Chapter 466 - 465: What-If: Did the Bigshot Compete for Favor Today? 34

Chapter 466: Chapter 465: What-If: Did the Bigshot Compete for Favor Today? 34

Shi Lan’s eye twitched. She hadn’t expected Yan Huoshui to be so sharp.

But she took advantage of her feline form and pretended to be clueless. She even tilted her head to act cute, her fluffy white ears flattening adorably. Her clear, beautiful aquamarine eyes gazed at him vacantly as she let out a soft ’MEOW’.

Yan Huoshui stared at her act, and the sharpness in his eyes gradually faded. He knew the cat was smart and was deliberately fooling around. He pinched its chubby little face and threatened, still displeased, "Don’t get any funny ideas."

"Just stay by my side."

"MEOW~"

Shi Lan feigned ignorance and meowed again.

Yan Huoshui laughed in exasperation.

Although he was suspicious of the Benefactor’s odd behavior, he could never have imagined that the soul inside this cat’s body had once been He Hanshi’s cat.

Unable to get an answer from the cat, he finally gave up on probing further. All that mattered was having the cat by his side.

In another car, He Hanshi opened his work laptop again, but this time he found it difficult to get in the zone. Every time he tried to think, the image of Yan Huoshui’s white cat would involuntarily flash through his mind.

It was a far-fetched thought, but for a split second when their eyes met, he felt as if he’d seen Pumpkin. It was a look that didn’t seem to belong to a cat—a gaze that held what seemed like human intelligence.

However, Pumpkin had been very bold, whereas that cat seemed a bit shy around strangers. Their personalities were not quite the same.

’I’m probably overthinking it.’

He Hanshi rubbed his tired eyes. He really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to work, so he closed the laptop, leaned back in his seat, and rested with his eyes closed.

Five days after Yan Huoshui finished the magazine shoot, the magazine publisher began online sales.

The final agreement for this collaboration was to add another 200,000 copies, bringing the total print run to 300,000. For this publisher, the highest sales record in their history was 210,000 copies. And yet, just a few hours after the issue featuring Yan Huoshui on the cover was announced, it sold out completely online.

A single issue cost 126 RMB. Compared to books and most other magazines, this price was steep. But the fans’ purchasing power was even stronger, a testament to the high conversion rate of Yan Huoshui’s fanbase.

Moreover, 300,000 was just the total number the publisher had printed, not the number of fans who wanted to buy it. Many fans were still begging for a restock on the magazine’s official social media account.

The publisher hadn’t expected such high sales. The editor-in-chief deeply regretted not adding more copies when she negotiated the collaboration with Zhang Chen. She had vastly underestimated the purchasing power of Yan Huoshui’s fans and his personal influence. However, the magazine’s strategy had always been scarcity marketing. To protect their brand image and enhance the product’s perceived value, she decided to ignore the fans’ requests.

A few days later, fans who had received their copies began showing them off and praising the issue all over the internet. Yan Huoshui’s magazine shoot and the publisher’s official social media account started trending again, with fans who hadn’t been able to buy a copy crying out for a restock.

There was no other choice. The fans’ rallying power was too great this time. The editor-in-chief had to contact Zhang Chen again and add another 200,000 copies.

This was the final restock. Even though many fans still couldn’t get a copy, the editor-in-chief hardened her heart and ignored the official social media account...

The He Family bought a copy of every publisher’s latest quarterly issue because Mrs. He was a very trendy person who loved keeping up with fashion. It was just the sort of thing she loved to read.

This time, she also managed to buy the issue Yan Huoshui had shot for. When she saw the cover, she smiled. "Son, look. Isn’t this that classmate of yours? The second son of the Yan Family?"

He Hanshi slowly made his way over on his crutches. He glanced down. "Yes, that’s him."

"That’s right. He’s a huge star in the entertainment industry now, so it’s not surprising to see him here."

Mrs. He nodded to herself. The magazine cover was a composite solo shot of Yan Huoshui with a "Spring/Summer" dual theme. She stared at the face on the cover, then turned to look at her own son. "If you went into the entertainment industry, with a face like yours, you’d definitely be a hit."

He Hanshi sat on the sofa next to her, took the coffee the butler handed him, and took an unhurried sip. He shook his head in resignation. "Mom, what are you thinking? I’m not interested in that kind of thing."

"I know, I know. Mom’s just saying you’re handsome, that you inherited the good genes of our He Family."

After all, Mrs. He had married Mr. He for his looks in the first place. Now, every time she looked at her handsome son, Mrs. He felt a renewed sense of gratitude.

Mrs. He mumbled for a moment before casually flipping open the magazine. While it also contained a few small photos of Mu Tangfeng, the first page she turned to was a half-page spread of Yan Huoshui. In the photo, he was holding a wooden bow and arrow, a white cat with a wreath of grass around its neck standing at his feet.

Mrs. He wasn’t interested in Yan Huoshui’s face. Her eyes went straight to the cat at his feet. With just one look, she could tell it was a fine cat, just like their family’s Pumpkin.

Thinking of Pumpkin, Mrs. He asked the butler to go find where it had run off to play.

Pumpkin was basically allowed to roam free in the He Family’s home now. As long as it didn’t leave the He Family’s villa, it could get up to whatever mischief it wanted anywhere else on the property.

Mrs. He was also quite puzzled, though. Ever since Pumpkin had scratched her son, he—a man who had been such a cat lover—hadn’t held the cat even once. ’He must still be heartbroken,’ she mused.

Mrs. He couldn’t help but ask him, "Son, do you want to go play with Pumpkin for a bit?"

He Hanshi was reading the newspaper. Hearing his mother’s words, his eyelashes merely twitched. He shook his head. "It’s having fun right now. We can wait until it comes back."

"Oh."

Mrs. He didn’t know what else to say, so she pointed at the white cat in the magazine. "This cat seems nice, too. Should we ask the publisher about adopting it?"

Mrs. He felt an instant connection with the white cat, and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

Normally, she would have carefully savored the text in the magazine, but now she quickly flipped through all the pictures of the white cat first.

He Hanshi hadn’t expected his mother to change so much under Pumpkin’s influence. Before, she would have stayed several meters away from a cat, let alone considered adopting one.

However, he didn’t want another cat in the house. If Pumpkin came back and saw another cat here, it might be heartbroken.

He didn’t turn his head, his gaze still fixed on the newspaper. He just said, "Mom, a gentleman doesn’t take what others cherish. A cat good enough for a photoshoot must be one they’re raising themselves."

"That’s true."

Hearing this, Mrs. He could only sigh with regret.

"So beautiful. You can just tell how clever it is from its eyes."

Hearing his mother’s praise again, He Hanshi’s curiosity finally got the better of him, and he glanced over. Mrs. He was still lingering on the page with the largest picture of the cat. He, too, noticed the cat immediately. His gaze froze for a moment. Through the static image, it was as if his eyes met the white cat’s from afar.

’Those eyes... they’re just too familiar.’

’Pumpkin... is that it?’

He Hanshi snatched the magazine from Mrs. He’s hands and quickly flipped through all the photos of the cat inside.

After a long moment, suppressing the elation in his heart, he found the magazine’s contact number and dialed it.

’It’s Pumpkin. I can’t be mistaken.’