Chapter 128

B University Affiliated Hospital, Cardiac Surgery Office.

Pei Kuang was looking at a patient's films when Guo Ya Feng rushed in impetuously.

"What's going on? I heard you're getting a cat?" Guo Ya Feng said.

Pei Kuang put down the films in his hand and said helplessly, "It's not me. Why are you so concerned about my business?"

After that, he even made an "are you secretly in love with me" expression.

He had just decided to adopt a stray cat yesterday, and Guo Ya already knew about it today. Tsk tsk, it would be hard not to let people think too much if this got out.

Guo Ya let out a "heh" and said unpleasantly, "Get lost! Don't try to get close to me, I'm straight and have a girlfriend!"

Pei Kuang's eyes narrowed slightly as he casually said, "What a coincidence, me too."

Guo Ya seemed to have heard the biggest news ever as his pupils shook: "What, you, you have a girlfriend now? Who is it?"

Pei Kuang paused for a moment, looking at him with the caring gaze one would give to someone intellectually disabled.

Only then did Guo Ya realize belatedly that he had misunderstood. He subconsciously touched his nose.

Can't blame him though, his response did flow too naturally.

Pei Kuang glanced at him and asked helplessly, "Tell me, what did you come here for?"

Guo Ya let out a "heh" and immediately became unhappy, "You, did you not hear a word I said earlier?"

Pei Kuang sighed. Their hospital really had no secrets.

Just yesterday, he had only consulted a doctor in their hospital who fostered cats about some precautions for raising cats. Yet today, the news that he wanted to raise a cat had already reached Guo Ya's ears.

"What, is it that weird for me to raise a cat?" he asked.

Guo Ya glanced at him and let out a cold "humph."

"You tell me, isn't it weird?"

It would be weird for anyone when a person who was usually all about work and didn't even have a life suddenly wanted to raise a cat.

Pei Kuang said lightly, "I think it's still okay. I've always liked cats a lot and feed stray cats often. It's not that weird for me to suddenly want to raise one."

Guo Ya said unpleasantly, "Don't try to fool me. I know you well. No matter what you do, you always have a rationale. Whimsical things like this could happen to anyone, but not you!"

People familiar with Pei Kuang knew that although he looked cold and indifferent to everything, he actually had a strong sense of responsibility.

Take raising a cat for example. It's true that Pei Kuang seemed to like cats and would feed stray cats. But if you really wanted him to raise one, it wouldn't be that easy.

His personality was that once he raised a cat, he would be responsible for it till the end. So before raising one, he must have gone through careful thinking about whether he could raise it well, if he had time to take care of it, etc. It definitely wouldn't be a spur of the moment decision.

Pei Kuang silently sighed. In front of a friend of many years, many of his thoughts were impossible to hide.

"There are some other considerations, but I do really want to raise one," he said.

Guo Ya had an I-knew-it expression.

But as if thinking of something, he hesitated for a few seconds before asking uncertainly, "Pei Kuang, tell me the truth. Could this other consideration of yours have anything to do with Teacher Song?"

Guo Ya knew Song Anan liked kittens. She had even posted photos of her friend's kitten on Moments before, saying she wanted to raise one.

Also, it was something he found out later. That day when Pei Kuang said someone else was taking him around, that someone else turned out to be none other than Song Anan.

With so many coincidences, there must be something to ponder deeply about.

Pei Kuang gave a light "mn" without denying it.

Although Guo Ya had guessed something was up, hearing the answer still stunned him.

"Kuang, bro, I'm really reminding you. Although everyone teases you about that thing with Teacher Song, this is still a joke after all. We must not be affected!"

Pei Kuang looked at him calmly, "We've known each other for so many years. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would be easily affected just because others are teasing me?"

Guo Ya paused. He decisively shook his head.

He really wasn't!

The two were university classmates and roommates, and had known each other for over ten years. Back when they first entered university in their freshman year, their dorm mates all felt that Pei Kuang would definitely be the first in their dorm to stop being single.

It couldn't be helped. With his face, there would definitely be many girls rushing over.

But who would've thought, this guy seemed to have no interest at all in dating. No matter what school belle it was, even the campus belle, he rejected them cleanly and neatly.

No matter how others egged him on, it was useless. He would never drag things out messily.

It made them think for a time that he had issues with his sexual orientation.

"So you're serious about this?" Guo Ya still couldn't quite believe it.

Pei Kuang lightly murmured "Mn," and said "Yes" seriously.

He would never joke about such matters.

Guo Ya scratched his head and asked, "Why though?"

Pei Kuang paused for a moment, and casually said, "My heart was moved, I couldn't hold back."

Guo Ya: "..."

No way, bro you've been possessed!

Pei Kuang didn't care about Guo Ya's reaction at all. His eyes were lowered, his gaze unfathomable, with no visible emotion.

After a while, he looked up at Guo Ya, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Guo Ya: "???"

He looked at the person before him, eyes wide like copper bells.

Destiny?

Are you serious about what you just said!

Pei Kuang chuckled lightly. He didn't blame Guo Ya for being so shocked.

To put it this way, if someone had said this to him before, he would definitely have felt it was nonsense too.

Let alone people already in their twenties now, even in their passionate and impulsive youth, he had never believed in things like destiny, the invisible hand of fate, etc.

But some things were often inexplicable. After meeting someone, words he had once scoffed at slowly began to be believed as well.

The first time Pei Kuang heard about Song Anan was in their dorm group chat, saying that their school's campus belle this year turned out to be a freshman little junior schoolmate from their medical school.

At that time, he had been sent abroad by his supervisor to work on a research project. He was busy all day long and didn't take it seriously then. He had never concerned himself with such things anyway.

Later, he also heard that there were rumors on the school forum about him and that little junior schoolmate. People even paired them up as a campus couple. At that time, he only felt it was preposterous since the two hadn't even met before. Pei Kuang only listened a bit at the time and didn't take it to heart either, let alone be curious enough to check out that forum post.

Baseless campus rumors like this held no interest and probably didn't have much impact either. It would naturally be forgotten after everyone got over the initial novelty.

But just when he thought the matter had long passed, unexpectedly two years later, which was last year, Guo Ya suddenly called him one day saying he had gone viral and was trending.

At that time, Pei Kuang was confused. Although he didn't follow social media trends, he knew trending wasn't so easy. He heard many celebrities had to pay to get on trending.

He was just an ordinary person, not even in the country. What could possibly make him worth trending?

After Guo Ya explained the whole story, Pei Kuang finally understood what had happened.

Turns out that little junior schoolmate's nephew was a top celebrity in the entertainment industry. The aunt and nephew had gone on a very popular variety show, causing the schoolmate to suddenly gain fame.

Then that campus couple post about them from the past was dug up. And that was why he had gotten dragged onto the trending topics.

And Guo Ya was conveying the apologies of that schoolmate girl to him.

At that time, Guo Ya had said many good things about the schoolmate girl over the phone. Pei Kuang couldn't remember the specifics now, but it was the first time he came to know her name was Song Anan.

It just so happened he was off that day and had nothing to do at home. After hanging up the call, he went online and searched for that variety show.

It was Pei Kuang's first time seeing Song Anan. Although it was through a screen, he inexplicably felt this girl was so sunny and cheerful. She was the kind of person you couldn't help but want to get close to after just one look.

That day, he had opened the show just to casually take a look. He didn't expect to watch it for a whole afternoon until he suddenly realized it was night time already.

Things also started changing from that day.

He began frequently thinking of Song Anan. During leisure time he would also browse the school forums to see if there was any latest news about her.

During that period, the girl was considered a celebrity at their school. People often posted photos of chance encounters with her on campus, in the cafeteria, classroom, or library.

Pei Kuang himself also felt very absurd. It was as if he was bewitched and became obsessed with someone whom he had never even seen in person, just through a screen.

But that kind of feeling, as if it had taken root, was very subtle yet hard to describe specifically.

Upon hearing this, Guo Ya Feng slapped his thigh and concluded: “Damn! This is just you having lustful thoughts when seeing a beauty!”

Pei Kuang chuckled: “You can also see it as love at first sight.”

Guo Ya Feng scoffed and said, “Don't flatter yourself too much. I didn't expect you to be so shallow to just look at appearances.”

Although he said that, they both knew clearly that Pei Kuang was not that kind of person.

If it really was just about looks, Pei Kuang would not still be single until now. Whether it was in university previously or now overseas, there was no shortage of good-looking girls chasing him.

But every time, he had ruthlessly rejected them.

However, Guo Ya Feng still felt it was a bit unreliable. He was on good terms with Pei Kuang, but he was also close with Song Anan. Naturally, he would consider things from her perspective as well.

"No, I feel like you're being a bit rash. What if in the future..."

He paused, "Why don't you calm down and think it through again?"

Don't be in such a hurry chasing after someone. Teacher Song looks so innocent. If she gets hurt because of him, that would be sinful.

Pei Kuang understood his meaning and shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm not being rash and there won't be any 'what-ifs'."

It had already been a year since last year until now. He had calmed down long ago during this time if he could.

But the fact that he couldn't calm down precisely showed a lot.

Moreover, he didn't act recklessly either. After interacting for this period, Pei Kuang had completely confirmed his own feelings.

Whether in emotional matters or work, Pei Kuang had always thought of himself as an extremely calm person. He had never had this feeling of losing control before.

The more he interacted with the little girl, the more intense his liking grew, to the point he couldn't control it.

Seeing Pei Kuang's attitude, Guo Ya Feng also roughly understood.

Fine, he was the one who had thought wrongly. Given Pei Kuang's character and conduct, many things really didn't need to be worried about.

But there was still one thing he had to say. To make this eternally indifferent person blossom, Teacher Song was quite impressive indeed.

Suddenly thinking of something, Guo Ya Feng had a realization and said: "No wonder! I was wondering why you suddenly returned to the country. It must have been because of this!"

Only now did he regain his senses.

Pei Kuang had not intended to stay abroad forever, but he had originally signed a 3-year contract with the foreign hospital. According to his plan, he should have come back next year.

But this year, he had suddenly said he wanted to return. At that time, Guo Ya Feng had been very puzzled. He didn't expect it to be because of this!

Pei Kuang smiled and tacitly agreed.

He couldn't sit still because on the school's confession wall, the little girl's name had never stopped appearing. And there were also occasional encounter posts on the forum about her being confessed to in person.

How could he continue sitting abroad?

Guo Ya Feng thought back to all sorts of things after Pei Kuang returned to the country, from their chance encounter at the previous birthday party, to the school meal card incident, and now suddenly wanting to raise a cat.

He couldn't help but exclaim: "Damn! You've been plotting this for a long time!"

Guo Ya Feng suddenly felt a little sympathy for Teacher Song. Such an innocent little girl being stared at by someone with a mind as meticulous as a sieve, how could she possibly escape?

It gave a feeling of a white rabbit and a big grey wolf.

The day before, Song Anan had agreed on a time with Pei Kuang to look for a cat.

The next afternoon, she arrived early based on the agreed time. She rushed over from the library to the hospital. When she got there, Pei Kuang had just gotten off work.

He took out a cat carrier from the back of his car. The two then walked towards the area where stray cats usually wandered.

There were many residential buildings near the hospital, and there was also a villa district next door. They finally found one in the intersection area between the hospital and villa district.

The kitten was dirty and clearly had been stray for a long time. There was a scar on its front leg where the blood had already dried.

The little guy was somewhat wary when seeing Song Anan, but was obviously much friendlier to Pei Kuang.

After feeding the little guy some food, Pei Kuang put the cat carrier to the side. Seeing the carrier, the kitten actually crawled in voluntarily.

They tentatively zipped it up and the kitten showed no reaction at all. This was a sign of agreeing to leave with them.

The little guy was very cooperative. Everything went much more smoothly afterwards.

After going to the pet hospital, the doctor gave it a comprehensive checkup and determined that the leg only had some scratches and was no issue.

Then came vaccinating the little guy and giving it a bath.

While bathing the kitten, the female staff member chatted with them.

“The little guy is quite obedient. Are you planning to raise it yourself or send it to a stray cat shelter?” the lady asked.

Song Anan subconsciously turned to look at Pei Kuang. They had only talked about getting the cat’s injuries looked at earlier. He didn’t mention whether they would adopt it or not.

In fact, Song Anan really wanted to raise it, but she was still living in the dorms now which wasn’t convenient.

Even if it was at Song Linchuan’s place, she wouldn’t be able to go over frequently after school started next, so that was not suitable either.

Pei Kuang smiled lightly and nodded: "We're planning to raise it ourselves."

Hearing this, Song Anan was visibly much happier. She truly felt happy for the little guy that it would have a home from now on and never have to wander precariously again.

Pei Kuang noticed Song Anan's gaze from the corner of his eye. The corners of his lips curved up slightly.

The lady was also very happy. Most people who could work at a pet hospital loved small animals. After helping to wash and blow dry the kitten's fur, she directly handed it to Song Anan.

"You two look so compatible. It's quite good to raise a pet together as a young couple. It helps nurture your relationship."

Song Anan was stunned. Young couple?

Who was that referring to? Her and Pei Kuang?

"No, we're not..."

She had just regained her senses wanting to explain when the lady had already walked away, leaving just the two of them looking at each other speechlessly.

Song Anan blinked and said, "Looks like she misunderstood. Should I go explain?"

Pei Kuang raised his brow. "Does it bother you?"

Song Anan blurted out, "Ah?" She was a little confused and didn't quite catch his meaning.

Pei Kuang explained with a chuckle: “I thought you were used to it already. I didn't explain just now because if you were bothered by it, I could go explain later.”

Only then did Song Anan react belatedly. That's right, there were already many people shipping them as a couple at school. Come to think of it, it was no different to the lady just now.

"I don't mind, no need to specially explain."

It would be troublesome.

They probably wouldn't run into her again in the future anyway, no need for it.

Pei Kuang said mildly, "Alright, whatever you say. We won't explain then."

Song Anan paused. She felt a little weird about what he said, but couldn't pinpoint what exactly was weird. After all, it seemed perfectly normal at face value.

She shook her head. She was probably overthinking it.

However, the truth was that the girl simply lacked experience. Otherwise, she would have certainly noticed the slightly ambiguous tone and attitude, resembling a boyfriend's pampering and indulgence towards his girlfriend.

After leaving the pet hospital, the two went straight back to the residential area.

Pei Kuang sent Song Anan downstairs and said with a smile, “I see the little guy quite likes you. Come visit it when you have time.”

Song Anan smiled brightly. “Okay.”

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, have you given it a name yet?”

Pei Kuang shook his head. “Not yet. I’m not good at naming. You can help pick a name for it.”

Song Anan scratched her head, embarrassed to say: “But I’m not very good at it either.”

Pei Kuang laughed. “It’s fine, a name is just an address. Just pick any casual one.”

Since he said it like that, Song Anan didn’t want to decline again. After thinking for a bit, she said: “The little guy is round and chubby. How about just calling it Ball Ball?”

Pei Kuang nodded: “Okay, Ball Ball it is.”

Song Anan was very happy to have obtained the naming rights for the little guy. It made her feel like she had more of a responsibility.

So that night, she immediately went online and bought quite a lot of cat food and canned cat snacks to express her feelings.

However, after receiving the delivery, Song Anan hesitated for a long time before sending it over.

She really wanted to contact Pei Kuang and see how the little guy was doing, but she knew he was quite busy and didn’t want to trouble him.

Therefore, Song Anan could only check Pei Kuang's social media everyday to see the videos and photos he posted of the kitten.

What Song Anan didn't know was that Pei Kuang hoped dearly for her to come 'give him trouble'.

But she didn't come to find him for a long time, so he had to take the initiative to find her.

That afternoon, Pei Kuang suddenly sent a message: "Junior sister, are you there?"

Song Anan replied: "I'm here, senior brother, what's up?"

Pei Kuang: "Well, there's something I'd like to ask your help with. I forgot to feed my cat before leaving home today, but I'm working the night shift tonight and can't go back. Could you go to my place and help me out?"

Song Anan hesitated for a moment, go to his home?

If it was usual times, she would definitely feel it's not very proper, but this was an emergency, so she didn't think too much and directly agreed.

Pei Kuang sent over his door plate number and home door password. Song Anan didn't delay too long and went straight to his home to feed the cat.

In fact, it was Song Anan's first time visiting Pei Kuang's home, so she still felt somewhat uneasy.

Since she was little, she rarely took the initiative to go to other people's homes. She always felt that this kind of entering others' private space required a very close relationship.

However, as soon as Song Anan opened the door, the little one ran over, circling around her feet, which dissipated much of her discomfort.

She squatted down and asked, "Ball Ball, do you still remember me?"

The little one tilted its head, looked at Song Anan for a while, seemed to recognize her, gave a meow, and began to rub against her.

Seeing that it recognized her, Song Anan was very happy.

So she held Ball Ball in her arms at the entrance and cuddled with it for a while.

However, Song Anan didn't forget the main purpose. In someone else's home, she shouldn't overstay, so she directly carried Ball Ball into the living room.

She first poured a bowl of water for the little one, added some cat food, and finally did the cat owner's job of cleaning the litter box.

Song Anan really liked this little cat and didn't find these chores bothersome at all.

After everything was done, she remembered to record a short video and send it to Pei Kuang.

After completing the big task, Song Anan didn't stay long and left directly.

She wasn't sure if Pei Kuang was busy with work, so she didn't expect him to reply to the video.

But unexpectedly, as soon as Song Anan reached the elevator door, Pei Kuang's message came over.

Pei Kuang: "Thank you junior sister for helping me out with such a big favor. I'll treat you to a meal tomorrow."

Song Anan was stunned. Treat her to a meal tomorrow?

No, based on the context and logical inference of this sentence, he should be saying "some other day", right?

It should be the kind of perfunctory polite words.

But it doesn't matter. She wouldn't really make Pei Kuang treat her to a meal just because of this little thing.

Song Anan: "Senior brother, you're too kind, no need, it was just a small thing."

Pei Kuang: "I must, I must. It's settled then, sorry, I'm a bit busy with work now, let's chat next time."

As soon as Song Anan saw that he said he was busy, she immediately replied: "Okay, go busy with your work senior brother, let's chat next time."

Right after the message was sent, the elevator arrived. She promptly got in.

She didn't take this episode to heart, taking his words as polite speech, and quickly dismissed it from her mind.

But the next day, when Song Anan received Pei Kuang's call, she was completely stunned.

He really meant tomorrow!

It wasn't at all the "some other day" she had imagined, nor was it merely polite speech!!