Childhood Memories
Yun Jin remembers a short-haired girl among the young audience members who always admired her.
Her name is Qin Yi. Her parents died in an accident. Although she has other relatives, no one wants to take on this troublesome person.
Qin Yi always sat in the front row when watching performances, with a worn-out rabbit doll on her lap. She always clapped extra hard, and wouldn't stop even when her palms turned red.
While the other children slipped away, she remained sitting upright, her eyes sparkling, as if she were watching some amazing performance.
“I think you should become a star,” she said to Yun Jin, blinking her big eyes, “and then film lots and lots of TV dramas so I can see you on TV every day.”
Sunlight shone from behind her, and as she spoke, Yun Jin felt she was like an angel.
Yun Jin was braiding a new headdress for her performance with colorful rubber bands when she heard this. She paused for a few seconds and said modestly, "I can't do it. Being an actress is very difficult. You have to read a lot of books and learn to dance..."
"You're so smart, you can definitely do it," Qin Yi said firmly, grasping Yun Jin's hand.
Yun Jin felt embarrassed by what was said and lowered her head, but she couldn't help but smile.
At night, their mother would come to the empty room to teach Yun Jin and her sister. She would responsibly instruct them to be aware of their role as cat demons.
But Yun Jin interrupted her, telling her mother that she wanted to be an actress and film TV dramas.
After hearing this, Jin Tong remained silent in the darkness for a long time. Moonlight squeezed into the room from behind her, gilding her silhouette with a silver edge. She sat on the windowsill, her tail drooping down.
“You can pretend to live like a human,” she finally spoke after a long pause, her voice low, “but you can’t do that as an actor.”
Yun Jin's ears snapped back, her tail bristled, and she retorted defiantly, "Why? No one can tell I'm a cat demon. I have the same body as them, the same..."
"Smack!"
Suddenly, the mother's hand slammed heavily on the windowsill, raising dust in the cool moonlight as if it were snowing lightly.
“Mother…” Yun Chen mustered her courage and stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly, “My sister loves acting… her eyes always sparkle when she performs…”
The mother turned her head, and Jin Tong's gaze shifted from Yun Jin to Yun Chen. The kitten immediately shrank her neck, but she did not back down.
“It’s different, my children. Cat demons are not like humans. Humans don’t like things that are half-human and half-cat.” The mother’s voice was frighteningly cold.
“They prefer cats to cat demons,” the mother said, emphasizing each word, “furry, silent pets that belong entirely to them.”
The mother leaped off the windowsill, her figure completely enveloping Yun Jin. "No human would accept a cat demon."
"No way! I'll prove it to you, it's not like that!" Faced with her mother's stern expression, Yun Jin took a few steps back and ran away.
At the same time, a dangerous thought popped into her mind.
——
The next day, sunlight streamed through the dilapidated window, cicadas chirped incessantly in the nearby trees, and a small figure stood beneath one of them.
Qin Yi's little leather shoes trod through the thick dust, leaving a clear trail of footprints behind her, while the rabbit doll in her arms swayed with each step.
"What do you want to see?" Qin Yi looked around the empty house. "This place is quite scary."
The echo from the empty room made her voice very loud, startling Yun Jin, who quickly raised her finger and said, "Shh—"
"It's a secret of mine, and you can't tell anyone else, okay?" Yun Jin said nervously, twisting the hem of her clothes with her hands.
"I swear, I definitely won't tell anyone. If I do, I'm a dog." Qin Yi raised one hand and solemnly swore.
“…Actually…I am…a cat.” Yun Jin’s palms were sweaty, her breathing quickened, and she anxiously observed Qin Yi’s expression.
"Huh?" Qin Yi chuckled, picked up the rabbit doll and said, "Then I am a rabbit, what's so secret about that?"
Yun Jin sighed; once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.
Then her figure suddenly shrank, and soon a kitten appeared.
Qin Yi rubbed her eyes in disbelief, then fell backward to the ground with a thud. Her mouth was half open, but she couldn't speak. The rabbit doll in her hand fell to the ground, covered in dust, and its ears drooped limply.
"You...how could you..." Qin Yi's face turned pale. "Help...help me! Monster!"
Qin Yi's voice became shrill and distorted. She crawled backward on all fours, her clothes covered in dust, until her back hit the wall and she stopped.
Yun Jin was struck dumb, standing there motionless, her furry cat paws dangling in mid-air, still in a gesture of wanting to help herself up.
Yun Jin's ears trembled as they pressed against her scalp, and a whimper-like sound escaped her throat: "...Qin Yi?"
The figure running in from under the tree was Yun Chen.
"What are you yelling about?" Yun Chen crouched down, his hand firmly supporting Qin Yi's trembling shoulders, his voice as light as ever, "What happened?"
“Yun Jin… Yun Jin is a cat.” Qin Yi’s icy hands gripped Yun Chen’s sleeve tightly.
She pointed to the corner, but then froze.
The sunlight shone emptily on the floor; there was no cat in sight. Yun Jin stood perfectly fine by the window, but her face was terribly pale.
"What cat? Yun Jin is standing there perfectly fine, isn't she?" Yun Chen asked in confusion.
"But Yun Jin just said herself that she is a cat," Qin Yi said, somewhat frightened.
"Ah, Yun Jin is doing a magic trick for you. She did it for me yesterday, and I was quite startled too." Yun Chen picked up the fallen rabbit doll, gently brushed off the dust, and returned it to her.
"But I clearly saw it..." Qin Yi muttered blankly to herself.
"Oh dear, your forehead is burning hot. I'll take you to find your teacher." Yun Chen reached out to touch Qin Yi's forehead, then hurriedly pulled her out of the room.
Yun Jin was the only one left in the empty room. Sweat clung to her back, and she shivered from the cold when the wind blew.
"I'm sorry, Mother, I was wrong." Yun Jin knelt on the ground, her tears falling into the dust and forming small dark dots. She bit her lip tightly, but sobs still escaped, echoing in the empty room.
After that incident, the dean quietly suppressed it. Qin Yi had a high fever for several days in a row, and was delirious with fever. In the end, she was taken away by her relatives.
A few days later, the dean told Yun Jin, "She's alright now." Yun Jin simply nodded.
When her mother heard about it, she beat Yun Jin. Yun Jin didn't say a word, only whispering "It hurts" a few times when Yun Chen helped apply the medicine.
From then on, Yun Jin was like a different person. She no longer loved to go to crowded places like before, but learned to hide herself away.
After starting school, the back row of the classroom and the shade under the trees in the corner of the playground became her favorite places to stay. The sun still shone on the campus every day, and everything was the same as before, with nothing happening.
"Click—" The sound of the camera, accompanied by a blinding flash, abruptly pulled Yun Jin out of her dream.
She suddenly opened her eyes, and what came into view was Shen Yi'an's smiling face.
With a "smack," Yun Jin's Meow Meow Fist struck again, landing solidly on his forehead. The force wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make him hiss and gasp, clutching his head and shrinking back, almost knocking over the unfolded script.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Shen Yi'an rubbed the red spot where he had been hit, grinning as he tried to explain, "I really didn't mean to, I just took one picture..."
Yun Jin glanced at the lit phone screen, and the next second her pupils dilated in shock. In the photo, her eyes were half-open, a small part of her tongue was sticking out from the corner of her mouth, and the whole cat was sprawled out in the cat bed.
"Meow—how could you take such an ugly picture of me?" Yun Jin prepared to unleash another set of meow punches.
Unfortunately, Shen Yi'an escaped, unable to suppress his laughter as he said, "They're all beautiful, really beautiful photos."
Just as Yun Jin was about to punish him, the car door was pushed open with a "bang," and Yan Fei rushed in, waving a shooting schedule in his hand.
"Shen Yi'an, why—why aren't you answering my calls again?" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice tinged with embarrassment.
Shen Yi'an looked at his work phone, which had several red missed calls: "Sorry."
After saying that, Shen Yi'an scooped up the still sulking Yun Jin, slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and strode out.
The atmosphere on set was clearly tense from the waiting.
As soon as Zhang Shuo saw Shen Yi'an, he drawled out his words and deliberately raised his voice: "Oh my—big star, so busy? Did you lose track of time while reading the script?"
As he spoke, he gestured to those around him, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Lu Xuan immediately chimed in, his smile carrying a deeper meaning: "What script? Teacher Shen isn't being fair; why didn't you tell us?"
"That big production that's been all the rage in the industry lately," Zhang Shuo said, lowering his voice mysteriously, but just enough for those around him to hear. Several staff members had already quietly perked up their ears.
Shen Yi'an wore a standard professional smile, his tone gentle yet impeccable: "It was my oversight that I was late. I apologized to the director earlier."
He paused, then casually changed the subject, "As for the script, it's only in the initial screening stage; nothing's decided yet."
"Good things should be shared, we're good friends," Lu Xuan said warmly, putting his arm around Shen Yi'an's shoulder while secretly applying pressure.
"Meow meow meow meow—you stepped on my tail!" Yun Jin poked her head out in pain, barely suppressing the urge to bite, and just bared her teeth and hissed at Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan jumped in fright, quickly pulling his hand back and taking two steps back: "Oops! I'm so sorry, Xiaoyun, I didn't see you just now..."
He chuckled dryly and moved a safe distance, while a few suppressed giggles rose from the surrounding area.
"Alright, stop chatting." Liu Li walked over with a cold face, instantly silencing the room.
Her sharp gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Shen Yi'an. "Teacher Shen, the crew's schedule can't be delayed any longer. There won't be a next time."
"Yes, I will remember." Shen Yi'an nodded slightly, his tone sincere.
Yun Jin hugged her big tail and started licking her fur. Why is her tail always so easily injured?
Liu Li glanced at their little actions, said nothing more, turned around and clapped her hands: "Everyone get ready, filming will officially begin in five minutes!"
The tense atmosphere was instantly dispelled, leaving only the orderly preparation for filming.
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