Outside, the festivities were in full swing. The commercial district was lit up like daytime, the revelers tireless.
Liang Jianshi stood with his back to the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, the soft white light outlining his tall, straight figure.
Before Qilan sat a slice of red velvet cake, a drink at her side.
“I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I actually…”
“Miss Qilan doesn’t need to explain anything to me.” Liang Jianshi lifted his coffee cup across from her. “You’re already here in front of me.”
Qilan pressed her lips together.
Liang Jianshi tilted his head slightly, glancing out the window. “Those people out there don’t seem very sleepy either. Since you’re here to ring in the New Year with me, Miss Qilan, I should be thanking you.”
Qilan relaxed and savored the delicate texture of the red velvet cake, the sweet cream melting in her mouth.
“It feels like I haven’t celebrated the New Year in a very long time.”
In her family’s tradition, staying up late was also customary for New Year’s Day, but Liang Jianshi seemed simply caught up in the festive atmosphere, reminiscing about the old tradition of watching the year out.
“If you get sleepy, the second bedroom on the right is yours to rest in.”
Qilan shook her head. “I’m not sleepy. I mentioned it because it’s been so long since I celebrated the New Year, probably because I don’t have much family.”
She hesitated for a moment, but soon spoke openly, even curving her eyes as if telling someone else’s story.
Liang Jianshi’s face showed no surprise. “Same here. Traveling for work, drifting from place to place, like you, I don’t have any particular ties.”
Now it was Qilan’s turn to be surprised. She hadn’t expected Liang Jianshi to be so open with her, but quickly suppressed the reaction to avoid being rude.
The bitterness of the coffee still lingered on his palate, but his gaze toward Qilan grew softer. “When my grandfather was alive, being forced to stay up late always felt like such a chore. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized how blessed I am to have someone to watch the New Year with.”
An unremarkable sentence, yet it struck a chord deep within Qilan.
She had lost her mother at six, her father at twelve, and grown up with her grandmother in the city. When her grandmother fell ill at sixteen, her aunt gave money for a while but stopped after some time, and within a year, her grandmother was gone. Qilan lived with her aunt in name only; she had food, but no care for her studies or clothing. Though she wasn’t exactly mistreated in her aunt’s home, there was little warmth. She had naturally grown accustomed to not celebrating holidays.
But today, Qilan felt as if she had suddenly returned to childhood. The surge of contentment and happiness was almost overwhelming.
What Liang Jianshi gave her was not merely affection; to her, it felt like a debt of gratitude.
She picked up her plate and walked over to him.
“Compared to me, Mr. Liang seems much more gentle.” As if he had grown up in an environment full of love. Yet she now knew that wasn’t the case.
Liang Jianshi stood by the window, looking down at the revelry below. He turned at the sound of her voice, and after a moment of silence, a smile slowly rose to his lips, his deep eyes soft as water.
“That’s because there’s love in my heart now.”
Qilan met his gaze, her face suddenly burning.
“So do I…”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
After speaking, she lowered her head under his gaze, her heart in chaos.
Liang Jianshi seemed to notice her fluster and let her off the hook, turning back to the window, his finger tracing a line through the condensation on the glass. “There’s a cat. And there’s you.”
In that instant, the fireworks seemed to pause in the sky, everything frozen.
“It’s actually me.”
“It’s only ever been me.”
Qilan whispered in her heart, sweetness flooding through her.
Lost in thought, Liang Jianshi’s next words brought her drifting mind back to earth.
“Would you like to move in?”
Qilan thought she had misheard. She looked at Liang Jianshi in surprise, but he seemed completely unaware of the impact his words had, his brown eyes shimmering as he gazed at her expectantly.
As a child, she had never understood why characters in fairy tales were so easily lured away by night spirits.
Now she understood, there’s a term for it: being bewitched.
Because a spirit had come to lure her away, too.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Qilan later agreed.
When Tong Tong heard, she was shocked. “Really?”
Qilan nodded. “He said his cat needs care.”
Tong Tong laughed. “You’re already in the dormitory, and he wants you to stay there to take care of it? The dorm and the suite are so close, don’t you get what he means?”
Qilan glanced sideways at her. “You’re reading too much into it. He said the cat needs round-the-clock care.”
Tong Tong drew out her words, clearly still skeptical, saying the opposite. “Wow, he really dotes on that cat,”
Anyone else would think the cat was just an excuse, but Qilan didn’t. After all, Liang Jianshi, who built an amusement park specifically for his cat, was absolutely capable of such a thing.
Qilan felt a pang of jealousy at herself.
Liang Jianshi really did dote on his cat.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
That evening, Qilan ate a full meal as a human. Then, after turning into a cat, she also ate her fill as a cat.
She didn’t know how today’s goose had been raised, but there was a sweet, medicinal fragrance in the meat.
Even though it was the first day of the New Year, Liang Jianshi was already working. Assistant Wu, also a workaholic, had come to report the latest project progress.
Qilan sang a few songs in her treehouse, rolled around in the ball pit a few times, and, after tiring herself out, elegantly descended the stairs with her tail swaying, settling down for a nap on the sofa with an air of entitlement.
Liang Jianshi’s tea steamed. “I know everything. You should go home; otherwise, your family might think I’m mistreating my employees.”
Assistant Wu laughed. “My wife is very supportive.”
He quickly lowered his head, sensing something amiss.
Trying to change the subject, his eyes landed on Qilan.
“Ha! Lanlan has really grown fast, look at that big tail!” He reached out and touched it.
Qilan, who had been sleeping, jumped up in a fluster when her tail was touched and leaped onto Liang Jianshi.
Caught off guard, Liang Jianshi shoved his teacup into Assistant Wu’s hand and barely managed to catch the cat.
Assistant Wu, however, was burned and waved his hand frantically.
After rubbing his ears to ease the sting, he smiled helplessly. “Ever since last time, this cat jumps onto you whenever she’s startled.”
Liang Jianshi shifted the cat higher in his arms. “That’s because I trained her well.”
Assistant Wu: “Lanlan must be twenty pounds by now, right?”
Liang Jianshi caught Qilan’s restless tail in his palm. “No matter how fat she gets, I can still hold her.”
Qilan was happy to hear this, but then she thought of something else and slumped her head against him with a sigh.
“She was so jealous of this cat!!!”
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Liang Jianshi held her on his lap and played the piano for a while. Lulled by the music, the cat fell into a deep sleep.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
At half past nine, Qilan arrived at Liang Jianshi’s suite for her “report” as scheduled.
The humidifier hummed. Little Red worked tirelessly on the floor.
When she lifted the curtain, Liang Jianshi happened to be looking for a book on the shelf nearby.
Seeing her, his handsome face lit up with a smile. “Good evening.”
Liang Jianshi had already moved Qilan’s belongings while she was in cat form. They were now in the bedroom he had arranged for her.
“Miss Qilan, would you like to see your room first, or my paper-making studio?”
Qilan had thought Liang Jianshi would show her later, not so soon.
She expressed what she truly wanted. “I’d like to see the paper-making.”
Since New Year’s Day, Qilan and Liang Jianshi’s interactions had become more natural.
Liang Jianshi seemed to appreciate her straightforwardness. He walked ahead and opened a wooden door.
Before her was a vat containing a milky white slurry.
The room wasn’t as tidy as she had imagined, but the materials were organized, showing how frequently Liang Jianshi used it.
After briefly explaining the paper-making process, Liang Jianshi took her to see the paper drying outside.
The terrace outside was one Qilan had never visited.
Leaning over the railing, she could see the peninsula in the river. Passing cruise ships glittered magnificently, and across the river, musicians could be seen singing, with audiences on both banks. Occasionally, the wind carried their melodies.
Liang Jianshi’s soft hair danced in the night breeze. He squinted slightly against the wind as he looked ahead.
His brown eyes, however, were unusually detached, reflecting none of the worldly splendor before him.
His white shirt billowed in the wind, cold air rushing into the thin fabric. Seeing this, Qilan foolishly picked up a small blanket nearby. “Are you cold, Mr. Liang?”
Liang Jianshi looked at her, then at the blanket in her hand.
Qilan instinctively felt she had overstepped, her teeth gently biting her lower lip. “Ah… I… I don’t know why, but I always feel the urge to take care of you, too. Probably due to my job requirements…”
As she stumbled through her explanation, Liang Jianshi laughed out loud. He leaned against the railing, bending forward, his hair covering his face as he gave in to rare, unbridled emotion, his handsome features taking on a touch of brightness.
After his shoulders stopped shaking, Liang Jianshi snatched the blanket from her hands and wrapped it around her from behind.
“I heard it’s you who’s unwell, Miss Qilan.” He took her hand and tucked two corners of the towel into her grip. “You’re the one who needs taking care of.”
Qilan silently clutched the blanket, her palms sweating.
She didn’t feel cold, only heat.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Outside, a bodyguard brought in a crate.
Inside was Charcoal Ball Eunuch, who had been sent to Dr. Lu for dietary training after overindulging in his newfound luxurious life and developing constipation.
Released into this new environment, Charcoal Ball behaved as if he owned the place, wandering around unceremoniously. Spotting an open door, he slipped inside.
Back inside the room, Qilan noticed a glass container on the table. The herbal scent coming from it was familiar.
“What’s this?” She reached to open the lid.
Liang Jianshi stopped her. “It’s a plant that improves the paper. It needs to be stored in a sealed, low-oxygen environment.”
Qilan: “Sorry. I just thought the smell was familiar. What kind of plant is it?”
Liang Jianshi, silhouetted against the light, looked at the glass jar. “Nothing special. A type of moss that grows on rock walls.”
Qilan didn’t press further. Even if he explained, she probably wouldn’t understand anyway.
On her way back, as she rounded the vat, she suddenly heard a ferocious howl.
Before she could react, the source of the sound lunged at her, claws bared.
Qilan let out a startled cry, turned, and leaped onto Liang Jianshi.
Everything fell silent.
In the room where paper was scattered like falling leaves, Qilan stared wide-eyed at Liang Jianshi. Liang Jianshi held her effortlessly, her legs wrapped around his waist.
For a moment, his expression shifted from surprise to amusement, his eyes flickering with light and shadow.
“I have a cat at home. When she’s startled, she jumps onto me too.”
Liang Jianshi’s tone was slow and soft, as if whispering a secret in her ear.
“Miss Qilan, you’re very much like that cat.”
Qilan: !!!
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ