“The guy who brought the cat back?” Chi Zhan zeroed in on the keyword.
“Yep! A while ago, Doctor Cen lost his cat and was frantic about it—put up all kinds of missing posters. Then that boy brought the cat back. Honestly, I think he has a thing for Doctor Cen,” the nurse hummed lightly. “But I still think you’re better, Mr. Chi. That kid’s eyes were too calculating. And he wasn’t very polite either.”
Chi Zhan had a hunch that this was the person Cen Chi liked. But… it didn’t quite match what Cen Chi had told him.
“Who was that just now?”
That boy’s name was Qi Wen. His objective was to romance Cen Chi—he was after the ever-rising bounty being offered on the forums.
The game’s unique “99 Tricks to Bag a Man” mechanic had lured in tons of players, and someone had even posted a cash prize: successfully woo either Cen Chi or Zhou Yanxing, and you’d be rewarded.
Qi Wen had originally planned to go after Zhou Yanxing. But during a free draw, he landed the rare SS-level plotline “Found Cen Chi’s Lost Cat.” So he decided to go with the flow and use the cat to get closer to Cen Chi.
All he knew was that Cen Chi adored cats. Why the cat went missing, how it had gotten lost—none of that mattered to him. The cat had simply appeared in his hands, and he only needed to pretend he’d stumbled across it by chance.
“I’m not busy,” Cen Chi said with a light smile—but there was something faintly detached in that smile. Qi Wen immediately asked, “Then… can I treat you to lunch later?”
“Sure,” Cen Chi said calmly. “But I still have patients. You can wait here and rest for a bit—about half an hour.”
Qi Wen nodded eagerly.
“Of course!”
He lay down on the sofa just outside the exam room. Cen Chi sat beside him and gave him a warm smile.
“I’ll wait until you fall asleep before I leave.”
“Okay!”
Qi Wen was surprised by how gentle Cen Chi was being and got excited—he felt like he’d just gotten a golden ticket in the lottery of love. He stared at Cen Chi, mesmerized. He really was good-looking.
Cen Chi didn’t shy away from his gaze.
“Want to hear a story? It’s called The Tale of the Lost Meow-Meow.”
Qi Wen felt something was off, but Cen Chi’s slow, steady voice and measured narration pulled him under. Bit by bit, his thoughts sank into the depths of the sea. His consciousness drifted. His gaze grew glassy as he stared blankly at Cen Chi.
“Now,” Cen Chi stopped storytelling, the smile on his lips vanishing into cool indifference. “You’re going to answer my questions. First—who are you, really?”
“I’m [BEEP—]” The second half of Qi Wen’s reply was abruptly muted.
So he couldn’t say it…
“Why are you trying to get close to me?”
“I want you to fall for me, so I can claim the cash reward.”
Cen Chi crossed his legs and narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing him. Qi Wen wasn’t lying. After a pause, Cen Chi asked a third question.
“The person you saw just now—is he the same kind of person as you?”
Qi Wen hesitated.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him before. Maybe he is. Or maybe he’s [BEEP—]…”
Muted again.
Can’t push too far—or they’d start to sense something was off.
Cen Chi tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully. After a moment, he looked back at Qi Wen, voice light but firm.
“From now on, you believe I like you, and you find me extremely, extremely repulsive. You’ll reject every approach I make with all your might. And right now, you’re very sleepy. All you want is more sleep.”
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at the clock on the wall.
“Ten minutes.”
With that, Cen Chi snapped his fingers and said in a low voice, “Time to wake up, Qi Wen.”
Qi Wen jolted slightly, eyes opening wide—but a wave of drowsiness overwhelmed him. What was he doing here again? So tired. Whatever it was could wait until after a nap.
While Chi Zhan was still mulling things over, X finally sent over the materials. Just like Chi Zhan’s, the form was filled out in detail. At a glance, about 80% of it was identical to his own.
Chi Zhan: Did you copy mine?
X: Just trying to ease your workload. Besides, having the same preferences makes it harder to get caught, doesn’t it?
Chi Zhan couldn’t argue with that logic.
X: Gege, everything’s almost ready on my end. Want to do a trial run? No extra charge.
Chi Zhan: No need. I’ll judge your performance when the time comes. If you mess up, I will file a complaint.
X: Gege, why are you always trying to scare me? I’m not a kid, you know.
Chi Zhan: …
X: But shouldn’t we at least chat a bit? Bonding time, right?
Chi Zhan: I’m busy. Later.
X: Busy with what?
Chi Zhan: You’re getting ahead of your role. I haven’t told you to start acting yet.
Meanwhile, Chu Xingxiao was eating in the cafeteria. As he read the message, the corners of his lips involuntarily curved into a smile.
“Chu-ge, can we sit here?” A few trainee boys approached with hopeful eyes, carrying their trays.
Chu Xingxiao’s expression went cold instantly.
“No.”
“……”
The door creaked open, and Cen Chi walked in with an apologetic look.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect him to show up either.”
“It’s fine.” Chi Zhan stood up, casually slipping his phone into his pocket. “So the person you like… it’s him?”
Cen Chi blinked slowly, then smiled.
That confirmed it. But Chi Zhan still felt something didn’t quite add up.
“The nurse said he’s clearly into you. Why would he reject you?”
He’d even gone out of his way to return the cat. If he didn’t like Cen Chi, there was no need to do any of that.
Suddenly, a new theory occurred to Chi Zhan— What if Cen Chi was lying?
What if all this talk about liking someone else was just a smokescreen—when in reality, he still liked him? Maybe he was afraid of being rejected, so he claimed to like someone else?
Taking it further… what if he already knew that confessing would only push Chi Zhan away? So he deliberately played it off?
If that were true, then the high favorability rating made perfect sense.
Even though Chi Zhan didn’t think Cen Chi was that cunning, the thought took root like a seed, quietly sprouting in his heart.
Chi Zhan studied Cen Chi carefully—suddenly realizing his complexion looked a little pale.
…Could he actually be heartbroken?
