Married Off to My Childhood Enigma | Chapter 9 | My Cat is Back | Novela.app

The two of them stepped into the nanny van under the cover of the umbrella, the cramped space instantly sealing out the sound of the rain. Zhu Lili went through her routine, asking a few questions about the dinner gathering and informing Zhou Shu that his flight tomorrow morning might be canceled. At this moment, Zhou Shu had no mental capacity to spare for such things. He gave a distracted, impatient "whatever." Since getting into the car, he could feel that Jin Yan’s mood had been low—depressed, even. Jin Yan had first checked the injury on Zhou Shu’s arm. After confirming it was fine, he sat by the left window, staring out at the passing scenery. Zhou Shu originally had many questions for Jin Yan, but considering there were others in the car—and the fact that he had maintained his aloof persona for so many years—he didn't quite know how to let his guard down all of a sudden. So, feeling both helpless and prideful, he picked up his phone. The screen lit up, and the hot search rankings popped up. The events of the day jumped back into Zhou Shu’s view. TOP 1 Hot Search: #Zhou Shu Airport Incident# The comments were a mixed bag. Most were defending and supporting him, but there were plenty of people taking the opportunity to hurl insults. It was the same old rhetoric, repeatedly calling him "stone-faced" or accusing him of "acting like a big shot." Zhou Shu didn't care about any of that. He continued scrolling down the trending topics. However, the next few topics marked with a red "Hot" icon were about him and Duan Xingyi. #Rouge CP Fan Service#, #CP Ranking Super Topic Number One#, #Rouge CP is Real#... With just a cursory glance, Zhou Shu felt like he was losing the ability to recognize the words "CP" and "Rouge." Just as he was feeling speechless, he saw another trending topic. #Julia Dominantly Protects Her Husband# Zhou Shu found it amusing and clicked on it. The most reposted content was a video of Zhu Lili at the airport, looking cool as she kicked a soda can and then crushed it with her bare hands. He had expected the atmosphere here to be harmonious, but to his surprise, the comment section was a battlefield. Zhou Shu never expected that the two groups of CP fans would actually start a fight. [Can you Rouge CP fans stop shipping them randomly? Brother Shu clearly already has an Omega.] [Exactly. The official girlfriend has appeared, yet you’re still shipping nonsense. I really don't get it.] [What do you mean 'official girlfriend'? Has Zhou Shu ever admitted it himself? Hasn't she always just been a rumored girlfriend?] [Sister Julia dominantly protected her husband at the airport today and you're still shipping others? Didn't you see it? Are you blind?] [Heh, just wait for Zhou Shu’s studio to release a clarification and slap your faces!] [Calling out Zhou Shu from afar: do you dare give us a straight answer! Who do you actually love!] Zhou Shu shivered when he saw that last comment and hurriedly exited the topic. Suddenly, Jin Yan’s face flashed through his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but his eyes involuntarily drifted toward his side. Jin Yan was still silent and quiet, though he had shifted from looking out the window to looking down at his phone. The cold light from outside the car window filtered through the glass and fell upon Jin Yan’s hair, giving it a more distant, detached hue. Seeing Jin Yan like this made Zhou Shu’s heart soften. But he would never have known that while some people looked cold as frost on the surface, they were actually... secretly scrolling through the hot searches as well. So many trending topics, so many CPs, and not a single one was real, nor did any of them have anything to do with him. While Jin Yan felt a sense of bitterness, he also began to feel a touch of irritability. One must understand that the word "irritable" had almost never appeared in Jin Yan’s life. Especially over the past five years, he seemed to have carved the word "composed" into his very bones. He always maintained a face as calm as a deep well, radiating a silent aura that even a tsunami couldn't overturn. No one had seen him lose his temper, and no one had seen him laugh heartily. Yet at this moment, he was desperately impatient to shed the title of "younger brother" so that all these people would stay far away from Zhou Shu. Moreover, he had seen exactly how "off" Duan Xingyi’s gaze had been earlier. The filming had been over for so long and he still hadn't snapped out of character; Duan Xingyi was truly the most unprofessional actor he had ever seen. Jin Yan’s pettiness drove him to keep reading. He scrolled through the hot searches one by one until he finally found a topic that put him in a better mood. #Zhou Shu Airport Fashion# [Best Actor Zhou Shu changed his usual style today, transforming into a casual young man. It took years off his look and made his aura appear much softer.] Jin Yan looked at the person in the photo, then glanced sideways to see that Zhou Shu was still wearing his clothes and still had that bracelet on his wrist. His mood suddenly took a turn for the better, as if it had been soaked in sugar water. [What is he wearing on his wrist? Where is Brother Shu’s 'Empress'?] [What is this? Image.jpg. Waiting for an 8x scope girl to identify this.] [Waiting +1!] [+10086] [+ID card number] [+Organ donor serial number] [...The sister above wins!] [Image.jpg. I processed the clarity, but the resolution is still low. However, you can vaguely see that it looks like a cat collar, and there’s even writing on it.] [A cat collar????] [This is definitely a cat collar! My dog has one exactly like it!] [The thing hanging down is a name tag! It’s definitely a pet collar!] [What’s written on the tag? Has anyone found a 15x scope?] [According to this 15x scope girl, the word on the tag should be 'Duo Duo.'] [Duo Duo? Is it Brother Shu’s dog?] Seeing this, Jin Yan finally let out a small smile. This direction was very correct. Please keep it up, scope girls. Just as he was scrolling through the comments with a smirk, a new reply suddenly popped up. [Zhou Shu replied to "This is definitely a cat collar! My dog has one exactly like it!": It’s a cat collar.] It was a cat collar... As one could imagine, because of this reply from the man himself, the internet nearly crashed. Jin Yan took a silent breath. His heart felt as though it were being gripped tightly, and a numb sensation like an electric current surged through his body. He took a moment to compose himself, not even daring to look at the person to his right. He could only let his gaze drift silently back out the car window. About a few minutes later, the phone in Jin Yan’s hand vibrated. [Your starred contact "Zhou Shu" just posted an update.] With thirty percent confusion and seventy percent nervousness, Jin Yan clicked on it. His entire being seemed to hit the pause button. He saw that his starred contact had posted a picture—it was the bracelet peeking out from under a long sleeve. It was accompanied by text. [My cat is back. Image.jpg] As soon as this was posted, the comment section exploded again. Within a few short minutes, the comments surpassed ten thousand. [So it’s a cat! Was Brother Shu’s cat lost before?] [Brother Shu is so caring! Men who love small animals are all good men!] [Ahhh... so sweet! Wearing the cat’s tag on his own wrist as a bracelet. In my next life, I want to be a cat, ugh...] [I have a cat master at home too! What breed is Brother Shu’s cat? I want to see!!!] [I second that! Want to see!] What breed? After posting, Zhou Shu scrolled through the comments for a bit. He stole a few glances at Jin Yan, who had his eyes cast down. For a moment, he actually couldn't find a breed that could describe him. "Jin Yan." No one expected that the one to break the silence in the car would be a call using his full name. "Yeah?" Jin Yan was suddenly "called upon" by his brother. He was a bit nervous and instinctively locked his phone screen. The next second, he heard a question he never could have anticipated. "What kind of cat is most like a dog?" Jin Yan froze for a moment, feeling a bit caught between laughter and tears at the phrasing, but he still understood Zhou Shu’s meaning. "Are you asking which cat is the most loyal to its owner?" "...Yeah." This guy was certainly quick on the uptake. "A Maine Coon, probably," Jin Yan said. "Many people abroad train them as working cats. They can guard the house, and it's said they only recognize one master in their lifetime." Zhou Shu gave an "mm" in response. He pretended to casually pick up his phone and silently replied to the comment asking about the breed. [Maine Coon.] At that moment, the person sitting by the window stole a smile. The clouds above his head seemed to scatter quite a bit, and his good mood became impossible to hide. The car arrived at the hotel Zhou Shu had booked in advance. Before getting out, he gave Zhu Lili some instructions. Afterward, Zhu Lili handed the room card to her boss and then raised an eyebrow at Jin Yan. Jin Yan nodded to her with his usual composure and followed Zhou Shu into the room. "The hotel reserved a suite for me. It has three rooms," Zhou "Trying-Too-Hard-To-Hide-It" Shu said awkwardly. Jin Yan hid his smile and nodded obediently. "I’ll go wherever you go, Brother." "...Ahem." Meanwhile, back in the nanny van, Zhu Lili was quickly notifying the team to release an official statement. [Official Statement: Zhou Shu and Mr. Duan Xingyi are close friends, not a CP. Please enjoy the content rationally. If an incident like today’s at the airport occurs again, our side will resolve the issue through legal channels.] [Additionally, Zhou Shu and his assistant, Miss Julia, are not in a romantic relationship. On screen, they are partners; in private, they are very good friends. We hereby state: please follow celebrities rationally and do not hurt innocent people.] As soon as this was posted, another notification popped up on Jin Yan’s phone. After clicking in and confirming the text repeatedly, his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. He used the genetic advantages of an Enigma to restrain himself from doing anything that might scare Zhou Shu, but he truly didn't know how much longer he could endure. Desire for control, possessiveness... these terrifying urges were constantly tearing at him, making him increasingly restless. After Jin Yan hurriedly finished his shower, he stuck close to Zhou Shu, who was reading a script. Eventually, after wearing the man down, he was finally allowed to follow Zhou Shu into the bedroom. Just as Zhou Shu opened the door, the light was switched off in the next second. "Brother..." The sudden darkness before Zhou Shu’s eyes caused a momentary flash of panic, but feeling Jin Yan’s breath near his ear, he didn't lose his composure. His voice softened considerably. "What is it?" "I want to hold you." "You..." Zhou Shu’s Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He cleared his throat. "The rain is too heavy outside. I’m going to close the window first." "Okay." Zhou Shu’s vision adjusted to the darkness. Guided by the light from outside, he walked to the window. The inescapable moisture in the air, along with the chill of the rain, invaded his mind, making him stagger back half a step. "Brother, are you okay?" Jin Yan rushed over, catching him in his arms. Zhou Shu steadied himself and waved a hand. "My head suddenly hurts. I might need to sleep for a bit." Seeing Zhou Shu’s pained expression, Jin Yan’s heart felt as if it were being pulled by a thin thread, unable to find solid ground. But he still restrained his emotions, saying softly, "Alright, you sleep. I’ll stay here and watch over you." As he spoke, he helped Zhou Shu onto the bed. "No need. Go get some sleep yourself." Zhou Shu gave him a gentle push toward the door. Jin Yan, however, took the opportunity to grab Zhou Shu’s hand and pull it into his chest. He sat down on the edge of the bed, showing no intention of leaving. Zhou Shu opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything. He truly couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep within minutes. This bout of sleep didn't last long; Zhou Shu woke up after about an hour. When he woke, Jin Yan was still guarding him. Just as Jin Yan was about to get up to get him a glass of water, his hand was grabbed by the person on the bed. Jin Yan braced his hand against the bed and looked up, only to see the person before him with shimmering tears in his eyes and a pitiful expression. "Brother..." he said. "I want to hold you..." His voice was incredibly soft. Jin Yan’s breath hitched for several seconds before his heart rate finally returned to normal. Outside the window, the sound of rain was continuous. Clearly, this was a city without a sea, yet at this moment, it felt as though it were submerged in a boundless ocean. In his heart, Jin Yan let out a sigh longer than a coastline, and then he gently pulled the man into his arms. Sigh. This was truly going to be the death of this Enigma "cat." *** Glossary Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 保姆车 | nanny van | A large van or MPV commonly used by celebrities for transport and resting. 热搜 | hot search / trending | Refers to the trending topics list on social media platforms like Weibo. 胭脂cp | Rouge CP | The fan-given couple name for Zhou Shu and Duan Xingyi. 营业 | fan service / business | When celebrities act out a relationship or interact for promotional purposes. 霸气护夫 | dominantly protecting her husband | A slang term used by fans when a female celebrity/assistant protects a male celebrity. 八倍镜女孩 | 8x scope girls | Fans who scrutinize photos and videos with extreme detail, like using a sniper scope. 翻牌子 | called upon / acknowledged | Originally an emperor choosing a concubine's name tablet; now used when a celebrity replies to a fan. 缅因猫 | Maine Coon | A large, loyal breed of cat often described as "dog-like." Enigma | Enigma | A rare sub-gender in some ABO-style settings, often positioned above Alphas. 猫命 | cat's life | A play on words in the final sentence, referring to Jin Yan being Zhou Shu's "cat."