Green Tea? She's Clearly a Hidden Gem!

The two of them ran into the house, ready to pretend to be asleep and play dead.

The old family home didn’t have many rooms. There were only three bedrooms available.

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang shared one, Jiang Linyuan had one, and Jiang Zhiyao had one.

Just as Jiang Linyuan was about to head to his room, Jiang Zhiyao suddenly grabbed him.

“I think there’s a mouse in my room.”

She tugged at his clothes and whispered.

An old house that had been empty for too long—it was normal for some mice to show up in the dark corners.

After all, there were also some big rats lurking in the dark, unspeakable parts of himself.

“A mouse, huh? I just ate, so I’m not hungry. You can keep the mouse snack for yourself.”

Jiang Linyuan said.

You’re scared of mice now? When you were little, you used to grab mouse tails and swing them around like a computer mouse. Now you’ve gone all delicate.

“Catch it for me, and I’ll feed it to you!”

Jiang Zhiyao stomped her foot and dragged Jiang Linyuan into her room.

Jiang Linyuan rolled his eyes. Sure, he had a tail now, but that didn’t mean he was actually a cat.

A catgirl, maybe. Just turn a boy’s head around, and boom—natural-born catgirl.

There’s a gap in the front to patch up, a tail in the back more sensitive than a cat’s, easy to perk up.

Furries and gay guys who are into both are in for double the blessing!

“There should be some glue traps at home. I’ll set them up for you. Once I turn off the lights, the mouse will come out.”

Jiang Linyuan walked into the room, found a few glue traps, and placed them on the floor.

“Then… what if the mouse doesn’t come out?”

Jiang Zhiyao asked uneasily.

She wasn’t really scared of seeing a mouse. What she feared was total darkness—not being able to see anything, and the mouse suddenly jumping onto her bed.

“If it doesn’t come out, kowtow to it twice, cry a few little pearls begging it to crawl onto the glue trap. Or else just hang yourself in the room and see if a dead body can scare the mouse to death.”

Jiang Linyuan spewed out some utterly pathetic nonsense.

Jiang Zhiyao grabbed his clothes.

“Keep me company. Stay until the mouse is caught, then you can leave.”

Huh?

What if it doesn’t get caught?

Jiang Linyuan didn’t dare ask. He wandered around the room and suddenly felt like he was the mouse—trapped in someone else’s glue trap.

Oh, little mouse me, I’ve been set up!

“Is there really a mouse in your room?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

Jiang Zhiyao said, displeased.

Anyway, winter break was long. If she really wanted him to stay, finding an excuse like this was nothing.

But honestly, she wasn’t even sure if there was a mouse. She hadn’t seen one—just heard some noise.

“Turn off the lights. With them this bright, the mouse won’t come out.”

Jiang Linyuan walked around without spotting any trace of the mouse, so he said that.

“Alright.”

*Click.* The lights went out completely.

The two were plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust.

In the dark, they sat on the edge of the bed. The faint silhouette of the other’s face was just barely visible.

Jiang Linyuan could feel Jiang Zhiyao staring at him without turning her head, just quietly watching.

“Jiang Linyuan, are you scared of mice?”

Jiang Zhiyao lowered her voice and asked softly.

“I’m not a furry, so no, I’m not scared.”

Jiang Linyuan said.

He wasn’t afraid of female mice or male mice.

Suddenly, a faint squeaking sound rose up.

The mouse was out!

“Hey, what if the mouse runs onto us?”

Jiang Zhiyao said, inching closer to Jiang Linyuan.

“Now you’re just asking for it.”

Jiang Linyuan said, annoyed.

If it ran onto you, just smack it with a slipper! What are your hands for?

The mouse scurried around sneakily, gnawing on something on the floor.

Jiang Linyuan grabbed a swatter and crept over quietly.

Who knew how long it would take for it to wander onto the glue trap by itself?

The mouse seemed to sense danger and bolted toward the corner with a *whoosh*.

*Squeak squeak squeak!*

Jiang Linyuan was quick—one swift smack with the swatter. No mouse tail sauce for you!

The mouse scurried around in panic, then suddenly its dark shadow stopped. It had stepped on the glue trap.

“Got it?”

Jiang Zhiyao asked softly.

“Got it. Turn on the lights.”

*Click.* The lights came on.

The mouse was stuck on the glue trap, writhing nonstop, its face filled with humiliation.

It was like a female knight captured in a goblin’s den, just waiting to say, “Ugh… kill me.”

“This mouse is pretty fat.”

Jiang Linyuan folded the glue trap and deliberately shoved it in front of Jiang Zhiyao.

“Do you want to die?!”

Jiang Zhiyao, who had just walked over, was so startled she jumped back.

Haji Yao was fun to mess with, hehe.

“You’re so scared. Maybe there are more mice in here?”

Jiang Linyuan said with a grin.

“Stop jinxing it! I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

“I’ll stay a little longer. If there’s no noise, I’ll go back to sleep.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Zhiyao nodded.

It wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t leave.

They turned off the lights again. In the darkness, they sat on the bed and waited for a while.

No major noise. Probably no more mice.

Looking at the slightly tense Jiang Zhiyao beside him, Jiang Linyuan suddenly lowered his voice.

“Look! There’s a mouse over there!”

Jiang Zhiyao’s body jolted. She looked but saw nothing. Furious, she punched Jiang Linyuan a few times.

“Why are you scaring me?!”

“Hehe, it’s fun.”

Jiang Linyuan said.

Take that! And that!

Jiang Zhiyao kicked her legs, aiming straight at Jiang Linyuan’s shins.

Just as she was kicking, a sudden *splat* echoed through the room.

Holy crap? There really was another mouse.

Jiang Linyuan was a bit surprised.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyao, as if startled, leaned into his embrace.

Jiang Linyuan turned his head—and it seemed to brush against something.

His cheek was touched softly, like a winter wind blowing from one side to the other.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting onto Jiang Zhiyao’s face. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and there was not a hint of panic in her eyes.

Are you seriously asking for it now?!

Jiang Linyuan stared blankly, then reached over and pressed the light switch.

“I’m sleepy. I’m heading out.”

“Mm.”

The light came on. Jiang Zhiyao’s face was completely flushed, her heart racing uncontrollably.

Jiang Linyuan stepped out, wiped his cheek, and thought about the change on top of Jiang Zhiyao’s head.

[Target: Jiang Zhiyao, Bitch Level: A]

No way. What kind of triple-A girl was this? He hadn’t even done anything! Who was setting him up?!

He didn’t want to think too deeply. He turned to head back to his room, but the moment he spun around, he was startled.

Mother Jiang stood expressionless at the doorway, as if she had just stepped out of her own room. She looked him up and down. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“What are you doing up?”

Scared me to death! So that noise earlier was you opening the door, Comrade Hongmei!

“I was catching a mouse for Jiang Zhiyao. She was scared it might bite her at night.”

Jiang Linyuan lifted the little coffin board holding the mouse.

Mother Jiang glanced at it. It seemed plausible. At least he wasn’t bold enough to do anything else with her and Old Jiang still around.

“Get some rest early.”

“Mm-hm.”

Jiang Linyuan slipped away in a flash.

Comrade Hongmei was acting weird. Kind of creepy.