In the glass cabinet, apart from the dazzling row of trophies, there was also a framed photo.

It looked like it was taken at a major awards ceremony.

The man was dressed in a formal suit, tall and upright, bending toward the microphone, giving a speech, surrounded by flowers and applause.

So…

If none of this was an illusion—

It meant that seven years later, Shen Zhixing had entered the entertainment industry and even became a film emperor.

Yun Mian’s brain buzzed.

What had happened in these seven years?

Were her parents alright? How was the family company?

Also, she had rushed home back then to deal with the engagement to Xu Yizheng. Was it still valid now?

Aside from Shen Zhixing, what about everyone else?

Yun Mian had too many doubts and questions.

She wanted answers right away.

She went to the living room. That young assistant was already packing up to leave.

“Boss, I’ll head out now. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

Yun Mian immediately ran over and flailed her limbs in front of Shen Zhixing, meowing urgently.

“Shen Zhixing! Are you Shen Zhixing?! I’m Yun Mian! We know each other. You even came to my birthday party before, don’t you remember?”

Of course, Shen Zhixing couldn’t understand what she was gesturing.

Seeing the little cat take the initiative to come closer, he was actually quite pleased: “What’s wrong, Xiaobai, are you hungry?”

Yun Mian talked for a long time, only to realize they were talking past each other. She finally fell into despair. No matter what she said, Shen Zhixing couldn’t understand her current “cat language.”

Yun Mian became a little anxious.

What should she do? How could she let him know that she was Yun Mian, not just an ordinary cat?

She anxiously jumped onto the sofa, grabbing his arm with her paws.

“Meoww, meoww~”

The assistant, Zuo Yao, who was about to leave, heard the meowing and turned to glance at the living room.

The snow-white Forest Cat lay on Shen Zhixing’s lap, two paws resting on the man’s arm, head tilted up, a pair of dark blue gemstone-like eyes fixed on him, ears perked, tail swaying.

Thinking of Brother Guang’s earlier instructions—to make sure the boss posted something to shut down the online rumors—

Zuo Yao got an idea. He pulled out his phone and, from the hallway, snapped a picture of the scene.

After all, he managed both the studio and personal accounts. Posting a photo of the boss playing with the cat would not only reassure fans but also fulfill Brother Guang’s task.

After taking the picture, Zuo Yao didn’t disturb the boss and quietly closed the door.

*

Shen Zhixing saw that the cat looked quite anxious and laughed as he patted its little head: “Don’t worry, I’ll go get you something to eat.”

Yun Mian couldn’t hold it in anymore and smacked him twice.

Ahhhhh so frustrating!

She wasn’t trying to get food!

Seeing Shen Zhixing get up and head to the cat house, Yun Mian spun around in place, frantic.

Suddenly.

She spotted the remote control on the coffee table.

A lightbulb went off in Yun Mian’s mind. She rushed over and used her paw to turn on the television.

If she couldn’t speak to him, at least she could watch TV, right?

The TV lit up, displaying a colorful recommendation interface. Yun Mian’s current cat paws made operating it difficult, but after much effort, she finally managed to switch to a news channel.

The news anchor spoke clearly and precisely, “During the just-ended National Day Golden Week, the number of travelers increased by 13.2% year-on-year compared to 2024. Various regions launched related discounts for culture and tourism…”

“……”

The last bit of hope shattered. Yun Mian let out a meow and collapsed onto the sofa.

When Shen Zhixing returned with the cat food, he found the living room TV turned on. Looking over, he saw the new cat he had adopted rolling around on the sofa with the remote in its paws, playing all by itself.

Shen Zhixing walked over and picked the little cat up onto his lap.

“Be good, Xiaobai. Don’t be naughty—that’s not a toy.”

He placed the cat food beside her, signaling for her to eat.

Yun Mian glanced at the bowl of cat food and felt even more like crying.

She turned her head away listlessly.

It was absolutely impossible to make her eat pet food.

She would rather die than submit!

“This little one has quite a temper.” Shen Zhixing chuckled in spite of himself when he saw the kitten turn her head away haughtily.

This cat food was something Xiao Zuo had casually bought last night. They were rushing after leaving the airport and had to avoid being followed by paparazzi, so he picked it up in a hurry and brought it home.

From the look of it, Xiaobai didn’t like the flavor of this cat food.

Shen Zhixing thought for a moment and decided that he would take her to get vaccinated tomorrow and choose a more suitable cat food then.

As for now—

He remembered there were still some raw steak cuts in the fridge. That should be something Xiaobai could eat.

Coincidentally, he hadn’t eaten dinner yet either.

“Stay here and be good. I’ll go cook you some steak.”

Shen Zhixing went into the kitchen, leaving her—no, a cat—alone in the living room.

Right now, Yun Mian was eager to learn more about what had happened in the seven years since. Watching TV only showed her some developments in people’s livelihoods and technology, and she couldn’t find anything about her family, which she truly cared about.

Back then, the reason she gave up studying abroad and secretly returned to the country without telling her parents was to rebel against the marriage engagement her mother had arranged.

Her fiancé was Xu Yizheng, the young master of the Xu family, someone she had known since childhood and grown up playing with—basically, a childhood sweetheart.

Xu Yizheng was two years older than her. When they were kids, he treated her like a younger sister. Later, as they both grew up, Yun Mian, having inherited her parents’ excellent looks, naturally blossomed into an elegant and refined beauty, and Xu Yizheng began to develop feelings for her.

The Yun family was in business, and the Xu family was in politics.

A marriage alliance between the two families seemed perfectly natural.

Even before Yun Mian had finished her senior year of college, her mother had already made the decision, arranging an engagement with Xu Yizheng. The plan was to date for two or three years after graduation and then get married.

Yun Mian didn’t actually dislike Xu Yizheng.

But she hated having her life arranged for her.

Since her mother wanted her to marry Xu Yizheng, she just had to say no!

Not only that, she rejected every single plan her parents had set for her—studying abroad at a business school, returning to complete her degree, getting married, inheriting the family business—she didn’t want any of it!

She wanted to live a life she chose herself.

With that firm belief, she quietly returned from H Province to the country.

Who could have predicted she would encounter a plane crash…

Yun Mian snapped back from her thoughts.

The moment she opened her eyes, she had come to seven years later, and had even become a cat.

She didn’t know what kind of grief her parents must have gone through when they learned about the crash. They probably believed she had died in that accident.

The more Yun Mian thought about it, the sadder she became.

The more she thought, the more she regretted her impulsiveness.

But what was the use of regret? Regret couldn’t take her back to seven years ago, back to the day before she boarded that plane.

The aroma of steak came drifting in from the kitchen.

Yun Mian sniffed. After all that fuss, she was actually a bit hungry now.

Shen Zhixing came out with the cooked steak and placed the plate on the dining table.

Yun Mian looked at him from across the dining room.

The man was tall and well-built, dressed in refined, well-fitted clothes. His bone structure, muscle tone, and the masculine aura he exuded, along with his composed and confident demeanor—none of this could be found in an inexperienced young man.

No wonder she hadn’t recognized him at first glance.

Now that she looked more closely—

Whether it was his brows and eyes, his facial features, or his overall aura—

All of it was gradually overlapping with the Shen Zhixing from seven years ago.

Even though the Shen Zhixing she had known back then didn’t wear designer clothes, was thinner, wore glasses, had slightly long hair that often fell into his eyes, and wasn’t fond of talking—

If she imagined what he would look like at twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, mature, with his hair styled back, glasses removed, and dressed in a suit—this should be it.

“Xiaobai, come here.”

Shen Zhixing called to her.

Yun Mian: “…”

She said it before—she hated that name!

She stood up, walked over with feline grace, and leapt onto the chair.

She glanced at the plate.

The steak was medium-rare, sprinkled with pepper.

Forget it. For the sake of good food, she would let the name slide for now.

The steak had already been cut by Shen Zhixing into strips as thin as a pinky finger. Yun Mian lowered her head and took a bite—it actually tasted pretty good.

She couldn’t help but glance at Shen Zhixing.

The fact that he knew how to cook wasn’t surprising.

She remembered that after Shen Zhixing’s parents passed away, he lived alone in a run-down old neighborhood. She had never been there, but she’d heard her father mention it. Among the three students her father sponsored, each had their own hardships.

Only Shen Zhixing had an especially proud character. Even though her father had been sponsoring him since high school, Shen Zhixing had kept a detailed record of every amount he received and said he would repay it all in the future.

Once he entered university, he began supporting himself with part-time jobs, and barely accepted any more of her father’s aid.

Now, eating a steak cooked by the Shen Zhixing from seven years later, Yun Mian felt a strange and complicated mix of emotions.

She couldn’t say she was very familiar with Shen Zhixing, but they weren’t strangers either.

During holidays, her father would occasionally invite the three boys over for meals.

Only during such occasions did Yun Mian get the chance to interact with them.

She had heard He Guang say that Shen Zhixing had excellent grades and majored in architecture at university.

But why would he enter the entertainment industry and become an actor?

“Looks like you really like steak.”

Shen Zhixing smiled as he saw that half of the steak he had cut had already been eaten by the little cat.

Seeing how much the kitten was enjoying it, Shen Zhixing, who originally had no appetite, casually cut a piece and put it in his mouth.

This house had felt lifeless since the renovations were completed. Aside from his assistant Xiao Zuo and a part-time housekeeper who came to clean, it had always been quiet.

Now that Xiaobai was here, the once cold and empty place seemed to have finally gained some life.

Shen Zhixing reached out to stroke her head, his movements gentler now. “Eat slowly, no one’s going to take it from you.”

But Yun Mian dodged to the side, not allowing him to touch her.

She even let out a “meow” at him.

Did he not know that touching a girl’s head without permission was very rude?

Even if she was a cat, it was still not acceptable.

Shen Zhixing’s hand froze in mid-air. He hadn’t even touched her ears. He looked up and saw the cat glaring at him with round eyes, as if expressing her dissatisfaction, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alright, I won’t bother you. Go ahead and eat.”

Yun Mian stopped eating after she was about seventy to eighty percent full.

Even though she had become a cat, she still needed to watch her figure.

She pushed the plate forward, indicating that she was done eating.

Then she leaned over to the nearby water glass, took a graceful sip, and wiped her mouth and paws with a napkin—well, her claws.

Shen Zhixing watched from the side, raising his brows in surprise.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination—

But he kept feeling that this Xiaobai was different from the cats he had raised before. She seemed smarter, more human-like.

As if she could understand everything he said and always responded accordingly.

Playful, spirited—

And even somewhat… ladylike in her elegance.

Shen Zhixing couldn’t help but laugh at his own thoughts.

*

Meanwhile, on the car ride home, assistant Zuo Yao was editing a caption on his phone.

[Isn’t my new cat cute?]

Nope, delete.

[Her name is Xiaobai, say hello everyone~ ☀]

Still sounds off, delete.

[Weekend. Tea. Petting my cat.]

Tch. Awkward and pretentious.

Zuo Yao chewed on his finger. No matter how he wrote the caption, it didn’t match his boss’s style.

Based on how the boss usually did things, he wouldn’t post photos like this at all. Even if the agent forced him to post, he would just throw up a picture with no text.

Forget it, better stick to the boss’s usual style.

Otherwise, the fans would instantly suspect it was a PR move by the studio. Fans nowadays were sharp—hard to fool.

Zuo Yao adjusted the lighting on the photo he had just taken at the boss’s place and posted it to Weibo, then casually scrolled online for a bit.

The photo angle was well chosen—

It avoided showing the house’s interior layout, used a cluster of green plants as background, and focused the shot on the man sitting on the sofa with the kitten in his lap.

Neon lights from outside the floor-to-ceiling window cast shadows on the man’s profile, highlighting his defined features.

Dressed in gray-black casual wear, with his long legs slightly bent and broad back leaning forward, one hand supporting the kitten, his gaze was gentle and focused.

The kitten looked just newly grown, a pure white, expensive forest breed.

It tilted its head up, gazing back at the man.

The man and cat stared at each other in a moment captured by the photo, creating a uniquely relaxed atmosphere.

It made everything around seem so gentle.

Ten minutes later, after Zuo Yao finished surfing the web and returned to check the boss’s Weibo—

Suddenly, the comment count showed 9999+, and likes and shares were still rapidly increasing.

“…What the hell.”