[Ahhh hubby, you finally showed up!]

[Today’s trending topic lasted all day. I was so worried something happened to you. Seeing you’re okay, I feel so relieved. Hubby, you’re so handsome! swoons]

[Wow, is this the cat our idol adopted? So pretty!]

[Looking good, keep posting more hubby!!!]

[Hubby, you made me faint from your beauty. Hubby, kiss me mwah mwah!]

[Waaah I wish I could soul-swap with that cat!]

Under Shen Zhixing’s latest Weibo post, fan comments were pouring in at a rate of over a thousand per minute.

In just a short while, three to four trending search tags related to Shen Zhixing shot to the top.

And at this very moment—

The cat that had tens of thousands of fans screaming to “soul-swap into”, Yun Mian, was close to dying from anxiety.

What should she do now?!

Could it be that for the rest of her days, she would have to be a cat forever?!

If Yun Mian were a girl without great ambition, a salted fish ready to lie flat, then turning into a cat wouldn’t be such a bad fate.

After all, being a cat meant taking lazy naps and basking in the sun every day, free from worries, with a handsome guy as her poop scooper—it was, by all accounts, many people’s dream life.

But the problem was, that wasn’t her dream.

If she were willing to be the obedient daughter, she wouldn’t have so resolutely resisted the future her parents had planned for her.

She had never owned a pet, but she knew that once pets were domesticated, they basically had no activity space outside their owner’s home.

She hadn’t even been willing to marry according to her parents’ arrangement, let alone accept this kind of completely freedomless life.

Right now, she could still maintain some calm, mainly because the person she was facing was someone from her past. If it had been a stranger, Yun Mian couldn’t imagine how panicked she would be.

Being cut off from the world, unable to speak, unable to express herself—this feeling was just too awful.

…

In the kitchen, Shen Zhixing was washing the dishes, the sound of running water echoing.

The TV in the living room was still on. The evening news had ended, and now it was commercial time.

Suddenly, an advertisement featuring Shen Zhixing appeared on the TV.

It was for a men’s watch brand. Yun Mian remembered that her dad had a watch from that brand too—she had even given him one as a birthday gift one year.

She hadn’t expected that seven years later, Shen Zhixing would become the spokesperson for that brand.

Up until now, Yun Mian had felt as if everything was just a dream, and the number “seven years” didn’t carry much tangible weight.

But now, as she watched the camera transitions on TV like a dream within a dream, with Shen Zhixing showcasing that watch in various outfits and settings like a top model—elegant and composed—she finally felt the passage of those seven years become real in that instant.

*

Just as Shen Zhixing finished washing his hands and turned off the tap, his phone rang.

There was still water on his rolled-up sleeves. He pulled out a paper towel and took out his phone.

He Guang: [The rumor has been cleared up. The business photo looks great. Post more like that in the future.]

He Guang: [Ugh, seriously, if something really happened to you, the consequences would be unimaginable. Do me a favor, for the sake of my poor heart—can you just stop skydiving? I’m begging you!]

Shen Zhixing didn’t care about online gossip. If something happened, the studio would issue an announcement, and things would become clear on their own.

As for He Guang’s other requests, he had no intention of complying.

He was just about to reply when another message came through: [How’s the injury? Are you okay? There were paparazzi downstairs at your place today, so I didn’t go up. I didn’t want to cause more nonsense reports. I’ll come by tomorrow.]

Shen Zhixing replied briefly: “I’m fine. No need to come.”

Then he locked the screen.

He checked the time. It was already past ten at night.

When he returned to the living room, he saw the little cat still lying on the sofa, its round eyes staring unblinkingly at the TV, full of curiosity.

Shen Zhixing let it amuse itself and returned to the bedroom to take a shower.

Although Yun Mian had been watching TV the whole time, her peripheral vision was constantly tracking Shen Zhixing.

The moment she saw him head to the bedroom, she quickly grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

After watching for half an hour, she realized that aside from some changes in automotive technology and the internet, society as a whole hadn’t changed much in the past seven years. People still lived their lives as usual.

The only difference was that the variety shows were full of unfamiliar faces; the turnover was fast.

Well, considering even Shen Zhixing had become a film emperor, how could the turnover not be fast?

Before long, noise came from the bedroom.

It seemed Shen Zhixing had finished showering and had come out.

As footsteps echoed from the hallway, Yun Mian looked up and was instantly stunned.

Shen Zhixing had nothing on but a bath towel, wrapped around his waist, covering his hips and long legs. His abs and the lines of his V-cut abs appeared and disappeared with each step, and his damp black hair dripped water.

Those water droplets slid down his toned, streamlined chest and disappeared into the towel.

Yun Mian sucked in a sharp breath.

That… that…

Even though they were acquaintances, he was really treating her like she wasn’t an outsider at all.

Was this something she was supposed to see?!

Yun Mian instinctively raised her paw to cover her eyes.

The pose looked adorably silly.

Shen Zhixing seemed to chuckle softly, a low nasal sound.

He walked over and picked up the little ball that Yun Mian had curled herself into.

“It’s late. Time to rest.”

Yun Mian was caught completely off guard as he scooped her into his arms, her entire face pressed against his chest.

His scent, cedarwood aftershave, filled her nose.

His skin was warm from the shower, and his chin lightly brushed her ear as he moved.

Her eyes were facing his chest, not even two centimeters away. She could even see the taut definition of his arm muscles as he held her.

Yun Mian: “…”

If a cat could blush—

Then she would definitely be red as an apple right now.

She stiffened in Shen Zhixing’s arms, not daring to move.

Shen Zhixing saw how docile she was and assumed she was tired from playing, so he carried her to the cat house and set her down in the cat bed.

“Good girl, Xiaobai. Goodnight.”

He patted her on the head.

Yun Mian: “…”

Only after Shen Zhixing left and closed the door did Yun Mian, who had been frozen in place, finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The feeling was just too strange.

Shen Zhixing was clearly someone she had known, yet because of the time gap, he now felt unfamiliar.

She didn’t know what kind of attitude to use when interacting with this version of Shen Zhixing.

Of course, even if she figured it out, it would be useless.

Because in his eyes, she was just a cat.

Ugh, so frustrating.

Yun Mian propped up her head, completely without sleepiness.

Ever since turning into a cat, her senses had been overloaded. She had become extremely sensitive to sound and light, waking at the slightest disturbance.

She was also receiving all sorts of information and pheromones that went beyond her understanding.

It wasn’t until the middle of the night, when everything quieted down and even Shen Zhixing’s bedroom had gone silent, that Yun Mian quietly got up and slipped out of the cat house.

Shen Zhixing had been present earlier, so she hadn’t been able to move freely. Now was her chance!

Luckily, Shen Zhixing hadn’t moved houses. He was still in City A.

Though she wasn’t sure how far it was from here to her home, as long as she got out, she could figure something out.

But when she got to the door and stared at the giant digital lock that loomed over her current body, Yun Mian: “…”

The main door wouldn’t work, so she went to try the window.

Yun Mian ran to the balcony and peeked out the floor-to-ceiling window—only to quickly retreat in fright.

Oh my god, at least thirty floors high! Just one glance down made her legs go weak. Especially after experiencing a plane crash, she had developed a fear of heights.

And in this 200-square-meter luxury flat, every window was sealed.

Except for the front door, there was no exit.

And the door required both a fingerprint and a password.

All paths were blocked.

Yun Mian let out a frustrated sigh.

She turned back into the room. Seeing all those cat supplies scattered around made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Still unwilling to accept the reality of having turned into a cat, Yun Mian left the cat house and went down the corridor to find a guest room.

Shen Zhixing’s home was decorated in a cool-toned minimalist style. It wasn’t warm at all—cold and empty everywhere, even the bedsheets were silver-grey, making the place feel even lonelier.

Yun Mian crawled under the covers, curled up under the pillow, and closed her eyes with a sigh.

…

The next morning, Yun Mian was awakened by the sound of a door opening.

She had no choice—her cat hearing was too sharp.

At the sound, she jolted awake.

“Ah Xing? Still not up?”

A loud male voice came from beyond the entryway.

Yun Mian leapt out and ran over, seeing the man who had just entered.

This time, she recognized him. It was… He Guang.

Not tall, with a square face and a buzz cut.

He had been the first poor student her dad sponsored. Yun Mian had known him since she was less than ten, and among the three boys, he was the one she was most familiar with.

Though He Guang was now bulkier and dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, looking like a nouveau riche—

Yun Mian still recognized him at a glance.

“Hey, this cat’s actually kinda cute.”

He Guang mumbled upon seeing her.

Last night, Yun Mian had heard that the young assistant mention “Brother Guang this, Brother Guang that,” and only now did she realize—He Guang was Shen Zhixing’s agent.

But she didn’t have time to be curious about how they became a team.

Yun Mian glanced at the still-open door behind He Guang.

A voice inside her screamed—

Now’s the time, now!

She dashed forward at full speed, slipping through the crack in the door like a white streak.

He Guang, busy setting down the food he brought on the dining table, didn’t notice the shadow darting past his feet.

*

The moment Yun Mian got out of Shen Zhixing’s place, she sprinted like mad.

She ran out of the building and onto the street.

Spotting a familiar landmark in the distance, she roughly figured out where she was.

She threw herself forward and ran.

Even without any transportation, she would run home on her own two legs if she had to.

Passersby on the street saw a beautiful, pure white cat darting past. Most only glanced curiously but paid no real attention.

Meanwhile—

Shen Zhixing walked out of his bedroom, saw He Guang, and rubbed his temples: “Didn’t I tell you not to come?”

“Now, is it a crime to check on you?”

He Guang gave him a look. “Alright, hurry up, wash up and come eat breakfast. I brought your favorite wontons.”

Shen Zhixing turned and went to the cat house at the end of the hallway.

He opened the door—empty. Xiaobai wasn’t inside.

He paused, then started searching the other rooms, calling as he went: “Xiaobai? Xiaobai?”

He Guang heard him from the living room and raised his voice: “Looking for the cat? I saw it by the door just now.”

Shen Zhixing came out, frowning: “Did you open the door for it?”

Seeing Shen Zhixing’s serious expression, He Guang opened his mouth, stunned.

“…I was coming in, of course I had to open the door.”

Shen Zhixing’s face sank. He strode toward the door. “If it’s gone, don’t ever come here again.”

He Guang: “…”

It’s just a cat, is that necessary?

After Shen Zhixing went out, he searched for a while in the corridor outside and by the elevator, but couldn’t find Xiaobai’s shadow.

After thinking for a few seconds, he immediately went downstairs to the property management office to check the surveillance footage.

He Guang couldn’t do anything about him and had to go along to look for it together.

They checked the surveillance footage and found that Xiaobai had actually run out of the residential compound by itself.

Shen Zhixing’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

There were so many people on the street. If it got picked up by someone, it would be very difficult to find it again.

He Guang said from the side, “Forget it. Since it ran out on its own, it means there’s no fate between you. If you really want to raise a cat, we can just go buy another one.”

As long as he doesn’t secretly go skydiving in H Province like last time, raising a cat is fine. At worst, just suffer some allergies. It’s still better than breaking a leg.

Shen Zhixing said nothing and just walked quickly toward the garage.

Seeing that he really intended to search all over the city, He Guang grew anxious.

“Come on, it’s just a cat, is it necessary? What if you get photographed by paparazzi while you’re out there?”

Shen Zhixing gave him a light glance. “If you want to help, get in the car. If not, then stay out of it.”

With that, he got in and started the engine.

But a hand blocked him. He Guang stood outside the car and sighed deeply. “Ah Xing, I’m telling you, it’s time to let go.”

“It’s been seven years. She’s already dead. What’s the point of raising a cat?”

“People have to look forward.”

“Her death wasn’t your fault. Stop treating yourself like a sinner.”

Shen Zhixing stared at the windshield with a blank expression.

His jaw slightly tightened. His dark eyes were deep and unreadable. He didn’t say anything, just moved He Guang’s hand aside and drove out of the underground garage without hesitation.