Night. White Li yawns, takes the bracelet off her wrist, and casually places it on the bedside table.
“Another day of doing nothing…”
She mutters, flopping onto the bed.
‘Task? Report? I’ll worry about that later.’
Until the deadline, she’s invincible. She pulls the blanket up to her chin and reaches to turn off the lamp.
With a click, the room falls into darkness. The streetlight outside, through the gaps in the patched curtains, draws a long, thin streak of light on the floor. White Li closes her eyes, her tail curling around the corner of the blanket, her ears drooping onto the pillow.
Her breathing gradually steadies, and soon she falls asleep.
—
Outside the window, two faint glows flicker in the darkness, like the pupils of a beast glinting in the shadows. The Cat Girl crouches on the air conditioner unit outside, hugging her knees, curling herself into a ball. She’s been squatting here for a long time—so long that her legs have gone numb.
The silhouettes of the two boys from the daytime keep revolving in her mind, unsettling her. She tries not to think about it, focusing on handing out flyers, putting on that business smile for every passerby. But it’s useless. Those thoughts are like weeds—push down one patch and another grows back.
She wants to become human, to walk freely in the sunlight. It aches deep in her heart.
So she takes the chance when White Li is leaving school and secretly follows her here. From a distance, she watches that short boy enter this old residential building, sees the fifth-floor light turn on, then off. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. Maybe she just wants one more look, to see how that fellow monster actually disguises himself. Maybe she just wants to get a little closer, to feel that something she doesn’t have.
Until the light goes out, the Cat Girl hesitates for a long time—so long that the moon peeks out from behind the clouds, bleaching the entire street white. Finally, she reaches out and gently pulls the window open.
Creak—
The old window lets out a soft sound, freezing her in place. She pricks her ears and listens for a while, confirming no movement inside, then pushes the window open a wider gap. She flips over and lands, her toes touching the floor. Thanks to her naturally agile body, she makes no sound at all.
The moonlight casts the room in half-light and half-shadow—a very small room, visible at a glance. A bed, a desk, a closet; in the corner, a pile of clothes that haven’t been folded yet. There’s a faint fragrance in the air, like the smell of a winter morning.
The Cat Girl holds her breath, slowly approaches the bedside table, and sees the bracelet. Silver, looking ordinary, lying quietly on the bedside table. Her heart suddenly races—so fast she can hear the blood flowing in her ears.
If she just had this, she could take on a human appearance. She could walk the streets without being pointed at, look for a job without worrying about the boss’s attitude, not be called a “monster,” not be bullied…
Her hand reaches out, fingertips about to touch the bracelet.
“Mmm~~”
On the bed, White Li turns over, mumbling something indistinct. The Cat Girl springs back as if shocked, her back hitting the closet with a dull thud. She hides by the closet, her heart almost leaping out of her throat.
White Li’s ears twitch, her tail flicking under the blanket, then it stills. Her breathing steadies again; it seems she just turned over in her sleep.
The Cat Girl clutches her chest, and it takes a long moment before she calms down. She looks at the silver-haired girl curled up on the bed, her skin almost translucent in the moonlight, eyelashes casting light shadows under her lids, the corners of her lips slightly raised—who knows what sweet dream she’s having.
‘Such a beautiful child,’ she thinks.
The Cat Girl has heard of the Fox Clan, fellow beast-eared monsters, innocent of the world’s ways, living in seclusion in desolate places far from the hustle and bustle. This is the first time she’s seen a real fox spirit. With a face that could topple kingdoms, no wonder she dares not show her true form. But why does she disguise herself as a boy? If she just hid the monster features, she would be very likable.
The Cat Girl doesn’t understand.
She looks down at her own hand; it’s still trembling slightly. She knows what she’s doing—she’s stealing. No matter the reason, it’s stealing.
Popo’s voice rings in her mind:
“Xiao Yu, even though we were born like this, our hearts must not twist too. Other people’s things, no matter how good, we cannot take…”
When Popo picked her up from the alley, she was nothing but skin and bones. It was Popo who gave her food, gave her a place to live, taught her to read, taught her to be a good person. Popo’s legs are bad; as soon as it’s cloudy, they hurt so much she can’t walk, but she never complains to anyone. The doctor said to supplement nutrition, to eat well. But the little money she earns only covers rent and the cheapest steamed buns and pickled vegetables.
Xiao Yu bites her lip, her nails digging into her palms. With this bracelet, she could do many things. She could find a better job, earn more money, buy the nutritional supplements Popo never splurges on, let Popo live a good life.
She lifts her head and looks at the sleeping figure on the bed. White Li hugs her pillow, her face as peaceful as a painting.
“Maybe it’s the real you that would make that boy accept you.”
Xiao Yu speaks softly, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s buzz. She doesn’t know if these words are meant for White Li or for herself.
She reaches out, this time without hesitation. The moment her fingertips touch the bracelet, the metallic texture transmits. She tightens her fingers and slowly lifts the bracelet from the bedside table. There’s no sound the whole time, and White Li doesn’t move.
She has it.
The Cat Girl clutches the bracelet in her palm, her knuckles white. She gives White Li one last look; the silver-haired girl is still asleep, oblivious to everything.
“I’m sorry.”
She silently says it in her heart, then turns, climbs out the window she entered through, and disappears into the night.
Wind pours in through the window, making the curtains rustle noisily. White Li frowns, turns over, and pulls the blanket tighter.
—
Morning.
After the alarm rings for the third time, White Li groggily opens her eyes. She turns over, shuts off the alarm, and reaches for the bracelet on the bedside table.
Her fingers sweep across the tabletop twice, but touch nothing. She sweeps again, still nothing.
“Huh?”
White Li freezes, pushes herself up, squints at the bedside table. Empty. Only the half-glass of water from last night and the charging cable.
Where’s the bracelet?
She rubs her eyes, then lifts the pillow to check—nothing. She lifts the blanket—nothing. Under the bed, on the closet, in the backpack—she searches everywhere, nothing.
White Li stands in the middle of the room, her hair a mess like a bird’s nest.
“It’s gone, the bracelet is gone.”
She whips her head toward the window; it’s ajar, wind blowing in, the curtains swaying gently. Last night, did she close the window?
White Li tries to recall, but her mind is a blank. She remembers turning off the light, pulling up the blanket, and then… then nothing.
White Li runs to the window barefoot, leans out to look. Below is an empty street, a few fallen leaves blown along by the wind. Nothing at all.
“This is bad.”
White Li crouches by the window, hugging her knees.
‘What do I do?’
Without the bracelet, she can’t go out during the day. Can’t go out, can’t go to school. Can’t go to school, can’t see Lin Du. Can’t see Lin Du…
No no no, she shakes her head forcefully. Now is not the time to think about this. The bracelet is lost. It was given by Madam, it’s organization property. If Madam finds out…
White Li shudders, afraid to think further. Her tail droops on the floor as she stares at the half-open window, her mind blank.
Buzz buzz buzz—
Her phone vibrates on the table; it’s Lin Du calling. It’s almost time for them to go to school together; normally, they would have already left by now.
White Li stares at the phone like it’s a bomb about to explode.
‘What do I do?’
Answer it or not?