Chapter 04
They finally stopped when they reached the place where they had slept the previous morning.
Xiaobai muttered, “Sigh, what a mess. We’re so unlucky. Let’s just get some sleep first.”
Cheng Jianian neither agreed nor disagreed.
She curled her tail beneath her paws, maintaining an elegant, noble posture.
Xiaobai sighed helplessly.
“Ever since you got beaten up yesterday, you’ve been acting really strange. You’re even prouder than that black cat.”
Because I was always more noble than that black cat.
That was what President Xiao Cheng thought.
But she still offered no explanation.
Instead, she silently wished for nightfall to arrive sooner.
It was only dawn.
The warm sunlight above reminded her of the hand that had stroked her that morning.
Soft.
Warm.
Comfortable.
It made a kitty feel completely at ease.
Unfortunately, the peaceful moment didn’t last long.
Those irritating voices returned.
It was the group of children they had just shaken off.
Step by step they approached, carrying various unknown objects in their hands.
The murky malice in their eyes was completely out of place for children their age.
It was disgusting.
Cheng Jianian immediately arched her back, low growls rumbling from her throat as she prepared to fight.
Beside her, Xiaobai was still squinting contentedly and stretching her paws.
“Stop sleeping. Those kids are here,” Cheng Jianian called.
Xiaobai jolted awake, scrambling to her feet.
When she saw the group of children surrounding them, she froze.
“W-What do we do? Are we going to die here?” Xiaobai’s voice trembled weakly with overwhelming fear.
Cheng Jianian took a deep breath.
“It’s okay. When the chance comes, we’ll run through the gap between them. We’ll be fine.”
“Okay.”
The two cats cautiously watched the children close in.
After what had happened before, they knew perfectly well that these children had no good intentions.
But knowing changed nothing.
A cat’s claws might be sharp.
Its teeth might be fierce.
Yet against humans armed with all kinds of tools, they were still at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Even if those humans were only children.
Their malice alone was enough to take a life.
In the two days since becoming a cat, Cheng Jianian had experienced more frustration than she ever had before.
I really want to scratch these little bastards to death.
And Shen Yunmiao too.
How could she be living such a hard life?
She didn’t even have enough money to rent a place.
It was all Ji Hanfeng’s fault.
That miser was unbelievable.
How could he let the person he liked live like this?
If it were me, I’d never let someone I loved suffer like this.
Cheng Jianian hissed fiercely.
As expected, she attracted the children’s attention.
Seizing the opportunity, she bolted.
Xiaobai also ran in the opposite direction as instructed.
The two cats split up.
The children, whose minds weren’t exactly quick, hesitated for a moment.
Finally, they decided to chase the fierce one first.
The other one could wait until tomorrow for more fun.
Without question, Cheng Jianian was the fierce one.
Cats ran fast.
Ordinarily, children wouldn’t have been able to catch them.
But Cheng Jianian worried that if they lost sight of her, they would turn back and chase Xiaobai.
So she deliberately slowed down, maintaining just enough speed to lure them along like a cat toying with a mouse.
After about two blocks, Cheng Jianian estimated Xiaobai should be safe.
She immediately accelerated, intending to lose the children.
Unfortunately, disaster struck again.
The road ahead ended.
It was a dead end.
Poor President Xiao Cheng had never set foot in such a rundown neighborhood before.
Naturally, she didn’t know the way.
She had unknowingly run straight into a trap.
Turning around, Cheng Jianian watched the excited little monsters slowly closing in.
Every hair on her body stood on end until she resembled a fluffy ball.
At that critical moment, she suddenly remembered the black cat sitting atop the wall.
Cats could climb walls.
She looked at the towering wall before her, then at the children eagerly approaching from behind.
Gritting her teeth, she leaped onto a nearby trash bin.
From there, she stepped onto a protruding brick.
Halfway there.
Her trembling paws searched desperately for another foothold.
Fortunately, her survival instinct quickly found one.
In a rather undignified manner, President Xiao Cheng finally climbed onto the top of the wall.
Looking down at the children now felt infinitely better.
She recovered her usual pride, gazing down at them with open disdain.
When she had been human, she had never considered brats like these worth her attention.
Now that she was a cat, defeating such a powerful enemy gave her an unexpected sense of satisfaction.
Even her large fluffy tail swayed leisurely as she watched the little monsters below scream and stomp in frustration.
Before long, they finally left in anger, carrying slingshots, homemade “poison,” and various other strange objects.
Cheng Jianian didn’t leave immediately.
The wall wasn’t low.
If she climbed down now, there was no telling what fresh disaster awaited.
So she simply lay down where she was and decided to sleep until that fool Xiaobai came looking for her.
Golden sunlight bathed the white cat with heterochromatic eyes in warmth.
The peaceful environment made both humans and cats drowsy.
President Xiao Cheng closed her eyes.
When she woke again, it was already evening.
Shaking her head irritably, she wondered what that fool Xiaobai had been doing.
Why hadn’t she come looking for her?
The moment she shook her head, a dull ache spread through it.
It felt as though her mind and body were being torn apart.
No need to guess.
It had to be another aftereffect of becoming a cat.
Stretching lazily, she prepared to climb down and find Xiaobai.
She also wanted to see whether Shen Yunmiao kept her promise.
She hadn’t actually expected Shen Yunmiao to come take her home.
Someone that poor probably couldn’t manage it.
She merely wanted to find out whether this heroine was truly a good person or simply a hypocrite.
Nothing more.
“Meow, meow, meow, meow.”
Long time no see.
The familiar meowing sounded from behind.
Every hair on Cheng Jianian’s body instantly stood on end.
She spun around.
Sure enough.
The black cat was lazily watching her.
The top of the wall wasn’t particularly narrow.
Otherwise, Cheng Jianian couldn’t have slept there all day.
But under the current circumstances, they had truly met on a narrow path.
“What do you want?”
Cheng Jianian flexed her claws.
President Xiao Cheng had endured humiliation that morning only because she had been protecting a useless little burden.
She had never been someone who swallowed her anger.
Now she didn’t mind having a proper fight to establish her reputation.
The black cat, however, paid her no attention.
It slowly approached, lazily extending a paw as though teasing prey.
The battle erupted instantly.
The black and white cats rolled together into a single writhing ball.
It was spring.
Cat fur flew everywhere.
Claws slashed.
Teeth bit.
Neither side gave ground.
The fight was fierce.
Cheng Jianian could clearly feel that this body was holding her back.
Although she fought with complete disregard for her own life, the black cat still managed to kick her off the wall.
Of course, she hadn’t come away empty-handed.
She was certain the black cat’s abdomen had suffered a serious injury.
President Xiao Cheng thought to herself,
I didn’t lose.
It was only a fight with a cat.
Soon, however, she realized something was wrong.
This wasn’t the alley she had come from.
At the far end, dim yellow lights flickered weakly.
They were even dimmer than the setting sun.
The alley stretched endlessly into the distance.
The barking of dogs echoed one after another.
An instinctive sense of fear slowly rose within her.
Then another meow came from above.
“Good luck.”
It was the black cat’s voice, half mocking and half gloating.
Clearly, it knew what lurked inside this alley.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t anything good.
Cheng Jianian tried climbing back onto the wall.
But this alley’s walls were unusually smooth.
There was nothing she could use as leverage.
Gritting her teeth, she sprinted toward the alley entrance.
Under the moonlight, a white figure shot forward like an arrow.
The black cat’s green eyes glowed faintly.
With a flick of its tail, it went to find that human.
Being injured didn’t matter.
She would take it to the veterinarian anyway.
As for that white cat…
What a nuisance.
It should have died beneath those wild dogs long ago.
Then it wouldn’t keep monopolizing that person’s attention.
Chapter 4
The Official Love Interest Has Appeared!
By the time Shen Yunmiao found a suitable apartment, it was already seven o’clock in the evening.
After signing the lease with the landlord and saying goodbye, she picked up the cat carrier and prepared to bring Guai Guai home.
“Young lady, are you renting this place because you want to keep a cat?”
The landlord, a kind middle-aged woman, smiled as she asked.
Blushing slightly, Shen Yunmiao nodded.
“Yes, Auntie. My roommate doesn’t really like cats, so I felt embarrassed bringing one back. It’ll be much easier once I have my own place.”
Thinking about her little Guai Guai, Shen Yunmiao’s heart softened.
There had actually been many suitable apartments.
But this was the only landlord who didn’t mind tenants keeping cats.
“My daughter is about your age. She talks about wanting a cat every day too. But I always think taking care of cats is too much trouble, so I never let her. If she were as responsible as you, I’d have agreed long ago,” the landlady said with a sigh.
Shen Yunmiao smiled awkwardly.
She had never been good at handling polite small talk.
Besides, she was eager to see her little cat.
Picking up the carrier, she hurried outside.
“Auntie, I’m going to pick up my cat now!”
“Alright, alright.”
Only after leaving did Shen Yunmiao finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She truly disliked talking to strangers so much.
But if she didn’t say anything, it felt impolite.
Being with cats was much better.
She didn’t have to think about so many things.
The director had paid her so generously.
Not only was it enough to cover six months of rent, but she could even buy a small electric scooter.
Then taking her little cat out would be much more convenient.
In the future, she would film many, many productions.
She would earn lots and lots of money.
That way, whatever other people’s cats had, her own little cat would have too.
As she made plans in her heart, the corners of Shen Yunmiao’s lips unconsciously curved upward.
An overwhelming sense of happiness filled her heart.
When she arrived at the agreed meeting place, however, she couldn’t find the familiar little white fluffball.
Instead, a crowd of cats gathered around her affectionately.
Patiently, she fed them one by one while asking,
“Have any of you seen Guai Guai? A white, very adorable little kitty.”
Unfortunately, the cats only tilted their heads and meowed.
Shen Yunmiao had no way of understanding their answers.
The excitement she had felt moments earlier was quickly replaced by overwhelming anxiety.
Absentmindedly, she finished feeding the cats while preparing herself to go search for Guai Guai immediately.
Just as she was about to leave, a black cat suddenly walked over and rubbed against her.
Squatting down, Shen Yunmiao gently rubbed its head.
“Xiao Hei, I’m going to look for Guai Guai now. Be good and eat first, okay?”
The little black cat let out a sweet, affectionate cry.
“Meoww… meow~”
