The little cat was noticeably thrilled. It let out the most adorable purring sounds, wiggling back and forth in Nian Yan's arms just like a fluffy little caterpillar. As it nuzzled affectionately against her, her heart completely melted. She gently pinched its chubby little cheeks.
"Do you want to come home with me?"
Just then, Lu Zan walked over, carrying the freshly made cat food. Nian Yan took the dish and coaxed the little cat to eat, but Cotton Candy just leaned in, gave the small plate a quick sniff, and haughtily turned his little face away, flat out refusing to take a single bite.
It wasn't that he hated the smell of the meat paste. What he hated was the man who made it. He felt a deep sense of hostility toward him.
But the moment Nian Yan scooped some up with a tiny spoon and held it to his mouth, he simply couldn't bring himself to refuse her.
Standing off to the side, Lu Zan suddenly felt his own status was seriously under threat. Without making a sound, he shifted into his beast form. The sweet, clingy little kitty who had just been acting so cute for Nian Yan suddenly found itself facing the massive, towering beast of a snow wolf.
Yet it showed absolutely zero fear. It even stepped right up to confront the giant wolf, desperately trying to shield Nian Yan behind its tiny body.
Right on cue, the snow wolf let out a soft, pitiful whimper, playing the victim like he had been terribly wronged. Nian Yan's heart instantly ached for him. She gently stroked his huge, fluffy head, whispering softly, comforting him.
"Oh, don't be mad at Cotton Candy. He's just a little kitty who doesn't know any better."
Seeing this, the little cat flew into a helpless fit of absolute rage, its entire body trembling with fury. It puffed up like an angry little white furball, watching Nian Yan's hand lingering so gently on that obnoxious jerk. Its crystal-clear blue eyes began to tremble, and suddenly, two huge, pathetic tears rolled right down its furry cheeks.
Nian Yan was so utterly shocked by this that she lost her voice. She genuinely thought the poor thing was just terrified of the giant wolf. So she frantically urged Lu Zan to shift back.
But the very split second Lu Zan returned to his human form, the little cat lashed out, fiercely swiping its claws right across him before darting away at lightning speed. It vanished completely from sight.
It all happened so incredibly fast. Nian Yan hadn't even processed what had just happened. When she finally noticed the bloody scratch marks on the back of Lu Zan's hand, her face filled with deep guilt as she began to apologize profusely.
Lu Zan quickly waved it off, insisting he was perfectly fine. "A tiny scratch like this is absolutely nothing for a thick-skinned male like me," he assured her.
He even went so far as to beg Nian Yan to punish him, blaming himself for scaring her precious little cat away. But even though that's what he said out loud, deep down his heart was absolutely bursting with triumphant joy. He had finally managed to shoo away that pesky little kitten.
But who would have thought? Right around dusk, the kitten appeared right back at Nian Yan's bedroom window.
Nian Yan happily scooped it up and brought it inside. Cuddling the sweet, soft little Cotton Candy in her arms, she asked softly, "Do you want to stay and keep me company?"
Then she started a video call with Leon, who had just returned to the military base. "Um, can I keep a cat in your house?"
Once she got a warm yes, she eagerly told Leon all about how she had found the little guy.
The sound of their lively chatter quickly drew Lu Zan over. He let out a cold scoff at Leon through the screen. "Shouldn't you upgrade the security system for this place?"
Leon wasn't about to take that insult. "The security for this house is S-class. Unless it's a completely harmless ordinary animal or a double S-class male, absolutely nothing else can get in. And there are only a tiny handful of double S-class males in the entire Empire. Who would be bored enough to go trespassing into someone's private home?"
Hearing this, Lu Zan finally let his guard down. Even though he and the cat had a totally clashing vibe, since Nian Yan loved it so much, they might as well keep it. He even put aside their little grudge and cooked up another bowl of cat food for it.
Unfortunately, the kitten still looked completely disgusted. It would only eat if Nian Yan fed it with her own hands.
Seeing this, Leon secretly made up his mind. He definitely needed to make time to learn how to cook for cats. After all, winning over Nian Yan's pet was basically the same as winning over Nian Yan herself.
After finishing feeding the kitten, Nian Yan had just gotten back to her room when she received a message from Felix.
Nian Yan, there's something I want to ask you, but it might be a little forward.
Reading this, Nian Yan immediately tensed up. She panicked, thinking her identity as a transmigrator from another world had been exposed. She nervously typed back, "Um, go ahead."
Have you found anyone besides Leon and Lu Zan?
According to Empire law, if an unmarried female went an entire month without finding a third guardian, the system would automatically assign her a match.
Nian Yan had completely forgotten about this whole rule. Now that he brought it up, it seemed like she had less than half of that one-month deadline left. She frustratedly ruffled her hair, completely at a loss for what to do.
Right then, Felix inexplicably sent over a copy of his own medical checkup report, followed right after by his personal resume and a full proof of his financial assets. The list even included the ownership deeds to several entire planets.
Nian Yan stared at her screen, completely dumbfounded.
The very next second, Felix actually pitched himself to her, earnestly expressing his desire to become her guardian.
Nian Yan felt a massive headache coming on. She instantly remembered how fiercely guarded Leon had acted, treating Felix like a massive love rival. She immediately realized this was a terrible idea.
Trying to let him down gently, she replied, "Um, Leon probably wouldn't be too happy about that."
However, even though Felix clearly understood her rejection, he had absolutely no intention of giving up. He quickly reassured her. "Leon won't mind at all. He's a major general and he has to work long-term at the military base. As his uncle, it's perfectly fitting for me to step in and take care of you."
To be honest, Felix had been eyeing that third guardian spot for a long time now. He was just waiting, waiting until Leon was fully settled back at the base before bringing it up. But he wasn't overly pushy about it. He simply asked Nian Yan to give him some consideration. To put it in Earth's terms, this was called voluntarily offering to be a backup boyfriend.
Since he had put it so sincerely, Nian Yan had no choice but to say she would think it over seriously.