Chapter 521 - 520: IF Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 89

Chapter 521: Chapter 520: IF Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 89

Shi Lan’s pupils constricted. Shock was plain in her eyes, and she couldn’t help but blink.

She was in a daze, wondering if she’d gotten the wrong person. After all, Ye Ming was supposed to be at Capital University. Why would he suddenly show up at L City University of Technology?

Besides, Capital University was widely recognized as the top-ranked university in the country. It made no sense for Ye Ming to be here.

She was so surprised that she completely forgot to help Ye Ming pick up his books.

Ye Ming didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he felt the whole thing was his fault.

He had been on his way to the library to return some books when he saw Shi Lan’s profile from a distance and spaced out for a moment.

It wasn’t because she was particularly beautiful, but because he felt an indescribable sense of familiarity about her.

Now, as he picked up his books, he looked at Shi Lan up close. The feeling hadn’t faded; if anything, it had grown stronger. Her eyes, in particular... he felt like he’d seen them somewhere before. It was so strong that Ye Ming couldn’t help but ask, "Hi. Excuse me, have we met before?"

Shi Lan snapped back to reality. She hadn’t even had a chance to process the shock that it was really Ye Ming when his question made her heart skip a beat. She pursed her lips, inexplicably nervous.

’Ye Ming can’t possibly know that I’m Fei Mo, can he?’

She hesitated for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "You must have me confused with someone else. We’ve never met."

"Oh."

Ye Ming gave a slow nod, his gentle eyes looking at her reassuringly. "Please don’t be nervous. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just... you have a very kind and familiar face."

"I saw you waiting by the library entrance. Did you forget your student ID? Do you need me to get you in?"

"Oh, no, that’s okay, thank you. I graduated a while ago, so I don’t have a student ID."

Shi Lan quickly shook her head. She didn’t want to trouble Ye Ming, and besides, she was just here to look around, not to go inside.

’Ye Ming is such a nice person, though,’ she thought. ’Offering to help a stranger like that.’

Shi Lan reflected for a moment, and remembering what had just happened, she said again, "Sorry again for bumping into you."

Ye Ming once again told her it was nothing.

After that, with nothing left to say, Shi Lan gave him a small smile and quickly walked away.

After she left, Ye Ming stared after her, his expression still puzzled.

He still felt that she was incredibly familiar, but on second thought, she was right—they had never met.

Ye Ming didn’t know where this strange sense of familiarity came from. And he wasn’t really the kind-hearted person Shi Lan imagined him to be.

He had taught at Capital University before, where the students were well aware of his formidable classroom reputation and didn’t dare pursue or pester him. But after coming to this university, Ye Ming had attracted quite a few admirers.

In a way, he now did his best to avoid female students. And yet, the sense of familiarity he got from Shi Lan had compelled him to approach her.

He realized with a pang of regret that in his surprise, he had forgotten to ask for her contact information. But when he looked again, she was already gone.

Ye Ming pursed his lips in disappointment. Clutching his books tighter, he stopped dwelling on it and headed into the library.

Shi Lan chalked the encounter with Ye Ming up to a minor incident. While she was curious about why he was studying here now, she knew Ye Ming was smart. She trusted he knew what he was doing, so it wasn’t her place to worry.

’Still,’ she mused, ’I never used to run into so many handsome guys. Ever since I was a cat, my luck with them has gotten better and better. I’ve seen them all, one after another—everyone except Mu Tangfeng.’

Of course, she was less worried about Ye Ming. He was different from the others—more reserved, and a total bookworm. He probably wasn’t too interested in things like romance. So, barring any strange coincidences, they would likely never see each other again.

Little did Shi Lan know, her cat was becoming a revolving door for these men, and there was no stopping it. In fact, the very next morning, Ye Ming suddenly found himself inside Ping’an’s body.

At that moment, Shi Lan was in the kitchen making breakfast. Ye Ming looked down to see a cat food bowl in front of him, licked completely clean.

Confusion flickered in his eyes. He tilted his head, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The door and furniture now seemed enormous from his perspective, making him think he was dreaming.

And yet, it all felt so real.

A moment later, Ye Ming realized he had become a black cat. He looked a little like Fei Mo, but Fei Mo’s paws were white.

Ye Ming couldn’t resist lifting a front paw. Since Ping’an had a disabled leg, his body was instantly thrown off balance. His head slammed into the ground, and he ended up in a position that resembled a full prostration.

Ye Ming lay pressed against the cool floor. The fur around his face tickled with every breath, and the tangible sensations all around him served as a stark reminder: this was not a dream.

Ever since Yan Huoshui had told him about Fei Mo’s soul, Ye Ming’s tolerance for things that couldn’t be explained by science had grown considerably.

Even so, as a modern man—and a well-read intellectual at that—he was still utterly shocked.

It took him a long while to collect himself. He struggled to find his footing on the disabled paw and managed to stand up.

He practiced walking in the pet area for a bit. Once he was sure he could move without issue, he headed toward the kitchen, drawn by the sounds coming from inside.

In the kitchen, Shi Lan had nearly finished preparing breakfast.

She was busy scrubbing a pan with her back to the door. Since cats walk silently, she didn’t notice him staring at her from the entryway.

But when Ye Ming saw her back, he froze. He was even more stunned than when he’d discovered he had become a cat.

He had run into her again—the girl he regretted not getting to know better yesterday.

A flicker of joy, one he himself hadn’t noticed, crossed Ye Ming’s eyes. He stood quietly in the doorway, watching her. It wasn’t until Shi Lan finished cleaning the stovetop and turned to see him that she spoke gently, "Oh, has Ping’an come to see Mama again?"

She wiped her hands, walked over to pat his little head, and savored the simple joy of stroking his soft fur. Then she washed her hands again before getting her breakfast.

Ye Ming stood in the corner of the doorway watching her. When she stroked him, an indescribable shiver ran through his body.

The sensation made him feel strangely comfortable, yet also guilty.

She had no idea that a human soul was inside this cat’s body, yet she was interacting with him so intimately, as if he were just an animal.

Ye Ming felt like he was taking advantage of her. It was true he felt a strange sense of familiarity with Shi Lan, but he didn’t want to get close to her like this. He wanted to face her openly and honestly.

So, after Shi Lan went to the sofa to eat her breakfast, he walked right over and jumped up beside her.

Shi Lan tore her eyes away from the TV, and her gentle, affectionate gaze landed on him.

Just as she reached out to pet Ping’an again, Ye Ming scrambled back in a slight panic. Then, to Shi Lan’s utter confusion, he precisely pressed the power button on the nearby TV remote with his paw.

Shi Lan assumed Ping’an had hit it by accident. With a small sigh, she picked up the remote. "Be good, Ping’an. Don’t play with the remote, okay? Mama wants to watch TV."

Ye Ming shook his head and stared intently at her.

For a second, Shi Lan almost thought Ping’an had understood her. But then she told herself she was just imagining things.