Chapter 9

Most people who saw this trending topic were as bewildered as Sheng Qingli.

Who? Who is posting cat photos? Pei Qingci? Did he actually post something personal? Or is he posting cat photos?

Fans, both casual and die-hard, were stunned. When did Pei Qingci get a cat, and why is he suddenly posting cat photos?!

It’s no wonder that “posting cat photos” made it to the trending list—it’s because the owner of the cat is so special and has such a huge fanbase.

Since his debut, apart from a few private outfit photos released annually, 99% of Pei Qingci’s Weibo content has been work-related.

Fans who couldn’t see anything about his personal life even joked that he should rename his account to “Pei Qingci Studio No. 2” since it’s almost exclusively used for work promotions. Fans followed him not to see robotic, promotional posts but because they were curious about his true personality. They wanted him to be more approachable and share aspects of his life outside of work, to see what he was like when he wasn’t performing.

But Pei Qingci gave nothing.

Over the years, fans loved and hated him for this.

Every time fans considered unfollowing him due to lack of personal insight, they were always pulled back by his films and achievements.

Over time, most people accepted this.

If Pei Qingci didn’t want to share his personal life, so be it. He focused on acting and winning awards, and that was enough for fans to take pride in.

Thus, when Pei Qingci suddenly posted a series of nine-grid cat photos, it caused a stir among his fans.

“Family! Did my brother get hacked?!”

“OMG, is this the end of the world?!”

“First, let’s rule out the possibility of a hack. The phone model used for posting these cat photos is the same as the one he used for work-related Weibo posts. Also, the background of the first photo shows a part of his study, and I saw a corner of a gold award trophy in the reflection of a transparent cabinet door. The fifth photo shows a hand with a small mole on the tiger’s mouth of his left hand, proving the photo was taken by him. The ninth photo shows the cat resting on a pair of slippers that, if I remember correctly, have appeared in previous shots from the set. So, this set of photos was indeed personally posted by Pei Qingci! The cat is so cute! I’m going crazy waiting for Pei Qingci to post cat photos!!!”

“…If he’s posting cat photos, how long until he posts about a girlfriend? Is he going to announce a relationship soon? When did he even get a cat? There’s been no mention of it.”

“What’s going on with my brother today? It’s well known… when someone suddenly behaves unusually, it’s either when they’re showing off or when they’re in a relationship. Which is my brother doing…?”

“Regardless, Pei Qingci’s cat is so beautiful.”

“This sudden cat post is no different from Pei Qingci sharing his abs photos. I now have a dream material for tonight—I’m the cat…”

In the comments under Pei Qingci’s Weibo post, fans were in shock, excitement, and enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, in another corner that fans couldn’t see (or deliberately ignored), things were heating up.

After Pei Qingci posted the cat photos, the “Eat Pear” CP fan group, which had just recently cooled down, was once again buzzing.

【[Eat Pear CP Fan Club] Sisters, did you see Pei Qingci’s latest Weibo?!!! Come out and discuss it! What’s going on? Have we finally gotten the sweet treat we were waiting for?】

“Here, let me check out this scheming guy’s Weibo.”

“OMG… so much sweetness?!”

“I can’t believe my eyes, is this photo really posted by Pei Qingci himself, not someone else?”

“I’m genuinely suspicious… this isn’t Pei Qingci’s style unless he’s trying to attract my sister’s attention.”

“Does anyone remember that my sister mentioned in an interview that she liked cats but couldn’t have one due to an allergy? Does anyone remember?”

“So… is Pei Qingci raising a dowry cat for himself?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, this must be Pei Qingci’s cat for his future wife, right? Am I right? Did I misinterpret?”

“Wait, I’m a new fan who recently got into this through D-site fan creations. Why is it a dowry cat? Shouldn’t it be a bride price?”

“New fan, let me explain. Previously, during an interview, a reporter asked if she had any thoughts about marrying into a rich family. She said she was the only daughter in her family, and her family has a great tradition from the new China—’marriage into the family.’ Her father married into their family, so she won’t marry into a rich family; she wants the man, which means Pei Qingci should marry her. Got it?”

“Isn’t there a possibility… that they’re really going to collaborate? I suddenly remembered the recent gossip and combined it with Pei Qingci’s strange behavior today. I feel like things aren’t that simple.”

“Whether they collaborate or not, Pei Qingci is definitely showing off.”

“Wow, he loves her so much! He’s raising a cat that she couldn’t keep, and it’s such a beautiful one!”

“Mom, I can get through this year with just this bit of sweetness… I declare that tonight, ‘Eat Pear’ is the happiest person!”

---

The heat of Pei Qingci’s cat post remained high. Besides the shock and excitement from fans and passersby, Lin Lin also called Sheng Qingli to ask what was going on.

Sheng Qingli: “…Sister Lin, I don’t know.”

Lin Lin, browsing through the comments from Pei Qingci’s fans and the speculations from passersby, said quietly, “You really don’t know anything? Isn’t that cat the one you gave him?”

She still remembered it.

Sheng Qingli was taken aback and helplessly said, “It is the cat I gave him, but I didn’t know he had been keeping it until today.”

Understanding, Lin Lin said, “Alright then, it seems he just suddenly wanted to post it, and it doesn’t have much to do with you.”

Despite this, Lin Lin couldn’t help but remind her before hanging up, “If anything really happens between you two, let me know immediately, or I won’t be able to handle the PR.”

“…I don’t think so,” Sheng Qingli said instinctively.

After saying this, she suddenly remembered something. “Sister Lin.”

Lin Lin’s heart skipped a beat, and she held her breath, “What is it?”

Sheng Qingli: “Director Zhong’s new movie, Pei Qingci will be joining. I only found out tonight, and he will play the role of my master.”

Lin Lin: “…”

After a moment of silence, Lin Lin said with a headache, “Alright, I understand.”

She seemed to foresee that, in the coming months, Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci’s names would frequently appear together on trending lists.

After hanging up, Sheng Qingli glanced at her phone still showing Weibo and was about to exit when Li Yuwei, who had climbed onto Weibo to check the cat photos as soon as she heard about them, suddenly spoke, “That cat is meant for you to see.”

Sheng Qingli remained expressionless, “You’re overthinking it.”

Li Yuwei tilted her head and looked at her, “Otherwise, I can’t think of why he suddenly posted cat photos.”

“If he wants to post, he posts. Why does it need so many reasons?” Sheng Qingli said indifferently. “He definitely can’t guess what we’re discussing.”

Hearing this, Li Yuwei blinked, “He’s so smart, it’s normal for him to guess what you’re thinking.”

Sheng Qingli was caught off guard and gave Li Yuwei an annoyed look. “That’s not being smart.”

“Then what is it?” Li Yuwei asked, wide-eyed. “Is it a kind of telepathy?”

Sheng Qingli smiled slightly, “It’s scheming.”

“……”

Not wanting to continue discussing the topic with Li Yuwei, Sheng Qingli got up from the sofa. “I’m going to take a shower. Do you want to pick a movie in the media room?”

Seeing her gloomy expression, Li Yuwei understood perfectly well that she didn’t want to mention the person who disturbed her mood. She responded briefly, “Do you have anything in mind?”

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment. “No, you pick.”

Li Yuwei blinked. “How about a horror movie?”

She liked horror films.

Sheng Qingli hesitated for a few seconds. “…Alright.”

When Sheng Qingli finished washing up and walked into the media room, Li Yuwei had already selected a highly recommended horror film online and was waiting for her to join.

“You brought alcohol?” Li Yuwei was surprised to see the drink in Sheng Qingli’s hand.

Sheng Qingli placed the alcohol and a small table in front of the sofa and settled into the soft, cloud-like sofa. “I wanted to have a little.”

The two of them enjoyed a pleasant time drinking and watching the movie.

---

On the other hand, Pei Qingci was not so relaxed. Shortly after posting on Weibo, he received a call from Xiang Rong, asking why he was acting so crazy.

Pei Qingci raised his eyebrows slightly and asked while opening a can of food for the trophy, “Do I not have the right to post on Weibo?”

Xiang Rong was momentarily at a loss for words. “You know that’s not what I meant. I’m asking why you decided to tell your fans about your cat today?”

Pei Qingci replied indifferently, “I talked to the screenwriter about the script issues tonight, and the trophy appeared in the shot.”

“Only the screenwriter knew about that,” Xiang Rong gritted his teeth. “You didn’t need to tell everyone.”

Pei Qingci looked up, deliberately misunderstanding, “Is my cat not presentable?”

“Your cat?” Xiang Rong sneered. “That’s Sheng Qingli’s cat.”

Pei Qingci: “…”

Xiang Rong, feeling exhausted from scolding him, said, “Forget it. I won’t argue with you. Since you’re the boss now, you can do whatever you want. But could you let me know before you post photos next time? When I first got the news, I thought you were being monitored.”

He muttered, “And it’s fine if you don’t notify me before posting pictures of the cat since we don’t need PR. But if you announce a relationship someday and do the same thing, I’ll be furious!”

Xiang Rong issued a rather ineffective warning to Pei Qingci.

Pei Qingci smiled, lightly touching the startled trophy. “I won’t.”

“What won’t you?” Xiang Rong didn’t immediately understand.

Pei Qingci said softly, “I’ll let you know in advance if I announce a relationship.”

Xiang Rong was nearly infuriated. “…Is that the point?”

Pei Qingci frowned. “Isn’t it?”

“…” Xiang Rong took a deep breath, glaring with gritted teeth. “I shouldn’t have called you.”

Looking at the phone call that had been hung up, Pei Qingci casually placed the phone on the table and comforted the frightened trophy, his voice calm and subdued. “Tell him to buy you some canned food tomorrow as an apology.”

The trophy seemed to understand, rubbing against his large palm and meowing.

Suddenly, the phone screen lit up.

Pei Qingci picked it up and opened it. It was still a message from his manager: “A man who clings isn’t worth much!”

He had nothing more to say.

Pei Qingci’s long fingers moved slightly: “Are you very idle lately?”

Xiang Rong: “…”

He immediately withdrew the previous message.

He was not idle; he hoped Pei Qingci would stop finding things for him to do.

Seeing his series of actions, Pei Qingci smiled silently and chose not to dwell on it.

He put down the phone and looked at the little cat, which was persistently rubbing against his arm and purring in protest at being ignored. He smiled.