Who Could Turn Down a Cat?

The day the apocalypse began, I might have been exposed to radiation. My mutation was different from that of other species. I watched as my own cat’s paw turned into slender, articulated fingers in an instant, while my legs slowly transformed into human legs. The human holding me tightened their arms around me, clearly not expecting this to happen. The mood suddenly turned suggestive. Yu Hangzhi gave a tight, humorless smile. “Turn back.” +++ I used to be a cat at a cat cafe. It wasn’t the most prestigious job, but at least it was steady. As one of the cafe’s unpopular cats, I was surprised when someone specifically asked for me. He barely spoke, and his hands stayed where they belonged. But in our line of work, there’s an old saying: “The one thing you must never do is fall for a customer.” What if he never came back, or decided he liked another cat instead? But then the customer paid a fortune to take me home. +++ Even now that the apocalypse has arrived, Yu Hangzhi still spends every day lying around at home. I figured that if things carried on like this, we’d both starve to death. If all else failed, I could always go back to my old job and earn a living. Yu Hangzhi raised his eyes, finding the idea amusing. “You? Go back to your old job?” I thought he was doubting my abilities. But Yu Hangzhi tapped the can with his fingertips and beckoned me over. “Come here. Let me see what you can do.” Alternating first- and third-person narration, with mild hurt/comfort Definitely finishing in 150,000 words A healing story about a person and a cat A clueless, expressive cat and a quiet, sly human After transforming, the gong becomes a handsome beauty with naturally curly hair Theme: Life rarely goes as we wish, more often than not.