Shi Xinyu leaned slightly, her fingertips gesturing towards the empty seat opposite her. She looked directly at the man, without the slightest hint of avoidance or hesitation.
“Please sit.”
The man gracefully took his seat. He noticed Ying Miaomiao, who was perched on the chair, and instinctively frowned. “Where did this cat come from?”
The light from the crystal chandelier was soft, but Shi Xinyu’s expression was not. She raised her eyes to look at the man opposite her, her voice cool: “She is my cat.”
The man gave a dismissive laugh, then continued his smooth talk: “So it’s Miss Shi’s cat. But I feel a domestic cat is unworthy of Miss Shi. How about after dinner, I accompany you to a friend’s cattery? His cats are all championship-grade pedigree.”
“If you ask me, domestic cats are just low-class and not presentable. If you’re going to keep a pet, it should be a purebred cat—gentle, obedient, and makes you look good when you take it out.”
He seemed to be speaking with double meaning in his final words.
Shi Xinyu placed her water glass down, her eyes sharp. She scanned the man from top to bottom until he was almost unable to bear it, and then she spoke: “Chinese Domestic Shorthairs are intelligent and healthy. If the only reason you keep a pet is for its gentleness, obedience, and to make you look good, then you are fundamentally unfit to own a pet. Wouldn’t you agree?”
His face stiffened, and the oily smile on his lips seemed to falter. With a trace of anger, he asked: “Miss Shi, what is the meaning of this?”
“The literal meaning.”
His face was tight. He forced a smile, “Miss Shi is truly humorous.” After speaking, he sank into a stern expression and announced loudly, “Waiter, I’d like to order.”
The restaurant’s service speed was moderate, not leaving people waiting for too long.
Shi Xinyu sat upright, her back straight, the silver cutlery rising and falling silently in her hands.
She had already given up on including this uncultured and unobservant man in her list of potential partners, as she believed it was better to face a powerful opponent than an idiotic teammate.
It was just a bit of a shame; she had thought today might bring an angel investor.
Ying Miaomiao sat quietly on the chair, like a realistic cat doll. She was determined to uphold the honor of domestic cats, angered by the man’s snobbishness.
Thus, a strange sight appeared in the restaurant.
Shi Xinyu focused on eating, Ying Miaomiao focused on glaring, and the man focused on his grandiloquent monologue alone.
When the meal was over, Shi Xinyu wiped her mouth with a napkin. She addressed the man: “I need to step away for a moment.”
Without waiting for his response, Shi Xinyu ushered Ying Miaomiao into the cat carrier and softly instructed her: “Wait here patiently for me, older sister will be right back.”
Ying Miaomiao let out a “Meow,” which served as an answer.
She stayed in the zipped-up cat carrier, bored. Shi Xinyu brought her out, surely planning to take her somewhere fun. She wondered where Shi Xinyu was planning to go on this rare day off.
But the man suddenly caught Ying Miaomiao’s attention.
He looked left and right for a moment, then pulled a capsule from his pocket. He twisted the capsule open, and a small amount of white powder fell into Shi Xinyu’s glass.
It dissolved and vanished without a trace.
After turning into a cat, Ying Miaomiao’s sense of smell had become much more sensitive, yet even she couldn’t detect any scent.
Her eyes instantly widened. She wanted to rush out of the carrier, but the zipper held her fast. Shi Xinyu absolutely could not drink this water.
The man sneered. He lit a cigarette, and the scarlet glow appeared.
“The damn domestic cat is trying to protect its owner. Make trouble again and I’ll stew you.”
He didn’t take Ying Miaomiao’s resistance and struggling seriously.
Shi Xinyu returned quickly. When she smelled the smoke, her brow subtly furrowed, and her movements became a little faster.
She picked up the cat carrier with Ying Miaomiao inside, sensed the cat’s unusual anxiety, and opened a small gap in the zipper, soothing her: “We’re going home now.”
The man put out his cigarette. He stood up and blocked Shi Xinyu’s path. “I know Miss Shi has high standards and doesn’t think much of me, but we’ll have to deal with each other in the future. Hengyu Group will always have business dealings with your company. How about I propose a toast to Miss Shi?”
Shi Xinyu didn’t want to get further entangled with him. She simply said coldly, “No need. I’m driving.”
He motioned for Shi Xinyu to pick up the glass on the table, a playful smile on his lips. “Miss Shi is a woman, so taking water instead of wine is also acceptable.”
Ying Miaomiao was terrified that Shi Xinyu would agree.
She desperately clawed at the cat carrier, howling loudly.
“Mrow—”
Don’t drink the toast he offers! It’s poisoned!
But Shi Xinyu misunderstood her unusual reaction. She wanted to leave directly, but the man kept blocking her way. She became furious, her eyes blazing with anger: “Move.”
That look made the man inexplicably nervous, but with his goal about to be achieved, he didn’t want to give up easily.
“Why is this beast howling so fiercely? Is it scared of this place? Miss Shi, just give me face, and I’ll move right away.” He flashed a smile he thought was charming.
Shi Xinyu picked up the water glass and took a small sip. She wiped the moisture from her lips. The water in the glass hadn’t decreased much.
“I’ve accepted your toast.” Shi Xinyu looked down at him, her eyes as if looking at an insignificant but annoying pest. “Now, please move aside.”
The man’s face flushed. He was about to explode, but upon meeting that icy gaze, he dared not speak again, retreating a few steps under the cold scrutiny.
Ying Miaomiao was extremely anxious. She was filled with frustration.
Shi Xinyu not understanding cat language had become the greatest obstacle to their communication at this moment.
The man clearly had malicious intentions.
But perhaps because the amount Shi Xinyu drank was small, she showed no unusual reaction after leaving the restaurant. Ying Miaomiao felt a sense of despair.
She thought Shi Xinyu’s most urgent task should be to go to the hospital for a blood test to see if the man had poisoned her.
Ying Miaomiao, contrary to her usual demeanor, howled the entire way, causing Shi Xinyu great concern. But halfway to the pet hospital, Shi Xinyu suddenly began to feel dizzy, and her vision started to blur.
Shi Xinyu realized her condition did not allow her to drive, so she relied on her memory to pull into a parking lot.
Ying Miaomiao saw her slumped over the steering wheel, her face unnaturally red, and grew even more worried. She gritted her teeth, dug her claws into the zipper, and pulled hard. A small opening appeared in the cat carrier.
She struggled to squeeze out of the small gap. She licked Shi Xinyu’s fingertip, trying to rouse her. Shi Xinyu still had some residual consciousness, and at this moment, she was still trying to comfort Ying Miaomiao.
Ying Miaomiao became more frantic. She vigorously nudged Shi Xinyu’s face.
As her wet nose brushed past Shi Xinyu’s lips, Ying Miaomiao also felt her entire body growing hot, as if she were on fire.
What a pain it was—like a phoenix reborn, like muscles and bones being remolded.
This pain didn’t last long, at most half a minute, but to Ying Miaomiao, it felt like a century.
If Shi Xinyu hadn’t taken a sip of the doctored water because of her, Ying Miaomiao knew she wouldn’t have been poisoned. Ying Miaomiao felt she had been too rash.
She reached up to wipe away a tear that had escaped the corner of her eye.
Wait.
A hand?
She had returned to her human form!
However, Ying Miaomiao had no time to be excited right now.
She was sitting in the passenger seat, wearing the clothes she had on the day she went missing.
Her phone was also still with her.
She opened the passenger door and quickly helped Shi Xinyu into the back seat.
Shi Xinyu’s mind was still somewhat scattered. She was barely able to recognize people. Sensing someone helping her, her first reaction was resistance.
“I’m your… never mind. Don’t move for now. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Having not spoken human language for too long, Ying Miaomiao was not accustomed to it, and she almost blurted out, “I’m your cat.”
Her nose was sweating with urgency. Thankfully, after hearing that sentence, Shi Xinyu became strangely calmer, allowing Ying Miaomiao to place her in the back seat.
Shi Xinyu’s eyes and cheeks were tinged with a faint blush. Her phoenix-like eyes were moist with physiological tears. Her vision was blurred, and she tried to see clearly who was helping her, but she couldn’t.
She wanted to sleep.
After getting into the driver’s seat, Ying Miaomiao realized a very serious issue: she had obtained her driver’s license during college, but she had only driven a handful of times since then.
But in the current situation…
Ying Miaomiao gritted her teeth and started the car. She couldn’t possibly expect Shi Xinyu to get up and drive, could she? If Shi Xinyu actually got up to drive, that would be truly terrifying.
She dared not drive too fast. Fortunately, high-speed driving was not allowed in the city, and the drive to the hospital was, thankfully, mostly without incident.
Before getting out of the car, Ying Miaomiao suddenly noticed something wrong in the rearview mirror: her cat ears hadn’t retracted!
She didn’t dare imagine walking into the hospital like this. Would they section her for observation, or mistake her for a pervert engaging in bestiality in public?
She quickly grabbed a sun hat that Shi Xinyu kept in the car for sun protection and put it on her head. Only then did she help Shi Xinyu out of the car.
Ying Miaomiao thought for a moment and then stuffed Shi Xinyu’s phone and car keys into her own pocket, which immediately became heavy.
As they got closer, Ying Miaomiao could feel Shi Xinyu’s body temperature growing hotter.
Shi Xinyu’s burning breath brushed against Ying Miaomiao’s neck, causing her to shiver. As they walked, Shi Xinyu’s moist, red lips brushed against the same spot again, making it even harder for her to cope.
Moreover, without her cat fur, her blushing face was completely exposed.
After stumbling and fumbling to get Shi Xinyu into the hospital, it was clear to anyone that her condition was abnormal.
After rushing through the registration and payment procedures, Ying Miaomiao finally saw Shi Xinyu finish her blood draw and get hooked up to an IV drip.
Ying Miaomiao let out a long sigh of relief.
She sat on the cold, long bench, finally finding a moment of respite. Her sensitive cat senses of smell and hearing seemed to still be active. The pervasive smell of disinfectant and various complex noises felt like they were about to overwhelm her mind.
She took out her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then composed a WeChat message to Mrs. Ying (her mother).
“It’s me. Everything is fine now. I’ll contact you later. Don’t worry.”
When Shi Xinyu woke up, she felt one arm was cold.
Looking at the hospital’s pure white ceiling and the noticeable IV stand beside her, she suddenly realized she was in the hospital.
She felt a little dizzy.
Before losing consciousness, Shi Xinyu’s clearest memory was pulling into a parking lot. Someone had opened the door and helped her into the hospital.
The person’s figure was very familiar, and the voice was also familiar, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember who this person was.
The IV drip finished just then. A nurse came in, saw Shi Xinyu was awake, and said, “You’re awake. That was the last bottle. Madam, I suggest you call the police.”
Shi Xinyu was stunned. After a moment, she found her voice, which was slightly hoarse: “Excuse me, what happened?”
The nurse’s eyes held a trace of sympathy. She whispered, “Your friend explained the situation in detail when they brought you in. They drew your blood for testing, and the results will be available tomorrow morning.”
Shi Xinyu was even more confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t quite remember. Could you please tell me what happened?”
The nurse briefly explained the events, emphasizing the importance of reporting to the police.
Shi Xinyu nodded, her expression solemn, but she was inwardly terrified.
If it hadn’t been for that kind person, she might not be merely having a long sleep in that parking lot, or she might have gotten into a car accident and then had a long sleep.
But Shi Xinyu’s expression suddenly changed—her cat was still in the car.
The nurse had already removed the needle. Although Shi Xinyu felt a bit weak in the legs, she still forced herself out of bed. She had to find her cat.
The nurse quickly stopped her. “You should rest for a bit. We need to observe you for another half hour after the IV.”
Shi Xinyu calmed down, her face a little pale. She shook her head and asked, “Did you happen to see my phone?”
The nurse was helpless and pointed to the phone and car keys on the bedside table. “Your friend left those there.”
After quickly thanking the nurse, Shi Xinyu opened her phone to check the car’s location and headed towards the designated spot.
Opening the car door, she saw the cat carrier unzipped halfway and the residual specks of blood on it. Shi Xinyu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
“Meow.”
Hi.
Ying Miaomiao jumped out of the back seat. Her movements were a little stiff, and she was limping slightly.
“Meow meow meow?”
Why are you so fast?
Shi Xinyu suddenly hugged the kitten. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
This pleasant atmosphere only lasted for a moment.
After Shi Xinyu confirmed Ying Miaomiao’s safety, she sat back in the car and dialed the police.
Her eyes were cold. Hengyu Group.
…
The next day.
When Ying Miaomiao woke up, her paws still felt a faint, throbbing pain.
She deeply missed the brief time she spent as a human yesterday.
But this made her even more puzzled: What exactly were the conditions for transforming back into a human?
Eating definitely didn’t count; she hadn’t eaten anything in the restaurant yesterday, and what she ate at home was the same as usual.
After all, sustenance is paramount. Besides food, she really couldn’t think of any other unusual action.
But a light suddenly flickered in Ying Miaomiao’s mind: Could it be because of Shi Xinyu?
She was very worried about Shi Xinyu yesterday. She didn’t feel the pain even when her claws were torn, and she might have shed a little blood. But if she deliberately tried to get injured… Ying Miaomiao was sorry, but she felt she couldn’t bring herself to self-harm.
Furthermore, Shi Xinyu had taken a few days off because of this incident and was currently resting at home. Ying Miaomiao felt Shi Xinyu was watching her too closely now.
She wouldn’t let her do anything; she even wanted to help her climb the cat tree. It was a sweet problem.
In this manner, a rare, leisurely day passed.
In the evening, a notification suddenly popped up on Shi Xinyu’s phone, with the headline: “Hengyu Group’s Heir Imprisoned—The Reason is…”
Ying Miaomiao, leaning next to Shi Xinyu, also saw the notification. Just as she was about to complain about the sensationalism of the headline, Shi Xinyu’s phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
Shi Xinyu didn’t answer at first, but the other party persistently called from a different number.
She sneered, turned on the call recording, and answered the phone.