Hello, Mr. Cat

Su Wan first saw the cat on a stormy night, after her boyfriend had broken up with her.

It was huddled beneath the awning of a convenience store, its fur pitch-black, with a pair of amber eyes that shone like firelit glass. Rain soaked its coat, but it stubbornly curled its tail around itself for protection. On impulse, Su Wan bought a sausage, crouched down, and held it out.

The black cat didn't eat right away. It only brushed her fingertips gently with its paw. The warmth of its touch made Su Wan's nose sting. "Were you abandoned too?" she murmured.

From that day on, the black cat waited for Su Wan beneath her apartment building. It brought her wildflowers from the roadside, though they were often wilted, and followed at her heels like a little shadow when she came home late from working overtime. Its amber eyes never blinked in the dark. Su Wan named it A Ying.