Chapter 468 - 467: What If: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 36

Chapter 468: Chapter 467: What If: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 36

It was true—the heavens truly did favor cats!

When Shi Lan realized she had turned into yet another cat, she felt truly fortunate for the first time.

But something wasn’t right with her current state. Her perspective was unusually low; at a glance, even other people’s shoes looked like towering walls.

Shi Lan looked down to inspect her paws. This time, it seemed she had become a calico kitten, born not long ago. Her fur was a mix of black and white, her paws were tiny, and her paw pads were a tender pink.

Being tiny was one thing, but her stomach was also growling with hunger. Even standing up took a great deal of effort.

Shi Lan couldn’t help but let out a "meow." Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, as if muffled by several balls of cotton.

The girl watching over the little kitten had been keeping a close eye on her. Hearing her cry, the girl’s eyes filled with pity. "You poor little thing. Where did your mommy go?"

Hearing the voice, Shi Lan struggled to lift her head. She saw a pretty girl wearing light makeup and a JK-style skirt squatting beside her, her face etched with worry.

Pedestrians came and went along the path. The kitten was so small that Shi Lan was constantly startled by their shoes. After all, what looked small to others seemed like giant mountains to her. She was terrified she’d be accidentally stepped on.

Shi Lan couldn’t help but inch closer to the girl’s feet, seeking a sense of security.

Just then, another girl walked over. She knew the girl beside Shi Lan, and as soon as she arrived, she asked, "How’s the cat?"

"Okay, but it looks very weak. Did you buy some milk?"

"Yeah, the cafeteria had warm milk today, so I got some to go."

With that, the second girl also squatted down and began to open the takeout container.

The milk was still a bit hot, so she carefully poured some into the lid, blew on it to cool it down, and then placed it by Shi Lan’s mouth. "Little kitty, you must be starving, huh? You poor baby, go on and eat."

Shi Lan shot the girl a grateful look before lowering her head to drink.

She must have been truly starving. For once, her movements were hurried, lacking all the elegance with which she usually enjoyed a feast.

Fed by the two girls, Shi Lan drank more than half the "bowl" of milk. Her empty stomach finally felt settled, and her limbs no longer felt so limp; a bit of strength had returned.

She looked up at the two of them, her eyes full of gratitude.

"Little kitty, where did your mommy go?"

"What’s a kitten this small going to do without a mother to raise it?"

Their eyes were filled with worry. "What should we do? We can’t have cats in the dorm. Maybe we should ask the dorm manager if she wants a cat?"

Shi Lan understood. So this time, she’d been transported into a school, and the two girls in front of her were students.

She didn’t want to make things difficult for them, so she took the initiative to walk toward a nearby patch of grass.

’Students are usually decent. If I act cute for any students passing by, I probably won’t starve. Worst case, I can always hang around the cafeteria.’

Shi Lan had made up her mind, but the two girls couldn’t bear the thought of such a tiny cat living on its own. They decided to pick it up and find it an owner.

Perhaps seeing their troubled expressions, a man stopped beside them. "Excuse me, are you two having some trouble?"

The voice was as pleasant as a spring breeze. Shi Lan, who had just managed to get half her body into the grass, couldn’t help but turn her head for a look. ’Another handsome guy.’

And this handsome guy was a little different from the others she had seen. His features were soft, with a pair of glasses resting on a high-bridged nose. Beneath the glasses were a pair of "peach blossom eyes" that seemed to hold a universe of tenderness, making him look a bit like a heartbreaker.

But that was just based on his looks. In reality, he gave off a gentle and dependable vibe.

When the two girls heard his voice, they looked up at him, their expressions immediately growing nervous. "Mr. Ye! What a coincidence. Are you out for a walk along the tree-lined path too?"

Ye Ming nodded lightly. "Yes. I don’t have a class this morning, so I’m just walking off my meal."

Even though Ye Ming was the youngest, most handsome, and most popular professor at the university, as students who had just experienced his economics class, they still felt a sense of pressure in his presence.

"You don’t have class either?"

He asked. The two girls stiffly stood up straight and shook their heads. "No."

They had originally planned to take advantage of their free morning to go shopping, but then they ran into the little kitten. Worried, they decided not to leave campus.

Thinking of the kitten, the two suddenly looked at each other, a shared idea sparking between them. "Professor, would you want to adopt a cat?"

"Adopt a cat?"

Ye Ming blinked in confusion. Before he could even prepare himself, they carefully picked up Shi Lan and thrust her into his hands. "Yes, this one! It must have just been born. We looked around for a while today but couldn’t find its mother. It was probably abandoned."

Suddenly, a tiny cat was in Ye Ming’s arms. Shi Lan’s perspective shot upward as she nestled in his embrace, and they were instantly staring at each other, wide-eyed.

’These girls are so bossy! Did they just find me a meal ticket just like that?’

’I love it, I love it!’

Holding the cat, Ye Ming felt for the first time that he was holding a hot potato. But the little creature in his arms was no bigger than his palm—so weak and so small that he couldn’t possibly just toss it aside.

He looked at them stiffly. The man who was usually so eloquent in his lectures, for once, actually stammered, "A-Aren’t you two going to keep it?"

The two girls immediately shook their heads. "Sorry, Professor. The dorms have a clear rule against keeping cats. If we get caught, our class will lose points."

"Oh..."

Ye Ming replied awkwardly. The girls also felt awkward facing their professor. Even though the general consensus was that Mr. Ye was handsome and only a few years older than them, he was still their teacher. They felt more awe than anything else, so after entrusting the cat to him, they quickly made an excuse and ran off.

"But I don’t know how to raise a cat..."

Ye Ming’s unfinished sentence vanished into the wind. The two girls ran off so fast they didn’t seem to care at all whether he knew how to raise a cat or not.

Shi Lan meowed a few times, trying to tell him: ’Don’t worry! I can take care of myself. You just need to serve me well!’

Unfortunately, Ye Ming couldn’t understand her at all. Those "peach blossom eyes," which usually seemed so full of affection, were now filled with confusion and panic. "Little cat, what’s wrong?"

Shi Lan reassuringly nuzzled his palm with her little head to show him that everything was fine.

Still not understanding, Ye Ming carried the cat back to his faculty dormitory, his heart heavy with worry.

Ye Ming was currently employed at Capital Science and Technology University. He had also completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees here, majoring in economics. Because of his outstanding academic performance, he was hired directly as a university professor.

As the top-ranked university in the country, Capital Science and Technology University provided excellent faculty housing. His was a large one-bedroom apartment, and married faculty couples could even apply for a free two-bedroom apartment.

One look at Ye Ming’s apartment was enough to reveal the air of a single man. The space felt cold and sparse, with only the butter-yellow curtains adding a touch of warmth.

Sunlight streamed in through the window. Ye Ming placed the cat on the sofa, once again measuring its size against his palm before sighing anxiously.

"It’s so tiny. Can I really keep it alive?"