In my freshman year, the most respected woman in the city’s high society suddenly offered to sponsor me. Just as I was about to reach for her delicate, fair hand, a series of comments popped up in my vision, like a live social media feed. [This pathetic side character thinks he’s found his savior, but the female lead is just pissed at her nephew and decided to sponsor a male student to spite him. He’s handsome and an orphan, so he’s the perfect pawn.] [He’s going to be kicked out soon anyway. The male lead’s older brother is already on his way to a pet store to buy their aunt her favorite kind of cat to cheer her up!] [A big reason the female lead likes the male lead is because of his cat-like features. Who would’ve thought that under that calm, self-possessed exterior, she’s a total cat fanatic!] … “If you’re willing, sign the contract.” The woman’s cool, detached voice pulled me back from the scrolling comments. I looked down at the contract, at the three hundred thousand dollars per year she was offering. I fought to suppress the cat ears that were threatening to pop out from my hair in my excitement. My eyes shining, I nodded eagerly. “Yes! I’m willing!” 1 My ears were misbehaving, twitching just beneath my scalp, desperate to spring free. It was an itchy, annoying sensation, but I forced myself to hold still. I couldn’t scare off this kind woman who was willing to help me. Once I had them under control, I quickly picked up the pen and signed my name. “Is there anything else I need to do?” The comments had mentioned that Ms. Sterling was only sponsoring me to make her nephew jealous. What was my role in all this? Her expression was cold and distant. Her gaze swept disdainfully over the peeling, green-tinged walls of my tiny apartment and the faded t-shirt I was wearing. Finally, her eyes, cool and emotionless, landed on my thin face. “First, get a new set of clothes. Tomorrow, you’ll move into the Sterling villa.” I nodded obediently and followed her assistant out to go shopping, planning to study the comments and learn how to be a proper “villainous side character.” But they all said I was just a disposable pawn in the main couple’s drama. They said I’d be dropped before I even set foot in the Sterling house, as soon as the main couple made up. But if she withdrew her sponsorship… I’d go hungry. I wouldn’t even be able to afford dried fish. To protect this hard-won opportunity, I gathered my courage, ditched the assistant, and yanked open the door of the departing Porsche, sliding into the back seat just before it pulled away. I met the cold, hard eyes of Elizabeth Sterling, framed by her gold-rimmed glasses. I nervously twisted the hem of my shirt. “I heard there’s going to be a thunderstorm tonight,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I… I’m really scared of thunder. Auntie, can I… can I go home with you tonight?” 2 The comments exploded. [Holy crap! This isn’t a side character, he’s a full-on green tea bitch! That soft voice, trying to seduce the female lead while the male lead is away! Calling her ‘auntie’—just die already!] [There’s no way the female lead is falling for such a cheap trick. She only has eyes for her precious nephew! Her dad and the male lead’s dad were sworn brothers; they’re not even related by blood. They’re totally going to get married!] [Don’t forget, she also has a soft spot for cats, haha. She’s the ultimate cat person.] Because my transformation wasn’t complete, my eyes were still a cat-like amber-flecked black. Right now, widened with fear, the corners of my eyes were tinged red. Elizabeth looked down at me, her expression unreadable, but I saw her unconsciously rub the hand where I was clutching her sleeve. “What did you just call me?” Her voice was cool, but with a barely perceptible rasp. Remembering what the comments said about her loving cats, I summoned my courage, about to repeat myself. Her gaze hardened, and she yanked her arm away. The force was so strong I stumbled backward, barely managing to catch the half-closed car door to keep from cracking my head on the pavement. Elizabeth was already back to her usual indifferent self. Her eyes were fixed on a point in the distance, over my shoulder. Standing there was a boy, bundled up in an expensive raincoat. He was staring at me, his eyes red-rimmed, clutching a white cat to his chest as if he’d been deeply wronged. When he saw Elizabeth looking at him, his eyes welled up with tears. He abruptly threw the cat to the ground and ran off. Without a moment’s hesitation, Elizabeth slammed the car door shut. “Follow him,” she ordered the driver. 3 I was left choking on a cloud of exhaust fumes. I stood up, my back aching from the fall, feeling a pang of frustration. Dejected, I walked over and picked up the abandoned cat. Two of its four legs were broken. No wonder it hadn’t run, even after being so frightened. Its mouth was bleeding a little, too. But without the sponsorship, I had no money to get it treated. I hugged the cat tighter, a sour feeling rising in my chest. I carried it back to my leaky, dilapidated shack. I crushed my last small bag of dried fish, mixed it with water, and fed it to the white cat, one mouthful at a time. I didn’t dare sleep all night, my eyes wide as I watched over the barely breathing animal. As I rubbed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of a tall, cool figure standing in the moonlight. She had changed into a black blouse, which made her look even more refined and aloof. Her eyes were slightly narrowed as she leaned against the wall, watching me. I had no idea how long she’d been there. A clap of thunder roared. I quickly scooped up the cat and ran over to her. “Aun… Auntie.” Elizabeth frowned. “Aren’t you afraid of thunder? Why didn’t you go to the Sterling house?” My heart leaped. “You’re still willing to sponsor me?” Her gaze fell to the cat I was clutching protectively. In the moonlight, her sharp features softened slightly. “The contract is signed. I can’t go back on my word.” [The male lead ran back to his own house and refuses to see the female lead. She got mad and went to find the side character again.] [LOL, the side character actually thinks she cares about him. So gross.] [Even though she won’t say it, the whole point of sponsoring him was to make the male lead jealous. This idiot is too dumb to realize it. The second he’s not useful anymore, she’ll toss him aside again.] I held the cat and followed Elizabeth, ignoring the mocking comments. I didn’t care what they said. As long as I had food in my stomach, could go to school, and could get the cat treated, I was more than satisfied. 4 Once I understood what the comments meant—that Elizabeth was using me to make Liam jealous—I started doing a lot of “bad” things to prove my usefulness, all while the comments cursed me out. I would proactively serve her food at dinner, give her a head massage before bed… I even made a point of getting into the car she sent to pick Liam up from school. Liam refused to sit in the front passenger seat, so I shamelessly took it myself. That made him so angry he refused to go home, threatening to go stay with his childhood friend instead. The atmosphere in the car was tense. I looked at Elizabeth, my eyes shining. “Snowball is almost better. Do you want to come with me to see him?” Snowball was the name I’d given the white cat. Because Liam was slightly allergic to cat fur, he had been staying at the vet clinic. The light in the car was dim. Elizabeth had one hand on the steering wheel, her eyes no longer on the back seat in the rearview mirror. She looked at me, her eyes narrowed, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Alright.” Liam, who had one foot out of the Porsche, froze. He sat back down and huffed, his voice tight with anger. “No! It’s your birthday today, Aunt Liz! You promised you’d spend it with me! How can you go with this… this lowlife!” He leaned over from the back seat, wrapping his arms around Elizabeth’s in a possessive hug. Elizabeth’s indifferent gaze flickered to me. I obediently got out of the car, letting the wind from the passing luxury vehicle whip at my clothes. But Elizabeth had forgotten one thing: it was the staff’s day off. The villa gates were locked. I couldn’t get in. So I curled up outside, staring blankly with my cat-like eyes. The late autumn night wind was bone-chillingly cold. Still, it was much better than the days when I had nothing to eat and no warm clothes to wear. 5 After that day, Liam and Elizabeth’s relationship improved significantly. Elizabeth’s attitude towards me also changed, from cold and stern to something gentler. She would ask about my day, and bring me nice gifts when she came back from business trips. If Liam got a custom-tailored suit, I would get a tie. If Liam got a huge bouquet of roses, I would get a single tulip. She even started having the nanny pack an extra lunch for me when she sent food for Liam. Realizing my sponsorship was safe for now, I finally started to relax and focus more on my studies. After all, just as the comments said… I would be abandoned by her eventually. It was better to learn as much as I could before that happened. Once Snowball had fully recovered, Liam brought him home. Despite his mild allergy, he would put on his airtight raincoat to play with the cat. Maybe it’s true that pets are more attached to the person who buys them. One day, while I was doing my homework, Snowball, seemingly at Liam’s silent command, leaped at me and raked his claws down my arm. Blood instantly welled up from the deep scratches. Elizabeth came home at that exact moment and saw what had happened. She frowned. Liam immediately ran to her, his eyes red. “Aunt Liz,” he cried, hugging her tight waist, “they say cats are the most spiritual animals. This lowlife has been taking care of Snowball for so long, and Snowball still scratched him. It must be because he’s bad luck! Kick him out, please?” This was the first time Liam had acted so clingy since his tantrum. Elizabeth buried her face in his neck, her expression softening. She then glanced coolly at me. I stood in the middle of the living room, clutching my bleeding arm, at a complete loss. My eyes stung, and tears welled up. Before she could say anything, I lowered my head and obediently started packing my things. The moment I stepped out of the villa, a notification sound dinged on my phone. I lit up the screen. It was a message from Elizabeth, her profile picture a stark black square. “199 Laurel Canyon Drive. Go there for now.” “…I’ll come see you when I have time.” [The female lead just thinks the side character is useful, so she’s keeping him around. The next time the male lead throws a fit, she can just bring him back.] [Is there going to be another misunderstanding between the main couple?] [No way. Liam’s older sister is coming back from abroad soon. She adores her little brother, so she’ll definitely help him get rid of the side character.] [Hahaha, the sister loves cats too. She used to have a black cat. I guess no cat lover can resist a sweet, cat-like boy like the male lead!] … Watching the comments fly by, I pursed my lips and hailed a cab to the address Elizabeth had given me. One of the clauses in the contract stated that I must “strictly follow the sponsor’s instructions.” Elizabeth could withdraw her investment in me at any time, but I couldn’t break the contract. If I gave her a reason, I wouldn’t be able to afford the penalty. 6 I never expected that the scratch from Snowball would trigger my heat cycle. And I certainly never expected Elizabeth to show up tonight. Now, here I was, standing at the door with fluffy black cat ears and a matching tail drooping behind me, clutching a pillow, my eyes red and wide. I stared at Elizabeth, frozen. My ears twitched uncontrollably. “Aun… Auntie,” I stammered. The ears and tail wouldn’t retract. I quickly scampered upstairs and hid under the covers, forgetting to lock the door behind me. The door creaked open. The bed dipped slightly. A faint scent of gardenias filled the room. I huddled under the blanket, feeling a pair of intense, predatory eyes on me. Finally, on the verge of suffocating, I poked my head out, my eyes swimming with tears. Elizabeth was tall. Sitting on the edge of the bed, all I could see was her immaculate blouse and the small white first-aid kit she had placed beside her. My ears twitched. Before I could react, a hand reached out and pulled me from my cocoon. I struggled frantically. My secret was out! Oh no, the authorities are going to take me away! “Meow, meow, meow!” In my panic, all I could manage were cat sounds. I clapped a hand over my mouth and looked up, cautiously gauging her reaction. The room was dark. Her features were shadowed, her eyes cast low. Her gaze swept over my fluffy ears, her expression still unreadable. But the hand on my waist was gentle, stroking me softly. When she spoke, her voice was raspy. “What are you hiding from? Don’t be afraid. I won’t tell anyone.” “Come out. Let me treat your arm.” I obediently emerged from the covers. I watched as she opened the first-aid kit and used a cotton swab to disinfect the scratches. Because I hadn’t cleaned them right away, the wound had scabbed over. It stung when she touched it, but I clenched my teeth and didn’t make a sound. In the heavy silence, she spoke again, her voice soft. “Liam has been spoiled by his sister and me. I’ve already punished him for what happened today. Don’t be too upset.” “And I’ll make him change the way he addresses you.” [LOL, her idea of ‘punishing’ the male lead was taking away his phone and making him go to bed early. You’re just too in love, girl.] [What’s wrong with calling him a lowlife? That’s what he is. A gold-digger who pretends to be a cat to seduce her, even meowing. What a green tea bitch.] [True love is true love. Even if the male lead does nothing, she’ll still love him and never change. This side character is wasting his efforts.] I read the comments and silently breathed a sigh of relief. They all thought my ears and tail were fake. So, Elizabeth probably thought so too. She must! Reassured, I relaxed and smiled at her, my cat-like eyes crinkling. “It’s okay. I’m not angry.” After all, it wasn’t the first time Liam had called me a lowlife. If you’re being sponsored, you have to give something in return. A few insults were better than an empty stomach. Elizabeth’s movements stilled. “Mm,” she said softly. For some reason, I felt a chill emanate from her. She seemed to have reverted to her old, unapproachable self. 7 I asked Elizabeth to call the school and get me an excused absence. With my ears and tail out, I couldn’t exactly go to class. These past few days, she came to see me almost every day, saying she was worried about my wound getting infected. But cat-folk heal fast; the scratches had already faded to a faint scar. Sometimes, she would even stay the night. I’d wake up to find the side of my bed indented, as if someone had been sitting there, watching me for a long time. On the last day of my heat cycle, I finally worked up the courage. My ears flattened against my head, I walked into her study. Under her dark, intense gaze, I took a few more steps forward. “Um, do you… do you want to touch them? My ears, I mean. They’re about to go away…” Before I could finish, my drooping tail was swiftly snipped from behind with a pair of scissors.
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