fever
"Squeak."
The soft sound of the door hinges turning caught Yun Jin's attention. Shen Yi'an walked in carrying a breakfast tray. The fried eggs on the white porcelain plate were still sizzling, and the maple syrup on the pancakes was slowly flowing.
"Uncle..." Xiaohua twisted the hem of her pajamas with her fingers, asking somewhat nervously, "Is Mom in the living room?"
Shen Yi'an paused as he put down the tray. He bent down to open a can of meat for Yun Jin, his voice a little hoarse, "She's in her room, what's wrong?"
While enjoying her canned meat, Yun Jin kept her ears perked up, cautiously listening for any slightly uneasy sounds in the air.
Shen Yi'an accidentally got some meat juice on his hand, so he picked up a tissue and wiped it off.
When Xiaohua's hesitant voice rang out again, the fish in Yunjin's mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
“I was sleeping on the floor last night, but I was in bed this morning,” Xiaohua said absentmindedly, poking at her fried egg with a fork. “Did Mom carry me to bed?”
ah?
Yun Jin's hair stood on end. No way.
She stiffened her neck and slowly turned around, seeing Shen Yi'an take out his phone and swipe the screen.
“It shouldn’t be. She went out after we had a fight,” he said, looking at the screen and coughing a few times. “She didn’t come back until after 3 a.m.
A sudden silence, like spreading ice, froze the entire room. Xiao Hua's eyes were full of confusion, while Yun Jin quietly moved behind the curtains, as if she wanted to slip away.
“Moreover, the surveillance footage only shows Xiaoyun running out; no outsiders came in.” Shen Yi’an’s gaze fell on Yun Jin.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
The sudden barking of the dog made Yun Jin instantly burst into a ball of bubbles. She instinctively darted upwards, but was caught steadily by Shen Yi in mid-air.
“It’s just the neighbor’s dog,” he stroked her ruffled fur, “Don’t be afraid, it can’t get in.”
"Maybe I remembered wrong," Xiaohua said, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes, as she ate a few bites of breakfast.
Yun Jin finally felt relieved.
"Uncle, is your throat sore?" Xiaohua looked up and changed the subject.
Yun Jin also looked up at his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Shen Yi'an was slightly taken aback, then lowered his head and coughed twice to cover up the discomfort in his throat. He reached out and rubbed the top of her head: "I'm fine, you should eat quickly. You still need to go to the teacher for tutoring later."
After a while, he asked again, "Has she been taking you to class on time lately?"
Xiaohua paused for a moment, her eyes lowered, and she gently shook her head without saying a word, simply picking at the fried eggs on her plate.
Shen Yi'an's eyes were dark, and a trace of unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes, but he quickly adjusted his expression, and the familiar smile still remained on his lips.
Xiao Hua buried her head in her food, her cheeks puffed out, like a cute little squirrel.
"Ring ring ring".
The ringing of the cell phone broke the silence of the room. Shen Yi'an released his hand from stroking Yun Jin. Yun Jin lightly leaped onto the bay window, her fluffy tail swaying gently as she looked out at the garden.
"Hello?" Shen Yi'an answered the phone, his voice steady.
"Hello, Teacher Shen, this is Yun Chen." Yun Jin's familiar voice came through the receiver. "I wanted to ask how my little Yun is doing?"
Yun Jin, who had been lazily lying by the window, suddenly perked up her ears and straightened her fluffy tail slightly.
“It’s very good,” Shen Yi’an said, his gaze falling on Yun Jin and a slight smile playing on his lips. “I took it to the audition the day before yesterday, and it performed very professionally. The director was very satisfied.”
"So... do you have any filming scheduled for today?"
Shen Yi'an frowned almost imperceptibly. "Not for now. There's been a problem with the production team, so filming will be postponed for a few days."
Yun Jin's whiskers twitched happily; she could finally catch her breath! Maintaining cat form for photoshoots on set all day would kill her.
On the other end of the phone, Yun Chen's voice was hesitant: "In that case, can I bring her back to rest? Xiao Yun is actually very attached to her home, and I'm worried about her..."
"No, no!" A clear child's voice suddenly broke in. Xiao Hua, who had just changed her clothes, rushed into the room and hugged Yun Jin tightly. "Xiao Yun wants to sleep with me!"
"Meow meow meow meow—I'll go back during the day and come back at night." Yun Jin quickly rubbed her head against Xiao Hua's wrist, her meows much louder than usual, so that Yun Chen could hear her.
Shen Yi'an watched the two, a person and a cat, making a ruckus, and gently rubbed his temple with his index finger.
Yun Chen's soft laughter came through the phone: "How about this, I'll pick her up from school during the day and bring her over in the evening?"
“Okay, I’ll have Yan Fei pick up Xiaoyun.” Shen Yi’an’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.
After hanging up the phone, Xiaohua buried her face in Yunjin's fluffy fur and said in a muffled voice, "You must come back tonight."
Yun Jin turned her head and licked the back of the girl's hand, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes.
"Xiaohua, are you ready? Otherwise you'll be late." Shen Yi'an looked at the time displayed on the lock screen.
He frowned slightly, looked up at Xiaohua, who was hurriedly stuffing her sketchbook into her schoolbag.
"Almost done!" The little girl hurriedly put on her shoes and grabbed the water bottle strap, hanging it diagonally around her neck.
Just before leaving, she suddenly turned around, ran back to her room, and hugged Yun Jin, who was squatting on the bay window, saying, "Xiao Yun, you must wait for me!"
Yun Jin was rubbed so much that she was knocked off balance, and her pink paw pads helplessly pressed against Xiao Hua's face.
Only after the door clicked shut did Yun Jin finally let out a long breath. She couldn't wait to share the shocking news with Yun Chen, and just thinking about it made her tail wag uncontrollably.
Immediately, a familiar gray sedan slowly pulled up to the side of the road, and Yan Fei quickly got out and entered the villa.
"Why are you in such a hurry today?" Yan Fei asked with a smile as he picked up Yun Jin. "I ran over as soon as Teacher Shen gave the order."
Shen Yi'an sat on the bed without saying a word, and waved his hand to signal Yan Fei to leave.
After getting into the car, Yun Jin was scratching at the window with her paws, staring intently ahead.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows inside the car. As the vehicle approached Yun Chen's residential area, Yun Jin's ears twitched slightly, as if she were anticipating something.
Sure enough, Yun Chen was waiting for her at the door.
"Sis, are you alright?" Yun Chen asked, looking at Yun Jin sprawled on the bed in a starfish position, somewhat worried.
Yun Jin twitched her ears and suddenly lowered her voice: "I'm telling you, I've heard some shocking gossip."
She glanced warily at the closed door. "Xie Xinrou has a daughter whose father's surname is Zhang, and Shen Yi'an... is very likely the other man."
With a "thud," Yun Chen's phone fell to the ground. Her eyes and mouth widened, and she couldn't utter a word.
The sparrows outside the window chirped and flitted across the treetops, making the room seem even quieter.
"Wait a minute..." After a long while, Yun Chen finally found his voice, "Xie Xinrou... is she the one who debuted at the same time as Shen Yi'an and is in the same company?"
“That’s right,” Yun Jin sat up, “After their big fight, Xie Xinrou is now living at Shen Yi’an’s house.”
Yun Chen gasped: "So you insist on going back... just to continue watching the drama unfold?"
“No, it’s because of their child—Zhang Xiaohua,” Yun Jin’s face suddenly turned serious as she recounted the whole story in detail.
As Yun Jin continued her story, Yun Chen's smile gradually froze. She unconsciously gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast long, long shadows of the two people, and only the ticking of the wall clock remained in the room.
Upon hearing this, Yun Chen was at a loss for words.
Silence spread through the room.
"Alright, sis, you should get some rest," Yun Chen stood up. "But I also need to take care of your health; you can't stay in cat form forever..."
"I understand." Yun Jin interrupted her directly, then rolled over and into the fluffy quilt.
A rustling sound came from under the covers, and a moment later, a slender hand reached out from under the covers and precisely touched the cell phone on the bedside table.
Seeing this, Yun Chen shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help but smile.
Having fully regained her human form, Yun Jin was comfortably scrolling through social media, her chin resting on a soft pillow, her long, black hair cascading down like a waterfall.
As a cat, she always had to restrain herself from playing on her phone, since no normal cat would be interested in staring at an electronic screen for a long time.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but squint her eyes. Turning into a cat did have an unexpected benefit: it reduced the time spent looking at the screen, and even improved her eyesight considerably.
She heard the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window, stretched, and casually switched her phone to eye protection mode.
——
As night fell, Yan Fei arrived on time to pick up Yun Jin.
The streetlights formed a flowing ribbon of light outside the car window. Yun Jin leaned against the window, gazing at the gradually clearer outline of the villa in the night.
When Yan Fei opened the door while carrying Yun Jin, he found the living room completely dark, with only one room slightly ajar, letting in a sliver of light.
"This guy..." Yan Fei muttered under his breath, carrying Yun Jin upstairs with practiced ease.
Pushing open the half-closed door, one could see Shen Yi'an curled up on the bed, her cheeks flushed an unnatural red. On the bedside table were scattered fever-reducing medicine and a glass of water, and several pieces of the aluminum foil on the medicine box had been pried off.
"He finally collapsed." Yan Fei sighed and reached out to feel Shen Yi'an's forehead. "He's burning up like this and still trying to tough it out? Let's go to the hospital."
Shen Yi'an shook his head groggily, his hair sticking to his forehead with sweat: "No need... I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, and his breathing had a distinct nasal quality.
Yan Fei looked at Shen Yi'an helplessly: "Then I'll cancel your schedule for tomorrow night, so you can get some rest tomorrow."
"Thanks."
Yun Jin heard Yan Fei let out a very soft sigh.
"I'm leaving now."
Shen Yi'an nodded.
Yun Jin was carried by Yan Fei to the cat bed to the side, and looked at Shen Yi'an uneasily.
The room gradually quieted down, leaving only Shen Yi'an's heavy breathing.
Yun Jin cautiously approached the bedside, her eyes gleaming with worry in the darkness.
Shen Yi'an's condition was worse than she had imagined. His lips were pale, his brows were furrowed, and he was trembling slightly.
"Meow meow—are you alright?" she called tentatively, then lightly jumped onto the edge of the bed.
Shen Yi'an seemed to sense something, and barely opened his eyes, his trembling fingers gently touching her hand: "It's okay, I'm okay..."
Yun Jin: You look like you're going to die, brother.
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