Chapter 480 - 479: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 48

Chapter 480: Chapter 479: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 48

Shi Lan had initially wanted to name it something that would "ward off evil," but that felt too direct. Ping’an was better. Isn’t peace and safety the ultimate goal of warding off evil and avoiding disaster?

’Mhm.’ She nodded in satisfaction. It was rare for someone as terrible at naming things as her to come up with such a good one.

In the darkness, a pair of green eyes watched her warily. The kitten had tucked in its little paws, hiding its body. It was probably its first time in a strange place, and it couldn’t help but feel timid, as if this dark corner was its only safe haven.

Shi Lan didn’t try to force it out. After settling on a name, she went about her own business, like setting up the cat bed. She also had an empty room she could turn into a dedicated space for the cat.

She’d seen the homes of a few wealthy pet owners before, so she knew exactly what a perfect pet room needed.

Besides, she was bored and had nothing better to do. Shi Lan decided to roll up her sleeves and slowly build the pet room herself.

She tidied up the empty room. It didn’t have any large furniture, just a few chairs, which Shi Lan moved to a spare storage room. Then she set down the cat bed and litter box, washed the cat bowls, filled them with food and water, and finally, ordered some safety netting for the windows.

While she was busy, Ping’an must have started to feel a bit more comfortable with its surroundings. It slowly crept out from its hiding spot, though its fluffy black tail remained raised in caution. It stood frozen in place, staring intently through the wide-open doorway at Shi Lan inside.

Just then, Shi Lan came out of the room and immediately spotted the little pitch-black cat.

Ping’an’s ears shot up, and it tensed, ready to spring back on its three good paws. The girl and the cat stared at each other for a long moment. Then, as if spooked, Ping’an shot back into its original corner in a flash. This time, however, its tail was left sticking out, twitching back and forth.

Shi Lan found this hilarious and was completely charmed by its adorable antics. But not wanting to scare it, she resisted the powerful urge to go over and pet it.

Her ultimate plan was to have five cats. But even though she had been a cat herself, her experience in *raising* a cat was still lacking. To avoid getting overwhelmed, she had decided to adopt just one for now and take things slow.

And as it turned out, she had made the right call.

People and cats were different, after all. Shi Lan couldn’t guess what the little kitty was thinking. She just gazed at its fluffy black tail, wondering, ’Will I get to pet it tomorrow?’

She went to use the restroom. When she came out, Ping’an was there, waiting right outside the door. But the second she opened it, the cat bolted back into the darkness in a flash, its three legs moving as if they had wings.

"Hahaha! Ping’an, you’re just too cute."

Shi Lan was discovering that having a cat really changed things. With another little life present, her empty house suddenly felt much more alive.

Her heart melted. She stared into the darkness for a while longer before finally heading back to her bedroom.

She left the door to the pet room open. The food and water had been set out for a while now.

After a long period of silence, Ping’an emerged once more. As if patrolling its new territory, it explored every corner of Shi Lan’s home, curiously venturing into any room with an open door. Finally, it returned to the pet room where, driven by hunger, it began to gobble up the cat food.

Shi Lan didn’t leave her room again that night to disturb it. She had her own en-suite bathroom, so after washing up, she opened her snack cupboard and grabbed something to eat.

She’d had a late afternoon tea with her best friend, so she wasn’t very hungry and just had some snacks for dinner.

While eating her snacks, she started watching *The God*, starring Yan Huoshui.

She watched until her usual bedtime before reluctantly closing her tablet. She stretched, brushed her teeth, and went to sleep.

She had to admit, Yan Huoshui’s performance in *The God* was incredible. She had seen some of the filming on set, and even without background music or special effects—with just wire-work and green screens—his acting had been breathtaking. But with post-production, his presence was even more immense. He didn’t just have the cold, lofty majesty of a God; he also embodied the magnificent bearing of an Immortal. When he was shown riding the clouds, you could almost believe he’d truly been an immortal in a past life.

And it wasn’t just her opinion. The live comments from viewers were a constant stream of praise. The show was maintaining a viewer score of 9.9 out of 10. It hadn’t been out for long, but the number of views was already approaching a hundred million. That was the power of an A-list star, all right.

Lying in bed, Shi Lan couldn’t stop replaying the show’s plot in her head. Lost in thought, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Maybe because she had watched *The God* before bed, she dreamed she was in a world of Immortals. In the dream, she was being held in the arms of a giant Red Nine-tailed Fox. The fox had a pair of enchanting, crimson eyes, and when it looked at her, the corners of its lips curled up in a tender smile.

When she woke up, Shi Lan was still clutching her blanket, the dream vivid in her mind. For some reason, she felt the fox’s eyes looked a lot like Yan Huoshui’s. The only difference was that Yan Huoshui’s eyes were black.

Shi Lan shook her head. ’How can I be thinking something like that?’

’What I should be regretting is not taking the chance to pet that Red Fox all over, especially its nine tails! They looked so fluffy and soft. I can’t even imagine how blissful it would be to touch something so magnificently fluffy in real life.’

With that thought, Shi Lan squeezed her eyes shut and tried to fall back into the dream. But her body’s internal clock was already set. Even though her soul had recently spent time in a cat’s body, her human form still stubbornly clung to its old habits. ℴ

Resigned, she climbed out of bed. The moment she opened the door, a black shadow darted past, zipping from the living room into the pet room.

Shi Lan froze for a second before it hit her—she had adopted a cat last night! ’Yes!’ she thought. ’Today, I am definitely going to find a way to pet my little kitty!’

She approached the pet room and stood in the doorway. She could see Ping’an nestled inside its cat bed—the kind shaped like a little house with a round hole for an entrance. Right now, its head was peeking cautiously out of the hole, and its eyes met hers from across the room.

Good news: It seemed to like its new home.

Bad news: The little guy was still very wary of her. On the bright side, it seemed easy to care for. The food bowl was licked clean—not a single crumb left on the floor—and it had drunk more than half of its water.

’Not bad at all.’

Shi Lan was still very pleased. She went to change its water and refill its food bowl. Ping’an remained huddled in its little house, but its eyes darted back and forth, tracking her every move.

It wasn’t until Shi Lan left the room that it came hopping out on its three legs, impatiently and happily starting to chow down.

Shi Lan peeked at it through the crack in the door. She watched as Ping’an gobbled its food so enthusiastically that it accidentally sent kibble scattering all over the floor. She shook her head with a resigned smile, but couldn’t bring herself to look away.

She watched for a long time, not bored in the slightest. Once Ping’an had eaten its fill, it began to clean up the mess, sticking out its little pink tongue to lick up every last stray piece of kibble from the floor. Not a single one went to waste.

After it was full, it took a few sips of water, gave a long stretch, and then nonchalantly returned to its cat bed, where it lazily curled up into a ball.