Chapter 152: Volume 1 Chapter 152 – The Movie Emperor Who Turned Into a Cat (19)

After strolling around this wetland park for a while, Jiang Zhi checked the time and prepared to head back.

Can't stay out too long, otherwise Pan Jingjie and the others will find out.

Hearing her say she wanted to go back, the disappointment in Chen Shuo's eyes flashed and vanished; his mask‑removed face was handsome and profound, his smile bright: "If you want to come out and play next time, just call me."

Jiang Zhi froze for a moment, then blurted out: "You'll come whenever I call?"

The young man stood before her, the pale light filtering through the dense foliage spilling onto his light amber eyes, giving off a feeling of tender intimacy.

"Sure."

His voice was clear and pleasant, as if he were whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Jiang Zhi paused for a few seconds; by the time she realized, his fingers had already touched the side of her forehead, plucking a red plum blossom. They stood close, a faint, heart‑moving fragrance lingering between them.

She stepped back, averted her gaze, and randomly patted her head, saying: "Let's go back, it's getting late."

Chen Shuo quietly gazed at her beautiful brows and eyes that outshone the scenery, and her lips as vivid as flower petals, then whispered: "Alright, let's go back."

When they first met, she came toward him wrapped in a thick blanket, her soaked black hair hanging down her waist, her frozen‑pale complexion delicate as silk, only her eyes shone like a new moon, captivating all who saw them.

After that, his gaze kept drifting to her unbidden, unable to stop caring about and paying attention to everything concerning her.

Can't rush; we have to take it slow.

Jiang Zhi ignored his gaze; as she lifted her foot to leave, a black‑and‑white stray cat bumped into her foot.

"Hey, you, are you trying to pull a scam on me?"

The kitten meowed twice, all friendly, and rubbed its head against her shoe.

Chen Shuo, following behind her, remarked: "You sure attract small animals, but this is probably a stray abandoned by a student living here."

Jiang Zhi squatted down, picked up the kitten without minding the dirt, rubbed its head with her fingers, and said: "Then I'll adopt it."

Chen Shuo's expression brightened for a moment, surprised: "Do you really like cats that much?"

He remembered she also kept a completely black cat.

Jiang Zhi nodded, unable to put down the kitten in her arms: "Yeah, I really like them."

They left the academy.

After saying goodbye to Chen Shuo, she took a vehicle back to her residential complex.

As she passed the hallway, the neighboring door suddenly opened and Xie Xingyuan stepped out, his gaze falling on her.

Jiang Zhi's body tensed unnaturally; the cat in her arms, sensing a stranger's scent, meowed and stretched its neck to look toward the man.

"Good afternoon, Senior Xie."

Xie Xingyuan made out the black‑and‑white kitten curled in her arms, his brows slightly furrowed, his deep, sea‑like eyes flickering with a hint of chill as he asked casually:

"Which cat is this?"

The kitten, sensing danger, desperately scrambled deeper into Jiang Zhi's embrace, trembling violently.

Jiang Zhi smiled with her eyes: "I picked it up; it's latched onto me."

That smile was especially familiar; back when he was still Heitan, he often saw her smile at him like that.

Xie Xingyuan gave a short laugh, yet it was icy, devoid of any warmth.

His tone even: "Is that so?"

In her eyes, Heitan was no different from any stray cat—just a pet.

That's why she made him forget that memory, pretending it never happened.

A memory that was immensely important and precious to him was, to her, optional.

【Villain Xie Xingyuan Hatred Value 56 points】

Jiang Zhi watched his listless, gloomy demeanor; though he stood under bright lights, he appeared especially lonely.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, pushed the door open, and entered the house.

At the moment the door closed, she did not see the man's face shrouded in fully exposed dark malice.

"Zhizhi, I'll make you understand that besides me, no one can stay by your side."

Not even an animal.

——

The next day.

Upon waking, Jiang Zhi discovered the kitten she had brought home the day before was missing; her gaze fell on the half‑covered doorway, and she walked out of her room into the living room.

The balcony window was open; the late‑winter wind poured in, a chill sweeping through, the temperature dropping several degrees.

She ran to the balcony, but could find no trace of the kitten.

She couldn't find it; most likely Xie Xingyuan had taken it.

That guy, he won't even let a cat go.

She closed the balcony door, threw on a piece of clothing, and left her room.

Xie Xingyuan 'coincidentally' stepped out of his room, saw her hurried expression, and asked feigning innocence: "What are you looking for?"

Jiang Zhi, anxious and flustered, said: "The kitten from yesterday disappeared; I'm going to look for it."

Xie Xingyuan's unfathomable pupils flickered slightly; expressionless, he said: "I'll come with you."

Jiang Zhi wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but the man moved ahead, shut the door, and walked past her as she waited by the elevator.

On the first floor, she searched everywhere, yet still couldn't find the missing kitten.

Her face turned pale, her body trembling uncontrollably: "I think I forgot to close the balcony door; it must have slipped out from there, but this floor is so high…"

Xie Xingyuan stepped forward, standing in the wind to shield her from the gusts, and reasoned calmly: "A cat falling from a height could still survive."

Jiang Zhi pressed her lips together and murmured: "Really?"

After saying that, she belatedly realized they weren't wearing masks.

Right now outside, people coming and going, already several people have looked over at them.

Jiang Zhi had no time for anything else; she immediately grabbed his hand and ran into the entrance hallway.

Only after reaching the elevator did she let go of his hand, somewhat flustered: "Sorry, Senior Xie, there are too many people outside; it's all my fault for coming out to look for the cat, otherwise you wouldn't have been seen by them."

Xie Xingyuan lowered his eyes, gently rubbing the back of her hand that still retained warmth, his pale thin lips slightly parting: "It's fine."

Jiang Zhi saw that he really wasn't angry, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Stopping at the door, she said gratefully: "Thank you for accompanying me to look for the cat, really sorry to trouble you."

Xie Xingyuan raised an eyebrow, replied indifferently: "We're from the same company."

Jiang Zhi recalled that Xie Xingyuan had also signed a contract at her company, Jingxing Company.

—

As the Spring Festival approached, the company stopped arranging other work for her; a hot search topic quietly appeared, rising from outside the top fifty all the way to first place.

#Xie Xingyuan suspected of cohabiting with an unknown female student#

Under this hot search, the comments were all from fans' empty posts, with only a few scattered remarks from passersby.

(The photo doesn't look faked; back then, the companies that the certain female celebrity tried to extort are all gone, so probably no one dares to report on Xie Xingyuan's affairs now, right?)

(The few marketing accounts that posted the photo will probably be gone soon; dare to hype you, Brother Xie, and your accounts will be gone.)

(Am I the only one who thinks the female in the photo looks a bit familiar?)

The last comment consisted of nested replies piled up, speculating about the female's identity.

When Jiang Zhi saw this hot search, it was her good friend Xu Qian who reminded her.

She carefully looked at the picture; it was exactly the one taken that day when she went out with Xie Xingyuan to look for the cat.

Her phone rang several times, and she saw a message from Pan Jingjie.

(Pan Jingjie: Don't worry about it, we'll handle these.)

The company dealt with it until the next evening, but the hot search remained high, and even another one appeared.