The Lingering Echoes of a Feline Existence

Unsure of how long he had slept, Lin Yi was jolted awake by sounds from outside. Still startled, he glanced at the other side of the bed, where the familiar face remained.

A sudden jolt of fear seized Lin Yi’s heart, slowly creeping to the surface.

‘I can’t truly be stuck like this, can I? Am I destined to be a female cat for the rest of my life?’

The thought alone made his cat fur bristle. This peculiar sensation instantly overwhelmed Lin Yi’s mind.

‘Hiss~ So this is what it feels like for a cat to puff up its fur?’

Calming himself, he crawled out of the covers and leaped onto the floor. A pang of hunger struck him, urging him to find food first.

In the living room, Lin Yi’s gaze fell upon the small bowl inside the cage. A wave of resistance washed over him. He knew kittens couldn’t consume too much salt, as it could lead to various illnesses.

For the sake of the kitten’s health, Lin Yi suppressed his discomfort, lowered his head, and licked the food in the bowl. Finding the taste rather agreeable, he took another lick.

After eating his fill, Lin Yi’s cat ears twitched. The blare of car horns outside was jarring, likely due to a cat’s acutely sensitive hearing.

He had never found car horns so noisy before. It was a wonder the kitten could sleep in such an environment; it must have grown accustomed to it.

After another circuit around the room, Lin Yi’s four paws suddenly stiffened, as if acting on their own accord. At that very moment, a faint gaze fixed upon the kitten.

Lin Yi, however, had no energy to spare for such details. His entire focus was consumed by his own being.

He felt his own consciousness being expelled by another.

In mere seconds, darkness enveloped Lin Yi’s vision.

****

When he awoke again, the sun was already nearing the horizon. Lin Yi sat up, pressing a hand to his throbbing head. For some unknown reason, his head ached intensely the moment he regained consciousness.

Glancing at his own body, Lin Yi realized he had returned to his human form. Instinctively, he picked up his phone and checked the time; it was almost six in the evening.

His stomach remained empty. Thankfully, the switch had only lasted half a day. Had it been longer, Lin Yi worried his body might have suffered from muscle atrophy.

A buzz.

His phone vibrated, and Lin Yi glanced at the screen.

[Chen Sishi: Lin Yi?]

[Wind Chime: What’s up?]

[Chen Sishi: Nothing, just wondering if you’re free tomorrow?]

A sense of unease settled in Lin Yi’s heart. He pondered for a moment before typing a reply on his phone.

[Wind Chime: I am. Why?]

[Chen Sishi: Great! I want to go out tomorrow, could you come with me?]

Lin Yi’s expression froze upon seeing the message. ‘Is this a date? This has to be a date!’ If he went out with Chen Sishi, he would surely be ‘eaten alive’ by her, in every conceivable sense of the phrase.

Yet, the thought of Chen Sishi’s ‘episodes’ sent shivers down his spine. After much deliberation, Lin Yi reluctantly agreed.

[Wind Chime: Okay, you don’t mind if I bring someone else, do you?]

[Chen Sishi: Who? A guy or a girl?]

[Wind Chime: Li Yan…]

[Chen Sishi: Oh, not at all, I don’t mind.]

Silently apologizing to Li Yan in his heart, he sent a message to him.

[Wind Chime: Free tomorrow? Come hang out with me, there’s a girl.]

Predictably, Li Yan’s reply came swiftly.

[Li Yan: My man, Lin Bro, where are we going to hang out tomorrow?]

[Wind Chime: We’ll see. Just come to my place tomorrow.]

[Li Yan: Got it.]

Ending the chat, Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. At least with Li Yan around, Chen Sishi wouldn’t be able to do anything too outrageous.

Just to be safe, Lin Yi informed Lin Yiting about his plans to go out with Chen Sishi again tomorrow.

Lin Yiting simply replied, “Be careful, keep your tracker on. If you’re not home by 7 PM, I’ll come find you.”

Reading her words, a warmth spread through Lin Yi’s chest. He put down his phone and walked into the living room, spotting the kitten sprawled on the sofa. Its tiny paws rested on the cushion, seemingly sharpening its claws.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Lin Yi deliberately raised his voice, startling the kitten. It quickly jumped off the sofa and trotted to his feet, meowing twice.

Lin Yi found it odd; perhaps due to the body-swapping, he felt as though he could understand what the kitten was trying to convey.

Yet, he dismissed it as a mere illusion, not dwelling on the thought. Bending down, Lin Yi stroked the tabby cat’s soft fur before turning and heading into the kitchen.

With no other food available, Lin Yi resigned himself to making instant noodles. Alas, poverty limited his culinary options.

****

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Chen Sishi stared intently at her phone screen. Only after seeing the young man pass by on the screen did she finally exhale a shaky breath.

Chen Sishi had been glued to her phone screen since morning. When Lin Yi hadn’t appeared by noon, she began to fear something had happened to him.

If Lin Yi hadn’t just replied, she would already be standing at the entrance of his residence.

As Lin Yi entered the kitchen, the kitten hopped onto the sofa and watched the screen for a moment. Man and cat stared at each other through the digital divide. If she could, Chen Sishi truly wished to chase the cat away.

However, the prospect of going out with Lin Yi tomorrow brightened her mood considerably, and she decided to ignore the feline.

‘Hmm… should I bring the sedative for Lin Yi, or the aphrodisiac?’

Chen Sishi fell into deep thought, her eyes fixed on the two boxes of medicine on the table. Whenever she recalled Chen Lujun’s words, a flicker of worry crossed her mind.

After all, Chen Lujun had experience in such matters, and Chen Sishi was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

****

After dinner, Lin Yi stared at the workbook on his desk, his mind preoccupied with the day’s body-swapping incident.

He felt it wasn’t a mere body swap with the kitten, but rather his soul possessing its form. As for how his soul transferred, Lin Yi only knew of sleep as the trigger.

His return to his own body was equally abrupt—a sudden disappearance of consciousness, as if reaching a limit and being forced back.

Lin Yi estimated the duration to be around five or six hours. Of course, he had spent more than half of that time asleep, leaving only about half an hour for actual free movement.

He wondered if different species or ages might alter the duration of the possession.

Pondering deeply, Lin Yi still couldn’t fathom why he had possessed the tabby cat. Yet, the experience of being a cat was far from pleasant; he certainly didn’t wish to try it a second time.

Indeed, the sensation of becoming someone else was one Lin Yi never wanted to relive.

With a resigned sigh, Lin Yi decided to lock his door before sleeping tonight. If he were to transform into a kitten again tomorrow morning, that would be truly disastrous.

After securing his door, Lin Yi opened his computer once more. He felt a slight apprehension as he stared at the software on the screen.

Unaware of the conditions for possession, Lin Yi couldn’t be sure if playing the game again would transform him into a kitten.

‘Forget it,’ he thought. If playing this game truly turned him into a cat, why hadn’t anything happened to Li Yan? Ultimately, Lin Yi launched the game and sent a message to Li Yan.

[Wind Chime: Log on!]