“Go home first.”
After setting up her new account, Xu Yan headed downstairs and got into the five-seater car waiting for her.
“Good afternoon, CEO,” greeted Sister Liu, her driver. “Going home?”
“Yes, hurry up.”
“Got it.”
By 4:50, Sister Liu had dropped Xu Yan off at her door. Xu Yan quickly stepped out of the car and rushed inside. After a long day, she finally sat on her sofa, slipped off her shoes, and rubbed her soft, tired feet. She hadn’t even begun to relax when she suddenly remembered that the house had a combination lock, and too many people knew the password.
“Better change the password.” She muttered to herself.
After quickly changing it, she glanced at the clock—4:58 p.m.
“Turn on the TV. Charge my phone and keep it on.” She instructed the house assistant. “And prepare some food.”
Barefoot and moving quickly, Xu Yan tossed her phone onto the charger. By the time it was 5 p.m., she felt the familiar sensation of turning into a cat taking over her. This time, she was prepared and tried to suppress the transformation, her pretty face flushing slightly.
Her efforts worked—for a few minutes. But soon, she couldn’t hold it back and transformed into a cat.
“I need more practice.” She sighed but wasn’t discouraged.
She jumped onto her bed and checked her phone. “Why haven’t they added me to the group yet? I already sent my details to Chen Yu.”
Meanwhile, Lu Fei had reached his underground parking garage and was heading home. Despite the evening rush hour in the capital city, he was lucky that his place wasn’t too far from the office. Still, he didn’t make it home until 6:30 p.m.
“Little Flower! I’m home!” He called out.
Silence.
Lu Fei checked the cat’s food and water bowls, but there was no sign of her. Frowning, he looked around and realized she wasn’t in the apartment.
“Running off again.” He sighed and went outside to search.
First, he checked the hallway. Nothing. Then, he began asking around the neighborhood.
“Excuse me, have you seen a cat? Small, tabby-colored.”
“No? Well, thank you.”
As Lu Fei continued his search, his phone buzzed with a message from the group chat.
By this time, Xu Yan had finally been added to the group. The team leader introduced her as a newcomer eager to learn, and everyone welcomed her. She wanted to respond and play along as a newbie, but with her cat paws, it was too hard to type. So, she gave up.
Luckily, no one seemed to notice her silence. She stayed in the group for nearly an hour, quietly observing. Finally, she saw something about the dog man!
Lu Fei responded: “No, I can’t.”
Zhou Song: “Why not?”
Lu Fei: “My cat’s missing. I’m out looking for her.”
Xu Yan froze when she saw the message. ‘Is he looking for me?’
Zhou Song: “Wait, you have a cat?”
Lu Fei: “I wanted one, but this little brat has already escaped twice.”
Zhou Song: “Found her yet?”
Lu Fei: “Nope. If you’re free, come help me. If not, don’t worry about it.”
Zhou Song: “No thanks. I’d have to drive for over an hour.”
Lu Fei: “Alright, I’ll keep looking. You go eat without me.”
Xu Yan felt a strange sense of satisfaction lying there in her cat form.
‘That’s what you get for trying to mess with me, dog man. Now you’re panicking.’
Hungry, she got up and ate the meal she had prepared earlier. Despite her paws, it wasn’t too difficult. After eating, she took a nap, feeling extra sleepy in her cat form.
At 9:30 p.m., she woke up and went back to bed. The group chat was still active, and she scrolled through, curious if the dog man had said anything else. But nothing.
She felt a bit disappointed. ‘Do you not have hands, dog man? Why haven’t you sent another message?’
Just then, more notifications popped up.
Zhou Song: “@Lu Fei, Brother Fei, are you done? We’re heading to the second spot—want to join us for karaoke?”
Lu Fei: “Still looking. You go ahead.”
Zhou Song: “?”
He Yao: “?”
Liu Wen: “?”
Everyone was shocked.
Xu Yan was stunned too.
‘Dog man… still searching for me?’
Zhou Song: “Dude, seriously? It’s full of mosquitoes out there!”
He Yao: “Yeah, mosquitoes are most active in June, September, and October. Perfect breeding temperatures.”
Lu Fei posted a photo of his leg covered in mosquito bites—32 welts in total.
Lu Fei: “I’m basically turning into one giant mosquito bite.”
Zhou Song: “…”
Zhou Song: “Stop searching. I’ll get you a new cat.”
Lu Fei: “It’s different.”
Zhou Song: “How is it different?”
Lu Fei: “I found this one myself. I don’t just give up on things I care about. You get it?”
Liu Wen: “Brother Fei, you’re too responsible. You sure you don’t want a girlfriend? I volunteer.”
Zhang Yu: “I volunteer too!”
Zhou Song: “Me too!”
Zhang Yu: “Get lost!”
Lu Fei: “Alright, I’ll keep looking. Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to be taken down by a few mosquitoes.”
Xu Yan stared at the chat, feeling an unfamiliar sensation. There was something different about this feeling—something warm and a little bittersweet.
‘Is he really that much of a dog?’
She waited a while longer, but Lu Fei didn’t send any more messages.
Rolling onto her back, she stared at the ceiling, her emotions swirling.
‘When will I be able to control these transformations?’
The truth was, her decision not to return to Lu Fei earlier wasn’t because she didn’t want to. She simply couldn’t control her transformations yet, and the weekend made it even harder.
“Set an alarm for 4:30 a.m. I’ll try again tonight. Let’s see if I can manage it.”