The kitten lay motionless on the bay window, curled up with its tail, lazily asleep in the glow of the setting sun that cast its snow-white fur into golden hues. She had fallen asleep for the entire afternoon. Sitting there in a daze for a while, she picked up her cell phone from the nightstand, not knowing when it had shut down, charged it, and walked to the window, gently touching the kitten’s head with her hand. The kitten lazily lifted its eyelids, glanced at her, and closed its eyes again. "From now on, this will be your home, okay?" she asked softly, her eyebrows and eyes unbelievably tender under the golden sunset. "How about I give you a name? They say cats have nine lives, so how about I call you Ah Jiu, okay?" The kitten "meowed" twice, and Yun Ya chuckled softly. Read complete version only at n0velfire.net "How nice, with Miaomiao gone, you can keep me company instead, right? Ah Jiu?" The kitten remained unmoved as if nothing in the outside world could shake its determination to sleep. If one could live as simply as a cat, there wouldn’t be so many troubles. "Let me have a look at your wound," she said as she lifted Ah Jiu, grabbing its paw to check. Ah Jiu meowed twice and then cozily nestled in Yun Ya’s arms. Then, Ji Die called from outside the door in a low voice, "Yaya, are you awake?" Yun Ya put down Ah Jiu, straightened her hair at the temples, and walked out: "Aunt Die, I’m awake." "I’ve made dinner; come downstairs for dinner." After dinner, Yun Ya picked up a couple of pieces of fish with a small bowl, cleaned the fish of bones and softened it with hot water before bringing it to Ah Jiu. At the sight of the fish, Ah Jiu’s eyes sparkled, paws touching the bowl, happily starting to eat. Yun Ya watched and couldn’t help but smile, thinking of buying some cat food tomorrow to stock up and building a nest for him on the balcony. The sky outside the window gradually darkened as if it was an endless abyss, distant stars and moon emitting a faint light in the darkness. Ah Jiu, having eaten its fill, nestled back in its spot to sleep. Aunt Die came to collect her dirty clothes, and shortly, the sound of Aunt Die washing the clothes could be heard, humming a tune while washing, her voice carrying the soft dialect unique to the women of Jiangnan, like an aged fine wine that soaked into the heart in the quiet night. Yun Ya sat at her desk, hesitated for a long time, then took out a medicine bottle from the bottom drawer. Her slender fingers clutched the bottle tightly, turning her knuckles white, her dark eyes brooding under the dim yellow light. She closed her eyes, opened the cap, and poured out a capsule. The blue and white capsule accentuated the paleness and delicacy of her palm, her fingers long and slender as she silently watched the capsule, unpredictable lights swirling deep in her eyes. Unbidden, the face of a young man surfaced in her mind. Her gaze suddenly became confused as if standing at a crossroads, not knowing which direction to take, helplessness and disorientation enveloping her like a net. She had always been a rational and calm person; even when facing the most dangerous surgeries, even if there was only a 0.1% chance of success, she would believe in that 0.1% possibility, composed in crisis, frighteningly calm. Her assistant Jack once said, "Nyx, you are the only woman who scares me." She held the capsule in her hand and put it into her mouth, her brows deeply furrowed as if she was facing a great enemy. Suddenly she rushed into the bathroom, clung to the toilet, and vomited until dizzy, stomach acid rising, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Heh... haha, as expected, I still can’t get past this hurdle." She looked at the disheveled girl in the mirror, like a dark night fairy, possessing a mysterious and enchanting beauty. "Nyx, this won’t do, your biggest problem is the psychological rejection you’ve developed, try to relax... stop thinking about those unhappy things..." "Nyx, do you really want to go on forever? You are a woman; remember that you are a woman..." She lowered her gaze and sat down on the floor with a thud, her back against the cold tiles, hugging her legs, her head silently buried between her knees. A despairingly silent death. So be it, she thought. Those living in Hell long for the light, which is a very laughable notion, because the light reveals your ugliest and most vile nature, exposing it under the sun, slowly aging to death. Uncle Yan saw the young man coming towards him and immediately greeted him warmly: "Young master, you’re back."