My Pets Were Plotting My Murder
My rich friend was obsessed with them, always joking,
Your little darlings are so gorgeous and well-behaved, why dont you just sell them to me? Name your price!
I never took her seriously, but then the floating text appeared above her head:
When is this cannon fodder going to die! If you cant care for them, dont keep them. Our male leads are starving on her cheap food, its heartbreaking! They wouldnt even bother with her if they didnt need her for their transformation!
Soon, soon! The cannon fodder has a brain tumor and no money for treatment, shes going to die any minute now. Once shes gone, the three male leads can go home with the female lead and start their happily-ever-after!
Heh, right before she dies, the cannon fodder will beg the female lead to take them. Little does she know, the male leads are intentionally letting her die, theyve been waiting for this day...
Looking at the three creaturesthe ones currently purring and charming my frienda cold rage settled in my stomach.
You know what? I will, I heard myself say, the words tight and sharp. Ten thousand a piece. Take your pick.
1
The living room went silent.
The smile froze on my friend Zaras face.
The calico cat, Apollo, the one who was the master of affection, stopped rubbing his cheek against her chin.
The small, black snake, Styx, unwrapped from her neck and raised its head.
Even Gizmo, the poky little hedgehog on the adjacent sofa, stopped grooming his paws.
All their eyes were suddenly fixed on me.
The bullet screen above my head erupted like a lake hit by a boulder:
??? What did I just hear? Ten thousand a piece? How dare this dead cannon fodder set such a price!
HOLY CRAP! The wicked cannon fodder reveals her true colors. Just a second ago she was acting like a doting owner!
She must be desperate for cash. Is she trying to swindle our sweet female lead?
I knew it! She only kept pets to curry favor with Zara. What a manipulative btch!*
Zara was the first to recover. She looked awkwardly from the pets in her arms to me.
Elena, what are you talking about? I was just kidding, she said, her tone laced with embarrassment.
Arent they your absolute treasures? How could you sell them to me?
I kept a relaxed, almost weary smile on my face, pretending not to see the text attacking me.
They are my treasures, Zara, but reality is a factor now.
I sighed, managing to sound genuinely distressed.
You know I lost my job recently, and nothing solid has come up. Keeping these threethe imported food, the vet visits, the special habitatsits a huge, constant expense.
To be honest, I can barely afford it anymore.
I met Zaras eyes, making my gaze sincere.
Theyd probably be happier with you, anyway!
Look, the fancy cat tree, the organic mice, Gizmos climate-controlled habitatdidnt you buy most of that for them?
Instead of scraping by with me, theyll actually have a good life if they go home with you!
Zara opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
Im really in a bind right now.
If you truly love them, and youre willing to help me out, ten thousand each. Any one you want.
Think of it as bailing me out. Please?
Zara fell silent.
The bullet screen raged again:
Psh! Talk about sounding fake! Isn't this just emotional blackmail?
Female lead, darling, don't believe her! She's exploiting your kindness!
A bind? LOL! You have a fatal illness that money can't fix anyway. Jinx!
Male leads, bite her! This black-hearted woman doesn't deserve to be your owner!
Zara hesitated, finally biting her lip. Okay... maybe Ill just take one for now? I wouldnt want you to be completely alone...
I was practically itching for her to take all three and save me the trouble. They were ungrateful vipers, and they needed to be gone. Sold. All of them.
But I knew a sudden change in attitude would arouse suspicion. One step at a time.
Fine, whatever you think is best. Go ahead and choose.
Take whichever one youve bonded with most.
2
Zara knelt down, still holding Apollo the calico.
She peered at the little black snake and the hedgehog that had scooted closer.
Styx seemed to sense something was off.
He raised his head higher, turning slightly toward Zara. His tongue flickered out quickly.
Gizmo the hedgehog shifted his tiny paws, his black bead eyes fixed on her.
Thats when Apollo, the cat in Zaras arms, made his move.
He let out a soft, sweet Mrrrrow, then rubbed his velvety head frantically against Zaras chin. His tail stood straight up, the tip curved into a perfect question mark, and he began to knead her soft cashmere sweater. He looked utterly, desperately devoted.
At the same time, his back legs, seemingly accidentally, gave two tiny, swift kicks.
They landed precisely on the heads of the approaching black snake and the hedgehog, causing both to tumble backward.
HAHAHAHA! Nice one, Kitty! Thats how you win the attention battle!
All hail Cat King! We knew you loved our Zara the most!
Poor Snakey and Gizmo, but sorry, Im siding with the cat.
Zaras attention was instantly captured by the passionately affectionate, adorable fluffball in her embrace.
No girl could resist a purring, cuddly cat, especially one as beautiful and cunning as Apollo.
Watching Apollos performance, I felt a chilling emptiness inside.
It was almost funny.
When I first found him, he was skin and bones, filthy, and followed me for blocks just for a scrap of food.
When I brought him home, he was exactly like thisdoing everything to charm and please me.
Rubbing my legs. Rolling over at my feet. Purring loudly.
My heart softened, and even though I already had Styx and Gizmo, I thought, Whats one more? I brought him in.
And what was the result?
Once he was comfortable, he reverted to being cold and distant.
If I tried to pet him, hed impatiently pull away. Sometimes hed even lash out, leaving me with a bloody scratch.
He ignored every toy I bought. His day consisted of eating and napping in the sun on the windowsill.
Only when Zara arrived did he transform back into the clingy, affectionate darling, begging her for imported tuna.
I realized then that his loyalty had been skewed all along.
No.
He had no loyalty.
All his actions were driven by a clear goal.
Just as the bullet screen said: they were only "borrowing my life force for their transformation."
They were enduring me, waiting for me, the "cannon fodder," to exit the stage.
Zara gently squeezed Apollos tiny paw, her face alight with affection.
Hes just so attached... Fine, Ill take Apollo. It seems hes just as eager to come home with me.
She pulled out her phone and tapped a few times.
My phone immediately chimed:
Ding0-00,000 deposited into your account.
There you go, Elena. I transferred the money.
She scooped Apollo up and placed him inside a very luxurious, designer pet carrier.
So... Ill take him home now? Dont worry, Ill take the very best care of him.
I know you will.
I nodded, my voice perfectly level. If you ever want to get him a companion, you know where to find me. I still have two here.
I gestured to Styx and Gizmo on the floor.
Zara paused, but then smiled and replied, That sounds good, before carrying her new favorite out the door.
3
The living room was quiet again, save for myself and the two remaining pets.
I turned to face them, meeting two pairs of eyes.
Styx the snake had raised almost half his body off the floor without me noticing.
His cold, vertical pupils were locked onto me, his tongue rapidly flickering.
It was a sign of a snake under duress.
And Gizmo, the habitually slow hedgehog, had shed all his usual languor.
His tiny claws gripped the rug, and every one of his quills was standing on end.
They seemed incapable of understanding why their formerly meticulous, always-accommodating servant had suddenly become so ruthless.
The bullet screen was loving the show:
Hahaha! The remaining two are stunned!
They got abandoned! Thats what you get for not being as good at groveling as the cat!
But wait, isnt this weird? The cannon fodder was absolutely devoted to these three. Why did she agree to sell them the second the female lead asked?
She needs cash, duh. Look, even the biggest pet influencers love their animals, but that doesnt conflict with using them to make money.
Alright, playtime is over.
I walked toward Styx, intending to put him back in his box.
But the moment I reached out, I saw a black blur.
I snatched my hand back, but not quickly enough. A snake tooth grazed my skin.
I narrowed my eyes, a silence settling between us.
In the past, if he bit me, I would act like all the pet owners I knew.
Id patiently, repeatedly, tell him, No, we don't bite. That's not right.
But now, I had no patience left.
I was annoyed.
Deeply annoyed.
I had neither the time nor the energy to play this game of blood-and-flesh devotion anymore.
With lightning speed, I pinched Styx firmly behind his head, lifting him up.
I tossed him directly into his ten-thousand-dollar, climate-controlled habitat.
The lid slammed shut with a thunk.
I secured the latch.
He hit the climbing branch, clearly stunned.
No, no, no! How dare you treat our Snakey so roughly? You horrible cannon fodder! I hope he bites you to death!
It's so strange. The cannon fodder has suddenly lost all her passion for the pets. Did she get possessed?
Good. Let her hurry up and die from the tumor. Then the three male leads will transform and live a glorious life with sweet Zara.
Hee hee hee, four limbs only, sounds hot.
The hedgehog on the rug was completely frozen now.
Seeing me reach for him, he immediately rolled into a tight, defensive ball.
His quills stood like needles.
Normally, this would make him impossible to handle.
But now, I simply grabbed a thick bath towel and draped it over him.
Through the towel, I accurately flipped him over, exposing his soft belly.
Then I dropped him back into his hedgehog villa.
I quickly secured the lid.
The world was finally silent.
The bullet screen had gone ballistic, filling the air with curses and death wishes directed at me.
But I didnt care. I pulled out my phone and booked a full-body checkup at the best hospital in the city.
Three days later, the results were in.
I sat in the oncologists office.
He told me clearly:
Ms. Elena Vance, your test results are back. We found a tumor in your brain. The location is difficult, and the size is significant. Our preliminary diagnosis is mid-stage.
He paused, a note of relief in his voice. The good news is we caught it in time. If you had waited any longer, it might have been irreversible.
Theres still a chance for surgery, but it will be highly complex and risky. As for the cost, we estimate at least...
Two hundred thousand dollars.
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "332163" to read the entire book.
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