"Angel?! Hey girl, what are you talking about?! Weren't we supposed to go for hotpot?! That idea of yours earlier... sounds pretty good."
"Ah, right, right. Food! Food's the top priority! I know a viral internet-famous spot nearby—let's head there right now!"
She shook her head hard, flinging those unrealistic thoughts aside. Must've been the hunger, she figured, that made her hallucinate those wings earlier.
Xiao Yuji, a firm believer that slacking off on meals means a faulty mindset, immediately pulled up the group-buying app.
The muggy dampness of a Guanghan summer night clung like an invisible blanket, smothering every inch of skin.
The two stepped out of the hotel and made a beeline for the alley at the street corner.
Pushing through the heavy glass door, a rich, heady aroma—mingling with notes of chili, Sichuan peppercorn, and a medley of ingredients—washed over them, laced with the buzz of chatter and the crisp coolness of air conditioning, wrapping them tight.
"How's that? Pretty damn satisfying, huh!"
They cheerfully claimed a corner table, ordered the broth and signature dishes, and Xiao Yuji's intense focus on the food soon rubbed off on Ryan.
Before long, the bubbling broth and plates of ingredients arrived.
The boiling red soup reeked of temptation. When the first slice of lamb, glistening with sesame paste, slid crisp and tender down her throat, that explosive freshness finally soothed Ryan's frayed nerves.
His tense body relaxed, and he even took the initiative to reach for the shrimp paste with his chopsticks.
"Delicious, right? Eat your fill!"
Xiao Yuji's eyes lit up as she watched him eat with enthusiasm. Her cheeks stuffed full, her mood lifted too.
The heavy atmosphere between them seemed to fade, diluted by the smoky warmth of the meal.
Just as this brief moment of warmth settled—
"Waah—Mom! It hurts! It hurts so bad!"
A shrill child's cry sliced through the bustle!
The sound came from the table diagonally behind them, near the aisle. A little boy, about three or four years old, stood on the floor, his face flushed crimson, tears and snot streaming, crying his heart out.
In front of him stood a worried-looking, slender young woman, clutching a long-handled stainless steel strainer used for hotpot.
"Told you not to run around! See, you got burned! Let Mom wipe it off!"
As the wet wipe neared the glistening drop of red oil on the back of the boy's hand, Ryan's sudden roar—"Stop!"—silenced the room.
The noisy hotpot joint froze, as if hit by a pause button.
The woman, strainer in hand, jolted at the outburst, her arm hanging mid-air. She turned, bewildered, her eyes clouded with confusion.
All around, stares converged on Ryan—some suspicious and confused, some curious, even a few eager for a show.
"Only running cold water will cool it down."
He blurted it, and the noise rushed back, a physical tide crashing against Ryan's fragile senses.
A chaos of sounds and fragments flooded in, but certain "signals"—charged with raw emotion—glowed like fireflies in the dark, seizing his attention.
Then came a cat's cry.
"Meow—oww——!!"
A shrill, agonized yowl, twisted and sharp as a poisoned needle, pierced Ryan's muddled awareness—clear as a bell!
It wasn't just from the street corner up ahead; it felt like it detonated inside his skull!
With the scream came a torrent of feelings: sheer terror, helplessness, and—
"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! Stupid dog below! The branch is breaking!" a flood of thoughts?!...?!
This mental voice was vivid, tangible! He could almost "see" an orange cat, fur bristling, clinging for dear life to a thin branch!
...
"Uh! Sorry about that~ He—he means well! Truly, running cold water is better! Hahaha..."
Xiao Yuji, leaping into the role of peacemaker, nearly jumped out of her seat.
Ryan looked nothing like himself—pale as a sheet, lips pressed into a rigid line—and she couldn't shake the feeling something was very wrong.
"Ugh!"
Ryan grunted, his body tensing like a drawn bow! Clutching his temples, his face blanched further.
"Ryan? What's wrong with you again?"
Startled by his reaction, Xiao Yuji—worried her hypnosis might have left aftereffects—grabbed his arm, anxious.
"Meow-oww——!! Help! Humans! Any kind soul, help! I'll name you Royal Litter-Scooper General!"
The cat's "thoughts," tearful and desperate, with a last-ditch plea, thundered louder in his head.
"I can't! The cat... it's in danger!"
Ryan burst out, his voice tight with urgency—unaware—and a sense of mission driven by that mental voice.
He didn't stop to explain; his body moved before his mind.
"Huh? Cat?...⚆_⚆?"
Xiao Yuji followed his gaze.
There, behind the sidewalk at the corner, stood a tree.
Through rustling leaves and a fuzzy cat-shaped shadow, she spotted an excited poodle barking below!
"Oh, probably being chased by the dog. It's fine—cats are nimble, they'll just..."
Her words died as Ryan shot up like a lit rocket, dashing out the door!
His speed stirred a breeze, lifting the hair on Xiao Yuji's forehead and cutting off her sentence.
"Hey! Dude! Where are you going?!"
She stared, dumbfounded, as the man—custom-clad, radiating elite polish—sprinted toward the tree with an agility that clashed wildly with his status.
Passersby gaped.
Reaching the tree, the tall, handsome man—his face twisted with urgency—growled at the yapping poodle, still catching his breath:
"Sweetie, scram! Mimi doesn't wanna play with you!"
"Huh?! Bro!! Did some Divine Empathy possess you or what?!"
Xiao Yuji, having bolted after him, panted out the confused retort, doubled over.