Xiaomei couldn’t stop raving about the new exchange student during lunch. "You have to believe me, even just his side profile blows Rui Chen out of the water." She tried to show me blurry photos, but after everything with Rui Chen and Zhou Wang, I had a solid case of "hot-guy PTSD." I managed to avoid her matchmaking, only to see Su Miao striding straight toward me.
"Mu Xing, can we talk?" she said coldly. She led me behind the cafeteria, away from prying eyes, dropping her "sweet girl" mask and eyeing me with open contempt. A bandage stood out on her flawless forehead.
"I really underestimated you. Thought you’d keep to yourself, but here you are, pulling stunts and flirting with Zhou Wang too."
After so much gossip and targeting, I’d learned to keep my composure. "Did you come all this way just to say that?"
Her face iced over. "You have two options drop out yourself, or I’ll make sure you’re forced out."
The smile that curled my lips wasn’t kind. "That gash looks deep. Worried a scar will make Rui Chen dump you and come crawling back to me?"
Her expression twisted.
"Or are you scared I’ll blow your cover in front of Zhou Wang?"
That hit home her face turned ugly. She was about to fire back when I pulled out my phone and, without breaking eye contact, saved an audio file.
"I’ve already uploaded our conversation to the cloud," I said quietly. "From now on, let’s keep out of each other’s way."
When it was over, my hands trembled as adrenaline faded.
During the first lecture after lunch, I slumped in the back row, desperate for a nap. The professor’s lectures were infamous for their sleep-inducing power most students packed up front, leaving the back rows blissfully quiet.
Just as I was drifting off to the lull of midafternoon sun, the room hushed.
I lifted my head, startled, and blinked at the tall figure at the front: striking features, almost inhumanly beautiful blue eyes.
It didn’t register at first until I realized who it was.
Aside from the black hair, it was unmistakably Chu Yang, my otherworldly, eight-tailed cat.
The professor greeted him kindly: "Find a seat don’t be late next time."
Chu Yang nodded, then strolled toward the back, barely glancing at the girls staring in open awe as he walked past.
He sat next to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Suddenly I felt every eye in the room on us and wanted to sink into the floor.
He barely seemed to notice; instead, he rapped his knuckles on my desk. "Take notes for me. I’m going to nap."
I hesitated, then leaned in and whispered, "Are you.....?"
"Yes." He yawned, not bothering to open his eyes. "Don’t you remember what you wished for?"
A good day.
He’d come in person.
I didn’t ask more just opened up my "Cat’s Notes" notebook to start writing. When I glanced at the name on the cover: Chu Yang.
So that was his real name?
"Not quite." He was already awake, holding my palm flat and tracing two characters across my skin: Chu Yang.
A warm tingling lingered where he’d written, as if his name had been engraved there.
After class, I dragged Chu Yang away, stopping by the mart to get him a cap to help him blend in.
"Why do I have to wear this?" he grumbled.
"To protect your looks, obviously."
He didn’t get it but slid on the cap anyway.
The low brim shadowed his eyes, making his pale skin glow and his features even more striking. It was only then, for the first time, that I realized just how attractive he was beyond the magic and nonsense, he really was something special.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"Are all eight-tailed cats as good-looking as you?"
He rolled his eyes as if I’d said something utterly ignorant. "Eight tails are rare. Nine tails are gods. Each tail comes from surviving catastrophe. You think we’re as common as market carrots?"
I nodded as if I understood.
"So, what’s a catastrophe? Dangerous?"
He ruffled my hair. "Don’t worry about it. Just live your own life."
With no job, my evenings emptied out. I got a text: my scholarship had come in.
I eyed Chu Yang, dozing on the couch, as a wild idea struck.
"Want to go to the mall with me?"
It was only on the bus that I realized how weird my proposal had been but he agreed.
Hupan Mall had six floors; we started on the food level, lining up nearly half an hour for sizzling takoyaki.
"Try one," I offered. He sniffed, hesitating, so I popped one in my mouth, eyes lighting up.
He finally tasted one. "Not bad."
We ate together, then I dragged him to the pet megastore upstairs. The staff nearly swooned over him tall, pale, model-perfect, squeaky clean.
"Anything I can help you pick out for your pet?" the salesgirl asked with a dazzling smile. "We’re running promotions and I can throw in free gifts."
I nudged Chu Yang. "Fish oil and liquid calcium, please."
While I shopped, another row of cat-carrier backpacks caught my eye blue, pink, little paw prints everywhere.
I tugged at Chu Yang’s sleeve. "Which color do you like?"
He gave me a classic eye roll but, seeing my disappointment, relented. "Go with pink."
Free with my purchase was a single-entry raffle ticket. He drew the prize yet another cat keychain. I laughed. "Even my cat is unlucky."
On the bus ride home, it was so crowded I was practically glued to the nearest stranger’s backpack. Chu Yang, unfazed, reached out and drew me against his chest, one arm protectively over my shoulders.
I could feel his heartbeat, the warmth of his scent he smelled like autumn sun and fresh laundry.
I tilted up to look at him. He bent his head to meet my gaze, our faces almost touching. My heart skipped.
With the first yellow leaves, my birthday arrived.
It used to be just another day, but now, for once, I had someone to celebrate with. After class, I bought a cake.
Chu Yang watched curiously as I unboxed it, so I handed him a strawberry. "Once the candles are blown, you get the first slice."
He nibbled it. "Sour."
"That’s why we make a wish before blowing out candles." I lit them.
The glow softened his features, his blue eyes suddenly gentle. I turned away, clasped my hands, and made my wish.
"What did you wish for?"
"Can’t say, or it won’t come true."
He smirked, drawing a gesture in the air. "Take this as my birthday present."
Suddenly, right before my eyes, his hair lengthened, two fluffy white cat ears sprouting atop his head.
Eight snowy tails waved behind him, dazzling and surreal.
He looked as surprised as I was, biting back a laugh as he caught the awe on my face.
"What is it with you and these crazy thoughts?" he grumbled.
I just grinned sheepishly. "Honestly, I just imagined you as half-cat again."
"So your birthday wish was about me?" he asked, bemused.
I blushed, ducked my head, and forced cake into his hands.
He smiled for real, letting me feed him a piece off my fork.
The frosting smeared the corner of his mouth. He licked it away, head tilting ears flickered, tails curling almost unconsciously around my knees.
My fingers twitched I couldn’t resist.
But he caught my wrist, eyes narrowing in warning. "Do you know what touching a demon’s tail means?"
I stared, clueless.
"It means you’re asking to get intimate."
He dropped my hand.
"Still want to touch?"
The phone rang, saving me. I leapt up, babbling an excuse to Xiaomei as I bolted out the door, barely hearing Chu Yang’s quiet laughter as I fled.
Xiaomei dragged me to campus for a rare nightlife event. The field was alive with laughter, clusters of students playing cards and games.
"Tonight’s a mixer. Spot anyone you like?" she teased.
All I could do was groan. Hadn’t I had enough male drama?
We ended up playing cards, but it got weird fast as the only unattached guys retreated to another table, and two more joined their girlfriends. There we were: two “single dog” girls, watching everyone flirt.
"Call someone....anyone." Xiaomei begged.
I shrugged. "Who? Zhou Wang?" But even she found that idea nuts.
The game restarted with a forced mood.
Finally, almost as a dare, I called my house phone.
After a moment’s silence, Chu Yang’s voice replied. "Wait there."
By the next round, his shadow fell across the grass behind me.
Wearing a cap and a cream hoodie, he slipped in beside me, ignoring the gawking girls nearby.
"When did you get here?"
"Just now."
As he learned the rules, Xiaomei kept shooting me looks. "Did you forget to mention your mysterious roommate is a god among men?"
I just pressed the cap lower over Chu Yang’s eyes.
As we started the next game, a new seat opened. Zhou Wang appeared, squeezed in beside me, and grabbed the cards.
Xiaomei barely concealed a snort: thumbs-up.
Me? I wanted to disappear.
What kind of bizarre love polygon had I landed in this time?
The couple across from us, intimidated by Zhou Wang’s reputation, bailed after just one hand making up an excuse and vanishing before anyone could stop them.
Even Xiaomei started to get skittish, slipping away to "buy drinks" and putting as much distance as she could between herself and the drama.
I scrambled across to sit directly opposite Zhou Wang and, worried, tugged at Chu Yang’s sleeve. "You could head home if you want."
Instead, Chu Yang did the opposite he slid right into the seat on my left. "The game’s only just getting started, isn’t it?"
Zhou Wang grinned. "I know you, Chu Yang. The new transfer in Computer Science, right?"
Chu Yang gave him a bored glance, saying nothing.
"Cousin, what’s everyone playing?" Out of nowhere, Su Miao appeared, dragging Rui Chen behind her.
I really didn’t want to tangle with them any more, so I whispered to Chu Yang, "Let’s just go home."
But Su Miao had already noticed me. Her face fell, icy and dark. "What are you doing here?"
When she noticed Chu Yang beside me, her expression turned stormy. "You really do get around, Mu Xing."
The words were sharp, but seeing her so out of sorts somehow took the sting away.
Zhou Wang piped up, "Of course she’s here, she set up the game I’m just tagging along for cards."
His attitude toward Su Miao had completely shifted from the first time I’d seen him "warn" me off.
It was entertaining, but just then Chu Yang leaned in and asked, amused, "Still want to go?"
Busted, I stammered, "Yeah, let’s go."
But Su Miao, already steeling herself, settled in next to Zhou Wang. "Let’s play. You need more players, anyway."
What collection of personalities was this?
Chapter 05
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