NOVEL NEXT Ch. 8
Chapter 8
Under the quilt, Ai Qing drew a long breath and gave his head a little shake.
Xiao Yu blinked her lovely eyes. She still didn’t seem entirely at home in this body; lying on her side like this, she had no idea what to do next, so she simply stayed quiet and docile, watching him.
Ai Qing made no move to chase her off the bed; he just looked back at her.
Her eyes were beautiful. When they weren’t catching the light like will-o’-the-wisps, they were clear and transparent, innocent and untouched by the world.
Her face was slim, yet it still had the faintest baby-roundness; the curve from cheek to chin wasn’t sharp, but soft and gently rounded.
A small mouth, a small nose—delicate and cute, framed by those huge eyes.
Her snow-white hair was nothing like the wiry grey of age: it was smooth and sleek, as if it had been soaked in warm milk.
Several strands had drifted onto Ai Qing’s face; they tickled, carrying a faint, clean scent.
The hush didn’t last.
Ai Qing had no idea how much time had slipped away—only that, at some point, when he blinked, Xiao Yu was gone... and then Xiao Yu was back.
“Meow~”
Returned to her kitten body, she scampered forward and rubbed her little head against him.
Feeling oddly hollow, Ai Qing stroked her and sighed.
“What am I going to do with you, Xiao Yu?”
“Meow?”
Right—probably too much to ask a kitten for life advice.
Ai Qing groped along the headboard, found his phone still on charge, and woke the screen: 4 AM.
If he went back to sleep now he might manage another two or three hours, but his mind was wide-awake; not a trace of drowsiness remained.
“I’d better get you some clothes first.”
He opened Taobao, typed “girls’ casual wear,” and started scrolling for something cheap but decent.
A minute later he was already stuck.
Because... if he bought clothes, then—well—girls’ underwear... did he have to buy that too?
And to buy anything he’d need her sizes.
And once the stuff arrived, someone had to dress her.
Could a kitten put on clothes by herself?
Ai Qing had his doubts.
He couldn’t exactly dress her himself—could he?!
Tempting as the idea was, every scrap of common decency was screaming at him.
Ugh... tomorrow he’d ask Xiao Youqian how girls’ sizing worked; the rest could wait.
As for how to broach the subject...
Ha—any question too embarrassing to ask in real life could be waved away with the magic words: “research for the novel.”
Still wide-awake, he lay on his side and kept scrolling.
When he finally looked up, his cart held dozens of outfits.
......
6 AM.
Dead on his feet, Ai Qing pushed himself upright.
Ever since Xiao Yu started turning human at night, he hadn’t had a single decent sleep.
He felt wrung-out.
He washed, brushed, then, on an empty stomach, ran through the “Diamond Qigong” routine in the living room.
After breakfast he crashed again and didn’t open his eyes until 10 AM.
He really couldn’t face cooking lunch.
He shuffled to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a vacuum-packed frozen steak, a bowl of pre-cut broccoli, and a chicken breast.
Fine—diet meal it is.
He soaked the broccoli in salted water and set it aside, dropped the sealed steak into a bowl to thaw, then pounded the chicken breast tender, massaged it with cooking wine, light soy, white sugar, honey, and a squeeze of lemon, covered the bowl with cling-film, and left it to marinate.
That way it wouldn’t turn stringy when he seared it.
“Meow~”
Xiao Yu had wandered from the bedroom to the kitchen’s glass sliding door; she stood on her hind legs, paws on the frame, calling inside.
“Patience—lunch isn’t ready.”
He opened the door, fetched a cotton ball from the sideboard, and tossed it across the living-room floor.
She shot after it like a white arrow.
Watching her sleek little body, Ai Qing sighed.
He’d thought his cat had cultivated into a spirit, but apparently the only thing that changed was her shape; inside that girl’s body she was still Xiao Yu the kitten.
No grand “cat demon” fantasy—just a cat soul in borrowed human skin.
Even in human form she couldn’t understand human speech, let alone speak it, and every feline habit came along for the ride.
Take last night...
Ai Qing touched his cheek.
He’d never been kissed by a girl in his life—yet Xiao Yu had licked him.
At least her human tongue had no barbs; it was soft and wet like any girl’s, and one swipe had nearly sent his soul flying out of his body.
Come to think of it, the only cat features she kept in human shape were the ears, the tail, and those mismatched heterochromatic eyes.
Everything else seemed perfectly... normal.
Her hair was white—probably because her fur was snow-white to begin with.
He recalled that when she transformed, even her eyebrows and lashes were silver-white, like some ice spirit out of a fantasy novel.
Which meant if the hair on her head was white, then—then—
Ai Qing slapped both hands over his face to stop that train of thought.
......
Back in the living-room, steak thawing and chicken soaking up flavour, he collapsed on the sofa and opened his phone.
A QQ group pinged him immediately.
[Novice Failing Authors Huddle for Warmth Group]
[Qingshan Xu]: Zhuanjiao’s new book is toast—probably worse than his last one.
[Sugar Dipped in Vinegar]: I read it, thought it was okay... but I’m no expert on dog-food romance.
[Qingshan Xu]: LOL. Last time at least the guy turned into a cat—kinda gimmicky, but it was a cheat system with some hook. This new MC doesn’t even get a cheat. You think he can spin gold out of that?
[Sky Cat Loves Rain]: Chill. He just launched; only a few chapters up. Imagine if he hits the promo list and you don’t—awkward.
[Qingshan Xu]: If we were talking some big-shot, I’d stay quiet—but Zhuanjiao? Best he’ll get is a pity trial promo from his editor, then radio silence.
[Little Ragdoll]: Fight! Fight! @Zhuanjiao Huakai
Ai Qing glanced at the guy called “Qingshan Xu.”
Yeah—same clown whose last book he’d followed before it got axed.
He’d started writing web novels last year mostly because of that train-wreck.
And here the guy was, stirring the pot again.