Chapter 474 - 473: IF-Line: Did the Bigshot Fight for Favor Today? 42

Chapter 474: Chapter 473: IF-Line: Did the Bigshot Fight for Favor Today? 42

He Hanshi nodded. Every time Yan Huoshui brought this up, he was forced to confront the sharp reality that Pumpkin had abandoned him. His knuckles, gripping the armrests of his wheelchair, grew even paler.

"Absurd! He Hanshi, since when do you believe in such baseless nonsense?"

"A cat’s soul can be swapped?"

Yan Huoshui didn’t believe it at all, but a voice in his subconscious seemed to be telling him it was true. He Hanshi had no reason to lie about something like this.

He couldn’t help but think of Benefactor, who had been grumpy and irritable at home early that morning. A bad feeling grew stronger and stronger.

"Believe it or not."

If he weren’t still hoping for future opportunities to see Pumpkin through Yan Huoshui, He Hanshi wouldn’t have bothered explaining so much.

Yan Huoshui stood frozen in silence for a long time before suddenly asking, "Were you ever scratched by your cat?"

"Yes. The very day it scratched me, its personality changed. It started acting like any other stray cat. From that moment on, I knew it wasn’t my Pumpkin anymore."

Although the scratch marks had long since faded, He Hanshi couldn’t stop replaying those few days in his mind, wondering what he had done wrong to make Pumpkin leave him.

In the end, he could only attribute it to his crippled legs.

Yan Huoshui’s expression grew increasingly grim. He rolled up his sleeve. "My cat scratched me today, too. If what you’re saying is true, then my cat’s soul must have been swapped as well."

"Benefactor has always had a good temperament. In the past, even when it was unhappy, it would only bat at people with its paws, never extend its sharp claws."

He Hanshi’s brows furrowed. He turned and glanced at the adhesive bandage on Yan Huoshui’s arm, his gaze flickering.

’Pumpkin really wouldn’t scratch people.’

’But if Pumpkin’s soul is gone again, where is he supposed to find it?’

Although he was jealous of Yan Huoshui for having had it, what He Hanshi wanted even less was for Pumpkin to suffer somewhere he couldn’t see.

He pushed his wheelchair, unwilling to waste any more time talking. He said decisively, "I have to find it immediately. First come, first served. I won’t go easy on you."

This was his chance to get Pumpkin back.

Yan Huoshui’s lips tightened. He had actually told He Hanshi about Benefactor scratching him on purpose. Firstly, he wanted to test the truth of He Hanshi’s words again. Secondly, if Benefactor’s soul really had moved into another stray cat, his own strength alone wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t want the little one to suffer, either. What if it ran into some unscrupulous catnapper...

He didn’t dare to dwell on the thought and quickly left the He Family residence.

Yan Huoshui returned to his residential complex. As soon as Zhang Chen saw him, he couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Yan, what’s wrong with Benefactor today? I tried to get it to come out and eat, but it won’t."

"Is it still under the sofa?"

Zhang Chen nodded. Yan Huoshui said, "Then put the food under the sofa and go home."

"Just pour out some kibble this time."

"Okay."

Zhang Chen was confused. ’Doesn’t Benefactor refuse to eat kibble?’ But he could see that Yan Huoshui was in a terrible mood and didn’t want to provoke him, so he didn’t ask any more questions. He quickly did as instructed, filling a bowl with kibble and water and pushing it under the sofa.

As he pushed the food under, he looked down and met a pair of wary, guarded, azure-blue cat eyes. A fierce glint seemed to shine from their depths. Zhang Chen had never seen Benefactor look so vicious. He jumped in fright, patting his chest with lingering fear. "It’s broad daylight, why is Benefactor being so scary?"

The cat hissed, its whiskers trembling.

"You can go now."

Zhang Chen was about to continue lying on the floor and having a staring contest with the cat when Yan Huoshui’s voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

He jolted in fright, immediately scrambled to his feet, and tactfully gathered his things to make a quick exit.

Yan Huoshui ignored the cat under the sofa. Instead, he found a chair far away, sat down, and listened quietly to the sounds in the room.

A few moments later, several pieces of kibble rolled out from under the sofa, followed by the distinct sound of a cat chewing.

His last shred of hope shattered. With downcast eyes, he contacted his people and started an online competition to find the "Smartest Stray Cat." One mandatory requirement was that the cat had to be able to roll its eyes. The grand prize was three million yuan, with a 100-yuan participation prize for all entries.

Although many netizens were tempted by the three million, everyone agreed that the "eye-rolling" requirement was extremely difficult. Nevertheless, many people secretly tried to figure out a way, contributing quite a few videos.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, both He Hanshi and Yan Huoshui contacted stray animal rescue centers in different provinces and cities, hoping to find the cat as quickly as possible by tackling the search from multiple angles.

—

"The Eye-Rolling Cat" recently became the hottest topic online, with related videos popping up endlessly. In particular, a cat featured in one video called "Carrot Tissue is Awesome Cat" provided netizens with a lot of amusement.

Many people tagged @YanHuoshui, saying that the mere fact this cat could cooperate with its owner for a video and follow commands proved its high intelligence.

Unlike their own cats, whose brains were apparently the size of a large banana.

Yan Huoshui made a point to watch it, and while the cat in the video was indeed cute, he knew from its eyes alone that it wasn’t his Benefactor.

He disappointedly continued his search, sifting through different videos every day. To keep track of what he’d already seen and reduce redundant work, he would save or bookmark them. Meanwhile, He Hanshi was just as busy with his offline search...

Shi Lan was still unaware that both Yan Huoshui and He Hanshi had discovered her unique situation. At that moment, she was comfortably curled up on the sofa, watching Ye Ming cat-proof the windows.

Ye Ming was indeed a very responsible person. He didn’t know how to raise a cat, but he carefully absorbed the experiences of netizens online. From cat-proofing the windows to covering the sharp corners of tables, he had meticulously taken care of everything—it was almost like baby-proofing for a child.

’If he ever became a father,’ Shi Lan thought, ’he would definitely be a good and capable one.’

Ye Ming was busy for over an hour, securing all the windows and the balcony. Then, since he had no classes in the afternoon, he took Shi Lan to the vet for a check-up.

For some reason, however, the vet clinic closest to the university had a long line of people waiting. ’Are vet clinics usually this busy?’

Ye Ming checked his phone and went to another, larger pet hospital. The line here was better—it didn’t stretch outside—but they still had to take a number and wait. The vets rushing back and forth all looked swamped.

Having no other choice, Ye Ming found a place to sit down with the cat carrier and let Fei Mo out for some air.

Shi Lan stood on his lap and tilted her head, looking at the bustling scene in the pet hospital with disbelief. ’When did vet clinics get so crowded?’

And strangely, everyone was holding a cat. There wasn’t a single other type of pet in sight. Many of the cats were grimy, looking like strays.

The pet hospital was filled with a chaotic mix of cat scents. Since Shi Lan was fundamentally human in spirit, she wasn’t particularly bothered by the territorial marking. However, many of the strays couldn’t tolerate the smell of others encroaching on their territory. The clinic was filled with nonstop meowing, mixed with the calls of cats in heat, giving the vets a massive headache.