Chapter 281 - 278: Headgear On, Perform with Ease

Chapter 281: Chapter 278: Headgear On, Perform with Ease

Hearing Qiuting’s reply, Lin Yanwan’s smile deepened.

"Qiuting, it’s settled then. We don’t have class tomorrow morning, so I’ll take you to the company to handle your onboarding. I’ll also introduce you to the projects we’re currently working on."

"Okay." Tang Qiuting nodded gently.

Having settled the matter, Lin Yanwan let out a long sigh of relief. She took out her phone and sent a text to Jiang Xia: "Qiuting agreed. I’m taking her tomorrow to get her onboarded. Is there anything you need me to pass along?"

"Okay."

Jiang Xia thought for a moment before quickly replying: "For the work itself, have Godmother show her the ropes. The main things are getting familiar with the workflow and who she’ll need to coordinate with. I’ll stay out of the other details."

"Mhm."

When gym class ended, Si Si had already helped Cui Jiaying back to the dorm. Suddenly, Lin Yanwan received a call from the student service center. They told her a package had arrived and she should come pick it up.

She guessed it was probably the life-sized Tom the Cat mascot costume she’d asked her family for the other day. She hadn’t expected it to take over a week to arrive. ’The postal service is so slow these days,’ she thought.

"Qiuting, Sister Yanwan has a gift for you today," Lin Yanwan said with a beaming smile.

"Oh no, please don’t, Sister Yanwan. You’ve already helped me so much. I can’t possibly accept a gift from you," Qiuting said, hastily shaking her head.

"Don’t worry, it’s free," she said with a light laugh, pulling Qiuting toward the student service center.

When they got to the package dispatch center, Lin Yanwan found her package among a large pile, tore it open, and immediately spotted the head of Tom the Cat.

"What’s that?" Qiuting asked, looking baffled.

"Hahaha, it’s Tom the Cat! A full mascot costume you can wear."

"Oh."

Qiuting was slightly curious. Her family didn’t own a television, so she’d never seen Cat and Mouse, though she had heard the name on many occasions.

Without another word, Lin Yanwan suddenly plopped the Tom head onto Qiuting’s. "How does it feel? Don’t take it off yet!!"

"Huh?"

Qiuting took a moment to assess the sensation. It was a little stuffy, and her vision was significantly obstructed, but for some strange reason, she felt much more at ease.

She knew that in her current state, many eyes must be on her, but strangely, she didn’t feel nervous or uncomfortable at all.

It was as if she were cut off from the world. Whatever happened wasn’t about her—it was about Tom.

"Hmm, it’s so strange..." Qiuting didn’t know how to describe the feeling, but she felt great.

"Hehe, strange is good! Don’t take it off just yet. Let’s just walk back like this. Keep wearing the Tom head and go slowly. You can see the way, can’t you?" Lin Yanwan laughed.

Qiuting gave a slight nod.

"Qiuting, look! So many people are staring at you."

"They’re smiling at you, hahaha."

"You know, you actually look pretty cute like this."

On the way back to the dorm, people kept stopping to look at the person in the Tom costume, letting out amused laughs. The teasing made Qiuting blush, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid. ’After all, no one knows who I am, so it’s not embarrassing.’

"Are you still nervous, now that you have the mask on?" Lin Yanwan asked with a smile.

Qiuting shook her head slightly. "Not anymore. It’s so strange."

"Hahahaha, that’s the whole point!"

Lin Yanwan was very satisfied with this result. "Qiuting, this is my custom-tailored ’Social Anxiety Therapy’ for you. There’s a saying: ’Put on a mask, and you’re free to act.’ Even someone with severe social anxiety like you can completely let loose once you put on the head. All those things you never dared to imagine or do before—now you can go ahead and do them without fear!"

She patted Qiuting’s shoulder and chuckled. "From now on, you’re Tom. Any and all of your actions will be shouldered by your stand-in, Tom the Cat, and will have nothing to do with you, Tang Qiuting!"

Qiuting froze. ’Is my long-standing social anxiety just... gone? Just like that?’

’And all it took was a mask?’

"Come on, let’s get the rest of the costume on." Lin Yanwan said with a smile, taking out the Tom bodysuit. The version her family manufactured had a zipper in the back, making it easy to put on. Once a person was inside, the zipper was perfectly hidden.

Qiuting now looked just like a life-sized Tom, causing many students to stop and gather around.

After all, Cat and Mouse had completely blown up. Any young person who claimed not to have seen it would be considered completely out of touch.

"Um... excuse me, Tom? Can I get a picture with you?" someone suddenly asked, boldly approaching Qiuting.

Lin Yanwan smiled, shrugged, and made a "be my guest" gesture.

"Ah?! A... a picture? O-Okay..." a faint, timid female voice replied from inside the Tom costume.

"Oh, it’s a girl Tom? That’s so cute!"

"Where did you get that costume? I want to buy one too!"

Hearing the compliments from the other students, Qiuting blushed. Not knowing what pose to strike, she randomly lifted the costume’s paws in front of her, mimicking catching a mouse. The crowd immediately went wild.

"Haha, that’s hilarious! Wait up, I want a picture with Tom too!"

"Me too!"

"Tom, it’s my birthday today! Can I give you a hug?"

Inside the costume, Qiuting was completely stunned. She’d never imagined she could be so popular.

She fulfilled every student’s request, one by one. Her heart swelled with happiness. Before, she would never have dared to speak with so many strangers at once, but now, it was just as Sister Yanwan had said—

Put on a mask, and you’re free to act!

’Say what you want, do what you want, and never worry about what others think. After all, right now, I’m not Tang Qiuting, I’m Tom the Cat!’

After finally managing to get away from the crowd, Lin Yanwan led Qiuting back to their dorm room.

"So? That was fun, right? Did you have a blast?"

"Mhm!" Tom nodded enthusiastically.

"From now on, you should wear this suit and walk around campus whenever you can. I believe that over time, you’ll be able to face people calmly and confidently, even without the costume," Lin Yanwan said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you, Sister Yanwan."

Qiuting suddenly said in all seriousness, "Sister Yanwan, this costume must have been very expensive, right? As soon as I get paid, I’ll pay you back for it."

"No, no, absolutely not! Don’t even think about it. My family’s company makes these costumes, so it basically didn’t cost anything. Qiuting, please don’t worry about it. It’s a gift from Sister Yanwan, okay?" Lin Yanwan said, waving her hands dismissively.

"Mmm... Thank you, Sister Yanwan."

Qiuting was overwhelmed with emotion. Ever since she’d arrived at this university, Sister Yanwan had been helping her without asking for anything in return. The girl from the mountains etched these acts of kindness into her heart, hoping that one day, she would be able to repay them.