Chapter 13

Fang Nianchen understood that Yu Wan’s words were like light hitting a mirror, always refracting in different directions.

It wasn’t what she had thought, but that didn’t stop a tingling sensation from rising in her heart.

The subway’s air conditioning was blasting, giving Fang Nianchen goosebumps, yet she couldn’t help but space out.

Although it had happened at noon the day before, whenever she had a free moment, she would unconsciously think back to it.

Because it was just too intriguing…

“Hello? Hello?” On the other end of the phone, the ringing was finally replaced by Qiao Yan’s voice. “What’s up? It’s after work, and you’re calling me? That’s rare.”

Her voice was loud and piercing, spilling out from the speaker.

Startled by the phone’s volume, Fang Nianchen glanced around, making sure she wasn’t disturbing anyone, before softly asking, “Are you busy?”

As she spoke, she turned down the volume.

“What would I be busy with? Standing on the subway.” Qiao Yan gripped the handrail with one hand, half-leaning against the pole.

She lived in the opposite direction from Fang Nianchen, so after work, they went their separate ways.

Today was her unlucky day—no seats on the subway. She was wondering how to kill time when Fang Nianchen called.

Honestly, she felt a bit flattered.

As Fang Nianchen’s good friend of many years, she naturally knew that Fang Nianchen had very strong boundaries and wouldn’t easily share her own affairs with others, always carrying an air of subtle mystery.

If she was proactively reaching out, it must mean something had her completely stumped.

This rarely happened with Fang Nianchen, so Qiao Yan perked up immediately. “Spill it. Relationship issue or work problem? But I just got off work and I’m in a bad mood—no work talk.”

“It’s… kind of a relationship thing.” Fang Nianchen’s answer was hesitant. “Not mine, a friend of mine.”

“Oh~” Qiao Yan tried hard not to laugh. “Don’t worry, your friend is my friend. Go on.”

“Forget it, it’s nothing really.” Fang Nianchen suddenly backed out.

She had always believed that when it came to relationship matters, other people’s advice might not be useful.

Likewise, she was too afraid of misunderstanding first, and if she embellished it while relaying for Yu Wan, only to get an answer she didn’t want to hear, she’d really go crazy.

So she naively thought maybe she’d forget in a few days.

“Don’t! Don’t be that most annoying type of person, saying half and leaving me hanging—it’s torture!” Qiao Yan urged. “You don’t want me tossing and turning at night dreaming of you, right?”

The second half made Fang Nianchen get goosebumps all over. She mentally prepared herself several times before slowly speaking.

“What kind of situation would make someone say something like ‘You’re someone who can understand me more’?” Fang Nianchen recalled Yu Wan’s expression when she said those words.

Over these twenty-plus years, she’d met many people. No matter their motives, they always approached with a nearly perfect persona at first.

Then, those insincere eyes would scan her up and down repeatedly.

Whenever she noticed and looked back, those calculating eyes would flash with panic and hastily look away.

But Yu Wan was different. Her gaze was so direct and sincere that it scorched the darkness Fang Nianchen had accumulated in her heart.

Just from eye contact, she was the one who looked away first.

Qiao Yan asked, “Hold on, is that person a guy or a girl?”

Fang Nianchen replied, “A girl.”

Qiao Yan went “Oh” and asked next, “Is she older than your friend? Like an elder?”

“Yeah.” Fang Nianchen didn’t need to think about this one—Yu Wan was older than her.

“How long have they known each other? Over a year?”

Fang Nianchen gave a vague answer: “A few years.”

“Hmm…” After hearing this, Qiao Yan fell into thought for a moment before speaking. “Does she… like your friend?”

“Impossible.” Fang Nianchen was emphatic, without a hint of hesitation.

How could someone suddenly like a person after five years? Especially with barely any contact in those five years.

The only time she had proactively contacted Yu Wan was when she was drunk and groggily sent birthday wishes. She nearly fainted when she woke up the next day.

Fortunately, it was just “Happy Birthday,” nothing weird. Yu Wan replied with thanks—it was the most normal exchange, at least to her, no different from before.

“Fang Nianchen, you’re that sure?” Qiao Yan’s voice carried a hint of disdain. “If you’ve already figured it out, why ask me?”

“I-I didn’t say it’s me.” Fang Nianchen got a bit anxious, her volume rising unconsciously. “I’m guessing.”

Qiao Yan, like she’d discovered something fun, pressed her relentlessly. “Fine, no rush. Bring your friend to meet sometime, and I’ll give her a live tutorial.”

“We’ll see.” Fang Nianchen’s brows furrowed; she regretted her decision even more.

Qiao Yan’s analysis seemed baseless, jumping to conclusions after just a few trivial questions. It felt too perfunctory.

With doubts in her heart, she asked, “Why do you say she… likes my friend?”

The word “likes” came out blurry from her mouth, as scorching as if it burned her tongue.

She still felt embarrassed, like she was fabricating a scandal about Yu Wan liking her.

“What?” The train had just arrived at a station, and a crowd surged in, with some kids screaming. Qiao Yan hadn’t heard clearly and raised her voice. “What did I say?”

“She likes me.” Fang Nianchen felt abnormal; just thinking of the possibility made her heart pound. “Why do you say that?”

“Why else? Look, she’s older, so she wouldn’t say things carelessly. She said it on purpose for you to hear, and you’ve known each other for years—the relationship should be pretty good. It’s normal for different feelings to develop between close people.” Qiao Yan analyzed seriously. “She’s sending you a signal, hoping you’ll understand her more. Or put it this way: has there been some misunderstanding between you two?”

“No.” Fang Nianchen racked her brain; her relationship with Yu Wan had always been stable.

Stably bland.

“Maybe there was, and you didn’t realize?” Qiao Yan hinted wildly. “Put yourself in her shoes. Don’t you hate it when people pry into your past? If you liked someone, you’d definitely want her to understand you, your history, everything. Right?”

This time, Fang Nianchen didn’t answer quickly. After a while, she let out a soft laugh.

“Maybe?”

“What? You’re still hesitating on this?” Qiao Yan was surprised by her response; she thought it was human nature. “You’d hide from someone you like?”

After all, who wouldn’t want someone who fully understood them?

Fang Nianchen didn’t let the conversation continue. “I’m at my stop. Thanks for today.”

“You’re being formal. Just treat me to dinner.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow.”

Qiao Yan said casually, “Okok, bye.”

After getting off, she had to cross a small park to get home. With orange glows on the horizon, Fang Nianchen walked home bathed in the sunset.

“Xiao Chen, no Pan-fried Dumpling with you today?” Auntie Liu, a neighbor in the same building who walked her dog around here, knew Fang Nianchen had adopted many strays and often saw her walking dogs alone in the park.

Pan-fried Dumpling was the only large dog in her house—a golden retriever with some black fur on its back, looking like a fried dumpling.

Even though Fang Nianchen wasn’t walking a dog today, her familiar figure was recognizable at a glance.

“Nope, just got off work.” Fang Nianchen dressed a bit formally for work—not quite suit and tie, but in dark tones.

“You’re working too hard.” Auntie Liu tugged hard on her corgi. “Don’t rush up to people the second you see them—no manners!”

The corgi’s tail tried hard to wag and immediately stuck to Fang Nianchen.

“It’s fine.” Fang Nianchen smiled, squatted down, cupped its face, and pinched. “Fatter again.”

Auntie Liu’s corgi wasn’t docked, looking like a plump little fox.

“It’s all thanks to the dog food you recommended last time, and that recipe. My old man made it for her, and she loves it—no more picky eating.” Auntie Liu beamed. “She’s so fat I can barely pick her up.”

“Oh right, the vitamins I mentioned last time.” Fang Nianchen had planned to drop them off after work and happened to have them in her bag. Spotting Auntie Liu, she handed them over directly.

“Oh my, you’re too polite. These vitamins are expensive, right? Let me pay you.” Auntie Liu reached for her wallet.

“No need, Auntie Liu. Its fur is so smooth, it feels great to pet.”

“How can I not? In just half a year, you’ve given me so many pet supplies without taking a dime.” Auntie Liu insisted, “Auntie knows it’s not easy making money. Don’t keep giving stuff away—save some for yourself.”

“It’s fine, I have enough money.”

“You kid…” Seeing her resolve, Auntie Liu couldn’t refuse anymore and accepted them.

Auntie Liu and Fang Nianchen chatted for a long time, all about pets. By the time the sky gradually darkened, they walked back to the complex together.

“That’s a box over there?” Auntie Liu spotted the out-of-place box at the stairwell entrance at a glance and walked over to squat down. “Aiyo, why’s there a kitten? Xiao Chen, come take a look quick.”

Fang Nianchen hurried over and sure enough saw a little kitten. Because it was black-furred, it looked just like a little black briquette.

Fang Nianchen picked it up and examined it carefully from head to toe. She found no ringworm or external injuries on the kitten, but it had clearly been abandoned in the box.

Kittens like this were usually dumped all together from a litter, and the hairs of other colors in the box confirmed as much.

As for why only this one was left behind in the end, Fang Nianchen had a pretty good idea.

The corgi seemed extremely interested in the kitten and excitedly tried to climb into the box, only to be yanked up by Auntie Liu holding the leash.

Seeing the dog getting more and more worked up—even flailing in mid-air while dangling—Auntie Liu quickly said to Fang Nianchen, “Xiao Chen, I’m heading up first. Don’t let this guy scare the kitten.”

Fang Nianchen had no objections, of course.

After Auntie Liu left, Fang Nianchen considered taking the cat home, but she thought of the resident holdouts who were pretty xenophobic, plus how busy she’d be lately. She wasn’t sure she could spare the time to care for the little one.

How about contacting Yu Wan?

She remembered Yu Wan mentioning not long ago that she wanted to get a cat, even making a special plan to go out with her on Saturday.

But would Yu Wan really want a stray cat? Would she have any hang-ups about black cats? She had zero experience raising cats—could she really take good care of the kitten?

Realizing she was starting to doubt Yu Wan, Fang Nianchen panicked a little.

As she pondered, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her hand. It hurt so much she nearly dropped the kitten, but fearing it would fall, she held on steady.

Not knowing what was going through its head, the kitten apparently took Fang Nianchen for a villain and went at her hand with scratches and bites, all four paws flailing. Long bloody streaks crossed the back of her hand, topped off with a neat row of tooth marks.

Fang Nianchen frowned and gently set the kitten down. She knew exactly where to go.

She took a cab to the clinic. Her friend was there and jumped when he saw her hand covered in blood. After hearing how she got those wounds, he couldn’t help griping on her behalf. “That little bastard bites the hand that feeds it. If it were me, I’d let the thing fend for itself.”

“I’m fine. Disinfect it for me first.” Fang Nianchen knew he was just venting—as a pet doctor, he loved these little critters more than anyone.

Her friend nodded and led her inside. As he bandaged her up, he asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

“Keep it here for now. I’ll post on Moments to see if anyone wants to adopt it. That okay?”

“Of course, but a black cat…” Her friend hesitated at first but told it straight. “Lots of people think black cats are bad luck. Doubt you’ll find an owner right away.”

“No worries, we’ll take our time. I’ll pay the boarding fee at your shop rates.”

“What the hell are you on about, trying to pay me?” Her friend’s booming voice echoed through the room. “Does Laozi lack that bit of cash?”

“Not saying you do—I just feel bad troubling you every time…”

“You idiot.” Her friend yanked the gauze tight, making Fang Nianchen’s eyes water with pain. “Alright, get lost. I’m closing up.”

With that, her friend grabbed her and more or less shoved her out the clinic door.

It all happened so fast that Fang Nianchen blanked for a few seconds. Staring at the sloppily wrapped bandage on her hand, she let out a helpless laugh.

Back home, she immediately posted to Moments with a photo of the little black kitten, the clinic’s location, and the adoption guidelines she’d polished countless times.

Naturally, she blocked everyone from her “work” group, just like always.

The next day after work, Fang Nianchen headed back to the clinic.

“Eh?” Her friend was shocked to see her but quickly snapped out of it and smacked his forehead. “Shit, I forgot to tell you—the little guy got adopted.”

So fast?

Fang Nianchen wasn’t sure if her post had done the trick, but she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. Now she was worried again.

Uneasy, she asked, “How’d the adopter seem?”

“Super hot.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Fang Nianchen shot him a dirty look. “I mean…”

“Right, right, just kidding.” He looked back at her even more disdainfully, annoyed at her lack of humor. “Relax, I laid out the usual rules with her—if she doesn’t want it anymore, she can bring it back. But that lady was pretty interesting. Wanna know what she said?”

Fang Nianchen perked up with curiosity. “What?”

“She said she’d definitely make it happy.”