Against the Algorithm

Chapter 36: Crayfish and Favoritism

Yao's cheeks turned red, but she didn't release the kitten. Instead, she rose to her feet slowly, cradling the small, damp body closer as it tucked its head under her chin with a tiny sigh. "I couldn't leave him," she murmured, voice gentle. "Not like this. Not alone."

Jinyang reached over and gently pulled up Yao's hood, shielding her from the now steadily falling rain. "I know, Bei-Bei. Come on. Let's get him home before he catches a chill—and before your overprotective man calls."

The front doors to ZGDX's base hadn't even fully closed behind them before Jinyang was barking orders like a woman on a mission, her arms full of bags with expensive boutique logos dangling from each wrist. The moment her heel clicked onto the tile, her sharp voice rang out, utterly unapologetic.

"Lao Mao! You overgrown wall of muscle—get down here and take these before I drop them!"

There was a crashing noise from the second floor, followed by Lao Mao's stunned voice from somewhere near the stairwell, "Why do I feel like I just got drafted without warning?!"

"Because you did!" Jinyang shouted, not bothering to hide her grin as she transferred the bags into his waiting arms the moment he appeared, catching his look of confusion with a wink. "New wardrobe pieces. For your Tiny Boss Bunny. Not you. Hands off."

But the moment her words hit the air, they registered—and so did the sound of hurried footsteps flying up the stairs.

Yao hadn't even paused to explain. One second she was clutching the bundled-up kitten against her chest, her hoodie soaked through and her hair damp with rain. The next she was bolting through the entryway, ignoring everyone—Rui, Ming, even Yue who had frozen mid-sip of his tea—her only focus on the stairs leading to her apartment.

Warm towels.

Possibly her hairdryer

Whatever she needed to make sure the tiny creature she'd found didn't slip into shock.

Sicheng, having looked up from his phone with a raised brow the second the door opened, had barely caught a flash of platinum hair before it vanished upstairs. But the way she'd run—her footsteps frantic, arms curled protectively around something small—it clicked instantly. Without a word, he was already on his feet. He shoved his phone into his pocket, muttering a quiet curse under his breath as he moved with sharp, urgent purpose, weaving past stunned teammates and bounding up the stairs after her. The others watched the sudden flurry of motion in silence, their heads turning toward the staircase where both their Captain and their Boss Bunny had disappeared.

"...Did something happen?" Yue finally asked, slowly lowering his tea with a blinking stare.

"She just ran like the apartment was on fire," Ming added, brow furrowed.

"Or like Da Bing bit someone again," Lao K muttered.

But it was Lao Mao—still holding a now awkward mountain of boutique bags—who grunted, "I don't think it was a fire or the cat biting someone."

And downstairs, Jinyang—grinning like a cat with cream—hummed to herself as she stepped around the chaos, thoroughly pleased with herself. Because oh, they had no idea what kind of chaos a second fluff ball was about to unleash.

The moment Sicheng stepped into her apartment, he immediately registered two things at once—Da Bing's watchful, regal figure perched silently on his favorite cat tree near the window, and the soft, persistent mewling of something entirely new.

His brows furrowed.

Then his eyes dropped.

And there she was.