Chapter 467 - 466: What-If Arc: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 35

Chapter 467: Chapter 466: What-If Arc: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 35

Mrs. He watched her son’s strange behavior, baffled, while He Hanshi, his heart pounding with a mix of anxiety and excitement, finally heard the call to the magazine connect.

He was using an internal line, so the call was answered in seconds without having to wait in a queue.

The magazine’s receptionist politely inquired about the reason for his call, and He Hanshi got straight to the point, asking about the cat.

The magazine staff were no longer surprised by calls about the cat. Ever since Yan Huoshui’s issue was released, their office had been inexplicably flooded with inquiries. Many people had offered high prices to adopt it, but once they learned the cat was Yan Huoshui’s personal pet, they all reluctantly gave up.

The receptionist, however, hadn’t expected to get a call about the cat on an internal line. After all, the people who had access to this number were all of the magazine’s premium VIP clients.

Despite this thought, the receptionist maintained her professional demeanor and informed him that the cat did not belong to the magazine.

He Hanshi froze when he heard the cat was Yan Huoshui’s pet.

He looked down at the photo in the magazine again. A pure white cat... Z City. He remembered.

On his way back from the animal shelter in Z City, he’d run into Yan Huoshui, who had been showing off a white cat.

Back then, the white cat had deliberately avoided his gaze.

He had assumed the cat was just shy around strangers. ’Did it just not want to see me?’

’It has to be Pumpkin, right? It must have recognized me, but it has no intention of coming back to me...’

He Hanshi couldn’t even recall his own expression as he hung up. He only remembered hearing himself stiffly say "thank you" before taking the magazine and struggling back to his room on his crutches.

He sat on the sofa in his room. The black leather sofa still bore the scratch marks from Pumpkin’s claws. He remembered the cat lounging lazily on it after a late-night snack. He had been sitting beside it, drying his hair, and thinking the cat was getting a bit lazy, he’d aimed the hair dryer at its back for a couple of seconds.

Pumpkin had shot him an indignant glare. It had looked like it was about to pounce onto his lap to retaliate, but perhaps fearing it would hurt his leg, it held back. Instead, it had huffily extended its sharp claws and shredded the sofa right in front of him.

Afterward, its claws had gotten stuck in the sofa’s seams, and He Hanshi had been the one to free it.

The sofa held so many good memories. Thinking back on them now, Pumpkin’s lively, adorable face was still clear in his mind. Even after all this time, He Hanshi hadn’t been able to bring himself to replace it.

In a rare show of dejection, he collapsed onto the sofa. The magazine page he’d been holding was now slightly crumpled. He couldn’t resist bringing it before his eyes again, his fingers gently stroking the image.

’Pumpkin... my Pumpkin... you really don’t want me anymore?’

He Hanshi felt a bitter sense of injustice. He was the one who had found it, the one who had taken it in first. How could it abandon him so easily for a new owner? How could it be so heartless as to not even spare him a proper glance when they met?

’Clingy?’

Yan Huoshui’s words echoed in his ears. ’So, it likes Yan Huoshui more?’

In his memory, the cat had always been aloof, reluctant to be held whenever he tried to pick it up. Yet now, it was willingly snuggled in another man’s arms...

The more He Hanshi thought about it, the colder his expression grew. He placed the magazine on the adjacent table, closed his eyes, and seriously considered something.

Yan Huoshui had been right—their tastes were indeed very similar. He was now considering whether he should steal Pumpkin back.

The two crutches propped against the sofa suddenly clattered to the floor. To prevent him from slipping, most of the He Family residence was covered in non-slip rugs.

The sound wasn’t jarring, but it was enough to snap He Hanshi out of his thoughts.

He sat up, stared intently at the crutches on the floor, and then righted them.

’Maybe Pumpkin left me because my legs were crippled, but there’s hope for my recovery now. I’m sure it will want to come back then.’

Half an hour later, He Hanshi took a gift and had a car drive him to the Yan family’s ancestral home for a personal visit.

He had wanted to contact Yan Huoshui directly, but since entering the entertainment industry, Yan Huoshui had changed his number several times. He Hanshi didn’t have his current contact information, so his only option was to inquire at the Yan Family home. When he learned that Yan Huoshui might be back in a few days, He Hanshi felt a wave of relief. He informed the family that he had something to discuss with him and asked them to pass on the message upon his return.

Mr. and Mrs. Yan naturally had no objections. They even invited He Hanshi to stay for dinner, but he politely declined.

...

Shi Lan had no idea that He Hanshi had seen through her feline alter ego. All she knew was that life had been pretty great lately.

Since the magazine had become a massive hit, Zhang Chen had made a fortune and now presented her with countless delicious snacks every day. And even though Yan Huoshui had a private chef preparing Shi Lan’s daily meals, a cat still needed a little variety now and then.

Moreover, she had become the celebrity cat of the film crew. Other stars often requested her "pawtograph." Yan Huoshui, of course, was against it, even complaining about Shi Lan getting her paws dirty. But she loved the attention, and he was powerless to stop her. His only recourse was to have Xiao Li keep a close watch on her whenever he was busy, to prevent someone from snatching her when he wasn’t looking.

As for boarding her at a pet shop, Yan Huoshui was even more against the idea; he felt much more at ease with her right under his nose.

And so, he found himself torn between feeling jealous whenever anyone else got near his cat and indulging Shi Lan’s playful whims.

Life as a cat was a novel experience for Shi Lan. She had spent over a year as a human just coasting along, and frankly, she’d been getting bored. Now, as a cat, even though she constantly worried she might wake up a stray again, life had become much more vibrant and exciting.

But after a while of this carefree life, as Yan Huoshui’s shoot in Z City came to an end, the thought that he would be taking her back to his family home—and that she might run into He Hanshi there—made Shi Lan anxious all over again.

To be honest, Shi Lan was worried the two men might come to blows. It wasn’t that she was conceited, but even though she hadn’t known either of them for long, she could clearly sense how possessive they both were of their... property.

He Hanshi, just like Yan Huoshui, always kept an eye on her. He used to worry she’d run off with someone else, and now, just as he’d feared, she actually had. Shi Lan wasn’t sure just how angry he would be.

Of course, she might just be worrying over nothing. The fact that her soul could jump between the bodies of different cats was so outlandish that no sane person would ever believe it, let alone guess it was happening.

Shi Lan could only console herself with the thought that He Hanshi was a man of science; he would never believe in such things.

After returning to the Capital, Yan Huoshui didn’t rush back to his family home. Instead, he stayed for a few days at the high-end condo he’d bought in the city. Only after he was sure there were fewer paparazzi tailing him did he decide to take his cat home for a visit.

That night, Shi Lan tried several excuses. First, she faked a stomachache. He took her to the vet, where she was pronounced perfectly fine. Then, she threw a tantrum and deliberately got herself filthy, hoping Yan Huoshui would get angry and leave her behind. Instead, he just patiently took her back to the vet for a bath.

After all her antics that night, Yan Huoshui still hadn’t given up on the idea of taking her.

In fact, seeming to realize she was doing it on purpose, he became even more determined to bring her. He wanted to see what kind of scheme she was trying to pull.

Defeated, Shi Lan resigned herself to her fate. But unexpectedly, fortune smiled upon her. That night, she jumped again.