You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

"You just need to be beautiful."

"...Seriously."

"Your professional skills are quite good. When you helped me analyze Ye Yunjin and his gang's underhanded tactics, your thinking was clearer than that of many business students."

Jiang Che thought for a moment, "Besides, you have good design skills and aesthetic sense, so we'll entrust you with the visual aspects of our product prototype and roadshow PPT."

Su Qinghe nodded.

Seeing this, Xu Wenbin's last bit of hesitation vanished completely. He slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! It's settled then. 412, all personnel, plus my sister-in-law in charge, a five-person team, let's wipe them out!"

"Don't underestimate the bond between the five of us!"

Song Mingxuan: "Can you please stop slamming the table all the time? You've splashed soup all over me."

"Sorry, sorry, I got too excited."

We ate hot pot from 11:30 to almost 1:00, and the table was full of empty plates.

Xu Wenbin rubbed his stomach and slumped back in his chair, looking like he was about to die on the spot.

When it came time to pay the bill, Xu Wenbin secretly glanced at it and was shocked to find that it had cost over a thousand yuan!

He said he would bankrupt Jiang Che, but after ordering those few platters, he didn't order anything else.

He might say one thing, but when it comes to actually letting his brother spend a lot of money, he's still reluctant.

I never expected it would cost so much money in the end.

After finishing their meal, Xu Wenbin, Song Mingxuan, and Lu Ziang said they were going back to their dorm for a nap, as they had two more classes in the afternoon.

"Then we'll head out first, Lao Jiang. See you in class this afternoon."

"Okay, see you later."

After the three figures disappeared at the cafeteria entrance, Jiang Che turned to Su Qinghe beside him and asked, "Are you sleepy? Do you want to go back and lie down for a while?"

Su Qinghe shook her head and naturally took his arm: "I'm not sleepy, I ate too much and want to digest. Come with me."

"Let's go."

In early November, the ginkgo leaves on the Kyoto University campus had turned completely yellow.

A gust of wind blew, and the golden leaves swirled down, carpeting the ground with fragments of gold.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on their shoulders, like pieces of warm-colored silk being cut into pieces.

Su Qinghe nestled in Jiang Che's arms, her scarf wrapped below her nose, leaving only her bright, sparkling eyes visible.

Today she was wearing a creamy white down jacket, and she looked like a soft, sticky rice ball curled up inside.

The two strolled slowly along the Ginkgo Avenue, passing the library, the administration building, and then around to the small path behind the boys' dormitory.

When Su Qinghe reached the bushes on the side of the dormitory building, she suddenly stopped.

She released Jiang Che's arm and squatted down.

Jiang Che followed her gaze and saw that under the bushes, the calico cat from that morning was curled up in a pile of dead leaves, shrinking itself into a small ball of fur.

Hearing footsteps, the kitten raised its head, twitched its nose, and then stood up from the pile of dead leaves, taking small steps toward Su Qinghe.

It still remembers the taste of that sausage from that morning.

"You're still here." Su Qinghe's voice was soft, carrying a cautious joy.

The kitten came closer to her feet, rubbed its head against her outstretched fingertips, and let out a soft "meow".

Su Qinghe's heart melted instantly.

She reached out and gently stroked the kitten's head, her fingertips sliding down its back to find a row of clearly defined ribs.

The cat's fur was matted, suggesting it had been wandering outside for a long time, but its eyes were clean, and Su Qinghe's image was reflected in its round, golden pupils.

The kitten purred, turned to its side to expose its belly, and curled up its four paws, giving the impression that it could continue to be petted.

Su Qinghe couldn't help but laugh, and gently scratched its chin with her fingertip.

Jiang Che stood by and watched for a while, then squatted down as well.

He reached out and gently scratched behind the cat's ear twice. The kitten tilted its head and came over, its cool, wet nose touching his knuckles.

"They're quite family-like," Jiang Che commented.

"Right, right?" Su Qinghe looked up at him, her eyes full of expectation. "Ache, can we...adopt it?"

She spoke with a hint of probing, as if she were cautiously seeking advice, or as if she had already made up her mind and was just one nod away from doing so.

Jiang Che looked at her face, which was half covered by a scarf, with only her eyes showing, bright and sparkling, filled with the words "I want it".

He looked down and glanced again at the calico cat at his feet.

To be honest, Jiang Che wasn't particularly obsessed with keeping pets.

He doesn't dislike cats, but he doesn't adore them either.

Whether or not he keeps a pet at home is irrelevant to him.

But if Su Qinghe wanted to raise it, he naturally had no objection, "Sure."

Su Qinghe got the answer she wanted, and her beautiful eyes instantly curved into crescent moons.

Jiang Che took out his phone, opened the map and searched for "pet hospital". There were four or five within three kilometers.

He picked the restaurant with the highest rating and most reviews and checked its opening hours and services.

"You need to take it for a full check-up before you can adopt it."

As Jiang Che swiped his phone screen, he read aloud the information on it, "Look, deworming, vaccinations, infectious disease screening, and skin tests all need to be done."

"If stray cats stay outside for a long time, they may have ringworm or fleas on their bodies. Bringing them home without cleaning them can easily cause problems."

As Su Qinghe listened, the excitement on her face gradually turned into a subtle embarrassment.

"There's so much to do..." She counted the time on her fingers. "It's definitely too late now. Class starts at 1:40 PM, and the afternoon is full of classes. It'll be almost 6 PM by the time I finish."

Jiang Che glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What, finding it troublesome?"

"It's not that I find it troublesome!" Su Qinghe quickly shook her head. "I just feel like there's not enough time right now."

She lowered her head and looked again at the calico cat at her feet.

The kitten was tilting its head back and meowing at her, its pink little nose twitching as if asking, "Why aren't you petting me anymore?"

Su Qinghe reached out and rubbed its ears again, then looked earnestly into its golden cat eyes and said, "Will you stay here and wait for us obediently?"

The kitten tilted its head.

"We have class this afternoon, so I can't take you with me."

Su Qinghe spoke as if she were reasoning with a child who could understand, "But we'll come back for you tonight, and if you're still here... we'll take you home."

The kitten meowed, as if in response.

Jiang Che watched her talking to the cat so seriously, and a wave of tenderness washed over him.

That's just how this girl is sometimes; she has a natural empathy for all the weak and helpless things in the world.

Perhaps it's because she herself has been caught in the rain, so she always thinks about holding an umbrella for others.