“Sir, have some hot water?”
The young man accepted the cup handed over by the staff, politely saying, “Thank you.”
This was a private psychological counseling center, designed in warm tones, with soft, pleasant music playing in the lobby.
Because it was the weekend, there were twice as many people coming for consultations as usual, either with worried faces or looking anxious.
Compared to them, the quiet and calm young man seemed a bit out of place.
After attending to the other clients, a staff member returned to the front desk and noticed her colleague’s gaze lingering on the young man. She gave her a light pat.
Her colleague snapped back to reality and whispered, “Mr. Wen is really handsome.”
Another person who had just finished filling out the intake form overheard and looked over as well.
The young man was wearing a beige padded trench coat over a simple long-sleeved shirt. His slim, graceful figure extended down to his waist.
Outside the window, the wind blew, causing the dry leaves to rustle. He slightly raised his head, revealing a delicate profile.
He really is good-looking, the person thought.
On the sofa next to the young man sat a mother and daughter; the child looked less than six years old.
Since they arrived, the mother had kept her head down, tightly gripping the child’s wrist, not saying a word.
The child licked her slightly dry lips and reached out to get the hot water on the table.
Her arm was obviously not long enough to reach the cup. She looked to the side for help, saw her mother with a gloomy face, moved her lips but didn’t make a sound.
While she was hesitating, a slender, well-defined hand reached out from the side, handing her the cup of hot water.
The girl was startled for a moment. Meeting the young man’s calm gaze, she said crisply, “Thank you.”
Their brief interaction was noticed by the staff at the front desk, and for a moment, they all felt a bit of pity.
Handsome and gentle—how could someone like him have psychological problems?
After handing the cup to the girl, Wen Xin quietly sat back down.
After a while, he heard the receptionist calling him.
“Mr. Wen, it’s your turn.”
Wen Xin was not here for the first time. Familiar with the place, he easily found the counselor’s office. The previous client had just come out.
He knocked on the door. Hearing a “Come in” from inside, he entered.
The counseling room was warmly decorated, with warm yellow wallpaper, green plants swaying by the window, and even two plush teddy bears on the sofa.
Noticing Wen Xin’s gaze lingering on them, the counselor smiled. “You can hug one if you like.”
Wen Xin did not hesitate and hugged a plush bear into his arms.
It felt like fine, soft fur—different from the black furball he had touched before.
The black furball’s fur was like sharp bristles, slightly hard, much pricklier to the touch.
The counselor opened Wen Xin’s file and began taking notes.
Psychological consultations usually last about an hour, but Wen Xin only needed half an hour because he was very cooperative, answering truthfully whatever the counselor asked.
Except when it came to questions about his family—then he would remain silent.
Wen Xin had no bad habits, and because of his gentle nature—not fighting or competing—he had almost no traits that people would dislike.
But he had always been uncommunicative, finding it hard to establish close and friendly relationships with people. The counselor guessed that his issues probably stemmed from his family.
Therefore, he encouraged Wen Xin to interact more with cute and harmless small animals, and if conditions permitted, to try raising a pet to bring joy to his heart.
Wen Xin listened.
Previously, during one visit, he mentioned a pet store near his home, but in subsequent visits, he talked more about a newly appeared stray black cat in his neighborhood.
Seeing that he was interested, the counselor encouraged him, “If you’re sure it’s an ownerless stray cat and it doesn’t resist your approach, you can bring it home.”
With autumn coming, the weather was rapidly turning cold. Stray animals could easily get sick, and if serious, it could be life-threatening.
Moreover, there was no shortage of psychopaths who took pleasure in abuse. Since the law prevented them from harming people, they turned to harming unattended stray animals, making the survival environment for strays increasingly severe.
These words made Wen Xin become vigilant.
The black furball rarely let him get close. Only once had he touched its fur, which was stained with dried blood scabs.
Wen Xin wasn’t sure if there were wounds hidden under that thick fur.
There were many people coming and going in the neighborhood; most of those feeding cats were retired elderly people. It was impossible to tell who had harmed it.
He considered the idea of raising a cat more seriously. The last time he came, he had already made up his mind to put it into action.
The counselor routinely asked him a few questions, then smiled and asked, “Last time you said you wanted to bring the little black one home. How did that go?”
Wen Xin paused, shook his head, and said, “I talked with it; it’s not very willing.”
An image immediately popped into the counselor’s mind of a person and a cat meowing at each other.
He lightly coughed and followed up, “So how did you communicate with it?”
Wen Xin said, “I asked if it wanted to come home with me.”
Because Wen Xin was so earnest, the counselor imagined him seriously asking the cat and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Wen Xin looked puzzled. “?”
The counselor hurriedly concealed his smile.
He didn’t expect the other party to be quite childlike.
Cats can’t understand human speech; how could it give an answer?
The counselor didn’t point it out, merely said, “Human promises are still too abstract for animals; they can’t feel them. You can use some more tangible invitation methods.”
Wen Xin perked up his ears, humbly asking, “For example?”
The counselor, experienced in recommending pets to others, smiled knowingly. “For example, prepare some cat food or canned cat food.”
*
After autumn began, there were mostly overcast and rainy days; it also got dark faster than in summer.
As Wen Xin walked out of the center, a cold wind blew, ruffling his bangs.
A thin layer of clouds had already accumulated in the sky. Worried that it might rain soon, he quickened his pace toward home.
Walking into the neighborhood garden, Wen Xin noticed that many people were gathered downstairs, noisily looking up.
He followed their gaze and saw a trembling furry little head on a beam between the tall buildings; his expression changed slightly.
Nearby conversations were intermittent, but he roughly pieced together what was happening.
“…The window wasn’t locked properly, and the cat got out. The owner called a cat rescue organization; people came and are trying to figure out how to save it.”
“The wind is strong up there; the cat is scared and won’t move, and it’s too far from the owner’s place. They can only try from the other side, but unfortunately, the residents of that unit are out of town.”
“What can be done? These cat owners don’t even know to close their windows tightly!”
Wen Xin realized that the cat’s location was very close to his own home, just one floor above. Without saying more, he hurried upstairs.
At the door, he ran into the cat owner and the rescue team. They hoped to borrow his window.
“The beam is too narrow; we can’t fit a pet carrier. We’ll have to try climbing up.”
Also, because the beam is narrow and the wind is strong, it’s hard to stand steadily. No one knows how long the cat can hold on.
The cat owner was very anxious and sincerely stated that if Wen Xin was willing to help, he would give him a hundred yuan as a reward.
Wen Xin shook his head, declined, and directly opened the door.
The rescue team had seen the cat’s situation in the video; it wasn’t suitable for a pet carrier, so they had specially brought safety ropes.
They were amateurs. At this height, they could try to rescue the cat without taking risks, but if they couldn’t get the cat down in the end, they would have to call 119.
Seeing someone climb out of the window, whether it was Wen Xin and the others in the room or the crowd watching downstairs, everyone involuntarily held their breath.
At that moment, an accident happened.
Thick clouds gathered, and a flash of purple lightning flickered.
Sensing that something was wrong, Wen Xin quickly moved toward the window. The next second, a deafening thunderclap exploded in the sky.
“Meow!”
The kitten on the beam was immediately frightened, letting out a scream and jumping up.
Even more unfortunate, a strong gust of wind blew.
The rescuer shouted, “Oh no, the cat!”
The cat was blown to the edge of the beam and fell straight down. The rescuer was climbing up, both hands gripping the railing, unable to turn back in time.
The mouths of the people downstairs were slightly open, screams already forming in their throats.
In that critical moment, a pair of hands swiftly and accurately reached out of the window and caught the cat.
“Meow—! Meow meow!”
The cat was terrified, flailing its claws and struggling wildly. Wen Xin’s heart was pounding; his palms were sweaty, but he didn’t care about anything else. His fingertips massaged the scruff of the cat’s neck, continuously soothing it.
Perhaps because all four paws were on solid ground, the frightened kitten finally calmed down.
It smelled a comforting scent on the young man in front of it and couldn’t help but gently lick his chin.
The cat was saved!
The stunned crowd burst into cheers!
“Huanhuan, Huanhuan, my Huanhuan!” (translator note: Huanhuan is the cat’s name)
The cat owner finally came to his senses. Seeing the cat saved, he almost cried with joy and rushed up to hug the cat back into his arms.
But when the cat’s paws moved away, the crisscrossing scratches were immediately revealed.
“Hiss…” The people present drew in sharp breaths.
Wen Xin had pale skin. Working indoors all year round without sunlight made him look even fairer and smoother.
Such skin now had wounds dripping with fresh blood, looking both horrifying and alarming.
In fact, it was quite serious. The frightened kitten had no restraint, leaving at least a dozen scratches.
The cat owner was overwhelmed with guilt and said urgently, “I’m sorry, let me take you to the hospital.”
Wen Xin said, “It’s okay, I’ve had a rabies vaccine.”
He had previously researched that even without being bitten, one could get a rabies vaccine, which provided effective protection for at least six months. On the day he decided to adopt the black furball, he went to get the shot.
But the cat owner was insistent, urging Wen Xin to treat his wounds. “You have so many scratches; at least go to the clinic at the community entrance to get them treated.”
As they went downstairs, Wen Xin felt a hidden gaze lingering on him.
He turned to look back and saw a familiar feline figure atop a tree.
The black furball usually liked to stand in high places, gazing down arrogantly, chin slightly raised, cold and proud.
But at this moment, its eyes were no longer narrow slits but like golden amber, softening slightly as it looked at Wen Xin.
Compared to other cats, the one he had his eye on didn’t seem like a stray from its demeanor.
Ever since he had extended an invitation and was refused last time, the black furball had been avoiding him. Wen Xin hadn’t seen it for several days.
He wanted to approach it, but saw the black furball leap into the garden, disappearing in a few quick moves.
Dark clouds loomed high above, with occasional thunderclaps.
Tonight would be a rainy night.
