Chapter 1: Reunion

Qin Shishen saw Lin Luoyou again at the end of September.

That afternoon was unseasonably warm. Cola, having just undergone neutering, lay listlessly in his arms. From a distance, his gaze was drawn to a girl sitting outside his café.

Her smooth, long hair was casually tied at the back. A white chiffon blouse paired with a navy short skirt added a hint of professional polish to her otherwise youthful appearance. The parasol outside, broken two days ago, had yet to be replaced. The girl looked overheated, fanning herself every so often with her hand.

“It’s hot out here. Come inside and have a seat,” he called out, pushing open the door after appraising Lin Luoyou for a moment.

“Ah?” Lin Luoyou, startled by the sudden voice, looked up and saw a tall, handsome young man leaning against the doorway, watching her. His hair fell in gentle curls, his fringe covering his brows. Behind his framed glasses, his eyes sparkled with a friendly smile. Lin Luoyou found herself utterly captivated.

Realizing her stare was a little too direct, she quickly lowered her eyes and tidied the items on the table, murmuring, “Um… thank you!”

“It’s nothing, just find a place inside. Sorry about the broken parasol outside—I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet…” Qin Shishen followed her in, but before he could finish, a ball of fluff darted between them and flopped at Lin Luoyou’s feet.

Startled, she took a few hurried steps back, only for the furry creature to wind itself around her again the next moment.

It was a ragdoll cat with a glossy coat—clearly its owner took meticulous care of it. Had it perhaps sniffed out the grilled fish she’d eaten last night? Lin Luoyou couldn’t think of any other reason why such an aloof feline would be so enthusiastic.

“Uh, hope it didn’t scare you,” Qin Shishen said, a little helpless, scooping the cat into his arms. But before he could settle it, the cat wriggled free and leapt nimbly to the floor, staring up at Lin Luoyou with wide, aquamarine eyes.

Their gazes met, and Lin Luoyou’s heart instantly melted.

“It’s fine, it’s so cute!”

As if understanding the compliment, the cat rubbed against her ankle, then flopped onto its back, exposing its snowy belly.

“Did you just understand I was praising you, little one?” Lin Luoyou couldn’t resist crouching down and running her fingers through its plush fur. The soft, fluffy sensation was irresistible—she nearly forgot she had important business to attend to soon.

She straightened, shaking her head. “Beware the beguiling charm of cats,” she muttered.

Qin Shishen watched their interaction from the side without interrupting. When Lin Luoyou stood up, he pointed at the ragdoll cat still sprawled on the floor and said, “It’s never been this clingy before.”

As if intent on contradicting its owner, the cat named Cola sprawled once more across Lin Luoyou’s feet, clutching her ankle with its front paws.

Its blue eyes flickered toward Qin Shishen, as if to say: Are you trying to tell me what to do?

Lin Luoyou glanced at the clock on the wall. She still had forty minutes before her interview.

**

They say September and October are the golden months for job hunting—countless seniors can attest from personal experience that September is the peak season for campus recruitment. There was a post online that said: If you haven’t sent out at least a hundred resumes, you can’t even claim to have participated in campus recruitment.

While Lin Luoyou hadn’t sent that many, she’d still submitted twenty or thirty applications at the very least. Of all those positions, the operations role at Masse Company, for which she had an interview that afternoon, suited her best.

She’d passed the first round last week. If she made it through today’s group interview, the next step would be discussing salary details with HR face-to-face.

Despite barely sleeping a wink last night out of excitement and nerves, she was still full of energy now.

“What’s there to worry about? Look at me—I don’t have dark circles or dull skin. Who’d believe I was up all night? With this energy, I could pull two more all-nighters and still be fine!” she’d said to her friend Jiang Xiaohan that morning, brushing off her concern.