When Ying Miaomiao woke up the next day, she opened her eyes right to Shi Xinyu’s face.
She froze for a moment, nearly falling off the bed.
Shi Xinyu’s sleeping posture was very proper, with her hands neatly placed on her lower abdomen. Her high nose cast a shallow shadow, making her look much gentler than usual.
As her consciousness returned, Ying Miaomiao was again forced to accept that she had turned into a cat. The faint orchid fragrance lingering around her nose was even more concentrated because Shi Xinyu was nearby.
She stretched. Miraculously, she felt that her control over her body had increased again today. Was this the result of practice making perfect?
Ying Miaomiao lightly jumped off the bed and tiptoed toward the window behind the curtains.
It must still be early. The magnificent rosy glow painted the sky crimson, and the sun was rising above the horizon. Ying Miaomiao’s whiskers twitched; she felt the sun looked like a freshly fried poached egg, a runny-yolked one at that.
Shi Xinyu lived on a high floor, offering an almost unobstructed view. Ying Miaomiao estimated the floor by counting the buildings on the opposite side; it seemed to be the sixteenth floor.
Seeing the landmark building not far away, she realized this place was near the business district close to her company.
Ying Miaomiao felt a little emotional. When she was human, she could only afford a run-down old apartment, but after turning into a cat, she was living in a large, luxurious flat.
However, a golden cage is no substitute for one’s own doghouse. Ying Miaomiao still wanted to change back into a human.
But she had absolutely no clue how she had turned into a cat, let alone how to turn back. Her most pressing task now was to contact her family and her company as quickly as possible.
She let out a long sigh.
“Miaomiao? Where are you?”
Ying Miaomiao turned her head, but her view was blocked by the heavy curtains. She let out a short cry.
Meow.
I’m here.
Shi Xinyu walked toward the window. She pulled the curtains open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ying Miaomiao there.
She was suddenly a little panicked not seeing the little cat upon waking up.
She squatted down and gently scratched Ying Miaomiao under the chin with her fair fingers. “Miaomiao, you scared your big sister to death.”
Ying Miaomiao felt a little helpless. She reached out a paw and patted the back of Shi Xinyu’s hand. “Meow meow.”
Clingy human.
Shi Xinyu’s technique seemed to have improved significantly overnight. Ying Miaomiao comfortably narrowed her eyes, instinctively leaned her head onto Shi Xinyu’s hand, and started purring.
She flopped down, exposing her fluffy, snow-white belly.
It wasn’t until Shi Xinyu withdrew her hand that Ying Miaomiao snapped out of her earlier intoxication. She sprang up and darted under the bed.
Was that really her, lying down and being coquettish just now?
This was illogical. Was this just the nature of cats? How could this be? How embarrassing.
Shi Xinyu couldn’t help but chuckle. The little cat’s head was hidden under the bed, but her bottom was still sticking out, a perfect example of burying one’s head in the sand. Her jet-black tail swayed up and down, the tiny white tip at the end particularly noticeable.
Her heart softened. She squatted down again and gently poked Ying Miaomiao’s chubby belly with her finger. “Miaomiao, Big Sister will give you an extra treat later. Come out quickly.”
Ying Miaomiao’s ear twitched, and her tail wagged more vigorously.
Tricky human.
Meow—
I’ll grudgingly accept your bribe. (=｀ω=)
…
While Shi Xinyu was in the bathroom, Ying Miaomiao cautiously peeked out. Seeing the bedroom door shut tightly, she quickly jumped onto the bed and, relying on memory, retrieved Shi Xinyu’s phone from under the pillow.
According to Ying Miaomiao’s observation, Shi Xinyu kept her phone under the pillow during her wash-up time. She planned to see if she could unlock it first.
A little cat’s paws were simply not nimble and were too soft. It took her a long time to flip the phone, which had been placed face down.
The moment it flipped over, a notification popped up, startling Ying Miaomiao so much she nearly flew off. She couldn’t see what the message said and simply swiped it away.
When the lock screen lit up, Ying Miaomiao was momentarily stunned. Wasn’t this the wisteria corridor from her middle school alma mater?
So Shi Xinyu was an alumna of hers, too?
However, the priority was the phone. She swiped up with her paw, and sure enough, it required a password.
But Ying Miaomiao wasn’t discouraged. As long as Shi Xinyu was at home, there would be times she used her phone. She was confident she would see the password eventually.
She surveyed the surroundings, jumped onto the bed again, and prepared to ‘destroy the evidence’ of her crime. After all, as a cat, her freedom was limited, no matter how much she was allowed.
It was difficult to flip the phone over, and Ying Miaomiao felt like her paws were cramping.
A soft ‘click’ sound. The door handle turned. Ying Miaomiao burst forth with surprising strength in that moment of crisis, pushing the phone completely under the pillow.
She mechanically turned around, her pupils dilated, anxiously gripping the bedsheet beneath her paws. She wondered if Shi Xinyu had seen her. What if she suspected her of being a cat demon? Would she be taken to the kitchen instead?
Ying Miaomiao forced herself to stay calm and ‘meowed’ at Shi Xinyu.
Hi.
Shi Xinyu let out a soft sigh, placed the plate she was holding on the table, and gently lifted Ying Miaomiao from the bed to meet her gaze.
But the cat’s eyes were round and sapphire-like, looking innocent yet guilty at her. Shi Xinyu still couldn’t bring herself to punish her.
She put the little cat down and lightly flicked her nose. “If you’re naughty again next time, you’ll get a spanking.”
Ying Miaomiao was guilty yet flattering. She rubbed against Shi Xinyu’s hand, her round eyes looking up at her.
Meow.
Pretend you didn’t see anything.
Shi Xinyu’s eyes curved into a smile. She put Ying Miaomiao down and turned to pick up the plate that had been casually placed on the table.
Only then did Ying Miaomiao catch the scent. The sweet aroma was extremely appealing to her. She sat on the bed, looking on with longing. Was this Shi Xinyu’s breakfast?
She wanted to eat junk food, she wanted to eat delicious things!
“Miaomiao, come and eat.”
Ying Miaomiao was a little incredulous. Wasn’t she too lucky? What subordinate gets to live and eat for free at their superior’s house, even having their superior cook for them?
Níugŭlù Miaomiao was officially online.
Ying Miaomiao quickly jumped off the bed, her movements much more practiced than before. Her unrestrained appetite was overriding her common sense! Besides meowing very ingratiatingly, she also rubbed against Shi Xinyu’s calf.
“Take it easy, take it easy, good Miaomiao.”
Shi Xinyu held the plate up a little higher. The little cat’s fur was soft, but besides being a bit ticklish, it was also a little in the way. She gently nudged the cat aside with her foot before squatting down to place the dish.
Ying Miaomiao eagerly moved closer. The plate must have been newly bought, with a cute design; the two ear-like parts perfectly matched Ying Miaomiao’s head. With such a lovely plate, even seeing a blob of mushy food didn’t diminish her appetite.
As she tasted it, she analyzed the ingredients: the meat puree contained beef, shrimp, broccoli, and carrots—it was an extremely healthy cat meal.
She suddenly recalled that catchy voiceover: ‘High-end ingredients—’
Wait a minute.
No, this was wrong.
Ying Miaomiao paused mid-meal. Once a person starts thinking, they discover many problems.
No matter how greedy she was, she wouldn’t shamelessly rub against Shi Xinyu’s calf like that! That was taking advantage! That was harassment!
And she hadn’t paused because of superior self-control.
It was because Shi Xinyu, fearing the little cat might overeat, had controlled the variable and hadn’t added too much food.
“…”
She must have been dominated by her ‘cat-nature.’
Suddenly, the phone rang. The song was quite old, and hearing it abruptly made Ying Miaomiao feel a little nostalgic.
Shi Xinyu paused and picked up the call.
The call wasn’t on speaker, but a cat’s hearing was good, and Ying Miaomiao vaguely thought she heard her own name.
“I understand. I will contact Ying Miaomiao’s family. Thank you for your hard work.” After hanging up, Shi Xinyu’s mood was clearly low.
Ying Miaomiao jumped onto the bed, her eyes showing a hint of concern.
From Shi Xinyu’s reply, her mother must already know about her disappearance. Now she needed to figure out how to transmit a message to the outside world.
The matter of turning from a human into a cat was too fantastical. She dared not casually let anyone know. If those mad scientists found out, wouldn’t she be locked up and subjected to slice-and-dice research?
The thought of that scenario sent a chill down Ying Miaomiao’s spine.
Shaking the bizarre image out of her mind, she once again set her sights on Shi Xinyu’s phone. However, if she sent a text message using Shi Xinyu’s number, would her mother mistake it for a scam?
Her mind was a jumbled mess. Ying Miaomiao felt like her brain had shrunk a lot after turning into a cat; thinking about anything made her sleepy.
Using her brain was indeed detrimental to her health.
Shi Xinyu gently rubbed Ying Miaomiao’s chin with her fingertip, sighed softly, picked up the plate, and left the room.
After a short while, she re-entered the room.
The curtains were suddenly drawn, plunging the room into darkness.
But this had little effect on Ying Miaomiao; a cat’s night vision was quite good.
She stared wide-eyed at Shi Xinyu, not understanding why she would draw the curtains during the day, until the moment Shi Xinyu unfastened her bathrobe.
Ying Miaomiao quickly averted her gaze, looking at the sky and the ground, just not at Shi Xinyu.
She was truly a good person.
Shi Xinyu changed her clothes and pulled the curtains open.
Before leaving, she rubbed Ying Miaomiao’s head. Shi Xinyu’s eyes held a sorrowful look that Ying Miaomiao couldn’t understand.
It was like a haze that wouldn’t dissipate, persistent like prolonged spring rain.
Driven by an unknown impulse, Ying Miaomiao closely followed Shi Xinyu out of the room.
The khaki trench coat Shi Xinyu was wearing was cut to her knee. The unbuttoned coat revealed a fitted undershirt. The boundary between the black undershirt and the charcoal-grey pencil skirt wasn’t sharply defined, simply separated by a thin belt.
After casually stuffing her phone and car keys into her pocket, Shi Xinyu hurried out the door, completely missing the little tail following behind her.
It wasn’t until she was in the elevator that she suddenly realized Ying Miaomiao had followed her.
Shi Xinyu picked up the little cat in one swift motion, her expression uncharacteristically serious: “How could you sneak out by yourself?”
Ying Miaomiao was internally helpless. This was very likely related to her ‘missing person case,’ and she had to go and see, even if it meant being shameless. Maybe she could see her mother.
She pretended to be innocent, widening her eyes as she looked at Shi Xinyu.
But this usually effective trick failed this time.
Shi Xinyu quickly rushed back from the elevator to the floor, opened the door, and without even taking off her shoes, practically hurled Ying Miaomiao into the room like a bowling ball.
She left in a hurry. When Ying Miaomiao moved forward again, she only managed to catch a glimpse of Shi Xinyu’s coat hem and heard the ‘bang’ of the door closing.
She scurried away, having been given the cold shoulder.
She scratched the door a couple of times with her paw.
Meow! Meow meow!
I want to get out!
Ying Miaomiao was helpless. She tried to open the door, but the little cat’s jumping height still wasn’t as high as the doorknob.
She scanned the surroundings again, looking for a useful tool. She absolutely had to get out of this door today!
The clock ticked. Time passed second by second. Ying Miaomiao once again sprinted up the footstool, and in one go, climbed onto the cabinet by the door.
Clatter! The cup placed on the shoe cabinet shattered. It was a very delicate-looking mug. Shards flew everywhere, shattering beyond recognition.
She glanced back, filled with regret, but she couldn’t afford to think too much now. She jumped toward the door again.
Luckily, this time, she managed to hook the doorknob.
The cat’s weight wasn’t enough, and Ying Miaomiao’s center of gravity was slightly off. She hung on the door for a long time but couldn’t manage to open it.
However, Ying Miaomiao had clearly seen that Shi Xinyu hadn’t locked the door when she left. If she changed her point of leverage, she could definitely open it.
The paw hooked on the doorknob slowly slid down. Just before she completely slipped off, Ying Miaomiao willingly let go.
She realized she had been a little too impatient.
The anxiety and fear of becoming a cat finally erupted at this moment.
Dragging her paw, which had been scratched by the shattered mug fragments, Ying Miaomiao walked toward the living room. The small bloody marks were shocking.
She didn’t want to dirty the sofa or the bed, so she went straight to her own cat bed.
The sky-blue cat bed was only slightly lighter than the color of the little cat’s eyes. Ying Miaomiao felt the color resembled blue teardrops.
She curled up her body and buried her head in the blanket.
Without the familiar orchid fragrance, she felt a little unaccustomed.
Ying Miaomiao, Ying Miaomiao, when did you become so weak?
So what if you turned into a cat? There will always be a way out…
…
At the police station.
The clock pointed to nine.
Shi Xinyu sat upright.
Across from her sat Ying Miaomiao’s mother.
“You’re saying that Ying Miaomiao was in a car accident and is currently hospitalized in her hometown?”