Chapter 18: Bolt from the Blue

Chapter 18: A Bolt from the Blue

The weather forecast said the rain would let up in half an hour. Fei Yu sat properly on the sofa, curiously looking around the room.

The living room was large, with spotless floors and everything neatly arranged. Aside from essential furniture, there was almost nothing else.

Only on the coffee table were a few unpacked cardboard boxes, adding a little bit of life to the place.

Fei Yu glanced over; one box contained various cat food cans.

There were rabbit, goose, and his favorite, tuna...

Another box held cat toys: a cat wand with a fuzzy ball, a little fish plushie, a chew stick, and so on.

It was obvious these were all prepared for "Pearl."

Fei Yu smiled slightly, about to look away, when his gaze caught something in the corner.

It was a round object like a collar, made of a soft velvet-like material, shaped like a flower with a hole in the middle.

But compared to a collar, it was too big; it was more like a ring.

Curious, Fei Yu couldn't help but pick it up and hold it against his chest, trying it on.

He knew humans had a habit of putting collars on cats for deworming or to indicate ownership.

But this one was way too big, wasn't it? Fei Yu frowned in confusion.

If he wore it, he wouldn't be able to lick his fur.

Song Ji emerged from the bathroom with a chill, and saw Fei Yu holding an Elizabethan collar, examining it closely with his head bowed.

His head was slightly bowed, revealing a smooth, pale nape.

His soft pink lips were pursed in focus, his long lashes fluttering, almost mesmerizing him.

Song Ji's breath caught, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest. A wave of heat rushed to his face. That cold shower was for nothing again.

*Can’t rush it—I’ll scare him off.*

*I need to take it slow.*

Song Ji dug his nails into his palm, acting casual as he came over.

Seeing Song Ji approach, Fei Yu quickly held up the item and asked curiously, "Song Ji, what is this?"

Song Ji replied, his voice tight, "It's an Elizabethan collar."

Fei Yu said "oh" and was about to put it back when he heard Song Ji's deep, husky voice go on, "It's used to prevent Pearl from licking after neutering."

With a soft thud, the Elizabethan collar fell onto the table.

Fei Yu felt as if struck by lightning, frozen stiff in place.

After a long moment, he parted his lips and whispered, "...Neutering?"

His eyes were fixed on Song Ji, pupils wide with shock, and he repeated incredulously, "You're going to neuter Pearl?"

Song Ji's expression froze for a moment; he hesitated, "Can't I do that?"

The shock on the boy's face was too obvious. Song Ji frowned and explained seriously, "If you don't neuter them, the mating season is brutal on male cats."

Fei Yu was too shocked to speak. Of course, he knew the benefits of neutering cats.

It could reduce the incidence of certain diseases, make them calmer, stop them from fighting over turf, and make them easier to place in a home.

But he’d never heard of anyone doing that to a Catfolk!?

If he lost his bells, wouldn’t he end up a eunuch?

Then how could he and Song Ji ever roll in the sheets?

Fei Yu stared blankly at Song Ji, his mind going blank.

Song Ji's expression was way too calm; he was talking about neutering him like it was just a chat about the weather.

All of Fei Yu's fur stood up, and he suddenly felt a cold draft down there. He instinctively wanted to clamp his legs shut.

He could barely keep his face from falling apart.

When Fei Yu didn't answer for a while, Song Ji's heart suddenly tightened. Looking into Fei Yu's eyes, he asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

Fei Yu's mind was empty, completely at a loss for how to respond.

After a long while, he barely forced a smile and stammered, "N-nothing. I'm just shocked—I wasn't expecting that at all."

The rain outside had stopped without him noticing. The sky was dark and heavy, without a breath of wind.

Fei Yu couldn't remember how he declined Song Ji's offer to see him off. He returned to the coffee shop alone and told Pang Qiu everything about Song Ji's plan.

The seasoned senior Catfolk pondered for a long time, then said with a worried sigh, "This problem... is indeed very tricky."

A human trying to neuter a Catfolk? That was unheard of.

Pang Qiu's expression was pained, his brows furrowed into a frown.

Moreover, Song Ji still hadn't invited Fei Yu to roll in the sheets.

He even started to wonder if Song Ji was actually into guys.

Pang Qiu racked his brain, then his eyes lit up with an idea.

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "If he wants to neuter 'Pearl,' then we just make sure he can't find 'Pearl,' right?"

"Just don't shift into a cat for a few days. He won't find him, so he'll give up."

"As for the heat cycle..." Pang Qiu stroked his chin. "Humans are weird. Maybe we just haven't seen it all."

"How about this: we're heading back for the Catfolk Festival next week, right? When we go back, we can ask other Catfolk in the village. Maybe they'll have a solution."

The Catfolk Festival is the biggest holiday in Cat Village. When it rolls around, Catfolk always find a way to go back and celebrate the Cat God's birthday.

"If nothing else works..." Pang Qiu glanced at the silent Fei Yu and said softly, trying to comfort him, "We can always find another human, right?"

Stay away from Song Ji and find someone else?

For some reason, Fei Yu's chest suddenly felt tight.

He lowered his head and replied in a voice so quiet only he could hear it, "No. No way."

*

The spring rain fell slantwise, fine droplets striking the window glass and converging into winding streaks of water that slowly slid downward.

It kept raining for days on end, and fewer people came to the coffee shop.

When it rains, it pours. Seeing the steadily declining revenue over the past few months, the coffee shop owner smacked his forehead and decided to go abroad for further studies, planning to shut down the shop by the end of the month.

Suddenly, none of the staff had the heart to work. Even Pang Qiu was sighing all day, figuring out where to get his next free meal.

Fei Yu, feeling down, sat by the window staring at the rain.

He still hadn't figured out how to deal with Song Ji.

Fortunately, Song Ji had suddenly gotten busy the last few days, heading out of town for a competition.

Before he left, he couldn't even find time to meet up, just texted him to look after Pearl.

Fei Yu of course took Pang Qiu's advice and just stayed put at the coffee shop, going nowhere.

If he couldn't find Pearl, Song Ji would just forget about neutering, right?

Fei Yu drummed his fingers on the table, hoping that if Song Ji would drop the neutering idea...

Once his heat was over, he'd be happy to turn back into a cat and let Song Ji adopt him.

If another eight or ten years went by, and the Cat Committee approved, he could maybe tell Song Ji about the cat-people secret.

Would Song Ji freak out then?

Fei Yu rested his chin in his hands, lost in thought, and couldn't help a small smile spreading across his face.

Suddenly, the door chimes jingled as a guest pushed the door open.

Fei Yu hurried over to greet him: "Hello..."

Zhou Qian walked in with a warm smile: "Fei Yu, hello."

Fei Yu got him a coffee, and they talked for a bit. Then Zhou Qian complained, half joking: "A Ji is really letting me down."

"He disappears as soon as he leaves. Hasn't replied to my texts in days. Does he even see me as a friend?"

Fei Yu said honestly: "He probably doesn't mean to. Their competition is top secret, so they can't use phones."

Zhou Qian's eyes flickered. He tells you details like that, and Song Ji still claims he's not into you?

"Oh, so I was wrong."

He grinned and pulled something out of his bag: "Actually, I came today to invite you to my birthday party."

Fei Yu blinked in surprise, took the invitation with both hands, and opened it.

The warm-white paper was high-quality; the party address and time were printed in gold foil, with gold foil lace borders.

It was exactly the day before they went back to Cat Village.

Zhou Qian smiled: "They're all school friends, just hanging out. Nothing fancy."

Watching Fei Yu's reaction, he added slowly: "And of course A Ji will be there too, so you won't feel out of place."

This hotel was close to A University—just a half-hour subway ride away, so he could go and come back the same day easily.

Fei Yu thought for a second, then nodded. "Sure, I'll come. Happy early birthday."

Zhou Qian beamed. "Awesome."

Once his business was done, Zhou Qian didn't stick around. He said goodbye to Fei Yu and left the coffee shop.

A little way down the street, a gust of wind hit him. He suddenly sneezed, and felt that familiar sting on the back of his hand.

Zhou Qian stared at the red rash on his hand, confused, and frowned: "No way, I took my meds for sure, and I didn't go touching Pang Qiu, did I?"

Had he built up a resistance from taking allergy meds so often?

He shrugged it off and kept walking.

*

Before he knew it, it was Zhou Qian's birthday.

Fei Yu had finished up his resignation paperwork and no longer had to work. He said bye to Pang Qiu and took the subway to the hotel.

Song Ji's competition was delayed a few days, and he only managed to rush back this morning.

Figuring Song Ji must be exhausted from traveling, Fei Yu didn't text much.

After all, they'd meet at the party; Fei Yu could just tell him then that he was going back to Cat Village.

Zhou Qian's birthday party was held at a high-end hotel.

The banquet hall was huge—bigger than a bunch of coffee shops put together. The dome above was resplendent, casting brilliant and dazzling light.

When he entered, Fei Yu was so shocked he almost couldn't speak, thinking he had come to the wrong place.

Fortunately, most of the guests were A University students. Fei Yu even greeted Wen Jia and others. Everyone was dressed casually, gathering in twos and threes to chat.

Zhou Qian had many friends. Fei Yu gave him the prepared gift, but before he could chat with him much, others came to congratulate him.

Not seeing Song Ji, Fei Yu wandered around alone.

The banquet hall had a large buffet area. Long rectangular tables were laid out, filled with all kinds of food Fei Yu had never seen.

The dishes were arranged on exquisite silver trays, even decorated with flowers, emitting enticing aromas.

Fei Yu's eyes lit up instantly, and he hurried over.

After a few salmon yogurt egg tarts, his gloomy mood vanished completely.

Fei Yu, oblivious to others, focused on the delicious feast before him. He ate earnestly, his cheeks slightly puffed, his thick lashes fluttering with each bite.

While Fei Yu was happily eating with his head down, a gentle voice suddenly sounded in front of him.

"Hello, are you alone too?"

"Huh?" Fei Yu looked up at the voice. A handsome man suddenly appeared in front of him and smiled at him.

The man pointed to the seat opposite him and asked, "May I sit here?"

Fei Yu glanced at the empty seats around him, his eyes showing a hint of confusion.

So strange.

With so many empty seats, why did this man insist on sitting next to him?

In the coffee shop, Fei Yu occasionally encountered people like that.

They had already been served coffee and cake, yet they kept calling him over and dragging him into weird conversations.

People are always so weird.

Maybe that seat meant something special to that guy.

"Sure, you can sit." Fei Yu got up politely, picked up his plate, and was about to leave.

The man saw him about to go and quickly stopped him: "Wait, that's not what I meant. You're alone—"

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly frozen.

A tall, imposing man suddenly stepped in front of him.

The man's dark eyes bore down on him from above, his cold, handsome features showing no expression, yet he gave off a clear intimidating vibe.

He parted his lips, his voice hard: "He is not alone."

Author's note:

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Shocking! The reason he almost lost his wife — he nearly had her neutered!