Chapter 433 - 432: IF Story: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 1

Chapter 433: Chapter 432: IF Story: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 1

Shi Lan, just as she’d hoped, achieved financial independence at twenty-seven and quit her job for good to live a life of leisure.

As a homebody with only one good friend, Chen Xinyi, Shi Lan was quite content with her quiet life. She didn’t have to deal with many people or navigate complex relationships.

When she got bored, she would go to her friend’s cat cafe to pet the cats or grab a meal with her. Most of the time, though, she could fill her days at home watching her favorite movies and variety shows, playing games, and reading novels.

Her estranged parents would harass her with phone calls from time to time, but she treated them as an occasional cure for boredom and wasn’t particularly bothered by it.

Shi Lan’s parents hadn’t planned on cutting her off. But the year she turned eighteen, she took out a loan of over one hundred thousand yuan for an investment. She then hired people to pose as debt collectors and call her parents, demanding repayment. When her parents found out, they were terrified they’d be forced to pay her debts. They immediately tried every trick in the book to marry her off for a bride price—anything to get rid of the "troublemaker" as quickly as possible.

By then, Shi Lan had long known her parents’ true colors and no longer held any of the childhood hopes she once had for them. She collected evidence of their attempt to sell her, reported them to the police, and then threatened them. If they didn’t sever ties, she’d convince their precious son to take out loans, leaving the two of them to pay off a bottomless debt.

In her parents’ eyes, Shi Lan was the very definition of a rebellious, good-for-nothing troublemaker, while their son was their perfect, precious treasure.

Worried that Shi Lan would actually corrupt their son, they finally grit their teeth and demanded an 80,000 yuan "upbringing fee" from her. Only after she paid did they sever all ties.

Shi Lan had been waiting for this day. She still had some of the loan money left, so she paid them the 80,000 yuan. After that, she left her hometown for a new city, and they never contacted her again.

’The recent phone calls probably mean her "dear" brother is getting married and the family is short on cash.’

A cold glint appeared in Shi Lan’s eyes. Whenever they called, she would either ignore it or let it ring for a long time. The few times she did pick up, it was out of boredom. She would deliberately sound panicked, telling them how hard her life was, begging to borrow money, and claiming someone was going to beat her to death if she didn’t pay up.

She knew how to escalate things gradually. At first, she just claimed to be poor. Later, she started saying she was on the run from debt collectors, warning them that if they contacted her too often, the creditors might use the calls to track her down.

After hearing this a few times, the pair never called her again. They were, as always, terrified of being on the hook for her money.

Now that they weren’t creating drama for her anymore, she had more free time and found that not working every day was becoming a little dull.

Mainly, her former job as a travel photographer had taken her to so many places that she currently had no interest in traveling.

Then, she finally thought of something to do.

Getting a cat, something she had considered before.

Two years ago, a white cat at her friend’s cafe had a litter, but she was still working back then and had to refuse a kitten because she had no time to care for it. Now, she decided to revisit the idea.

’What kind of cat should I get?’

Lying in bed that night, she scrolled through pictures of adorable cats. ’I want this one... oh, but I want this one too.’

’This one’s cute... but so is that one.’

’Darn it, as a sucker for all things fluffy, she just couldn’t resist.’

’Maybe I’ll get three. I couldn’t handle any more than that. Three should be perfect.’

’At most... five...’

For some reason, she was drawn to the number five. It felt like she was destined to have five fluffy companions.

’Yes, five it is. I have plenty of time, after all.’

She slowly added more to her collection of saved photos, thinking she would go looking for kittens tomorrow. Content with her plan, she put down her phone and went to sleep.

——

"Mr. He, it’s windy out here. Why don’t I take you back to your room?"

"Yes, thank you, Assistant Chen."

Two male voices reached her ears. One was filled with clear concern, while the other was gentle, with a faint, magnetic quality. Just listening to it was as pleasant as a spring breeze.

Shi Lan normally didn’t like interacting much with men, but after a year of living a leisurely life cooped up at home, she hadn’t seen many people. She suddenly found herself curious about the man who possessed such a voice.

’Besides, I just fell asleep. This has to be a dream. And in my own dream, I’m in charge. There’s nothing to be afraid of.’

Except, something seemed to be blocking her vision. It was dark, and her head felt heavy.

She shook her head, trying to push through the obscuring mist. Finally, her vision cleared.

But upon seeing her surroundings, Shi Lan couldn’t help but think, ’This is definitely a dream.’ Grass was tickling her neck from below.

Shi Lan couldn’t resist batting at it with her hand.

Meanwhile, Assistant Chen was about to push the wheelchair when Mr. He heard a rustling sound and waved for him to stop.

Assistant Chen paused, confused. He Hanshi turned his head toward the sound. A cat had just emerged from the bushes.

"Oh, it’s a little kitty."

Assistant Chen’s voice unconsciously adopted a slightly cutesy tone. He Hanshi, who had never heard his assistant make such a strange sound, shot him a surprised look before letting his own gaze fall upon the cat.

It was a chubby orange tabby with golden eyes and clean fur. Someone at the hospital probably fed it regularly. The little thing looked full of life, happily playing with blades of grass without a care in the world, as if it hadn’t a single worry.

He Hanshi couldn’t help but chuckle, a genuine smile gracing his features for the first time in a long while.

Shi Lan, struggling to push aside the annoying grass, discovered her hand was now a paw. ’Well, you dream about what you think about,’ she thought, not particularly surprised. ’It’s perfectly normal.’

It was the sound of He Hanshi’s clear, deep chuckle that made her look up in pleasant surprise. ’Since when are my dreams this high-quality? A laugh like that has to belong to a super handsome guy.’ When she looked up and saw him, she was so stunned she didn’t even notice her own golden, feline pupils dilating or her tail giving a little flick.

’Wow, he’s seriously gorgeous!!’

He had short black hair, phoenix eyes, and slightly pale skin. Even in a patient’s gown, his handsome features and innate air of nobility were undiminished. A crescent-shaped smile played on his lips, bringing a spark of life to his otherwise weary face and making him look incredibly gentle.

’He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen,’ Shi Lan thought.

People tend to get a little reserved around someone that good-looking. But this was her dream, and she was just an adorable little kitty. So, Shi Lan did something her human self would never dare to do.

She leaped right into his lap, placing her paws directly on his long, slender hand.

"Hey! You chubby cat, get down! Don’t put pressure on Mr. He’s legs!"

Assistant Chen had just been thinking that Mr. He seemed to be in a good mood today for smiling, but he never expected the cat to pull a move like this.

This orange tabby must be used to people; it didn’t have a stray’s usual wildness.

He wasn’t able to stop it in time. When he recovered and tried to lift the cat off, He Hanshi stopped him. "It’s fine. I can’t feel my legs at all right now anyway. It’s just a cat. It’s not heavy. It doesn’t matter."