Chapter 91: Chapter 91: He’s Not My Owner at All
Sweetie put the call on speaker, forcing herself to sound calm. "Walter, who’s in your family?"
She’d only ever heard Ivan Lowe mention that he had a sister.
Ivan Lowe just assumed she was nervous about meeting his parents and wanted to know what to expect. "I have a sister and a brother."
Sweetie clutched her phone. "How come you’ve never mentioned your brother before?"
Thinking that she was about to meet his parents soon, Ivan Lowe decided not to hide it. "My brother was in a car accident a while back. He has the mental capacity of a six-year-old now."
When Sweetie heard that, a violent shudder wracked her body, and a chill shot down her spine.
She finally understood what the words "Your boyfriend is dating you for his brother’s sake" meant.
[Holy crap, so because his brother is intellectually disabled and can’t find a wife, he’s trying to find one for him?]
[I can’t believe I’m witnessing something so absurd...]
[This family is horrifying.]
Sweetie took a deep breath and continued, "So, is your brother married?"
Ivan Lowe sighed. "No. It’s difficult for him to find a wife, given his condition. I might have to take care of him for the rest of his life. Would that scare you?"
At this point, what wasn’t there to understand?
Suppressing the urge to cry, she said coldly, "Ivan Lowe, let’s break up."
[So satisfying!]
[Breaking up is the right move!]
[Let that damned scumbag spend the rest of his life taking care of his fool brother.]
Ivan Lowe was stunned for a few seconds before laughing. "Sweetie, you’re so mischievous. Don’t joke about breaking up like that. I might take you seriously."
"You should take it seriously." The grief on Sweetie’s face was replaced by cold indifference. "I’m serious. We’re breaking up."
"Sweetie, are you angry because I mentioned taking care of my brother?" Ivan Lowe said frantically. "I was just joking! I’m on my way to you right now."
"There’s no need." A deep disgust crept into Sweetie’s eyes. "I think you’re repulsive. I don’t want to see you at all! Don’t come looking for me!"
On the other end of the line, Ivan Lowe’s eyes turned sinister when he heard this. Suppressing his rage, he said, "Sweetie, what the hell is this tantrum about?"
"Piss off!" Sweetie hung up, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
"Sweetie, don’t be sad! You still have me!"
Tata sat on her lap and raised a little paw to pat her head, just as she always comforted it.
Sweetie hugged Tata, crying like a child.
[Oh god, this is making me want to get a cat.]
[A boyfriend might betray you, but your fur baby never will!]
[My urge to get a pet is starting to act up.]
As Sweetie cried while holding Tata, Ivan Lowe was calling her phone again and again.
Renee Jennings heard the phone ringing and gently reminded her, "Does your apartment have a keypad lock? He’s been planning this for over a year. He’s not likely to give up easily."
Sweetie lifted her tear-streaked face, her makeup completely ruined.
She sniffled. "I’m going to change the code right now."
Over twenty thousand viewers watched her change the code, and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Sweetie returned to the screen and looked at Renee Jennings, ashamed. "Streamer, I’m so sorry. I misunderstood you earlier."
"It’s alright." A faint smile touched Renee Jennings’s lips. "Any other questions?"
Sweetie shook her head. "No, that’s all."
Tata’s furry face once again moved close to the screen. "Streamer, thank you for saving Sweetie!"
"Don’t mention it." The smile on Renee Jennings’s lips deepened. "Alright, I’m going to connect with our second caller now."
[System 009: Congratulations on completing the hidden mission: Girl Helps Girl. Reward obtained: Kangaroo Dictionary.]
Renee Jennings ended the call and felt a surge of joy upon hearing the system notification.
’There’s a reward?’
’How nice!’
A smile spread across Renee Jennings’s face. The next second, she saw dazzling fireworks explode on the screen—a gift from Sweetie.
She quickly said, "You don’t have to send gifts. Can I turn this feature off?"
After a few clicks, she couldn’t find the setting to turn them off. Renee Jennings frowned slightly and mumbled, "Whatever, I’ll just get the next caller on. I’ll look into it after I end the stream."
The second caller’s ID was "Vernon."
A refined-looking, middle-aged man appeared on the split screen.
His hair was neatly combed and shiny as he smiled a greeting. "Hello, Streamer."
"Hello, Vernon." Renee Jennings gave a slight nod. "Do you have a pet?"
"I have a silver-shaded cat named Pudge." A troubled look crossed Vernon’s face. "But for the last few days, he won’t let me get close, and sometimes he even gets aggressive with me. Streamer, could you help me ask him what’s wrong?"
Renee Jennings: "I can."
Vernon moved his phone closer to the silver-shaded cat, but it immediately leaped away.
He said helplessly, "See, Streamer? It’s just like this. He completely rejects me."
[He’s rejecting you because he saw you do something bad!]
[You’d better ’fess up~]
[LMAO, everyone is still not over what happened with Taro.]
Vernon felt wronged and explained, "I didn’t do anything bad. Besides, I raised him from a kitten. I really can’t figure out why he’s suddenly giving me the cold shoulder."
"If that’s the case, it is a bit strange." Renee Jennings’s expression grew pensive. She called out softly, "Hello, Pudge. My name is Renee. Can we talk? Why are you ignoring your owner?"
The silver-shaded cat meowed in response, "He’s not my owner at all."
Renee Jennings blinked, and a thought suddenly struck her.
’Could it be like Mrs. Forrest’s case? Did he bring home the wrong pet?’
"Vernon," Renee Jennings asked, "have you taken Pudge outside to play recently?"
Vernon shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "He won’t even let me get close to him. Taking him out to play is out of the question."
Renee Jennings’s gaze sharpened, her fine brows knitting together. "So you haven’t taken him out, and he just suddenly started avoiding you one day, is that right?"
"That’s right," Vernon nodded.
The silver-shaded cat let out a furious hiss. "You’re lying! You’re a liar! You catnapper!"
’Catnapper?’
The word caught Renee Jennings’s attention.
She raised her voice. "Pudge, you tell me."
The silver-shaded cat said angrily, "My name’s not Pudge!"
Renee Jennings: "Then what’s your name?"
"My name is Fifi." Realizing the person on the phone could understand him, Fifi began to meow urgently. "Can you make him let me go home? I really don’t like it here!"
"Vernon," Renee Jennings said, her voice turning serious, "are you certain you’re this cat’s owner?"
"What do you mean?" Vernon retorted with a frown. "He’s in my house. Could he possibly have another owner?"
[The streamer’s asking that... does that mean Vernon isn’t the cat’s owner?]
[I bet this isn’t so simple. There’s definitely more to this story!]
Fifi let out a vicious yowl at him. "You’re not my owner! You’re a catnapper! My owner took me for a walk the other day, and you stole me and brought me here!"
Hearing this, Renee Jennings’s gaze on the middle-aged man became piercing. "Vernon, I’m going to ask you one last time: are you this cat’s owner or not?"
