Chapter 21: What Is Left Behind

Duan Yan pushed the door open, her gaze falling on a splash of red on the floor.

Her heart contracted tightly, and an unspeakable pain spread through her chest.

It was the safety charm she had given the little cat.

She walked over slowly, her knees trembling slightly, and carefully picked up the charm.

Her fingers gently stroked the broken string.

The torn edges looked as if they had been forcefully ripped apart.

At the thought that her little cat had been taken by someone, Duan Yan’s heart shattered right along with that broken string.

Duan Yan’s eyes revealed endless loss and self-blame.

‘I should have just brought the little cat with me.’

Xu Qin ran to check inside the changing rooms and found one door closed.

She knocked on it.

“Excuse me, have you seen a little orange cat run in here?”

Duan Yan placed her hope on whatever was behind this door and followed up with her own question to the only person who might have a clue.

Song Jin pretended she was changing.

Hearing the inquiry from outside, she responded with feigned surprise.

Song Jin had studied music and deliberately disguised her vocal tone to ensure Duan Yan wouldn’t recognize it.

“Oh, I was waiting for my assistant to bring my clothes. I thought that was her footsteps.”

“A little cat? I haven’t seen one, though I think I might have heard some movement. You could check the surveillance cameras by the entrance to see if any suspicious people have passed by…”

Song Jin offered the suggestion at just the right time, acting like a helpful but uninvolved bystander.

Duan Yan didn’t threaten to have the door opened like she had at the hospital.

After all, the people attending this auction weren’t to be trifled with.

Besides, the person inside didn’t seem like a cat thief.

If she were, wouldn’t checking the surveillance footage just expose her?

“Alright, thank you.”

Duan Yan was about to leave, but she couldn’t give up.

“Baby, meow—”

Separated by a wall, Song Jin and Duan Yan were so close, yet it felt as if they were worlds apart.

Hearing Duan Yan’s call, Song Jin’s hands clenched into tight fists, her heart torn apart by guilt.

She slowly closed her eyes, trying to block out the sounds from outside, but Duan Yan’s anxious calls pierced her heart like needles.

The empty changing room echoed with Duan Yan’s voice, but there was no response.

“Sister Yan, it looks like the cat… isn’t here. We should go ask the organizers to check the surveillance footage.”

…

Song Jin was so nervous she was covered in a cold sweat.

Listening to Duan Yan’s receding footsteps, tears finally slipped from her misty eyes, streaming down her cheeks.

Song Jin had never regretted her decision so much, but what was done was done.

She couldn’t let this entanglement continue.

When she got back, she would definitely compensate Duan Yan. She…

Using an old-fashioned telephone inside the changing room, Song Jin made a landline call to her butler.

After waiting for about half an hour, the bodyguard arrived.

“Second Miss.”

“Why is it you?”

Song Jin was surprised as she took the new clothes.

Why was it the same person who had taken her away last time?

The bodyguard, named Ling Wei, had been hired a few years ago and had signed a ten-year contract with the Song family.

She had no idea how her sister had explained the sudden cat transformation last time.

For it to be her again was so embarrassing.

After changing her clothes, Song Jin was about to leave with the bodyguard.

As she was leaving, she saw Duan Yan’s figure.

That crimson gown looked exceptionally lonely in Song Jin’s eyes, and a wave of sadness washed over her.

Song Jin returned home.

Her sister was still working overtime at the company, but the elders of the family were present.

Her mother had been very worried when she heard she was at a training camp and couldn’t contact the family.

Now that the “training camp” was over, she naturally pulled her aside to ask all sorts of questions.

Song Jin patiently explained things to her mother.

“Alright, Xiao Jin must be tired after coming back from training. You should let her go rest.”

That was her mother’s close auntie, Shao Lan.

She was said to be a distant relative of her mother’s who had nowhere else to go, so she moved in with her.

The auntie had always treated her as her own and was very good to her.

“Thank you, Auntie Lan~” Song Jin winked playfully at Auntie Lan. “I’ll go upstairs then.”

“Fine, you go on. We’ll go for a walk in the garden.”

Song Yuan smiled helplessly and took Auntie Shao Lan’s hand, about to leave.

Although such interactions were common, Song Jin felt that something was slightly off.

‘Strange, why do they look more like a couple?’

Song Jin shook her head, casting the absurd thought from her mind.

After taking a shower, she burrowed into the soft goose-down quilt and sighed in comfort.

The familiar scent… compared to the somewhat plain bed at Duan Yan’s house, her own bed was still the most comfortable.

Song Jin found her phone, opened Weibo, and prepared to respond to Duan Yan’s previous defense of her.

Actress Duan Yan: [Image][Image]…

Duan Yan rarely posted pictures on Weibo.

This time, it wasn’t just a rare nine-photo collage, but they were also stitched together.

[I carelessly lost a cat on March 20th. Its fur is orange, breed is a domestic shorthair, and it has a white patch on its belly…]

Song Jin looked closely—it was a missing cat notice.

Duan Yan’s description of the cat’s features was incredibly detailed, even more so than Song Jin knew herself.

Many of the photos of the orange cat were ones Song Jin had never seen before.

A lazy pose sleeping on the sofa, a playful moment jumping onto the table, a satisfied expression while enjoying dried fish snacks…

Every expression of the orange cat in the photos was so vivid, clearly showing the owner’s love and care for the kitten.

Song Jin thought back to her days as that little cat, those moments of being gently cared for by Duan Yan.

When she read the last sentence, guilt flooded Song Jin’s heart, and she couldn’t stop her eyes from stinging.

[It has a very bad temper and refuses to be touched by anyone other than its owner. If seen, please contact me directly. A generous reward will be offered.]

Tears dripped onto the screen.

Song Jin pressed the repost button with her finger.

[Hugs][Hugs], I just finished my training camp and heard this terrible news. I hope Senior Duan can find her cat soon. [Heart]

However, Song Jin knew that it was impossible for Duan Yan to find that cat again, because that cat was her.

And she could no longer appear by Duan Yan’s side as a cat.

Song Jin paid no mind to the reactions from her fans below and closed Weibo.

She opened a satellite messenger and sent a message to her sister, Song Yu.

[Sister, has the candidate for that US fashion magazine been decided yet?]

Although Duan Yan was renowned in the domestic film and television industry, a queen of the screen, her fame abroad was not high.

Her manager had always been trying to find opportunities for Duan Yan to make an international appearance.

This opportunity happened to meet Duan Yan’s needs.

[Not yet finalized. The boss is currently in a meeting. If you are interested, I can arrange it for you later.]

Song Jin knew from this reply that it was from her sister’s secretary, Zhou Jiangqi.

[No need, I don’t want to go. Could you recommend Duan Yan to the person in charge of the magazine?]

The moment Song Jin sent it, she felt it was strange and immediately added another sentence, trying to make the gesture seem more natural.

[I owe her a favor. She helped me last time…]

[Alright, I will ask for the boss’s opinion later.]

Song Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

Her sister rarely refused her requests, so this matter should be settled.

Before she could even put down her phone, a call came in from her manager.

– “Miss Song, you’ve recently been offered a role in a major director’s film. You’ll need to join the crew a week early to familiarize yourself with the script. I’ll come pick you up the day after tomorrow.”

– “What script is it?”

– “It’s confidential for now, but I guarantee it will be a pleasant surprise.”

Song Jin didn’t press further.

Her mind was in a complete mess because of Duan Yan.

‘Fine, going to the set is good too. At least I can avoid distractions for a while.’

The afternoon of the day after tomorrow.

Her manager, Su Xun, brought Song Jin and her personal assistant to the hotel arranged by the production crew.

Song Jin had just stepped out of the car.

The moment she looked up.

The surrounding noise seemed to fall silent, her heart leaped, and she froze on the spot.

That figure had appeared in her line of sight without any warning.

The afternoon sun slanted down, casting a soft golden glow on her silhouette, making it seem so dreamlike.