35: Good boy, let us be your family.

"Good kitty, they went to accompany your mom and dad. You should come home with me from now on, okay? From now on, we will be your family."

The kitten couldn't understand what Ai Yue was saying at all and was still trying hard to push the bowl... Ai Yue hesitated, deciding it was better to leave the two dead kittens there, as their mother might still be sunk at the bottom of the water.

Ai Yue hurried back in a good mood with the kitten, eager to bring the little one to Li Shilan.

The more anxious Ai Yue was to get home, the more trouble she ran into.

As she passed a corner intersection, seven or eight inflatable boats suddenly surrounded her. Four or five burly men sat in each boat; it was clear they had deliberately ambushed her here.

At this stage, nothing except firearms could threaten her.

Without figuring out if they had guns, Ai Yue did not act rashly. She carefully placed the kitten down and quietly observed the opposition.

"Yo, she's a woman. Haha, we're in luck. It's been so long since we tasted fresh goods." The burly man speaking couldn't help but lick his lips, his eyes shining with lewdness.

It made Ai Yue feel sick.

"Then what are you waiting for? Take her back to be the fortress wife for all the brothers, how about it?"

"Good, good..." The people opposite shouted in unison excitedly.

Then, they steered their boats closer to Ai Yue's assault boat, intending to jump aboard and capture her.

Ai Yue's eyes turned cold, and she raised her foot to kick the first man trying to jump over into the river.

"Everyone be careful, this stinking woman has some skill. Don't capsize the boat in a ditch."

Ai Yue moved nimbly, dodging and weaving. Every wave of her hand reaped a life, and every kick sent someone splashing into the water, displaying utter ruthlessness!

In a short time, Ai Yue had killed six and thrown ten into the water. The remaining men were stunned, not daring to approach. They knew clearly that they had run into a hard obstacle today.

Seeing that he couldn't win, the leader disregarded the men who had fallen into the river and paddled away.

When the people on the other boats saw their leader fleeing, they also retreated. Those kicked into the water, realizing no one was coming to save them, grew more anxious and swam desperately toward the distance. In a brief moment, this group of people vanished without a trace.

Ai Yue did not pursue them to the death. She understood that such people could not be completely wiped out, and besides, she was anxious to get home.

She returned smoothly to Lushui Villa. On her way up the mountain, she encountered Sun Ergou, who had now become the boss of the Dragon Tiger Cooperative.

Ai Yue immediately became wary, but Sun Ergou's face was covered in smiles, like a withered chrysanthemum. The men behind him also stiffly pulled their mouths into smiles, trying hard to look friendly and fawning toward Ai Yue.

Seeing their extremely ugly faces, Ai Yue just wanted to strike them down with a blade, just to stop them from coming out and scaring people.

"Miss Ai, you went out for a stroll, hehe. After a few days, Miss Ai is still as beautiful and elegant as ever, her grace surpassing previous days. Truly a role model for our generation..."

Ai Yue couldn't help but shudder, frowning deeply, and interrupted him: "Stop it, why are you smiling?"

"I, we aren't smiling at anything!"

This ancestor, can't you tell we're scared of you? A murderous star who starts shooting at the slightest disagreement—what else would we dare to do? We only pray you show mercy and don't cause us trouble; that would be a blessing. Sun Ergou grumbled inwardly.

"Oh dear, have I delayed Miss Ai's time? Then I'll take my leave now, not wasting your time." After saying that, Sun Ergou quickly turned and fled with his men, as if a ghost were chasing them, running incredibly fast.

Sun Ergou had never felt so quick-witted, successfully escaping from the harbinger of death.

After returning to the main camp, Sun Ergou heavily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, muttering continuously: "How could I run into that harbinger of death by such coincidence? I must not have checked the almanac before leaving today."

Ai Yue had no idea what psychological shadow her family of three had cast on these thugs; seeing her made their legs buckle.

She was completely baffled. She and that group of thugs were mortal enemies; meeting meant life or death. What medicine had they taken today to greet her with such smiles?

Hmph, there must be a trick!

These thugs are truly shameless! Even with their leader dead, they won't stop, always thinking of scheming against me!

If Sun Ergou's group knew what this harbinger of death was thinking, they would probably die of grief in the restroom.

Ai Yue carefully carried the cat all the way back home.

"Mom, hurry up and come see what I brought back for you!" Upon entering the living room, Ai Yue shouted happily.

A moment later, Li Shilan walked out listlessly from the room, standing at the top of the second-floor staircase, showing no intention of coming down: "What is it, Yueyue?"

"Mom, hurry down, you'll know when you come down," Ai Yue said mysteriously.

Just then, Ai Guosheng, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of soup and added, "Wife, just listen to Yueyue and come down to see what she wants to do, and taste if my freshly stewed beef bone soup is delicious?"

Li Shilan looked at the eager pair and couldn't bear to spoil their mood, forcing herself to cheer up and walk downstairs.

Ai Yue took Li Shilan's hand as she came down, had her sit on the sofa, and presented the dirty little cat like a treasure, pushing it in front of her eyes: "Ta-da, look what I have?"

"Meow~"

"This is... a cat? Where did you get this?"

Indeed, Li Shilan liked cats. The moment she saw the dirty little cat, her eyes shone with surprise.

"Never mind where you got it, just tell me if you like it?"

"Of course." Li Shilan put both hands under the dirty cat's armpits, not caring how dirty or smelly it was, and happily held it up to look at it from left to right, answering without hesitation.

"Oh my, look at it, it's so dirty, someone might mistake it for a big rat. Come on, let Mommy wash you up nicely, make you fragrant and clean." Saying this, Li Shilan carried the cat toward the bathroom.

Father and daughter exchanged a look; the heavy stone hanging over their hearts finally lifted.

"Yueyue, where did you pick it up?"

"The zoo!"

"The zoo? How could it be the zoo?"

Ai Yue gave Ai Guosheng a strange look and said, "Why couldn't it be the zoo?"

"Oh, nothing." Ai Guosheng didn't say much more.

Ai Yue also went back to her room to wash up briefly, changed into comfortable clothes, and went downstairs.

When she came downstairs, Ai Yue saw a pure white kitten, with only light markings on its face, lazily curled up on Li Shilan's lap, allowing Li Shilan to dry it with a towel.

Seeing Ai Yue come down, Li Shilan happily waved to her: "Yueyue, come quickly and look at this little guy. It's really beautiful; it's the best-looking cat I've ever seen."

"Mhm, it is very beautiful. Then you can take care of it from now on. I don't like taking care of these little animals; they are too much trouble!"

Li Shilan lightly patted Ai Yue's arm and chided, "What trouble? You just don't understand anything, child. They have spirit; they won't cause us any trouble."

It seemed Li Shilan really liked the white kitten. Ai Yue's standing in her mother's heart had immediately dropped a level. Ai Yue couldn't help but pout: "You won't even let me say one word about it, you're biased!"

Although she said that, Ai Yue was genuinely happy inside, hoping the arrival of the white kitten would bring more color to her parents' lives in the Apocalypse.

At this moment, Ai Guosheng solicitously ladled a bowl of soup and handed it to Li Shilan: "Shilan, you must be hungry, drink some soup to tide you over."

"I'm not hungry, the kitten must be hungry. Old Ai, quickly tear off some meat for me so I can feed it." Li Shilan waved her hand and commanded Ai Guosheng.

"I worked hard to make this for you, won't you have some?" Ai Guosheng said mournfully.

Seeing Ai Guosheng look at her with grievance, Li Shilan chuckled: "Alright, I'll eat after I feed it. I definitely won't let down your kind intentions."

Now, the white kitten's status in this family had soared straight up. It was predictable that everyone else would have to take a backseat.