Chapter 19
She gently rubbed the little cat’s head, her dark eyes returning to their usual warmth as she asked softly, “Good girl, you don’t want me to say anything?”
The little white cat obediently nodded.
Shifting her gaze past Jian Shen to the silent crowd of crew members behind her, then to Jian Shen’s obvious impatience and Yuan Duan’s awkward expression, Shen Yunmiao had already made up her mind.
As for Qiao Jingshu, she couldn’t even be bothered to spare her a glance.
“Senior, I have nothing more to say. What about you?”
Qiao Jingshu trembled with rage, yet couldn’t force out a single word.
She could only watch helplessly as Shen Yunmiao carried the cat away.
Chapter 18
Wife, do you really not love me anymore?
It was the changing of spring into summer, with a fine drizzle falling cool against the skin.
It seemed to be a standard setting for heroines whenever disaster struck, it rained.
Little President Cheng sighed. Yunmiao had it far too hard.
She gently licked the fingers that had just stroked her head.
Shen Yunmiao, however, remained calm as if nothing had happened. She lightly tapped the kitten’s nose and smiled gently before sighing.
“I can’t get a taxi.”
A rainy day in the suburbs. It really was difficult.
Fortunately, Shen Yunmiao always carried an umbrella, so neither of them got soaked too badly.
She kept increasing the fare on the ride-hailing app, hoping someone would accept, but even after adding another two hundred yuan, no drivers took the order.
Watching this made Cheng Jianian’s heart ache. She couldn’t bear to let Shen Yunmiao spend even more money. She rubbed against Shen Yunmiao’s wrist and shook her head.
“Our good little kitty is so sensible. Are you worried about your big sister spending too much money?”
Shen Yunmiao set the carrier down and let the little cat hide inside from the rain.
“Alright, then let’s take the bus instead, okay?”
Normally she wouldn’t have minded waiting longer, but today it was raining, and she was afraid the little cat might get sick.
She carried the cat carrier in front of her and began walking toward the bus stop.
The location was so remote that there wasn’t even a shared bicycle station nearby. Every time, Shen Yunmiao had to ride for an hour and a half before getting off and walking the remaining distance.
Little President Cheng had only known that Shen Yunmiao rode for a very long time.
Today was the first time she realized that after the ride, there was still walking left to do.
Bitterness instantly filled her chest.
Shen Yunmiao seemed to have long realized that her little cat wasn’t an ordinary cat, but an intelligent one that could understand human speech.
As they walked, she comforted her.
“It’s alright. I often arrive just on time so I can catch Director Jian or Sister Yuan’s car. They’re both very kind and usually give me a ride.”
The little white cat remained silent, merely licking her palm until that small patch became completely wet, as though it were a puddle of gathered tears.
She knew Shen Yunmiao well enough to understand that she wasn’t someone who willingly accepted favors from others, especially small ones.
In the original novel, unless she had absolutely no other choice, Shen Yunmiao would never ask anyone for help.
She truly was a pitiful little white flower.
She had weathered storms and endured scorching sunlight.
Yet this little white flower swayed with the wind, grew toward the light, rooted firmly in the earth.
Nothing could break her.
Not the malice of others.
Not the unfairness of the world.
Not even feelings that could never be fulfilled.
The novel’s greatest flaw was making Ji Hanfeng her savior.
Perhaps some people really did turn their lives around because of love.
But Shen Yunmiao was definitely not one of them.
First, she didn’t need saving.
Second, Ji Hanfeng simply wasn’t capable of saving her.
He himself depended on his family for support.
Even later, he never truly escaped the identity of the Ji family’s heir.
What right did he have?
Little President Cheng thought that even if the male and female leads were destined to fall in love, their Yunmiao would never need Ji Hanfeng to descend from the heavens every time she encountered difficulties.
She would always find better, faster, and more effective ways to solve them herself.
Cheng Jianian admired people like that.
Because she herself was exactly the same.
The Cheng family had countless children.
Her father wasn’t the head of the family.
On the contrary, he was a hopeless failure.
Yet Little President Cheng was still Little President Cheng.
Someone respected and feared by countless people.
Rely on others, and one day they’ll fail you.
Rely on yourself, and even if you fail, there will be no resentment or self-pity.
Try ten thousand times, and eventually, one of those attempts will succeed.
That one chance in ten thousand was what Cheng Jianian always gambled on.
But at this moment, she wished with all her heart that one day, this girl who was forever hurrying through life could lean on her instead.
Little President Cheng had never had a shelter herself.
Yet she longed to become someone else’s shelter.
Instead of watching helplessly as rain drifted through the air while Shen Yunmiao held the umbrella over the cat carrier, keeping her dry while the slanting rain soaked her own body.
Fortunately, they arrived at the bus stop just in time.
Shen Yunmiao politely asked the driver whether she could bring the cat aboard.
The driver glanced over before pointing toward the back.
“There aren’t many passengers right now. Just take the cat to the last row. That way, when more people get on, nobody will accidentally squeeze it.”
Shen Yunmiao repeatedly thanked him before quietly taking the carrier to the last row.
The rain only grew heavier.
Spring rain awakened all living things.
Now, at the end of spring, this downpour would usher in summer.
The tightly shut windows blocked the rain but couldn’t stop the shifting light and shadows from falling across Shen Yunmiao’s face, making her seem even more melancholy.
From inside the carrier, Cheng Jianian gazed at her.
For one brief moment, she almost felt Shen Yunmiao didn’t belong in this world.
She had experienced this strange feeling many times before.
The current Shen Yunmiao seemed to be missing too much.
Or perhaps she had simply suffered too much.
The words “It shouldn’t have been like this” wrapped around Cheng Jianian’s heart so tightly that she could barely breathe.
Several stops passed without anyone boarding.
The driver called toward the back.
“Let the cat out for some fresh air. Don’t let it get stuffy. Just don’t let it climb onto the other seats.”
Once again, Shen Yunmiao thanked him.
She disliked troubling others, but anything concerning her cat was an exception.
She unzipped the carrier slightly, and the little white cat gracefully jumped out.
“Mrrrow.”
She immediately burrowed back into Shen Yunmiao’s arms, kicking the empty carrier aside.
Shen Yunmiao placed it at her feet and gently stroked the little white cat.
The once silky white fur had become slightly rough, showing signs of everything the kitten had endured.
Neither of them spoke.
Suddenly, a ringtone broke the silence.
After searching for her earphones without success, Shen Yunmiao lowered the phone’s volume and answered on speaker.
“Yunmiao… um… have you looked at Flow?”
It was Yuan Duan.
Shen Yunmiao lowered her eyes, long lashes casting faint shadows beneath them.
“Not yet.”
“Oh, good. That’s good. It’s nothing serious. Just a small matter. Once the movie comes out, everything will pass.”
Even Yuan Duan found those words painful to say.
Nowadays, actors were essentially celebrities.
They relied on fans.
They relied on resources.
They relied on companies.
The only thing they couldn’t rely on was acting ability.
No matter how talented Shen Yunmiao was, offending a Best Actress before even making her official debut…
Unless someone powerful backed her afterward…
And that backer had to be incredibly influential…
Otherwise, she had no future.
Shen Yunmiao looked down at the little white cat desperately trying to overhear the conversation and smiled silently.
“No matter what happens, thank you for helping me. Please also thank Director Jian for giving me this opportunity. I only hope I won’t affect the film’s promotion.”
Yuan Duan fell silent.
After a long pause, she sighed.
“Sigh… You’re just too stubborn. This turning out like this hurts you the most. After all… she’s backed by Little President Cheng. That’s the advantage of being one of Mercury Entertainment’s artists…”
Shen Yunmiao neither denied it nor broke down in regret.
With nothing left to say, the two quietly ended the call.
Meeting the pair of heterochromatic eyes shining brilliantly in the light, Shen Yunmiao sighed softly.
“Good girl… I’m probably going to be scolded online.”
“Tell me… why would she recruit someone like that as one of her artists…”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
Little did she know, the cat in her arms hated it even more.
How had someone like that ever been allowed into her company?
Shen Yunmiao gently squeezed the little white cat’s paw.
“How about this? By the Summer Solstice… I won’t like her anymore. It’ll be hot by then.”
Looking into Shen Yunmiao’s clear, beautiful eyes, Cheng Jianian felt a sharp ache in her heart.
Yunmiao hadn’t explained it.
Yet somehow she instantly understood why she had chosen the Summer Solstice.
It would be so hot that even if her heart turned cold, perhaps it wouldn’t matter anymore.
Chapter 19
Wife’s official love interest is back!
As expected, Shen Yunmiao was viciously attacked online.
Not just a few scattered insults.
It became an overwhelming storm that shot straight onto the trending searches.
This was no ordinary dispute anymore.
Entertainment accounts.
Paid internet trolls.
Countless fan accounts of unknown origin.
Wave after wave, they all attacked her.
She hadn’t even debuted yet, yet she already had negative fans and a huge army of haters.
The cause was simple.
Not long after Cheng Jianian and Shen Yunmiao left, Qiao Jingshu posted on Flow.
The message was brief.
“I wanted to play with the kitty. Too bad. Neither the kitty nor its owner seemed very happy.”
Attached was a photo showing a red mark on her wrist.
The moment she posted it, the comments exploded.
Her fans became furious.
Many accounts claiming to be members of the film crew also appeared, saying they knew the inside story and how pitiful Teacher Qiao was.
When fans pressed for details, these accounts described the incident from the perspective of an “outsider.”
According to them, a newcomer on the production had relied on powerful connections to steal a role.
She also believed Teacher Qiao had too many scenes, so she constantly found fault with her and even had the script changed.
That day, the newcomer brought her cat onto the set.
While filming, the cat wandered into Teacher Qiao’s trailer.
Teacher Qiao had been resting there all morning and hadn’t noticed.
When she finally saw the cat and tried to check on it, the cat scratched her.
At that exact moment, the newcomer arrived and falsely accused Teacher Qiao of stealing and abusing the cat, bringing a crowd of people to confront her.
Qiao Jingshu’s fans immediately exploded.
Her carefully cultivated image had always been that of a gentle, intelligent older sister, attracting a large number of female fans whose loyalty and fighting power were well known within the entertainment industry.
Qiao Jingshu herself was also recognized as a capable actress with a favorable public reputation.
Once the marketing accounts, internet trolls, and fan leaders all joined the attack, fans quickly began investigating who the newcomer was.
Before long, they identified Shen Yunmiao.
By then, the topic had already become a trending search.
But the biggest explosion came after another photo surfaced.
It showed Yuan Duan and Shen Yunmiao talking closely together, making them appear very intimate.
As luck would have it, Yuan Duan and Qiao Jingshu had never gotten along particularly well. Many of Qiao Jingshu’s fans had long been dissatisfied that Yuan Duan, who had third billing, received so many scenes. The two fandoms had clashed openly and behind the scenes several times before.
This incident completely ignited the conflict.
Several fandoms descended into an all-out war.
Once Yuan Duan’s fans were dragged into it, they didn’t hold back either.
Flooding comment sections, hurling vicious insults, even editing memorial photos to curse people’s familiesāevery ugly tactic came out.
Jian Shen told Shen Yunmiao not to come to the set for the next few days. She should rest at home, stay safe, and avoid going out as much as possible.
The words were tactful, but the meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
Among everyone involved, Shen Yunmiao was the only ordinary person with no industry backing.
She was the easiest target.
If those irrational fans truly lost control, they might endanger her personal safety.
No matter what, lying low would be safer.
Shen Yunmiao thanked Jian Shen for her concern.
She showed little outward reaction.
She still ate when it was time to eat.
Slept when it was time to sleep.
Went to class when it was time for school.
Little President Cheng, however, was frantic.
Every morning she feared opening her eyes to find Qiao Jingshu’s crazy fans surrounding the apartment.
But worrying accomplished nothing.
She was only a cat.
At most, her anxiety made her eat fewer cat treats.
She couldn’t even accompany Shen Yunmiao to school to see whether any classmates were giving her trouble.
Depressed and helpless, Little President Cheng lost another half a kilogram.
Shen Yunmiao remained unmoved by the overwhelming online abuse.
Instead, when she placed the cat on the scale and saw the weight loss, she fell into deep thought.
Resting her chin on one hand, she carefully studied her little cat, wondering what had gone wrong.
She had been making increasingly delicious homemade meals.
She had switched to higher-meat-content cat food and canned food.
She faithfully fed one cat treat every day.
After careful analysis, Shen Yunmiao concluded that the cat was probably upset for two reasons.
First, she knew about the online harassment.
Second, because of that harassment, Shen Yunmiao hadn’t taken her outside for walks in quite a while.
Unlike dogs, cats couldn’t simply be leashed and taken out to run around.
On weekend mornings, before too many people were outside, Shen Yunmiao usually carried her around the neighborhood.
But thanks to Qiao Jingshu’s stunt last weekend, that outing had been canceled.
She took the well-preserved cat harness from the cabinet and gently fastened it onto the gloomy little white cat.
As she worked, she spoke softly.
“Good girl, don’t worry. Big sister is fine.”
“This is only a very small matter. Those people may be scolding me online, but if they met me in real life, they probably wouldn’t even recognize me. My classmates don’t know I’m filming either. Most of them just think it’s someone with the same name.”
As she spoke, a breeze drifted through the open window, lifting her hair.
The golden morning sunlight fell into her unfathomable dark eyes, adding warmth to their usual quiet calm.
Hearing the obvious attempt at comforting her, Little President Cheng gently licked Shen Yunmiao’s palm.
Yet her heart hurt even more.
She knew the story.
At this point, Shen Yunmiao was still completely unknown, so most fans couldn’t find where she lived.
But school was another matter.
Yunmiao’s idiotic former roommate had always disliked her.
After accidentally learning from another roommate that Yunmiao had been filming, she immediately exposed the information on the university forum.
Soon afterward, Qiao Jingshu’s irrational fans flooded the campus.
Within only a week, Yunmiao’s classes had probably become unbearable.
Yet every time she returned home, she still wore the same bright smile, as though nothing had happened.
It made Cheng Jianian both furious and heartbroken.
She really had lost weight from anger.
But her anger wasn’t directed only at Qiao Jingshu.
It was also directed at herself.
If she had managed the company more strictly while she was still human, how could Qiao Jingshu have gotten away with something so despicable?
If she hadn’t become overconfident after turning into a cat, believing she could easily change the story, things wouldn’t have escalated this far.
Perhaps if it weren’t for her, Yunmiao would never have confronted Qiao Jingshu head-on.
Maybe she shouldn’t have existed in this world at all.
The world’s setting had made her the vicious female supporting character.
As long as she existed, Yunmiao, the heroine, would never know peace.
She would continue suffering hardship after hardship.
Her spirits were so low that even their rare walk around the neighborhood couldn’t cheer her up.
Sensing her sadness, Shen Yunmiao didn’t know how to comfort her.
One person and one cat quietly strolled through the residential complex.
The landscaping was pleasant, and the scent of fresh grass filled the air.
Then a familiar yet unfamiliar voice called out.
“Yunmiao!”
Shen Yunmiao had been focused on walking the cat.
The voice startled her.
She looked up to see a handsome young man waving from not far away.
Recognizing the voice despite its slight difference from recordings on the phone, Little President Cheng immediately realized it was Ji Hanfeng and became alert.
Shen Yunmiao also froze before cautiously waving back.
“Hanfeng? What are you doing here?”
Ji Hanfeng hurried over, the morning wind filling his trench coat and giving him a youthful appearance.
Little President Cheng silently rolled her eyes.
What a poser.
It was almost June.
Why was he still wearing a trench coat?
Ji Hanfeng wasted no time grabbing both of Shen Yunmiao’s hands.
“Yunmiao, I heard about everything while I was overseas, so I rushed back immediately. I knew you wouldn’t let me come if I told you, so I wanted to surprise you.”
Without drawing attention to it, Shen Yunmiao gently withdrew her hands.
Turning her face aside awkwardly, she replied,
“Um… Hanfeng… I think what you gave me wasn’t a surprise. It was a scare.”
Ji Hanfeng immediately looked hurt.
“Yunmiao, I’ve been worried about you these past few days. I requested leave and came back as soon as I could.”
Then he brightened.
“No matter what, I’m back now. I’ll definitely protect you.”
Little President Cheng nearly lost her mind.
Ji Hanfeng lowered his head to look at the cat.
“So this is the little cat you’ve been raising. So cute.”
Maliciously, Little President Cheng thought, Go ahead. Squat down and pet me. Give me an excuse to scratch you.
Shen Yunmiao looked at her unusually calm little cat, then at the smiling Ji Hanfeng, and sighed helplessly.
“How about this, Hanfeng? I’ll take you out for a meal first. You’ve been away for so long. Let me at least play the role of a proper host.”
Ji Hanfeng casually agreed while teasing the cat.
Little President Cheng exhausted every ounce of self-control not to scratch him.
Chapter 20
Wife, I understand you best!
The noodle shop wasn’t very busy on a weekend morning.
Shen Yunmiao had specifically chosen this restaurant because the owner was kind enough to allow her to hold the cat inside, as long as it didn’t touch the tableware.
She ordered two bowls of vegetarian noodles and one serving of beef.
Ji Hanfeng protested with a pained expression.
“Yunmiao, it’s alright. I’ll pay. Let’s get two servings of beef.”
Shen Yunmiao replied calmly,
“We’re both having vegetarian noodles. The beef is for Good Girl.”
Ji Hanfeng was speechless.
Though he was already used to being shut down by Shen Yunmiao, he couldn’t help grumbling,
“I give up…”
The moment the words left his mouth, the little white cat in Shen Yunmiao’s arms immediately bared her teeth.
Little President Cheng angrily meowed at him.
Ignorant fool.
The vegetarian noodles were this shop’s signature dish.
If you don’t know, stop barking nonsense.
Ji Hanfeng looked at the heterochromatic-eyed cat glaring as though fire were about to shoot from her eyes and quietly closed his mouth.
Ignoring his mood completely, Shen Yunmiao gently rubbed the white cat’s ears.
Her tone remained calm.
“After we finish eating, go back home. I don’t have anywhere for you to stay.”
Ji Hanfeng immediately slammed his chopsticks onto the table.
“How can I? I came back to help you. Your problems aren’t solved yet. How could I just leave?”
“Life isn’t a drama, Hanfeng. If you truly want to help me, then you should go back while you still can.”
Although Shen Yunmiao frowned slightly, her voice remained as gentle as ever.
The beef had already been prepared before serving.
It arrived before the noodles.
Using the communal chopsticks, she transferred some onto a small plate before tearing it into tiny pieces and feeding them one by one to the little cat in her lap.
As Little President Cheng carefully avoided biting Shen Yunmiao’s fingers while eating the beef, she continued furiously cursing the shameless man sitting across from them.
Unfortunately, Ji Hanfeng couldn’t understand cat language.
Instead, he became excited.
“See? Even your cat thinks I should stay!”
Shen Yunmiao fell silent for a moment.
Trying once more to make him understand reality, she asked,
“Hanfeng, even if you stay, what exactly can you do?”
Meanwhile, Cheng Jianian was practically exploding with rage in her arms.
She wanted desperately to speak human language but forced herself to remain silent under Shen Yunmiao’s restraint.
Ji Hanfeng answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Of course I know exactly what I can do. That’s why I came back.”
He sounded utterly confident.
The woman and the cat across from him silently decided to hear what ridiculous plan he was about to reveal.
Ji Hanfeng cleared his throat.
“Yunmiao, I’m sure you’ve already realized that the reason Qiao Jingshu dares to behave like this is because one of her childhood friends works beside Cheng Jianian.”
“Before, Qiao Jingshu wasn’t nearly this crazy because Cheng Jianian kept everyone under control with ruthless methods. But now…”
He beckoned Shen Yunmiao closer as though about to reveal a great secret.
Shen Yunmiao looked at him helplessly.
“Just say it. The restaurant’s empty.”
“Wrong.”
Ji Hanfeng smiled, his gaze deliberately drifting toward the little white cat in Shen Yunmiao’s arms.
“Walls have ears.”
Cheng Jianian’s heart skipped a beat.
For a brief second, she thought he had somehow seen through her.
Then Ji Hanfeng continued.
“What if your cat is actually a cat-shaped surveillance device?”
Cheng Jianian was speechless.
So was Shen Yunmiao.
Little President Cheng couldn’t help laughing inwardly at herself for ever having regarded the original novel’s male lead as a threat.
She had seriously overestimated him.
Ji Hanfeng apparently found himself amusing too.
He laughed heartily before continuing.
“Just kidding. Trying to lighten the mood. Look how nervous you got, Yunmiao. Don’t worry. If I had a solution back in high school, I still have one now.”
Cheng Jianian quietly remained lying in Shen Yunmiao’s arms, already searching through her memories for whatever high school incident he meant.
Damn it.
Because her knowledge of the novel had been limited by perspective, she genuinely couldn’t remember what he was referring to.
Unaware of her thoughts, Ji Hanfeng continued.
“You know Qiao Jingshu has a childhood friend, right? That friend is Li Shengran. She oversees film and television operations at Mercury Entertainment. The drama that won Qiao Jingshu her Best Actress title was arranged by Li Shengran.”
“But actually, Li Shengran wouldn’t normally dare do things so openly. The only reason she’s protecting Qiao Jingshu so boldly now is because Cheng Jianian was in a car accident. She hasn’t shown up at Mercury Entertainment since then, so nobody in the company can keep Li Shengran in check anymore.”
Shen Yunmiao’s hand unconsciously tightened around the little white cat.
Her chest felt suffocating, as though layer upon layer of adhesive tape had wrapped around her heart, sticky and impossible to breathe through.
