Yun Mian’s gaze fell on the backs of the man and woman not far away.

The sound of the dryer buzzed in her ears.

Being in the drying box made her feel irritated, like she was locked in a cage.

She couldn’t help but push at the door with her paw.

But the door was locked from the outside. No matter how much she pushed or scratched, it wouldn’t open.

Before long, Shen Zhixing turned and walked over.

He saw Xiaobai pacing around anxiously inside, scratching at the door nonstop. His brows furrowed slightly, and he said to the store clerk: “Let her out first.”

The clerk said: “But her fur isn’t dry yet.”

Shen Zhixing looked at Xiaobai’s tense pupils and said: “No more drying. She’s scared.”

The clerk had no choice but to follow his instructions. She stopped the dryer and carried the half-dried kitten out.

Shen Zhixing took the kitten into his arms and gently patted her head: “Little one, feeling better now?”

Yun Mian didn’t respond, only swishing her tail in frustration.

At this moment, Fang Shuyu, who was holding her dog, also walked over.

Now that she was closer, Yun Mian, lying in Shen Zhixing’s arms, looked up and met Fang Shuyu’s face. Her makeup was delicate, her skin fair, and her long hair flowed down. She had an intellectual temperament.

“So this is the little cat you’re raising?” Fang Shuyu smiled and walked up beside Shen Zhixing, her gaze falling on Yun Mian, “It’s really cute. What’s its name?”

Shen Zhixing nodded slightly, his tone calm: “Her name is Xiaobai.”

When Yun Mian heard Shen Zhixing say that name, her heart skipped a few beats.

Let me stress again—her name is not Xiaobai!!

“Xiaobai. But, I remember you seem to be allergic to cat hair?”

Fang Shuyu bent down and reached out to touch Yun Mian’s head, but Yun Mian instinctively shrank back.

The Pomeranian in Fang Shuyu’s arms suddenly stuck its head out and barked at Yun Mian twice.

Yun Mian: “……” Annoying dog.

“This little one is still a bit shy.” Fang Shuyu smiled and withdrew her hand. Her gaze returned to Shen Zhixing, and she looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes gleaming, “Zhixing, we haven’t seen each other in a while. Want to have a meal together? I just took on a new drama and wanted to talk to you about it.”

Shen Zhixing frowned slightly, his tone still calm: “Sorry, today might not be convenient.”

A trace of disappointment flashed across Fang Shuyu’s face, but she quickly smiled again: “Alright then, let’s find another chance to talk.”

Outside the door, Zuo Yao, who had gone to the car to put things away, returned to the pet store. He was caught off guard when he saw Fang Shuyu also there and couldn’t help but be surprised.

He glanced at Shen Zhixing and quietly used his eyes to ask a question.

— Boss, what’s going on now?

Shen Zhixing ignored the assistant’s signal, slightly nodded to Fang Shuyu, then turned and took Xiaobai to get her shot.

Fang Shuyu stood in the lobby, her gaze continuously following Shen Zhixing.

After the shot, Shen Zhixing picked up the cat and nodded at Fang Shuyu: “We’re leaving first.”

Fang Shuyu pressed her lips into a smile and gracefully waved at Shen Zhixing: “Mm, see you next time.”

After leaving the pet hospital, through the store’s glass window, Yun Mian saw that Fang Shuyu was still standing in place, gazing in the direction they had left. That expression clearly carried a trace of sorrow and resentment.

After going out, Zuo Yao couldn’t help but mutter: “Why was she there too? Could it really be a coincidence?”

Zuo Yao glanced at his boss and saw that he looked calm. He showed neither surprise nor unexpectedness at meeting Fang Shuyu in the pet store. Remembering those overwhelming rumors before, he instantly became alert and subconsciously looked around, fearing that there might be paparazzi following them here.

Fortunately, this was a private pet hospital, so they probably wouldn’t get photographed.

However, no one noticed that while Fang Shuyu and Shen Zhixing were talking, in the corner outside the pet store, two paparazzi were holding cameras, frantically pressing the shutters.

“This is big news! Fang Shuyu and Shen Zhixing meeting in private—it will definitely hit the trending list!” one paparazzo said excitedly.

“Hurry up and post it before someone else beats us to it!” the other one, the leader, urged.

…

Zuo Yao drove in the driver’s seat.

Shen Zhixing sat in the back with Yun Mian, not saying much along the way.

The car was filled only with the silence of sealed air and the scent of incense.

Shen Zhixing’s hand rested on the kitten’s back, gently stroking from time to time. His dark eyes looked out the window, not knowing what he was thinking.

Yun Mian lay on his lap. After getting vaccinated, her head felt groggy. She didn’t have the energy to think about anything. If it weren’t for her willpower, her eyes would have already closed.

It wasn’t until they were almost at Shen Zhixing’s home that he finally spoke to the assistant: “You can go back first later. I’ll give you a few days off.”

Zuo Yao glanced at the rearview mirror, hesitating to speak.

Shen Zhixing didn’t say anything more. After reaching the garage, he picked up the things, held the cat, and got out of the car into the elevator.

Zuo Yao watched his boss enter the elevator, scratched his head, and was just about to turn the car around when he received a call from He Guang.

“Hello, Brother Guang.”

“Where are you? I just called Ah Xing, but he didn’t answer.”

“The boss went back. I just dropped him off. It’s just… we ran into Fang Shuyu at the pet store. Could that be a problem, Brother Guang?”

“Fang Shuyu? Don’t worry about her. Just do your job well.”

…

Yun Mian still couldn’t hold on for long.

After watching Shen Zhixing enter the passcode, her heavy eyelids that she had been forcing open finally closed, and she fell asleep.

When Shen Zhixing entered the door and looked down, the little cat in his arms was already sleeping soundly.

His expression softened. He moved gently, carried the kitten into the living room, placed her on the sofa, and then pulled over a thin blanket to cover her.

The little one was sleeping sweetly. After being put down, she didn’t react at all, only buried her head into the blanket and continued purring in her sleep.

Shen Zhixing went to the dining area and poured a glass of water.

After a while, he went back to his room to change into more comfortable loungewear. Then he picked up the iPad and sat on the sofa next to the sleeping kitten.

He opened several unread scripts in his email and began reading quietly in the afternoon sunlight.

It hadn’t been long before his iPad suddenly rang a few “ding-ding” sounds.

Immediately after, the “ding-ding” notifications popped up more frequently.

Shen Zhixing frowned slightly.

— He had configured his phone and tablet so that only messages from a few specific people or important work matters would trigger notifications. All other comments and private messages were muted.

Now that a notification popped up, it was either from He Guang’s studio or someone needing to contact him.

Shen Zhixing exited the script file and opened the message source. His gaze paused.

At this moment, the little cat beside him was awakened by the noise. She raised her head and looked at him blankly.

Shen Zhixing kept his expression unchanged, put down the iPad, and reached out to gently scratch the kitten’s cheek: “Little lazy thing, awake now? Want to try the new fish jerky?”

Yun Mian called out to him: “Meow.”

Eat, of course she wanted to eat! She hadn’t had a bite since she woke up this morning. She was starving.

Shen Zhixing got up to get her some fish jerky.

Yun Mian watched his back, then lowered her head and glanced at the iPad he had left on the sofa.

— “Fang Shuyu and Shen Zhixing suspected of rekindling old feelings? Secret meeting at the pet store exposed!”

“……”

Yun Mian immediately saw the trending title on the screen.

Her gaze paused for a moment on the words “old feelings.”

“Shen Zhixing and Fang Shuyu rekindling old feelings?”

Yun Mian couldn’t resist tapping the trending post with her paw.

Inside the trending post was a set of photos showing Fang Shuyu and Shen Zhixing meeting at the pet hospital.

In the photos, Fang Shuyu wore a long dress and smiled gently, while Shen Zhixing wore a simple black shirt, standing casually opposite her. Shen Zhixing’s features were deep and handsome, his expression calm, with a naturally cool temperament. Fang Shuyu was also one of the rare young actresses with a scholarly aura.

The man was handsome, the woman beautiful. Even with just a few blurry photos, they exuded a subtle cinematic atmosphere.

The comment section had already exploded. Yun Mian skimmed through it and found that almost all netizens were speculating about the emotional entanglement between the two.

It seemed Shen Zhixing really was very popular.

Just a few photos with a suggestive title were enough to push him onto the trending list this quickly.

“Xiaobai.”

Yun Mian was so absorbed that she almost got caught by Shen Zhixing.

She hurriedly pretended she had accidentally touched the iPad, pressing both paws onto the screen.

Shen Zhixing came over, locked the iPad and tossed it aside, then placed the dish of fish jerky in front of her: “Hungry, right? Eat.”

As the scent of fish jerky wafted over, Yun Mian’s attention was drawn away.

She ran over, sniffed cautiously, then picked up a piece of fish jerky in her mouth.

Mm, tasty. So fragrant!

Salmon had few bones and could be eaten raw. Yun Mian had no psychological burden eating it. Unlike with cat food, she didn’t feel like she had really become an animal.

Even so, after eating two pieces of fish jerky to her heart’s content, Yun Mian almost lifted her paw to lick it—a subconscious action of a cat.

Startled, Yun Mian quickly jumped onto the coffee table and used her paw to pull over a tissue to try to wipe her mouth.

Shen Zhixing leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs. Watching Xiaobai’s series of movements, the corners of his lips curved slightly.

The tissues on the coffee table were pulled everywhere by Xiaobai. The little creature seemed to have discovered a fun toy, hugging the tissues with both paws and pressing them to her face repeatedly. But her paws were too short to reach properly. After tearing one tissue, she stubbornly switched to the next.

She was simply too mischievous, like a naughty child.

Shen Zhixing didn’t stop her and gave her the tissue box to play with as a toy. He picked up the iPad and continued reading the script.

As for the gossip and trending news online, he acted as if he hadn’t seen them, remaining calm and unruffled the whole time.

…

In the evening, Shen Zhixing took a phone call.

He went to the balcony to talk. Yun Mian pricked up her ears to listen.

It seemed to be He Guang. The two talked about things related to the script. But after just a few words, Shen Zhixing hung up.

When he returned to the living room, Yun Mian looked at his expression and felt that the call might not have been pleasant.

But Shen Zhixing’s emotions were very steady. Even with everything blowing up online, he could still spend the whole afternoon undisturbed, going about his business.

Since Yun Mian had known him as a teenager, he had always had this silent personality. Now that this character had matured into a calm adult man, he appeared even more deep and reserved. Sometimes… it was really hard to figure out what he was thinking.

Just as Yun Mian was staring at him, deep in thought, Shen Zhixing suddenly turned his head and looked at her.

Yun Mian froze.

She instinctively avoided his gaze.

Fortunately, Shen Zhixing didn’t notice her odd behavior. He came over, scooped her up, and went into the study.

There was a computer in the study. After turning it on, Shen Zhixing handled a few emails, which were all about contract terms and the like.

Yun Mian knew this was his work, so she didn’t plan to snoop. She jumped down from his lap.

Shen Zhixing glanced at her but didn’t stop her, letting her go.

Yun Mian ran back to the living room, leapt onto the sofa, and dragged over the iPad Shen Zhixing had left there.

Just now, when Shen Zhixing unlocked the screen, Yun Mian had memorized the password. Now that he was in the study, she clumsily used her paw to open the iPad.

She wanted to search online about her family’s company.

That day when she returned, she overheard Aunt Wang and Uncle Yang talking. She had been worried ever since, afraid that something had happened to her father’s side.

Yun Mian painstakingly used her paw to type in the keywords “Yuntian.”

More than ten recent news articles popped up, all about Yuntian Group’s listing. There were also reports about charity events. Over the years, Yuntian Group has sponsored several schools and sports competitions.

Yun Mian felt a little relieved.

Although Aunt Wang said her parents occasionally argued, fortunately, the family company hadn’t encountered any problems because of her. But because she had made her mother so sad that she became bedridden, Yun Mian still blamed herself deeply.

Aside from these, there wasn’t much other information online. After all, her father had always been low-profile and rarely appeared in the media. After her mother returned to the family, she no longer participated in the group’s management either.

Yun Mian’s cat paw tapped around on the iPad and accidentally returned to the previous Weibo page.

She scrolled down and saw that someone in the comments mentioned a film Shen Zhixing and Fang Shuyu had worked on together a few years ago.

In that movie, the two had once played a couple, bringing many viewers to tears. It also earned Shen Zhixing the Golden Phoenix Best Actor Award in one fell swoop.

Yun Mian felt a stir in her heart and couldn’t help but search for information related to that movie.

The movie was called The End of Time, and it told the story of a pair of lovers who meet, separate, and reunite again in the midst of overlapping time and space. The male lead played by Shen Zhixing was affectionate and restrained, while the female lead played by Fang Shuyu was gentle and strong. The mutual affection between the two characters that ultimately ended in missed love moved many viewers to tears.

After the two rose to fame through the movie, rumors about their relationship began to surface from time to time. Many fans believed they had been involved offscreen as well.

No wonder the trending topic headline said “Old love rekindled”…

“Xiaobai?”

At that moment, Shen Zhixing walked out of the study.

Yun Mian was startled. She quickly used her paw to frantically close the Weibo page, pretending that nothing had happened.

She even put on an innocent act with a guilty expression: “Meow.”