Zhenwei's POV (that night)
Zhenwei had faced hostile board members, billion-dollar negotiations, and enemies who smiled while sharpening knives behind his back.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Compared to surviving a single evening in Xinyue's apartment.
Her place was small. Warm. Lived-in. A sharp contrast to his glass-and-marble mansion that echoed with silence.
He sat on the windowsill — in cat form — tail flicking in irritation.
Fox.
The mental link pulsed.
You are pacing,
the fox's amused voice echoed in his head.
How un-CEO of you.
"I am observing," Zhenwei corrected coldly.
You are sulking.
"I am strategizing."
A pause.
His whiskers twitched violently.
He had left strict instructions.
The fox would remain at the mansion, oversee spiritual disturbances, and alert him if anything abnormal occurred.
This was temporary.
Calculated.
Necessary.
He would:
Stay close to Xinyue.
Observe her aura.
Determine why she alone could tug at his soul like invisible threads.
Maintain professional distance in human form.
Simple.
Controlled.
Efficient.
Except nothing about this woman was controlled.
He didn't sleep at first,
She curled slightly toward him in her sleep.
Trusting.
Unaware that the creature on her beside her was the very man she pitied.
Zhenwei felt something dangerously close to hesitation.
Eventually sleep came.
The next morning, he awoke to soft paded footsteps.
He followed her silently as she padded around in oversized pajamas.
She watered a small plant on the balcony.
"Min Min, you need sunlight, okay? Don't be dramatic like me."
He stared at the plant.
It looked unimpressive.
Why was she speaking to foliage?
She returned inside, stretching lazily.
Then she picked up a small packet.
Cat food.
She crouched in front of him, eyes sparkling.
"Shadow~ I bought you premium salmon flavor!"
The audacity.
He was a celestial cultivator bound by ancient contracts, CEO of one of the largest corporations in the city—
—and she thought he consumed pellets.
She poured it into the pink bowl.
He did not move.
She blinked.
"…You don't like it?"
He turned his head with royal disdain.
She gasped.
"Ohhh. A picky cat?"
Unacceptable.
He leapt onto the dining table in one elegant motion, ignoring her scandalized squeak.
"What are you doing up there—"
He dipped his head.
And deliberately began eating her custard.
The silky, sweet texture was… surprisingly acceptable.
"HEY!"
She rushed forward.
"You don't eat cat food but you steal my dessert?!"
He continued with slow, arrogant bites.
She stared.
Then laughed.
"A cat with taste. Nice."
He nearly choked.
As she prepared to leave for work, she crouched in front of him again.
"You behave, okay? I'll come home early today. And maybe I'll help my pitiful boss finish his documents so he doesn't talk to himself all night again."
He froze.
…What.
She tilted her head.
"Poor thing. He must be so lonely."
He stared at her.
Long.
Hard.
So that was her conclusion.
Her boss was simply a lonely psychopath who spoke to himself in his office.
Somewhere, spiritually invisible in the corner, the fox collapsed laughing.
Oh, this is delicious.
Zhenwei's tail flicked dangerously.
Later in the Office (His POV in Human Form)
He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, immaculate in a charcoal suit, city sprawled beneath him.
The fox manifested beside him lazily.
"So, how was your first kiss in a while?" the fox said.
"That was an accident."
"She called you cute."
"Silence."
"She believes you are lonely."
Zhenwei closed his eyes briefly.
"I am not lonely."
The fox tilted his head.
"Then why did you not leave?"
Silence.
The truth irritated him.
He could have escaped easily.
But when she had fallen asleep…
He stayed.
Zhenwei did not deny it.
Her presence tugged at something ancient inside him.
Something unfinished.
"I am investigating."
The fox smirked.
"By becoming her pet?"
A deadly glare.
"…It is temporary."
Later That Night,
He stood outside her apartment door.
Transformed.
Again.
"This is beneath me," he muttered gently pushing through the cat door she immediately got installed that day.
She was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
The moment she saw him—
"SHADOW!"
She rushed forward, scooping him up instantly.
"I thought you died! I thought you jumped and—oh my god don't do that again!"
She buried her face in his fur.
He stiffened completely.
This is harassment.
Out loud: "Meow."
The fox's laughter echoed in his head.
You could leave anytime.
Zhenwei hesitated.
Her heartbeat was fast against his ear.
She had genuinely been worried.
"…Inconvenient woman," he muttered under his breath.
He lowered his head slightly.
Just slightly.
And nuzzled her wrist.
She gasped in pure joy.
"He likes me! He really likes me!"
He just gave a defeated sigh.