Chapter 55 He was not only the starlight she looked up to, but also...

The leaves on the trees along the street turn yellow and fall, creating a long, golden carpet.

Su Cheng wore a light beige thin knitted cardigan, the buttons undone, revealing glimpses of brown and white striped halter neck straps through the open front.

The fitted trousers, matching the color of her top, accentuated her long legs, and the overall Maillard color scheme made her look like a warm, comforting latte.

As she walked, the two dark brown bows along the bottom of her halter top swayed gently with her steps, adding a touch of playfulness and liveliness to her gentle and elegant outfit.

Of the four seasons, she likes autumn the most, with its refreshing frost and cool breezes that prevent her from feeling stuffy and sweaty, and also eliminate the need to bundle up tightly.

The fallen leaves rustled under her feet as she returned to the familiar Huiju Mall.

The last adoption event was held here.

From that day on, her life trajectory quietly changed.

She scrolled through her phone's photo album, which was overflowing with video footage; even 512GB of storage was almost not enough.

As you slide your fingertips, the timeline keeps rewinding, and the fuzzy memories begin to flow backward.

She started making short videos by riding the wave of Decepticon's popularity, simply wanting to do her part to help the rescue center attract more attention and give these little ones a better future.

Unexpectedly, this silver shaded dog that "slept wherever it fell down" not only became the starting point for her creations, but also promoted the spread of the "adopt, don't shop" concept. More and more people began to pay attention to the issue of stray animals and even took the initiative to participate in rescue operations.

Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with laughter. She scrolled back to the clips she had recorded when she was practicing filming at Jiang Muzhou's house.

She clicked on each video to rewatch it, and Yuanbao obediently lay on the computer case as a cat model, while she frantically adjusted the camera, not even understanding the most basic focus and exposure.

In the center of the screen, Yuanbao's round little belly rose and fell with her breathing. Suddenly the lights went out, and her and Jiang Muzhou's faces appeared on the screen unexpectedly.

Her fingers curled up unconsciously, and she remembered that there was this forgotten interlude that followed.

She pressed the pause button.

No wonder photography is said to be an art of narrative trickery.

It was clearly a hug that didn't exist, but it looked as if she was being held tightly in Jiang Muzhou's arms.

She opened her mouth slightly in surprise, while he lowered his eyes, seemingly looking at something.

His bone structure is exceptionally superior, especially in this dim light, where the lines of his brow bone and nose bridge seem to be coated with a soft glow, making his features deep, distinct, and exceptionally three-dimensional.

Those bright, dark eyes reflected the dim light of the screen, their gentle gaze brimming with tenderness.

Su Cheng repeatedly dragged the progress bar, zooming in on the image and then zooming out again.

In a daze, it seemed that for a fleeting moment, those peach blossom eyes had looked directly at the camera, just a second before his arm loosely encircled her.

The image freezes again.

My fingertips traced the corners of his slightly upturned mouth, the faint curve suggesting a smile.

Was it intentional?

Many times, she wanted to ask: Jiang Muzhou, am I special in your heart?

She pressed the screenshot button and opened the chat window in WeChat with the message "[ease]".

The chat history still showed her feigned serious instruction before leaving: "[Don't come to the scene, get some rest!]"

He replied with a cat shrugging emoji, followed by the message "[Yes, ma'am]".

It's unclear when exactly, but Jiang Muzhou has started to change.

When he first moved in, he always wore a meticulous white shirt and suit pants. Now, although his wardrobe is still mainly black, white and gray, it has more simple and comfortable printed T-shirts.

For example, someone who used to not even know how to use emojis suddenly started stealing her emojis.

That cloud, once so far away, has now become real and vivid.

She smiled gently.

Now, she doesn't want to ask that question anymore.

Because no matter what the answer is, she wants to tell him: Jiang Muzhou, you have always been the most special person in my heart.

With a tap of her finger, she set the screenshot she had just taken as the current chat background.

The screen lit up and then dimmed, revealing the slight upturn of her lips.

"Ease" means to feel at ease.

Just like in high school, whenever she could catch a glimpse of his profile, she would feel inexplicably at ease, as if she had the courage to face anything.

Now, he is not only the star she looks up to, but also the source of her confidence to go out and explore.

It was this sense of security that gave her the courage to turn those wild ideas into reality.

From the initial short video account to the subsequent sales of related products, from setting up a public welfare zone for the "Mu Yi Cheng Zhou" bomb disposal project to developing the wildly popular "Fluffy Team" mini-program, those vague ideas that were once just prototypes have now truly come to fruition.

The most beautiful part of loving someone is meeting a better version of yourself through that love.

Su Cheng looked up. The October sun had lost the scorching heat of midsummer, but it was still just the right amount of warm.

On the glass curtain wall of the Huiju Mall, there is a huge adoption poster, which is covered with cute images of kittens waiting to be adopted from the rescue station.

This was a free public service advertising space that Fang Xin'ai specially contacted a media company to secure.

In stark contrast to the lackluster scene of the last event, Su Cheng promoted the event in advance on her video account, attracting the attention of many kind-hearted people in the early stages of the publicity.

She also secured a sponsorship from a cat food brand, which promised to provide each adopter with six months' worth of cat food as a "dowry" for the kitten.

As Su Cheng passed through the mall entrance, she noticed a long queue had already formed. Some people were carrying eco-friendly bags printed with square heads, while others had tassel badges with Huajuan's head on their bags. They must have come to participate because of the event.

After all, the flower language associated with stray cats is "first come, first served."

Su Cheng entered the atrium on the first floor through the employee entrance, where she was greeted by the venue that they had carefully prepared in advance.

A prominent display board stands in the center, with each cat's official headshot accompanied by a unique personality label: some are labeled "elegant lady," others "a master of eating," and each comes with its own personality radar chart.

The west side is a specially designated photo area, filled with various merchandise designed by the rescue station. Each item has a QR code underneath, which can be scanned to go directly to the store and place an order.

The background wall is covered with adorable photos of the "veteran staff," documenting the lives of every homeless child who has lived at the shelter.

The core "Cat's Delight Exhibition Area" is enclosed by retractable belts on the east side, with three rows of widened booths covered with dark blue velvet fabric arranged in a U-shape.

The process for this event has been upgraded and improved. Prospective adopters need to have their documents reviewed outside the venue first. After the review is approved, they will receive a volunteer form. After disinfection, they will be accompanied by a dedicated person to see and select cats.

Su Cheng inspected the venue inside and out, and only sat down at the review table after confirming that there were no safety hazards.

Today, as usual, she was in charge of the review work.

She took out a thick stack of newly printed forms from her bag. The volunteer forms and adoption agreements had been revised, and the terms were more comprehensive than before.

She also made a prominent sign that clearly listed the list of review materials that had been announced on the video account and the official account, including proof of income and videos of the windows of the house.

Lin Yang and Wu Xin led the new members of the club to arrive one after another. Each of them carried a cat carrier containing kittens waiting to be adopted, and their young faces were full of energetic smiles.

Looking at them, Su Cheng couldn't help but recall how she looked when she first entered school, just as naive and inexperienced, and just as full of enthusiasm.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared from the crowd.

"Senior!" The girl with the ponytail's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace towards Su Cheng, clutching the cat-shaped bag on her chest.

Through the mesh, Su Cheng saw a small black and white head; it was Fufu, the black and white cat.

"I was instantly charmed by Fufu the moment I saw her at the pet hospital that day!" The girl's eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help but stick out her tongue. "I originally wanted to sneak her home through the back door, but my little darling gets all pricked up as soon as she smells a cat, so I had to give up."

Su Cheng chuckled, "Maybe the dog is afraid of losing favor and is jealous."

She gave a few examples she had learned in class and gently suggested, "Actually, many dogs can become good friends with cats. If you still want to raise a cat in the future, you can gradually introduce it to other cats."

As the two were talking, it was time for the mall to open.

As the crowd poured in, many headed straight for the booth with a clear purpose.

Personality assessment is an important part of the stray cat rescue process.

Some cats are naturally docile and affectionate, making them model students of "cat etiquette academy" and ideal for adoption.

If someone lacks a bit of cat-like virtue but is clever enough, they can still cram at the last minute, pretend for five minutes, and enjoy wealth and honor for fifteen years.

As for some kittens that are willing to throw away any food container for the sake of freedom, their nature will be respected, and they will be released back into the wild in a suitable area after being spayed or neutered.

This family of six calico cats are all "grateful kittens," and they'll let you pet and cuddle them as much as you want with a few treats. They're definitely best-sellers in the secondhand cat market.

It was only noon, and all four kittens, nicknamed "Copy and Paste," had found new homes.

But adult cats aren't so lucky.

After finishing the registration work, Su Cheng went to help in the exhibition area.

A girl wearing a hooded sweatshirt stopped in front of Miao Xiangyu's cat bag.

The boy who was responsible for taking care of Miao Xiangyu had been neglected all morning. Seeing that someone was interested in Miao Xiangyu, he quickly unzipped the cat carrier.

Miao Xiangyu also knew how to seize opportunities. As soon as someone reached out their hand, it rubbed against the palm and rolled over on its belly, a series of cute and charming moves that made the girl in the hoodie very happy.

The boy seized the opportunity and immediately picked up Miao Xiangyu and placed her in the girl's arms.

Miao Xiangyu seemed to understand that this was an opportunity to change her fate, and obediently rested her little head on the girl's shoulder, instantly melting her heart.

“Few people are willing to give an adult cat a chance.” The boy said with emotion as he looked at the loving scene between the man and the cat. “To it, you are its destined family.”

Seeing that the girl was somewhat moved, the boy decided to unleash his ultimate weapon, telling its story, "It must have had a home before, but somehow it was abandoned. It's incredibly well-behaved, it even knows how to use the litter box, you don't have to worry about it at all..."

The railing behind the boy suddenly collapsed.

A short-haired pregnant woman, her belly protruding, was bending down to help someone.

Seeing this, Su Cheng quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Let me do it."

She deftly lifted the railing seat, and as she turned to leave, the pregnant woman grabbed her arm.

"Wait a moment!"