The scene was almost unbelievable. A young girl took out ten yuan, intending to give it directly to Gu Yingying, but seemed hesitant. While she was caught in her indecision, Bastet who was still lying on the ground playing dead, suddenly sprang up, walked over to the girl, and meowed at her.

At that, the girl immediately softened and crouched down to give the money to Bastet even taking the chance to pet him.

Bastet took the ten yuan in his mouth and returned to Gu Yingying, handing her the money with a meaningful glance.

Silly woman, I can take care of you too.

Understanding Bastet’s silent message, Gu Yingying couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation, but she accepted the ten yuan with a smile.

From that point on, things became easier. Gu Yingying had often trained Bastet, or rather, Bastet would listen when she wanted to play, and the two shared a strong understanding.

They performed various tricks together with the stray cats following Bastet’s lead. One cat doing a trick might be surprising, but a whole group of them? It was nothing short of breathtaking! Many in the crowd pulled out their phones to take pictures, and some even sent money to Gu Yingying just for the chance to pet cats.

In just half an hour, Gu Yingying had earned a lot of money—she didn’t even have time to count, but it was certainly plenty.

“Thank you, everyone, for your love for the cats! I’m going to take them to buy some cat food now, sorry, but we have to wrap up.”

She said with a cheerful smile. The cat lovers around her eagerly asked when she’d be back, and Gu Yingying promised she’d return soon, even saying she’d create an online account for Bastet. With that, she finally made her way out of the crowd, leading the twenty-plus stray cats with her.

Gu Yingying remembered that there was a pet store on this commercial street, so she confidently led the twenty-plus stray cats to the store. The sight startled the pet store manager and staff.

After all, stray cats were typically wary of people. Moreover, the manager recognized several of the cats from his usual feedings—those were the kinds that would eat and then run off. But now, here they were, following Gu Yingying obediently, which completely baffled the pet store manager.

“Do any of these cats need to be spayed? It’s not good for them to stay outside all the time. How about we keep a few here and get them spayed?”

The store manager said, offering some cat food while also taking note of the condition of each stray cat and asking Gu Yingying for details.

Gu Yingying had earned over two thousand yuan from the stray cats, keeping only a hundred for herself and leaving the rest on the table.

“Of course, that sounds good. But I think I’m a little short on money…” she said.

Two thousand yuan was a lot, but spaying a single cat cost at least five or six hundred, so it wasn’t quite enough.

“No worries,” the manager replied. “We’ve been spaying cats for free before. I know all the cats in this area, but it’s hard to catch them. Since they’re here now, don’t worry about the spaying fees. If you really want to contribute, leave the money here and I’ll use it to buy food for these strays. I’ll also try to find them homes.”

Running a pet store often meant losing money on stray cats and dogs, but the manager, being from a wealthy family, didn’t mind at all.

“Okay, then. Thank you, Manager.” Gu Yingying nodded. She truly felt sorry for the strays, but with no money, she couldn’t afford to take care of them.

As she was talking to the manager, a man wearing a black mask and a cap entered the store. The cap partially hid his head, but the vibrant blue strands of his hair were still visible. He walked straight up to the manager.

“Mong ge, how’s my Caesar doing?”

^[1]Ge- older brother

His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a peculiar youthful tone. The moment Gu Yingying heard it, she felt the warmth of the magic mirror in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and saw the boy reflected inside.

With his striking, brilliant blue hair and a proud, unruly expression, he had a pair of slightly upturned, blue eyes—likely due to his mixed heritage. His skin was exceptionally pale, almost translucent like crystal, and his soft, pink lips resembled cherry blossoms.

To be honest, his appearance bore some resemblance to Gu Yingying’s.

She looked back at the mirror and tilted her head, staring intently at the masked boy. She was certain that the mirror was telling her this boy was her brother—her biological brother!

Ji Ran had already sensed that the young girl beside him was acting strangely. However, as a popular idol, no matter how much he covered himself, fans would still recognize him. Seeing the girl take out a mirror the moment he entered, he figured she must be one of his fans, especially since she seemed so focused on her appearance.

“Brother!” Gu Yingying excitedly looked at Ji Ran, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

It was the first time she had a blood-related family member, and she was so overwhelmed that she almost wanted to scream.

Seeing her excited gaze, Ji Ran was even more certain that she was one of his devoted fans. He raised his long, slender finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture, lowering his voice.

“Don’t tell anyone I’m here, alright? Do you want an autograph or a photo? My assistant is with me today, so I can also give you my latest album!”

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