“Mom, I’m home.”
After putting down the motorcycle keys, I changed into my slippers and walked into the living room.
Mom was in the kitchen doing the dishes.
Since I didn’t hear Dad’s voice, he was probably out on some errand.
“Yo, did you have dinner yet?”
“Yeah, I’m full. I’ll just cook a little something later for a midnight snack.”
“Ohhh.”
Mom responded casually, but the sound of clinking dishes from the kitchen suddenly stopped.
As I poured myself some tea in the living room, I glanced toward the kitchen door.
Mom poked her head out, eyes slightly narrowed like she was trying to read my expression.
“Looking pretty cheerful. Was dinner with that little catgirl?”
“It was her. Why?”
What I thought was a pretty ordinary answer made Mom burst out laughing.
She waved her hand dismissively and ducked back into the kitchen.
The clattering resumed, accompanied by her drifting voice.
“No reason, no reason. I’m just happy to see my little Gu Fan turning back into that innocent childhood sweetheart from elementary school. Keep it up.”
I could only respond to her teasing with a helpless smile.
Without replying, I headed into my room and left the door slightly ajar.
I turned on the heater, grabbed a floor cushion, and settled down to let the warm air blow over me while I spaced out.
Zhi Nian seemed more enthusiastic than usual today.
Even though she usually starts the conversations and I just respond, her intentions felt clearer this time.
Maybe… she just wanted to ask me to skip class tomorrow?
I leaned back and let myself fall, arms crossed behind my head as a pillow.
The room was so quiet that the only sound I could hear was the soft hum of the heater.
The calmness of the space helped settle my mind, and the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions finally began to ease.
I let my brain idle for a while, letting the day’s memories sort themselves into tidy little compartments.
Then suddenly, a flicker of a thought caught my attention.
Right—
Zhi Nian said she would call me tonight.
I picked up my phone and checked the time.
It was already past 7:40. She should be calling around 8:00 sharp—we’d agreed on that earlier.
I quickly sat up, legs crossed on the floor.
After our walk in the suburbs, Zhi Nian had suddenly asked if she could call me later.
Of course, I didn’t mind at all, but I was still a bit curious about what she wanted to do.
If it was just a casual chat…
I suppose that wasn’t bad either.
It’d be a decent way to pass the time.
I swiped through my phone absentmindedly, scrolling through current news, though my focus was fixed on the time in the top left corner.
At exactly 7:55, I opened my contacts and dialed Zhi Nian’s number instead.
“Ring—click.”
The call barely rang once before it was picked up.
“Hello? Is that Gu Fan?”
Zhi Nian’s soft voice trembled faintly through the receiver.
“It’s me, it’s me. You picked up fast.”
To be honest, I already knew Zhi Nian had been waiting with her phone in hand since 7:30, anticipating 8 o’clock.
But I still pretended not to notice, just to tease her a bit.
“Eh? Uhm… I just happened to see the time, that’s all. Yep, just a coincidence.”
Zhi Nian stammered awkwardly, then quickly tried to shift the topic.
“G-Gu Fan, did you eat dinner yet?”
“Nope. I’ll just have a little late-night snack later.”
“Ah? Sorry… that’s my fault.”
As soon as I said that, Zhi Nian immediately apologized seriously, and I could almost imagine her bowing as she spoke.
Her voice came through the receiver all muffled and distant, as if she had moved the phone away from her mouth.
Then it gradually grew clearer again, as if she brought it back close.
I figured she was once again falling into her usual habit of spiraling into worst-case scenarios.
She’s always been like this—overthinking, worrying, getting caught up in low-probability what-ifs that eventually pile up and crush her like a mountain of anxiety, forcing her to retreat from reality.
I let her mutter her string of quiet, guilty words on the other end of the line.
After a while, when she finally calmed down and went quiet, I gently introduced a new topic.
“Zhi Nian, have you thought about what you want to do tomorrow?”
I had considered comforting her, offering a few gentle words or some warm, motivational advice.
But after such a long and tiring day, I quietly shelved those intentions.
Ever since graduating middle school, I’d become a lot more distant.
Maybe it was because I’d indulged so much back then that now, I was all out of energy.
I didn’t have that boundless enthusiasm I used to carry as a kid anymore.
“Uh, well… since Christmas is coming soon, I thought I’d prepare a little surprise for you—um, no, I mean a gift!”
“Mhm, got it. Then how about we check out the shopping mall tomorrow afternoon?”
“Eh? Yes! Yes, let’s!”
Time quietly passed, and by the time we hung up, it was nearly 9 PM.
Honestly, we didn’t really talk about anything important.
After deciding where to go tomorrow, the rest was just casual small talk—about what we usually do, what we’re thinking lately, that kind of thing.
If it were anyone else, I’d probably have found an excuse to end the call early.
But with Zhi Nian, I found myself unusually patient and calm. I just quietly listened to her talk, soaking in the occasional soft noises from her side of the line.
Come to think of it… maybe I should prepare a Christmas gift for her too?
More accurately, it should be a surprise.
I’ll buy it secretly, without her knowing, and then give it to her in person on Christmas Day.
I can already picture the smile on her face when she receives it.
* * * * *
Hehehe~
I get to go to the shopping mall with Gu Fan!
I hummed in the shower, happily replaying the sound of Gu Fan agreeing over the phone in my head, unconsciously imagining his gentle smile.
If only I could compose music and write lyrics…
I’d pour all my feelings into the melody and the words.
And if I could sing it myself—that would be even better.
But… only if it’s just the two of us.
If there were other people around, that’d be way too embarrassing.
That warm, fluttery feeling carried through all the way to school the next day—until it came to a halt when some unfamiliar girl nearby started whispering mean things about me behind my back.
“I think Gu Fan’s just being nice to that cat girl because he pities her. He’s just being polite, and yet some people are shamelessly clinging to him.”
Normally, I wouldn’t even bother acknowledging that kind of self-absorbed nonsense.
But the downside to having such sharp hearing is that I catch every word far too clearly—and remember them just as well.
So no matter how hard I try to brush it off, those words end up stirring doubts in my mind.
Could it really be that Gu Fan only approached me out of concern?
That he was just being kind?
That would make the most sense for a normal person… but I can’t help imagining that I’m special to him.
That we were meant to be.
But such selfish fantasies… aren’t allowed.
After reminding myself of that, I finally started to feel a little better.
I stared blankly at the blackboard for a while, then laid my head down on the desk.
My cat ears kept working diligently, picking up sounds from all around me.
They flowed into my heart, crashing around like a storm, making it impossible to sleep.
How annoying…
Class was better.
At least then, the teacher’s droning voice worked like a lullaby.
I muddled through the morning like that, and the moment the dismissal bell rang, I didn’t even bother grabbing my bag—I bolted straight out of the classroom.
All the feelings I had been holding in turned into fuel, pushing my usually weak body into a desperate sprint.