In fact, Ge Xiu really wanted to leave.

He took advantage of Shen Boyan’s absence today to do a lot of things.

After learning the basic setting of this world, Ge Xiu found a hat from Shen Boyan’s closet, covered his ears, hid his tail in the loose pants, and then went straight to the alley where he passed by and transformed last night.

The clothes and schoolbag he hid in the alley last night were still in the same condition as when he left, covered with a layer of dusty fallen leaves and dust, there were no signs of it being discovered by anyone.

Next, Ge Xiu found the residence of his identity based on the correspondence address recorded on Chen Ziyan’s student card.

After briefly exploring the room and flipping through Chen Ziyan’s cell phone in the room, Ge Xiu gained a general understanding of his current identity.

Chen Ziyan’s parents have been working in other city for a long time, they were obviously indifferent to him, leaving Chen Ziyan to live alone in a rented house near the school. He had no close friends, his academic performance was not outstanding and his presence in the class was also very low.

Ge Xiu was quite satisfied with this identity.

At least he didn’t have to worry that his beast characteristics would be accidentally discovered by original owner’s closer family and friends, moreover no one would care too much about his whereabouts.

Immediately afterwards, Ge Xiu sent a leave request to the homeroom teacher and attached a falsified fairly realistic reason.

He returned to Shen Boyan’s apartment, returned the clothes he borrowed and restored the room to its original state.

Ge Xiu had now a basic understanding of the rules and structure of this world, he had also obtained the intelligence and information he wanted. He decided that Chen Ziyan’s current apartment could be also used as his temporary base.

There was no meaning in him staying there any longer.

When night fell, Ge Xiu once again returned to the form of a kitten. He then ran out of the apartment building under the cover of darkness, but happened to see Shen Boyan, who had just returned from school, and the big bag he was carrying in his hand.

Although the night was dark, the name of the pet store printed on the package was still very clearly visible to him.

As if gods and demons were at work, Ge Xiu followed him all the way.

Shen Boyan walked through the empty corridor of the apartment, took out the keys and opened the door.

Immediately afterwards, he was was frozen stunned for a moment, then threw the shopping bag in his hand at the entrance, and quickly run inside to find the missing cat.

In a hurry, he forgot to close the door behind him.

Ge Xiu took advantage of his small black body, hid behind the half-closed door, and quietly watched Shen Boyan from the shadows.

Watching him search in a panic, he suddenly realised the truth in the silence.

The light in the other’s eyes dimmed, like dense and cold ashes engulfing the red hot sparks beneath it, the temperature gradually extinguished, leaving only the icy ruins and lonely destroyed remains.

After seemingly calm and methodical packing everything back and restoring the original state in the room, the teenager with a straight back sat on the edge of the bed.

His eyelids drooped slightly and his face was calm, without the slightest change in his expression.

Ge Xiu watched him look in his direction, the dark eyes hidden under the high brows were shrouded in the shadow of loneliness and indifference, as if he had long been accustomed to this, not a speck of surprise or sadness, only desolate abandoned icy ruins.

Shen Boyan withdrew his gaze.

The little black cat came out of the shadows, squatted on the open space at the entrance and broke the silence:

“Mi.”

Ge Xiu watched Shen Boyan walk towards him.

He squatted down, his stern eyebrows lowered, and he reached out and touched the fluffy head of the little black cat.

Ge Xiu reluctantly rubbed his fingers.

Shen Boyan was startled.

He pursed his lips, his eyes softened, he bent his index finger and gently slid from one side of the kitten’s cheek to its chin, scratching a bit awkwardly.

The cat’s long tail swung relaxedly behind it, it narrowed its eyes, raised its head subconsciously following his movements, and leaned over with its neck raised.

The next second, the other party suddenly widened his eyes, and a pair of emerald green eyes was filled with alertness again.

It shrank back, took a bite from Shen Boyan’s hand, and then turned around and jumped away lightly.

Shen Boyan was not annoyed at all, he stared at the agile moves of the little cat for a while, as majestic as a divine beast*, and then followed it to the door of his room.

*this was most likely a typo but in case it wasn’t i incorporated that into the text

He took out the cat utensils he bought one by one and placed them in the room.

The bag of cat food was torn open and poured into a bowl. The water dispenser for cats on the side was also filled with water and water began to gush out.

Shen Boyan pushed the bowl containing cat food under the cat’s eyes.

The little black cat glanced down with the corner of its eyes condescendingly at the food bowl, then lowered its head slightly, sniffed with the tip of his nose, and then turned its head away with no interest, revealing a very distinct emotion of disgust.

Shen Boyan frowned, took the cat food bag and glanced at the logo on it.

It doesn’t like this brand of cat food?

The clerk said that this was the best sold in their shop, and it was also the favourite type for small kittens.

He tentatively pushed the cat food bowl forward again.

This time, the little black cat’s reaction was even less face-saving.

It turned and jumped away, deftly climbing up the dangling sheets.

Then, it turned around on the pillow mountain that had just been straightened by Shen Boyan, found a comfortable position, lay down comfortably again, and curled itself into a small black ball.

Shen Boyan put the remaining cat food in the cabinet, then walked to the edge of the bed and sat down.

He still lacked any superfluous expression on his face, but there was a slight warmth his slightly lowered dark and deep eyes.

He stretched out his hand and tentatively touched the little black cat’s back again.

Soft and fluffy fur brushed against his palm, and the cat’s small, warm body undulated slightly under his palm with breathing.

The little black cat half-opened its eyes, turned its head and glanced at him, then returned to his previous posture with little interest, and gave a massive yawn.

Pointy tiger teeth and pink tongue flashed by.

——It didn’t bite him this time.

Shen Boyan’s aggressive facial features softened slightly, and the hostile and deep outline formed by the high browbones and deep-set eye sockets was covered by shadows, no longer seeming so cold and terrifying.

He picked up his phone from the living room table and started searching for informations about raising cats.

After reading for a long time, Shen Boyan took the initiative to download a shopping app on his mobile phone for the first time, and then began to order cat food and cat toys on it.

Ge Xiu opened his eyes and stared thoughtfully at the back of the other person sitting beside the bed.

Just now, when he was at the door, he suddenly realized something that he hadn’t noticed before.

According to the background of the world he searched on the Internet, the war started by the lycanthropes was at least thirty years ago, and Shen Boyan was still only a high school student. He belonged to the generation born after the war, however, where did those scars on his body come from?

According to Ge Xiu’s experience, those terrifying layers upon layers of scars with hideous shapes and definitely were not something that could be left by ordinary situations — not even caused overnight.

What happened to Shen Boyan?

What secrets were hidden behind the background of this world?

The reason why he decided to stay was actually because of this consideration — certainly not because he felt that the other was too pitiful.

While thinking, Ge Xiu lowered his head and licked his paws.

After licking it, he realized what he had done under the influence of instincts.

Ge Xiu blinked, stared at his paws and fell into contemplation, then, without guilt, he rubbed his paw on the pillow under him.

Anyway, he’s a cat now, wasn’t he?

Ge Xiu’s ears trembled, and he closed his eyes again as if nothing had happened.

When Shen Boyan put down the phone and turned around, what he saw was this scene — the little black cat rounded itself into a fluffy ball, with his long black tail wrapped around him, and his nose buried in the soft fur of its tail, the pointed ears on the top of the head trembled slightly. It looked only the size of his palm, but it dominated the middle of the entire pillow.

Shen Boyan pondered for a while, stood up, and took out the thin quilt from the closet again.

Then, he opened the shopping software and bought a new pillow.

After tossing around for a while, the night was getting darker.

Shen Boyan finished a simple shower, turned off the light and lay on the bed.

In the darkness, he stretched out his hand toward the pillow in the direction he remembered, and gently stroked the soft back of the cat.

The even breathing of the cat came from his ears, inexplicably reassuring his heart.

Shen Boyan felt his fingertips being licked gently.

He was slightly startled, he felt as if his heart was hit by something, as if a small gap had been cut in the hard wall surrounding it.

The corners of Shen Boyan’s lips curled up silently in the darkness.

He retracted his hand and closed his eyes.

Hearing Shen Boyan’s breathing gradually calm down, Ge Xiu opened his eyes.

In the darkness, a pair of emerald green cat eyes were like faintly shining gems, reflecting the faint light of stars and moon.

Cats could see in the dark.

He stood up quietly, jumped off the pillow, then took small steps and walked quietly to Shen Boyan’s side.

Ge Xiu squatted on Shen Boyan’s shoulders, the tip of his nose came closer, a pair of shimmering green-blue eyes did not blink, carefully examining the collar worn on the other’s neck.

After getting closer, he could feel more clearly the intention contained in the design. Most of the materials of the collar were certain metals, but there were some materials that Ge Xiu was not familiar with. This sight didn’t surprise Ge Xiu in the slightest. A device similar to an electric shock was seen in it — it should be an automatic punishment system set up to prevent the wearer from taking it off without authorization.

However, it is actually difficult to fully understand the structure by observation alone.

He stretched out his paw and tapped lightly on the smooth surface.

The next second, Shen Boyan turned over, and the quilt he covering his body slid down with his movements, simultaneously burying Ge Xiu under it.

Ge Xiu: “…”

Strength of a kitten was too negligible. He spent all his strength trying to break free from the gaps in the quilt, but he couldn’t get rid of the shackles of the heavy fabric.

He gritted his teeth and stared at the man’s face very close to him.

In the end, Ge Xiu resisted the urge to scratch his face twice.

——never mind.

Anyway, he’s a cat now.

He yawned and closed his eyes in the warm blanket.