I Became a Cat at College and Found Love!

[Coming soon: The Wedding Banquet’s Suona, A Relaxed Marriage into a Wealthy Family], an unconventional marriage-first, love-later story, opening September 19. See the end for the blurb.

Dong Heguang, a baking blogger, never imagined that he, a positive and upstanding young man with all the right qualities, would one day be driven to distraction by cats.

Not for any other reason, but because he himself... turned into a cat.

The good news was that he turned back before long.

The bad news was that every few days, he would spend some time next door at the university, experiencing life as a stray cat.

No warning, every kind of cat, and plenty of them.

Good heavens!!! (Keep smiling.jpg)

Just as he was at his wit’s end, the youngest and handsomest associate professor since the neighboring university was founded caught his attention.

The man was usually taciturn, wearing a stern expression like a King of Hell, but the moment he saw a cat, he changed completely!

Either he was feeding them canned food or reaching out to pet them. Wasn’t he practically wearing a sign on his forehead saying, "I’m a suspect"?

On top of that, the cat connections he’d built up after turning into a cat told him that every time he changed into a cat, this man was lurking near the scene of the incident.

There was only one truth: he was the culprit!

Great. Now he just had to find direct evidence of the man’s crimes and the "weapon" he used. To catch a thief, you have to catch him with the goods!

*

As an associate professor in the architecture department at A University, Xia Zeyu’s life used to be a steady routine of teaching and drawing plans when busy, and petting cats and taking pictures in his free time.

But sometime along the way, a young man named Dong Heguang appeared in his life.

He was always smiling, and being around him made Xia Zeyu feel warm inside. He also found himself doing all sorts of things he’d never imagined doing before.

For example:

Uncovering the cat ghost stories that had been circulating around campus for ages

Making cakes together with human toddlers

Going to a matchmaking event together...

So, should he write him a letter to express his feelings?

Bonus scene

One day, Dong Heguang opened WeChat and saw that Xia Zeyu had tapped him with the message, "Please go out with me."

Before he could explain that it was a prank by a friend, he saw the other guy tap him a second time.

Dong Heguang: ??

Xia Zeyu: Sorry, I meant to undo it, but accidentally tapped you again.

Dong Heguang: ...

Meanwhile

The friend who pulled the prank: If A Guang finds a partner, I’ll definitely deserve a huge share of the credit, hehe~

Xia Zeyu, after learning the truth: I’ll arrange a thank-you banquet for the matchmaker right now.

Dong Heguang: ... Please, get your aloof persona back under control.

[Reading Guide]

1. Warm, cheerful, life-loving, bold yet careful baking blogger bottom + X + an architecture associate professor top who seems taciturn and stern as the King of Hell, but is actually quite pure-hearted

2. Older top, each other’s first love, happy ending

3. The top has a slight tendency to win himself over, just a little

4. There will be scenes with small animals and human toddlers, but they’re just for color

5. There is a secondary couple, but they don’t get much focus. Their main purpose is to advance the protagonists’ story. Both members of the secondary couple have lots of exes

6. The bottom may act a little like a jerk in the middle and later parts because of his personality. Please give him room to grow. Thanks!

7. Please don’t get hung up on the fact that the top became an associate professor at twenty-nine o(╥﹏╥)o

8. There may be a few minor plot holes here and there. Please go easy on me

■■■■

Coming-soon blurb:

Gu Xingchuan is a beloved kindergarten teacher with an off-the-charts likability. The children adore him, his colleagues admire him, and the parents trust him.

In everyone’s eyes, Teacher Gu is pure-hearted and kind, always wearing a sunny smile.

But no one knows that he’s unbelievably, unbelievably, unbelievably, unbelievably, petty and vindictive!

Except toward Yi Yunlan, his husband by contract.

*

Yi Yunlan is the ultimate spoiled rich playboy.

He’s a master of eating, drinking, and having fun, but hopeless at everything to do with the company.

He’d always lived a freewheeling life until one day, his own father "kidnapped" him to the marriage registry, where he got a marriage certificate with a man he’d met only once.

And just like that, his good days were over.

To regain his freedom, he tried every trick he could think of to torment Gu Xingchuan, only to find himself suffering "divine retribution" every time.

Divine retribution?

Yi Yunlan didn’t believe it for a second.

He was convinced that all his bad luck was Gu Xingchuan’s doing, but he’d never had proof.

Fortunately, heaven was on his side. He found a copy of someone’s "Merit Journal" with the author’s name on it.

Yi Yunlan (furious): I found the evidence! So you really were behind all those things! You did it to get back at me!

Gu Xingchuan (raising an eyebrow calmly): What else? Did you think I was praising you?

Yi Yunlan (stammering): You... I...

Gu Xingchuan (winking cutely): Keep reading. I complimented you later on~

Yi Yunlan (getting redder by the second): A-Am I really that bad at kissing?

Gu Xingchuan (smiling with his chin in his hand): There’s plenty of room for improvement. So, want to practice some more?

*

Gu Xingchuan’s "Merit Journal":

X Month X Day, overcast. The second young master put chili and mustard toothpaste in my breakfast. In response, I treated him to a hotpot of luosifen, repaying spite with kindness. If he does it again, I might put a tin of herring in his wardrobe, add stinky tofu juice to his shaving foam, and spread a rumor about him.

P.S. I feel like I’ve gotten so much more childish than when I was a kid. He needs to be taught a lesson.

X Month X Day, thunderstorm. The childish puppy tried to dress up as a ghost to scare me, but fortunately (after weighing the pros and cons) he came to his senses in time and chose to keep me company, so I’m putting his punishment on hold.

P.S. He probably didn’t notice that I’m afraid of thunder, but his hand covering my ears felt so warm.

X Month X Day, light snow. He’s captivating when he’s working seriously, and just as cute as he was when he was a kid. He’s just too shy, and his kissing skills could use some work. Still, congratulations to him on upgrading from a pilot to a rose.

[Reading Guide]

1. Younger top, five-year age gap

2. A baby-faced, super-strong bottom who seems gentle and pure but is actually petty and holds grudges X a seemingly frivolous playboy top who is actually a sweet, clueless coward with an elite air

3. There is a child, not biologically related to either lead

4. Relatively slow burn

5. The author is obsessed with per jokes and rhymes. Please bear with me

Theme: Love is the greatest courage and driving force that keeps us moving forward