Today is the beginning of spring.
The chill of winter gradually fades, and the earth begins to thaw.
Yet everything in Sheng Sheng Manor seems frozen, radiating a tense atmosphere.
The wind moves slowly, footsteps are light, and even the most mischievous kittens have stopped their play.
Most of them are quietly basking in the sun, while a few obediently circle around Wang Lixiang’s pant legs.
“Brother Lixiang, a car is here.” A girl wearing a volunteer vest says in a low voice, holding a calico cat she had finally managed to catch, cleaning its ears, “Is it the sponsor?”
The sleek luxury car appears at the manor’s entrance. Wang Lixiang’s chubby cheeks tremble, and he rushes forward, tripping over his own feet.
The girl follows alongside, holding the kitten.
The car door opens, and the man’s expensive leather shoes step down from the driver’s seat onto the manor’s soft, loamy ground.
He stands a head taller than Wang Lixiang, wearing a black mask. Sunlight shines from behind him, casting a halo that blurs Wang Lixiang’s vision, obscuring the man’s features.
…Is he the sponsor?
Wang Lixiang pauses for a moment.
He has actually never seen the sponsor’s true face.
On the day the investment was secured, the other party also seemed to be wearing a black mask, quietly signing the name “Shen Lizhou.” All Wang Lixiang could see was fair skin and long lashes that veiled his expression when he lowered his gaze—he couldn’t make out his appearance at all.
Over the following years, the money arrived on time every year, but the man himself was never seen.
The air freezes for a second. The other party seems to hesitate for a moment before finally removing his mask.
Wang Lixiang holds his breath.
Younger than imagined.
More, much more, far more handsome and striking than imagined.
The calico cat finally gets its chance, wriggling free from the girl’s arms and landing lightly on the ground.
It circles around Shen Lizhou’s pant legs, rubs against him, then rolls over to reveal its soft belly.
Whether from distaste or discomfort, the man’s body stiffens almost imperceptibly. Wang Lixiang snaps to attention, quickly reaching out a hand, his voice laced with a smile: “Hello, hello, Mr. Shen. Good morning.”
“Hello.”
Shen Lizhou’s voice is soft, his emotions unreadable. He gives a loose handshake and withdraws.
“Welcome to Sheng Sheng Manor for your inspection. We are committed to creating the last safe haven for stray animals in the city. We currently house 226 cats and 65 dogs. The numbers are dynamic—they decrease when animals are adopted out and increase when new ones are rescued. Last year, we placed 57 animals, and their owners send us photos and videos every month.” Wang Lixiang leads the way, introducing the manor’s situation. “The manor is divided into six separate courtyards. This is the healthy adult cat area—the cats mostly stay here during the day…”
Many small paths have been worn into the grass. Nearby there’s a sandpit and several large stones warmed by the sun. The cats flick their tails and look over curiously.
Not far away is a small grove of mixed trees with cat platforms built into them. Clean cat pads hang from the branches—cotton ones with velvet surfaces scratched into fuzz, now fluffed soft by the sun.
Wang Lixiang continues: “As for staff, we have six permanent employees—myself, three caretakers, and two cleaners. There’s also a part-time veterinarian we work with long-term from the surrounding area, plus volunteers. Oh, this is Xiao Yu…”
“There are many volunteers,” Xiao Yu chimes in quietly. “About a dozen on weekends, and five or six after school on weekdays… We all love Sheng Sheng Manor.”
The man walks unhurriedly behind them, not saying a word—not even a single “mm.”
Wang Lixiang heads toward the courtyard ahead, his voice growing softer: “Up ahead is the quarantine observation area. It has heating and air conditioning…”
All of it cost a lot of money.
Wang Lixiang’s conscience genuinely pricks at him.
Back when he was competing for charitable support, he drew the last slot in the lottery. The projects before him happened to include several competing stray cat manor proposals, each one touting investment returns—”cultivating internet-famous stray cats for short videos,” “cat cafés with afternoon tea to create selfie spots,” “cat IP merchandise and advertising”… Wang Lixiang’s mouth fell open listening to them all.
He turned over a new leaf on the spot and started cribbing on the fly. Though his PPT didn’t contain a single word of it, last-minute cramming still counts for something—he’s smooth-tongued too, and managed to gather every monetization scheme under the sun, ultimately winning the top spot and gaining the sponsor’s favor.
In Lian City, where land is worth its weight in gold, they provided him this plot to shelter those homeless animals—and his own homeless self.
Unfortunately, over all these years, the investment money has grown year after year, but not a single cent of return has materialized.
It’s not that Wang Lixiang doesn’t want to make money—it’s just that aside from scripted setups, only full-length recording or candid shots can capture those highlight moments of the cats, which requires both effort and luck.
But regardless of whether the videos go viral, he posts every day without fail. Occasionally a few get promoted, a couple of ads come in, but nothing ever sustains.
Years have passed, and all Wang Lixiang has is his ideals.
Having learned that Shen Lizhou was coming to inspect today, Wang Lixiang had already predicted it—with the economy in such bad shape, so many business owners going bankrupt, and charity being a bottomless pit, the other party was probably going to pull the plug on this project.
He understands.
He felt disappointed too.
Wang Lixiang pushed open the courtyard gate, dejected.
A cat bristled and let out a fierce “hiss.”
It was extraordinarily fat, completely black, perched high on a cat tree, one golden eye looking over—a one-eyed cat.
A small wooden tag hung from its chest bearing its name, “Captain.”
“Reporting to Captain!”
Xiao Yu called out, as if speaking a secret code. The cat indeed fell silent, arrogantly flicking its tail.
The two stepped into the room. Wang Lixiang sensed something off and turned to look—the man behind him stood still at the doorway.
He was silent, his expression indifferent, revealing nothing.
Xiao Yu was the first to react: “We’ve taken in a few disabled kittens. Captain at most hisses at people, he’s never bitten anyone…”
Wang Lixiang followed up: “There’s a fresh air system here, and it’s cleaned every day, so the smell isn’t strong…”
But before his words could finish, he was politely interrupted.
“I won’t go in.”
The words were soft, but the refusal was resolute.
Wang Lixiang let out an “ah,” a chill running down his spine: “Mr. Shen…”
His eyes and heart ached at once. He knew this day would come eventually, yet still hoped for a change of heart, and said earnestly, “Mr. Shen, won’t you come in and take a look?”
Perhaps he might meet a kitten with a special connection.
One that would soften his heart, make him stay.
The man didn’t move at all. Wang Lixiang continued: “I send you videos and photos every week. I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at them…”
“Don’t send them to me anymore.”
Shen Lizhou’s tone was flat, like an invisible wall.
“…Mr. Shen, is it because I send them too often? Then how about once a month? Or if there’s a specific one you’d like to see, you name it, and I’ll only send that one—”
“That’s not what I mean.”
He paused, as if making a decision.
The window screen lifted at one corner in the breeze, then slowly settled back.
Fine dust floated and fell within the beam of light, like something slowly, irreversibly changing.
“I’ve established a trust,” Shen Lizhou finally spoke. “A supervisory body will conduct monthly reviews and disburse funds to Shēngshēng Manor on a regular basis. So… there’s no need to liaise with me personally anymore.”
Wang Lixiang and Xiao Yu were both stunned.
No one spoke.
“You’ve done very well. This is exactly the manor I once imagined.” Shen Lizhou said softly, “I promise you, no matter what happens in the future, you and they will be taken care of.”
Sunlight crept inch by inch through the window screen, passing over the handmade scratching posts, the high-hung cat trees, the wooden platforms, the countless cat tunnels along the walls, and also the soft fur floating in the air, and the pairs of innocent, pure eyes of the kittens.
He said finally, “You’ve worked hard all these years.”
“Not at all, not at all…” Wang Lixiang waved his hand instinctively. “This is my dream.”
“That’s right,” Xiao Yu laughed. “Brother Lixiang’s dream is all our dream, the common dream of all humanity!”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Wang Lixiang scrunched up his chubby face, beaming with joy, and Shen Lizhou curved his lips slightly in response.
The auntie came over from the cafeteria and insisted on keeping Shen Lizhou for lunch, but he declined. So the group bustled him out of the manor, chattering about amusing anecdotes, and the dog was let off its leash, running wild across the lawn.
At the car, Shen Lizhou softly said “goodbye” to everyone.
He had spoken very little throughout, his presence barely felt. The blazing noon sun shone on his somewhat slender frame, his silhouette fading, his shadow thinning, as if he might dissolve entirely into the blinding light and never be found again.
Wang Lixiang watched him get into the car. Just as the door was about to close, his heart suddenly lurched, and he grabbed the door.
“Mr. Shen,” he said urgently, “when will you come again?”
A cloud drifted over with the wind, its shadow sweeping across the lawn, the treetops, the cats, and finally settling on Shen Lizhou’s face.
Those pale amber eyes were deep and unfathomable, letting no light through. He gazed silently at Wang Lixiang, not answering for a moment.
The kitten raised its head, silent, circling around Shen Lizhou’s pant leg.
“Cats don’t recognize money, only people,” Wang Lixiang said. “You’ve been here, so they remember you. They’ll look forward to your return.”
He didn’t wait for Shen Lizhou to respond, pouring out everything he wanted to say in one breath: “Thank you. You gave those who couldn’t survive a chance to live. A place to bask in the sun, a place to shelter from the rain, a place to grow old in peace.”
Shen Lizhou finally spoke.
“This is my dream too.” He seemed exhausted, yet also relieved, his voice very soft. “Thank you, for fulfilling my dream for me.”
The luxury car sped away.
Wang Lixiang stood in the sunlight, inexplicably feeling a sense of unease.
Shen Lizhou had finally taken care of the last matter of his life.
He packed and mailed out his final painting. The villa became empty and hollow. The sun set, the sea sank, and after all the colors vanished, only an empty, boundless white remained.
This was the color he knew best.
He was glad to have settled all his affairs on the day of Beginning of Spring, choosing to die in the way he loved.
The charcoal fire blazed brightly.
Shen Lizhou sat quietly into the recliner.
Looking back on all the experiences of his 28 years of life, he found that the memories he once thought would blur or even be forgotten over the long years were still vivid, so clear.
As clear as if they had happened yesterday.
Like the beautiful dream about to embrace him.
Dreaming was also a difficult thing for him.
He suffered from severe insomnia for a long time, and now sleeping pills had little effect. Almost every night he would stare wide-eyed from darkness until dawn.
Living was too painful.
And all of this was finally going to end today.
He let out a gentle sigh.
Exhaustion surged over him like helium slowly filling a balloon, expanding, expanding again, drifting up into the boundless sky.
Once he disposed of the phone in his hand, all traces of him as Shen Lizhou would be erased from this world. He came, he left, like the wind, silent and unseen.
Shen Lizhou opened his phone.
There was actually a red notification dot on WeChat, one long absent.
It was the high school group chat, silent for a long time.
He hesitated for a second, then tapped it open.
【Aili (Classmate A): Shi Ran is flying back tonight! Sign up fast for the gathering!】
【Bao Chenggong (Classmate B): Is her husband coming? I’ve been scared of him since high school…】
【Aili (Classmate A): Don’t worry, buddy. Shi Ran told me to announce to the world—she’s divorced!】
【Chen Anke (Classmate C): Really? Cheng Zimiao, that playboy, got divorced? Is he furious? Let’s call up some young hunks tonight hahaha】
…
The name “Shi Ran” seemed to hold magic.
The square Chinese characters on the small phone screen expanded infinitely, leaping into scenes of brilliant colors and crisp, familiar laughter—
“Really, Shen Lizhou?” The girl’s eyes were bright, sly, her lashes curved. “As long as I say I need it?”
“Really.” He heard his own voice, very low, very soft. “As long as you say you need it.”
If you need it.
The balloon slowly drifting toward the sky seemed to be caught by someone, hovering mid-air, neither rising nor falling.
It was a girl’s hand—fair, slender, fingertips lightly touching, and the balloon burst.
Shen Lizhou was silent for a long time.
He took a deep breath, stood up, and extinguished the charcoal.
He looked again at the pale self in the mirror.