When Qilan went to the lobby, there was quite a commotion there that frightened many guests.
It was a man who appeared to have a mental illness, around thirty years old, looking like a homeless person. It took five security guards to subdue him.
As he was being thrown out, he was still roaring and howling.
The sound was truly tragic and piercing.
Qilan found Tong Tong among the crowd of onlookers. “Is he mentally ill? How did he get inside the hotel? Didn’t the security department notice him before?”
Tong Tong said, “He has autism. He’s come to the hotel many times.”
Autism?
Qilan had only heard of autism before but had never seen it firsthand. She didn’t know what had triggered this man with autism to behave so violently and frighteningly.
“By the way, what did you need me for?”
Tong Tong’s words interrupted Qilan’s thoughts.
Qilan suddenly remembered her purpose. “The dormitory was locked. I couldn’t get in.”
Tong Tong then recalled. “I might have accidentally locked it. But I went back earlier and opened it.”
“It’s okay. Let’s go back together.” Qilan had wanted to mention that the dorm had been locked more than once, but decided against it, afraid Tong Tong might misinterpret it as a complaint.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
That night, Qilan tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about the appointment at nine o’clock the next evening.
She had previously observed the pattern of turning into a cat; it seemed to happen through sleep. But it didn’t happen every time she slept; the frequency was quite unpredictable. To avoid suddenly turning into a cat and missing the nine o’clock meeting, Qilan didn’t dare close her eyes all day.
At half past eight, Qilan began tidying her appearance. Tong Tong was almost annoyed by her constant questions.
“You look great, like a fairy. Go meet your Liang Jianshi already!”
On the way from the dormitory to the courtyard, she noticed that overhead, dark tarps and covers had been installed, as if cultivating some plant that avoided light and preferred darkness. Word was that the weather had been beautiful these days, but not a ray of light could get through here.
The bodyguard brothers outside the courtyard were as rigid as ever, like two stone lions guarding the house.
Qilan had come and gone many times, and they never stopped her nor spoke a single word to her. She assumed it was just their professional conduct, so she focused on her own duties and minded her own business.
The lighting inside the townhouse was warm and cozy, with vintage floral sconces on the walls casting subtle blue shadows.
Qilan searched for Liang Jianshi but couldn’t find him. Instead, she found a note from him on the table they used for leaving messages.
Reading the words, the little spark of anticipation in Qilan’s heart instantly fizzled out.
Liang Jianshi had asked for her help, and it turned out to be hanging curtains.
That made sense. He hadn’t said they were going to meet and chat.
A small task like this, scheduling a time to discuss it… Perhaps it really wasn’t that important.
Feeling disappointed, Qilan stood at the table for a moment, took the food Liang Jianshi had left for her to “dispose of,” and headed back gloomily.
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Having been awake all day, Qilan fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.
Around midnight, she realized she had turned into a cat. She patrolled the house and found that Liang Jianshi still hadn’t returned.
The lights in the townhouse had been turned off at some point, leaving everything pitch black. Outside, the moonlight was pale and desolate.
Qilan felt an inexplicable chill that made all her fur stand on end.
It was said that a cat’s sensory system was much more sensitive than a human’s. Her instinctive reaction to assume an aggressive posture couldn’t be without reason.
For some reason, at that moment, Qilan remembered the gossip her colleagues had shared.
The hotel was haunted. The general manager had hired a Taoist priest.
The older generation always said cats could see things that ordinary people couldn’t. As this thought formed, Qilan’s gaze turned to the window. The blackout curtain was lifted by a gust of wind, revealing a corner. Suddenly, she saw a white garment, draped over a dark figure.
The shadow flashed by, and from outside came a cat’s cry.
“meow,!!”
The sound was sharp and piercing.
It wasn’t Qilan’s voice.
Qilan was terrified, nearly having a stress reaction, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
With a soft click, the lights all came on. Liang Jianshi, looking travel-worn, stepped into the house and walked into the light.
Qilan swiftly jumped off the sofa and darted to Liang Jianshi’s side like an arrow, mewing pitifully.
Liang Jianshi reached down and caught the cat, holding her in his arms. “What’s wrong?”
His broad hand gently soothed the cat’s nerves as he lowered his head and murmured in a doting tone.
“Did something scare you? There are so many bodyguards outside protecting you. Who would dare come in and bully you? Scaredy-cat. I was only gone for a little while.”
Her chin and head were being rubbed so comfortably that he had clearly figured out exactly how she liked to be petted. Slowly, Qilan began to relax.
Just as Liang Jianshi was applying oil to Qilan’s pink little paw pads, the earlier cat cry sounded again.
Liang Jianshi followed the sound to the window, tore open the Velcro on the blackout curtain, and stuck his head out to investigate. Suddenly, a dark figure leaped up from below and agilely bounded into the room from Liang Jianshi’s right side.
It was a black cat.
Its eyes were golden vertical slits.
The black cat seemed familiar with Qilan. It fixed its gaze on the white cat cowering on the sofa and called out in a crisp meow, “Female~ Wife~” and tried to nuzzle up to Qilan.
In a flash, Qilan realized something.
Back when Hu Lu had been taking care of her, she had always tried to feed her cat food. Qilan, resolutely refusing to eat cat food, had knocked the bowl over, spilling the food outside. At the time, Qilan had wondered why Hu Lu hadn’t noticed the spilled cat food. It turned out this black cat had been eating it.
So this big, foolish black cat thought Qilan had been feeding it and had come to repay her kindness?
Cats really were clever; they knew how to find a meal ticket.
But Liang Jianshi probably didn’t see it that way. This black cat had a lecherous look, straightforward behavior, and a clear goal; it was obviously here to offer itself in marriage.
The black cat jumped onto the cabinet and was about to give Qilan a loving embrace when, mid-air, a divine hand grabbed it by the scruff.
With a “mew,” Liang Jianshi tossed it out the window.
After dealing with the black cat, Liang Jianshi came over and scooped Qilan into his arms, not separating from her for a moment, as if constantly on guard against the cat that had called her “wife” trying to carry her off.
Later that night, the black cat persistently circled the courtyard. As the saying goes, it’s not the thief you fear but the one who has his eye on your things. After much thought, Liang Jianshi went outside for a serious negotiation with the black cat.
It was a conversation between males.
Qilan didn’t know what Liang Jianshi said, but when he came back carrying a carrier, the black cat was squatting inside obediently eating a cat treat.
A while later, someone from Dr. Lu’s team arrived.
The intern wore glasses and looked very friendly. Holding the carrier, he smiled at Liang Jianshi. “Please rest assured. The surgery will be very successful.”
Liang Jianshi: “I’ve never doubted Dr. Lu’s skill.”
The intern: “Also, please allow me to convey our director’s regards to your beloved. I heard she enjoys high-end ingredients. Our director specially ordered a case of ribbon fish from a friend.”
Qilan walked over and meowed.
“Thank Dr. Lu, for me. I’ll enjoy eating them.”
And so, the black cat was honorably sent to the hospital for “reconstruction.” After the intern left, Qilan took care of her business in the small litter area, and Robot Abu wiped her bottom. When she came out, Liang Jianshi caught her, set her on his lap, and started trimming her nails and brushing her teeth.
In the quiet night, tucked into the warm, soft blankets, Qilan leaned against Liang Jianshi’s arm as they played with his phone.
Liang Jianshi opened the front-facing camera, and the screen showed the scene before them.
The man lay on the mattress, his brown hair half-dry, lazily draped over his elbow. The kitten’s head poked out from under the blanket, nestling perfectly into the crook of Liang Jianshi’s arm.
In the camera frame, the man’s damp lashes fluttered slightly, and his deep brown eyes curved.
His face was full of smiles, his chest vibrating gently, making Qilan’s cat ear pressed against his white T-shirt tickle, as if a small insect had flown in. She couldn’t help but twitch them lightly.
Liang Jianshi looked up, his vast, ocean-like eyes lifting toward the camera, and said to Qilan, “I suddenly feel like showing you off.”
Qilan looked at him, puzzled. Suddenly, like a teenage boy, he broke into a brilliant grin, revealing his white teeth.
“Let’s show the world what we have.”
From then on, Liang Jianshi developed a new obsession, taking photos of Qilan with his phone all day.
He took pictures when Qilan ate, when Qilan slept, even when Qilan was just walking down the street; he’d follow behind like a paparazzo, framing the shot.
At first, Assistant Wu had no idea why his chairman was constantly flipping through photos on his phone. It wasn’t until one day he saw Liang Jianshi editing a video on his computer that he understood.
After sneaking a peek at the account, Assistant Wu went home and secretly followed it, then watched all the content.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have known Liang Jianshi was such an expert at flaunting his wealth.
Daily posts of the cat’s luxurious meals, seven days in a row without repetition. Lobster, Wagyu, molecular cat food, three meals a day, on schedule, with appetizers and desserts, the full set.
Tears streaming down his face, Assistant Wu silently upvoted the top comment,
“Excuse me, blogger, do you need any more cats at home? I’m a human who looks like a cat. I don’t want to work hard anymore. Please take me in.”
Assistant Wu: “Chairman, take me in. I can work as both an assistant and a cat. It’s a great deal.”
ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
While Qilan the cat was eating meat, the custom-ordered curtains had been delivered to the house.
Qilan felt a bit sulky, thinking back to that day when she had eagerly shown up at the appointed time only to receive a note asking her to hang curtains.
When she turned back into a human, she went to the storage room to get a ladder. Xiao Xi, a new staff member, enthusiastically helped her carry the ladder to the courtyard behind the hotel.
“How’s it going as the richest man’s private butler? Is it hard work?”
Xiao Xi had just turned eighteen, with a handsome, lean face. When he smiled, his teeth looked particularly white against his dark skin.
“Very easy,” Qilan said with a smile.
“What’s the richest man like? Is he as terrifying, nasty, and violent as the rumors say?” Xiao Xi’s eyes sparkled with gossip.
“That’s all nonsense.” Qilan earnestly defended Liang Jianshi. “Mr. Liang is very polite and refined. Don’t listen to those rumors.”
Xiao Xi nodded obediently. “Alright, I definitely trust you!”
When Xiao Xi said he was there to carry the ladder, the bodyguards allowed him inside. After he set it down, another guard escorted him out.
Qilan looked at the curtains that were already hung and wore a confused expression.
Weren’t the curtains already up? What help did Liang Jianshi need?
She admired the new curtains for a moment and noticed two misaligned spots in the left corner. She moved the ladder underneath and climbed up to adjust them.
The door upstairs opened quietly. Liang Jianshi, lightly holding the doorframe, looked down through the tinkling crystal chandelier at the swaying curtains being adjusted.
He seemed to have come from some important occasion, wearing a pinstriped business suit that exuded a refined, capable aura.
The sapphire blue carpet was so plush it almost completely muffled his footsteps.
Liang Jianshi walked over, placed his fingers on the metal ladder, and slowly lifted his gaze.
The woman above had finished her task. She turned around, saw someone there, and in her surprise, lost her balance, falling toward the man below.
In that split second, Liang Jianshi caught her around the waist.
Qilan’s hands landed on his shoulders. From that incredibly close distance, she gazed into the depths of Liang Jianshi’s dark brown eyes.
Everything around them seemed to stop. The wind no longer stirred. Only her heart raced wildly.
She didn’t know if Liang Jianshi felt the same at that moment.