366: Chapter 366 Qinglian

Wei Ziqing said, "Oh, that's a nice-sounding name."

He paused, then pondered for a moment. "It's just that it sounds a bit like a person's name."

Long Qingyun blinked. "Is it? I think it's quite good. It's very quiet and peaceful, matching her—well, her temperament."

When he said "her," there was an involuntary tenderness in his tone, as if he were talking about a very important existence. Wei Ziqing looked at him, his brow twitching slightly.

"The way you talk about it," he said slowly, "why does it sound like you're talking about a person?"

Long Qingyun was stunned for a moment.

"Is... is that so?" He gave a dry laugh. "Does it feel like that?"

"A little." Wei Ziqing stared at him. "Forget it, I'll go to your house later to see that cat of yours."

Long Qingyun's expression changed for a split second.

"Forget about it," he said, his speaking speed slightly faster than before. "I feel like it's not quite appropriate."

Wei Ziqing didn't respond. He just looked at Long Qingyun with a calm gaze, but beneath that calm, something was slowly tightening, like a hand closing shut.

Long Qingyun felt creeped out by his gaze; his eyes began to drift, dodging to the side, to the ground, to anywhere that wasn't Wei Ziqing.

"Break's over!" the director's voice came from a distance. "Everyone to your positions, prepare for the next scene!"

Long Qingyun practically bounced up, grabbed the nearby props, and walked out.

During the entire afternoon of filming, the two did not speak privately again.

By the time they finished work, the sky had already darkened. Wei Ziqing changed back into his own clothes and walked over to Long Qingyun.

"Did you encounter an Evolved Animals?"

Long Qingyun's hand, which was packing things away, paused for a moment.

"Evolved Animals?" He looked up, his face showing genuine confusion. "What's that?"

"Something that has surpassed ordinary animals." Wei Ziqing took a step forward, closing in on him. His gaze fell on Long Qingyun's face—light, yet heavy. "Beyond common sense, beyond cognition, able to do things ordinary animals cannot."

Long Qingyun was pressured by his gaze into taking half a step back.

"No, no, no," he waved his hands repeatedly, his voice sounding a bit weak. "Absolutely not."

"Is that so?" Wei Ziqing looked at him. "But I specialize in dealing with those. Acting is just a way to hide myself."

He paused. His tone didn't change, but every word became heavier.

"If it is, tell me now; it's fine. But if your previous sentence was a lie to me, then—"

He didn't finish, but that pause was enough to make a chill run down Long Qingyun's spine.

"What are you talking about?" Long Qingyun laughed dryly, his laughter very stiff. "I have no idea what you're saying. Heh heh heh—"

He grabbed his bag and walked out, almost as if he were fleeing. After a few steps, he looked back; seeing Wei Ziqing standing still, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickened his pace, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Wei Ziqing stood there watching him walk away, then slowly narrowed his eyes.

He set off and followed him.

Long Qingyun walked along the streets in the night, looking back from time to time. The streetlights stretched his shadow, making it long and short by turns. He checked three or four times; each time, there was only the empty sidewalk and the occasional passing pedestrian behind him—nothing else.

But he always had a feeling of being watched.

What he didn't know was that Wei Ziqing had been about twenty meters behind him the whole time, every step landing in his blind spot. Every time he turned back, Wei Ziqing would slip into a nearby shadow or behind a tree. Tracking an ordinary person was far too simple for a Hero Shadow.

Long Qingyun walked to the base of an old residential building, stopped, and looked back again. Still nothing.

He breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out his keys, climbed to the third floor, and opened the door on the left.

The moment the door opened, Wei Ziqing emerged from an invisible corner behind him, his gaze piercing through the crack in the door—

A cat.

But then again, not a cat.

It stood in the entryway on two hind legs, about 1.6 meters tall. Its fur was typical calico—large patches of black, orange, and white interwoven. The fur was soft and clean, glowing softly under the entryway light. Its body was humanoid in form, with a waist and a slightly protruding chest silhouette. Its forelimbs were shaped like hands, though they still carried feline features—shorter fingers, thicker nails, and paw pads. Its face was also that of a cat, but the layout of the features was closer to a human's. Its eyes were large with amber vertical pupils, currently staring at the door.

It saw Long Qingyun and tilted its head slightly.

Before Long Qingyun could speak, it opened its mouth. Its voice was thin and slightly raspy, like a young girl yet not quite.

"You're back."

"Yeah, I'm back."

Long Qingyun stepped over the threshold and habitually pulled the door shut. Just as the door was halfway closed—

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking.

Long Qingyun was stunned for a moment, then turned around and pulled the door open a crack.

Wei Ziqing stood at the door with a faint smile on his face, waving at him.

Long Qingyun's expression froze.

"Uh..." He gave a dry laugh and pulled the door wide open. "You're here."

"Yeah, I'm here," Wei Ziqing said, his gaze passing over Long Qingyun's shoulder to look into the room.

That calico cat—Qing Lian—was standing at the end of the entryway, her hind feet steady on the floor, forelimbs folded in front of her, head tilted as she watched him. Seeing him look over, she raised one hand and gave a light wave.

Wei Ziqing also raised his hand and waved.

"Hello, Qing Lian."

The smile on Long Qingyun's face froze completely. The next second, he lunged forward, grabbing Wei Ziqing's arm and whispering in a low, terrified voice:

"Don't take her for vivisection—! She's really well-behaved, she's never hurt anyone, she's just a big cat—if you slice her up, I'll fight you to the death—"

Wei Ziqing looked down at him and remained silent for two seconds.

"What are you thinking?"

Long Qingyun was stunned.

"This isn't the first time an evolved creature has appeared," Wei Ziqing said, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "Vivisection? You're overthinking it. Purely, overthinking it."

Long Qingyun let go of his arm and blinked.

"Is... is that so?"

"That's how it is." Wei Ziqing stepped inside, changed his shoes, and walked toward the room. "Come here and let me see."

Qing Lian had already walked to the center of the living room and was standing there waiting for him. Wei Ziqing stopped in front of her and looked her up and down—about 1.6 meters tall, her calico fur looking exceptionally soft under the warm yellow light, her amber vertical pupils reflecting his shadow. Her stance was steady, carrying the composure of a humanoid being.

"Hello," Qing Lian spoke again, her voice thin and slightly raspy. "You are Wei Ziqing?"

Wei Ziqing nodded.

"You know me?"

"Qingyun mentioned you." She turned to glance at Long Qingyun, then turned back. "He said there's a very impressive person in the crew who takes acting very seriously."

Wei Ziqing smiled and sat down on the sofa. Qing Lian followed suit and sat down—in a human fashion, with her hind legs together, forelimbs on her knees, and back straight, her posture as dignified as if she were attending a formal event.

Long Qingyun stood by, rubbing his hands together helplessly.

"Um... Wei Ziqing, how exactly is this handled? She's really not dangerous, I promise—"

Wei Ziqing looked up at him.

"Don't worry," he said. "evolved creatures that aren't dangerous aren't killed outright. There are special processing methods—registration, observation, assessment. If she passes, it's fine; she can live a normal life."

He paused.

"You're overthinking it. You've clearly watched too many movies."

Long Qingyun let out a long breath and plopped down onto the sofa.

"Oh man, you scared me to death..."

Wei Ziqing looked at him, his lips twitching, but he didn't laugh. He turned to Qing Lian.

"So what exactly happened? How did you meet him?"

Qing Lian blinked and looked at Long Qingyun.

"I was lying outside that day," she said. "I don't know how I got there. I had just... just turned into this, I was very tired and didn't want to move. Then he came along."

Long Qingyun took over: "I was just walking and saw her lying there. I was shocked at the time too—how could a cat be so big? But for some reason, I just wasn't afraid."

He scratched his head.

"Then she hugged me and said 'Hello, hello.' In my confusion, I just brought her back."

After listening, Wei Ziqing's gaze fell on Qing Lian's face.

"You were quite purposeful," he said.

Qing Lian tilted her head and smiled—the smile was the closest thing to a human expression a cat's face could make, with her eyes curving and the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"After all, I like him a lot," she said. "I chose him."

Long Qingyun was stunned for a moment.

"Why did you choose me?"

Qing Lian turned her head to look at him, his face reflected in her amber pupils.

"Hmm..." she thought for a moment. "Maybe because you like cats? Or maybe—"

She stood up, walked close to him, and suddenly reached out to cup his face, bringing hers very, very close, until their noses almost touched.

"—Because I like humans very much."

Her voice was soft, slightly raspy, with a hint of a coquettish lilt. She pressed her face against his, nuzzling his cheek; the furry sensation made half of Long Qingyun's face itch.

"The 'really, really like' kind."

Long Qingyun froze there, his face turning beet red, all the way to his ears. He held his hands up helplessly, not knowing where to put them, and his eyes didn't know where to look, so he could only stare blankly at the ceiling.

"Qing... Qing Lian—too close—too close—"

Qing Lian didn't let go; instead, she nuzzled even harder, a small, satisfied purr emanating from her throat.