Chapter 71

Zhou Sheng dropped Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao off at the entrance of the apartment building. Kong Xiyan noticed that Chi Wanzhao seemed to have more to discuss with Zhou Sheng, so she headed inside first.

As she opened the door, Yanyan was already waiting for her at the threshold, tail flicking back and forth.

Kong Xiyan stepped in and scooped up the cat, her face full of tenderness. "Hungry? I'll make you something to eat."

Yanyan nuzzled her palm, meowing incessantly, and swished her tail across Kong Xiyan's cheek. Kong Xiyan laughed, gently pushing the tail away, and carried her into the kitchen.

She had been coming home late lately, so Yanyan rarely got to see her. Now that she was home, the cat wouldn't leave her side. While Kong Xiyan cooked, Yanyan rubbed her plump body against Kong Xiyan's calves, craned her neck up with wide blue eyes, and meowed insistently.

Kong Xiyan's heart softened at the sound, and she occasionally bent down to pat her head soothingly. "Yanyan, stop it."

Yanyan only grew bolder at her words, not just rubbing against her but also extending her pink tongue to lick Kong Xiyan's ankle. The sensation was tingly and ticklish. Kong Xiyan's eyes curved in amusement, though a trace of helplessness lingered as she met Yanyan's gaze.

Chi Wanzhao finished her conversation with Zhou Sheng and entered the apartment to find Kong Xiyan busying herself in the kitchen, with Yanyan constantly pestering her at her feet. Occasionally, Kong Xiyan bent down to scold the cat without any real menace, and at other times, she stroked Yanyan's head with affectionate care, her expression soft.

Chi Wanzhao stood in front of the sofa, watching her fixedly, her gaze lingering and tender.

Kong Xiyan, exasperated by Yanyan's antics, finally said through gritted teeth, "If you meow one more time, I swear that person will come back and ban you from dinner."

As she issued the threat, she pressed her lips together and put on a stern face, adopting a mannerism that was surprisingly reminiscent of Chi Wanzhao.

Sure enough, Yanyan immediately behaved upon hearing that, plopping down on the floor and wagging her tail.

Chi Wanzhao chuckled softly at Kong Xiyan's smug, fox-borrowing-the-tiger's-fierceness attitude.

Only then did Kong Xiyan notice that Chi Wanzhao had returned. She didn't see anything wrong with what she had just done and said nonchalantly, "Chi, take Yanyan out of here."

Chi Wanzhao called out, "Yanyan."

The big white cat, who had been sitting on the floor, stood up unsteadily, hopped out of the kitchen, and leaped onto the sofa.

Chi Wanzhao sat down next to her and reached out to rub her white fur. It was smooth, soft, and fluffy, and felt quite nice to the touch. Yanyan lay sprawled on the sofa, extending all four paws to bat at Chi Wanzhao's fingers.

Chi Wanzhao lightly wiggled her fingers to tease her.

Yanyan suddenly raised her head and gave her finger a light bite. She didn't use much force, careful not to hurt, then licked it gently.

The one-person-one-cat duo on the sofa played to their hearts' content. Kong Xiyan came out of the kitchen with a food dish in hand and saw Chi Wanzhao gazing at Yanyan with a smile on her lips and warmth in her eyes. Kong Xiyan smiled and called out, "Yanyan, dinner's ready."

Yanyan's ears twitched at the sound. She quickly scrambled up from the sofa, shook her plump body, and trotted over to Kong Xiyan.

After seeing to Yanyan's meal, Kong Xiyan settled onto the sofa. She noticed Chi Wanzhao watching the TV intently and turned to look. It was the finance channel, featuring an interview with a young, successful entrepreneur. Kong Xiyan watched for a while without grasping much, then leaned against the back of the sofa, pulled out her phone, and started scrolling.

Before long, just as she was on the verge of dozing off, she heard Chi Wanzhao's voice.

"Director Lin asked if you might be interested in this film, 'Dawn'."

Her words jolted Kong Xiyan awake. She quickly sat up. "What?"

"'Dawn'?"

"Director Lin Yisen?"

Chi Wanzhao nodded lightly. "Mm. He said if your schedule doesn't permit right now, he doesn't mind waiting."

Kong Xiyan's eyes lit up.

Lin Yisen was a director she had always wanted to work with, both three years ago and now. She had always admired his directorial style and had even thought that once she established herself in the industry, she might get the chance to collaborate with him.

But she never expected it to happen so soon, and for Chi Wanzhao to bring it up so casually.

She still couldn't quite believe it. Chi Wanzhao watched her dumbfounded expression and waited for her to digest the news before asking, "So? Interested?"

Kong Xiyan nodded. "Yes!"

Then she remembered that Tong Yue had mentioned arranging a film for her after "Breaking the Cocoon" wrapped up. She smiled. "Wait a moment, let me call Tong Jie."

Chi Wanzhao saw her sudden burst of joy and her gaze softened in kind. Kong Xiyan picked up her phone and dialed Tong Yue.

It was noisy on Tong Yue's end for a moment before it quieted down. Tong Yue, rubbing her nose bridge, said into the phone, "Xiyan, what's up?"

Kong Xiyan's eyes curved. "Tong Jie, you mentioned earlier that after "Breaking the Cocoon" wraps, we could do a film."

Tong Yue replied crisply, "Yes, so I've been keeping an eye out. I have a few resources that look decent. When the time comes—"

"What do you think of Director Lin Yisen's films?"

Kong Xiyan cut her off. Tong Yue paused for a second. "Lin Yisen?"

"Director Lin? His films are certainly good."

No wonder his last film swept fourteen international awards the previous year. "Good" was an understatement.

But the director was famous for choosing his own cast, never accepting any of the amply funded but less talented stars the investors tried to push. He was known for being adamant in the industry. After his "Dawn" announced recasting, Tong Yue had considered it but had found no way in.

She couldn't even get a meeting with Lin Yisen. The only response she received was to wait for the screen test.

After making rounds for a few days, Tong Yue gave up.

Now, hearing Kong Xiyan bring him up, she recounted her previous attempts. After listening, Kong Xiyan glanced at Chi Wanzhao's expression and bit her lip before saying, "Director Lin had someone approach me."

"Asking if I'd be interested in working with him."

There was silence on the other end for a long moment, and then Tong Yue shouted excitedly, "Of course you're interested!"

Realizing she had been too enthusiastic, she cleared her throat, toning it down. "Was it Director Lin's assistant who contacted you? Did they mention when to meet? Is it for 'Dawn'?"

Kong Xiyan listened as Tong Yue fired off questions in rapid succession. Opening her mouth to answer, she caught Chi Wanzhao looking at her. Chi Wanzhao mouthed two words.

"Zhou Sheng."

She immediately nodded and said, "It was Assistant Zhou who contacted me. No specific location yet, but I can ask him for details."

"I haven't agreed yet; I wanted to confirm the schedule with you first."

Tong Yue gritted her teeth internally. This silly girl was being offered a position that everyone in the industry was vying for, and she was still thinking it over. It truly was a case of having good resources and thus, being unconcerned.

She made a snap decision. "Got it. I'll get in touch with Assistant Zhou after I finish here."

Kong Xiyan hummed in response, her eyes curving in a smile.

Tong Yue nattered on for a bit more before finally saying, "Xiyan, Assistant Zhou has paved a golden road for you with this."

She gave a soft laugh and hung up. Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze to her phone.

"Assistant Zhou has paved a golden road for you."

This wasn't paved by Zhou Sheng at all.

It was clearly Chi Wanzhao who had laid it out.

Kong Xiyan slyly darted a glance at Chi Wanzhao from the corner of her eye, her mood complicated.

Chi Wanzhao was currently cuddling the now-fed Yanyan, her head bowed as she stroked its white fur. Sensing Kong Xiyan's gaze, she asked, without looking up, "What's the matter?"

Kong Xiyan's bright eyes shimmered, her cheeks somewhat flushed. She pressed her lips together. "Chi..."

Chi Wanzhao continued to pet Yanyan, her tone unchanged, speaking calmly, "No need to thank me. Director Lin owes me a favor. It'd be a waste not to call it in."

"Miss Kong, you know I hate losing out on a deal more than anything."

Kong Xiyan: ...

Hmph!

You capitalistic thing, thinking only of profit!

She got up in a huff and called out, "Yanyan, bath time!"

Yanyan raised her head from Chi Wanzhao's arms, looking back and forth between Chi Wanzhao and Kong Xiyan, then didn't budge. Chi Wanzhao poked her plump waist. "Go on, your wet nurse is calling you."

Only then did Yanyan hop off and scamper past Kong Xiyan, heading upstairs to the second floor.

Kong Xiyan: ...

After her bath, Kong Xiyan brought Yanyan back downstairs. Chi Wanzhao had just finished watching the finance channel interview. She tilted her head to look over.

Kong Xiyan's skin was flushed rosy from the steam of her bath, visible on the parts not covered by her clothes. Her hair was pinned up at the back with a clip, the ends curling upward and swaying with her movements. Chi Wanzhao felt as if her own heart was swaying side to side with each step.

Slowly, she averted her gaze. Her bright eyes grew deep, dark, and gleaming, and she unconsciously clenched her hands.

Kong Xiyan, unaware of the shift in her mood, sat right beside her, placing Yanyan on her lap and rubbing the cat's round belly.

Chi Wanzhao watched her, drew a bit closer, and then said in a slow, gentle voice, "Miss Kong, I recall you once said that a cat obsession could be cured, right?"

Kong Xiyan nodded immediately.

Chi Wanzhao, with a calm expression, continued. "I looked it up online, and there is indeed a method that is the quickest and most effective for curing a cat obsession."

Kong Xiyan's eyes brightened. "What is it?"

Chi Wanzhao replied, "To shift your affection elsewhere, transferring your love for cats to something else. I wonder if Miss Kong would be willing to be the object of my shifted affections."

Kong Xiyan froze.

Chi Wanzhao went on. "I'm sure Miss Kong knows that spending so much time with Yanyan, day and night, it's hard not to develop feelings. Since Miss Kong wants to cure my cat obsession, perhaps you'd be willing to put yourself out a little and temporarily stand in for Yanyan? What do you say?"

She had been leaning closer with each sentence, and by the end, her head was lowered, allowing her to see the pale column of Kong Xiyan's neck and catch a whiff of its clean fragrance. With no further ado, she dipped her head and bit down gently, her tongue tracing the delicate lines of skin.

Startled, Kong Xiyan jerked upright.

"What are you doing!"

Chi Wanzhao lifted her eyes. "I just like biting Yanyan."

Kong Xiyan: ...

This damn pervert.

After cursing her out internally, she noticed Chi Wanzhao still fixing her with that dark, intent gaze. She pulled back slightly. "Why are you staring at me?"

Chi Wanzhao said in a bland tone, "Yanyan likes to bite me too."

Kong Xiyan: ...