The song’s melody was lingering.
But both the person and the cat were lost in their own thoughts.
Until the moon set and the stars faded, and the morning light began to glimmer.
Ying Miaomiao suddenly woke up.
She had unknowingly fallen asleep last night, and when she woke up, it was morning. She couldn’t see the time, but judging by the sky, it must have been close to seven o’clock.
Shi Xinyu’s sleep was restless.
Her brows were subtly furrowed, and a cold sweat was faintly visible on her forehead. Ying Miaomiao stepped forward, wanting to soothe her distress.
Ying Miaomiao cautiously retracted her claws. As her cool paw pad just touched Shi Xinyu’s forehead, the woman suddenly opened her eyes. Startled, Ying Miaomiao quickly pulled back a paw. Shi Xinyu instinctively hugged the kitten, burying her face on the cat’s belly.
Ying Miaomiao subconsciously wanted to struggle, but she paused upon noticing a warm liquid on her belly.
Were those tears?
What was wrong with Shi Xinyu?
“Miaomiao, why do you think people get trapped by their past?”
Shi Xinyu’s voice was slightly muffled with a nasal tone. Perhaps she would only show her vulnerable side in front of an animal.
She let go of Ying Miaomiao.
Shi Xinyu lowered her head, the corners of her eyes stained with a wet crimson, like crushed rose petals. Her raven-black eyelashes trembled slightly.
A few drops of tears suddenly fell. Ying Miaomiao took a few steps forward. She opened her mouth, then closed it again in a melancholy gesture, simply leaning into Shi Xinyu.
A soft meow sounded. Ying Miaomiao made a determined resolution, as if preparing for a desperate act.
Meow meow.
Shi Xinyu, I’m lending myself to you to wipe your tears, but you’d better not wipe your snot on me too.
Perhaps sensing Ying Miaomiao’s concern, Shi Xinyu sniffled and gently rubbed the kitten’s head.
“Miaomiao, are you worried about me?”
Ying Miaomiao sighed inwardly. I’m truly a good person, comforting my distressed boss.
But Shi Xinyu was also a good person. She adopted a stray cat. Even if her demands were strict at the company, it was just her being serious and responsible. She deserved comfort and deserved to move on from the past.
Ying Miaomiao only regretted not having a mouth that could speak human language; otherwise, she would definitely comfort Shi Xinyu properly. She also lacked a pair of hands; Ying Miaomiao wanted to give her a hug.
Meow-aow, meow meow, meow meow meow.
Don’t cry. People need to look forward; you can’t be sad about the past for so long.
Sensing the kitten’s concern, Shi Xinyu’s lips curved slightly. She rubbed Ying Miaomiao again. “Miaomiao, you’re so good. Big sister is going to work to earn you canned food.”
Shi Xinyu left.
Her appearance was meticulous: light makeup, well-groomed long hair, and her usual proper attire.
But this time, Ying Miaomiao’s gesture wasn’t a pretense. She genuinely stood at the doorway to see Shi Xinyu off; she was a little worried.
She noticed that Shi Xinyu never showed her vulnerability in front of others. In front of anyone, she seemed utterly calm and rational.
The slight vulnerability she occasionally displayed was only in the barely-awake morning, confessed to a speechless cat, and even then, not too much.
She always maintained a distance from everyone.
Today, Ying Miaomiao no longer felt like watching TV. She lay on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
My boss has absolutely nothing to do with me. Who she has a crush on, what does that have to do with Ying Miaomiao? What does her sadness have to do with Ying Miaomiao? Why is Ying Miaomiao’s heart also heavy?
She jumped off the sofa, rushed back to the room, and angrily chomped a few bites of her cat food.
Because Ying Miaomiao is nosy.
…
A whole day was wasted.
Shi Xinyu came home a little late today.
Ying Miaomiao sat in the entryway, counting the minutes. She was twenty minutes later than the previous days.
The sound of the lock clicking made her tail twitch slightly.
She saw Shi Xinyu carrying a cat carrier, looking a bit strenuous. Ying Miaomiao instantly became alert. She moved forward a few steps and sniffed.
Relaxing once she detected no scent of other cats.
Shi Xinyu crouched down, opened the carrier, and took out a collar.
It was sky-blue leather and seemed to be of decent quality. The front of the cat tag was engraved with the words “Miaomiao,” and the back with “Shi Xinyu.”
Shi Xinyu adjusted the collar’s tightness and then took out a leash. “Miaomiao, big sister promised to take you out to play a couple of days ago. How about we go out today?”
Ying Miaomiao’s eyes lit up. Could she finally go out for some fresh air? God knows she was getting depressed staying home.
Outside, maybe she could seize the opportunity to go home.
She obediently allowed herself to be leashed. Just as she was about to walk out, Shi Xinyu stopped her.
She pointed to the cat carrier. “Miaomiao, do you want to get in?”
Ying Miaomiao turned her head away and meowed twice, physically demonstrating her refusal. Shi Xinyu didn’t force her, but she first made sure the collar on Ying Miaomiao was secure before opening the main door.
Ying Miaomiao rushed out impatiently. Feeling the long-lost freedom, she was a little excited.
Looking here and there.
The smells here were so fresh.
Noticing Shi Xinyu hadn’t followed, Ying Miaomiao stopped and looked back at her.
“Meow-aow!”
Hurry up, hurry up! I want to go out and play!
Shi Xinyu still followed unhurriedly, gazing down at Ying Miaomiao.
The orange-red sunset passed through the glass, casting a light mist in the hallway and shining on Shi Xinyu’s profile. Specks of light fell on her eyelashes, casting a shallow shadow. Her moist red lips curved slightly. Her entire face was like a Madonna statue bathed in light—warm and gentle.
Ying Miaomiao’s heart seemed to be struck by something. She froze on the spot, her sapphire-blue eyes reflecting Shi Xinyu’s silhouette.
“Miaomiao, walk this way.”
It wasn’t until Shi Xinyu’s voice sounded that Ying Miaomiao numbly followed. She didn’t fully snap out of it until they exited the elevator.
Though no blush was visible on her furry face, Ying Miaomiao felt hot all over.
It must be because the sunlight is too good.
After glancing around, Ying Miaomiao realized this place was no more than a ten-minute walk from her own home. The only difference was that Shi Xinyu’s place was a quiet sanctuary in a bustling area, while hers was an old, dilapidated building on the edge of the busy district.
The neighborhood environment was quite good, with green lawns and thriving trees.
Many cats and dogs were gathered on one of the lawns.
Shi Xinyu didn’t lead Ying Miaomiao in that direction.
One reason was that Ying Miaomiao was still small, and she was afraid she’d be bullied. The second was that she didn’t want to interact much with others.
But things didn’t go as planned.
A short-haired Calico wearing a collar gracefully approached. The Calico held its tail high and looked very friendly.
Ying Miaomiao was initially just sniffing the fresh air on the lawn and looking for any shortcuts out of the neighborhood.
As the Calico approached, she looked up too.
Why did this cat’s pattern look familiar?
The Calico stopped at a safe, medium distance and meowed at Ying Miaomiao.
‘Meow.’
Human, hello.
Ying Miaomiao was stunned. She couldn’t believe her identity was just exposed by a cat!
“Meow meow?!”
How did you know I’m human?!
The Calico’s eyes held a strange hint of affection. It moved closer, its slightly larger size than Ying Miaomiao making her slightly wary.
‘Meow meow meow.’
“Human, Cat is the Campus Belle.”
A hint of hurt flashed in the Calico’s eyes, while Ying Miaomiao felt like she’d been struck by lightning. If she remembered correctly, there was indeed a Calico cat in her university who was called the ‘Campus Belle’ due to its incredibly high cuteness.
But her school wasn’t in this city?!
However, seeing how plump and robust the Campus Belle looked, she was clearly doing well here. But rarely encountering a species she could communicate with, Ying Miaomiao didn’t want to miss the chance.
“Meow meow, meow meow meow?”
Campus Belle, you know I’m human, so do you know why I turned into a cat?
The Campus Belle came forward and affectionately rubbed Ying Miaomiao. She couldn’t resist grooming Ying Miaomiao a little, only meowing a few times vaguely.
Cat doesn’t know, but your scent hasn’t changed. Human is a good person; now that you’re a cat, you’re a good cat too. Cat likes you.
If Ying Miaomiao had hands, she would be face-palming with a wry smile right now.
Does this count as meeting an old ‘meow’ in a foreign land?
Shi Xinyu stood still, not preventing Ying Miaomiao from making a friend.
“Campus Belle—”
A shout came from a distance. A young, short-haired girl, with a few beads of sweat on her nose from running, saw the Calico on the ground and immediately swept it up into her arms.
“Why did you run so fast just now?”
She then turned to Shi Xinyu and smiled apologetically: “I’m sorry. Campus Belle was a stray at the school before and is used to freedom. I hope she didn’t do anything to your kitten?”
Shi Xinyu slightly nodded, expressionlessly. “It’s fine. She was probably just trying to make a friend with my kitten.”
The short-haired girl had already noticed the long-haired little tuxedo cat. Her eyes were bright. “What’s your kitten’s name? Is it a girl or a boy? She’s so cute!”
Shi Xinyu remained expressionless, only softening slightly when looking at the kitten. “Her name is Miaomiao. She’s a girl.”
The girl complimented Ying Miaomiao a few times, then asked, “If you don’t mind my asking, are you Shi Xinyu from X University?”
Shi Xinyu was slightly surprised. “You know me?”
Ying Miaomiao, sitting on the grass, was marveling at how small the world was. This short-haired girl was her junior in the same department. They had volunteered together in a school organization for feeding stray cats, and their relationship was quite good.
No wonder she saw the Campus Belle here.
It looks like the junior ‘kidnapped’ the senior’s cat upon graduation. The flower language of stray cats truly is ‘move fast or lose out.’
The girl nodded and smiled: “The song you sang at school is still another senior’s ringtone. Speaking of coincidence, that senior’s name is Ying Miaomiao—such a fate with your kitten.”
Ying Miaomiao paused. A year after leaving school, she’d almost forgotten about her time there. After graduation, to appear more professional, she had set all her notification sounds back to default.
Hearing this, Shi Xinyu was stunned for a moment. She lowered her gaze, her eyes fixed on Ying Miaomiao. “Hmm, it really is quite a fate.”
Ying Miaomiao noticed the look, but she instinctively felt that Shi Xinyu was looking through her at something else.
Perhaps because of the shared alma mater, Shi Xinyu was very polite to the short-haired girl. The girl only left after the Campus Belle lost patience and said goodbye to Ying Miaomiao.
But before leaving, the Campus Belle mysteriously imparted the ‘Stray Cat’s Eight-Part Guide to Cuteness’ to Ying Miaomiao, saying: ‘Human, you are a house cat now. Pleasing humans is one of your compulsory subjects. I wish you a pleasant future.’
Ying Miaomiao felt that the Campus Belle truly deserved to be a university-educated cat.
She planned to demonstrate it for Shi Xinyu tonight.