The campus field behind the old arts building was already busy.
Wooden boards were stacked to one side. Cardboard sheets, small hammers, nails, insulation foam—everything had been arranged neatly.
Senior Xiao stood with his hands in his coat pockets.
Zhou Kai was beside him.
And Juri stood between them like a self-appointed supervisor.
"Can you two not be so obvious?" Juri muttered under his breath, elbowing them both.
They froze.
"Obvious?" Senior Xiao repeated calmly.
"About what?" Zhou Kai added, pretending innocence.
Juri gave them a flat look.
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
Was I being that obvious? they each thought.
Before the awkwardness could stretch further, a figure came jogging toward them from across the field.
Chen.
He wore casual clothes today—a soft sweater layered over a shirt, simple jeans, hair slightly messy from the wind. Winter was slowly approaching, and the air had that crisp chill to it.
Senior Xiao and Zhou Kai both went quiet.
Juri sighed internally.
Zhou Kai leaned closer to him and casually wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"Well," he whispered dramatically, "since you know, help me get with Professor."
Juri turned his head slowly and gave him a judgmental stare.
"…Shameless."
Chen finally reached them, slightly out of breath.
"Sorry I'm late!"
And that's when they noticed—
Something small in his arms.
A kitten.
Senior Xiao blinked. "Whose is that?"
Chen smiled faintly. "I told you about Xu Jin having a cat? This is the one."
Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow. "You brought his cat?"
"At home there was no one to take care of him," Chen explained gently. "So I brought him along."
Zhou Kai tilted his head. "Isn't he just a neighbor? Why are you babysitting his cat?"
He stepped forward casually and lifted his hand—
Intending to lightly tap Chen's shoulder.
Before he could—
Yun Hu lifted his head.
And glared.
It wasn't a normal kitten glare.
It was sharp. Direct. Territorial.
Zhou Kai paused mid-air.
The message was very clear.
Back off.
Zhou Kai slowly lowered his hand.
"…Like owner, like cat," he muttered under his breath.
Chen didn't catch that part.
"He's clumsy and don't know how to raise the cat" Chen said lightly. "He's… our mutual cat."
There was a tiny pause.
Juri blinked.
Senior Xiao glanced at Zhou Kai they both thought clumsy??.
Zhou Kai blinked twice.
"Mutual cat ?" he repeated.
Chen nodded naturally. "We both take care of him no grandma too."
Yun Hu flicked his tail in agreement.
Juri smirked slightly.
Zhou Kai crossed his arms and wisphered. "that bastard obviously take advantage os your innocence."
Chen, completely unaware of the undercurrents, clapped his hands softly.
"Let's go. We need to finish before evening."
He adjusted Yun Hu in his arms.
They walked toward the back fence where the kittens were hiding in a small cardboard box.
Senior Xiao walked beside Chen.
"What about Grandma?" Xiao asked casually. "Is she okay with you being out all day?"
Chen nodded. "She's not at home. She went to her friend's place for a week."
"Oh," Xiao said. "Then it must be lonely at home. Especially during dinner and breakfast."
Chen shook his head lightly.
"No. Yun Hu and Xu Jin are there too."
Senior Xiao stopped walking.
"…Huh?"
Behind them, Zhou Kai nearly tripped over a plank.
"Huh????"
Chen blinked at their reactions. "What?"
Zhou Kai quickly caught up, staring at him. "Why is he at your house?"
Chen looked genuinely confused.
"Because he doesn't know how to cook," he answered naturally. "He almost poisoned himself once."
There was a brief silence.
Juri's shoulders trembled as she tried not to laugh.
Senior Xiao's expression turned unreadable.
Zhou Kai processed that information slowly.
"He… lives at your place?" Zhou Kai asked carefully.
Chen shook his head. "No, no. He just comes over for meals."
"Oh."
Chen didn't notice the tone shift.
Juri stepped forward smoothly and cut in before the interrogation continued.
"Professor, so this cat's name is Yun Hu?"
Chen's attention immediately shifted.
"Yes," he said, walking closer to her. "Yun Hu."
He gently scratched under the kitten's chin.
Yun Hu lifted his head proudly.
They continued walking toward the kittens.
Behind them—
Senior Xiao and Zhou Kai exchanged a long look.
A very long look.
Breakfast.
Dinner.
Cooking together.
Cat.
Mutual cat.
Zhou Kai leaned slightly toward Xiao and whispered, "This… is a big secret we should do something let's bury him somewhere."
Xiao gave a quiet hum of agreement.
Then said " let's do a perfect crime then think about who'll get the prize".