It couldn't be called familiarity, but rather a feeling... as if it were somehow familiar, like a scent she had caught just moments ago.
"May I take a look?" Zhi Yao turned to the staff member, who hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course you can."
It was a tuft of white fur, rather long, resembling... something akin to a long-haired cat.
But Zhi Yao sensed an aura of spiritual energy emanating from this long-haired cat.
Could it be... a cat spirit?
Before she could ponder further, her makeup was done, and the busy filming began.
Zhi Yao no longer needed to rely on her previous methods for shooting. With her memories restored and her seal removed, controlling her emotions was now second nature. She didn't even need a single retake, wrapping up quickly.
On her first day on set, considering Zhi Yao still needed to acclimate, the director had only scheduled one scene for her. After finishing, she prepared to leave.
Before departing, she glanced once more at the set but didn't see Yan Mu anywhere.
Remembering that Pei Chiyao was waiting for her outside, Zhi Yao quickened her pace. However, just moments after stepping out, that familiar scent wafted into her nostrils once more.
Zhi Yao instinctively halted in her tracks.
Such a potent aroma of spiritual energy...
As she hesitated, an enormous tail suddenly flashed before her eyes.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was in the bushes.
The large tail swayed incessantly. The young girl raised an eyebrow and unconsciously approached. As she drew near, a voice drifted into her ears, "This is so frustrating! Why have my ears and tail appeared again? They're so disobedient! It's driving me crazy!"
She was furiously tearing at her own fur, scattering cat hair everywhere.
That voice...
A glimmer of understanding flashed in the young girl's eyes.
As expected...
She abruptly parted the bushes and, unsurprisingly, saw Yan Mu standing there.
Their eyes met, and silence fell like a blanket over Cambridge on this night.
Yan Mu: "...!!!"
Zhi Yao: "..."
Could someone explain to her why Yan Mu was holding a kitchen knife in her hand?!
"You... you..." Yan Mu was on the verge of tears from fright.
She covered her ears and tail, panicking as tears streamed down her face. "This is fake! It's just my costume!"
Zhi Yao: "..."
Why did this scene feel so oddly familiar?
Zhi Yao sighed and said, "Alright, stop pretending. I know you're a cat."
Yan Mu was petrified on the spot.
After the initial shock, she grabbed the kitchen knife in her hand, her face pale as she raised it, about to chop off her own tail. The gesture startled Zhi Yao, "What are you doing?!"
She quickly grasped Yan Mu's wrist, trying to stop her action.
Yan Mu struggled desperately, crying out, "I don't want a tail!! I want to be human! I don't want to be a monster!"
Almost every animal that had become human harbored such thoughts.
Maintaining a human form required immense spiritual power. If the spiritual energy was insufficient, situations like Zhi Yao's past and Yan Mu's present would occur.
Becoming half-human or half-monster, such an ambiguous state, if seen by humans, would cause an uproar.
Seeing Yan Mu's condition, Zhi Yao couldn't help but think of her own past experiences.
Her heart softened, and she decided to help Yan Mu.
"Alright, put the knife down. I can help you conceal your ears and tail."
Upon hearing this, Yan Mu froze in place. "Re-really?!"
"Really."
Taking advantage of Yan Mu's momentary daze, Zhi Yao snatched the kitchen knife from her hand and tossed it to the ground. Then, the young girl raised her hand, her fingertips gathering a faint spiritual energy. In an instant, the ears on Yan Mu's head and her tail vanished.
She incredulously raised her hand to touch her head, her excitement nearly making her jump. "Oh my god! My ears and tail are really gone!!"
She excitedly hugged Zhi Yao. "You're so kind! The first time I saw you, I sensed an incredibly powerful spiritual energy around you, and I wanted to get close to you. I never imagined you'd be such an amazing person! I like you so much! I'll do anything to repay you in the future!"
She hugged Zhi Yao, jumping and shouting.
Zhi Yao was both amused and exasperated by Yan Mu's behavior. Just as she was about to speak, the sound of footsteps approached from the distance.
Zhi Yao hurriedly raised a finger to her lips, signaling Yan Mu to be quiet.
But for some reason, as soon as Yan Mu closed her mouth, the next second, her cat ears suddenly popped out on her head again!
Zhi Yao watched as Yan Mu's expression turned deathly pale, as if she was about to faint.
As the footsteps drew ever closer, Zhi Yao pondered for two seconds before mouthing to Yan Mu, "Transform back."
Yan Mu was so frightened that her brain had stopped functioning, and at this point, she simply did whatever Zhi Yao told her to do.
A white flash passed before their eyes, and a snow-white long-haired cat appeared on the ground.
With blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and a plump body, it was unbelievably cute. Lying on the ground, it looked like a fluffy caterpillar.
Zhi Yao bent down, scooped up the white cat into her arms, and walked out with composure.
However, as soon as she stepped out, Zhi Yao saw someone.
Someone who shouldn't have been there at all.
Xie Qinzhou.
The young girl's brows furrowed, completely baffled as to why Xie Qinzhou would appear in such a distant place as M City.
She saw Xie Qinzhou turning to leave, but failed to notice that the little white cat in her arms had also started trembling.
The cat buried its head in Zhi Yao's embrace, terrified that Xie Qinzhou might discover her.
"Zhi Yao."
Xie Qinzhou had also spotted Zhi Yao at first glance. Before she could leave his line of sight, he called out to her.
But unexpectedly...
Upon hearing him call her name, not only did Zhi Yao not stop, but she took off running, her movements as swift as the wind.
Xie Qinzhou watched Zhi Yao's retreating figure with resignation, but in the end, a smile curved his lips.
No matter what, he wasn't going to let Zhi Yao leave this place today.
He slowly raised his hand, and a golden light suddenly burst forth from his palm, shooting straight towards Zhi Yao!
Zhi Yao didn't stop running, but she could already sense it...
She could feel that Xie Qinzhou's spiritual energy was vast and profound. Facing him was like an ant trying to stop a chariot.
Although she had broken the seal, her spiritual energy had been depleted over the years. If not for the power that Pei Chiyao had transferred to her, she might not have even been able to maintain her human form.
She bit her lower lip hard. Today... it seemed there was no escape.
Just then, a beam of white light shot swiftly from another direction towards Xie Qinzhou. With an unstoppable force, it dissolved Xie Qinzhou's golden radiance and hurtled straight for his face!
