Chapter 88: Extra Story 2
His lover… seemed to have turned into a cat.
When this thought first appeared, Song Yinxing felt that he must have gone crazy.
Although Gu Yang loved playing pranks like secretly buying a plane ticket and flying back without telling him just to surprise him.
Although the cat that suddenly appeared near the teaching building was indeed one he had never seen before.
But how could a person possibly turn into a cat…
Song Yinxing had already stopped by the roadside in silence several times.
“Wow, it’s actually a ragdoll,” the classmate beside him exclaimed in shock. “Isn’t that a purebred cat? How could it be wandering around?”
“Was this cat here before? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.”
“Maybe someone secretly kept it in the dorm before graduation and then abandoned it when they couldn’t take it away. That’s so annoying.”
The classmates chattered endlessly, making Song Yinxing even more silent.
The message he had sent yesterday still hadn’t received a reply, and the phone calls wouldn’t go through either.
A couple stopped in front of the ragdoll cat. The boy squatted down and tried to pet it, but the cat, which had been sitting quietly on the ground, immediately retreated and raised a paw threateningly in the air.
Of course, that was probably only intimidating from the cat’s own perspective.
“Ah, it’s trying to hit people. What a fierce little kitty,” the girl said with a delighted smile.
The boy became even more excited and tried to pet it forcefully.
More and more people gathered around.
The obviously new cat quickly attracted the affection of countless passing students. As a result, the usual orange cat that lay on this road begging for food at mealtime suddenly lost its popularity and hid gloomily to the side, meowing angrily like it was cursing.
“It’s a long-haired ragdoll, it’s so cute.”
“Its paw pads are pink!”
“Let me touch it, let me touch it—”
But every hand that reached toward its head was slapped away without mercy, clearly expressing its refusal.
However…
It seemed to have the opposite effect.
“You already got slapped. Why do you still want to touch it?” Song Yinxing asked in confusion.
“You don’t understand. It pulled its claws in, so that’s not hitting. That’s flirting.”
The boy beside him spoke with a dreamy expression and declared firmly:
“So satisfying.”
Song Yinxing: “…”
He truly didn’t understand cat owners.
“Having a cat at home is really great. You can hug and kiss it every day. Stray cats aren’t as nice as house cats. Since you’re already renting a place outside, my relative’s cat just had kittens. Do you want to adopt one?”
Song Yinxing shook his head.
“No.”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“I’m already raising something more troublesome than a cat…”
As he spoke, he lowered his head and happened to meet the ragdoll’s round blue eyes.
For some reason, he actually felt resentment in a cat’s face.
Why did it look so similar?
Had staying up late recently finally driven him insane?
Just then, the phone call he made to Gu Yang was finally answered.
He quickly forced his wandering thoughts back and focused on the call.
“Hello, is this the owner of this phone? I’m an employee from the ×× milk tea shop. Your phone was dropped at our store entrance. When would it be convenient for you to come pick it up?”
The milk tea shop was right outside the north gate of their university.
Gu Yang had returned to the country?
When did that happen?
Why had he lost his phone?
Where was he now?
Holding the phone, Song Yinxing looked again at the ragdoll cat.
It somehow looked even more resentful.
“Did something happen?” the classmate beside him asked carefully when he saw Song Yinxing’s strange expression.
“Nothing…” Song Yinxing replied weakly. The calm face that usually wouldn’t change even if the sky collapsed now showed a small crack.
“I just suddenly want to raise a cat…”
Classmate: “?”
After going to the milk tea shop and confirming the phone was indeed Gu Yang’s, Song Yinxing unlocked it with the password and checked the messages.
The flight ticket had been booked two days ago at noon.
The enthusiastic classmate, who happened to live nearby, rode his small electric scooter home and brought back a beginner’s pet starter kit for him—cat food, cat litter, a teaser wand, and other supplies.
By the time Song Yinxing returned to that road carrying the bag and holding the phone, there were barely any people left.
He saw Gu Yang—
or rather, the cat that strongly resembled Gu Yang—
surrounded by a group of orange cats.
For the first time, he felt something truly hateful on a cat’s face.
Several orange cats surrounded the unfamiliar newcomer, meowing nonstop as if they were swearing.
What kind of local gang was this?
Song Yinxing hurried over and scooped up the small cat that had flattened its ears in fear.
Ragdolls were large cats. Holding it in his arms felt quite heavy. Its two front paws rested on his shoulders, its fluffy head pressed against his cheek, and he could even hear soft whining sounds from its throat.
Song Yinxing instantly softened.
Patting the fluffy back gently, he comforted it softly:
“Don’t be afraid, Yangyang. Let’s go home.”
Before he could finish speaking, he received a slap on the face.
The cat had retracted its claws. Its cool paw pad hit his cheek without much force, but it clearly expressed dissatisfaction.
Somehow… it actually felt quite nice.
Maybe some strange new preference had awakened in him. Song Yinxing said nothing more. Since he had no classes that afternoon, he simply brought the cat back to his rented apartment.
Long-haired cats were notoriously difficult to groom. After only a short time wandering outside, its fur had already become dusty and tangled in several places. Only its eyes remained clean, like the sky after rain.
What a pitiful little cat.
But weren’t cats supposed to groom themselves?
More convinced of his suspicion, Song Yinxing carried the cat into the bathroom and used some sample shampoo from his classmate to give it a bath.
While rubbing the foam into its fur, he held its paw and said:
“If you’re Yangyang, then meow twice, okay?”
The innocent-looking cat immediately collapsed into a gloomy expression upon hearing that. It turned its head away and refused to make a single sound.
Song Yinxing: “…”
Alright.
Just as he thought.
Although Gu Yang was usually quite bold, why did he suddenly become so concerned about his pride over such strange details?
Since his stubborn lover refused to admit it, Song Yinxing naturally couldn’t force a confession.
After all, Gu Yang was just a little cat now.
How could he argue with a little cat?
After bathing and drying the fur, Song Yinxing placed the cat on the sofa. He sat at the coffee table with his laptop, planning to search online for similar cases.
Although he didn’t expect much, once he began searching keywords he felt as if he had accidentally wandered into a gathering of psychiatric patients.
What kind of nonsense were these posts?
He sipped the milk tea he had bought earlier, biting the straw while trying to find useful information among countless chaotic threads.
Clatter.
His gaze followed the sound.
The calendar book had fallen to the floor.
It had originally been on the edge of the coffee table, and the culprit hadn’t even had time to withdraw its paw.
The brown sugar pearl stuck halfway up the straw.
Facing his puzzled gaze, the cat’s expression suddenly looked much more innocent.
Song Yinxing silently put the calendar back.
He had barely turned his attention back to the laptop when—
Clatter.
Song Yinxing: “…”
The fluffy tail swayed back and forth and knocked the shelf behind it over.
After putting the calendar back three times and watching it be pushed off again, Song Yinxing finally opened a new webpage.
He began searching:
What to do if your cat keeps knocking things over.
Although Gu Yang was childish sometimes, he shouldn’t be this childish.
Did becoming a cat also change one’s habits?
The top answer suggested distracting the cat with a teaser wand.
Although the outside was a cat, the inside was still a human.
Song Yinxing hesitated.
But curiosity won.
He opened the bag and took out the colorful feather teaser wand, gently waving it in the air.
The cat followed the moving arc with its eyes.
Back and forth, back and forth.
After several passes, it finally lost all restraint.
“Meow!”
It pounced forward, chasing the feather with its paw.
Watching the fluffy creature playing right in front of him, Song Yinxing remained silent on the outside.
But inside—
flowers had already bloomed everywhere.
So… so cute.
He thought silently in his heart.
Sometimes, thinking someone is cute can make a person lose their reason even more than thinking someone is good-looking.
Facts proved that to be true.
Song Yinxing put down the cat teaser wand in his hand, picked up the cat, held it in his arms, lowered his head, and took a deep breath of its fluffy fur.
“Yangyang.”
The fluffy creature in his arms meowed. Song Yinxing didn’t understand cat language, but the tone sounded very similar to the orange cats on campus—probably not something polite.
Song Yinxing pressed his face against the cat’s and rubbed it gently twice.
“It doesn’t matter, right? We’re at home anyway.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
The cat cursed a few more times without effect. In the end, it could only grumble and reluctantly accept the hug.
Under someone else’s roof, one had to bow their head.
When it was time to sleep at night, before Song Yinxing even said anything, the cat had already jumped onto the bed. After patrolling the territory for a moment, it occupied half a pillow and dragged the blanket around to build its own little nest.
“Good night, Yangyang.”
Song Yinxing turned off the light. In the darkness, two round “light bulbs” stared at him. Only after he lay down did those glowing eyes close.
Perhaps because it was dark, the reserved little cat finally lowered its guard. It moved slightly closer and pressed its side against Song Yinxing’s arm.
Song Yinxing naturally reached out and stroked it once.
After thinking for a moment, he leaned over and gently kissed the cat on its forehead.
“Good night, Yangyang.”
I hope you turn back tomorrow.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know which doctor to consult to solve such a strange problem.
Holding the fluffy creature, he slept especially soundly that night. Half-asleep, he turned over and hugged the thing beside him before falling asleep again.
The next morning, he woke up to the alarm clock.
Before his eyes were even open, his fingers moved first.
The feeling in his hand had changed.
His eyes flew open.
His blurry vision slowly focused—and the face that came into view was extremely familiar.
Gu Yang was sleeping beside him.
His body was bare. Under the blanket, his uncovered shoulder could be seen clearly. His black hair, grown slightly longer now, half covered his face. Beneath the messy strands, those eyes were lifted to look at him.
Calm.
Light.
And faintly teasing.
Just looking at him like that.
Song Yinxing’s breathing stopped.
“Surprise,” Gu Yang said with a smile. He lazily propped his head up with one hand, elbow resting on the pillow.
“The cat…”
“Hm?”
Song Yinxing asked, “Didn’t you turn into a cat?”
“Huh?” Gu Yang laughed softly. “Did you not wake up yet? What nonsense are you talking about? I specially bought a midnight flight to come back and surprise you. But you were already asleep, so I didn’t want to disturb you. I just took off my clothes and slept next to you.”
“…You took off all your clothes?”
Gu Yang nodded and shamelessly asked back, “Don’t you like it?”
That wasn’t the issue.
Song Yinxing was sure there was nothing wrong with his brain.
“You’re lying,” Song Yinxing said calmly and firmly. “Are you embarrassed?”
The next second, Gu Yang wrapped his arms around his neck and moved even closer. Resting his head on Song Yinxing’s shoulder, he lightly bit his ear and whispered:
“I finally came to see you, and the first thing you mention in the morning is cats, cats, cats…”
“Are you hinting that you want to play this kind of role-play in bed?”
The air froze for a few seconds.
Song Yinxing silently looked at the person in front of him.
Gu Yang winked.
“Alright, fine. Nothing happened yesterday,” Song Yinxing said in a slightly helpless tone.
Only then did Gu Yang release him with satisfaction.
After lying there for a while longer, Song Yinxing finally had to get up for class.
He went to change clothes while Gu Yang lay comfortably on the bed. Gu Yang rolled over and said lazily:
“I meant what I said just now. Do you like cat ears, or cat tails?”
Song Yinxing was fastening his buttons. He paused slightly and replied calmly without turning around:
“You could wear both.”
“Oh? You’re quite playful.” The blanket covered Gu Yang’s face.
Inside, he silently sighed in relief.
That topic had finally been smoothed over.
Originally, he had booked the flight early, planning to sneak back and give a surprise. But before he even entered the campus, he suddenly turned into a cat.
That kind of thing could easily lead to bad situations. With no ability to resist, he could only sneak into the most peaceful and safe place he knew—the university campus—and wander until he found the building where Song Yinxing usually had classes.
But no matter what, that whole experience was a black history.
He absolutely refused to admit it.
Seriously.
He would never again casually buy strange stones from unknown roadside stalls.
The yellowed piece of paper that came with it had been written in English:
“This is an ancient curse.”
“You will turn into an evil, furry, four-legged beast.”
“Until your lover restores you with a kiss.”
So cliché.
Gu Yang closed his eyes, planning to sleep a little longer to recover from the shock.
Song Yinxing had already finished getting ready and was about to leave.
“Bye,” Gu Yang said lazily from the bed.
Song Yinxing responded with a quiet “Mm.” But as he turned back, he casually tossed something.
A colorful feather traced a light arc through the air.
Some instinct still lingering in Gu Yang’s body made him instantly reach up to catch the feather.
The next second—
His body froze.
Slowly, expressionless, he turned his head and met Song Yinxing’s eyes.
“……”
Song. Yin. Xing.
