she had been very proactive and brave yesterday, it didn't change the fact that she was rich in theoretical knowledge but had never been in a relationship.
Lu Qi had bought a variety of items for breakfast - steamed buns, pancakes, tea eggs, and thoughtfully prepared soy milk.
He understood Yun Manman's breakfast habits - she usually liked to have something to drink, like soy milk, regular milk, or porridge.
Yun Manman took a bite of the generously filled bun, then sipped some soy milk, sighing contentedly, "Not bad, not bad. You know how to buy well."
This was the store she frequented most often for breakfast.
Lu Qi rested his chin on his hand, watching Yun Manman eat. When she finally finished, he asked, "You didn't tell me last night, how long do you need to consider?"
"If it's just one night, does that mean you'll give me an answer today?"
He was already impatient to make her his.
Yun Manman was drinking soy milk when she heard his unexpected question, causing her to choke and cough violently.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Lu Qi hadn't expected his words to startle her so much. He quickly reached out to pat her back gently.
Her back was thin; he could even feel the protruding bones.
Lu Qi frowned slightly.
Yun Manman couldn't stop coughing, her little face turning red, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Why won't it stop..." Lu Qi grew anxious. He swiftly picked up Yun Manman and held her in his arms, letting her lean on his shoulder as she coughed.
Yun Manman coughed while holding onto his neck. When she finally calmed down, she nestled weakly in his embrace.
It was then that she realized Lu Qi was holding her with one arm, like a child, her bottom resting on his strong, muscular arm.
She avoided meeting Lu Qi's gaze, her eyes darting around nervously.
Lu Qi tenderly wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked while you were drinking," he said sympathetically.
She was so delicate, nearly choking to death on a cup of soy milk.
But he loved it.
Yun Manman struggled to leave his embrace, but the arm around her waist only tightened. Lu Qi's voice deepened, "So, how long do you need to consider?"
The little cat protested, "Let me down first!"
Lu Qi's voice became husky, "Stop squirming."
Yun Manman froze. Because she could feel something beginning to awaken.
"Can I hug you?" Lu Qi asked, like an inexperienced youth.
The cat was speechless. I'm already in your arms, she thought.
Seeing the girl's tacit permission, Lu Qi held her even tighter. He buried his face in the crook of Yun Manman's neck, breathing in her sweet scent to calm himself.
After what seemed like an eternity, long enough for Yun Manman to feel her waist might snap from Lu Qi's grip, he finally loosened his hold.
He gazed at Yun Manman with burning eyes, waiting for her response.
For a moment, Yun Manman thought he wasn't a snake, but a dog.
And she was the piece of meat he was fixated on.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about a week?"
Lu Qi's eyes widened, "Seven days? That's too long! One day!"
Yun Manman huffed angrily, "What can happen in one day! Half of today is already gone!"
The snake spirit took a step back, "Two days!"
"Five days!"
"Three days?"
Yun Manman slapped his hand hard, trying to make him let go, "Go away, I'm not discussing this anymore!"
Lu Qi raised both hands in surrender, dejectedly compromising, "Alright, alright, five days it is!"
Yun Manman turned back to see his dejected look and felt like laughing. She reached out to ruffle his short hair, "Come on, I need to go to the dessert shop."
How long was five days anyway? It would pass in the blink of an eye.
Besides, how different was their current situation from dating?
Yun Manman was just giving herself some time to mentally prepare for that thing.
The little cat recalled the hard sensation against her waist earlier and patted her chest, still feeling a bit shocked.
Lifelong sexual happiness was indeed crucial.
At the dessert shop, Bian Yan was already practicing inside, but Yin Qian wasn't there.
That made sense; he was about to return to the military, so he needed to rest well.
Bian Yan was excited to see Lu Qi but quickly calmed down. He took the initiative to tell Yun Manman, "Yin Qian said he had something to do today and asked for leave."
Yun Manman tilted her head, wondering what leave he needed to ask for. She had already assumed Yin Qian had "resigned."
She was even calculating Yin Qian's wages to transfer to him later.
Oh well, never mind.
Considering Bian Yan's ability and proficiency, Yun Manman first decided on three easy-to-make classic desserts that were unlikely to go wrong as permanent menu items for when the shop opened.
Then she had Bian Yan focus on practicing these three items over the next two days, aiming for perfection.
However, it was still a bit challenging with only Bian Yan as a newcomer here.
Yun Manman was a bit worried, thinking it would be nice if another beast person could join.
She wondered if Sisi would be willing to come here.
Otherwise, she might have to travel back and forth between Lili Town and the capital.
While guiding Bian Yan in making desserts, Yun Manman also dealt with the cocoa beans from before.
The cocoa beans had finished drying, and the next step was to sort them.
The dried cocoa beans needed to be sorted, removing any debris and substandard beans.
Then the good beans would be placed in the oven for roasting. At this stage, the unique bitter aroma of cocoa beans began to fill the shop.
Lu Qi followed Yun Manman like a tail, curiously sniffing the scent floating in the air. "Is this from those hard fruits from before?" he asked.
Yun Manman nodded, then added with a smile, "Thanks to Qiqi earlier, otherwise it would have taken me a long time to process the cocoa pods."
It made her recall the pleasant times she had spent with the little snake.
Lu Qi's mouth curved into a smile, his hidden tail swaying happily behind him.
Just then, the wind chimes of the dessert shop jingled. Yun Manman turned to see Yuan Qing entering.
Yuan Qing seemed to have come in a hurry. After glancing around the shop, she greeted Yun Manman, "Manman!"
Yun Manman's ears twitched as she placed a finished pork floss bun in front of Yuan Qing. "Sister Qing, did something happen?" she asked.
Yuan Qing seemed distracted, her tail fur a bit messy as if she hadn't groomed properly.
Yuan Qing quickly shook her head, "Nothing, I just had nothing to do and wanted to come chat with you."
"Aren't you returning to the capital in a few days?" she asked.
Yun Manman nodded.
Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you, she thought.
After a while, during which Yuan Qing checked her communicator several times, her tail swishing back and forth constantly.
Finally unable to hold it in any longer, she scooted her chair closer to Yun Manman and whispered in her ear, "I accidentally slept with Yin Qian last night."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue. The cocoa beans in Yun Manman's hand dropped onto the table with a "plop."