Chapter 10: First Encounter

After the dinner party, Duan Yan brought the little cat home.

Her keen intuition sensed the little cat’s mood, which seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible sadness.

Such a lively little cat was now listless. It had been lying in her arms like this since they got in the car, not even curious when she looked at her phone.

Duan Yan comforted it in a soft, low voice:

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

Duan Yan’s gaze upon her was as clear as a spring, genuine and warm.

“Meow-wu~”

Song Jin felt very guilty, feeling she had wronged Duan Yan.

Duan Yan was her career rival, yet she had taken the initiative to recommend resources for her, while she had deceived her by pretending to be a little cat.

“We’ll be home soon, be good~”

The little cat’s voice was weak, as if it had lost all its vitality, making one’s heart ache.

Duan Yan thought: ‘It must need my kisses and hugs.’

So, she gently picked up the little cat, and a series of kisses landed on its fur. She pressed her cheek against its belly, huffing it, and conveying her ardent love.

Obviously, this was just Duan Yan’s wishful thinking. Song Jin did not think so.

She knew it. This despicable woman would not let her go. She was kissing her again. The matter of her stealing her first kiss this morning hadn’t been settled yet.

And now it was starting again—cat-s*ave cat-huffing syndrome.

Song Jin no longer felt any guilt. Duan Yan had taken so many advantages of her, what was stealing a few secrets?

She was being petted without any “dignity,” and was even kissed brazenly. She hadn’t been treated like this even as a child.

Petted until she could bear it no longer, she rose up in resistance, swatting with her paw.

“Hiss—”

‘This is too much!’

The little orange cat raised its paw, its mouth wide open, revealing the small white teeth inside. Its whiskers trembled with agitation, looking extremely fierce.

But Duan Yan only thought the little orange cat was feisty yet cute. Even its angry expression was lively and spirited.

The sad emotions that had been stirred up today all vanished into thin air. The corners of her mouth turned up, and her mood became cheerful.

After all this fuss, Song Jin, smelling the familiar scent on Duan Yan, drowsily fell asleep in her arms.

In her dream, she dreamt of her first meeting with Duan Yan.

At that time, she had just entered the entertainment industry and was still arguing with her sister about her choices, insisting on participating in the recording of a TV drama song.

Song Jin’s university major was music. The instructor on the other end was very satisfied with her and asked her to come to the Capital Cultural and Entertainment Arts Building.

Because of her sister, the organizers had arranged a separate dressing room for her. She stayed in the dressing room alone, closing her eyes to rest and memorizing the lyrics she was about to record.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open without warning.

Song Jin slowly opened her eyes, her gaze meeting the newcomer’s.

The person was standing against the light, their features somewhat obscured, but judging from their aura, they were definitely a beauty full of charm.

As they got closer, Song Jin saw clearly.

She wore a vibrant red long dress of a simple style with no extra decorations, adorned only with a string of round pearls around her neck.

The red on her did not look gaudy at all; instead, it exuded an indescribable elegance.

For some reason, her intuition told her that the woman before her looked a bit familiar, as if she had seen her before, but she couldn’t remember where.

“Excuse me, is anyone here?” The voice was like jade hitting the ground, cold and clear, breaking the silence of the dressing room.

Song Jin saw that she had noticed the lyric book and accessories she had casually placed on the stool. She took them back and replied faintly, “No, these are my things.”

That person then sat down without any ceremony and opened a booklet she was carrying to read.

This was clearly the dressing room arranged for her by the organizers, and she hadn’t been notified that anyone else would be coming. Song Jin felt a little displeased but politely remained silent.

That woman suddenly spoke, asking, “Little friend, are you here for an audition?”

‘Who’s a little friend? She was already an adult, alright!’

She finally understood why the woman in the red dress looked familiar. This tone was exactly like her sister Song Yu’s, treating her like a child.

“No,” Song Jin replied curtly.

The woman in the red dress thought for a moment and gave a faint smile, “Then you’re here to record a song, I suppose? The theme song for ‘Peach Blossoms’?”

Song Jin was surprised, her almond eyes widening slightly.

“Are you wondering how I knew?”

Song Jin’s evaluation of her was just one word—pretentious.

Her smile was just like that old fox, her sister. It looked very gentle but was actually fake. So annoying.

Although she was curious, Song Jin pretended not to hear and ignored the woman.

That woman didn’t get angry, just stopped talking.

A faint sound came from the air. Song Jin looked up and saw the woman pursing her lips, her eyes curved, trying to hold back a laugh.

‘So annoying! Who is this person? So, so annoying!’

Later, the woman’s manager rushed in and called her away. Only then did she find out that the woman in the red dress had gone to the wrong room.

Song Jin asked her manager and found out that the woman’s name was—Duan Yan.

At only 27 years old, she had already won the Best Actress award twice and was known as the empress of film and television in the entertainment industry. The TV drama insert song she had taken on was from a script tailor-made for her.

“Baby, we’re home!”

Duan Yan gently stroked the little cat’s head and carefully placed it on the sofa.

Song Jin recalled Duan Yan’s frosty demeanor outside, which was in stark contrast to her current submissive behavior in front of her, and couldn’t help but feel a secret thrill.

‘Hmph!’

‘No matter how many awards you, Best Actress Duan, have won, you still have to obediently “serve” me now.’

‘If she was in a good mood, she would give Duan Yan some face, exposing her belly for petting and throwing in some meows as a bonus. If she was in a bad mood, she would grant Duan Yan a few swats, and Duan Yan would still have to accept it happily.’

Song Jin patted Duan Yan’s hand, signaling for her to back off.

Duan Yan was utterly charmed by the little cat’s lazy demeanor.

‘Her little cat was so well-behaved!’

It didn’t have bad habits like smashing vases and porcelain or causing trouble randomly. It didn’t even scratch her skin with its claws. It even carefully hid its claws for fear of accidentally hurting her, a stark contrast to how it treated her manager.

What pleased Duan Yan even more was: the little cat only recognized her as its owner. It only let her hold it, only her pet it. It wouldn’t let anyone else even touch it. Duan Yan’s possessiveness was greatly satisfied. It was simply perfect!

Well, except for the toilet water drinking incident, that was a small flaw.

Both Duan Yan and Song Jin were very satisfied with this mode of interaction.

A few days later, Duan Yan was scheduled for an interview with a certain fruit-themed channel, and she had a new script. Filming was set to begin in a month.

Duan Yan had almost harsh demands for her profession.

She sat at her desk, engrossed in flipping through the script, occasionally making notes in her notebook. An hour slipped by unnoticed. She also carefully prepared for the interview questions and drafts, every word carefully considered.

The little cat watched her work quietly from the side, seemingly full of curiosity about the content of her writing.

Occasionally, it seemed to feel that Duan Yan was writing too quickly and would stretch out a small paw to block her hand, not allowing her to turn the page.

Duan Yan would then take the opportunity to sneak in some pets, only continuing to write after the cat’s interest had waned.

Duan Yan looked at the wide-eyed little cat before her, stroking its soft fur. Her mind drifted back to the first time she saw Song Jin. She was just as cute then.

That day, Duan Yan and she were in the same room, and she was quite surprised that Song Jin knew nothing about her.

Although she, Duan Yan, wouldn’t dare claim to be a household name, her fame in the industry was considered quite well-known. Those newcomers to the entertainment industry would respectfully call her “Senior Duan” or “Teacher Duan.”

But Song Jin, because she had entered the room, not only didn’t use a familiar form of address but also seemed to be sulking secretly.

At that time, Song Jin was sitting in a chair, her cheeks unconsciously puffed out, as if protesting something.

Her eyes were standard almond eyes, round and cute. When she was angry, her eyes would widen, just like a sulking little cat, making one’s heart itch uncontrollably.

Later, it turned out that she was indeed at fault, because she had gone to the wrong room.

She found out that the cute and spirited girl was named Song Jin, a newcomer who had just entered the industry. No wonder she didn’t know her.

She heard that she had studied abroad and graduated from university early at the age of 20. She was hardworking, motivated, smart, and cute.

At a film festival once, she happened to overhear Song Jin whispering with a newly popular starlet, complaining about a director.

Her innocence and directness were like an unworldly kitten, making one feel envious and also sparking a desire to protect her.

Duan Yan certainly envied Song Jin’s vitality. Her emotions were so direct, her joys and sorrows clear at a glance. It was obvious she had been well-cared for by her family.

But more than that, she wanted to protect her, not wanting her to be tainted by the filth of the entertainment industry.

Duan Yan inadvertently learned that she had failed her mentor’s harsh audition. A pang of pity arose in her heart, and she couldn’t help but picture her sad expression.

Her eyes would be wide, her rosy lips slightly pouted, with tears welling up but refusing to fall, not wanting others to see her vulnerable side—stubborn and cute.

So Duan Yan, on a whim, arranged a dinner and recommended her to Director Li Chengyue, hoping to win her an opportunity.

As Duan Yan expected, Song Jin succeeded in the audition, and her role became a sensation, tearing off the “vase” label.

As a senior, she wanted to tell Song Jin that it was she who had given her the audition opportunity, to befriend her and guide her as a junior. But Song Jin seemed to have a hostile attitude towards her, seeing her as a competitor, single-mindedly wanting to defeat her.

Duan Yan thought about it and finally kept the matter to herself.

For a proud person like Song Jin, if she knew that her so-called “nemesis” had given her this opportunity, her self-esteem would be dealt a heavy blow.

At the awards ceremony, the award-winning Song Jin even deliberately provoked her silently, flashing the golden trophy at her.

Little did she know, in Duan Yan’s eyes, she was more like a pouting little cat, raising its soft paws to defend its dignity, a look that was both endearing and playful.

Duan Yan, known for her composure, had to use all her strength to suppress the smile that was about to overflow, using her signature smile to cleverly conceal her inner thoughts.

It was just that, she seemed to get even angrier. What could she do now?

Sigh.

Duan Yan sighed helplessly.