Chapter 127 Starfall Returns Although everything is fine, it's a little lonely…
The catnip was growing so well that it was astonishing. Shi Wan squatted in the greenhouse, carefully examining the green plants. Then she opened the system to check the growth data in the background. After confirming that everything met the standards, she prepared to start the next phase of her busy work.
She needs to process the catnip.
Harvest and dry them, then make them into new cat toys.
Tangyuan squatted by the worktable and earnestly offered Mi's suggestion, "Wanwan, Mi wants to add a little bit of catnip powder, Mi likes it."
“You seem to know quite a bit.” Shi Wan chuckled, poking his furry forehead. “But you can’t add too much catnip, some cats will have a strong reaction and feel uncomfortable.”
"Then let's try it out in small batches!" Tangyuan puffed out her fluffy little chest, showing a strong scientific spirit. "We can make a few samples first, let the cats try them out, and collect feedback data!"
Shi Wan was amused by him. "Chief, are you trying to turn the farm into a research institution?"
"Keep pace with the times!" Tangyuan said confidently. "Didn't Wanwan say that to build a good brand, we must constantly innovate?"
That's true.
After thinking about it, Shi Wan followed Tang Yuan's suggestion and made several samples of catnip balls with different proportions.
She gave one to each cat and carefully observed their reactions.
Most of the cats hugged the ball, rubbed against it, and rolled around happily, purring loudly.
The little chubby was rather reserved; it simply pulled the ball into its nest, then lay on top of it, squinting its eyes.
Jin Dian also received one. Shi Wan handed it over through the fence, and he carefully took it with his paw. Then he turned to look in the direction of Rou Rou, hesitated for a moment, and gently rolled the ball over there.
Rou Rou looked up at the catnip ball that had rolled in front of her, then at the eager-looking golden spot outside the fence, and then used her paw to push the ball to the little spot's side.
The little spot immediately hugged the ball and began to happily nibble on it.
Golden Dot's eyes lit up, and the entire leopard cat exuded an aura of "so happy he was spinning around." Although he tried to remain composed, his tail was already wagging uncontrollably.
Dog-like and sleazy.
Seeing this scene, Shi Wan's heart melted.
She turned around and went back into the house, took out her phone and filmed a short video of the scene.
There was no voiceover, no subtitles, only sunshine, grass, and the adorable sight of two lazy cats and kittens rolling around with catnip balls inside and outside the fence.
She thought for a moment and added a simple line of text: "Some tenderness needs no words."
Within ten minutes of being posted, it received a flood of likes and comments.
"A professional shipper for 100 years: Oh my god! Jin Dian gave the toy to Rou Rou! Rou Rou gave it to Di Dian! What a mutual, loving family dynamic!"
"Did you see Rou Rou today? Our leopard cat dad is really trying hard to integrate into the family... I'm so touched... I live to see these kinds of things..."
"Raising Little Spot Online Every Day: Our Little Spot is so lucky! She has a gentle mom and a clumsy but loving dad!"
"President of the Tangyuan Fan Club: Am I the only one who noticed the Farmer's proud expression of 'My Farm is the most harmonious place under heaven'? I took a screenshot!"
Shi Wan scrolled through the comments, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.
She suddenly realized that what was most touching about the farm was not its amazing products or its beautiful merchandise, but the real, furry creatures and their stories.
It is also the subtle yet real connections between lives.
She put down her phone and walked to the window.
As the sun sets, the sky is dyed a warm orange-red, the outlines of the distant mountains soften, and the farm is shrouded in twilight, peaceful and beautiful.
The cat head bracelet on her wrist also gleamed warmly in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Xinglin, please come back soon.
I can't wait to show you how well I've taken care of this place.
The next afternoon, Su Qing came from Zone 2 carrying a large bag.
She prepared a batch of samples for collaboration and had them delivered. A high-end pet hotel in the city was interested in the farm's cat food formula and wanted to discuss a customized collaboration.
The negotiations went smoothly, and the contract details were basically finalized. Su Qing brought the documents over for Shi Wan to review, and also sent over samples. She casually asked, "By the way, is that data engineer Xing Lin still on leave?"
Shi Wan paused slightly as she poured tea.
“I’ve left him messages several times, asking for confirmation on some data integration issues, but he hasn’t replied,” Su Qing continued, unaware of Shi Wan’s pause. “Wasn’t he quite responsible before? What happened this time? Why did he take such a long leave?”
A little tea spilled from the cup and landed on the table.
Shi Wan snapped out of her daze and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe herself, her voice low, "He's been quite busy lately, with a lot on his mind, so he hasn't had time for this."
Su Qing finally realized something and looked up at Shi Wan.
Shi Wan lowered her head and wiped the table. Her profile looked particularly quiet, even a little lonely, in the afternoon light.
Su Qing asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Shi Wan raised her head, her usual smile on her face, but something was missing from that smile. "Xing Lin does have some personal matters to attend to, but he'll be back in a few days. Send me the data connection information first, and I'll try to handle it."
Su Qing looked at Shi Wan and didn't ask any further questions.
She gently patted Shi Wan's shoulder, her gesture carrying a silent comfort. "Okay, I'll go back and organize it and send it to you. Don't overwork yourself. The farm is doing so well now. You can talk to me and Chen Xi about anything. Wang Zhizhi always asks me to remind you to eat. We're all here for you."
“I know,” Shi Wan nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”
After seeing Su Qing off, Shi Wan did not immediately return to work.
She sat at her desk, looking at the Xinglin account in the work group chat, whose last login time was several months ago.
Yes, he has been gone for a long time.
So long that Shi Wan had gotten used to checking if her bracelet had warmed up as the first thing she did every morning when she woke up; so long that she began to doubt whether the safety messages she received were just her imagination; so long that she would occasionally talk to herself in the middle of the night as usual, but no one would respond to her anymore.
She reached out and touched the cat head bracelet on her wrist.
The bracelet was warm, as always, but this warmth no longer brought her peace of mind; instead, it brought her an inexplicable anxiety.
Xinglin, when will you finally come back?
She heard Tangyuan calling her from outside the window. Shi Wan took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, got up and went out.
The farm was enveloped in a tranquil twilight at dusk.
Shi Wan was unusually free from busyness.
She sat on the carpet in the activity room, lost in thought, leaning against the soft cushions. Tangyuan was dozing on her lap, Rourou was lying on her side not far away, and four kittens were sleeping soundly around her.
The mountain breeze lingers at the doorway, its ears occasionally twitching, guarding this tranquility.
The familiar ringtone sounded again; Meow Star had sent another new order.
Shi Wan clicked on the order and found it was a large order. The cats seemed to love and welcome the food from her farm, which led to the order volume getting larger and larger. This time, they specially ordered a large quantity of pregnancy cat food and postpartum nutritional food for female cats, with the quality requirements emphasized in the notes.
Normally, Shi Wan would immediately begin to handle the situation, adjust the production line, and arrange for delivery.
But at this moment, looking at the order details on the screen, she inexplicably felt listless.
She put down her phone, leaned back on the cushion, and closed her eyes.
Are you tired?
Actually, it's alright.
The farm's operations are on track, pre-sales in the surrounding area are booming, new collaborations are underway, and everything is moving in a positive direction.
But the person who had planned all of this with her has been out of contact for a long time.
The person who would stay up late with her to check data, who would listen attentively to her stories about each cat, and who would say "You've done a great job" when she was occasionally frustrated.
Sometimes she feels lonely, but the person who always listens to her is no longer there.
Shi Wan raised her hand to cover her eyes.
The cat-head bracelet on her wrist felt warm against her skin, like a silent shadow.
"Starfall," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible, "what exactly are you...?"
Before the words were even finished, the bracelet suddenly felt hot.
It wasn't the usual gentle warmth, but an almost scorching temperature that made Shi Wan instinctively pull her hand away.
She opened her eyes and looked at the bracelet.
The cat's eyes seemed to gleam slightly in the dim light.
Immediately afterwards, the lights in the activity room flickered for a moment.
It was a very slight moment, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.
But Tangyuan immediately raised her head alertly, her heterochromatic eyes shining in the dim light.
Shanfeng also stood up, his ears perked up, and he looked warily toward the doorway.
Shi Wan's heart suddenly began to pound violently.
She slowly stood up and walked to the window.
Night had fallen outside the window, and only a few streetlights were on in the farm, casting a warm glow in the darkness.
Everything seemed the same as usual.
But something in the air is changing.
A subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation is spreading silently.
Shi Wan couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she knew that something was definitely different.
She turned and walked quickly toward the door.
Tangyuan followed at her feet, while Shanfeng walked ahead of her, his ears still perked up, looking very alert and ready to fight at any moment.
Shi Wan pushed open the door and stood under the eaves.
The night breeze was cool, lifting her long hair.
Then she saw it.
The air seemed to distort slightly beneath the osmanthus tree not far away.
It's like the distortion of air caused by a heat wave on a hot afternoon, but much less pronounced.
At the center of the distortion, a tiny, silvery-white light began to gather, initially only the size of a pinhead, then slowly spreading to the size of a fist, and then…
It coalesced into human form.
Shi Wan held her breath.
The light gradually dimmed, outlining a tall and slender silhouette.
He was a young, tall man, wearing a simple black shirt and dark trousers, his short black hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze.
He looked somewhat thin, and his face appeared pale in the moonlight, but he stood very steadily, like a tree that had weathered storms yet remained upright.
What Shi Wan couldn't take her eyes off were his eyes.
Even in the darkness of night, those eyes shone brightly, deep and serene, filled with a reassuring power, and were now intently fixed on her.
Their eyes met.
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