Spring Waters Thaw, Yet Dreams Are Lost

At the entrance of the special compound.

"Pfft—"

A stifled laugh escaped from the security booth. A man in camouflage, standing guard with his arms crossed, nearly lost his composure at the sight outside the window and burst into laughter.

However, his amusement drew a sharp reprimand from the radio, instantly turning his face pale. He quickly straightened up, adopting a stern expression, and replied, "Reporting, Sergeant! N-nothing serious!"

"Stay alert. No slacking!" came the command over the radio.

"Yes, sir!" After the communication ended, the sentry couldn’t resist stealing another glance outside.

The bizarre scene unfolding in the distance was too much for him, and low chuckles kept slipping out despite his efforts.

"You’re still laughing? What the hell are you looking at?!" the sergeant’s voice crackled through the radio again.

"Reporting, Sergeant! There’s a guy outside fighting with a cat that looks like a pig. Then a dog tried to break it up, but the cat swiped at it too. Now the situation’s just… weird. Should we send someone out to mediate?"

………………

"Think I can’t handle you?" Su Cheng pinned the chubby cat firmly to the ground with one hand, rendering it immobile, while his other hand delivered a couple of smacks to its rear. "That’s for scratching people, you little menace!"

To his surprise, though the cat yowled in protest, its tail remained tightly curled, and it made no attempt to flee—as if the moment he let go, it would attack him again.

The realization sent a chill down Su Cheng’s spine.

This cat was clearly rabid. He’d have to get a rabies shot later. It only strengthened his resolve to track down the owner and demand compensation!

As he wrestled with the cat, several men in camouflage approached.

Leading them was an older-looking sergeant.

Seeing them, Su Cheng blurted out, "It attacked me first! The cat started it!"

The sergeant glanced at the orange tabby pinned beneath Su Cheng, then took in Su Cheng’s attire, his expression turning puzzled. "Young man, are you also a student at Flame City Private School? Are you here to pick up the cat for its owner?"

"Huh?" Su Cheng blinked in confusion. "This cat belongs to someone at my school?"

"That’s right." The sergeant nodded, pointing at the orange furball. "In that case, I suggest you discuss compensation with the owner. We have surveillance footage as proof, so you don’t need to worry."

Su Cheng’s eyes lit up with understanding.

He hoisted the hefty cat up by the scruff, earning a furious squirm. Its stubby legs flailed wildly, but its rotund frame and short limbs made escape impossible.

"Fine. Here’s my student ID." Su Cheng pulled out his card. "It has my number. When the owner comes, please pass it along and have them call me. I’ll return the cat then."

"Well…"

The sergeant hesitated but ultimately agreed. Since the cat had caused injury and this was a civilian matter involving a resident’s pet, he had no grounds to interfere.

So he took the student ID for registration.

Once the men left, Su Cheng pulled out his phone to call Sister Qin, asking if she could come pick him up.

But the number turned out to be disconnected.

Luckily, he had her social media contact. He sent a voice message: "Sister Qin, are you free? Can you grab a dog crate from the pet store and come get me?"

After sending his location, he squatted back down to continue lecturing the cat.

Su Cheng glared at the feline. "You have no idea how unhinged I can get."

Just as he was about to escalate his scolding, a horrifying thought struck him—Li Guanqi’s contact for Sister Qin was also unreachable.

He’d completely failed to help Li Guanqi.

The realization soured his mood further.

But then it occurred to him that once Sister Qin arrived, he could explain everything and pass along Li Guanqi’s details. Comforted slightly, he resumed his feline discipline.

Nearby, the yellow dog, after taking a swipe from the cat, had settled down for a nap, only occasionally peeking at the ongoing drama.

……

Before long, Sister Qin’s taxi pulled up.

When she saw Su Cheng pinning a cat mid-lecture, she froze. Her eyes darted between Su Cheng, the dog, and the hulking cat, her expression utterly bewildered.

"Hurry, bring the crate over," Su Cheng waved her over, snapping her out of her daze.

She popped the trunk and hauled out a large dog crate, still stunned. "You skipped class… to fight a cat?"

"Long story," Su Cheng stood, lifting the cat by the scruff and dropping it into the crate. "I’ll transfer all the costs to you once we’re in the car."

"Don’t you think this is ridiculous?" Sister Qin eyed the scratches on Su Cheng’s hands. "All this for a fat cat?"

"Let’s talk in the car." Su Cheng loaded the crate, shut the trunk, and ushered the dog into the backseat before sliding into the passenger side.

The moment they set off, Sister Qin pounced. "Alright, spill. What happened?"

Her curiosity was palpable. She leaned in, eyes gleaming with gossip, ready to hound him for answers.

Su Cheng sighed, buckling his seatbelt. "Fine." He gave her the abbreviated version.

By the end, Sister Qin was struggling not to laugh. "Wow. I never took you for the type to hold a grudge against a cat. Weren’t you worried it’d claw up your pretty face?"

"Of course I had to catch it," Su Cheng shot her a look. "Who else would cover my medical bills?"

"Should I take you to the hospital for those scratches?" She nodded at his hand. Though not bleeding, the marks were deep.

Su Cheng checked his phone and paled.

It was almost 3 PM—meaning Gu Ruoxue would soon find that little card.

"No. Head to Huashan Park. Now. It’s urgent." His voice turned tense.

Baffled but obliging, Sister Qin hit the gas.

Along the way, Sister Qin couldn't help but ask, "By the way, why are you so determined to find a tabby cat?"

"No particular reason," Su Cheng replied casually. "Mainly because I arranged to meet an alum under the pretense of a tabby cat at Huashan Park."

"Oh, I see." Sister Qin suddenly understood and teased, "Just call it a date. No need to hide behind 'meeting an alum.' Do you think I don’t know? These days, people online use 'a cat that can do backflips' as an excuse to ask someone out. But that chubby cat of yours doesn’t look like it could pull off a backflip."

However, Su Cheng didn’t engage with her joke. Instead, he abruptly changed the subject and asked, "What happened to your phone number?"

"Ugh, don’t even mention it."

Sister Qin smacked the steering wheel in frustration. "It was fine this morning, but suddenly, my number got deactivated. When I went to the service center, they said something about HLR data being wiped. I couldn’t even get a replacement—had to get a whole new number."

"That’s quite a coincidence." Su Cheng frowned.

Was it really just a coincidence? He had only given Sister Qin’s number to Li Guanqi this morning, and by noon, her SIM card was deactivated.

Could it be…

"Coincidence?" Sister Qin grew alert and pressed, "You don’t think your fiancée had something to do with this, do you?"

"It’s possible…" Su Cheng looked apologetic. "If it was her, I’m really sorry. I’ll talk to her about it when I get back."

"This caused me a lot of trouble at work." Sister Qin sighed helplessly. "But whatever. I’m just curious—why would she do this? Is she jealous or something?"

"It’s complicated. By the way, I have a classmate looking for a female driver."

Su Cheng took out his phone and forwarded Li Guanqi’s contact to Sister Qin. "So I recommended you. Since you’re having work issues, maybe you could consider it."

"Another coincidence?"

Sister Qin shot him a skeptical glance.

"It’s not my fiancée—this is my classmate," Su Cheng quickly clarified, seeing her misunderstanding. "She’s still in class right now. After 3 PM, you can try reaching out. The pay won’t disappoint."

"Alright, I’ll think about it."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Even if you’re not interested now, just reach out first."

"Why are you nagging like an old man?"

"I promised someone I’d do this."

About ten minutes later—

The taxi arrived at Huashan Park.

Su Cheng and Da Huang got out, retrieving the pet carrier from the trunk.

He checked the time—already a few minutes past three—and reminded her again, "You can contact her now."

"Relax!" Sister Qin waved him off. "I already sent her a friend request. Just waiting for her to accept."

"Good. I’ll head off then."

Carrying the pet carrier in one hand and pushing his bike with the other, Su Cheng waved goodbye to Sister Qin before turning away. He needed to hurry—Gu Ruoxue would be arriving soon.

"Good luck! Stay sharp—don’t embarrass yourself!"

From the driver’s seat, Sister Qin cheered him on before stepping on the gas and speeding off.

Entering the park, Su Cheng found a pavilion and placed the pet carrier on the stone table. He messaged Ji Qingyi and Li Guanqi—asking the former to come to the park and, out of caution, sending Sister Qin’s new number to the latter again.

After sending the messages, he secured his bike and the carrier, then made his way to the central fountain, scanning the area as he waited for Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue to arrive.

He wasn’t worried that Gu Ruoxue wouldn’t show up. He had laid the groundwork carefully. He was certain that once she saw that card, she wouldn’t miss this meeting!

Why was he so confident?

Based on the information he’d gathered, he believed Gu Ruoxue had some ulterior motive involving him.

Last time, rumors had even spread that he’d lost his memory. So before leaving the card, he deliberately lingered around her club, making sure she knew it was from him.

Sure enough, before long, Su Cheng spotted a strikingly out-of-place figure in the distance.

Just how out-of-place was she?

She seemed draped in twilight, her entire being glowing as if bathed in crimson light—like an immortal descending to the mortal realm.

At this moment, she was the center of the world, eclipsing everything around her!

Passersby froze at the sight of her, unable to tear their eyes away, as if desperate to sear her breathtaking image into their minds forever.

"Why does she come with special effects?" Even Su Cheng, who had seen her many times before, was momentarily stunned. The sight was simply too dazzling.

Only when Gu Ruoxue stood right in front of him did Su Cheng finally lift his gaze, meeting her eyes at close range.

Gu Ruoxue remained expressionless, her demeanor cool and aloof, staring directly into his eyes without reservation.

"Ahem." After a brief silence, Su Cheng cleared his throat, breaking the stillness first.

"Using such an obvious, clumsy trick to summon me here—it seems you’ve made some strange assumptions. Care to explain?"

Gu Ruoxue suddenly averted her gaze, her tone calm. She produced the small card, flicking it effortlessly between two slender fingers before it landed upright in the ground right before Su Cheng.

"I didn’t lie. There really is a magical tabby cat."

Su Cheng hurried to explain. "And I even prepared a special performance for you—something you’ve never seen before."

"What performance?"

"A tabby cat transforming into a live pig!"