Those Were the Hands of a Human

Chen Miansheng chuckled softly and shook his head. He could tell his little orange cat was being prideful again, but he let her go and headed to the courtyard gate to respond.

Upon hearing that Chen Miansheng was willing to temporarily take care of Xiao Hua, Wu Gang was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked him.

Xiao Hua didn’t really understand what was happening, but seeing her owner so happy, she let out a couple of soft meows and wagged her tail in response.

Just as Wu Gang had said, Xiao Hua was indeed a gentle-tempered cat. Even though Chen Miansheng carried the scent of another cat, once she was placed on the ground, she only hesitated for two seconds before cautiously stepping forward and gently rubbing against the hem of his robe.

Wu Gang said, “I’ll be counting on you, Shopkeeper Chen. I promise I’ll return as soon as I can.”

Chen Miansheng nodded. “I hope this trip brings some improvement to Madam Wu’s health.”

After Wu Gang left, Gu Wu carried the fish he had brought into the courtyard for Chen Miansheng, then took his leave as well.

Fei Yan, who had finally achieved a small victory, was gnawing on a piece of pork trotter. But when she heard a faint meowing from the courtyard, she tilted her head thoughtfully, gave up the rest of her food, stashed it in her space, and sneakily crept toward the door to investigate.

Xiao Hua, new to the place, was currently exploring the courtyard with curiosity. When she saw Chen Miansheng heading toward the woodshed, she let out a meow and quickly trotted after him.

Fei Yan twitched her ears warily. This cat just got here and is already this clingy?

Even though she knew Xiao Hua wouldn’t be staying long, Fei Yan still felt a twinge of vigilance. She hurriedly lifted her paws and chased after them.

Just as she reached the woodshed door, she saw Xiao Hua circling around Chen Miansheng, meowing in a sweet and soft voice as if trying to win favor.

Chen Miansheng was in the middle of preparing her dinner. Sensing Xiao Hua’s affection, he raised the corners of his eyes slightly and was just about to bend down to pet her head when he caught sight of an orange figure from the corner of his eye. Turning his head, his smile grew even wider.

“Done with the pig’s trotter already?”

The little orange cat ignored him. She lightly leapt onto the stove, strutted over with graceful steps, and sprang straight into his arms.

Chen Miansheng instinctively reached out to catch her. Once she nestled in his arms, she wriggled deeper into the crook of his elbow, then poked her head out and stared down at Xiao Hua with clear territorial intent.

She looked every bit like she was declaring ownership.

Xiao Hua clearly didn’t understand this whole show from the big orange cat. After a long pause, she hesitantly wagged her tail at Fei Yan and let out a soft, sweet, “Meow.”

Although Thirteen had turned Fei Yan into a cat, it had never given her the ability to understand cat speech.

Fei Yan scrunched up her nonexistent brows. From her perspective, Xiao Hua’s gesture seemed like a bold attempt to curry favor with Chen Miansheng right in front of her.

Oh, you want to meow? What, you think I can’t meow?

With that in mind, Fei Yan glared at her and barked out a sharp, “Meow!”

Xiao Hua flinched and nervously shifted her paws. “Meow-woo.” (H-hi…)

Fei Yan: “Meow-ao!”

Xiao Hua trembled: “Awooo…” (Why are you so fierce…)

Fei Yan: “Meow aow aow!”

At that, Xiao Hua didn’t even bother replying. She bolted behind Chen Miansheng in a flash, clinging tightly to the hem of his robe, only her long striped tail sticking out and twitching nervously.

Fei Yan: “?”

Good grief, already trying to find backers right after arriving, huh? Today, Fei Mao Mao was going to make it crystal clear who the real boss of this house was.

She was about to hop back down to the floor when a hand suddenly grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

Fei Yan’s entire body instantly went limp.

Chen Miansheng’s warm voice came down gently from above.

“Didn’t we agree on this before? Why are you suddenly acting aggressive toward Xiao Hua?”

Fei Yan wrinkled her nose in displeasure, her tail thumping against the crook of his arm.

Wasn’t it all because this new cat was here trying to compete for affection ? And how could Chen Miansheng have zero self-control? As long as it was a cat, he wanted to pet its head. Was her own head not soft and nice enough to pet?

“Be good, Little Orange,” Chen Miansheng said, placing her back onto the stove counter. He lightly tapped her nose with his fingertip.“You’re the host here, remember? You should treat guests kindly.”

Fei Yan paused.

Perhaps it was the stark contrast between the words “host” and “guest” that pleased her so much, but after a brief daze, Fei Yan lifted her chin proudly, and her gaze toward Xiao Hua became noticeably gentler and friendlier.

That’s right—she was the real mistress of this house.

When it came to dinner for the two cats, Chen Miansheng tried to keep things equal.

Even though Wu Gang had said that tossing Xiao Hua a raw fish would be fine, Chen Miansheng still went out of his way to recreate the same meal he had prepared for Fei Yan: a small fish paired with half a bowl of meat mixed with rice.

Fei Yan, determined to show how she was not the same as the other cat, insisted on snatching a slice of twice-cooked pork from Chen Miansheng’s chopsticks. She clamped it in her mouth, circled Xiao Hua halfway, then swallowed it whole right in front of her.

Of course, Chen Miansheng knew exactly what his little cat was up to. Watching the entire performance, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

After dinner, Chen Miansheng sat at his desk to read for a while before getting ready for bed.

Before sleeping, he deliberately pulled out the little nest he’d originally prepared for Fei Yan and let Xiao Hua use it for now.

As for Fei Yan, she leapt onto Chen Miansheng’s bed like she owned the place, let out a lazy yawn, and stretched out.

Just as she was getting comfortable, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Xiao Hua sitting pitifully at the bedside, staring longingly at the bed with big, pleading eyes—clearly hoping to be allowed up to sleep with them.

Fei Yan immediately made a fierce face. “Meow-aow!”

What do you think you’re doing? What kind of guest casually climbs into the host’s bed? You already have a nest to sleep in—don’t push your luck.

Just as Little Orange was about to explode with irritation, Chen Miansheng lifted a finger to rub his brow. He hesitated, unsure whether to reason with Xiao Hua or his own cat, then finally turned to Xiao Hua.

“Why don’t you sleep in your little nest, okay? If you come up here, Little Orange might get upset.”

Even though Xiao Hua wasn’t as spiritually aware as Fei Yan, it still sensed the rejection in Chen Miansheng’s tone.

It gave a pitiful flick of its tail, circled the bamboo bed once, and then reluctantly returned to its nest.

Chen Miansheng let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his little orange cat’s neck.

“Now we can sleep, right?”

Fei Yan was very pleased with the outcome. She even affectionately rubbed her fluffy head against Chen Miansheng’s palm, then curled up next to him through the quilt at the edge of the bed.

Seeing this, Chen Miansheng shook his head with a helpless smile, but the look in his eyes as he gazed at her was full of warmth.

He watched her for a moment, then got up and blew out the candle by the bed.

The entire little courtyard fell into silence.

The bright moon slowly moved toward the center of the night sky. Time ticked by, and suddenly, in Fei Yan’s sleeping mind, a mechanical voice rang out.

[Attribute “Midnight Cinderella” has been activated. Duration: Half an hour. Host may end the experience early as needed. Wishing you a pleasant experience.]

In the middle of the night, Fei Yan was suddenly hit with a burning pain all over her body. Half of her body felt like it was hanging off a cliff—an overwhelming sense of weightlessness took over her senses.

Almost reflexively, she opened her eyes. To her surprise, she wasn’t looking at Chen Miansheng’s bed—but at a dim wooden floor.

The sensation of hanging in the air was real!

The next second, her entire body began to fall from the bed.

She reached out instinctively to balance herself, but what she saw made her mind go blank.

She had no time to react—her body hit the floor with a hard thud.

The noise was so loud that even Xiao Hua, who had been sleeping soundly, opened her eyes. She stared in shock at the unfamiliar figure suddenly in the room and let out a hesitant “meow.”

But Fei Yan had no time to deal with him. Pain surged through her body, yet it was as if she couldn’t feel it at all. Her attention was fixed on a pair of snow-white, slender hands in front of her.

She slowly curled her fingers.

They were no longer the fluffy paws of an orange cat.

—They were real human hands.

Her own hands.