Volume One, Chapter Fifty-Two: Su Ziwen and the Cat

“Wenwen, the water’s ready. Get yourself prepared for a bath,” a gentle female voice called from outside the door, snapping Su Ziwen from her reverie.

“Alright, I heard you.” She lifted her head and replied, set down the pen in her hand, closed the completed homework notebook before her, and took off her glasses to put them in their case. Glancing at her phone, she realized she’d been sitting there, lost in thought, for half an hour.

When she opened her door, her parents were the same as always, snuggled together on the sofa watching a local TV channel. Because of the tidal effects of the lunar phase, communications through electronic devices only worked within the safety barrier, and the only TV channels available were those broadcast by the Qin City local station. The news playing at the moment reported on the repairs to the breach in the city’s northwestern boundary.

“The massive gas explosion on October 2nd caused a breach in the city’s safety barrier, which is expected to be fully repaired by tomorrow morning. Authorities once again urge all citizens to stop using and storing gas—this outdated and hazardous fuel has already been replaced by cleaner and more efficient energy sources…”

At this, Su Ziwen’s expression turned helpless. No matter what went wrong, the old scapegoat was always a gas explosion. After years of such publicity, “gas” had become synonymous with danger in the minds of ordinary citizens. Yet Su Ziwen knew it was just an ordinary gaseous fuel, flammable and explosive, but nothing powerful enough to blast a hole several kilometers wide in the fully powered city barrier.

On October 2nd, a massive gap—over ten kilometers long—had suddenly appeared in the safety barrier at the northwest corner of Qin City. Every available military force had converged to hold the breach, waiting for the barrier to self-repair. To calm the populace, the local television station sent reporters to cover the situation, and now, it seemed, the breach would soon be healed.

And October 2nd was also the day that Mode disappeared.

“What’s wrong, Wenwen, do you want to come watch with us?” Her mother, noticing her pause, loosened her hold on her father’s arm and looked back at her precious daughter.

“No, I’m going to take my bath first.” Her reply was cool, rejecting her mother’s offer. After all, she had no intention of playing the third wheel to her parents. Sometimes she wondered if her brother had chosen a university so far from home just to escape their constant displays of affection.

Inside the bathroom, closing the door behind her, Su Ziwen started to undress, her thoughts drifting again.

That evening of October 2nd, she’d been memorizing her books when a call interrupted her. It was Wu Fan.

“Class rep, class rep, did you hear? There’s a huge hole torn open in the northwest barrier!” The chubby boy’s voice was clearly anxious.

“I know. So what?” Sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, Su Ziwen had already heard the news. But with the military and so many powerful individuals sealing off the breach, she hadn’t paid it much attention.

“But Mode’s gone missing!” There was a sudden bang on the other end, startling Wu Fan, who hastily asked, “What happened, class rep? Hello? Hello?”

“It’s nothing, go on.” Su Ziwen gritted her teeth through the pain, tears stinging her eyes as she rubbed her sore backside and stood up.

Wu Fan quickly explained that he hadn’t been able to reach Mode by phone.

“Don’t worry. You know how he is—always taking sudden ten-day or half-month trips. Maybe he left early for another adventure.” She tried to reassure Wu Fan. “And don’t tell Teacher Yu just yet. He’s new to our class and doesn’t know everyone. If he hears this suddenly, he’ll only be more worried.”

“Okay…” Wu Fan calmed down and hung up. As soon as she put down the phone, Su Ziwen dialed another number.

A cold electronic voice answered: “The number you have dialed is not in service. Please try again later…” She hung up before the message finished.

She tried another number. After several rings, someone finally picked up.

“Hello? Is this Sister Yanxi? It’s Su Ziwen, Mode’s classmate.” This time, she’d reached Mode’s landlord, Li Yanxi.

“Oh, it’s little Ziwen. What’s the matter?” The background was noisy—clattering sounds mixed with static made Li Yanxi’s voice indistinct.

“Are you busy right now, Sister Yanxi?” Su Ziwen was worried she was intruding.

“Wait a moment,” was all she got before the call was cut off. Three or four minutes later, Li Yanxi called back.

“Hello? Ziwen? What happened?” Her voice was now perfectly clear, with no more background noise.

“Sister Yanxi, I wanted to ask if Mode was with you? I just tried calling him and couldn’t get through.”

“Little Mode? He should have gone to see his cousin off.” There was a noticeable hesitation in her voice. So, Sister Yanxi was still the same. Even reading from a script, she couldn’t help but slip up.

Su Ziwen laughed. “I figured as much. He’s as elusive as ever. I won’t keep you, then. Go back to what you were doing.”

“No problem, come visit if you have time, Ziwen…” Li Yanxi didn’t seem to notice her slip. After a few more words, she hung up. She knew Mode wasn’t at home—he must have left the city on some assignment for the “Tide” again. After tucking her phone away, the petite figure soared off toward the massive shadows beyond the breach.

…

Stripped bare, Su Ziwen stepped beneath the shower, letting the water wash her body, hoping it would cleanse her mind as well. It was already October 4th—the gaping hole in the city’s boundary was almost mended—yet Mode was still unreachable. She knew there was no real need to worry about him. She’d long since grown used to his vanishing acts, his reappearing at school after weeks gone without warning. This time, it just happened to coincide with the rampant lunar tides outside.

She shouldn’t be so concerned, but she simply couldn’t help herself.

“I hope you really did go to see your ‘cousin’ home this time.” She squeezed shampoo into her palm and began scrubbing her hair, eyes closed tightly against the water, but her mind drifting to Mode’s so-called “cousin.”

Her sense of smell had told her that Mode’s so-called cousin was actually the mysterious woman who’d appeared that night at the Archive Hall. She was certain it had been their first meeting, but since Mode insisted she was his cousin, so be it. If the two of them had left Qin City together, at least they could look out for each other.

Her instincts warned her, though: Mode’s “cousin” was anything but ordinary.

Rinsing the foam from her hair, Su Ziwen quickly twisted her damp hair into a bun and began to bathe. Bubbles formed on her fair skin, gradually masking the lines of youth. When her fingers reached the budding curve of her chest, Mode’s cousin’s figure flashed into her mind.

Even through mist and clothing, she could sense the imposing weight and presence.

Expressionless, she gave herself a gentle squeeze—yes, there was still much room for growth.

So it was true—girls also cared about certain things just as much…

As her body sank into the water, warmth enveloped her from all sides, seeping into her very core. The coldness faded from her face, replaced by a subtle blush. Her fingers poked at the floating yellow rubber duck, her thoughts drifting to how long this lunar tide would last.

Her mind wandered, thoughts scattering, until they coalesced into a single whisper.

“Don’t die out there.”

“Wenwen, don’t soak too long!” Her mother’s gentle voice called again, and when Su Ziwen returned to herself, she realized the bathwater had grown tepid.

“Got it.” She rose, water beading on her graceful curves, her fair skin tinged with a delicate flush—she’d been daydreaming again. She grabbed a pale yellow towel from the rack and carefully dried herself, giving herself another little pep talk. She was still ordinary for now, but in her youth, the future was bright.

She dressed and made her way back to her room. Her mother emerged from the dining room with two plates of fruit, handing one to Su Ziwen as she passed and placing the other on the coffee table, feeding a grape to her father.

Su Ziwen forced a smile and hurried back to her room. Once inside, she let down her hair and began to towel it dry.

Suddenly—tap, tap—from outside the window. Su Ziwen looked up, but saw nothing. She retrieved her glasses, put them on, and walked to the window. This time, she saw what was knocking.

A black cat—its fur pure and unblemished—no wonder she hadn’t noticed it before.

She opened the window. Judging by the way the cat was readying its paw again, if she hadn’t, it would have sat out there knocking all night.

The cat leapt gracefully onto the sill and curled up, licking its sleek black coat with a delicate pink tongue. Its golden-black eyes swept elegantly around the room before finally meeting the gaze of the girl in her pale yellow pajamas.